SOTA NEWS - NOVEMBER 2013
EDITORIAL – by Roy G4SSH
Welcome to the November 2013 edition of SOTA News. My thanks go to the following contributors:- Barry GM4TOE, Allen VK3HRA, Martin DF3MC, Richard G3CWI, Skip K6DGW, Peter OK1CZ, Mark G0VOF, Kevin G0NUP, Rob & Audrey G4RQJ, Phil G4OBK, Nick G4OOE, Tom M6PYG, Adrian MM0GHY.
Apologies for the late publication of this issue but I did not return from a week in London until 1300 on the 31st and then had an overflowing in-tray to process. For this reason I was also unable to acknowledge receipt of articles prior to publication. Please let me know if anyone has submitted a report that has not been published in this issue.
SOTA AWARDS FOR OCTOBER 2013 By Barry GM4TOE - SOTA Awards Manager
October was another busy month with a lot of certificates claimed and also a lot of merchandise purchased. Congratulations to Activators reaching 1000 points SQ9OJN and OM7SM. Chaser points claimed rise at a staggering rate. I remember that the first claim for a certificate of 30000 points occurred seven years after SOTA started, now N4EX has reached that milestone in something less than half that time (500 points in May 2011, now 30000 points October 2013). The growth of SOTA worldwide has made these incredible scores possible, how long now to 100k Chaser points? Martyn M1MAJ has just claimed certificate #1 for 250 Completed summits while K6EL and G4ISJ have achieved Platinum in the Mountain Hunter awards.
Well done to everybody who has achieved an award this month, it is a great achievement.
Trophies
Mountain Goat
SQ9OJN Bartosz Cuber
Shack Sloth
K6EL Elliott M Pisor (Chaser Unique)
Certificates claimed
Activator
OM7SM Mirko Skunda 1000 points
IN3PEE Sergio Mottaran 100 points
VE2DDZ Malcolm Harper 100 points
Chaser
N4EX Rich Homolya 30000 points
OZ4RT John Arnvig 25000 points
M0BKV Damian Kamm 15000 points
G6TUH Michael Morrissey 10000 points
NK6A Don Minkoff 10000 points
M1CNL Peter Tew 2500 points
N6KZ Jim Zimmerman 2500 points
SQ9APD Bartosz Kuzma 1000 points
WX4ET Erik E. McCord 1000 points
K9EZ Kent Winrich 1000 points
WA6RIC Richard Hallowell 1000 points
DD6UDD Detlef Wabersky 500 points
2E0LMD Anne Bate 500 points
K9EZ Kent Winrich 500 points
VK3ARR Andrew Ryan 250 points
VK2FROB Robert Hendry 250 points
K9EZ Kent Winrich 250 points
VK2FROB Robert Hendry 100 points
M0LEP Rick Hewett 100 points
N6WBL Jason Turning 100 points
VE2DDZ Malcolm Harper 100 points
K9EZ Kent Winrich 100 points
VK5AV Timothy Hann 100 points
Chaser Unique
N4EX Rich Homolya 3500 summits
M0BKV Damian Kamm 3000 summits
G6TUH Michael Morrissey 1500 summits
K6EL Elliott M Pisor 1000 points
M1CNL Peter Tew 500 summits
G4SXR Colin M Bracher 100 summits
Mountain Hunter
K6EL Elliott Pisor Platinum
G4ISJ Peter Martin Platinum
M0LEP Rick Hewett Gold
M0LEP Rick Hewett Silver
VE2DDZ Malcolm Harper Bronze
Summit to Summit
EC2AG Antonio Garcia Silver
VK1DI Ian Sinclair Bronze
M1MAJ Martyn Johnson Red
M3ZCB Caroline Blackmun Red
SOTA Complete
M1MAJ Martyn Johnson 250 summits
K9EZ Kent Winrich 100 summits
10th Anniversary
M0BKV Damian Kamm GD Chaser
The awards website has just undergone a facelift in the last few days. This has been a long time coming, the work is not yet finished but the changes mean that the site can be viewed on a tablet computer (and, before anybody tells me – it does not function correctly as a shopping site on an Android tablet, work in progress!). The objective is to allow, in time, easier site maintenance, better stock visibility of merchandise and display better images of the stock. Very much a work in progress though and unlikely to be fully functional this side of Christmas. Feedback would be welcome especially if you spot any design glitches (thanks K6EL who spotted one within three hours of it being uploaded to the server!). The front page features some panoramas of British hills but I would like to have some images from around the world so if you have a suitable panoramic shot (or one that would suit being cropped into that format) please email it to me. Meanwhile, can you identify the locations on the banner? Just to make it interesting I am offering a SOTA thermal mug to somebody who identifies all images correctly, either where they feature or the summit they were taken from. If I have more than one correct answer before the end of November it will be the first name out of my capacious rucksack that gets the mug.
Last month I asked for comment on the way forward for those awards where people have reached the highest level (other than Worked All Associations), in particular the Mountain Hunter award. The response was definitely underwhelming – nobody made any comment so I must assume that there is little interest in expanding this award or that apathy rules! If you would like a say in the future structure of this award in particular then please email me, contact details on most of the SOTA websites.
I get a continual stream of emails asking if a person is eligible for a particular award. The database is my source of information and that also means the person asking me the question has the answer at hand. I don’t mind clarifying if there is a genuine misunderstanding but, really, you should be able to find the answer yourself! Andy has made a point of expanding the reports on the database website in order to make things clearer so that should always be your first place to go for an answer. The revamped awards website has pop-up screens available for the Mountain Hunter, Mountain Explorer and Summit to Summit awards offering explanations of the rules; I will add other pop-up screens in due course covering explanations for all awards.
There is still a steady flow of inaccurate (and sometimes totally incorrect) claims for awards. Please double check the data on the database before making a claim otherwise there will be inevitable delays (and grumpy emails from me) before you receive your paperwork.
I shall be at the Scottish Microwave Round Table this coming weekend where I hope to put some meat on the bones of the proposed microwave award in liaison with the UK Microwave Group who originally suggested the idea. With luck I can announce the proposals this time next month.
Once again I must thank the kind individuals who have put their hands into their sporrans and made a donation towards the running of the programme, it is very much appreciated and does mean the future of the SOTA facilities looks secure. My thanks also to Jack, GM4COX, for the very nice dram that he forced me to drink during a recent visit to my xyl’s emporium. This obviously served its purely medicinal purpose as I managed to drag my hugely unfit body up GM/ES-052 for my first activation in over 2 years; I am now in training to try and activate an island summit or two later in November.
Take care as winter approaches and be safe on the hills
73
Barry GM4TOE
SOTA Awards Manager
SOTA News also congratulates:-
- Jack GM4COX on gaining 2000 activator points
- Erik WX4ET for gaining Shack Sloth status
- Bill K5WI for passing the 2000 chaser points mark
- Steve G1INK for completing 1000 SOTA activations
- John M6BLV on obtaining 10,000 chaser points
- Klaus DF2GN with 10.000 logged SOTA QSO’s since February this year. (to 18th October).
