Thanks for the pics. Brought it all back! 
Yes, let’s hope the next time is in more pleasant surroundings!
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Bumped into Simon @G7WKX on Moel y Gamelin when we both decided to do the FMAC from the same spot, and @GW8OGI and @MW3NYR when I was coming down from Aran Fawddwy although they were just out for a walk and not activating.
Met a couple of OM in the car park for Firle Beacon with antennas on tripods everywhere trying to get an FT818 working. Asked if they’d listen out for me on 2m and they said they’d give me a shout, but never heard off them.
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C’ était en juillet 2012 :31/07 sur le parking du télésiège à St Jean Montclar,
je vois quelqu’ un avec une canne à pêche dans le sac à dos à qui j’ ai dit : vous êtes radio amateur ?
ç’ était Tof F5UBH et nous allions tous les deux faire le même Sota de 10 points : Dormillouse F/AM 284
ensuite nous nous sommes séparés car j’ ai fait une chute sur des rouleaux ( barrière anti animaux)
barrières Canadiennes !!!
et je suis tombé sur le nez…
Tof a continué et moi je suis rentré à la voiture après quelques soins et du repos.
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Oui, une canne à pêche dans le sac à dos sur une montagne, c’est belle et bien une bonne signe que l’autre personne est radio amateur!
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Twice I encountered another activator on a mountain. Both times it was HB9BIN, the then president of the Swiss association.
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My first encounter with SOTA friends was with Jürg @HB9BIN on Kandel DM/BW-009. That was in January 2017. I was brand new to SOTA and didn’t know who Jürg was at the time. I remember how calm and relaxed he was in the “Kandel pyramid” and was qrv there. He was not irritated by the many visitors. He was simply very experienced, which I only realised later. I then met Jürg again in September 2020. This time we talked a bit longer. That was on Schönberg DM/BW-105 during the SOTA Activity Day.
On the Hochfirst DM/BW-015, I had the pleasure of meeting Peter @DM7KN in July 2018. This was particularly interesting as I remember only working Peter on 2m during HAM RADIO in Friedrichshafen until then. Nice to have met you in person Peter @DM7KN.
It was also very nice to meet Armin @DL6GCA. He spontaneously visited me at Hohwildsberg DM/BW-766 (Hohwildsberg DM/BW-766) in November 2021. I was surprised and very pleased to meet you in person Armin @DL6GCA. Thank you for your visit. I’m pretty sure we haven’t met for the last time. DM/BW in the Black Forest in our home country.
In June 2020, I was allowed to meet Roman @DL3TU. This meeting resulted in a radio friendship that continues to this day. Together we created SOTA-BW, which is currently the hub for SOTA friends in the surrounding area and around the world! A beautiful community of radio friends. Roman has also indirectly moved me to be more in cw qrv. Thank you! To this day I try to be in cw qrv every time I activate a summit.
And yes. There’s nothing like a summit beer. Cheers. 
I am sure I will have many more encounters and look forward to it. And I have been very happy about all the encounters so far.
vy 73 Marcel DM3FAM
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Was great surprise to meet a few activators randomly… one funny story was meeting an activator family member. I was activating Larch Mtn in Oregon W7O/WV-062, and someone said… “You’re doing SOTA aren’t you… my dad WA2USA does SOTA”
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I have on several occasions.
23 Nov. 2016 - Ran into Ron, NR3E (Then WC9G) and Liz who was not a ham at that time on W4C/WM-010 as I was exiting the summit and they were heading up.
19 June 2015 - While camping in Great Smoky Mtns NP, I headed up to W4C/ WM-055 on the spur of the moment as it was near me and ran into Dennis, WA2USA and Dave, AE9Q. After they departed, I gave them the fastest Complete they ever got on 2- meters.
23 May 2020, Ran into Mark, K7EEX on W4C/WM-003 but I had seen his alert for the summit earlier in the day and dropped in or rather UP to activate myself and meet Mark.
