Kirkby Moor Qualified on 23cms

[G0HIK]

I picked up the little Alinco DJ-G7 triple bander at the Blackpool rally a week ago. Since then I’ve been taking it out to my local one G/LD-049 for a dog walk.
Every day I’ve worked one or two stations on 23cm’s with it.
Today I actually worked four stations and qualified on 23cm’s.
I’ve used the stock aerial, then the little two element that comes with the SG-Labs transverter. Today I took the back end of an old Tonna.
Nice to work three stations over 100kms on 23cm’s with a handie and one watt.

Anyone one else got 23cm’s in the N.W. England ?

Nick G0HIK

[MM0FMF]

Snap! Well nearly, 3ele PCB Yagi. So, so, so much better than the rubber duck.

And like you, I too have used the back end of a busted up Tonna 23ele with mine.

[G0HIK]

Trying to make out the aerial, is it one from WA5VJB ?

I’ve been told that the rubber aerial supplied with the Alinco is actually a colinear, the two ele is much better though as you say.

Do you get many QSO’s on 23cms? I guess some of the GM13 folk have it?

Nick G0HIK

[G8CPZ]

@G0HIK

Anyone one else got 23cm’s in the N.W. England ?

Yes (with two 23cm Yagis). Had I known about your 23cm activation, I might have been able to work you from my local summit G/LD-058 if not from home.

[MM0FMF]

Yes, that’s the antenna. I picked it up at one of the GMRT’s a few years back when Sam G4DDK was up.

QSOs in GM. I’ve not used it that much simply as there’s a limit (as you know) to how much uWave swag you can carry especially on bigger summits. So it gets few outings unless I know there will be people on the air.

I worked a few on the last September LD party from Stoney Cove Pile. Last GM outing was to Ben Ledi GM/SS-023 when I worked a chap down South of Ayr (80km) who gave me 59+60 on 23cms. He was using tri-band colinear on his roof and I used the setup above. Best DX for 1w FM was from Cairnharrow to a contest group on Winter Hill. Worked them on 70cms SSB and getting them to switch from SSB to FM on 23cms was nigh on impossible. Used the back of a 23 Tonna for that. 145km non-LOS path, Seatallan and Old Man of Coniston block the path so I was happy with that for FM.

[G0HIK]

145km is really good, that’s the benefit of having contest stations on.

I’ll take the handie and the PCB aerial when I’m up Kintyre/Arran in a week or so, working up the Clyde might produce some contacts.

[G8CPZ]

I have the SG-Labs 2m-23cm transverter which I use with my 2m HT for FM or FT817 for SSB or CW. More convenient for /P I used the supplied ‘PCB’ antenna on the 2019 Lake District SOTA weekend event and got good reports S2S with it.

The transverter, supplied ‘PCB’ antenna and cables fit nicely into a repurposed Bluetooth headphones carry bag and would be no trouble to carry [I take the 2m HT in any case] but I don’t bother due to lack of activity

It needs more advanced coordination. It’s too much to scan through dozens of daily alerts looking for 23cm in striking distance. Maybe 23cm activators could additionally announce their forthcoming activation on a dedicated SOTA reflector thread.

[G0HIK]

Hope we will work soon then.

[WA7JTM]

Here in Arizona/W7A, we are very active on 1296 MHz FM.

Around 20 SOTA ops have the Alinco HT’s and we are very active.

On 1296 MHZ FM I have 118 activation’s, from 76 unique summits, with at least one 1296 QSO. On fifty four summits I have made four or more 1296 contacts…a total of 430 contacts from all of the summits so far.

S2S HT to HT contacts over 200 KM are common. My longest 1 watt HT-HT QSO is 259 KM.

For an antenna I use the Alinco duck, the 3 element WA5VJB yagi, and a 10 element yagi at times. Most contacts are made on the duck or using the 3 ele yagi as it is so easy to carry. It is always in my backpack, and makes a HUGE difference over the duck.

Anyhow, it is great fun, so I encourage everyone to consider 1296. I will surprise u…even on an HT.

Pete
WA7JTM
Phoenix, AZ

[G8CPZ]

As 23cm seems to work so well S2S even with the simple 3-el WA5VJB / ‘PCB’ antenna - and inspired by Pete’s experience in AZ/WA7 - I wonder if we could promote / encourage its use for forthcoming geographically-defined SOTA events. It might even encourage some folk to get QRV on 23cm.

For example - assuming it goes ahead this summer - who might attend the G/LD SOTA weekend event who could bring 23cm to the party?

[G0HIK]

The problem maybe lack of equipment?

I think the only available handies are 2nd hand?

Just about the only other way is the SG-Labs transverter.

I wonder how much kit is lying in shacks un-used.

[MM0FMF]

@G0HIK

I wonder how much kit is lying in shacks un-used.

