The Official SOTA 12m Challenge

Awards
81

Big surprise on Sunday 2nd June 2013. “Looks a nice day, shall we go out and do Gun and Cloud?” I suggested. I was amazed when both Jimmy and Liam were up for it. Perhaps the Nintendo 3DS pedometer thing, plus a fresh bellyful of cheeseburger and chips swung it for Liam. Jimmy could well have been motivated by the shocking truth that he hadn’t yet visited, let alone collected an activator point from G/SP-013 or G/SP-015 in 2013.

The path up to Gun summit was bone dry, so a footwear change was not necessary. Jimmy set up the SOTAbeams MFD on the top of a guyed SOTA Pole, his current favoured operating arrangement. A little down the slope, I set up the 12m groundplane antenna for another stab at the 12m Challenge.

Jimmy did much better than me on Gun. He racked up 32 QSOs on 2m FM with little effort. When my very first unspotted CQ on 24.897MHz CW resulted in a genuine 2-way 599 contact with PP2FN (Brazil) I thought that this was going to be a stunner - except things got tough then - two contacts in the next hour kind of tough!

I did spend some time getting PSK31 running on 12m, but no-one answered the first three or four CQs in that mode. And that was all, because then my phone was out of charge. Yes, a bit rubbish that, forgetting to charge one’s phone before an activation alerted for datamodes!

A desparately slow QSO rate continued as I flitted between CW and SSB, and between running and search-and-pouncing. The highlights were all on CW - with PP (Brazil), 9H (Malta), 4Z (Israel) and FG (Guadelope) being worked. I also heard good signals from Uruguay (CX2DK & CX2CC on CW) and South Africa (ZS5J and others on SSB) but couldn’t get them to hear me. My total was 14 QSOs, and it was time to head over to The Cloud G/SP-015.

From Gun G/SP-013, we drove down to Rushton Spencer then along the road towards Biddulph and Mossley. A right turn took us down to Cloudside, where parking was at a premium and we had to make do with a roadside spot.

It was now a very warm sunny afternoon, and jumpers and coats were removed for the ascent. My progress was evidenced by the fact that no rest stops were needed from Cloudside to the top of the steps, but Liam still comfortably beat me to the summit. Which isn’t all that rare these days!

Again Jimmy set up the MFD high on the SOTA Pole, while I was still playing in the 12m Challenge. I was just two QSOs into my activation when Richard G3CWI arrived on summit. He had brought an amplifier for me to try on 12m. The 10dB, transforming my 817’s 5 watts into 50 watts, certainly seemed to help, with a long run of QSOs with genuine 599 / 59 reports going both ways. Then again, I suspect the Sporadic E event in progress had just as much if not more influence!

Thus the hints of DX from earlier were now replaced by a pile-up “wall” of European stations, which I enjoyed picking off one-by-one. The highlights here were A6 (United Arab Emirates), R2 (Kaliningrad) and EA6 (Balearic Islands).

There were several stations who either couldn’t hear me, or were wilfully ignoring the partials I was sending. But there is never any point in doing this because it causes me to be, shall we say, “awkward” and I stick to my guns and to the order I am calling the stations in - even if the QRM makes this a lengthy process! This cost one station seven places in the queue simply because he kept calling when I was asking for others in come in. A different station, who also repeatedly said his callsign when he obviously couldn’t hear me, appeared to have a phantom QSO with me while I was working someone else! And I see that this station has logged this as a chaser contact in the SOTA Database! I’ll probably email the person concerned to advise that the QSO never took place - but surely that should be obvious?

Jimmy M0HGY didn’t do so well on The Cloud, logging 16 QSOs, half of his total earlier on Gun G/SP-013. However, it seemed that he was not helped by a weakened connector that he had overstrained. It was convenient that Richard was on hand to take the antenna away to give the BNC a bit of TLC. He’s way better at fiddly stuff like that than we are!

