In reply to VA2SG:
If the wind ever dies down (100mph overnight) I may drag my YP3 3ele beam plus ft857 (100w) up the local hill, anyone over the pond with a mic should have a good shot at a s2s.
In reply to VA2SG:
Hi JP,
It was good to hear you last weekend whilst I was on G/SE-008, I’ll be looking out for some S2S contacts from the same spot tomorrow afternoon/early evening. Good luck to everyone taking part in the NA Sota weekend.
73
Robert G0PEB
In reply to KD9KC:
Why you ask. Well - do we really need to have a reason? How about -
because it is free?
Yes, that is a good reason. However, it’s not an immediately apparent one hence my question.
If you do not approve of qrpspots.com, don’t check it.
We will be checking it, assuming our net access works (we will be out portable too).
Perhaps a local server that does not incur
international charges and reports its input to the SOTA spots. That
would be wonderful.
Yup, we are lucky to have one in the UK, hopefully a like minded SOTA fan will set one up in the USA one day.
Colin G8TMV
In reply to G0PEB:
I wont be able to get out when the chance of an S2S is likely. I hope everyone Stateside has a great time and not only are there plenty of inter-NA S2S contacts but that you all get some DX S2S contacts.
I will be out on Sunday late morning / early afternoon European time. I’ll take an EFHA for 20m just in case. WX looks really not bad at present. We’ve just had some seriously bad storms in parts of the UK but my bit of Scotland got off lightly.
As for spotting… if the spot appears somewhere then that spot will end up on the other spotting systems. European chasers will be watching Sotawatch and QRPspots. The important point is that people should be spotted somewhere!
Andy
MM0FMF
Thanks Robert
I should finish my 20m moxon by end november. GOnna be easier to copy the SSB QRP guys from base.
73!
In reply to G8TMV:
Perhaps a local server that does not incur
international charges and reports its input to the SOTA spots.
That
would be wonderful.Yup, we are lucky to have one in the UK, hopefully a like minded SOTA
fan will set one up in the USA one day.
It’s on my list of jobs… clean up the source to my SMS bot so it will run on any Linux server not just my oddball one. Then we can have servers in more countries and lower the spotting cost 
However, learning about the SOTA database is the task in hand now so that Gary can finally retire!
Andy
MM0FMF
Zero district Goats will be on our usual haunt of Mt Herman W0/FR-063
Should be on the air 1600-UTC will operate CW 30m/20m/15m
Weatherman says high of 1°C and cloudy but very light winds!!
Track us at: aprs.fi - live APRS map
Also watch: http://www.qrpspots.com/
http://www.sotawatch.org/spots.php
73, Steve …wGØAT/R&P
In reply to WG0AT:
Just wanted to say thanks to all the activators, section managers, etc for all their hard work and dedication…much appreciated by us chasers! One more sleep till NA SOTA Day, can’t wait! Let the “FUN” begin!
Mike VA6FUN
Hi, All.
I have arrived at the base of VE2/LR-002 and I am settling into my hotel room.
This comfy bed is going to be so welcome after the hike tommorow
I just had a good laugh when I checked my blog here:
http://va3sie.blogsite.org/?p=675
8-O
I had uploaded the map of where I am meeting my colleague VE2JCW tomorrow morning instead of the map of the summit! Don’t worry I actually do plan to hike up to the top of the massif before calling CQ ! I fixed it now.
Looking forward to making contact with other summits and chasers across the world as well as other members of the VE2 association.
Plan is for a 7am start.
Follow my progress at: aprs.fi - live APRS map
I will spot to: http://qrpspots.com
(On the subject of qrpspots spotting, I am quite familiar with it … because I wrote the code for part of it (the APRS and twitter gateways). I have completed 80% of a qrpspots <-> sotawatch gateway which will copy spots from qrpspots to sotawatch if the spotted callsign posted a SOTAWatch alert. Just in the final testing stages now but not ready for this weekend.)
73 and looking forward to this weekend!
- Martin
VA3SIE/VE2
In reply to KD9KC:
Nope. I should have the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed in a week or two.
Well it’s 6am here at the base of VE2/LR-002 and pitch dark. Meeting VE2JCW in ~1 hour and beginning the climb.
It’s gonna be huge!
73
Martin.
VA3SIE/VE2/P.
In reply to VA3SIE:
I will be all ears today, If I can make a local summit I will if not I will take a 10min drive away from the QRM with a good take off and work 20m from the car.
Sean M0GIA
In reply to KD9KC:
Good job guys
17 Q’s, my first S2S DX with G3CWI/P (thanks!), exausted but baby, live is good.
Report and video maybe tomorrow.
73sss Sleep well all!
JP VA2SG
Is anybody going up Sunday? I’m going to try to hit W2/NJ-010. I will probably start out near 14.059 and then go to 10.116 or 7.030 depending on conditions. I’m guessing QRV at 1900 UTC, although that could change by a couple of hours as the day unfolds. I’ll be on APRS as W2VV-7.
http://aprs.fi/?call=W2VV-7&mt=p&z=11&timerange=86400
73, Dave W2VV
Hi guys
Superb level of activity from NA. Sadly my trip was less successful. Very late I decided to make two significant changes to my plans. I decided to activate Kinder Scout and also decided just to take 20m. As I had no 20m antenna ready and only half an hour before I had to leave, I hastily put together a groundplane. There was no time to test it but there is not much to go wrong with a ground plane!
