SOTA on Tour 4

Activation Reports
21

Valiant efforts chaps, to hurry along this thread to its 100-post capacity - but you’ve still got nearly 80 to go - and then I’ll just go and start “SOTA on Tour 5” anyway :wink:

OK, here’s the latest new webpages. This is from mine and Liam’s January trip to Llandrindod Wells / Newbridge-on-Wye, and is a CLOUD-GUN FREE ZONE! So a bit more variety for you to enjoy before I return to the moribund mundanity to which you are accustomed.

Friday 17th January 2020 - Long Mountain-Beacon Ring GW/MW-026

Gig: Open Mic
Venue: Montpellier Hotel, Llandrindod Wells

http://tomread.co.uk/long.htm

Saturday 18th January 2020 - Pegwn Mawr GW/MW-006

http://tomread.co.uk/new_page_34.htm

Sunday 19th January 2020 - Plynlimon-Pen Pumlumon Fawr GW/MW-001

Gig: Llandrindod Guitar Group
Venue: Arvon Ales, Llandrindod Wells

http://tomread.co.uk/plynlimon_mw-001.htm

Monday 20th January 2020 - Black Mountain GW/SW-041, The Begwns GW/MW-025 & Bradnor Hill G/WB-011

http://tomread.co.uk/black_mountain_sw-041.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/the_begwns_mw-025.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/bradnor_hill_wb-011.htm

More coming soon!

22

More updates:

Tuesday 21st January 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Wednesday 22nd January 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

Gig: Tom Read (yes me, solo!)
Venue: Swan With Two Necks, Macclesfield

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Thursday 23rd January 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Friday 24th January 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm

Saturday 25th January 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015, Gun G/SP-013 & Bardon Hill G/CE-004

Gig: Simon Faulkner Band
Venue: Bistro Live! Milton Keynes

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/bardon.htm

*Meeting with Jordan @M3TMX

Sunday 26th January 2020 - Wendover Woods G/CE-005, Gun G/SP-013 & The Cloud G/SP-015

Gig: Liam Read Band Bandeoke
Venue: Swan With Two Necks, Macclesfield

http://tomread.co.uk/haddingt.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm

Monday 27th January 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

*Photos from our Berlin trip we embarked upon that day.

Friday 31st January 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Next update will venture into GW! (But might include some more Cloud and Gun reports…)

23

February 2020

OK, so the SOTA pages on http://tomread.co.uk + http://sotasummits.co.uk are now up-to-date up to the end of February 2020. Here’s what’s new:

Saturday 1st February 2020 - Moel y Gamelin GW/NW-042 & Cyrn-y-Brain GW/NW-043

http://tomread.co.uk/moely.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/cyrn-y-b.htm

Joint activation with Richard @G3CWI - and the scene for one of his ‘Radio Adventures’ YouTube videos (which is included on the Cyrn-y-Brain page). What is best? HF FT8 or 2m FM?

Sunday 2nd February 2020 - Black Hill G/SP-002

http://tomread.co.uk/blackhill.htm

Monday 3rd February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Tuesday 4th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm

129 VHF contacts in the activation!

Wednesday 5th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

Gig: Dan Toft & Tom Read (Open Mic)
Venue: Swan Wth Two Necks, Macclesfield

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Thursday 6th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm

Friday 7th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Saturday 8th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Sunday 9th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Monday 10th February 2020 - Shining Tor G/SP-004, The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/shining.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Tuesday 11th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Wednesday 12th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

Gig: Dan Toft, Tom Read & Neil Marshall (Open Mic)
Venue: Swan Wth Two Necks, Macclesfield

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Thursday 13th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Friday 14th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

Gig: Funktion & Co.
Venue: Fatbird, Wigan

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Valentines Day gig & Valentines Day date!

Saturday 15th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

Gig: Funktion & Co.
Venue: Rising Sun, Hazel Grove

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Sunday 16th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Nantwich Rally (MIDCARS 'RadioActive Show)

Monday 17th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Tuesday 18th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Wednesday 19th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Thursday 20th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Friday 21st February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Saturday 22nd February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

Gig: The Platters (Soultown USA)
Venue: Princess Theatre, Hunstanton

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Sunday 23rd February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

Gig: Liam Read Band Bandeoke
Venue: Swan With Two Necks, Macclesfield

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Monday 24th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Tuesday 25th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

This was the evening of THAT video… :smiley:

Wednesday 26th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Thursday 27th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Friday 28th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Paella night for my mum’s 75th birthday! Paella prepared by M1EYP and M0HGY!