- Dow W4DOW on gaining 2000 Chaser points.
MOUNTAINS AND MORE - from Martin DF3MC
This is to inform our friends of a new challenge for the outdoor radio enthusiast:
The team of the German Mountain Award (GMA) introduces the GMA-Triathlon 2014.
With the main focus on activating mountains, the Triathlon participant also has to activate castles, islands, lighthouses and nature reserves according to the rules of the respective programs.
There are sections both for activators and for chasers with different levels in each section. For details please see the rules on the GMA-Site. (http://www.cqgma.eu/)
As one of the main hurdles for an activator will be the necessity to gain 50 QSOs for a successful activation of a castle etc., all chasers are kindly asked to support any activation with a call and a short contact.
Thank you - and see you in the Triathlon !
Martin DF3MC
SOTAbeams - Richard G3CWI
Portable accessory specialist SOTAbeams has introduced a number of new products recently that may be of interest to SOTA folk. One of several such items is their new Hi Tee Tuner, a portable antenna tuner designed with SOTA in mind. http://www.sotabeams.co.uk/hi-tee-tuner/
SOTAbeams also carries a range of SOTA merchandise. Sales of this merchandise goes towards the cost of running the SOTA programme.
73 Richard G3CWI
SOTA Mapping project – FROM Phil G4OBK
The SOTA Mapping Project at http://sotamaps.wsstvc.org/index.php was created by Rob DM1CM. The project now allows activators to upload and download GPX format tracks of their proven routes to the specific summits listed within the SOTA Programme. There are now 28 track authors and Rob is continually reviewing and improving the project and is very receptive to users suggestions. I have found this facility extremely useful and if more activators contribute to it, the more the better it will become.
The top twelve GPX track authors as at 27th October 2013 are:
- OE5REO Martin 51 Tracks
- KI4SVM Patrick 46 Tracks
- G4OBK Phil 46 Tracks
- MW0WML Gerald 35 Tracks
- VA2IEI Denis 26 Tracks
- DF3MC Martin 21 Tracks
- CT1BWW Manuel 18 Tracks
- IZ1KSW Gabriel 12 Tracks
- N1EU Barry 10 Tracks
- DB7MM Michael 6 Tracks
- DF2GN Klaus 6 Tracks
- G4ASA Dave 6 Tracks
So if you use a GPS please consider uploading your proven tracks to the summits. This is a great way to put something back into SOTA which may help others planning their activations. Up to a 500 letter description can also be added as well as the track. Rob has produced a well written list of FAQs and help files explaining how to get started and make best use of the project. There is a link to the SMP from the SOTA Spots page in case you hadn’t noticed – go, take a look.
The Tracks function is just one part of a very useful and excellent facility – there are many other aspects to the project which are useful to activators. Many thanks to Rob DM1CM for providing it. It is very much appreciated.
73 Phil
G4OBK
REPORT FROM AUSTRALIA from Allen VK3HRA
Hi all,
VK2 was formally launched on Sunday 13th October. The day resulted in
activity from 7 activators who made 180 contacts. The activators were
Ed VK2JI,Al VK1RX, John VK2YW, Jack VK2AXL, Andrew VK2FAJG, Ian VK1DI,
Andrew VK2ONZ and Andrew VK1DA. Andrew VK2ONZ picked up four 8-point
summits in the Blue Mountains! Two activations on the 12th by Mark
VK1MDC and Andrew VK2FAJG made 22 more contacts for the weekend by
activators at VK2 summits. An honourable mention for Bernard VK2IB for
trying very hard to reach his chosen summit on the 13th but being beaten
by road conditions.
VK2 activity has continued with Brenton VK2MEV, Ben VK5TX, Sam VK2AFA
and Josh VK2JOS leading the chase to activate summits for the first time
in the Hunter region of NSW. Since NSW went live on September 1st. the
following summits have been activated at least once
VK2/HU-047 Mt Warrawolong
VK2/HU-054 (no name)
VK2/HU-065 (no name)
VK2/HU-074 Richardson
VK2/HU-080 Summit Point
VK2/HU-090 Mt. Breckin
VK2/HU-093 Mt. Elliot
VK2/HU-094 (no name)
VK2/HU-076 - Mount George…… Only 85 to go !
VK2ONZ (Andrew) was actively promoting SOTA with a presentation at the
Waverley Amateur Radio Society this month. This was well received by all
reports. The presentation is available from
http://www.vk2bv.org/wars-files/SOTA%20talk-oct-2013.pdf and worth a read.
48 activators activated 88 summits this month in VK3. Peter VK3ZPF and
Glenn VK3YY had a 12metre contact Texas chaser Mike AD5A whilst were
doing a joint activation from Mt. St. Phillack. For more details
checkout the blogs from both sides of the contact.
http://www.vk3zpf.com/2013/09/mt-saint-phillack-vk3vt-006-activation.html
VK5 had their 1-year anniversary lunch for SOTA in VK5, at the Kingsford
Hotel, in Gawler. Eight amateurs attended:- Ian VK5CZ, Paul VK5PAS,
Larry VK5LY, Andy VK5LA, John VK5BJE, Andy VK5AKH, Keith VK5OQ and Mike
VK5MCB,
Larry VK5LY and Andy VK5LA travelled all the way from the Riverland, and
activated Mt Gawler, VK5/ SE-013 on the way. We made it a show and tell,
with quite a bit of gear being brought along on the day, including one
of the new Wouxon X1M tx’s.
There was a VK9 activation with VK5HS/9 (Ivan) activating VK9/NO-001 Mt
Bates for the quick.
Keep your eye on SotaWatch as there is a long weekend coming up and
batteries are being charged and maps printed for several extended
expeditions.
73’s
Allen
VK3HRA
NORTH AMERICA/CANADA SOTA REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2013 by Skip K6DGW
NORTH AMERICA TOTALS
Total Activations: 288 [458]
Hi All,
The NA SOTA Report for Oct will be a bit abbreviated, I wanted to put it
off as long as I could to get as much of the month into the statistics,
but I’m leaving early on the 26th for a week-long trip to a small
gathering in New Mexico of some of the troopers from my USAF Comm team,
and since I’m going that far, I’ll continue on to El Paso TX for a
couple of days with Mike, KD5KC, and family. I’ll have my SOTA radios,
no doubt we’ll manage a summit or two. :-))
STATISTICS: I downloaded these at about 2200UTC on 25 Oct 2013. I’m
not certain about the Total Summits Activated number [2055] vs Unique
Summits [336], but I don’t have time right now to delve into the
program. I know many [most?] activations involve more than one
activator, and some summits are activated at different times by more
than one person/group. I’ll look at my code when I get back.
