In a rather bizarre coincidence, I have been asked 3 or 4 times whether I am tracking birds with my 2m antenna. I suppose this is not so far fetched as the band for radio location is 174MHz and having an involvement with birds of prey I have actually used such equipment. However, everyone that spoke to me saw me using the microphone, so exactly why I would wish to speak to a bird of prey on the radio is beyond me. Perhaps I have special powers.
The most usual incident happened pre-SOTA when I was operating a 70cms / 23cms contest with a friend from a car up a local hill in the early 1980’s. A car passed by on the road, came abruptly to a halt, reversed quickly back up to us and two guys got out and approached the car. My friend Dave (G4OIH) wound the window down to greet the guy that was approaching his side of the car. I was well into the swing of the 70cms section of the contest handling a considerable pile up and completely ignored the one my side of the car. Dave had to log the run of contacts while he explained what we were doing. The guys turned out to be Special Branch (ID shown) and unbeknown to me, Dave had initially been looking down the barrel of a gun! Thankfully you don’t get that on a remote summit.
In reply to G3NYY:
I have several times been asked why I was carrying a fishing pole (SOTApole) on a mountain top. My standard reply is " You have heard of Extreme Ironing, well I am into Extreme fishing"
Most people (in UK at least) seem to have heard of extreme ironing because of the TV coverage it attracted for a while, so my reply is not even questioned. I then usually explain what I am really doing and get a polite and interested response.
SOTA in DL must be well received as I have always had helpful and intelligent questions from the Germans who have spoken to me. They have almost always been in near perfect English, even though I speak German fairly well (for an Englishman at least), and the questions often display a good deal of understanding of Ham Radio.
In reply to KI6J:
At least with a million radio amateurs in California, Stuart there are a good number of well informed relatives. On Verdugo mountain I heard one young man tell his buddies as they cycled to the top, “that’s Ham radio” as the other two looked quizzically over at you whilst in mid cw-qso.
On my own I wear headphones. This appears to stop the curious bods interupting me mid-qso. My Dad is very good now at fending off other fell walkers on G/LD summits. I say I’m fishing for signals with the poles on my pack. Russians and aliens are the ones I’m supposed to have been listening to. I like the slowly spoken number, Andy.
Geoff 2E0BTR and myself once had a very strange encounter following an activation of WB-004 Titterstone Clee. Geoff had forgotten to take his Yaesu VX-170 of the roof of the car before he set off down the access road back to the main road. As well pulled out a white 4x4 started hugging our back bumper at a distance far to close for the speed. We reached the main road junction, pulled up and turned left for home. Once we had gotten back upto 40mph, Dad saw the handy in his mirror, flying off the roof and bouncing down the road. We pulled over to retrieve it and found the 4x4 driver doing the same, just pipping us to the post to pick it up. He was one of the biggest and strongest looking men I have ever seen and he asked with some agitation if were were “talking to the gypsies”? We explained that we were radio amateurs returning from a SOTA activation and we were not attempting to make contact with any gypsies. With a little convincing, he seemed to understand before launching into a 45 minute tirade about a gypsy woman and some gods that exist as stars which he calls down to him by beating his chest on the summit of WB-004. He was convinced the gypsies wanted to kill him because they felt he was in some way responsible for the gypsy woman’s death and would occasionally interrupt the story whener a white van went by on the main road because they all contained gypsies. At the time it was quite disconcerting and when we eventually managed to get away (with a fully functioning VX-170, credit where it is due for tough construction!) we were both quite glad. Moral of the story - don’t be accosted by a huge man in a white 4x4 when activating WB-004!
I also recall once being followed and surrounded by a gang of less than salubrious young men in Monmouth. Once surrounded they asked who I was talking to? I explained it was my Dad, who I was giving directions to so he could come and pick me, my friend and our canoe up. “Wot?” So I clarified the matter. I turned up the AF so they could hear and once they were satisfied that that was in fact what was going on they slunk off somewhere else! Its hard to maintain crisp operating etiquette when you think you stand a chance of getting your head kicked in!
I reckon remote activations has to be the way forward!