My own activation totalled 54 QSOs, comprising 46 on CW and 8 on SSB. After descending, we hit the road and reconvened at The Harrington Arms, Gawsworth, where the 1892, Dizzy Blonde and Elbow ales (and J2O) were sampled, along with Spearings beef pie, pork scratchings, pickled egg and dry roasted nuts.

Tom M1EYP

82

Well I am quickly getting better and stronger day by day, and while the headaches remain, they are but a shadow of their former selves. So this flexibility with my time is heading for a rather abrupt end sometime soon! However, that flexibilty was very useful on Monday 3rd June 2013. For that was the day before Liam’s GCSE English examination, and he had preparation to do.

Marianne cleaned the dining room table, carefully placed two chairs by it and indicated that she expected Liam and I to sit there all day doing revision. A better plan was needed (a) to ensure Liam remained onside and cooperative with his study, and (b) to ensure I didn’t lose the will to live.

No way was this going to work couped up in the house all day with the weather so beautiful outside. I grabbed the June 2012 past paper that school had sent home and Liam had done some work on, and printed out the November 2012 paper from the internet. I also slipped my logbook and Liam’s Nintendo 3DS into my pocket while nobody was looking…

We drove up into this bright green hills, resplendent as they bathed in warm sunshine. I checked out a couple of possible “revision venues” - the Robin Hood Inn and Common Barn Farm tearoom in Rainow. However, both were closed. As was the Peak View Farm Kitchen Tearoom on the A537 Macclesfield to Buxton road (or as Mickey 2E0YYY calls it on air, the Maxton to Bucclesfield road - sorry Mickey, I had forgotton but G3CWI reminded me the other day…).

Thankfully the Cat & Fiddle was open, and as it turned out, proved an excellent base for a GCSE study day. We grabbed a big table with plenty of room and set out the examination scripts we would be working with. But in order to get things off to an acceptable start, we first purchased a bag each of chilli crisps and a drink - J2O for Liam and a hot Bovril for me. Great!

My learning strategy was proving to be a masterstroke. Liam spent the next 45 minutes discussing routines for structuring his written responses to the various questions and writing a coupld of essays. But it was soon time for another break, which happily coincided with the serving of two large ploughman’s lunches. Refuelled, we moved onto another essay and the ‘writing to persuade’ section.

Liam - and me - were flagging, but there remained a couple of pages out of the 16 we needed to look at. Cue another J20, a cake each from the bar, and a chocolate Old Tom ale for me. All the work was done, Liam was as prepared as he was ever going to be. He had worked very hard for a number of hours and I judged that any more could be detrimental to his chances of success the following day. It was nearly 2pm, so we could pat ourselves on the back for an excellent morning’s work. Perhaps I need to change subject when I return? (Joke - working on the maths GCSE next week will be hugely more palatable for both of us!).

As we drove a few yards down the road, Liam remarked “Mickey’s car is still there”. Liam never forgets a car! I had worked Mike 2E0YYY several hours earlier before leaving home. Within seconds, our car was there as well. Shining Tor it was for the next round of the SOTA 12m Challenge.

Liam was in a very good mood (who wouldn’t be after being bribed with edible treats all day?) and strode out ahead, leading the walk to the summit of Shining Tor G/SP-004. At the summit, there was Mike 2E0YYY/P, alternating between 2m on his 5/8 over 5/8 colinear and HF. He was on 12m at the time (in between grumbling about the poor HF conditions of the day), so I went and perched by the small cliffs just beyond the trig point and fired up the VX7R. The sun was beating down and the view across to Shutlingsloe and Macclesfield Forest was stunning. Six QSOs were made on 2m FM, by which time Mickey advised he was packing away. Cue me to erect the 12m groundplane.