I always wonder how much stuff is sold? I have an Icom X21AT. That’s an early 90’s 70cms/23cms handy. Sadly is a bit poorly now and needs some obsolete parts. Despite asking online and searching I have never met anyone in the UK who has/had one. I’m fairly sure Icom sold more than 1 in the UK!

You do see the odd Yaesu FT-911 come up for sale, 1 per year. More likely to find Kenwood TM-531/TM-541 for sale (10W 23cms FM mobile). People want silly money though. I know of only 2 people who had Kenwood TR-50 1W 23cms radios.

There must be more in the UK. Must be!

[G4OIG]

@G0HIK

I wonder how much kit is lying in shacks un-used

My little Standard C710 is still very much extant. I used it with good results from the G/SP and G/LD summits using a quadruple quad, but it hasn’t been used much since. The last QSO I had was from Dumyat GM/SS-216 with Dan GM6CMQ in early March 2020, though I only had the tri-band whip with me on that occasion.

[G1ZAR]

@G0HIK

I wonder how much kit is lying in shacks un-used

Currently my Kuhne 1296H transverter

I also have an IC-T81E quad band from early 2000’s vintage and a couple of the SG-Lab transverters.
SG Lab are my usual equipment of choice.

If planning a SOTA weekend with some microwave activity, then I am happy to loan out one of the transverters to give someone a try at 23cm.

[MW0PJE]

Ive got 23cm on my IC 9700 which i can take up smaller summits,. I think ive only managed 2 QSOs on 23cm.
I think I’ll order one of those pcb antennas as the beam I built doesn’t seem too great. Are they all created equal or are some better than others?

[G4VFL]

I have activated 100 summits with 23cm. Here is a table of the number of QSOs on summits.

To get 4 or more QSOs on 23cm it is usually a contest unless it is some other form of planned activity. Well done Nick !

QSOs +++++ Summits

QSO = 1	34
QSO = 2	37
QSO = 3	15
QSO = 4	4
QSO = 5 +	10	5 summits were UKAC

Getting chasers on 23cm is not so easy, make plenty of noise on the 2m activation that you will QSY to 23cm and the equipped stations may give it a go. If possible build a following and know who to alert.

With a number of IC9700s out there the number of equipped stations has increased but not all have antennas.

I use a SG-Lab Xverter and an handi for FM.

73 de

Andrew G4VFL

[G8CPZ]

@G4VFL

Getting chasers on 23cm is not so easy

Andrew, if my memory serves me right, I recall working you on Whitbarrow Scar a couple of years ago on 23cm 7km away from my upstairs bedroom (~30m ASL) which is easy-peasy.

On a good propagation day on about the same bearing, I can hear the 23cm GBNGI beacon 240km away near Ballymena, N.I. 4/1 to 5/2 with my 1m-long 13-el 23cm Yagi. And if I go up on my local hill (115m ASL), 20-minutes’ walk away, it’s a decent signal.

But the big Yagi’s a bit ungainly to carry on my rucksack (like some latter-day long sword) but this 50-cm-long handheld 8-el Yagi [shown with my SG-Labs transverter] is more practical, and I would carry it were I to know someone else is doing this minority sport that day.

If you or anyone else is planning a 23cm activation in this part of the country (i.e. G/LD, G/NP, G/SP or GM/SS), please do a pre-activation notice or send me a personal message on this reflector.

I would be QRV on FM only unless someone wants to organize a 23cm event in which case I would take the FT817 for SSB (or even CW – now there’s a thing).

Andy G8CPZ / M0ALC

[G6GVI]

@G0HIK

Anyone one else got 23cm’s in the N.W. England ?

Yes Nick, I also use the Alinco G7, either with its rubber aerial (I got a fresh one last year, after the original split) or with a little 6-ele. I bought the radio brand new in 2009, along with two Li-ion battery packs, both of which are still working well. Although it’s a tri-band radio, I really only use it on 23cm.
I take it with me whenever I go for a walk on the moors around Winter Hill (and occasionally up to the AZ) and over the last 3 years I’ve counted 135 contacts with 36 different stations. Almost all of these are direct simplex contacts on 1297.5 - I always put out some calls through GB3SE too, but hardly ever get any replies there.

I’m usually monitoring 1297.5 from home too, but in the shadow of Winter Hill I can’t hear anything from the North. But as you know, I can sometimes work in your direction on SSB via reflections coming from South of me (I’ll be listening for you during Sunday’s contest session).

73 de Ross

[G0HIK]

Yes, make some noise.
Mine involved a text, a F.B. message for skeds and two random QSO’s.

[G0HIK]

During my last little activation, only one QSO this time, the battery level was showing half. I thought that was strange. I put the radio on charge returning home and found the Wall Wart to be duff.
Luckily I had a suitable replacement in the loft.

But just to be safe seeing no one seems to stock the battery pack, I’ve just ordered a dry cell case (EDH-35) as these seem to be quite easily obtained.