Nr Unique Activators: 111 [147]
Total Chaser QSOs: 3745 [7651]
Nr Unique Chasers: 184 [258]
Total Summits Activated: 2055 [448]
Unique Summits: 336 [326]
2m: 197 (5%) [227]
6m: 0 (0%) [14]
10m: 3 (0%) [6]
12m: 656 (17%) [167]
15m: 95 (2%) [237]
17m: 174 (4%) [334]
20m: 1895 (50%) [4946]
30m: 209 (5%) [358]
40m: 509 (13%) [1356]
60m: 2 (0%) [1]
80m: 0 (0%) [0]
160m: 0 (0%) [2]
Unk: 5
CW: 2291 (61%) [4890]
SSB: 1260 (33%) [2531]
FM: 192 (5%) [225]
AM: 1 (0%) [2]
Data: 0 (0%) [0]
Other: 1 (0%) [2]
Unk: 5
The first things that leaped out for me was that we had less than half
as many chaser QSO’s than in September. Unique Activators and Chasers
were also down some. But, look at 12m activity! That’s the highest it
has ever been. Admittedly, we have been blessed with high SFI’s and low
A’s and K’s for at least the last several weeks which has had 12m and
10m wide open.
While I’m tracking down the Total Summits issue, I will adjust the
per-band statistics to show last month’s percentage [which will mean
something] rather than QSO counts [which don’t].
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: A number of achievements:
Chuck, AE4FZ, in North Carolina [W4C] has made it to Super Sloth with
10,000 Chaser points. Frank, K0JQZ, put him over the 10K mark.
Rich, N4EX, entered the rarefied level of Triple Super Sloth with 30K
Chaser points on 12 Oct.
Erik, WX4ET, managed to turn a failed activation due to the US
Government Shutdown into success by chasing three summits from the
locked gate and is now a Shack Sloth.
And W0CCA did the job for Don, NK6A, who reached Shack Slothdom on the
20th, apparently confirming what his wife has always thought. 
On the S2S front, Eric, KU6J, of RBNGate fame has earned the fourth S2S
trophy in North America.
Congratulations to all of you, and a big thanks to Elliott, K6EL, for
his news summaries and keeping me abreast of all things NA SOTA.
NA SOTA NEWS:
The K0M Association [Minnesota] launched on the first of October! Sam
Frantz, KØYAK, is the Association Manager, and as always seems to be the
case with new associations, Guy, N7UN, and Steve, WG0AT, brought their
experience and help. Randy, ND0C made the first Minnesota activation of
K0M/SE-003. A big thanks to Jim, G0CQK, and Rob, G0HRT, on the SOTA MT
for all the work to add yet another association to the continent.
The KH6-Hawai’i Association began on 1 Sep with Guy, N7UN, as temporary
AM and 67 new summits over the 8 Islands. With mentoring from K6EL,
Allen, KH7AL, will be the new, permanent AM.
REPORTS: Andrew, KD5ZZK, reports that in late Sep, he made the first
activation in the W$A-Alabama Association on the state high-point and
only W4A 8-pointer W4A/PT-001.
That’s it for Oct, Happy Halloween to all, and I hope conditions remain
good as they have been.
73,
Skip K6DGW
Canada/US SOTA Reporter Dude
SOTA ON TOP BAND - Mark G0VOF
Hello everyone & welcome to this month’s edition of SOTA on Top Band.
A very brief Top Band report this month as only one activator logged any contacts using the band during October. No doubt the excellent conditions on the higher bands have tempted many activators to make the most of the good DX to be had. And who can blame them, conditions aren’t this good very often!
The only 160m QSO logged this month was made by Jon N7AZ at the end of his activation of W7A/PN-022 Superstition Peak North on 14th October. After a very successful first activation of this summit using 2m FM, 20m SSB, 40m SSB & 12m SSB, Jon made one contact on 160m SSB with Robert K8IA in nearby Mesa, Arizona.
Congratulations Jon on being first to activate this summit & thanks for including Top Band!
At the time of writing, that was the only Top band activation during October that I am aware of, if I have missed any others please let me know.
On 14th October, Jon N7AZ activated W7A/PN-022 Superstition Peak North, & made 1 QSO using SSB.
As always, If you do have any suggestions on things that you think should be included, or if you wish to contribute tips, ideas or anything else that you think may help others on the band please email them to me at mark@brownhill.demon.co.uk
Until next month,
Best 73,
Mark G0VOF
Decisions…. Decisions…… by Roy G4SSH
In the UK it is possible to purchase a personalised car number plate from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and many Radio Amateurs are proud to have their have their callsign as their car registration plate.
Unfortunately this only applies to certain callsigns, because the figure Zero cannot be used in the prefix; this means that the vast majority of amateurs with callsigns commencing with the prefix G0 or M0 (Advanced class licensees) are excluded. To overcome this problem many Hams use their previous (lower) class callsigns such as G7, M3, M6, on their cars.
However rumour has it that Ofcom, the UK Ham licensing authority, is to withdraw second callsigns, leaving Hams with just one call. This will present a difficult decision for anyone with one of these personalised number plates - do they keep the higher class Ham licence or keep the lower class callsign as displayed on their car?
Of course maybe Ofcom will refund the hundreds of pounds sterling paid to purchase the personalised plate in the first instance ?
However, whilst on the subject of the possible withdrawal of second callsigns; on the 20th October I applied to Ofcom for a GB100 callsign on behalf of the Scarborough Special Events Group, in order to commemorate the 100th Birthday of the Brownies in February 2014.
As we went to press on the 29th October I received an e-mail from Ofcom confirming that the application was being processed and reminding me that the two club calls that I hold (GX0OOO and GX7OOO) needed re-validating. This could not be done on line for club callsigns but I could do this by phoning Ofcom and confirming that the details were still correct.
The YL who answered the phone was very helpful and re-validated these club calls as we spoke, but then reminded me that an old class B licence held by myself (G7ROY) was also due for re-validation and did I wish this call to be updated for a further five years, until 28th October 2018?
I wished - and it was done.
73
Roy
IOM SOTA & HuMP Expedition + One G/NP 8-11 October 2013 GD4OOE & MD6PYG
Our objective on this trip was to activate and qualify all five SOTAs and three HuMPs, Colden, Cronk ny Arrey Laa and Slieau Whallian in three days. We had booked up the trip in January to take advantage of the half price deal of the ferry. The ferry crossing in a force 5 wind was surprisingly good. The captain had said that he would be using the stabilisers and thankfully they had done their job well. Our base was a very good B&B at Sulby in the North of the Island right by the TT circuit. After stopping off for a meal in Ramsey we arrived at around 8pm on Monday 7 October.