Mickey hung around for a while after packing his own stuff away to take at look at my 12m activities. Sadly, there was little of note to display as the band was as dead as Mickey had promised. Starting on 24.921MHz PSK31, I worked Steve G6LUZ and Dave M3XIE - both of whom I had already worked on 2m FM! And they were both back for a third time when I called on 24.950MHz SSB, either side of Mick M0MDA. Onto 24.897MHz CW, just two QSOs were added. Frank G3RMD in Cheltenham became, remarkably, my best DX so far of the activation when he was the first to respond on CW. But then, finally, something from a bit further as OM3CHR called and was worked.

I received many calls on various modes from Manuel EA2DT, but it seemed he couldn’t hear me any of the many times I went back to him. The total number of QSOs for the activation that comprised four band-mode combinations was a pitiful 13!

As I came to pack away the antenna, I could not find the black wire winder anywhere. Coat pockets and all areas of the rucksack as well as the ground and under the bench were checked, double-checked and triple-checked. But nothing, it was missing. I wondered if Mike had scooped it up in has packaway process?

Liam and I strolled back down the path to the car. He was well ahead throughout, I couldn’t keep with him. Walking with Liam is just like walking with Jimmy these days… Thanks to all callers.

Tom M1EYP

83

In reply to M1EYP:

Ah, nice to know my 12m SSB contact with VE1WT beat the key, Tom :wink:

HF conditions were utter rubbish :frowning:

Just checked my rucksack for your winder and can plead not guilty. However, I have a vague recollection of seeing it on the other side of the dry stone wall. May pop up to Shining Tor in the morning, if so, I’ll take a look and if it’s there, leave it somewhere safe for you to pick up tonight.

73 Mickey
2E0YYY

84

Thanks for the heads up Mike. Your comment made me check my alert for tonight, and indeed it had the wrong summit reference. I will in fact be on The Cloud G/SP-015, and I have edited the reference. I will try to contact you during your activation to let you know whether or not I will be on Shining Tor at some point during the day.

73, Tom M1EYP

85

In reply to 2E0YYY:

Ah, nice to know my 12m SSB contact with VE1WT beat the key, Tom :wink:

Such a rarity that it’s well worth celebrating Mike!

73 Richard G3CWI

86

An extra activation was programmed into the schedule for Tuesday 4th June 2013, so I could ascend Shining Tor G/SP-004 and have another look for the black kite winder I lost up there the previous afternoon. It was another peach of a day and it was a good excuse for another lovely walk.

Mickey 2E0YYY/P was up there completing his set up as I arrived. He reported that he hadn’t seen it, but did keep having a look around for it, much to my later embarrasment.

But first I found that my phone was dead, which surprised me as I thought it had been on charge. A phone is a useful tool for spotting oneself and looking at spots of other activations. It is a vital tool if intending doing a datamode activation! Fortunately, I had to be home by noon, so the time-consuming nature of datamode SOTAing meant that PSK was never really on the cards anyway.

Mickey lent me his bit of kit that would allow me to charge my phone from the SLAB while I was setting up the antenna, but sadly it didn’t work. It worked on Mickey’s phone but not mine. Nonetheless, Mickey advised a couple of local amateurs that I was calling on 24.940MHz SSB, so I did at least add two credits to my 12m Challenge score. No-one came back on 12m CW.

On 2m FM, I worked a couple of couples. Pete 2E0LKC and Anne 2E0LMD in Heald Green were first in the logbook, while last were Steve M0VFR/P and Baz M6ZBT/P for S2S over to The Cloud G/SP-015. Meanwhile, the black wire winder was discovered in my coat pocket in my rucksack. I definitely checked there the previous afternoon, but there you go. Cue the traditional North-East folk song “Geordie’s Lost His Penga”.

The drive back was punctuated with a brief stop in the lay-by just before Walker Barn, allowing me to work Dave G4ASA/P who was on Pen-y-ghent G/NP-010.

Tom M1EYP

87

The masterplan for Tuesday 4th June 2013 was to run Liam to his youth group in Congleton for 6pm, then head straight for The Cloud G/SP-015. This would give me a good hour to play on 12m in the challenge before taking part in the 2m UKAC. The problem with this was that this was not Liam’s week for youth group.