Dean ~ K2JB
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I had identical encounters with AAØBV on Vollmer and AB6D on Davidson. In each case, the other guy posted an alert with me already on top, occupying the only bench. Each time, I could not alert due to my chasing s2s exclusively. Each time, they arrived within minutes before my departure from the hill. Since I have activated those two peaks a total of 516 times, it’s a wonder it hasn’t happened more often.
Elliott, K6EL
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Thanks, Marcel for your kind words. Yes, I still remember us meeting there and that we had no promlems at all working on the same band. I also appreciate it very much that you supported some of my activations as a chaser when I was in the Black Forest area, by even firing up your HT during lunch break at work. 
I am looking forward to our next meeting(s), either in person or in a QSO. 
BTW: The Gehrenberg DM/BW-348 also seems to be a hot spot for personal meetings. I remember that I met Michael @DB7MM there and a group of OMs from the UK. On DM/BW-854 (Höchsten) it was a pleasure to watch Luc @ON7DQ performing CW QSOs. Right afterwards he completed the mountain by chasing me on 2 m FM while driving to the next location, very smart!
I do hope that we will have those experiences in the future, e. g. on the occasion of the Ham Radio again.
With best personal regards, Peter DO4TE
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I had a chance meeting today with Dave GW8NZN on Moel y Gamelin GW/NW-042.
We arrived at the summit within minutes of each other, and after introductions and a nice chat, Dave set up on 2m, and I on 60m.
Dave in action:
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Nice to speak to you both today Adrian!
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Hi,
I did, but not physically, as a chaser, no, not really as a chaser, just by going up and down the bands looking for any station to make contact with. So in 2019 having no knowledge of the existance of SOTA I had 15 stations in my log (53 points).
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My earliest chance encounter was with Charlie G0PZO in June 2006, just 4 months after I started activating. This was in the parking area for The Wrekin G/WB-010. It just so happened that we arrived at the same time and during a chat on our ascent we discovered that we were both going to activate using 2m SSB. I deferred to activate using FM and we managed to activate the summit at the same time. More chat on the descent.
Since then there have been 4 more by chance meetings:
July 2007 - Aberedw GW/MW-022, when I met Neil MW0ECX who was just completing his activation
September 2009 - The Cloud G/SP-015, when I met Tom descending after his activation
July 2010 - Hownam Law GM/SS-197, when I met Jim G0CQK just as I was almost back to my car
August 2010 - Yarlside G/NP-019, when Richard G1JTD and his XYL came up to the summit while Paul G4MD and I were activating. We descended together down a steep more direct route that was much quicker than the one that Paul and I had planned.
A couple of people have timed their visits to the summit to coincide with ours:
February 2013 - Criffel GM/SS-130, when Mark MM1MPB came up to the summit to activate alongside Paul and myself. We descended together…
April 2014 - Black Mount GM/SS-158, when Jack GM4COX was on the summit before Paul and myself
Then there were the “support acts”:
September 2008 - Easington Fell G/SP-012, when Mick M0PVA met us at the car after our activation, complete with soup! 
November 2008 - Boulsworth Hill G/SP-008, when Mike G4BLH came to the parking spot to meet us after the activation
January 2009 - Shining Tor G/SP-004, when Steve G1INK came up to the summit to meet us, after which we convened to the pub. 
There have been numerous occasions where we have made arrangements during an activation to meet up with people in the evening, usually over a pint or two. All these encounters have been a real pleasure and have added greatly to the SOTA experience.
73, Gerald
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What a brilliant memory you have Gerald!
73 Phil
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Random encounters are:
Robert GM4GUF on Tinto GM/SS-064 May 2009. He was just finishing a 2m SSB activation when I arrived. Robert is a fellow SHF / uWave man. We had a quick chat and he left me to the DC bands that day.