Tuesday 8 October 2013 GD/GD-002 Slieau Freoaghane & GD/GD-001 Snaefell
After a hearty breakfast we headed off to the A14 mountain road past the mist covered Snaefell and along the B10 to our parking spot SC342866. We took the same route as last year, heading north on the footpath past the wood, skirting the smaller summit of Sartfell to the west. We could just about see glimpses of the pylons on Snaefell summit to the east through the mist. At SC343877 we left the track and strode off to the summit of GD/GD-002 Slieau Freoaghane. Because of our limited time we had agreed that Geoff would do 7-ssb and I would do 7-cw and we would both do 145-fm. I was on the air for 0926 GMT and after 16 contacts on 7-cw, Geoff was thrilled to work 15 on 7-ssb including DJ9MH and DF5WA, his first overseas stations. We pulled in another seven contacts on 145-fm including S2S with Darrell GI4KSO/P on GI/AH-007 and Bob G6ODU/P & Derek 2E0MIX/P on LDW-136. We then headed back to the car by roughly the same route. After a quick snack at the car, we headed south to activate the HuMP GD/HGD-003 Colden. Details of this and the other HuMP activations with some photograps will be in Summitsbase News. Next was the 8 pointer GD/GD-001 Snaefell, this was a relatively easy, short but steep climb. The weather had improved dramatically. We had terrific views of most of the other summits on the island and the coast line of Northern Ireland, England and Scotland clearly visible and we had the place to ourselves! The cafe and mountain railway were closed. I worked 15 on 7-cw, Geoff logged 8 on 7-ssb and I tried 14-cw in the hope of working some American stations but to no avail but did manage to log 14 mostly from Southern Europe. On 145-fm we worked 7 including many of our regulars from Cumbria and the Wirral area. We even heard Phil G4OBK in Pickering on 2 metres but unfortunately he couldn’t hear us. At 1635 GMT we were starting to feel a bit chilly, with 2m exhausted we closed down and headed back.
Wednesday 9 October 2013 GD/GD-003 South Barrule
Same breakfast routine. This time we go on the A2 through Kirk Michael past St John’s on the A3 to the A36 parking at SC247757 near Round Table. We had some spots of rain on the journey down but as soon as we left the car we could feel the strong wind. As we progressed along the path towards the summit it worsened. We reached the summit shelter and could barely stand so reluctantly we decided against HF as I don’t think my flimsy fibre glass pole would stand up. Unlike GD/GDs-001 and 002 there was little around to use for support. We only managed 5 contacts on GD/GD-003 South Barrule. The activation was short and sweet and the wind speed was increasing as we left.
After a short drive we went on to the HuMP GD/HGD-004 Cronk ny Arrey Laa. These two summits bagged, we headed off to Laxey. We enjoyed being tourists for the afternoon. While we were enjoying a snack in a cafe it absolutely poured down with rain. Fortunately it did clear long enough for us to spend an hour or so exploring the Laxey Wheel site. We had one more ascent of the day up the very narrow steps to the top of the wheel. There are some good paths to explore around the wheel and we went a short distance into the mine. A great place to spend an afternoon if the weather is alright.
Thursday 10 October 2013 GD/GD-004 Bradda Hill & GD/GD-005 Mull Hill
Our last day of IOM activations. We started by driving again to St John’s and we had a very difficult activation on the HuMP GD/HGD-005 Slieau Whallian which put us quite a bit behind our schedule. We continued down the A3 , A7 and B47 to Fleshwick Bay. This year we found a parking spot SC201710 by a house on the edge of Ballalonney. It was a bit closer to the footpath than the car park at Fleshwick Bay. This was another short but steep climb and again it was quite windy. Geoff spotted an ideal spot by a wall just a few metres from the summit of GD/GD-004 Bradda Hill. I worked 13 stations on 7-cw and Geoff managed 19 on 7-ssb but we could only manage one contact on 145-fm with Mike MW1FDQ. The walk back to the car passed without incident this time. We had both fallen at different times last year!
Next we drove along the A7, A5 and A31 to SC191674 the Cregneash car park. It is possible to drive up to the summit area on this one but we opted to walk along the road through the historical village of Cregneash. The summit has a few pill boxes and we chose the same one as last year. Geoff being brilliant with knots, learned as a boy scout and with some engineering skill erected the HF pole in no time. I worked 22 on 7-cw. It was very difficult to find a clear frequency for 7-ssb and Geoff struggled but eventually made 5 contacts. We failed to trouble the scorers on 145-fm. We finished the activation at 1712 GMT. We walked back slowly to the car with some satisfaction over our past three days.
Friday 11 October 2013 G/NP-043 Cracoe Fell
While on the boat journey back we discussed and decided to do an NP on the way back to Scarborough. It was quite difficult to choose one that neither of us had done this year and one that we could easily navigate in poor weather. Cracoe Fell seemed to fit the bill, not too far from Skipton but still a fair hike for 2 points! While we were driving I plotted a track on my laptop and downloaded it to my gps just in case it was misty. The weather was pretty awful and it was raining hard but we persevered. I worked 14 stations on 7-cw and we both worked 6 on 145-fm. We had problems again trying to find a clear frequency for 7-ssb. As the weather was getting much worse, we headed back to the car.
We enjoyed our trip to the Isle of Man and would thoroughly recommend this as an ideal SOTA holiday. If anyone would like our gps tracks please get in touch. We would like to thank everyone that worked us and spotted us and a big thank you to Roy G4SSH who supported us throughout ensuring that we qualified all our SOTAs and HuMPs.
Equipment used:
HF - FT-857 - 50w (sometimes 80w) 7,10 & 14Mhz link dipole
VHF - FT-270E - 5w 2m rucksack special
QSO summary:
GD/GD-002 Slieau Freoaghane
7-cw 16 qsos - DL, G,GM, HB9, ON, SM
7-ssb 15 qsos - DL, G
145-fm 7 qsos - G, GI, GM, GW
GD/GD-001 Snaefell
7-cw 15 qsos - DL, G, HB9, I, OE, OK,
7-ssb 8 qsos - G,GW
14-cw 14 qsos - DL, G, HB9, OE, OH, OK, OM,
145-fm 7 qsos - G, GW
G/GD-003 South Barrule
5-fm 5 qsos - G, GW
G/GD-004 Bradda Hill
7-cw 13 qsos - DL, G HB9, I, LA, OM, PA
7-ssb 19 qsos - EA, G, GW, HB9, ON
145-fm 1 qso GW
G/GD-005 Mull Hill
7-cw 22 qsos - EA, F, G, GW, DL, HB9, I, LA, S5, SM, YO
7-ssb 5 qsos - DL, EA, G
145-fm nil
G/NP-032 Cracoe Fell
7-cw 14 qsos - DL, EA, F, G, GI, HB9, PA,
145-fm 6 qsos - G
73
Geoff M6PYG & Nick G4OOE
THE VIEW FROM THE NORTH - 58
Straight in this month and a bad forecast sends us to Claiffe Heights, a nice little hill, well below the threatened cloud and rain. Best route up this one is from the little car park at Belle Grange right on the western shore of Windermere at the end of the minor road that heads down the lake. This is normally a winter walk for us and very strange to see so much vegetation. The summit is out of the woods on an outcrop where the trig stands on the top of the rocks. The summer vegetation is head high bracken and fern and while the trig is reachable if attacked the chances for an hf wire are bleak so we set up on the rocky outcrop a stones throw to the east where there is space to get the antenna in with only a minor struggle. Several interested parties stopped to chat; one group had encountered SOTA before on Great Knoutberry so we all seem to be becoming a local feature. The summit area can be quite difficult for navigation and lost folk are quite common, usually with an instruction page cut from a magazine.
