In reply to M1EYP:
Tom, you might find this useful. It’s the number and 1st letter of the prefix that give the info.
http://dxinfo.ea3bhk.com/Prefix-news/Russian-Prefixes-Table.html
Pete, M0COP
In reply to M0COP:
Tom, you might find this useful. It’s the number and 1st letter of the
prefix that give the info.http://dxinfo.ea3bhk.com/Prefix-news/Russian-Prefixes-Table.html
Alas, Pete, that June 2010 list has been superseded - at least in part. The latest information is here:
http://www.eham.net/articles/26182
Tom is right … RU2 stations are no longer invariably in Kaliningrad (although some of them are). Also, some 8 and 9 calls are in European Russia! Really confusing. 
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
I enjoyed Barnaby weekend. Barnaby is the local industrial holiday for silk trade workers in Macclesfield, along the same lines as Wakes in Bollington and Potters in Stoke-on-Trent. Like most industrial holidays, it is pretty much a thing of the past, but I always hated Barnaby time because it coincided with peak hayfever time. So I had the best Barnaby weekend of my life because it hammered it down with rain throughout most of it in Silktown, washing the pollen away and leaving me free of hayfever symptoms.
Fast forward to the morning of Monday 20th June 2011, and what a lovely sunny morning it was. That meant a return to work for the bees - and there were plenty of them atop The Cloud - and a return to my sneezing. Still, I had a nice activation to take my mind off it. Operating between 0614 and 0637 UTC, I made 19 QSOs on 30m CW. After a 12 minute break to take down and pack away the 30m dipole, I then called on 2m FM from the HH+RD. This resulted in three more contacts, including one into Warwickshire which was quite a surprise.
QSO-wise, it was a pleasant and pleasing activation. However, of concern was the increasing amount of problems I am getting from the power socket at the rear of the FT-817. For a long time, I knew something was broken there, because the internal battery pack wouldn’t charge up on the 817’s charging cycle. But for a while now, power through the power socket has been intermittent as well. This is usually rectified by fiddling with the plug until something above 11V is indicated on the 817 display - then not moving the radio!
But on the last two activations, it has become really difficult to find the position at which the radio was receiving the necessary voltage, so much so that the previous day on Gun G/SP-013, I thought the SLAB was flat. On today’s activation though, I was using a freshly charged 7Ah battery, so it had to be the socket become increasingly “worn and torn”.
I’ve had this problem before, and taken it up to Ken G8BEQ up in Glossop. I will probably need to again, but this time leave the plug to powerpole patch lead in it, and secured to the case. It really doesn’t like being pushed in and out; well not as often as I do it anyway!
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
Hi Tom this is a common fault with the 817 and has been disscussed on many previos occasions on the reflector.I think that Rob G4RQJ has the best way he has made up a short fly lead that he leaves permanantly connected to the rig.And has made everything he uses with the rig to plug in to the fly lead.ATB Geoff
In any case, I doubted it would take long to be found if I mentioned
WFF GFF-014 (Peak District) in my calls
Have you started getting emails from the Zoo asking when you are uploading your logs? Strangely enough, I think there has only been one or two GFF-014 logs submitted, which is quite surprising given the number of SOTA activations.
Likewise for the Lake District (GFF-008) and Yorkshire Dales (GFF-020) amongst others
Andrew
In reply to M6ADB:
Have you started getting emails from the Zoo asking when you are uploading your logs?
No - because I have submitted them, up-to-date, as of yesterday.
I think there has only been one or two GFF-014 logs submitted
I’ve submitted over 100 activations’ worth of them! I email them to M0OXO periodically. Not worked out how to upload directly to the site yet (nor spent much time actually trying to work it out).
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
No - because I have submitted them, up-to-date, as of yesterday.
I stand corrected 
And retreats back to my box…
Not worked out how to upload directly to the site
yet (nor spent much time actually trying to work it out).
At the moment, you can’t - I think there is only one person who does it all.
A revision to the plan was required on Tuesday 21st June 2011. The FT-817 had been driven up to Glossop the previous evening, to have the power socket fixed by Ken G8BEQ. This meant that HF, and CW were both off the menu.
In order to accommodate longer pre-work early morning activations, I had been getting up at an early hour. I didn’t really want to get out of this habit, so needed something else to occupy my time. I knew that 2m FM from a handheld and rubber duck wouldn’t do that!
So I decided to do two activations before work! I set off from Macclesfield shortly after 6am and drove across the country lanes from Gawsworth to Bosley. Then it was down the Leek road to Rushton Spencer, taking care to watch the speed by the several sets of speed cameras, and up the hill to the parking area for Gun G/SP-013 at SJ967609.
