Mini G/SC Expedition Day 6

Activation Reports
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If there are any followers of my mini Expedition in G/SC region they may have noticed that this instalment comes 4 weeks after Day 5. This is an expedition in stages. :slight_smile:

I have 4 G/SC summits left to activate and today my plan was to tackle 2 of them.

Dundry Down, G/SC-010, is virtually a drive on summit. I’m fairly sure the car park is within the activation zone but this is SOTA not POTA so in the true SOTA spirit I walked a little way on the path towards the summit.

I wasn’t feeling 100% today so I decided to use SSB only and not tax my tired brain with CW but conditions were not great for this mode. A glance at Sotawatch showed the majority of activators were using CW which suggested others were also struggling.

But 40m SSB brought in 5 QSOs with reasonable signal reports, best DX was probably Michael EI3GYB or Roger ON7ZM, I haven’t checked the distances so not sure which was the longest.

Operating position on G/SC-010

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I drove through a heavy shower on the way to Beacon Batch, G/SC-003, the highest point in the Mendip Hills but it stopped soon after I arrived. From the car park a walk of about 25 minutes brought me to the summit, where I set up using the trig point. There are Bronze Age tumuli on the summit and the trig point seems to have been built on top of one!

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The 6m carbon fibre pole was a bit lost in the hole in the trig point - I must bring some bits of plastic pipe next time. :slight_smile:

40m SSB produced no replies but a change to 17m found Dinos, SV3IEG in Greece and a 44 signal report.

After trying HF for a bit longer without success I switched to 2m FM and got 5 more QSOs using an RH-770 whip. I would have had better results with my Slim Jim I think but I had left that at home.

Many thanks to all chasers, I was seriously thinking I might not qualify the second summit today but VHF came to the rescue. I will be sure to take VHF kit when I activate the last 2 G/SC summits, which will happen when the weather improves.

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Or a decent length of bungee cord which you could use to secure it to the trig point.

I always use a length of pvc pipe to support my pole. Its black pipe, a little wider diameter then the pole and just over a foot in length. I make sure this is secure amongst boulders, cracks in rocks or simply drive it into soft ground. This saves mucking about trying to support the pole with one hand whilst trying to secure it with the other. It also saves your pole from damage.

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Oo-er Missus!

Heavy duty heatshrink about the bottom section is another must do to protect the material from scratches and chips etc. Which reminds me I need to buy some for my carbon pole.

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Hi John,

Apologies for not working you but Dundry Down and Beacon Batch are my ‘local’ summits and I’m often at them. I much prefer Beacon Batch and I use that tree that you can see in the background of your pic as a support aide for the pole whilst setting up. There’s a mound at the base that’s great for perching the transceiver + other gear on and there’s also a large block of stone (which you can see in your pic) that makes a great seat!! The pic below shows my set up for June’s 144 UKAC Contest:

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Good luck with the rest of your G/SC trip!

73, Lea M0XPO

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I think it’s not a bad place by south west standards for 2m. You can see most of the Severn estuary and beyond it South Wales of course where there seem to be quite a few 2m operators. The view north is also free of obstructions. Unfortunately its a two hour drive from my home.

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Oh… when CDX are good, Beacon Batch can offer some interesting surprises on 2m SSB - here’s a map of June’s 144 UKAC contest which isn’t bad for the AL (10w) category:

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I missed out on the usual MM, GD, EI & F Ops that night but, points-wise, getting into Denmark & Germany more than made up for it.

Which G/SC’s do you have left to do?

73, Lea M0XPO

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That’s impressive! :slight_smile:

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https://reflector.sota.org.uk/t/mini-g-sc-expedition-day-7/