Sunday 29th Sept and a rare fine day so Stoney Cove Pike it is. The car park at the summit of Kirkstone Pass has a fair bit of room but can be busy with short stay tourists. Today we had the misfortune to be stuck behind a Rolls Royce from just outside Ambleside. The Roller proceeded at a stately 20mph and with no passing places we arrived at the top of the Pass half an hour late in a mile long queue of traffic! The initial climb is quite steep, much of it on stone steps or rock. Respite can be had at several points where breaks in the wall allow access to a grassy ascent all be it with a bit of contouring. Once at the top of this first ascent a fair bit of descent is required before climbing St Raven Edge to the summit. Best tip here is to stick close by the wall which avoids the necessity to climb intervening lumps. The walls at the summit can provide reasonable shelter from most directions.
Been a lot of discussion recently on the reflector about unconfirmed contacts and we get queries from people we have worked about the odd log entry. This is very welcome as in all cases they have turned out to be mistakes in CW logging by me (Rob). Classic errors are due to old bad habits. All PA’s are PA0, calls have letters then one number, and most calls beginning with S are SV etc. Can only apologise and blame it on age. Poor Audrey has the problem of translating the rubbish I scribble on a knee pad into sense, something I can’t do half the time, D as O etc. Moral is please drop us an Email if there is a problem and we can soon fix it.
Sunday 6th Oct and a horrid day in the North West with the cloud down to a couple of hundred feet… Hutton Roof Crag is cloud free we have a nice activation but no activator points for us as it’s a repeat. Funny how slowly we seem to pick up points now a days, the first 1000 were pretty quick, the next 1000 harder work and the next 500, Yes it’s 2500 for the second certificate. are proving to be much more of a
struggle. Should have started when we were younger hihi.
Sunday 13th Oct and a half decent day with a cold wind so we picked Hardknott Fell which has shelter all round the rocky top. A warning to those attempting to drive up the Hardknott Pass from the east. This road is normally difficult, single track, very steep with hairpins and passing places. To add to this, about a third of the way up from the Cockley Beck side several large, deep pot holes have joined up resulting in half the single carriageway being missing for about 15 yards, 4x4 can manage this but vehicles with low clearance will struggle. The section appears suddenly leaving no possibility of turning round. At the summit cars were stopping while people examined the battle damage. Not wishing to brave it again we descended into Eskdale, that side being reasonable and returned home via Birker Fell road. We submitted a complaint to the Authority who have not responded. They may or may not have done something but don’t hold your breath. In between this excitement we climbed the hill and activated it. The centre section of the climb is becoming boggy but no where near its state of 10yrs ago when it was to all intents a tarn.
It’s time for our annual trip to Wales for the rally and some walking so look out for us with W in the call (when I remember!). Activity will be mainly 2m for which we apologise. Basically we like to do some touristy things and look round for restorable ex military radio kit. Most of the summits in question are frequently activated by others s are not rare on hf. We usually carry HF just in case 2m is difficult.
None of this applies to the Isle of Man however where we will stay all day. Only 7 months to go!
Well all for now,
Take care out there
73
Rob and Audrey
G4RQJ.
MADEIRA REPORT - by Peter OK1CZ
The reflector post by Anders and Peder on their Madeira SOTA expedition was to me a real surprise and big coincidence. I happen to be on Madeira during the very same week 7th to 14th October. Not only that, but we found that we stay in the same hotel in Funchal! So we already had an SM/OK SOTA get-together with Madeira wine and a lot of radio talking.
We are here for a holiday with my XYL. Of course I brought my FT-817 with me with the plan to activate some CT3 summits here.
We had considered renting a car but later we decided to book three guided tours instead, covering east, west and central part of the island. I carefully selected the tours so that two of them included SOTA mountains.
First the Pico Aeiro CT3/MI-004 on Wednesday. After reaching the mountain we had 30 min time before going on, fortunately I succeeded in persuading the guide to make this 40min. So this had to be a quick one. I was becoming a bit desperate as despite Sotawatch alert and RBN spots I called CQ in vain on 24, 21 and 18 MHz. Finally worked a 7X3 on 14 MHz followed by PA0ALW and 8 chasers on 20m including an S2S with HB9BCB/P. Finished just in time, 5 min before departure of our van.
Next we went on another tour, a 4 hour mountain trek where we were supposed to walk with a group of 18 people from Pico Ariero to Pico Ruivo, the highest mountain of Madeira (CT3/MI-001) through narrow walkways, steps and tunnels, up and down in the rocks, with breathtaking views over the mountains and precipices. After walking one hour we learned about the landslide on the way ahead, the same that prevented Anders and Peder from reaching Pico Ruivo that must have happened the night before.
So we had to go back to Pico Ariero. We were then driven to a place with a parking space in the mountains near Santana and from there it was another one hour ascent to Pico Ruivo. Fortunately this trek was a bit easier than the one in the sharp rocks before.
The guide gave us one hour time to spend on Pico Ruivo, however he did not mention that there were ten more minutes to and from the summit to the meeting point. Therefore again I only had 40 minutes to set up the antenna and make QSOs. On the summit my walking pole served as support for the antenna feed point and nearby bush, about a meter high, supported the antenna wire.
CQ on the alerted frequencies produced no response, I had no luck connecting to the internet on my mobile either so could not spot myself, so finally I ended up on 10m which was open nicely to EU and NA and worked OK, DL, 4X and W4, all with good reports. Altogether 5 QSO’s just in time before taking a few nice photos from the summit and coming down to make it before the group return.
Anyway, we had a spectacular day outdoors with beautiful weather.
Surely Anders and Peder made up for my lack of QSO’s today on their repeated attempt to reach CT3/MI-001 and satisfied all the chasers. I was lucky to work both CT9/SM0HPL/P and CT9/SM0GNS/p from there today from the hotel with a simple 8m wire from the balcony and 5W QRP. Their signals on 20 and 17m were much weaker here in Funchal than in Europe. They enjoyed the trip although WX was much worse than yesterday and the mountains stayed in clouds all the time.