And once Marianne was spotted working her magic in the kitchen as the clock approached 6pm, all thoughts of getting to the summit early were abandoned. Pork, black pudding and apple pastries, served with Jersey royals, sauteed parsnips and gravy certainly got my vote ahead of a bit of bonus 12m activity.

In fact, by the time I had driven down to Cloudside, ascended with a heavy pack, and set up the SB5 on a summit packed with hobby runners, it was gone five to eight, so I needed to hurriedly connect the battery, mike, headphones, key and feeder cable to the FT-817.

Fortunately, I found and challenged a clear frequency just before the 8pm local start time, and managed to get off to a good start. Conditions were definitely up, and plenty of strong signals from places not normally associated with strong signals (JO00, IO86, IO70 etc) were available.

On the good side, three stations were worked in the often rare IO84, and included a S2S with G4VFL/P who was operating in the contest from the summit of Black Combe G/LD-030. Both stations (Dave G7RAU and Rob G0PEB/P) on the Isle of Wight were worked for IO90, and I completed the “set” courtesy of Don G0RQL in IO70, G0HFX/P in IO80 and G1KAR/P in JO00. Breaking a large pile-up for the latter, using 5 watts from an FT-817 was satisfying! My multiplier count was one of my best at 18. Some entrants clocked up as many as 25.

On the down side, I missed the normally ever-present GI4SNA for IO64, and a station on the Isle of Man for IO74. I heard but didn’t work the station on Guernsey for IN89, and I heard but didn’t work several continentals from DL, PA and ON. I did work two French participants though.

By the 10.30pm local finish time, I had worked 89 QSOs (slightly disappointing given the activity levels), all on 2m SSB. I had clocked up 18 multipliers, which was a pleasing tally. My final score was over 200,000 and saw me enter the claimed scores table in 1st place for the AL (low power, t be bothered, and descended instead.

Many thanks to all SOTA chasers that worked me. Here is a map of my contest QSOs:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://www.rsgbcc.org/vhf/kml_files/2013/TjPKdMWJaFY2tkfD8W0VS2jDLVIZO14

Tom M1EYP

88

In reply to M1EYP:

Both stations (Dave G7RAU and Rob G0PEB/P) on the Isle of Wight were worked for IO90,

Tom … Thanks for the QSO last night, great to see you were out and about.

73 Rob G0PEB

89

The biggest change the challenge has made for me is regarding favoured activating time. Many observers will be aware that I have a liking for getting up and out early. I have always liked the idea that I can have some guarateed free time - if I get up early enough!

However, to stand an earthly on 12m, one needs to be activating more early evening than early morning. On Wednesday 5th June 2013 for instance, I looked at the lovely weather outside and went out around 6.30pm.

After parking at Cloudside, I walked up the track to the steps - but at that point decided to vary my route and carry on up the track. At the top, the track swings right into the farm it access, but there is a stile to hop over into a field. Turning right and following the path by the boundary wall of the farm, there is an excellent view to the left, of the fairly well defined ridge line across to Biddulph Moor. I have always fancied the idea of traversing from The Cloud G/SP-015 to the trig point on Biddulph Moor, but don’t think there is a suitable PROW cutting through the private farmland. Not one that clings to the higher parts of the ridge anyway.

Soon I passed the National Trust sign and entered the wood, and from here it was uphill directly to the summit. There was now a cool breeze, so I set up by the topograph in order to use it as a backrest and shelter. I noticed that the feedpoint of the 12m groundplane antenna was starting to look weak and vulnerable, but I was intending replacing the thin RG174 feeder with RG58 sometime soon anyway.

As I went QRV at 7.45pm BST, the sun was still high in the sky and providing plenty of heat. The temperature soon fell, and rapidly as time went on though. I started the activation on 12m PSK31, and immediately got a call from Chris M0PSK in Liverpool. This went into ragchew style but I did note I was getting better at using the Galaxy Siii Mini smartphone and Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard to operate efficiently on PSK.

