SOTA LD Weekend, 7th/8th October 2023

Notices Events
56

And it sounds like they favoured cost over safety as well!

After that disaster, I can understand the train companies being very cautious - of course, it doesn’t help those (like me) who chose to use the rail system to get around while in the UK next week, but the inconvenience is still better than being in a train that de-rails!

73 Ed.

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Nigel M5TUE and myself decided to reduce our plans to an activation of Lambrigg Fell which is very close to his QTH. He brought shelter, and put it up expertly, and also guyed the SotaBeams Tactical 7m mast expertly without anything other than cord and pegs. I must practice my knots!

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I brought the YAESU FT-857, Chameleon MPAS 2.0 and 21 AH LifePo4, with Nigel supplying his twin paddle cootie key for CW activity.

Most bands were working although 40m and 60m are compromised on the Chameleon. 2m FM was also working well, with a definite lift heard, so great to get @EI8HIB Frank with a solid 59 S2S on EI/IE-010.

Nigel did a sterling job with CW - he almost completed a Brazilian contact on 10m, but the other op couldn’t quite get his callsign correct then the QSB killed the link.

I think we made the best of the weather, we were in the cloud but it was only very light precipitation. The original planned walk to High Street from Haweswater would have been a very sorry, damp affair with no views.

Nigel’s CW Contacts:

TIME CALLSIGN BAND MODE RST RSR OPERATOR SIG REF
11:21 EA3CX 15m CW 599 559 Ariel
11:22 SV2RUJ/P 15m CW 599 559 Stavros SOTA SV/TL-087
11:25 MW0KXN 15m CW 579 439 Kevin
11:28 SP9NLI 15m CW 599 589 Andrzej
11:29 OK2PRQ 15m CW 519 599 Bohumil
12:06 YO4RDW 10m CW 599 599 Romeo
12:15 M1EYP/P 10m CW 599 599 Tom SOTA G/SP-015
12:31 HB9AFI/P 30m CW 559 549 KURT SOTA HB/FR-032
12:31 SM4BNZ 30m CW 599 599 Rolf
12:31 ON5QRP 30m CW 599 599 Francis
13:01 OH3GZ 12m CW 599 599 JUKKA
13:08 W4JKC 12m CW 529 579 THOMAS
13:11 TF3DC 12m CW 449 449 Oskar

Mark’s SSB/FM Contacts

TIME CALLSIGN BAND MODE RST RSR OPERATOR SIG REF
10:50 GW4ZPL 2m FM 45 59 Colin
10:51 M7MCG 2m FM 59 59 Micah
10:52 2E0MIX 2m FM 58 59 Derek
10:55 2E0IKN/P 2m FM 51 59 Clive
10:56 G6AEK 2m FM 59 59 David
10:57 M0CQE 2m FM 58 58 Paul
10:57 2E0XGO/P 2m FM 59 59 Richard
10:59 M0SSD 2m FM 59 59 George
10:36 SV2RUJ/P 12m SSB 59 59 Stavros SOTA SV/TL-087
10:39 DL7BC/P 20m SSB 59 59 Hartwig SOTA FL/VO-017
10:39 UW8SM/P 20m SSB 59 59 Andrij SOTA UT/CA-291
10:39 SP9AMH 20m SSB 59 59 Mariusz
10:40 EA7GTJ 20m SSB 55 59 Jose
10:41 OH3GZ 20m SSB 59 59 JUKKA
10:41 HB9CGA 20m SSB 59 59 ULRICH
10:42 EA1DHB 20m SSB 59 59 Ricardo
10:42 EA1HVF 20m SSB 59 59 Julio
10:42 F4JKY 20m SSB 59 57 Ghislain
10:42 OE6TTF 20m SSB 59 56 Eric
10:43 EA2DT 20m SSB 58 55 Manuel
10:43 G4OOE/P 20m SSB 55 44 A.R.N. SOTA G/TW-004
10:44 G3TQQ/P 20m SSB 55 44 J SOTA G/TW-004
10:45 OM1ALT/P 20m SSB 55 55 Michal SOTA OE/NO-180
10:46 IU3GKJ/P 20m SSB 45 56 Riccardo SOTA I/VE-191
10:47 DF7IS 20m SSB 55 58 Klaus
10:47 LB4LI 20m SSB 57 55 Joakim
10:48 SP6BOW 20m SSB 59 59 AUGUSTYN
10:48 DC5GM 20m SSB 59 59 Martin
12:09 G8CPZ/P 2m FM 59 59 A SOTA G/LD-050
12:42 LB4FH 40m SSB 59 55 Kjetil
12:43 G0FEX 40m SSB 59 59 KEN
12:45 G0HRT 40m SSB 59 55 Robert
12:46 GI4TAJ 40m SSB 59 44 Joe
12:49 EI8HIB/P 2m FM 59 59 Frank SOTA EI/IE-010