While making the groundplane I put on the LiPO charger to charge my battery and it immediately went off. Oh dear. Investigation revealed a blown fuse and my time was getting very short. I just had time to make the tomato soup before packing my rucksack. …but where was my torch? I had my emergency one but navigating off Kinder in the dark would need something better. More panic.
By the time I arrived at the parking spot (Upper Booth), sensible people were heading off the hill. Indeed I must have passed dozens coming down. The weather was brilliant with a blue sky although most of the ascent route was in shadow by this time. I reached the plateau in brilliant sunlight and set off for my chosen location. I had spent some time last week looking for the right spot on the maps so I knew where to head.
There were still plenty of people on the plateau as I set up. The take-off to NA was magnificent! The band was lively. I had some trouble getting a self-spot out but when I did, I worked locals G3WPF and M0GIA. I also had a contact with an EA. From then on, I really struggled. No-one else seemed to hear me. VA2SG/p was my only other contact. I called NE1SJ/p for nearly an hour before realising that there must be some problem. I was hearing lots of NA-SOTA stations but no-one could hear me. A quick check revealed a very high VSWR. A visual check (it was now dark) showed nothing wrong so I made the decision to abandon the activation.
I was already much later than I had expected to be so I tried to phone my wife to say that I was alright. It was then that I discovered my mobile phone was not working. I had a flash back to leaving the house and my wife’s last words being “if you are late, do I phone the police for the mountain rescue?”. It would be another two and a half hours before I could get home so I had to think of another plan.
Navigating across the Kinder Plateau in darkness was interesting. The SATmap was very useful in this role. I set the screen to “red filter” and turned the brightness down. I could then confidently set off. The walk off was wonderful. The lights of Manchester and the surrounding towns, the stars and the crescent moon, made it the most lovely walk. I stopped at the first farmhouse and asked if I could telephone my wife. They were very welcoming and I was able to speak to her before she called out the Mountain Rescue (phew!).
On my return to the car I reflected on the trip. From a radio perspective it had achieved my objective - an NA-S2S, I had been warm and comfortable and had really enjoyed the evening. A success even if the aerial was faulty. I wonder how it would have gone with a working aerial?
73
Richard
G3CWI
PS Inevitably the day ended with a take-away from the WBR.
Hi Guys,
My trip was a success, I managed my first S2S to NA using 20m SSB, thanks to Andrew K1YMI/P on W2EH-001. I was set up on G/SE-008 St Boniface Down on the Isle of Wight and 1 S2S was completed, I regretfully missed the other guys due to having to leave fairly early for another commitment at home.
Equipment used: FT857 50w, Ant: 1/4 wav Vert with elevated radials, powered by 1 LiPO 14.8V batt with a dropper diode.
Well done to everyone in NA for an excellent turnout. Hope there’s another similar event in the offing.
73
Robert
G0PEB
In reply to K2FR:
I will try to activate some South Utah summits today. Most likely - Sand Mountain -W7/SU-051 (7040, 14060, 144200) atarting from about 19:00 UTC. Will also try other peaks, if weather and time will permit.
73! KD7WPJ
In reply to G3CWI:
A shame the aerial had a fault Richard but well done to you and Robert on the S2S something for me that is still on the to do list, Likewise is chasing an NA activation so I managed to get on high ground in the car last night which sadly turned out to be too late in the day and 20m was not at its best.
Looking at the event as a whole I think NA is now well and truly bitten by the SOTA bug. Well done to all the NA activators, Next time I will plan ahead better. Off to cut some wire!
Sean M0GIA
In reply to G3CWI:
Hi, Richard.
Congratulations!!! … on your S2S contact with Quebec.
I assume you saw JP’s video?
Sounds like you had fun despite the challenges.
I know VE2JCW and I had a lot of fun on VE2/LR-002.
Did you figure out what the problem was with your aerial ?
73
Martin
VA3SIE/VE2/P (as was).
In reply to K2FR:
Im bringing my FT-857D with 2 large batteries which should give me 2-3 hours > of high power on the peak… so Europe, expect to hear from me
We certainly heard from you Andrew. Good signals here.
I worked 4 NA SOTA stations on 20m Saturday and was surprised how good some of the signals were. Around 1730 UTC NE1SJ was 589 here and VE2JCW 579 both worked easily with low power.
Also heard KI6J about S4-5, and a few others whom I tried to call many times without success, even if I turned the 1kW PA on and used a 3el. Yagi. Either a one way propagation or noisy QTH at the SOTA QTHs.
Looking forward to more NA SOTA QSOs soon.
73 Peter OK1CZ
In reply to VA3SIE:
“Did you figure out what the problem was with your aerial ?”
Martin
It’s a mystery at the moment. The aerial checks out fine for continuity and I have checked the dimensions - also fine. I have tested the plug for intermittents - fine. I will set it up in the garden and do some more tests at the weekend but on the hill the VSWR was so high that the warning message was flashing on the FT817. Very odd indeed.
It must have been something pretty serious as so few people were able to hear me. I was lucky that it did not take the external PA out - although with PA transistors at less than 1 pound each it would not have been a big deal!
73
Richard
G3CWI