Hello
Best wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season
and a New Year filled with Peace and Happiness.
Andre - f5ukl
Kaixo Andre!
Gabon zoriontsua izan, eta datorren urtean mendietan ibiltzen jarraitu osasunez!
Eskerrik asko!
Mikel
In reply to F5UKL:
The same from VK6
73 Mike VK6MB
In reply to F5UKL:
Hi Andre and all SOTA people
Here’s wishing you all the very best for the festive season and the new year to come. I look forward to making contact with many of you, chasers and activators, on the air in 2014.
vy 73
Bernard, VK2IB
In reply to F5UKL:
Bonne année André!
Fun and safe SOTA to all!
73,
Linda
AB7YL
In reply to F5UKL:
Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda.
Merry Christmas and a very Happy new year everyone. Stay safe on the hills!
73
Roger MW0IDX
In reply to F5UKL:
HELLO ANDRE
Meilleurs Voeux à l’aube de cette nouvelle Année
Amitiés
Daniel / F5SQA
In reply to EA2CW:
Agur Mikel
Thanks a lot for all qso. See you next year.
Best 73 and happy Holiday.
Andre
Tnx Andre,Happy Christmas and a safe new year to all.Don.G0RQL.
Boldog karácsonyt és minden jót az új évre!
Merry Christmas and all the best for the new year!
73 Viktor HA5LV
In reply to F5UKL:
Hello Andre and all SOTA-friends
Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr!
Merry x-mas and a happy New Year!
73 de Chris
In reply to F5UKL:
Hi Andre and all Sota friends.
Thanks for a very pleasant year 2013, where I most enjoyed recognizing so many times the calls of frequent chasers/activators, and seeing how beatiful the nature is.
Wishing you all the best for these days and may you all have peace and love with your families.
Mis mejores deseos para todos: Feliz Navidad y Año 2014.
MNI TKS. CU SOON VY 73 es HNY
Ignacio EA2BD
Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope you all have a great time. Hopefull catch you on the air over the holidays or in the New Year
73
Liz.
It is now Christmas Day in England and Merry Christmas to all SOTA Activators, Chasers and SWLers.
Jimmy M0HGY
Christmas Day SOTA activations have proved surprisingly popular and numerous over the years, and 2013 was no exception. I set off at 6.35am on 25th December 2013 and was on the summit of The Cloud G/SP-015 by 7.10am. It was fun to be walking along the ascent route, under a clear starlight sky, in my big red coat, slightly greying beard and with a big sack over my back - most seasonal!
As anticipated, there were no takers at all on 12m CW, well before local sunrise. I flicked on the 2m handheld in order to at least get the activation “up and running”, and found Mickey 2E0YYY/P calling CQ SOTA from Gun G/SP-013 on S20! I called in, we QSYd to 145.475MHz FM, and he gave me his SOTA reference and a 59+ report. But at no time did he wish me a Merry Christmas, a point I was keen to emphasize in my next over!
I then got a call on 12m CW from Pete G4RRM in Crewe, so that was HF started in the logbook. Things went quiet again, so I had another look on 2m FM, and found Pete working Mickey. I tail-ended this to get Pete again on the new band.
Some dribbles of daylight began to appear over The Roaches, and with it came CQ calls from EN100ZKM from Ukraine. After working this, I set up on my own QRG and added three more calls, one each from UR, G and GW. Over on SSB, a further three came from UR, G and SV.
Pete G4RRM had indicated an interest in working the summit on PSK31, so I went there next. I was pleasantly surprised when four further stations (a G, a GW and two URs) came through for PSK31 QSOs afterwards.
A return to CW produced four more with two URs, one LZ and a nice surprise from EA8. It was pretty slow going though, and mode-hopping was the order of the morning. Back up to 12m SSB, and special call RQ110RAEM from Tomsk, Western Siberia was worked, as well as chaser John G1STQ and Bob G6ODU, plus a station in Greece (SV).
I had seen Mickey 2E0YYY/P spotted on 14.333MHz SSB on his Gun G/SP-013 activation, and tried a cheeky reply despite only having the 12m antenna. Mickey heard me loud and clear, but I kept the QSO brief as my SWR was a little on the high side as one would expect!
Back on 12m SSB, further S2S came from Mickey 2E0YYY/P (again) on Gun G/SP-013, and the highlight of the activation - Alister M0BKQ/P who had overnighted on Scafell Pike G/LD-001 - amazing!
“You’re never alone on The Cloud” is the old saying, and Christmas Day 2013 was no exception. At least three other walkers were up there with me before sunrise, and many more followed, including several young families, which was lovely to see. “Has he been?” was my repeated question to any youngsters, who all beamed with delight as they confirmed that he had!
It was a very cold and breezy morning, although not as brutal as the previous day. There was a hard frost down though, and I was glad that I had elected to take a small flask of coffee with me. This was enjoyed during longer periods of auto CQ calling (Palm Cube + Mini Palm Paddle in beacon mode), and just after I packed everything away.
The final contact of the activation was made on 2m FM on the handheld with the rucksack packed and on my back. It was Myke G6DDQ/P on Sharp Haw G/NP-029 for a fifth Christams Day S2S. A very fine activation, and I eagerly returned home to see if Mr S. Claus had paid me a visit.
Indeed he had, and what a nice chap he is. He brought me a wonderful panoramic picture of Cloud summit on a wooden mount, apparently randomly discovered my Marianne in a shop in Macclesfield. To help me enjoy looking at this (and later on give me eyesight issues when trying to look at it), I also got a 15 year bottle of Laphroaig Islay single malt. (My XYL clearly knows me too well).
So a wonderful start to Christmas Day here, can it possibly get any better? You bet it can, Marianne is making the dinner. Anyone that has eaten “Grub a la Maz” will confirm that this is likely to be the undisputed highlight of the day.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
I stand corrected on your presents. I was imagining you in a new Macc Town onesie.
Happy Christmas all.
73 Richard G3CWI
PS I was sorry to miss out on the activation but more pressing matters made it impossible.
In reply to G3CWI:
I was imagining you in a new Macc Town onesie.
You need professional help.
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
Mrs. FMF started cooking Christmas Lunch in her Panda Onesie. She has since dressed more appropriately as apparently it was far too hot.
15yr Laphroaig, you’ll enjoy that. My own Quarter Cask Laphroiag shows some depletion since uncorking last night. I think I may have found Malt Nirvana with this. Of course I shall continue to try as many different Malts, just in case!
Merry Christmas to everyone in SOTA-land.
Andy
MM0FMF
Just entered my logs to the SOTA Database.
The first thing I noticed was that today’s Xmas Day activation, was in fact my 1500th activation in SOTA.
Best make a start on the next 500 I suppose…
Tom M1EYP
In reply to MM0FMF:
15yr Laphroaig, you’ll enjoy that. My own Quarter Cask Laphroiag shows
some depletion since uncorking last night. I think I may have found
Malt Nirvana with this. Of course I shall continue to try as many
different Malts, just in case!Merry Christmas to everyone in SOTA-land.
Andy
MM0FMF
My father’s favourite, which has rubbed off on me. Likewise it won’t prevent me testing others! ;o)
Late on parade here, so a belated Merry Christmas to all. Hopefully I will get more time for radio in 2014.
73
Graham G4FUJ