No way I could get up to LD at the moment but I have managed to arrange for a few hours on Saturday morning, so I hope to do the best I can and be on my local summit Walton Hill, G/CE-002 looking for what LD activity I can find Planning to be active from approx 0900z - 1230z and will be using my G6GGP/P call. The lower summits are probably not so likely but many of the higher summits are LoS so hopefully catch a few! Most seem to have alerted for FM but I’ll have 2m ssb available too if anyone wants to try. I’ll only be using my trusty old SB3 3-ele beam but may try the '857 for a bit extra grunt.
Assuming the weather stays reasonable, I’ll be ‘camping out’ at the summit (under tarp) for up to about 4 hours on Whitbarrow Scar G/LD-056 on Saturday and same again on Gummers How G/LD-050 on Sunday. I’ve activated both summits a few times already this year.
Will use my 5W FT1D and J-pole for VHF/UHF. If I have phone reception, I’ll be monitoring spots for 145-fm, 144.6125-c4fm, 433-fm and 438.6125-c4fm but will also self-spot for chasers.
Will have a KX2 and Cha MPAS Lite vertical for 10W of CW on 60m, 40m, 30m and 20m (possibly other HF bands if conditions improve).
[At the time of writing] one other LD activator (@G1ZAR) has posted for 23cm on Saturday. On the strength of that, I’ll take my Ukrainian 23cm transverter for 1296-fm only. Probably no room for either of my 23cm Yagis but two years ago at this same event, I was able to make several LD-LD S2S contacts with just the ‘supplied’ PCB antenna.
I’m expecting both these popular summits to be busy this weekend so the J-pole and HF vertical should help reduce my footprint.
Having gotten round to adding the links to the dipole yesterday, and used that as a good excuse to active G/SP-001 today, I can confirm I’ll have 60m with me over the weekend. The first outing of the 4m vertical hung from the mast went well, hopefully some 4m S2S will be forthcoming.
Just i wish to add , during LD weekend i was out on sunday activating G/LD-017 and G/LD-018.
Same i wish to thank you all chasers
( I will try upload some photos soon )
73 Mateusz
Edit 12.09.21 As i promise, some pictures from my activation on G/LD weekend
Hi all,
Any one to give me my last G/LD summit ?
It’s G/LD-045 - 132 activation’s only 1 point…
Missed all from here (VHF, or not at home)
I have a beer for Andy @G8CPZ (G/LD-041) who would like one for this summit ?
Sorry I surely violate a regulation of this beautiful organization !
73. Éric
The summit is on Wainwrights Coast to Coast route as well Eric - walked by 1000s every year, including me just the once, qualified with a handheld on 2m as I passed over the summit. I know a “Happy Camper” staying on that side of the G/LD area who is licenced and a SOTA activator - he may oblige. I will see him at York Radio Club tomorrow and will ask if he will set up a sked with you. He can only say no, but maybe he will say yes. On the other hand some other operator may go there over the weekend. Good luck - I hope you can get it.
It’s only a 45-minute walk. i did it two years ago.
But, for me in South Cumbria, it’s a nearly a 2-hour drive each way and my Excel spreadsheet calculates the total ‘away time’ as 6 hours which requires a special arrangement [with my wife]. There are a number of SOTA/WOTA activators (like Phil’s Happy Camper) who live in the Whitehaven area and who might be motivated to activate G/LD-045 before I can.
I wanted to try my untested QCX-mini 17m in readiness for the weekend so I headed up Hutton Roof Crags G/LD-052 this morning. The weather forecast was saying it would be dry until about lunchtime and then thunderstorms were coming in.
I fired up the QCX and I was disappointed by the lack of noise. Connecting and disconnecting the antenna resulted in no difference of background noise. I could hear data at around 18.104 and odd bits of CW fading in and out lower down the band. I’m not sufficiently confident to make a judgement whether the radio is deaf or that the band was really dead. I called CQ a few times and got no hits on the RBN. I’m inclined to say that the band was dead and the receiver isn’t so sensitive up at 18MHz.
I have decided to use my KD1JV MTR-5B for the LD event, at least its fairly light to carry and one lipo battery will easily last for my three summits.
Just for fun, I’d taken along a home brew RockMite 20 built on a tuna can today. As far as I’m aware the contact with OE6GND today was my first QSO on the rig. I called for quite a while but I only managed the one QSO and I received a 559 report. The power output is probably around 300mW.
There’s probably a bad pun available about tuning your tuna can - but I’ll avoid it.
But seriously impressive stuff and I hope your QCX experience was just down to propagation.
I’m just packing the rucksack, charging the batteries and packing the waterproofs - just incase - ready for the weekend. The bags getting pulll, so trying to decide whethet to throw in the 6m and 4m antennas. I have one 4m S2S in the bag this year, and managed a load of 4m contacts from from Shining Tor Wednesday, so I’m keen to try for some more. Anyone else going to be on 70MHz or 50MHz - Chasers or Activators - this weekend ?
Dave (m0jks - LD-003 Saturday, and depending on the knee, LD-020 and LD-021 Sunday)
I can get on 50MHz and will keep an eye open for your spots. I may be moving between LD-018 and LD-011 at 11z on Saturday, but I’m sure I can catch you from one of them.
Is anybody doing Blencathra on Sunday? Sharron and I are thinking about having a walk up. Unfortunately we are at a wedding on Saturday so can’t make it the day before.
Planning to be active from approx 0900z - 1230z and will be using my G6GGP/P call. The lower summits are probably not so likely but many of the higher summits are LoS so hopefully catch a few! Most seem to have alerted for FM but I’ll have 2m ssb available too if anyone wants to try. I’ll only be using my trusty old SB3 3-ele beam but may try the '857 for a bit extra grunt.