At the end of that contact I was called by EK5KE from Yerevan, Armenia, which was brilliant because it was a brand new DXCC for me Next up was regular Steve in Audlem, Cheshire, who again reported that he was having to play catch-up moving his slider frequency upwards to maintain contact with me. Now this was interesting, because I was having to do exactly the same to be able to read Steve’s signals. I am not sure how to deal with this at present.

The PSK31 phase of the activation continued with UT0IV, G3RMD, SQ2MVH/P and RU6YX and was altogether satisfying. That was until Richard G3CWI texted me to report that my signal was badly overmodulating. This was disppointing as everything was set up properly and checked, and all appeared to be working correctly. Two of the stations worked mentioned that I had a clean signal during the QSOs. I guess the possibilities here are a SLAB going towards being flat (although still a long way from that situation) or RF getting into the cables/interface. I have some ferrite beads in my coat pocket but I keep forgetting to put them on the cables I use for PSK! Next time out I will make sure I use a freshly charged SLAB and put some beads either side of the Wolphi-Link interface.

There was some DX around on 12m SSB - LU, PY and KP4 - but I didn’t managed to work any of it. I did however speak to Steve G6LUZ, Richard G3CWI and Vlady RA7T. Moving to CW, I made five more contacts as the QSO rate became very slow! YU1EL, 4Z4DX, LU7HF, DM3AZ and SM7YIN were worked in a half hour period during which the temperature fell to uncomfortable levels. The Argentinian station was good DX, but was also the strongest signal on the band by a country mile. His signal also held up long after most others had faded away.

Just before packing up I posted a SOTAwatch Spot advising that I would be QRV on 2m FM “in 5 minutes”. After packing away, I completely forgot about that and descended the short way to my car!

So, another 15 QSOs for the 12m Challenge - 7 on PSK31, 3 on SSB and 5 on CW. The best DX was Argentina (LU) on CW but the best contact was the PSK31 QSO with Armenia (EK) for an all-time new DXCC.

73, Tom M1EYP

90

In reply to M1EYP:

On the down side, I missed the normally ever-present GI4SNA for IO64

He was operating as GM4SNA from his boat while on holiday, and no I didn’t manage to work him either.

Thanks for the contact, I think it’s the first time I’ve worked you in a UKAC.

Colin G8TMV

91

Are you not getting him confused with GD8EXI Colin?

92

In reply to M1EYP:

Are you not getting him confused with GD8EXI Colin?

Ah, possibly…

Colin

93

I heard David GI4SNA calling at around 10pm local time in the UKAC and I could hear him give the other station he was working at this time a serial number of 001, so he started the contest late. Richard GD8EXI was doing the UKAC as GM8EXI/MM from IO65 square.

Jimmy M0HGY

94

In reply to M0HGY:
Hi Jimmy

Tnx for the info about GM8EXI/MM in Tuesday’s 2m RSGB AC. He called me, I gave him a report but he faded out as he replied so I did not complete the QSO. I guess he will have left the IoM in his boat to escape from TT week!
(Very exciting to watch every night on ITV 4 at 9.00pm - off topic)…

Pity I missed the IO65 square then in the contest…now I know where he was thanks to your message. I never heard your dad in the contest either - we sometimes make contact in the 2m AC contests.

I worked David GI4SNA just before the end of the contest by the way - he came on late and gave me serial 014.

73
de Phil G4OBK
Travelling Wave Contest Group
IO94of Pickering, North Yorkshire

95

In reply to G4OBK:

I wish to complain. Everyone appears to be having QSOs on 12m but me and it was my idea (with much help from Tom on scoring principles) for the challenge. I think I might have to change the rules :slight_smile:

Anyway…

I was called by EK5KE from Yerevan, Armenia,

Apparently I’m meant to be going there in August or September. I’ve just had a butchers and Armenia needs an association. I offer you: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Kohrvirab.jpg although that looks a little out of my league.

