HAHAHAHAHA The name of the game… Nice one Tom! I imagine you know all the words… Hope the trip goes well and the car is going well again…
2 Likes
I’ve alerted for Longmynd G/WB-005, fingers crossed the weather remains tolerable!
Grrr. Still in the garage and will cost me an unsmall fortune to extract it from there when and if it’s ever ready. Meanwhile I’m decimating my business profits with rental vehicles to get to gigs.
Thanks for cheering me up Phil…
1 Like
Just worked CA, USA and Nova Scotia on 10 m ssb. 1/4 wave vertical and 35 w
8 Likes
Nice Fraser. Rain stopped as predicted but something has come up so I can’t get out now. Always the way.
There are all on, worked with my wire and 100w
and the Trans-Atlantic is not finish, heard many S2S qso too 
73, Éric
F5JKK
8 Likes
Nice work Eric… What DX did you miss on 6m? Had to break out of SOTA from time time and worked 5V7RU Togo for a 6m ATNO in FT8 at 1356z , but I missed EL2BG.
73 Phil
2 Likes
Hi Phil,
Worked booth, no new countries, just waiting for 3B8FA 
73, Éric
1 Like
After 2 hours I stopped my activation with DL20SOTA/P because of the cold rain (I think it was also about to snow). Unfortunately the 10m band on the Summit DM/BW-018 was not usable (the mobile phone network doesn’t work properly up there either 
), the interferences were too strong…
Nevertheless there were some nice DX and S2S with North America.
The first hour I called CQ SOTA and served many European stations. When the first stations came from DX, I called CQ DX SOTA or CQ SOTA NA. Unfortunately this was ignored by many European chasers who drowned out the stations from NA with their loud signals. Too bad! I would have liked a little more restraint.
Now I first dry my equipment and enter the data… After all, in the last hour there were 6 S2S with NA.
73 Armin
8 Likes
Hello,
No S2S over the big pond for me 
but 4 QSO to NA on 10 and 15m running mostly 50 W from an IC-7300 that I brought to an almost drive-on summit OE/OO-330.
Antenne was the Linked vertical L (Vertical_L)
But finally got an S2S with Fraser @MM0EFI
Looking forward to see both sides of the QSO in our video reports. Editing probably during next week.
Fortunatly no rain but quite fresh wind staying for 2,5 hours 
Looking forward to a hot shower.
And big thanks to Martin @OE5REO for putting me on the DXCluster and checking the WebSDR in Vermont for my signal.
But my best DX today propably was with Wade KO4RUL KO4RUL - Callsign Lookup by QRZ Ham Radio on 10m with solid 59 both ways 
to South Carolina
Here the map:
(Note: The contact shown to California is KI6EAB/W4 using a remote station in W4 - so is actually east coast in real)
73 Joe
11 Likes
Hi Friends,
It was big challenge to find area with good WX.
I did it - in SP/SS was fine today 
I activated 2 summits, on one of them I saw the spot of VE station but no copy on 14MHz.
Congratulations to all who had happiness today
73, Jarek
4 Likes
It rained most of the day here but the forecast for late afternoon was better so I drove to my nearest SOTA summit G/DC-003 and was QRV by about 16:15 UTC. My plan was just to chase summit to summits so I didn’t post any spots myself and just monitored SotaWatch and tuned to the frequencies I could see being posted by NA activators.
I tried SSB first but quickly realised this was going to be a struggle as I couldn’t hear anyone after responding to the SSB spots I could see. So it was out with the Morse key and soon completed a QSO on 10m with WB2FUV on W2/GC-020.
10m was working very well in the sense I could hear several activators over in NA but sadly no one over there except WB2FUV could hear me. There were a lot of chasers and it needed patience to sit and wait for a gap to jump in and frustrating not to get a reply but I spent an enjoyable 45 minutes trying. During this period I looked at the other higher bands but none were as good as 10m.
Last light was around 17:30 and though I was happy to operate in the dark I was less confident about packing up in the dark and not leaving something expensive behind in the thick vegetation. 
So I went QRT as the Sun began to set and it was dark when I drove away from the car park.
This study of my feet I took soon after the QSO with WB2FUV, you can see their summit W2/GC-020 scribbled in my “Rite in the Rain” notebook. You can also glimpse a bit of the BaMaTech TP-III key strapped to my leg, which is the way I’ve started using it recently. I’ve found this a comfortable and convenient way to use the key.
So what lessons were learned today? I think the main one was the need for an optimum antenna. I don’t have anything resonant for 10m so I used my BandSpringer end-fed random wire with the AH-705 ATU. This is quite long so I’m not sure it is ideal for the higher bands. I have the bits to make a 1/4 wavelength GP vertical and recently also purchased the parts to make a linked dipole with the intention of making one for 10m, 12m and 15m but these are uncompleted projects at the moment.
