Shining Tor and the Lift

Old Reflector
1

It’s difficult to imagine SOTA without a summit such as G/SP-004 Shining Tor. This summit is full of surprises and deserves to be one of SOTAs most poular summits

Having followed the Hepburn chart, I decided to work this summit on Tuesday.

Sticking with the collinear and working the 2m FM band was the game plan. On setting up and spotting myself, my frequency erupted into life. The DX was immediately noticeable with calls coming in from all over the country and Europe. Three contacts into Belgium were completed the best being ON50HC, a contact of 350 miles running about 6 Watts. In 31 previous activations working this summit vertical on 2m FM, I’ve never managed to work GM, however, much to my surprise two call were completed.

I just needed a contact into GI to complete the UK, but sadly, it didnt materialise :frowning:

The haul for the day was 213 contacts 201 FM VHF, 10 HF, 2 UHF FM.

The temptation to work the lift from G/SP-004 on Wednesday was just too much to resist and so with the rucksack stuffed with SLABs I trekked up there once more. As soon as I switched on to the 2m band, the French Stations were crashing in. There was qrm on just about every channel. After moving about 3 times I finally found a frequency that I could use.

The dx was unbelievable, working places such as Swansea, Durham, Brixham, Lockerbie, Fife (these are normally impossible on a vertical) also IOW, Gurnsey, Alderney, Southampton, Weston-super-Mare, Brands Hatch, Weymouth, Cromer, about 10 contacts with France. All four UK countries were achieved today as well as a S2S with EI. The list of dx is almost endless.

213 Stations worked 212 VHF FM and 1 UHF FM (thanks Rob G0HRT)

One of the highlights of the two days for me, must have been the surprise from 2E0NKC/M who called me on his Handheld, “on the off chance”, his expresion was one of almost disbelief when I returned his call. He was 12 miles West of Tunbridge Wells, a distance of 175 miles!

The amount of listeners monitoring the activation was amazing, with chasers popping in and out all day.

After 2 days working this lift, I’m convinced a collinear would beat a beam hands down on VHF FM under these conditions. (dons tin hat and slinks under the table)…

Thanks to all the chasers and listeners, oh and not forgetting the S2S from the activators. Two great days radio with 413 VHF FM stations worked in two midweek days, I’ll settle for that :wink:

The SLABs are back on charge, maybe another activation later!

73 Mike
2E0YYY

2

In reply to 2E0YYY:

You posted this at 01:50!

Do you not re-charge yourself Mickey…!

3

In reply to 2E0YYY:

Thanks for the 2 Contacts on 2 consecutive days Mike, from a Summit I can’t normally pick up. Most of the day yesterday you were booming in perfect Q5 and actually sometimes saw some segments on the Signal Meter show up(on a very pessimistic meter) compared to Tuesday when your signal varied tremedously.

I’m surprised you didn’t get more life on 70cm since I was hearing German on RU76 (430.950MHz) and mention of Hamburg and Frankfurt (unforunately I don’t understand German). Looking at the Repeater List it may have been GB3FJ (the only repeater to use that frequency in this Country) or perhaps it was a repeater from even further afield. Either way it was a fair distance away on 70cm.

I will be listening out for you again today:),
73,
Colin.

4

In reply to 2E0YYY:
Well done on the excellent DX Mike.

I am glad you had such a great time, Dave M0MYA and I experienced similar conditions on Tuesday evening whilst on 432 MHz slightly down from the summit of Titterstone Clee Hill!

Days/Evenings of tropo make up for all the times your CQ call goes unanswered.

Did you get chance to try SSB? Also I know you hate turning beams etc, have you ever considered a Halo Loop on 2m for Omnidirectional Horizontal Polarity?

I normally dont support Moonraker, but I tried the 4m variant of this antenna and it works well. However I would not mount the antenna like the photo shows myself?

http://www.moonraker.eu/Amateur-Radio/Halo-Loop/HLP-2-144MHz-2M-HALO-LOOP-FOLDED-DIPOLE-ANTENNA

Once again Mike, well done on the teriffic DX!

73

Matt G8XYJ

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In reply to M0XSD:

I will be listening out for you again today:),

Hi Colin,

Great to work you up in Cumbria!

Probably do Gun or The Cloud later this morning.

Do I sacrifce the height of Gun for the take-off of The Cloud?