Wow! :wink:

Andy
MM0FMF

96

In reply to MM0FMF:

Apparently I’m meant to be going there in August or September. I’ve
just had a butchers and Armenia needs an association. I offer you:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Kohrvirab.jpg
although that looks a little out of my league.

Wow! :wink:

That right skyline ridge looks a doddle compared to the Ben in winter! :wink:

73

Brian G8ADD

97

Someone once said “every failure leads you closer to fulfilment.”

Clearly, they weren’t a licensed amateur, trying to work the 12m band.

A bit like a snooker player in the world championship, who knocks in half a dozen 147 breaks on the practise table and then can’t pot a single red in the competition. That sums up my 12m performance nicely :frowning:

A trip to GW/NW-070 Grt Orme today, produced little in the way of DX on the 12m Band.

After about 20 minuets calling, Brian G4ZRP, Bob G6ODU, G7CJW and Steve G6LUZ were in the log. A QSY to 2m produced a few GI and GD stations.

Before going QRT, I had another quick listen on 12m where I found a very lonely Alain TR8CA, hammering in. Managed to make contact with my first call, a new SOTA one for me. Under normal circumstances, he would have been working a massive pile-up, however, not today though.

He worked one more station before giving up and QSYing to 18m. I followed him down there and once again, I called him and got him on my second call, although he was a lot weaker on 17m.

5 stations worked on 12m :frowning:

At least the WX was nice on the Orme, which is more than can be said for the radio.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

98

'Tis good this 12m Challenge thing in’t it? I’m certainly enjoying myself, and even though Jimmy M0HGY declared he had no interest in taking part, even he couldn’t resist a nibble on the gloriously golden afternoon of Thursday 6th June 2013.

The day started with a 'phone call from the Union man who advised that due to limited availability of occupational health consultations and the time needed for a welfare review meeting and the subsequent setting up of a phased reintroduction to work duties, it would be unlikely I could be back at work as early as I had expressed I wished - by the end of June. So I’ll just have to wait and see what the OH and HR teams come up with for that, but I hope it isn’t too much longer.

Liam has nearly finished school now, and all that remains is two mathematics GCSE papers due the week commencing 10th June. Guess who’s helping him prepare for those? Jimmy took a day of leave from his job as well, so all three of us went to the Egerton Arms at Chelford for a lunch meeting with the Tall Trees Contest Group. This was very enjoyable, and the food is always top notch at this place.

Stepping back outside into the car park, I was struck by the heatwave taking place. My thoughts reverted to the 12m Challenge, and good old Cloud G/SP-015. However, after a brief discussion with Jimmy, we switched plans to Shining Tor G/SP-004. First we returned home to get a bit of charge into my phone, and to also recharge the bladders in our rucksacks. Plenty of water was going to be needed if we were going to be out in that sun.

The standard route was taken to the summit, with Jimmy stretching out ahead of Liam, and Liam stretching out ahead of me. We were all in shirt sleeves, although being experienced walkers that we are, all carried jumpers and coats in our rucksacks.

At the summit Jimmy set up his current favourite configuration, a SOTAbeams MFD vertically, on top of the two support poles that come with it. Then the whole assembly is slotted over a 7m SOTA pole that itself is held upright by a guying kit. This essentially gives a vertical 2m dipole that is centred around 5.5m off the ground, and is really effective for wide-reaching omnidirectional coverage.

Halfway along the wall towards the next field north, I found a sheltered spot by the wall and set up the 12m groundplane antenna. Well, tried to anyway. The thing kept falling down. Sometimes it was the pole collapsing within itself. But also, to my horror, I found that the antenna had broken and come apart at the feed point. Now I think I mentioned this was starting to get weak and require attention, but I am a lazy so-and-so and tend to only sort things out once they have become properly broken. But I did always intend replacing the too-thin RG174 feeder on this antenna with RG58 for the SOTA 12m Challenge anyway, so that objective will now get realised.