A few pictures from both Pico Ariero and Pico Ruivo trips can be seen here:
73
Peter OK1CZ
SARDINIA TRIP - September 2013 by Adrian MM0DHY
This year’s climbing / SOTA trip was to Sardinia. The plane was boarded in Edinburgh on Saturday evening. It landed in Leeds to pick up more passengers, no mention of this when the tickets were purchased! Landed about 10pm then picked up the hire car and set off for Carla Gonone. This is on the east coast of Sardinia about half way down. The drive was done in the dark so it was not until the next morning that the situation could be appreciated. A wonderful sea view and lots of cliffs promising excellent climbing. A few smallish peaks were visible but no SOTA summits.
The first activation was IS0/IS-305 (Monte Albo). There is a good path up to the summit initially up to a ridge then dropping a little onto a high plateau then up to the summit. The approach took a couple of hours. The day was sunny with quite a number of large clouds; a very strong wind was blowing. I set up the SOTA pole and norcal doublet and connected the PFR3. I do not self spot so I got to work calling CQ on 20 meters. Three fairly quick contacts were made then everything went quiet so I QSY’d to 40 meters. 10 minutes of calling CQ and I was starting to wonder about conditions, normally I expect chasers quickly on this band. 1 contact was made but then all went dead. After five minutes with looming clouds and very strong gusts I decided to pack up. My first Sardinian SOTA activation in the bag and a first time activation to boot.
The next activations were of IS0/IS-302 (Bruncu Spina) and IS0/IS-301 (Punta Lamarmora). Quite a long drive leads to a parking area about 1550 meters high. The weather on setting out on the drive looked quite promising however on arrival the wind had got up and the clouds were descending! A fairly easy walk up Brunca Spina was uneventful. The summit had quite a number of radio masts somewhat spoiling the experience. On arrival the clouds descended and the wind became very strong and gusty. Struggled to get the SOTA pole up. Decided to start on 40 meters today. Managed 5 contacts in 30 minutes. I had OE, HB (x2), I, S52 in the log. The conditions were deteriorating and drizzle had started so I packed up and headed down, the second summit looked doubtful.
I had planned a trip along a ridge to the second summit but in nil visibility and strong gusty wind this was abandoned. On reaching a col a couple of hundred meters down the clouds cleared and I could see the summit of Punta Lamarmora. I threw caution to the wind and set of as fast as possible. Cresting the slope up to the summit ridge was memorable because of the extremely strong gusts. I had to stand still and sometimes crouch down to avoid being blown over. I found a little shelter on the lee side of the hill but needed to be off ASAP. Up went the SOTA pole and then calls on 40 meters. I only made one contact into France on this band. Changed to 20 meters and managed to get 2x OM and a CT contact in the log. No hanging around I needed to be off because of the weather. Interesting getting off the ridge with the wind trying to help me over and down! Once on the down slope the wind eased and it was a straight forward walk down to the car. So activations 2 & 3 in the bag, a first activation for Punta Lamarmora.
Next on the agenda were IS0/IS-308 (Punta Tricoli) and IS0/IS-306 (Monte Armidda). The map showed a promising looking road up Punta Tricoli. This turned out to be an unsurfaced track, about 2.5 kilometers to the summit. The summit was festooned in radio masts and dishes! I descended about 20 vertical meters to find a place for SOTA pole deployment and set to. One hour and ten minutes later I had 14 contacts on 40 meters in the log. With the next hill in mind I packed up and headed down. The map showed a nice track heading up near the summit of Monte Armidda. I set off head down and after only a few hundred meters hit a road…… I looked at the map, no road here yet there it was. I crossed the road and set off into the trees up the hill. Then I came across an astronomical observatory…… not on the map…… the road I had found wound up to the back of the observatory. I carried on upwards and reached the summit where I found what looked like a mobile phone repeater station again not on the map. I managed 6 contacts on 40 meters then hurried back down, it was a long drive back to the apartment.
I studied the maps that evening and discovered the problem. The survey was done in 1960, yes 1960! The maps were 53 years out of date!! These were the 1:50,000 maps I had purchased brand new just a few days before on arrival in Sardinia. Later I got chatting to a local who spoke good English. He said the observatory and road had been built 21 years ago! So be warned, the maps are poor and very out of date. Subsequently I came across new, good roads not on the map and apparently good roads that were now full of potholes and grass and evidently no longer used. Interesting!
Next on to the most challenging SOTA summit I have done and for me the highlight of the trip! IS0/IS-310 (Punta Perda Liana) This is a 50 meter high block of limestone sitting on the top of the hill. It is 100 meters in diameter and the walls are vertical. The walk in is easy and about 1km from the car. I arrived with full climbing kit, radio gear and my long suffering partner, Moira, to hold the rope. Walking around the limestone block I spied a line of bolts in place. Someone had climbed this before leaving the bolts making it the easiest way to attempt to reach the summit. So I geared up and set off. I left the rucksack with radios at the bottom, the climb looked challenging. It proved to be about 6b for those of you who know anything about climbing grades. That is about E1 – E2 in English grades. Anyway I managed up then hauled my sack with SOTA gear up.
The top was almost flat and it was easy to put up the SOAT pole. I managed 15 contacts on 40 meters in 30 minutes, conditions were improving! Then I packed up and abseiled off. Hurried off to the car then set off for IS0/IS-309 (Monte Paulis). This proved a delightful little hill. No radio station on the summit, some interesting ruins (just a few stones) from old buildings and small pieces of pottery dating back to Roman times. This is where we met a local person who explained about the maps, observatory and roads. He also told us about the history of this summit and showed us some pieces of broken pottery. I managed 4 contacts on 20 metres and 16 on 40 meters in 40 minutes. So I was quite pleased with myself. The sun was getting lower and it was a long drive back to the apartment so I hurried off down.
So we arrived at the last day of the holiday. The flight was not until 20.00 so an opportunity for more activations! First IS0/IS-304 (Monte Rasu) this has a good track up to another radio mast summit. The walk took about 30 minutes. I managed 12 contacts in 15 minutes on 40 meters. Then hurried off after all there was a plane to catch and another summit to bag first. So to IS0/IS-303 (Monte Limbara) There is a road practically all the way to the summit. Only about 10 minutes of walking! The summit is a veritable forest of radio masts, quite a lot are military but there are also some commercial masts as well. I managed 10 contacts in 14 minutes. Conditions were good but the plane had to be caught so no hanging around. Strike the SOTA pole and off for the airport at Olbia.
The two weeks also entailed days rock climbing and walking non SOTA summits, those in the Supramonte are stunning. There are many summits that I am sure should qualify for SOTA. I am not sure why they are not included. Hopefully one day soon someone will get this sorted. I was a little disappointed how many of the SOTA summits were covered in commercial and military radio equipment. There are some wonderful hills and lovely walks.
