The Buck of Cabrach GM/ES-039 always delivers for me.
2021 - My first 60m activation and a QSO with Norway on 60.
2022 - First USA QSO from a summit (on 20m)
2023 - Qualified it on 2m FM
2024 - forgot to go
2025 - Had a lot of fun doing the RSGB high altitude balloon challenge
2026
Needing to get my weekly SOTA out the way on Monday, and quickly, and hearing that Tim @G5OLD would be up a mountain somewhere in the Dolomites, I decided that today would be perfect for this years expedition to The Buck. It’s a 35 minute drive and then a 30 minute hike. Grab a S2S, a few contacts and then get back home for lunch. I’m doing a bit of work on the old V8 Landie this week, and if all goes well, it will be like new by this time next week.
serious surgery ahead
As I drove over to the Cabrach road in the 110 (another Landie), the 2m APRS on the radio started going nuts! One ping after another, mainly Norway, Denmark but also Faroes. Tropo time!
Up the Buck
On reaching the top at 1100, HF was postponed and I went straight on to 2m. Ok, no DX however lots more people than usual were on the band, so it wasn’t too difficult to add 9 contacts. (Yaesu FT-3d and Slim-G, for the record.)
The Buck of Cabrach GM/ES-039
On to HF with the KX2 and a 41’ wire. I picked a 20m frequency and suddenly Tim was in the room with me. Cracking signal from Monte Coldai I/VE-096. I then worked a load of G on 20m as well. 40m was slow and 17m was closed. I went back to 20m but got zero response this time. Funny old bands at the moment, eh?
T-shirt weather
I’d just about packed up. I still had the handheld on and I heard someone call CQ, so I nipped up to the trig with the RH-770 and called back. And that was me for another 20 minutes. Glad I did though, because I added the island of Orkney, the isle of Lewis and England - South Shields to the log. That’s 200, 240 and 290km respectively.
back on 2m FM
When that finally dried up, I headed down for real this time, with APRS still giving it big licks from overseas.
looking north
these aren’t as old as one might think, according to Guru Mike @MM8WNA
It’s a shame that didn’t manage to work anyone across the North Sea, but I still had a fab time on The Buck.
It will brighten up later.
