On Monday 13th I plan to activate Mile Hill, which is one of my three remaining GM/ES summits.
There’s a great tropo forecast for tomorrow, so I will take my ft-857d, a beam and attempt to qualify the summit on 2 m SSB.
Anyone up for some VHF DX? ETA 1100.
Hmm, that is rather tempting as I’m not up to much during the day tomorrow. Even though we’re at opposite ends of the country, I know these distances are possible with a bit of power + beam + tropo. My 2m beam hasn’t been on an outing in a long time. I’ll give it some thought… 
Sorry, I will be on the road (family commitments yet again) otherwise I’d be up for an outing to a local high spot with a cracking takeoff up to the north. Hope the tropo works out. 
Fraser
Hardly DX, but I’ll try and get up Black Hill with some SSB, could do with the walk 
Well, you’ve inspired me to get out and try some 2m SSB tomorrow. Have alerted for G/SE-009 for 1100. Might be a stretch too far to work each other, but you never know! Will keep an eye out on SOTA watch for you! Needless to say all contacts will be welcome.
Conditions on 2m have been good today.
Got to the east and west coasts on SSB from GW/NW-049 and IO82 > JO65 on FT8 this evening with just a dipole in the attic.
To anyone wondering whether to go out or even just get on 2m SSB from home. I’d encorage them to take a listen for Fraser. His set up has a similar ERP to that which I have used to work Don G0RQL in Devon from summits north of the Glasgow - Edinburgh line. If you don’t try, you don’t get. If it were possible for me to be on, I would be, but I’m on transport duty gathering family for a meet during this half term week. 
Ah, so close Fraser! I could just about hear you, and managed to tweak the beam to the strongest receive signal, where I was getting about 60%-70%. I think you knew someone was calling with a S2S, but I guess I just wasn’t quite loud enough at your end to make it. Hope you had a successful activation.
Thanks for starting this thread, which inspired me to get out and play some 2m this morning from a lovely and sunny Chanctonbury Ring, G/SE-009. Despite not making it with you, I managed two other 2m SSB 2S2s, with @2W0LWF on GW/NW-043 and @G1ZJQ on G/SB-008 plus a further 5 contacts on SSB. Then to finish off, a nice FM S2S with @G4IPB who was a nice strong signal (no doubt enhanced by the vigorous dog barking) on G/NP-006. Very happy with my tally.
Thanks all for the contacts and 73…
Matthew
I knew it was you Matthew! I just couldn’t pick out the callsign. I’m glad you had a good day out though.
I’ll add my report tomorrow .
Thanks Fraser, yes, felt like it was right on the edge of being possible. Ah well, there’s always another time, and it made a nice change to have some 2m SSB QSOs.
Well done Matthew. Pity you didn’t manage to work Fraser. There was a time around 14 or 15 years ago when 2m SSB would usually get me a log of 10 or so contacts, often followed by a few on 70cm. There were fewer associations then, so there was more emphasis on VHF. It is significantly harder now on 2m unless there is a contest on. Also having to set up two antennas is too much for many activators and they avoid 2m.
I am hoping to be up in Scotland later this month or early March once I have sorted my diary out. Maybe we can try for an S2S if you are available.
Good to work you today Fraser on 2m SSB, think it’s the best signal I’ve had from you so far on 2m ssb, be good to work out what the distance was and see if its any better than the previous 400km S2S?. Managed 6 ITL (In the log) on 2m ssb today, including Matthew who I could hear you trying to work. Didn’t stay too long after as needed to get off to the next summit. All in all 69 ITL today, so happy with that , although late home for the kids! opps! Lucky the XYL is flexible and understanding!
73
Thanks Gerald. It felt like it was as close as it could be, without quite managing to make the contact. Good luck with your plans for forthcoming activations. I will certainly keep an eye out on here for you, and if schedules align, then I would be very happy to have a try!
Sorry, ITL ?
Intent to launch.
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A grand day out!
GM/SS-167 Black Hill
By the time I was set up, Fraser was already logging S2S. A quick call had him with a reasonable signal. A short while later I noted that the elements in the beam were in the wrong order -oops… 
strangely that was after a couple more QSOs…
5 ssb on 2m in the log with Esther and Ian @GI0AZA and @GI0AZB managing to give me a shout and the signal improved as the QSO went on, so well pleased.
Never managed to the south coast this time, but 2 ssb s2s - the other one with Derek @G1ZJQ on G/SB-008
Change antenna to vertical and mode to FM caught 4 more S2S - @G4IPB on G/NP-006 , @G0WPO Neil on G/SP-002 , @MM3WJZ Iain on GM/SS-087 and closest of the day @GM0VMV Ewan on Andy’s second home GM/SS-125 2.1km away. We did wave…
Few calls with the WAB on 40m to round things off
Thanks everyone!
Just to prove I go out when there’s no snow…
in the log
In the log
Not sure how I managed to missed getting a S2S with you today on 2m ssb, must have missed the spot. Maybe next time 
Thanks Alan. Now I have learned something new today.
WX turned out quite nice by lunchtime but I couldn’t play out today. I did drag the dog for a 9km walk though.
Ha Ha -poor dog… not! - mine were waiting for me on return, so I’d another few km to clock before getting a sit down!