Letting my mind wander would a 10m delta loop be better? Perhaps even erecting a reflector on a seperate mast to give some focus of the signal across the Atlantic?
I will try and work something out before the next Trans-Atlantic QSO Party.
Many thanks to all activators, it was an enjoyable afternoon.
9 Likes
I had high hopes for this one but it turned out a bit disappointing. Still pleased to get one trans-Atlantic S2S in the log thanks to HB9CEV/P. Also thanks to S57S for spotting me on 10m.
I’d planned to spend the night out our cottage in Virginia to be at Kennedy Peak (just as last year) where I know there is cell coverage, but a personal matter kept me in Washington DC until somewhat late night. So I decided to make the drive early this morning and on the way I changed plans to visit another summit closer in and save some time in the car. Turns out that summit had practically no cell coverage which makes finding S2S contacts significantly harder!
Equipment was a doublet fed with ladder line from a Hardrock 50 amp with integrated tuner. The length was modeled on the NorCal doublet, 22 feet per side, which works well for others as a multi-band antenna but the tuner wasn’t able to access all the bands expected - something I need to work out. The antenna was hastily put together and not tested (no space to erect and test even this relatively small antenna at home in DC). Also the rain couldn’t have helped matters with the window line feed.
Here in DC it’s warm and sunny (26C in the shade) but on top of Compton Peak, despite being relatively close by, it was much cooler and unexpectedly blowing mist the entire time, which I had not prepared for. My poor KX2 was getting soaked and the contacts on my Begali became unreliable. I kept going a bit longer with my backup single-lever QRPGuys paddle but I ended things sooner than planned. Still happy to get 11 contacts on HF, a few on 2m FM, and learn some lessons for next time.
7 Likes
I was out in the cold and wet for about 2.5 hrs this afternoon, diving in and out of the bothy bag each time the rain came over then getting back out ASAP because it was dripping inside.
Forgot the patch lead for my amplifier so was only running 5W, but at least I had a nice big external battery which kept the FT817 (and me) a bit warmer.
5 EU S2S (if you include G and GW) but only 2 contacts over the Atlantic - @AJ2I on 10m was the only S2S just as I was about to give up 53 both ways. I heard one other NA SOTA station about 31 but that was all.
Spotting and calling CQ on 20m didn’t produce the usual pileup either with only 3 contacts.
Going to try and make a 20-10m vertical I think, either loaded for different bands or somehow using links.
6 Likes
DM/NS-160 Hohe Tafel, 398 m asl, JO42VA
IC-705 35 W, L-matched multiband vertical 15 m agl
Worked 2 NA stations on 28 MHz and 2 NA s2s on 18 MHz.
All QSOs SSB.
s2s NA
N1CFO, VA2MO
s2s
SV2RUJ/p, SV4SWQ/p, YO6BIP/p, GW0WPO/p, 2E0BIA/p, M0JKS/p, EA2CCG/p, MM0EFI/p, DH8WN/p
Tnx all!
Ahoi
Pom
8 Likes
This year, Martin (2E0BIA) and I went for a antenna farrm on Shining Tor…Super Antenna (10m), inverted V (15m,17m, 40m) and monopole (20m)
The weather was biblical as usual,.but none the less spirits were high
40 QSOs,.and 19 S2S
10 Likes
well, didn‘t have too much time, as rain was starting very soon after the start. Was however chased by K8LJG with a very nice signal on 21 Mhz…. on 28 Mhz nothing so far…
Running on 5 watts only.
…and 18 qsos in Europe…
Unfortunately no network to post or look into spots…
73
Ingo
6 Likes
Soggy and disappointing day 
My lifepo4 battery died. My groundplane antenna got broken by the wind.
The rain didn’t stop until packing up time.
Just 2 transatlantic QSOs in the log.
Nice sunset though as the rain finally stopped at home time.
Ingleborough G/NP-005 from Whernside.
Everything is soaked!
Better luck next time!
QSO of the day - GM4OIG/P - at least I worked the HQ station!
73, Colin
10 Likes
A good afternoon! Only 1 s2s in the log and none over the Atlantic although @AJ2I tried very hard, we couldn’t quite make it. 5 Watts not quite enough at that moment. Furthest qso was to North Carolina. I dodged the rain showers to change bands and the sun shone, then went down. Back to the car in the dark…
Operating point from Minch Moor GM/SS-133 - a brief break in the rain…
Back to the car by the light of the silvery moon…
Ft817 barefoot to 1/4 wave verticals or dipole depending on band
Thanks for the contacts!
9 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after reaching the maximum limit of 100 replies. Continue discussion at Trans-Atlantic QSO Party - 5th November 2022 (Part 2).