Wales invades Scotland 2011

Painting pottery today while the rain fell.

Disaster strikes - Lost my Diamond NR-7700 2M/70cm somewhere in the Dumfries area. SO239 sheared off flush with the mount. Going to have a long sulk and a little cry. Had that antenna a long long time now and they are about sixty quid to replace. Tiny scratch on the Disco’s paintwork too. Really need to have some good weather tomorrow so I can get on a summit and forget about loosing my tall thin friend.

Will have to use handhelds between cars for the rest of the holiday.

Steve GW7AAV

In reply to GW7AAV:
I use a mag-mount for my 2/70 on my Discovery. With the roof being one of the few steel panels it works fine. It sticks up between the spars of the roof rack and I can also tip it over and stick it onto the roof rack so it lies flat if I want to go into Tesco’s car park which is covered. Previously I couldn’t go in there with a fixed mount. Also less chance of it shearing off as hopefully the magnet will ‘go’ first before you damage or lose your aerial.

Roddy 2m0iob

In reply to MM3WWV:

Hi Roddy, Unfortunately on my Disco 3 most of the roof is glass, which made getting the ATAS to work a pig. I have to be glad we did not loose that (it was on the opposite side of the vehicle). The Diamond NR-7700 was at least 15 years old so I have had my monies worth out of it. We have two vehicles with us so it will be a pain not having easy comms, so we will have to use a handheld.

A pity we did not see that darn thing fall off as a new SO239 is an easy fix from Maplin or whatever. Replacing the antenna will have to wait until we get home, but I could have knocked up a quarter wave from a coat hanger until we got then.

Not been anywhere like Tesco car park to knock it off so it had to be a low branch somewhere.

Hope to get you in the log sometime soon.

Regards Steve GM7AAV/P

It was raining like it was going to break through the glass on the Velux windows in the cottage last night and this morning so we cancelled our activation plans and headed for Caerlaverock Castle instead.

It turned in to a wonderful day and I almost regret not having headed up Criffel as we had planned. I say almost because I really enjoyed the day and to add icing to the cake we met Derek G1ZJQ and his baby daughter whose car we spotted with a SOTA sticker at the wildlife park earlier in the week.

Driving home both Adam and I spotted the lost antenna sticking out of the long grass on a roadside verge about a mile from the cottage. Weirdly Bruce Springsteen was playing on the stereo and singing ‘Lucky Town’. We just need to stop at Jaycom at Glenrothes on Saturday en-route to our next cottage and get a new SO-239 mount or an ECH.

A very happy Steve GW7AAV

Mid-day Bright sunshine, packing sandwiches and about to leave in the next half hour for SS-130 Criffel.

In reply to GW7AAV:

Pack your Wellingtons.