A while back I suggested a SOTA Cycling Weekend: in the form proposed I had no takers. However, I wonder if there might be more interest in a slightly different format? The idea is that activators on the weekend above seek to travel some of the way to their activations by bicycle. This could be using a road bike for a long approach or perhaps a mountain bike for a more complete ascent. Do you have a penny-farthing or a recumbent that could be pressed into service? Maybe a bike could be used to facilitate doing several summits in a day?
I know that quite a few folk across the SOTA world have used bikes as part of their SOTA journeys in the past so maybe this format would be more interesting. Perhaps you could mention use of a bike in your alerts.
To set the ball rolling, I have added four alerts. Some cycling s2s contacts would be fun! Make sure to take a few photos.
I was planning to ride to my local hill (Bredon Hill) on your previously announced cycle activation and will try to do so for the 8th June. However I cannot imagine anything more frustrating than pushing my heavy MTB up Bredon only to find everyone is using CW. A bit of SSB/FM would be welcome. And don’t suggest that I have 6 weeks to polish up my CW. That is a likely as actually managing to ride up the hill.
My vintage Trek Fuel 80 was used on GM/SS-176 & 169 last Saturday. Luckily enough on the first summit, which is a large wind farm, they have to plough the access roads to the turbines otherwise it would have been as useful as a ‘chocolate fire guard’. Great on the way back - 20 mins - yippee!
No such luck on the second summit. Halfway along forest road literally ‘ran into’ two foot of lying snow. Abandoned the bike and ‘slogged’ through the snow sometimes up to the top of my legs in the deep drifts. Knackered! Slogged back along via my previous holes in the snow with a final 10 min ‘swoosh’ back to the car.
As Burns said: ‘The Best Laid…’
Have a good cycle in June, though I have seen the snow level down to below 500M in Scotland in June - hi!
Richard - Okay, I will take some 2m FM along for the ride as well to assuage your fears. To be honest I was expecting to be far too out-of-breath for sensible phone operating
Jack - snow? How is that a problem for cycling? Sounds a bit nesh to me.
“He’s gone all nesh, he’s makin’ us sick…” Macc Lads 1985
Ian - will be great to have you along for the ride. I cycled across your fair land once, camping most of the way.
At present you are the only Alerted activator for this on 7 CW. I am willing to give it a go, possibly both days, but not sure about 7MHz which I tend to avoid at weekends and certainly not CW. Are you able to offer any other bands/modes?
73,
Rod
Just found I am wrong about this as G0IBE is on Bredon Hill (CE-003) on 2m FM, ssb and also 60m.
If anyone anywhere does cycle to their summit (wherever), please take a few photos and e-mail them to richard@sotabeams.co.uk as I want to do a short write-up for the magazines.
I’m planning to cycle to some local summits within DM/HE in the next week with my VHF/UHF/HF equipped bicycle. I’ll make a video and some pictures about my activity. Have a look at my bicycle setup: DK3CW/PM bicycle mobile setup for HF - YouTube
Is there any possibility the International SOTA Weekend could be made into a long weekend please?
I’m going back up to the Scottish Borders tomorrow solo (Nick G4OOE is too busy) and staying overnight in the YHA bunk barn in Bellingham. I have four summits left to activate in the area, these are SB-004 Peel Fell, SB-005 Sighty Crag, SB-007 Tosson Hill and SB-008 Long Crag and they all have partial forestry tracks to the summits which I will use to cycle on. I’ll more than likely than have to lock the bike up and walk the last bit to the summits.
I’ll be operating QRP on the 20/30m/40m bands on the usual frequencies with my YouKits HB1B CW transceiver, which gave a good account of itself on its first session on G/SB-010 Housedon Hill yesterday. I’ll also take my 2m band Yaesu VX-170 and vertical dipole.
My bike is a cheap hybrid which I haven’t ridden for about 2 years. It’s got heavier tyres and frame than my usual shopping bike which is in daily use.
