How do you setup your tarp? With hiking poles?
“Looks like I caught a clownfish”.
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Yup.
I only used my tarp twice. Once when I knew it would fit over a summit shelter and I was expecting snow. The other time was a transatlantic summit event, when showers were expected and I would be on top for a few hours.
I think a 2 person bothy bag is more suitable for our style of operating.
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Regarding the protection of delicate items like your HF radio etc.,
Mine is transported in a ‘tupperware’, style kitchen box which is lined with foam - a pencil or two also lives in it so I don’t forget to take a pen.
David
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It’s on my Christmas list! (Along with lots of other walking gear). To replace the weighty bivvy bag I carry for emergencies.
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Robert @M0RWX got me onto the “UST Base All Weather Tarp” A neat design that means 1 walking pole and three pegs and you have a wind/break shelter break. But it’s a faff to set up - time and suitable ground esp on a rocky summit and so I never bring it. Maybe I’ll consider it for an event when I am operating a while. But then I could always bring the hilleberg, mat and a stove 
But for the changeable, quick, cold & windy you get in Scotland (and wales). I agree with you, climb into a bothy bag. Simple quick easy. And the even the dog prefers this! Major downside in your 40s - glasses steam up and logging becomes a nightmare ……
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Hi Omar, I have a tried meth burners like this in the past. Super lightweight but they take too long to boil water on a summit and need protection from the wind. great for base camps, or setups with shelter. But for quick cold activations, with wind or not, like the summit of Morven GM/ES-018 on Friday you need a jetboil or burner or similar.
Sorry I missed you while on Morven on Friday, i was getting a cheeky lift at the bottom and so was on the summit earlier in the day - would have been nice to work you on HF !
For a mast Guy rings and guys you need, I can 3d print you one if I know the diameter. Also have put aside a couple other bits, 10m verticals, dipole bits. Message me when your passing
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…. I had an extreme version of this on one of my first hills when it appears the gamekeeper called the police, so as I staggered off the bike ready to start the walk with a pole obviously sticking out of the rucksack a police car appeared up the estate track…
(GM/SI-223). At the time I didn’t make the link between the pole and the Police…
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A bit left field but one I learned from a photographer
If you’ve been out on a bitterly cold day, put any electronic kit in a closed plastic bag before entering a warm space. This stops the warm & damp air entering your precious radio kit and the moisture condensing inside. After an hour or so, when your electronics have warmed to match the room then it’s safe to remove them from the bag.
I had an ft817 & atu behaving very oddly on a trip where I’d gone to a cafe between peaks. The morning it worked fine, in the afternoon everything was full of gremlins. No problem since adopting the poly bag trick
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@GM5ALX - The best response, I like it!
@M6GYU - Thanks, I’ll take a walk through the isle at Sainsbury’s. It’ll look strange whilst holding a radio, but I’m sure worse things have happened.
@G5OLD - I like the cone setup because it’s very stable and unaffected by wind (once setup), but it gets very light once you remove the pot so it’s good to peg it down. There are a few holes at the bottom IIRC, I’ll try to get a pic.
Agreed - a Jetboil would be far quicker however I’m wondering whether they do a version where the gas cylinder is remote? On DofE assessments, the stability of a cooking system is given points - often a jetboil loses points because it’s top heavy. Also, if it boils over due to operator error, it can be impossible to turn it off due to the valve being right beneath the superheated water (don’t ask me how I know). 
VERY kind offer. I’ll message you to see what you have - keen to know! It would have been great to work HF on Friday but the setup isn’t quite ready. I do like the idea of a 3d printed ring - thanks for the offer. I’m going to try using my climbing knots first - I have some nice cord that’ll easily hold 500kg.
Interestingly, do you use the antenna wire as a hoist/support for your mast? I remember you setting it up, but can’t remember the order of things.
I did another test yesterday but the SWR troughs, whilst still below 1:2, shifted right on the sweep. Different environment? Did the wire stretch 6"? I’ll experiment with a counter poise today.
Testing the G106 with dummy loads today to see if it’s outputting RF - something’s not right. Either the radio isn’t functioning properly, or the claimed output current of the battery pack is somewhat embellished, significantly reducing output.
Here’s yesterday’s POTA style setup very close to G/SC-004:
@MW7IOL - Good point. I tend to bring the rucksack in and let it warm up for a while before extracting my kit from it, but yes, condensation can be a nightmare. In Thailand, we had a special room in which we kept our underwater photography gear so that we could assemble it before heading outside (the opposite problem there - humidity outside the air conditioned dive centre).
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A picture is worth a thousand words. Simple is best. All made from junk/scrap found around the house.
Guying ring made from waste plastic. The guys themselves are from ASDA’s camping section. The yellow ring is from a piece of PVC pipe. It’s a few mm smaller in diameter than the hole in the brown plastic. This guy ring fits 3 different fishing poles.
Top fitting for a 10m delta loop. Two holes, one for a Decathlon Caperlan 500 pole, the other for a Life’s-a-breeze heavy duty pole. Made from a scrap of Veroboard.
