..thanks Brian for that information. Great idea for the training. Future hams!
Geoff vk3sq
In previous years, after the event they provide a map on alphacharlie.org.uk of locations each tagged with the amateur callsign with whom one of their stations had a radio contact. It might even be available and updated during the event. I recall seeing a few non-UK callsigns presumably whose countries have 5MHz allocations overlapping with the UK 60m subbands.
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The UK licence has a specific exception to the general âonly communicate with other amateursâ condition which allows contacts on 60 metres with cadet stations. I guess itâs possible the MOD see this as some sort of return for allowing amateurs on the band.
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There are other bands which are shared with the UK MoD for which they donât benefit by the presence of amateur stations. I think itâs likely they saw a training opportunity to tap into the much larger pool of UK amateurs to make more realistic radio contacts with experienced operators over the entire UK under different propagation conditions rather than the more restricted interactions between a relatively small number of inexperienced cadets at a few locations.
The scheme in the US (Military Auxiliary Radio System) goes much further. The interaction there between the military and amateurs seems to be about preparing for emergency situations where amateur stations could play an auxiliary role in the event normal communications infrastructure were to be damaged.
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Not deployed the 60m dipole in years - so thought Iâd better check it out ahead of the weekend. It passed basic multimeter tests at home, so here I am trying to activate with it on Gun G/SP-013 - and refamiliarise myself with the 5MHz UK band plan!
So far, 5 SSB QSOs with well-known UK chasers. Nothing yet on CW (Iâm currently on 5.262). Nearly a QSO with @SV2OXS but I donât think he heard my replies. Also just been called by an MW0 station who clearly thinks the QSO is complete - but itâs not as Iâve not got his full call or sent him a report. I asked CALL? a few times but just got RR 73 TU in response!
Still here for 15 minutes if anyone wants to try - or try again.
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I hooked everything up, but it seems thereâs a fault somewhere up the back of the garden, and the remote ATU isnât matching the antenna. Iâll have to go up there with a few bits of basic kit and see whatâs busted, but not tonight. 
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Hi Tom,
I heard you abt 539, but unfortunately outside my band limits /73
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Iâve just had a play and found that the SOTA Database WILL accept RAFAC callsigns.
However, Ham2K PoLo WILL NOT accept RAFAC callsigns.
So it looks like a return to the waterproof notepad and pencil this coming weekend!
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Which raises the question: if the UK licence permits QSOs with UK Military on 60m, are such contacts between them and SOTA activators acceptable within the SOTA rules?
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I think I heard a cadet station calling on 5 MHz on a Blue Ham day - I was listening on a web SDR and saw a very brief (maybe 2 second) transmission on a frequency but then nothing else. Then I saw an almost identical transmission on a different frequency and managed to quickly catch part of it and it wasnât an amateur call/QSO. Then silence again and they jumped on another frequency and made the same transmission.
Is that normal? Do they not stay on one frequency and call a few times before moving to another?
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They may not be the best trained operators⌠yet. Part of this is to expose them to different operating styles. Even if you are trying to maintain âlow probability of interceptâ, you have to TX in one place long enough for your QSO partner to copy you.
Sadly theyâll all be following orders and wont be allowed to send âBroadsword calling Danny Boyâ and for us to reply as Father McCree 
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I believe that they have a limited number of channels to operate on, possibly they just monitor a single home channel when not actively using the rig but are nearby.
⌠might not manage HF on Sunday Morning as the wx in the lakes is looking o be âsub-optimalâ
Today the weather was dry enough, and I had some time, so I chased down the problem. Two closely related problems found, a common mode choke that sloshes when shaken, and a length of co-ax with damp braid. I used the old co-ax a final time to pull a new length of dry co-ax through the buried conduit, and dispensed with the common mode choke.
Now the ATU at the feed-point of my long-wire is quite happy to match it at any 5 MHz UK frequency between 5.260 MHz and 5.403 MHz, including the UK QRP CoA at 5.262 MHz, and 5.3545 MHz, around which youâre more likely to find non-UK CW activity (but watch out for the activity below 5.354 MHz which is within the WARC allocation but outside the UK one). 
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Bit of a damp squib so far.
Two cadet stations worked. Two more that are strong here, but that inexplicably canât hear me. Three SOTA chasers worked on SSB. Zero takers on CW or FT8.
Suspect the 20m GP is getting put back into the rucksack very soon!
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Sorry it was blowing a hooley on the top of Skiddaw as I did my best attempt at putting the mast in the air Laurel & Hardy style wile 2 dogs danced around and Mark (NOM) tried valiantly not to laugh or get Hypothermia⌠so the links stayed in the 40m position and 60m didnât happen.
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Heard you working Brian, Tom. But you faded away to almost unreadable, so I didnât call
After getting back home from the SOTA Lake District event today I worked two cadet stations on 60m (maybe the same two as Tom did). There were plenty of amateur stations working them but as I recall there were more cadet stations on the air in previous years. Maybe tomorrow (Sunday).
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For me Tomâs signal was swinging erratically between S8 and the noise level at S3 - I had the attenuator in to help the DNR so at peak Tom had a really strong signal - I guess I was nearly too close to hear him. I heard nothing else but will try again in the morning.
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