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Nigel’s Contacts

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Mark’s Contacts

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Longest S2S

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58

Just driven from near Chester with an overnight in Glenrothes; to describe the weather as biblical beyond Carlisle is definitely an understimate. Detours, floods, roads being closed (after we had waded through) etc.

I feel really sorry for anybody in The Lakes this weekend, the view from the M6 was less than pleasant!

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59

Barry,
I reckon anyone who went out to the Lake District this weekend and activated, deserves a duck icon adding to their database page to go with the webbed feet that they will certainly have grown!

Well done to all who ventured out despite the horrible weather. Now the bad weather can STOP as I’ll be in the LD region as from tomorrow!

Ed DD5LP / G8GLM

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60

Much nicer today Ed.

61

Thank Goodness!

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62

I can attest to the WX on Sat. I think that is the first time I have abandoned. I had planned a day walk to and from the Old Man G/LD-013 from Wrynose pass. Half way, at Skirl How, I turned back. All the rocks were super slippery and my glasses were permanently fogged up. Wind speed about 30mph. Not funny.
Today I bagged the summit from the south along with hoards of people. I did not know my activations were that popular! WX much better after a misty start. 30m performed well, as did 20 until I became tired. Thanks Mark.

David
G0EVV

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63

Thank you for the summit to summit from Black Combe today (postponed from yesterday) David .
The logbook looked as though I’d worked 40m not 2m with the conditions today entries from the Isle of Wight to Glasgow, and Dublin to Leeds and the N Yorks Moors .
Richard.

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64

As this was the LD Weekend event, I decided to focus on 2m FM and 60m SSB hoping to work visiting activators. Gummers How G/LD-050 was in the clouds despite a strong wind at the summit. Eschewing my usual Diamond RH770 2m ½-wave telescopic I put up a J-pole on a 6m mast so the dog and I could crouch on the leeside of some low rocks. Got 7 contacts including Dan MW7DTE/P on Glasgwm GW/NW-015 and Mark M0NOM/P on nearby Lambrigg Fell G/LD-046.

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All my gear was dripping wet by now [I was shaking the FT1D HT between contacts to rid the water running down the coax feeder]. My HF kit not being waterproof, it was time to erect the tarp using the low ridge as a ‘back wall’. Putting up my 60/40/30/20 linked dipole singlehanded in a strong wind proved the usual ‘challenge’.

I called for quite a while on 60m before anyone answered. Finally, and fortunately Nick G4OOE/P and Dave G3TQQ/P doing a joint activation on **Normanby Top G/TW-005 gave me two S2S’s reconfirming that 5W’s of SSB is perfectly adequate if you have a decent antenna.

**EDIT UPDATE: G/TW-004 Bishop Wilton Wold

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Meanwhile the cows were circling and getting closer. One wandered under the lower part of the inverted V and its horns were close to the wire. I had visions of it getting entangled [but not quantum mechanically] and dragging the antenna, mast, guy ropes, my rig, etc across the hilltop. The steaks were high now.

Realizing I probably needed to get the antenna down, I seized the moo-ment and quickly worked Steve MW0SAW in Pontypridd on 60m CW and went QRT.

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When I stood up, I was udderly surprised to see another cow approaching the tarp with intend. It seemed interested in my dog. I couldn’t take the risk that Bella would rush at the cow or vice versa. So, having a real beef with this one, I shooed the cow away and packed up ASAP notwithstanding that everything was wet.

