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Lake District Activity Weekend, 5th/6th March 2022

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#1

I’d like to propose a Lake District Activity weekend on 5th and 6th of March 2022 to coincide with the 20th Anniversary of SOTA.

I can help folk who need any more information about the hills or towns here, otherwise it will be the usual plan of meeting at the Brookside Inn, Windermere on Saturday evening for drinks and to swap stories. Be prepared for wind and precipitation as this is still fairly early on in Spring. I hope we can sort out the next SOTA LD weekend sometime early summer.

Several members of the Furness Amateur Radio club will either be activating or chasing, including no doubt some exotic bands.

Regards, Mark.

9 Likes
#2

As early as still Winter :wink:

7 Likes
#3

Mark I’m afraid I will miss this due to other commitments (retirement is just soooo time consuming :wink:). Hope it goes well and will certainly hope to join you all later in the year if another date is organised.

#4

WX and management approval permitting I’ll be there - Hopefully Robinson and Dale Head!

Paul

1 Like
#5

Hi Guru, no doubt you are thinking of the Astronomical definition where as Mark is thinking of the Meteorological definition.

For Meteorological Seasons, Spring starts 1st. March (in the northern hemisphere). For Astronomical Seasons, Spring starts on the Spring Equinox 2022 which for the UK is 20th March

73, Andy

2 Likes
#6

Not only the Astronomical definition, Andy, the SOTA Winter bonus period extends up to the end of March in the Northern hemisphere, so it’s clear that March is still Winter for SOTA…

73,

Guru

5 Likes
#7

Middle of March in the UK.

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#8

Ok, thanks for the info.
Well, in any case, it looks like the Astronomical definition rules for the SOTA Winter bonus period definition. It ends a week before the end of the Astronomical Winter for the tough UK activators and one week after for the softer Southerns in EA :wink:

73,

Guru

2 Likes
#9

In practice the boundary between the end of one season and the start of the next is arbitrary and by March the weather could be winter-like or spring-like or both on the same day. I’m already appreciating the longer days compared to two months ago. By early March it will be even better.

2 Likes
#10

Yes, it’s very nice having longer days and the Sun reaching higher, thus warming a bit more.
We have almond trees (and others) blossom indicating that Spring is actually coming. They always look so beautiful…

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#11

I should be able to get out on something. Going to a gig on the Saturday night so won’t be able to make the pub.

#12

Heck! We have only snowdrops in bloom here

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#13

The Latitude difference we have makes a big difference.

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#14

I won’t be able to get to the LD for that date but I will try and get on a local summit and see if I can reach anyone on 2m from the SW. I will hopefully have a small PA working by then so may have a better chance of being heard. FM, SSB and CW available. :slight_smile:

1 Like
#15

Here we have crocus, snowdrops, primula, anemone blanda, winter aconite, chaenomeles, rhododendron simsii, and even the first daffodils in flower. Possibly as a result of the big city heat island effect, but anyway spring has definately sprung despite the calendar definitions!

IIRC the start of meteorological spring is defined by the ocean starting to warm up.

#16

I mentioned my ‘only snowdrops’ comment to my wife after spotting other plants in bloom whilst out walking this morning and she gave me a list of other ones here in the north of England (many from Brian’s list), many earlier in the season than I recall from my youth.

Apparently, researchers examined 420,000 recorded dates of first flowering for more than 400 species, dating to 1793, to show that on average the first flowering date has advanced by about a month.

1 Like
#17

I’ve seen a difference of at least a couple of weeks in the course of my lifetime. Also I have a cabbage palm and a Chusan palm in my garden, when I was a kid and a teenager these were only seen outdoors at the seaside or in a greenhouse at the local Botanical Gardens. This is why I was so quick to accept the reality of global warming, hang the statistics, I could see it in my own garden!

1 Like
#18

Hiya Mark @M0NOM

We’ll be there that week, all our alerts are on. They are all subject to the wonderful British weather of course, so we may need plan B, C, D etc etc.

We’ll have HF and 2m, which should provide options for both SOTA and WOTA chasers.

If we can make the pub for drinks we will. It does depend on how many miles Nic has made us walk during the day…

Cheers,
Simon

4 Likes
#19

Got the mother in law staying that weekend. Count me in :joy:

8 Likes
#20

Booked up for north east corner - looking to increase my 4m QSO tally from it’s present “2”.
Better get on and make a portable antenna for it!

(other frequencies will also be used!!)

Alan

2 Likes