In the meantime though, here was I on a summit without an antenna. I didn’t want to spoil Jimmy’s fun by sharing his 2m station - he was already motoring along with over 20 QSOs made. So I started biting and poking at the wires involved to get at some more coax braid, some more centre, and some more of the quarterwave of wire that was the vertical driven element of the antenna. At least the radials were OK to work with as they were. I was surprised at how quickly I managed to cobble the antenna back together and make it work!

At last I was about to start - Jimmy had made over 30 contacts by this stage! Liam was sat on “Mickey’s Bench” playing on his Nintendo 3DS, as all readers to SOTAwatch forum threads will have guessed. I started with that mode that makes Mickey 2E0YYY roll his eyes when mentioned, and causes Richard G3CWI to feel rather nauseous - PSK31. But I still rather like it. It really is something different, and I am chuffed to have researched and worked away at this little concept until I made it work, all good fun.

PSK31 did not look like it was going to deliver the goods though. Just Steve G6LUZ was worked before I switched over to SSB on what looked worryingly like a completely dead 12m band. SSB brought a relative flurry of activity, all G chasers. This was nice in that it was all friends and people who were actively SOTA chasing, but also indicative that the sky was not playing.

And then just like has been happening recently, I tuned across the loudest signal on the band - LU8EEM on 24.945MHz SSB. Ben was worked with ease and two-way 59 reports. I called over to Jimmy to see if he wanted to snag this one. He was straight over as it was a potential all-time new DXCC for him, and also, he told me, his all-time ODX. (And like it or not, he will now enter the 12m Challenge!). Jimmy made the contacts, and I went to start calling CQ on CW.

CW looked to be shaping up much the same way as SSB with three more well-known G chasers, but then I found a good signal from 4J20RO (Russian Cultural Centre in Azerbaijan), working split from 24.893MHz CW. He was calling “UP” but not specifying how many, and I couldn’t not find any of his callers that were working him. So I guessed at a 1kHz split and called on 24.894MHz CW. I was astonished when he pulled me in first call!

But that was it on CW on still a very quiet band even though one or two nuggets were starting to appear. I went back to PSK31 operation using my Samsung Galaxy Siii Mini phone running the DroidPSK app, and the Wolphi-Link interface in between the phone and FT-817. I also added the ferrite beads from my coat pocket to strategically selected points of the cables. First to reply was GB100RXY, celebrating 100 years of amateur radio in Barrow-in-Furness. This was followed by UX1BZ, Carolyn G6WRW, G4TJC and ER3MM from Moldova, so still all quite interesting.

A check on the SOTAwatch Spots revealed Richard G3CWI/P on Gun G/SP-013, on 24.902MHz CW. I went there, but heard only silence. A tune up the band found that he had just QSYd up to 24.970MHz SSB, so we made the S2S contact there, as well as a bit of a ragchew. Back on CW, I worked the strong San Marino station T77C on 24.897MHz and then Richard G3CWI/P again, this time on 24.9025MHz CW.

Jimmy had now finished all his activating, having exhausted all the charge in both his own and his father’s handhelds. My 12m antenna collapsed again, and this time I didn’t have the will to try and hand-fix the wires again at the weak and battered feedpoint. So I packed away the aerial and shifted the 817 and SLAB over to Jimmy’s MFD antenna.

Jimmy advised that Jake 2E0SEY and Kevin M6KRV were on their way to the summit of Shining Tor having earlier been up The Cloud, and so we chose to hang around for a while. In the meantime, I worked using the 817 on just 0.5 watts (the SLAB was getting flat!) on 2m FM using Jimmy’s antenna. Nine stations were added to the log, including Jake 2E0SEY/M who was on his way up!

