SOTA microwave activity period

Yes, they don’t last long (30-120secs) so be quick, clear and lucid!

It looks like a beefier version of what a few of us have up here GM. (top left in the picture of 5 devices)

Mine is set for 13.5V out for any voltage in from 9V up. Does it make a difference? I don’t know but it was a few coppers.

Moi?? That’s a tall order!

I think I was very lucky. I’d just set up, tuned around to see what was about, and he was the first station I worked. I didn’t hear him again, or anyone else up that way, though I did hear others calling him from time to time.

I heard a wonderful example of how to do exceptional conditions operation on VHF once. Sometimes you just want to work the calls bang, bang, bang, done. Sometimes you want to ragchew. Anyway this was a G4 station in IO70 (Cornwall/Devon) working a 4X4 on 2m via SpE & Tropo. 4X4 calls QRZ, G4 calls, 4X4 replies to G4 with RST and Maidenhead, G4 replies with RST and Maindenhead. Easy, peasy lemon squeezy, and a new VHF European VHF DX record is set in less than 35 seconds. Marvellous :slight_smile:

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As above, marketed as “1200W 20A DC converter” originally purchased to drive my Bert Modderman amplifier at 28V, but I now use it as a regulated supply from my 4S LiPo pack. Amplifier will get used when I get some antennas in the air at home.
About £12 delivered.

I find that with 2 watts and the 28 element yagi I can work most stations I can hear from the hilltops.
Next upgrade is to add the SG-Labs 25W amplifier and mount the amp & transverter at the masthead and so reduce my heavy 10m length of LMR400.

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Nice, I hadn’t spotted that - runs on 13.8V too.

Yes, me too. I’ve been out eleven times now during activity sessions, and a very small number of stations have been unable to hear me. But they include an ON and a GM, which would have been nice to work (GM ticked off now, of course, but more always welcome). Whether a ~ 10dB increase in output would have been enough to make the difference, I don’t know…

Did you get the amp? What were your experiences? I want to try one out myself.

I’ll be on Stiperstones G/WB-003 this evening with 23cm station…

My evening didn’t go to plan.
I wasn’t going to do a SOTA anyway, but being late from work, someone had already got my usual parking spot. Went to my alternative place, only to find I had packed 13cms transverter by mistake.
Went home for a cuppa and picked up the correct transverter and just went to a quiet spot outside of town and worked a few stations in the last hour.
Thought I heard you, but not long enough to tweak the beam and give you a call.
Roll on springtime.

I heard you working another station on their frequency, but didn’t find you again; sorry to have missed you.
I’ve had evenings like that, but its always good when you manage to salvage something.

The weather was generally good for me, except for one gust of wind that seemed to come from nowhere. It blew my antenna etc off the tripod, and then reverted to a gentle breeze for the rest of the evening.

I heard one GM and one PE, but didn’t manage to work either.

Yes, roll on spring - but to anyone teetering, the UKACs are a great opportunity to get contacts on the VHF / UHF / Microwave bands, even if you don’t fancy being out for the whole event.

They are fairly relaxed contests with some longer conversational exchanges to be heard. Lots of light weight portable stations out there, some of which are also on SOTA summits.

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