No longer is it necessary to climb the stile to access the path. The gate is no longer locked, and the ribbon holding it closed can be lifted off and replaced. The more slender activators like Richard, Steve, Jimmy etc have always been able to squeeze through a gap between the gatepost and the stile anyway, but I have only ever been able to do that on a very good day!
Despite the torrential rain that inevitably arrived on the first day of Wimbledon fortnight, the path up to the summit was surprisingly dry underfoot. I reached the trig point and was greeted by a light breeze. No rucksack had been carried, for all my gear was in my coat pockets - pencil, waterproof notepad and VX-7R hand-portable.
It took a while of calling to generate four contacts, and attempts to mug folks on the GB3MN repeater failed. This was always the gamble in doing G/SP-013 first, before most amateurs in range were out of bed. But I got there and strode down the hill, realising that a time window remained to move onto The Cloud G/SP-015, but without any slack left.
Thanks to Rod M0RCC/M, Ron G7GQF, Robin G4VXW and Steve GW7AAV.
Tom M1EYP
From Gun G/SP-013, I drove back down to Rushton Spencer, then across and up the hill past the old Fox Inn, long since closed as a pub. At the top of the hill, I turned right signpost “Cloud Side 3/4” and continued to the familar parking place, but from a (relatively) unfamiliar direction.
The fitness continues to improve, and again I managed to climb the big staircase in quick time and continue to the summit without a rest. It is only about seven minutes of walking, but it is nonetheless a decent little cardio exercise. And doing it every day is definitely having an effect.
It was less windy at the summit than it had been on Gun earlier, and I stood up on the base of the trig point for a few centimetres of extra height. To my surprise, Steve GW7AAV and myself exchanged exactly the same reports as we had done on the earlier summit, despite the much superior take off from The Cloud in his direction. Prior to that, I had already worked Ray G0DMV/M and Emily 2E1AEQ/M (Edward M6NSR’s mum and dad) driving to work. Ray almost referred to my being on The Cloud, then checked himself, saying “Oh no, it’s far too early for you to be up there!”. I told him that I was indeed up here, and that it was my second SOTA summit of the morning.
Another enjoyable couple of activations, and no doubt the manner in which I will continue until the FT-817 is fixed. Thanks to all callers. This took my run of consecutive days of SOTA activating to 30 - the run began on 23rd May 2011. These 30 days have included 36 activations of 8 different summits, and 1017 QSOs. Moreover, the sequence shows no sign of stopping, so the dawn chasers are highly appreciated.
Tom M1EYP
Wednesday 22nd June 2011 followed pretty much the same pattern as Tuesday 21st June 2011. Gun G/SP-013 followed by The Cloud G/SP-015, both activated on 2m FM with the VX-7R handheld.
I had to be fully waterproofed, as the rain was heavy throughout. Most of those worked expressed surprise that I was out! This did not prevent a six minute over about one gentleman’s hearing aid history, but then I did break into their QSO when nothing was happening on S20, so fair enough.
It was just three QSOs on Gun, and then two on The Cloud, so both one down on the previous day. But the FT-817 is now repaired and collected, so HF will resume on Thursday morning - cast your votes (if you promise to be up). It is now 792 activator QSOs since I last earned my self an activator point…!
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
Probably a bit late to vote but I am up early & will take a listen round for you.
Strangely, given the collosal signals we experienced a few weeks ago, 40m cw is usually the most difficult band to hear you on. 20m & 17m seem to work well via groundwave & 80m works ok when it is playing.
73,
Mark G0VOF
There was heavy rain throughout the drive from 6.15am BST on Thursday 23rd June 2011, but fortunately a dry window for my walk and activation. 20m CW was the chosen combination, and Mark G0VOF was amongst the 40 stations worked. This also included W4HG again from North Carolina, as well as DL, EA, HA, I, OK, OM, RA, S5, SM, SP, UR, YO, YU and Z3.
It was a new luxury to have a solid non-intermittent connection to the SLAB. The 817 power socket has now been fixed, and I have put the plug in permanently - taped up and the lead to the Powerpole connector secured with elastic band around the rig. This was also a convenient opportunity to reintroduce the vinyl case/cover for the 817, not used for ages as it impeded the magnetic connection between the 817 and the Mini Palm Paddle. But I now prefer to hold and use the paddle in my hands, not on top of the rig. The radio’s charging circuit is working as well, so some lightweight SLAB-free outings will be in order too.
A single contact on 2m FM, with Ray G0DMV/M, brought the activation to a close with 41 QSOs in the book. Unusually no sign of Graham GW0HUS or new VHF mobile enthusiast Richard G3CWI while I was on 2m. Thanks to all callers.