Saturday 29th February 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

If you enjoy the site, please sign the guestbook. The next update will be less boring, kicking off with an 11-summit day, of which only 2 are G/SP-015 and G/SP-013!

24

Website updated with reports and photos from my 11 summit day at the beginning of March.

Sunday 1st March 2020

Brown Clee Hill G/WB-002
Titterstone Clee Hill G/WB-004
View Edge G/WB-018
Long Mynd-Pole Bank G/WB-005
Stiperstones G/WB-003
Corndon Hill GW/MW-013
Mynydd-y-briw GW/NW-060
Gyrn Moelfre GW/NW-049
Hope Mountain GW/NW-062
The Cloud G/SP-015
Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/brown.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/titterstone.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/viewedge.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/polebank.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/stiperst.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/corndon.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/briw.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gyrn.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/hope.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

More to follow. Only another 22 days of activating to report on before it all stopped due to lockdown - but nonetheless still over 50 activations to report on in that time!

25

Well here’s there first batch of those, just added on http://tomread.co.uk (and on http://sotasummits.co.uk )

Monday 2nd March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

This was a C4FM activity night - two C4FM S2S and 38 C4FM QSOs were recorded.

Tuesday 3rd March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Wednesday 4th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Thursday 5th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Friday 6th March 2020 - Gun G/SP-013, Winter Hill G/SP-010, Billinge Hill G/SP-017 & The Cloud G/SP-015

http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/winter.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/billinge.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm

Remarkable day - 4 SOTA activations, a full day’s teaching, a football match, a pub and a curry. Still not sure how I managed all that!

Saturday 7th March 2020 - Moel Gyw GW/NW-053, Foel Fenlli GW/NW-051, Moel Famau GW/NW-044, Penycloddiau GW/NW-054, Mynydd y Cwm GW/NW-076, Great Orme GW/NW-070, The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/moelgyw.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/foel.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/moel.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/penyclod.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/mynydd_y_cwm_nw-076.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/great.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

Another big multi-summit day, on what would sadly prove to be the last SOTA 2020 Challenge day for me for the foreseeable future. With these activations, I found myself top of the world on the 2020 “Flavours” Challenge honour roll, but that is now already a distant memory! Oh well, maybe next year! Nonetheless, it was satisfying to work so many stations from so many summits on DV during the week.

Sunday 8th March 2020 - Gun G/SP-013 & The Cloud G/SP-015

Gig: Liam Read Band Bandeoke
Venue: Swan With Two Necks, Macclesfield

http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm

Last gig before lockdown :frowning:

And so the tour ground to a halt. The SOTA activations continued for another couple of weeks, before they too were thwarted by the Government instructions issued as part of the strategy to deal with the Covid-19 crisis.

Maybe in a couple of days we may have some better news. But if not, we’ll just have to wait a bit longer - no problem.

Meanwhile, do tune 102.8MHz FM this evening from 9pm BST (2000 UTC) if you’re in the North East Cheshire area, or from anywhere in the world via http://www.canalsideradio.net

Liam had actually quit has radio show, but as the coronavirus crisis deepened, he answered a plea from the station manager to provide 2 hour special Bank Holiday programmes. The next of those is from 9pm this evening, and contains an excellent and eclectic line-up of music from both established bands and emerging artistes. To give you a flavour, the line-up includes:

Coldplay, Dani Marcus, Love Affair, Mike Levine, REM, Avantasia, Nick Cave & Thr Bad Seeds, Eagles, John McColm, Mike & The Mechanics, Donna De Lory, Steve Ellis, Rachel Ashley (ft. Stu Clark) , Lisa Travers, Galaxy Monsters, Frank Zappa and more!

Take a listen and get in touch via the email which will be announced on air if you get chance. He’ll have another special on Whit Bank Holiday Monday too.

26

In terms of SOTA activation reports and photos, the site is now fully up-to-date, up to my last day of SOTA activating, which was Monday 23rd March 2020. That’s 3045 activations on 454 unique summits. In the 63 days of 2020 so far, I’d done 176 activations. Due to Covid-19, in the 48 days that followed, I did zero. Hopefully the next activation might be enabled after this evening’s broadcast, but we will see.

http://tomread.co.uk

Monday 9th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Tuesday 10th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Wednesday 11th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Thursday 12th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Friday 13th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Saturday 14th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Sunday 15th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Monday 16th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Tuesday 17th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Wednesday 18th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Thursday 19th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Friday 20th March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Saturday 21st March 2020 - Shining Tor G/SP-004, The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Sunday 22nd March 2020 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013
Monday 23rd March 2020 - Shining Tor G/SP-004, The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013

http://tomread.co.uk/shining.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/thecloud.htm
http://tomread.co.uk/gun.htm

And that was that. Lockdown came in that night with a level of restriction that effectively ruled out SOTA - unless you happened to live within walking distance of a summit.

