The Isle of Man ARS are going to attempt to simultaneously activate all our 5 Manx SOTA next Sunday 14th June between 0900to 1300 UTC. We think this has never been attempted before and will initially try S2S to the other 4 for activation and then for off Island contacts. We still only have one activator on South Barrule and Slieau Freoaghane if anyone wants to join them. Everyone will have 2m FM via HH +/- Yagis and some members may have the ability to do SSB on 2m and beyond. Postings are starting to appear on SOTAwatch alert from the other summits. This will be my second attempt at a SOTA activation- my first, last Friday on Loughrigg in the Lake District only resulted in 3 contacts despite hearing someone from a SOTA in Wales -clearly using more than 5W on an FM handie!
Will you also be active on HF?
73 de Martin / HB9GVW
It is possible. I would expect any of the activators to put an alert on the reflector if they are taking the capability to do this. I myself may be able to use 20m SSB if a replacement portable LiFePo4 battery arrives in time.
73 Keith GD5IOM
Sounds like the perfect excuse to get out and get a summit somewhere in south-west Scotland, I’ll get my planning hat on!
I’m planning on sailing on Sunday but also taking the radio for some /MM chasing.
Hopefully catch some of the traffic.
Andy
MM7MOX
I can only see 2 alerts up at the moment. Are the others in progress?
I’m hoping to be out somewhere on Sunday and within range.
I am expecting a couple more people to put alerts up and then I will add the rest .I am just waiting to find out the kit they are taking to post band and mode. The weather is not looking too bad for Sunday.
Keith
GD5IOM
Worth noting that the 2nd RSGB Backpackers 2m contest is on from 10am to 2pm (local time).
You need to provide an incrementing serial number and your six digit maidenhead.
You will get lots of contacts…
I’ll be out and I’ll be very keen to get 2m SSB contacts with all of you!
73 Gerald
MW0WML/P
How odd. The rules for 1st RSGB 144MHz Backpackers contest (in May) [which I missed] required your postcode 2-letter prefix as well [which I thought was strange as you already have to give your locator] BUT this 2nd. contest (on Sunday) does not. That’s a bit of relief for contest-novices like me especially when using 2m CW.
Its used as another multiplier (in addition to the large grid square), which can be a bit of a pain when virtually every summit in GW/NW is in the LL postcode (Llandudno). It means that local contacts don’t tend to attract the multiplier as much as other summits as you only get the LL once. On a summit such as Winter Hill (G/Sp-010) where I used to regularly do the backpackers from many year ago, there would be 7 or 8 different postcode prefixes within 10 or 15 miles radius and easy pickings.
I always thought it was an odd mulitplier to have as its very skewed to as to the number of possible multipliers surrounding your position. I emailed G4PIQ back then to ask why this was the case, and the reply was basically “its all part of how you pick your location to maximise your results and one of the challenges of a contest”. I could see the point, but not entirely sure I agreed with it totally.
That raises the question, why do it [add postcode prefix] for the 1st and 4th backpackers but not for the 2nd, 3rd and 5th?
Google AI answers: it’s to align with exchange info for other contests running simultaneously.
I guess that, as the 1st 144MHz Backpackers overlaps with the 144MHz May Contest , it makes sense* for the exchange requirements of both contests to be the same…
(* For some value of “sense”. I long ago figured that contest exchange and scoring complexity was just part of the rule-writers’ way of messing with entrants’ heads…)
Yes, as someone who rarely enters contests, even I can see it might cause chaos if two (eg RSGB) contests active at the same time on the same band(s) had different exchange rules, and would lead to many non-compliant log entries.
My participation in the Backpackers tomorrow is just to take advantage of the increased 2m SSB and CW activity. Interesting to see what 5W to my modest 3-element portable Yagi can do from a modest SOTA summit.
The Postcode exchange is a multiplier for UK contests. i.e. not IARU R1 contests. By having a multiplier for each Postcode the idea is to make contest stations in SE England turn the antennas away from mainland Europe where they normally appear to be stuck and point them at the rest of the UK stations. Just for a change.
I haven’t checked the rules for a while but you used to be able to work some Postcodes more than once as there is only one code in a big area. All of GI has a BT (Belfast) code and you can work that 6 times. Likewise GM postcodes can be worked 3 times. But I haven’t checked the rules as we now use Minos for logging and it knows the rules and scores accurately all the multipliers etc.
My group didn’t do big May 2m VHF, people unavailable due to illness. Not doing VHF FD, illness, broken wrist, broken vehicles. Hopefully we can go large in September 2m and maybe 4m also. Another problem is most of my group are over 70 and those not yet over 70 are barrelling towards that magic age at a fair rate of knots. It’s a bu**er this getting old, no job, pensions to spend but your body doesn’t quite have the zap of when you were 20 but busy and broke 
Reading the 2026 contest multiplier rule B6 it looks like you get the multiplier points only for the first QSO with each unique postcode prefix.
BUT under the list of postcode prefixes, it says “ The district in red can be counted in VHF contests six times as multipliers and bonuses.” And the one in red is Belfast.
That’s right Andy. The rules were changed for 2025 because stations North of Watford Gap were doing too well and approaching scores of those in the home counties. So multipliers were dropped and it’s just a bonus now which massively reduces the chance distant stations in the UK can compete with those who can almost see across the channel. That was the change along with the main May 2m date changing to align it with European contests and the time was shortened. This was so major stations in Essex/Kent could point their antennas at Belgium/Holland/Germany and not have to “soil” their systems by beaming North and working whippet owning, flat cap wearing Northerners, or worse having a QSO with people in Scotland.
Amusingly participation was a fraction of previous years and the RSGB VHFCC retreated with their tales between their legs and changed the date back. The multiplier/bonus rules remain though, don’t want us dirty Northern types doing well 
Back to the subject. I hope the WX is good enough for all 5 stations to be on air from GD and get well chased. The WX looks reasonable tomorrow for up here that it may be well worth a wee trip up Tinto to chase them.
Is there any indication on a particular time when most people are planning to be on summit? I can still only see the two alerts for yourself and @MD0MAN at 0900Z.
I’m probably going to head down to The Merrick (GM/SS-028) but I think with the best will in the world, getting two hours down the road from Glasgow and then dragging myself up the hill for a couple of hours ahead of 1000 local time might be a bit optimistic! Although I’m not going to put myself through the torture of staying up to watch the football, that should help a wee bit at least. I’ll be operating 2m FM, and maybe 70cm FM if there are any interested parties.
We all plan to be up by 1000hrs BST 0900hrs UTC and stay weather and conditions permitting until 1400hs BST 1300hrs UTC. WE will all have 2m FM and some SSB and I may be able to try some HF on 20m.
I hope will will have a QSO with you.
Keith
GD5IOM
OK, brilliant, if the weather’s good enough and you’re all planning to stick around, that gives me the further motivation to maybe try and nip across for an extra summit while I’m in that neck of the woods. Hopefully see you out there on the air!
Ross