Sod’s Law prevailed: when I was finally packed up the cows were nowhere in sight. To add insult to injury, by then the clouds had lifted and on the walk down the sun came out. Well, no point crying over spilt milk.

Sorry if I butchered any of these jokes.

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EI8HIB on Croaghanmoira 2023-10-07
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I was delighted with the QSO Mark, great to talk to you. I can confirm a solid 5/9.
Wx on Croaghanmoira was sunny and a very strong but warm wind was blowing, testing the new mast.
Your right about the lift on 2m, I had 5 or 6 QSO’s into Cornwall and up to Co Antrim.
73 and hope to chat again.

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66

Sadly I was not able to make it to the LD this weekend, but did try to get as close as I could by activating Winter Hill (G/SP-010). Considering Winter Hill is only around 50 miles south of Windermere, the weather was acceptable - unlike the reports from the LD.

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I cannot say the same for the ground, which was sodden. After wandering about for about 1/2 hour trying to find a dry spot to setup.

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Like Black Hill (G/SP-002) this one is a bad one for 2m due to the amount of high power RFabout up there. Even using the sotabeams helical filter inline, I was only able to make one 2m S2S - to Keith @G1VFA on Coniston Old Man.

Most of the contacts were on HF and I did manage a S2B (Summit 2 Bunker) with Peter @MW0PJE on 23cm.

73 Dave

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67

All I can say is that Sunday was wind free (ish) and 20C when I got back to the car from Binsey. Not much rain on the west coast compared to elsewhere.

Nice to get the big big out and get few few in the log @M1BUU. Can’t use it for too long as it is a bit shrill :slight_smile:

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68

I was there too. I activated 3 Wainwrights - Gibson Knott, Calf Crag and Steel Fell on Friday on 2m fm in the driving rain. On Saturday we chose to go to Raven Crag above Thirlmere in response to the forecasted high winds. I’d hope to speak to many of you but I managed a single QSO with Geoff G4WHA on Faulds Brow. 1 contact qualifies a Wainwright luckily. He related their experience of 60 mph winds on Binsey earlier in the day.
On Sunday I activated Kidsty Pike, Rampsgill Head and High Raise - all above Mardale.

I got into WOTA by having a radio activation break on the way to and from G/LD summit.

73
David M0YDH

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69

Yes, there are many lovely Wainwright hills in the Lake District, which are not Marilyns, that I would never had visited had I focused only on SOTA G/LD summits, e.g Scafell is more interesting than Scafell Pike (G/LD-001). That’s the benefit of hill walks and summits chosen by a human being (in this case Alfred Wainwright) rather than just on topology.

We’re lucky to have an enthusiastic bunch of local and regional chasers supporting the WOTA scheme making it rare not to be able to qualify a WOTA summit using 2m FM. Almost all G/LD summits are also Wainwrights so one can pick up points simultaneously to both schemes.

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70

Hi Andy

Thank you very much for the s2s qso. Dave G3TQQ and I were on G/TW-004 Bishop Wilton Wold.
73
Nick

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71

Hi Alex,

Great to see that you’ve had the big rig out! I really ought to fire up a RockMite again one of these days. I think I might have one or two that I could put my hands on. :wink: I’m still hoping for a home brew transatlantic QSO, so I ought to give it a go. Can you believe that I’ve never managed a home brew transatlantic CW QSO?! I have done it on SSB.

Thanks for the CW QSO whilst I was on Holme Fell.

Vy 73,

Colin

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72

Thanks for the correction. Checking my paper log again I see I wrote 004 but must have mistyped it entering it into the logging app. I’ll correct the SOTA log entry.

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73

Yeah, thanks Dave and Nick, I can often remember one name or the other, but not necessarily both in the right order! You’ve often been at the other end of the microphone, and always a very welcome qso.

Cheers, Mark

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I reckon if you opened a drawer one or two might be in there :slight_smile:

I don’t think I’ve managed a SOTA transatlantic QSO ever. I think I must be doing something wrong.

The rockmite was fun until the I started to hear 3 or 4 stations, one was drowning out the station at the other end of me.

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