Tom M1EYP
I had a luxurious lie-in until the decadent hour of 0510z on the morning of Friday 24th June 2011. But then it was business as usual, with a walk up The Cloud G/SP-015 before I went to work.
On this occasion I had selected 40m, but it was a bad choice. Or at least, I hope it was a bad choice. Either conditions on 40m were shocking, or my radio has a serious tx and rx fault just two days after having the power socket repaired.
As it was, I worked two Italians plus an Austrian and a Czech station on 40m CW, before a groundwave QSO with Mark G0VOF on 15m CW. And that was the lot on HF CW, so I am looking forward to my 20m CW WFF activation on Saturday morning if only to reassure myself that the rig is healthy!
Unleashing the handheld prior to descent brought Steve GW7AAV on 70cm FM, followed by three more - including Mark G0VOF again - on 2m FM.
A couple of early morning joggers were interested in my activity and had lots of questions, including all the “normal” ones. I have never been much good at multi-tasking, but I am getting slowly better at fielding passer-by comments and questions without pausing my CW QSO!
Tom M1EYP
Keen observers of the SOTAwatch Spots will have noticed that I just couldn’t seem to hold my QRG on the morning of Saturday 25th June 2011. I would find a clear one, listen for a couple of minutes, call QRL?, spot myself then start calling CQ. And everywhere I tried, it seemed that within seconds there was another station calling CQ on the same frequency or incredibly close.
It was a damp old morning on Gun G/SP-013, but not as bad as during the early morning drive out from Macclesfield, at which time the rain was quite heavy. I tried to configure a way to have the 40m dipole and 20m vertical erected simultaneously on the same pole, but this proved fruitless, and one-at-a-time was in order.
Eventually, I managed to keep 14.018MHz to myself, and at last the WFF pile-up arrived. It wasn’t a spectacular effort with 30 QSOs on 20m CW (the vast majority of them into Russia) and 9 on 40m CW and only about five regular SOTA chasers, but it was nice to have an A6 (United Arab Emirates) station call me in the pile-up.
I had a listen on 15m, but nothing was happening there, and I forgot to make a call on VHF after packing away. I did, briefly, consider nipping up The Cloud G/SP-015 with the handie on the way home, but in the end I couldn’t be bothered.
73, Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
Keen observers of the SOTAwatch Spots will have noticed that I just
couldn’t seem to hold my QRG
I assumed that the rain had got into your mobile phone!
No, I actually really did send each and every one of all those self-spots!
In reply to M1EYP:
Many tnx for the fb 30m CW QSO dr Tom.
May I ask-you for a 30m SSB contact on your next activation?
- Why? Have a look at the SOTA-Database:
Activators-list 30m SSB: 3 members
Chasers-list 30m SSB: 49 members
gn,gb es qsp 73 to Jimmy
de Fritz DL4FDM,HB9CSA
Thanks for the call Fritz, it is always a pleasure to work you.
Jimmy was with me tonight, but as usual operating on 2m FM. His friend Edward was QRV and made four QSOs into four DXCCs on 20m SSB. Edward’s mum and dad, Emily 2E1AEQ and Ray G0DMV each made just one or two contacts, so did an activation but didn’t get the points!
We also had Greg 2E0RXX, Ray M1REK and Simon M0TGT playing radio on the summit this evening, so it was a pleasant occasion.
Regarding 30m SSB, this could be either incorrect entries by participants, or a bug in the database filtering. We will have a look at it in due course, so thank you for bringing it to our attention.
10m was open tonight, and I worked a few, the best being EA8. But this was through the 30m dipole, so not optimal. I really must get round to making an MM10 vertical with groundplane, and an MM15 for that matter as well. And replace the feeders on my MM17 and MM12.
Thanks to all stations that worked me this evening. Particular thanks to those that worked Edward M6NSR - you made his night, he was really excited to have been called from all around Europe.
Tom M1EYP
Funniest thing on the night was near the end. Only Greg 2E0RXX and myself remained on summit, and Greg was working a Manchester station with his handheld. Greg was explaining the concept of SOTA to him, to which he replied “Yes, this SOTA sounds fantastic. Let’s hope it catches on. I’m sure it will”.
Priceless.
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
Funniest thing on the night was near the end. Only Greg 2E0RXX and
myself remained on summit, and Greg was working a Manchester station
with his handheld. Greg was explaining the concept of SOTA to him, to
which he replied “Yes, this SOTA sounds fantastic. Let’s hope it
catches on. I’m sure it will”.
That’s very encouraging! 
73
Brian G8ADD