The equipment used was a PFR3 transceiver with LiPo 2AHr battery, palm paddle, a norcal doublet and SOTA pole. All contacts were using CW. The 20 and 40 meter bands were used. I tried 30 meters but got no reply to my CQ calls. I did not self spot. I managed 9 out of the 10 Sardinian SOTA summits, if only I had an extra day! Five of the activations were first time activations. IS0/IS-310 (Punta Perda Liana) is technically the hardest sota summit I have done, much harder than the Inaccessible Pinnacle in Scotland (better views in Scotland!)
All in all a very enjoyable and successful holiday! I have left one unactivated SOTA summit in Sardinia for someone else!
Adrian
MM0DHY
CW REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2013 - by Roy G4SSH
The improving weather across Europe resulted in a surge of SOTA activity during the first half of October, with many expeditions taking advantage of higher than normal temperatures and settled weather.
This went downhill after the 15th when snow began to fall on the higher summits in Europe and gale force wind and rain in the UK resulted in a sudden decline in activations and lower points available. We went into EU Winter mode, with shortened hours of daylight, 10 pointers becoming very hard to find and SOTA CW alerts from Europe down to just one or two per day during weekdays.
This has a profound effect on both chasers and activators, because although the number of activators decline as a result of bad weather, the number of chasers do not, with the result that any activators brave enough to venture out will have a pile up of dozens of chasers fighting to make contact, who are desperate for points, with a subsequent drop in operating standards.
Highlights of the month included a highly successful expedition to Madeira Island by Anders SM0HTP and Peder SM0HTP who made many chasers happy with many rare summits. There was also a further activation of the CT9/ prefix by Petr OK1CZ (report in this issue).
Macedonia was also well represented with Vlado Z35M and visitor Peter Z38/HB9TVK, and Slovenia was activated by S5/PB2T and Chris S5/OE3CHC.
Nick G4OOE and Geoff M6PYG completed a tour of the Isle of Man, activating all 5 summits and Robin 9H4RH was heard from Malta and Gozo. Another visitor to Europe was Alan EI/N5SS who activated numerous summits in Ireland, as did Dave G4ASA once he recovered from a mains lead failure on his first activation.
Klaus DF2GN, King of the 10 pointers, continued with his antenna experiments, concentrating mainly on 24 MHz, where he worked stations world wide when the band was open, but then always operated on the lower bands on a later activation in order to give EU stations a share of the points.
Heinz HB9BCB continued to give all chasers a chance to get him in their logs by commencing an activation on 28 MHz, then dropping down every band in sequence, 24, 21, 18, 14, 10, 7 and finally 3.5 which was very popular with chasers.
Kurt HB9AFI continued his welcome expeditions to France during the month, Micha activated as OK/DL5DRM, Jurg operated as F/HB9BIN and Sake operated as DL/PA0SKP from 13 summits, (4 with 10 points!) Harz and Hoch Sauerland.
Gerry PA1AT made a welcome surprise activation from the Canary Islands, as EA8/PA1AT on the 27th.
SOTA CW ACTIVATORS SUBMITTING ENTRIES TO THE DATA BASE ABOVE 7 MHZ DURING OCTOBER 2013. By Kevin G0NUP
This file produced on 24th October 2013
Mode: CW on 10MHz: activity for October
CT9/SM0GNS/P, DF2GN/P, DJ2FR, DJ3AX/P, DJ9MH/P, DL/HB9BIN/P,
DL/HB9BQB/P, DL/HB9BQU/P, DL/OK1DVM/P, DL/PA9CW/P, DL/PB2T/P,
DL1DVE/P, DL4MFM/P, DL4MHA/P, DL8DXL/P, DL8DZL/P, DL8RL/P,
EA1XN/P, EA2BDS/P, EA2CW/P, F/HB9AFI/P, F6HBI/P, G3RDQ/P,
G3VQO/P, G4ASA/P, G4RQJ/P, GM4OBK/P, HA2VR/P, HA5AZC/P,
HA5LV/P, HA5MA/P, HA6QR/P, HA7UL/P, HB9/DF2GN/P, HB9AFI/P,
HB9AGO/P, HB9BAB/P, HB9BCB/P, HB9BHW/P, HB9BIN/P, HB9BQU/P,
HB9BRJ/P, HB9CBR/P, HB9CGA/P, HB9CLT/P, HB9CMI/P, HB9CZF/P,
HB9DGV/P, HB9DST/P, HB9IIO/P, HB9TVK/P, I/PB2T/P, I1ABT/P,
IK/DK7MG/P, IV3RJH/P, K0JQZ, K6EL, K7ATN, KC5CW, KD5KC,
KE5AKL, KH2TJ, KR7W, KU6J, KX0R, LA1ENA/P, LA8BCA/P,
MW0BBU/P, N1EU, N4EX/P, N6A, N6JZT, NA6MG, ND0C, NK6A, NS7P,
OE/DF3MC/P, OE/DJ2FR, OE/DL3SAV/P, OE/DL4MHA/P, OE1MVA/P,
OE2SNL/P, OE3HPU/P, OE3KAB/P, OE5EEP/P, OE6RDD/P, OK/DL1DVE/P,
OK1DVM/P, OK1MLP/P, OK2BDF/P, OK2BMA/P, OK2BTK/P, OK2MPB/P,
OM/OK2BWB/P, OM/OK2HIJ/P, OM/OK2VWB/P, PB2T/P, S5/OE6WIG/P,
S5/PB2T/P, S52CU/P, W5ODS, W6AH, W6UB, WB5USB, WG0AT,
Z38/HB9TVK/P
Mode: CW on 14MHz: activity for October
9H4RH/P, AD4IE, CT1BWW/P, CT9/OK1CZ/P, CT9/SM0GNS/P, CT9/SM0HPL/P,