I met Ulrich DF8KN on the summit of Pico do Ariero CT3/MI-004 October 2012. I was doing the 1st SOTA activation of Madeira and had a proper mad pileup (I had to work split) when Ulrich approached me. He told me he had activated from the same spot a few years back but was impressed with the size of a SOTA pileup for one of the 1st SOTA activations from Africa.
Arranged meetings include Barry GM4TOE and Jack GM4COX on Tinto summit 2010. I can’t remember whose equipment but I borrowed one of their radios for 4 QSOs. And yourself Gerald after our first introductions to Galloway ground. October 2007. The WX was awesome, early October and 20C. I planned to quickly snaffle Craignaw and Mullwarcher on my way down to my contest group’s site. Hahahahaha. I remember you saying when you saw my plans that it looked an impressive walk and I thought, pah what a lightweight Gerald is. Then I did Craignaw GM/SS-096 and realised how difficult easy looking summits are down there. You did another Galloway hill or two and neither of us have been the same since. I still remember thinking that the short way out was through the awful ground and a river crossing. Or the longer way, an extra km, around Loch Neldricken. The ground was slightly less horrific. I think I got back to the car and mainlined 2L of water and sat in the tailgate for 30mins tripping on endorphins. And I still have its neighbours to do, I’ve been putting them off for 14 years 
EDIT:
And I forgot bumping into Phil G4OBK on my way up and his way down Blencathra G/LD-008 in September 2012 and Graeme MM0HLQ (but he was 2M0GIL at the time) at the summit of Meal Gainmheich GM/SS-134 in Feb 2011.
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Even if you disregard the pre-arranged meetings and joint activations, this is still something that has happened 10-20 times a year for the last two decades. I considered briefly ploughing through my website pages and cataloguing all the chance meetings for this thread. Very briefly. The end.
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I wish! No that’s not true - I can remember who I met where, but the dates didn’t come from memory. I had to look those up. I think the biggest surprise was Neil MW0ECX on Aberedw. As I approached the summit I could see the top of a pole. VHF Field Day was running at the time and I panicked thinking I was wasting my time if there was a contest group on there, but thankfully it was just Neil. Phew!
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Yes indeed, I can see the contest site in my mind - that’s what comes from working in a visual profession for over 50 years! I had activated Cairnsmore (Black Craig of Dee) GM/SS-170 and White Top of Culreoch GM/SS-245. Neither put me off, not even the wet feet and chest high heather on Cairnsmore. The thing was, I really did enjoy that activation. The endorphins when I got to the summit were off the scale!
I still have Mullwharchar to activate, plus the newbie Kirriereoch of course. Maybe this will be the year. I am now armed with no less than 3 different types of midge deterrent. 
Goodness me, Meall Gainmheich - almost worthy of Galloway. A never-again summit. 
People who have not done Cairnsmore or Meall Gainmheich will think we’re a right pair of wimps.
We have it better organised now. Better operating tents and we now have several strips of LEDs, about 50 LEDs in parallel on a strip of plastic, takes about 2A at 12V and produces plenty of diffuse light to operate on. Also the old cruddy contest laptops are a lot newer and faster… no waiting minutes for the old steam powered UHF laptop to get up to speed 
We hope to do a lot more contesting this year. This is my last planned year of full time work and I want to do a lot more contesting this year. One of the contest crew retired Nov 30 2021 and so he will be a lot more available as he wont be manning the pumps at weekends any more for his job. It’s just a matter of putting mind into gear and buying enough burgers and booze for the weekend. The WX does help. If you are in the area and we’re out you know you can come and say hello. You can also experience the fully loaded K3 plus a pair of Kuhne transverters on 2m in full diversity mode. That’s one hell of an improvement over the old FT-736 we used to use.
Gin & tonic + bitters for an aperitif. (n.b. 13cms PA in background)
Meat and veg
More drinks, tea, coffee, beer, gin. The whisky is out of shot.
K3 + single Kuhne. See there is radio as well as food and booze!
I hope to plan a mass doing of this one, stay tuned.
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