Continuing the discussion from SOTA Fun Evening - 2m FM & SSB (Part 1) - #100 by DG7ACF.
Previous discussions:
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Decent activation. 130 QSOs:
2m FM: 44 QSOs
2m CW: 2 QSOs
2m SSB: 84 QSOs
I did notice spots of DP9X on KST, but didn’t hear anything from EU to the east of me all evening. In fact only heard two stations in mainland EU all night - both F - and only worked one of them. Also failed to get EI. Intra UK (G, GW, GD, GI, GM) was pretty healthy though.
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DM/NS-135 440 m asl
100 W @ 11 dBd 19 m agl
Superb wx, only a very light breeze, good activity and some nice surprises, however condx being average. After moonrise, sky cleared and it got almost day-bright in the pale moonlight.
On the descent I quite hurried to get back to the car, as I heard a dog barking quite aggressively not that far away from me. Scary. Definitively nearer than the nearest village and there are usually no hunters around in this area. Haven’t heard of any wild dogs in Niedersachsen, though.
Anyway, I felt lucky since I chose the ridgeway instead of the forest road, from where the barking seemed to come. I knew I was too fast on the bumpy trail and even faster when I reached the steep forest road, which I couldn’t avoid for the last kilometer. With my knees hurting now, I’m hoping they will forgive me.
s2s: DB7MM/p on DM/TH-012
QSO map: log analyzer
Ahoi
Pom
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Are you out tonight for the 2m FT8 event Pom? I reckon we would make that QSO. I’ll be QRV 1900-2100z.
Today I feel comfortable in my shack.
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Not so great last night. It was unseasonally cold and uncomfortably windy on G/SP-015. I still hadn’t gotten round to sorting a few things on my SB5 antenna - like making and fitting replacement rubber rings to keep elements securely in place - or checking the condition of the guy cords on the centrepiece…
Stuff I’d be “meaning to do” for a while (about 18 months)…
As a result, I lost around 40 minutes of operating time refixing the guys, putting the elements back into position, unbending them after a collapse etc etc etc. Poor show really. The uncared-for antenna still performed perfectly in benign wx conditions, so I got complacent!
33 QSOs made, all 2m FT8:
6 DXCCs: EI, F, G, GI, GM, ON
18 QRAs: IO61, 62, 63, 70, 74, 75, 81, 82, 83, 84, 91, 92, 93, 94, JN18, JO01, 02, 21.
This morning I have just given the SB5 the long awaited TLC. So hopefully June’s 2m activity nights are much more efficiently coped with, whatever the wx (except electrical storms … no answer to those).
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DM/NS-135 Lauensteiner Kopf
100 W @ 11 dBd, 19 m agl
Dull condx but decent activity is a combination you don’t get very often. Almost perfect wx, only air pressure was quite low @ 1008 hpa. Somebody switched off the wind shortly after 1700z and didn’t switch it on again before 2100z. Tnx!
QSO with LA2Z (ODX, 813 km) was completed 2 mins ahead of the aircraft that should have reflected each other’s signals. 
First 60 mins operation time were a continous pile-up. I can’t remember when the last time was I had something alike. 
To my surprise, I wasn’t alone on the summit. Two height workers were mounting grounding and SHF dishes on the freshly-built transmitter mast which is just a few meters North of the viewtower. One of them asked me for confirmation in which direction nearby village Harderode was for a rough estimation where he had to point the dish.
S2S: DL1DSR/p DA/HE-394 (GMA)
DXCC: DL, G, LA, OK, OZ, PA, SM, SP
83 QSOs, all SSB
Ahoi
Pom
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I made 36 QSOs in the FMAC 1800-1855z. In the UKAC, it was 57 - but I’d made all those by the halfway point - 2015z. At that moment, an electrical storm was heading straight for the summit of G/SP-015. I managed to pack everything away in time not to have a beam @4m AGL to greet the arrival of lightning - but I didn’t manage to descend the hill to avoid a thorough soaking!
Oh well - I guess disappointment is preferable to death…
Anyway, just about to head out again. It’s the 2m FT8AC tonight, and I’ll be QRV for the 2 hour section 1900-2100z.
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34 QSOs in tonight’s 2m FT8 Activity Contest.
DXCCs: G, GI, GU, EI, PA
Heard but not worked: DL, F, GM. For some reason I never seem to hear GW at all in these 2m FT8 sessions!
QRAs: IN89, IO62, 70, 74, 81, 82, 83, 84, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, JO00, 01, 02, 21
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Hi Tom
For second month saw you on my display/waterfall and saw you work other stations near me. Tried calling you but no luck … I guess a homebrew dipole on a ground floor flat windowsill will always struggle (although pskreporter showed my signal reaching further than you). Oh well maybe next month.
Chris
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Meep me on KST if/when you find me again!
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It’s the first Tuesday of the month again. That means loads of 2m activity - FM (mainly 144.5 to 144.8) 1800-1855z and SSB (144.150 to 144.399) 1900-1930z. Including me (and possibly others) on SOTA.
You’ll have to hunt the SOTAs down though as those also participating in the contests will not be self-spotting.
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