DF2GN/P, DK2RO/P, DK7MX/P, DL/HB9BIN/P, DL/HB9BQU/P, DL/OE7PHI/P,
DL/PA0SKP/P, DL/PB2T/P, DL1DVE/P, DL4MFM/P, DL6CGC/P, EA1WK, EA1XN/P,
EA2BDS/P, EA2CW/P, EA7/IZ1KSW, EI/NM5S, F6HBI/P, G0PEB/P, G3NYY/P,
G3VQO/P, G4ASA/P, G4RQJ/P, GD4OOE/P, GM4COX, GM4OBK/P, GW0PEB/P,
HA2VR/P, HA5AZC/P, HA5LV/P, HA5MA/P, HA7UL/P, HB9AGO/P, HB9BAB/P,
HB9BCB/P, HB9BIN/P, HB9BQU/P, HB9BRJ/P, HB9CBR/P, HB9CGA/P,
HB9CMI/P, HB9CZF/P, HB9DGV/P, I/PB2T/P, IK/DK7MG/P, K0JQZ, K3KHF,
K4ADV, K6EL, K7ATN, K7NEW, K7RR, KB3VWK, KB7HH, KD5KC, KE5AKL,
KF7PXT, KH2TJ, KH6/K1JD, KQ6UP, KR7W, KU6J, KX0R, LA1EBA/P, LA1ENA/P,
LA8BCA/P, M0IML/P, MW0BBU/P, N0PCL, N0SA, N1EU, N4EX/P, N6A, N6IV,
N6JZT, N6ZA/VE7, N7CW, N7KRN, N7RR, NA6MG, ND0C, ND7PA, NK6A, NS7P,
OE/DF3MC/P, OE/DL3SAV/P, OE/DL9MDI/P, OE/DM1LE/P, OE1HFC/P, OE1MVA/P,
OE3CHC/P, OE3HPU/P, OE3KAB/P, OE5EIN/P, OE6KYG/P, OH3KRH/P, OH9XX/P,
OK/DL5DRM/P, OK/DL8DXL/P, OK1DVM/P, OK1MLP/P, OK2BMA/P, OK2BTK/P,
OM/OK2BWB/P, S5/HA3HK/P, S5/OE3CHC/P, S5/OE6WIG/P, S52CU/P, S57X/P,
S58R/P, SP9AMH/P, VA2FDT, VA2VL, VE2DDZ, W0CCA, W4EON, W4MPS/7,
W4ZV, W5ODS, W6AH, W6UB, W7USA, W9FHA, WA2USA/P, WA6KYR, WA7JTM,
WG0AT, WH6LE, Z35M/P
Mode: CW on 18MHz: activity for October
CT9/SM0GNS/P, CT9/SM0HPL/P, DF2GN/P, EA2CW/P, F6HBI/P, G3RDQ/P,
G3VQO/P, G4ASA/P, GW0PEB/P, HA2PP/P, HA2VR/P, HB9BCB/P, HB9BIN/P,
HB9BRJ/P, HB9CMI/P, HB9CZF/P, K7ATN, KH2TJ, KH6/K1JD, KH6/K7NIT,
KU6J, KX0R, LB1GB/P, N0PCL, N4EX/P, N6KZ/P, N7CW, NK6A, OE/DL3SAV/P,
OE/DL4MHA/P, OE3CHC/P, OE5EEP/P, OK1MLP/P, OK2BMA/P, OK2BTK/P,
OK2BWB/P, OM/HA5CQZ/P, S57X/P, VK5CZ, W4ZV, W6AH, W6UB
Mode: CW on 21MHz: activity for October
CT7AEZ/P, DF2GN/P, EA7/LA4CIA/P, F6HBI/P, G4ASA/P, GW0PEB/P,
HB9BAB/P, HB9BCB/P, HB9BRJ/P, HB9CZF/P, K7NEW, K9ZMD, KB7HH,
KU6J, KX0R, N4EX/P, N6KZ/P, NA6MG, OE1MVA/P, OE3CHC/P, OE5EEP/P,
OK1MLP/P, OK2BMA/P, OK2BTK/P, OK2BWB/P, OK2HBY/P, VK5CZ, W4ZV,
W6AH, W6UB, WG0AT, WH6LE
Mode: CW on 24MHz: activity for October
CT7AEZ/P, DF2GN/P, DL/HB9BIN/P, DL/HB9BQU/P, DL/OK1DIG/P,
DL/OK1DVM/P, DL/PA0SKP/P, DL/PB2T/P, DL4MHA/P, DL6CGC/P,
EA2BDS/P, EA2CW/P, EI/G4ASA/P, F6HBI/P, G3RDQ/P, G3VQO/P,
G4ASA/P, GW0PEB/P, HA2PP/P, HA2VR/P, HA3HK/P, HA5MA/P, HB9/DF2GN/P,
HB9BAB/P, HB9BCB/P, HB9BHW/P, HB9BIN/P, HB9BQU/P, HB9CMI/P,
HB9CZF/P, HB9TVK/P, K0JQZ, K6EL, K7ATN, KD5KC, KU6J, LA1ENA/P,
M1EYP/P, MM0FMF/P, MM0ROV/P, N6A, NA6MG, ND0C, OE/DL4MHA/P,
OE1MVA/P, OE3CHC/P, OE5EEP/P, OK1DIG/P, OK1DVM/P, OK1MLP/P,
OK2BMA/P, OK2BWB/P, OM/HA5CQZ/P, S5/OE6WIG/P, S52CU/P,
SP9AMH/P, W6AH, W6UB, WA7JTM, WG0AT, WH6LE
Mode: CW on 28MHz: activity for October
CT9/OK1CZ/P, EA7/IZ1KSW, F6HBI/P, HA2PP/P, HB9BCB/P, K7ATN,
K9ZMD, KU6J, MM0ROV/P, N6KZ/P, NA6MG, OE/DL3SAV/P, OE3CHC/P,
OK1MLP/P, OK2BMA/P, OK2BTK/P, OK2BWB/P
CONTESTS DURING NOVEMBER 2013.
The following scheduled contests are expected to cause severe QRM to SOTA activity, especially on the 40m band. Activators should plan accordingly with alternate spots / bands. This is not a complete list of contests.
2nd-3rd 1700-2200 EDT. ARRL November CW Sweepstakes (Tnx Rick M0LEP)
2nd- 3rd 1200-1200 Ukrainian DX contest
3rd only 0900-1100 & 1500-1700 High Speed Club CW contest
9th-10th 0001-2300 RTTY Worked all Europe contest
9th-10th 1200-2400 SKCC weekend Sprint.
9th-10th 1200-1200 OK/OM CW DX contest
15th only 1600-2200 YO international PSK contest
16th- 17th 1200-1200 LZ DX CW/SSB contest
23rd-24th 0001-2359 CQ WW CW DX Contest (major disruption to SOTA CW).
SOTA News is normally published around noon UTC on the last day of each month but there will be occasions when the Editor is not available at this time, in which case it will be published as soon as possible afterwards. It can only be as interesting as the items submitted, so if you think your particular field of interest is not being covered then please submit an article by the 25th of the month. Have you a favourite SOTA? favourite mode? favourite rig, antenna, or favourite band? How did you find your first day / month / year as an activator or chaser? Your comments and experiences will be read by SOTA enthusiasts all across Europe, the USA, Australia and beyond, in a total of 24 different countries. Your input will be most welcome.
I receive many e-mails during the month containing details of activations, milestones reached and general SOTA news. Unless advised otherwise I will use this information in the next edition of SOTA News. It is important therefore that you advise me if any information is not intended for publication.
73
Roy G4SSH
SOTA News Editor
g4ssh@tiscali.co.uk
U.S. and Canadian reports to:-
Fred K6DGW [aka “Skip” on the radio]
Canada/US SOTA Reporter Dude
Auburn CA
k6dgw@foothill.net