This Wednesday
Alex @GM5ALX
Chris @2M0RVZ
Fraser @MM0EFI
will be activating some of the Glenshee Munros on 2m FM and SSB. 1100 UTC
Summits will probably be GM/CS-030 and GM/CS-038. Those hills have a good take off south.
So, does anyone else fancy getting up a GM or northern G hill and giving it a try?
Hi Fraser,
I fancy the idea, but I’m not sure it will work from a local summit here in south Cumbria. It’s ~300km and not line of sight, so it would probably rely on tropospheric scattering mode of propagation.
Courtesy https://www.scadacore.com/tools/rf-path/rf-line-of-sight/
Would you be using a (horizontally-polarized) Yagi? And what kind of RF power for SSB?
I rarely take my FT857 on portable ops but - for what I’ve read about T.S. mode SSB - it would probably need more power than my FT817’s 5W. Experts please comment.
Will need to check (with spouse) if I’m free Wednesday morning/lunchtime. My gear isn’t waterproof so the forecast mustn’t worsen from light rain. G/LD-050 is my likely summit.
Andy G8CPZ
Cannot make that one, I will be in Waverly station meeting a friend GM3WUX.
David G0EVV
Arghh, I will be up at the /A location in Northumberland, but with virtually zero chance (due to family restrictions, err… commitments) of getting out to work you, unless of course it is teeming it down. Even then I will probably be dragged to a suitable indoor retail ensemble to be bored absolutely rigid. Deep joy. 
Possibility of trying Blencathra G/LD-008, The LOS path looks quite possible!
(…and probably just Feeble Mode…)
It’s not LOS Paul. Shouldn’t be too impossible with SSB and a small Yagi and tiny bit of ERP. But it will be troposcatter though.
Hi Andy, Alex and I will have 4 element beams. Mine can be polarised H or V. I can run 50w with the ft-857d.
There’s been a bit of tropo recently, so who knows.
Looks good Paul. I’ve previously worked G/LD and G/SB with a handheld from Glenshee hills.
I have to be at work on Wednesday but will try to sneak out at lunchtime to chase.
Andy
MM7MOX
Also 4 el beam H or V. 10W power from ic705 with external battery.
flat earther.
Yes, I’m suspicious of these results for 250-300km. I wonder if some of these L-o-S models are not taking the Earth’s curvature into account (because they’re intended for relatively short distances between base station and mobile unit). For longer inter-station distances (100’s of km), one finds (using the proper equation) – even with no intervening hills, e.g. across the sea - that to maintain L-o-S one or both stations need to be on impossibly-high mountains.
The good news is, tropospheric scattering (troposcatter, for short) – not tropo-ducting - is a weather-independent 24/7 mode provided you can point your (H-pol) Yagi at a very low angle just above the horizon and your remote station does likewise [usually no problem for S2S QSOs]. Apparently, the amount of RF energy in the ‘shared volume’ is small hence the need (usually) for higher Tx power.
It seems that Google didn’t know best. This looks a bit more realistic so not LOS unless I manage a 900m mast… Better hope for some tropo, but just expecting just rain scatter…
Paul, That one makes the Earth look like it’s the same size as the Death Star.
Sounds like a goer, I had ear marked Schiehallion GM/CS-005 for some point next week. Would be very happy to align with you fellas for some S2S’s.
Jace, That is a most excellent choice 
Just put up an alert for Blencathra (G/LD-008) as the wx is looking good. As I don’t seem to be able to find my spare 900m mast fingers crossed for a lift to get a S2S on 2m. 73. Paul
Superb! At least you’ll have a QSO with Paul. 
Alan @MM0VPM just happens to be activating nearby Ben Avon GM/ES-006 tomorrow. A superb hill for 2m, despite its isolated position.
Looks like we have a mid-week summit party going!
Anyone else?