I then devised some local “Lockdown” walking routes - circular walks of varying lengths, all starting and finishing at my front door. I’ll post some route details for these on my website soon. While lockdown has forced me into these routes in order to comply with the social distancing / “Stay at Home” restrictions, they are super walks, and I’ll likely continue doing them after we come out of Lockdown. Which will hopefully be in a few hours! We will see though. Whatever the restrictions are at any stage, I believe I can adapt.

27

I’ve now added a Lockdown walks section on the website. A few nice walking routes if you’re ever stuck for something to do in Macclesfield…

1 Like
28

A few new activations added for Gun and Cloud.

One of the new local walks improved to a better route.

Also - updated the art gallery - works by my XYL Marianne. A few nice new paintings and drawings added during Lockdown.

Http://tomread.co.uk

29

More activation reports and photos added on the Shining Tor G/SP-004, Gun G/SP-013 and The Cloud G/SP-015 pages.

In a phase of keeping the website up-to-date at present. Will try not to let it get out of hand again :smiley:

I’m planning on redoing all/most of the “Lockdown” walks series soon to collect photographs and detailed route descriptions/directions to add to those pages.

Plus there might be a new painting from Marianne to add too in the next few days.

http://tomread.co.uk

30

I have let it get out of hand again. :frowning:

However, I’m now in an intensive period of updating - and actually not really doing much activating! Averaging less then one SOTA activation a day at the present time, which is very poor for me.

The period 19th to 31st May 2020 was much more active than I am at present, averaging >2 activations per day. The summits activated during that time were my local three - Shining Tor G/SP-004, The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013.

Quite a lot of photos, videos etc on those pages.

More coming soon.

http://tomread.co.uk

31

Monday 1st June 2020

Lambrigg Fell G/LD-046 - Lambrigg Fell LD-046
Hutton Roof Crags G/LD-052 - Hutton Roof Crags LD-052
Arnside Knott G/LD-058 - Arnside Knott LD-058
Longridge Fell G/SP-014 - Longridge Fell SP-014
Easington Fell G/SP-012 - Easington Fell SP-012

Report and photos all added to http://tomread.co.uk

Please sign the guestbook!

32

“Oh let the sun shine on my face
and stars fill my mind,
I am a traveller in time and space
to get where I have been”

From memory so I hope it is right! One of the great tracks of all time. As a skilled bassist I’m sure you are familiar with it!

33

I’ve never been there - unless you mean the curry house of that name in Rusholme? I’m hoping someone orders that transcription from me at some point to give me an excuse to chart it out and add it to my bass transcription website. https://www.tomreadbass.co.uk/transcriptions

I’ve not got any Led Zep on there at all… That’s even though there’s over 800 - and all free for any bass players out there.

34

It might take you some time! My favourite performance:

35

The audio quality on that is horrendous Brian. Must be a better version somewhere?

36

Yes, its very poor and the image quality is pretty duff - but there are several good live performances available, and I noticed that there were differences in each one. I rated this the best performance of all. Its odd, really, I’m not a fan, but when they wrote this one the muse must have been breathing down the back of their necks!

37

I’m sure it’s the time signature conflict that appeals to you. Is it 3/4? Is it 4/4?

Another one that is subject to fierce debate amongst musicians is Talking Heads’ “Once In A Lifetime” - does it use 2/4 bars going in and out of the chorus, or remain in 4/4 throughout? Apparently even David Byrne and Brian Eno couldn’t agree on this!

38

Always considered Kashmir as a background track, not something you actually stop and pay attention. I thought then (when I were wee spotty lad) that Trampled Underfoot was better. That may have been because when I first heard it on OGWT it was accompanied by one of those wonderful film montages they used to have when there was no film and the group wasn’t in the studio. The rest of the album is so memorable I can’t remember any of the other tracks. I’d need to hear them to trigger recall from the deepest depths of my mind. I thought Presence which followed that album was much better.

39

That is piquant, Tom, but I also find the structure convincing, and particularly the way the rising chord passages are reflected by the descending chords, plus the ambiguities in the words are fun. The tube has a number of interesting versions of it but a really different one is Plant and Page doing it with Hassam Ramzi, I recommend it - definately not background music!

Sorry, Tom, poking a little friendly fun has turned into a diversion of your thread!

40

Don’t worry Brian, the next update is imminent…