The universal thing! This fits a Decathlon Caperlan 500, a Decathlan 6m carbon fibre pole and the Life’s-a-Breeze pole. The fitting on the antenna clips into the spring clip which came from a lanyard and pass to a conference. The pink string is about 300mm long and stands out against grass, heather, rocks etc. for when you drop it and want to find it without spending hours feeling for it.
Typical attachment on an antenna. This fits the heavy duty Life’s-a-Breeze pole. For smaller diameter poles it clips into the universal thing in the previous photo.
These have been in use for some years and can be fitted and removed when wearing gloves and stand up the rigours of Scottish weather.
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With one pole.
I have a 4 person bothy bag. I found it a right faff to use. I’ve also heard too many stories about it getting too hot and too much condensation.
Not if you do CW. I regularly find there is no signal on a summit. There probably is signal somewhere on the summit but you can guarantee that the spot you’ve found out of the wind doesn’t. If you’ve alerted then you’ll get an automatic spot when you call CQ. This is one of many reason it’s worth learning morse.
I never use electronic mapping. I have laminated maps that cover the areas near here that I regularly visit. Before going on holiday I’ll buy the OS map. If I think I’ll do lots of hills or visit again I’ll buy the laminated map, otherwise paper and keep it in a plastic bag. There’s much less to go wrong. And don’t forget the compass (and know how to use it).
Yesterday I went up Illgill Head G/LD-029. The start of the path is also the path up England’s highest hill Scafell Pike G/LD-001. A man asked which way to go. I asked if he had a map and he showed me the National Trust leaflet. The top was in cloud all day so I hope he made it back in one piece.
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Update:
I headed up to the same spot as yesterday armed with my kit, another operator, and some testing kit.
So, it appears the radio I have purchased is not outputting any RF. We double checked the EFHW with a dedicated SWR/Power meter, as well as the reading on a Xiegu G90. The antenna works as intended, with good SWR on all intended bands. My coax is fine. We tried the G106 with another power supply (which runs the G90 at 20w), and it still wouldn’t transmit.
So, given that I have a duff radio, the other operator made contacts on HF using my antenna setup. I asked him to go QRP, and he made various contacts on 5w. He then made contact with Bulgaria, using only 1w.
It was nice to see that contacts could be made using my EFHW, QRP.
All I have to do now is send the radio back for a replacement, and get cracking.
@MM0FMF - I like ‘free’ stuff. Here’s my wire hook/mount, made out of an Ikea leftover and a bit of plastic tube. I’ve capped it so that it sits right at the top of the mast, using a leftover SMA blanking plug. A bit of heat shrink to keep it all together, and finally a bit of my favourite cord. It’ll slot onto the top of both my masts realistically, and the wire will run through it freely. For guying, I’m going to use more climbing cord (I keep it lying around for general jobs). It’s very strong, light, slim and tangle resistant. Good friction for clove hitches, reef knots etc.
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Good thing you had a friend and another radio else you might’ve driven yourself mad trying to figure out why it wasn’t working!
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I did yesterday… I don’t have any hair to pull out, so my eyebrows took a battering. 
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Just a thought, Omar: If you are using a BNC to SO239 adapter, I’ve had those fail on me. I know the G106 has a 50-Ohm BNC socket. Do you have a PL259 plug on your coax or a 50-Ohm BNC plug?
The reason I stress 50-Ohm is that there are also 75-Ohm versions of BNC which have a larger centre pin and once used in a 50-Ohm socket, can expand the centre of the socket so that the next time you use a 50-Ohm BNC it has an intermittent contact. (Don’t ask how I know).
73 Ed.
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Ah - a good item to troubleshoot @DD5LP .
The cable that I have all checks out.
I checked one of the BNC fittings that I used to make the cable (I have a few new ones left over) by removing the pin and placing it in the radio socket. It feels nice, with good friction.
The radio was receiving very well (which I forgot to mention), so I didn’t think it would have been the patch lead.
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OK, If it was receiving as expected, it probably wasn’t the adapter or BNC plugs then. I only mentioned it as I have had that problem with a 1-piece BNC plug to SO239 socket type adapter - something inside broke in that situation - it got tossed and another one used but it had me wondering for a while.
73 Ed.
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Thanks Ed - I’m building a mental toolbox, so experience like that is good to share.
Update:
I phoned Sinotel yesterday - a replacement G106 is arriving today. I wasn’t expecting it to be so quick. I was expecting to send the old unit back for it to be tested/confirmed, and then for a replacement to be sent out.
For it to be all sorted in 24h is impressive. Not only that, the replacement unit has been checked/verified and updated to the latest firmware. Now that’s customer service. 
Battery has been fused. It claims to have short protection, but to be sure to be sure… Automotive stuff, whilst readily available, is a bit ugly. Nevermind.
This is why it’s worth paying extra to buy something like this from a UK supplier rather than Aliexpress or suchlike.
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