Which ever way, you’ll need to earn your point today, both summits are at least 500 feet lower than Shining Tor :wink:

Best 73
Mike 2E0YYY

6

In reply to G8XYJ:
However I would not mount the antenna like

the photo shows myself?

Matt G8XYJ

Hi Matt,

I agree Matt, - since it is an omnidirectional antenna
in the horizontal plane, mounted vertically it would
be directional at right angles to the element, and
I would think, a mixture of horizontal and vertical
polarisation.

The only downside of a single halo is the 3db? loss
over a dipole, but what about a stacked pair?

Kind regards,

Dave

7

Great stuff Mike, you can’t be far off the “Top 20” honour roll for All-time number of activator QSOs now!

Get some rest through. 213 + 213 = 413???

Tom M1EYP

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In reply to M1EYP:

Get some rest through. 213 + 213 = 413???

Hmmm… The 413 I think referred to VHF FM contacts…

The haul for the day was 213 contacts 201 FM VHF, 10 HF, 2 UHF FM.

and

213 Stations worked 212 VHF FM and 1 UHF FM (thanks Rob G0HRT)

which gives 201 + 212 = 413 :wink:

(I used to love catching out my teachers’ errors, forty-mumble years ago… :wink: )

73, Rick M0LEP

9

It’s me that needs to get some rest… Yawn…zzzzzzz

10

In reply to M1EYP:
Hi Mike,

Thank you for contact onto a summit that I cannot normally work from home for two days in a row. As my partner Colin (M0XSD) has already said, even after 4pm in the evening when the lift was not so strong, you still managed a good signal into West Cumbria. Thank you too for waiting for me to get home and then working me yesterday despite your batteries running very low.

Glad you had lots of interesting contacts on 2m fm.

Hope to catch up with you again soon, ideally from a summit myself.

73

Liz.

11

In reply to 2E0YYY:
Thanks for the S2S with Me on Moel Famau NW 044,& also on the hand held on the way down. We then listend to you as we drove home, we were just outside Cannock, staffs when you went QRT at 17.50. 73 peter M1CNL

12

Seems the 2m lift is over. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away :frowning:

At 1130z this morning, I worked ON5NY from G/SP-013 Gun, of all places, a nice contact of about 275 miles on the white stick. inside an hour, 2m was a much quieter place. It was almost reminiscent of the way a 6m opening closes so quickly

OTOH, if there was a lift every day, then the 2m band would be a pretty mundane place.

Thanks to the chasers this morning.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

13

In reply to G8XYJ:

In reply to 2E0YYY:
Well done on the excellent DX Mike.

I am glad you had such a great time, Dave M0MYA and I experienced
similar conditions on Tuesday evening whilst on 432 MHz slightly down
from the summit of Titterstone Clee Hill!

Hi Matt, nice to see you at the rally last Sunday. Yes, I heard some amazing stories about 70 cm.

Did you get chance to try SSB? Also I know you hate turning beams etc,
have you ever considered a Halo Loop on 2m for Omnidirectional
Horizontal Polarity?

I’m not a big fan of 2m SSB, for the reason you mention. Got fed up with beams on a couple of summits.

I normally dont support Moonraker, but I tried the 4m variant of this
antenna and it works well. However I would not mount the antenna like
the photo shows myself?

http://www.moonraker.eu/Amateur-Radio/Halo-Loop/HLP-2-144MHz-2M-HALO-LOOP-FOLDED-DIPOLE-ANTENNA

I know the Moonraker boys quite well, I’ll take a look at that.

Once again Mike, well done on the teriffic DX!

Many thanks, Matt. Lets hope the next big lift falls on a weekend and you can really get amongest it.

Best 73
Mike 2E0YYY

14

In reply to 2E0YYY:

Hi Mike

thanks for the S2S on Wednesday. You were a good signal on Slievemartin, GI/MM-011, and even better after I spotted the high swr and fixed my faulty antenna.

Darrell GI4KSO

15

In reply to GI4KSO:

In reply to 2E0YYY:

Hi Mike

thanks for the S2S on Wednesday. You were a good signal on
Slievemartin, GI/MM-011, and even better after I spotted the high swr
and fixed my faulty antenna.

No problem, Darrell.

Looking at the history of Slievemartin, GI/MM-011, this summit looks very tricky to qualify on VHF FM?

73 Mike
2E0YYY