We enjoyed meeting Jake and Kevin. I hung around as Jake commenced his activation using an FT-857 and 3-el SOTA Beam. Jake and Kevin, particular Kevin were getting cold. The setting sun had taken with it all the heat of the day and the summit wall was providing only meagre shelter from the increasingly hostile easterly wind. What is more, Jake and Kevin had walked up in shirt sleeves in that heatwave of an afternoon, and did not have coats or jumpers with them!

And right on cue, some of the callers got chatty with Jake! It always makes me grin when I hear “Anyway, I won’t hold it long” immediately followed by the story of how they got involved in amateur radio, what they are having for tea tonight and a detailed account of their latest hemeroid treatment at the hospital, something best kept for 80m SSB I always feel.

It did look like Jake was going to hog the microphone after his four contacts despite the increasing suffering of his mate Kevin who was freezing! I have never seen a guy look more jealous as Kevin did at Jimmy, who was now in fleece, coat, fleece hat and padded gloves! I gave Jimmy the car keys, and he and Liam set off on the descent. I chose to hang around and watch the completion of Kevin’s first ever SOTA activation (he had not operated when he visited The Cloud earlier in the day).

Jake was about to hand the microphone to Kevin, but suddenly Graeme 2E0WKR/P called in for a S2S from Grayrigg Forest G/LD-038. Jake yanked the mike back towards himself to grab the S2S contact. Kevin then also did likewise for his debut SOTA activator QSO, and so did I for not my debut SOTA activator QSO. But definitely my debut Shining Tor to Grayrigg Forest S2S QSO.

It did not take much longer for Kevin to get the other three QSOs he required to qualify the summit and earn his first two SOTA activator points. Jake and Kevin hurriedly packed their gear away so they could get walking. Jake didn’t seem too ruffled by the biting cold that now engulfed the Peak District, but Kev was suffering. We had an enjoyable natter on the way down, and the descent went by like a flash.

Back at the car, Jimmy reported that Liam had descended much faster than him and got to the car well ahead of him. “I just couldn’t keep up with him Dad” he remarked. Who would have thought such a thing a few years ago?!

It had ended up being a late evening, and it was around 10.30pm BST when we arrived back at home. Jimmy had made 55 QSOs - 54 on 2m FM and one on 12m SSB. I had made 28 QSOs - 6 on 12m PSK31, 6 on 12m SSB, 6 on 12m CW and 10 on 2m FM.

Great summer fun - thanks to all callers. And Jimmy thrashing my QSO total - and Liam thrashing Jimmy back to the car. “The clock is going backwards today”, to quote one of Jimmy’s memorable observations about unusual events from when he was a five year old!

Lots of highlights - another batch of 12m QSOs for the challenge, some more success with PSK31, interesting DXCCs in the form of LU, 4J, ER and T7 and meeting some SOTA “newbies”. But the biggest highlight of the activation for me was being called on CW by Carolyn G6WRW. Congratulations Carolyn - was this your first CW SOTA chase? A CW activation just around the corner? Impressively, Carolyn worked me on all three modes of my 12m activation - CW, SSB and PSK31. I was well chuffed that you did Carolyn - many thanks.

Tom M1EYP

99

In reply to M1EYP:

I had a successful run out to test the cycling system. Nice to combine two hobbies. 24MHz was rather less successful for me than for Tom but hey, it was warm and sunny so I don’t care. Nice fast ride back, just under 18 mph average.

http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/600992_197553363734713_1023961168_n.jpg

73 Richard G3CWI

100

In reply to M1EYP:

Hi Tom

Could you not tell that it was not only my first cw chase but my very first qso with the mode? Sorry about my very poor operating. I struggled to process your transmission from sounds to letters at first but once you slowed for me I was fine.

I also have to apologise for my less than slick psk, I hadn’t swapped from my contest macros and realised as soon as I called you. Then I accidentally recalled a set of macros that are not properly configured before loading the right set. I should’ve sent manually but the qso was over by then.

Not sure if or when my next confusing/atrocious/dreadful stumble/bumble/foray (delete as appropriate) on to cw will be but it won’t be as an activator any time soon.

Carolyn