On the way up GW/SW-011 yesterday I twice got asked about the poles, once person asked “Are those walking poles ?”, the other jsut asked “What are the poles for ?”.
I just said that they were made for fishing but we were using them for a radio antenna, which seemed to be enough.
As I started with SOTA I made a flyer for non radio amateurs. It explains SOTA, and in not to technical words as far radio amateurs can transmit, why the antenna is so large, and how to become a radio amateur. (flyer in german, sorry, download on my website)
I have only a few flyers issued to passers, less as I expected. They often do not ask further, if they do know that there is no reason to call the police, and there is no danger for them self.
But I am surprised how many (not active) radio amateurs I meet on their Sunday walk. Some shout me their callsign against, before I can see them
In reply to G0LGS:
Well Stewart,
3 years ago now my friend and I activated an IOTA (EU-168) Iceland’s coastal islands, and on arrival at Keflavik a customs guy asked me ‘What are in the tubes that you’r carrying’ to which I replied ‘Oh!, they are just fishing poles’. His response was, ‘do you have the necessary papers to show that they have been sanitised?’. Whooops!!! My friend then promptly said ’ They are not for fishing but they’re used to support our Ham radio antennas’. The custom officers face ‘lit up’. ‘Ah! I understand Sir, no problem, please carry on’
Phew!!!. It goes to show, you can either be plain stupid, crafty, or just truthful.
In reply to M3WDS: At least these days there are not too many people able to get to the summits who can remember Tony Hancock. If he is mentioned, my reply sometimes is “Yes, and I’m also a blood donor. Is that funny as well?”
Why not use your mobile phone? is another question.
I try and avoid popular summits during the summer holidays
Why not use your mobile phone? is another question.
My usual answer to that one is “You know it is strange but some of the people I speak to don’t have phones”. When they give you that quizzical look I say “Astronauts, Yachtsmen and Guys in the outback”. When they say “Astronauts?” I say “I am sorry I can’t talk about that”. The problem is you usally can’t get rid of them as they are waiting for you to contact the International Space Station. It is not entirely un-true as I have at least two astronauts in my log book that I know about.
the most I heard before, too. With the fishing rod I am fishing in the radio waves. Suprisingly this answer satisfies the most people. But, my number 1 question was at the full mounted station with GFK-Pole:
I got exactly that question from a Police Community Support Officer, who discovered me sitting in a gateway beside the road on Hegdon Hill! She thought I was a Raynet station controlling a Fun Run or a cycling race! At least she knew what amateur radio was, and seemed genuinely interested in SOTA. She was amazed that I was making contact with stations in Germany and Switzerland!
73,
Walt
P.S. I must live on a different planet, because I had genuinely never heard of “Extreme Ironing”! However, I now find that it is well documented on the Web.
I had a similar thing happen to me Walt. The guys thought there was a hill race on when they saw my antennas setup on the top of the hill. From what everyone has said there’s nothing unusual really about that apart from the how the man who spoke to me arrived at the summit. He was winched down out of a Sea King helicopter! It took him less time to get to the top of a 1165m hill than it took me
My fav. has to be (only my second activation BTW):
“Ah, a radio ham I see, my Dad would’ve been proud”.
This isn’t a funny one, but I was shocked nonetheless, the most hilarious ones have come from my mates at school who came with me on my first activation…
The guy’s call was G4CJO, did anyone know him? (Deceased).
That was an amazing near-coincidence Tommy. When Paul G4MD and I were ascending Hallin Fell (LD-043) on Monday 26th April we met a chap that told us his father (deceased) had been G4CJD. Unfortunately neither of us knew of him. On the same trip over 2 days (6 summits) we also met up with WB8ICQ and M5GUY.
Maybe one day there will be sufficient of us so that no-one will take any notice of us.
Maybe one day there will be sufficient of us so that no-one will take any notice of us.
It can happen the other way though Gerald. I have heard of an activator approached by a (non-amateur) walker on a summit, unsolicited, and asked “Have you got your 4 contacts yet?”!
A nice lady about to do Arkle asked me the same when I was getting ready to ascend Ben Stack. She said she’d met quite a few activators in the Lake District.
