Wendover Woods G/CE-005

Old Reflector
1

I had already decided that, as Tom M1EYP and Jimmy M3EYP were popping up to the Woods, I would join them and take a first bash at HF activation using my double size Norcal doublet. So as Sunday dawned and the weather looked good i.e. it wasn’t raining, I was looking forward to the trip.

I had thought that Tom would be around at midday local so I pottered around and mowed the lawn but when I came back in and checked the spots… there he was. So I jumped into the car and drove up to the summit (all of 3 minutes way)

I parked up behind Tom’s car and walked up into the field with the trig point. I could see Tom and Jimmy lurking with the pole down so I assumed they may have finished. In fact Tom was switching the polarization of the beam and putting up the 40M dipole.

After chatting for a while with the Master Activators, I moved off next to the path and set up the station which consisted of:

7M Sotapole
88ft Norcal doublet
4:1 balun
LDG AT7000 tuner
Icom 706 II G running 10W
Comfy stool

It all went up easily enough and I waited for Tom to finish on HF before I got cracking. It gave me a chance to hear and capture (look at Flickr) Tom working Mike GW0DSP to complete Mike’s chasing of CE summits.

Jimmy then wanted to finish qualifying the summit so after a fruitless call on 40M SSB, he moved back to 2M and I fired up on 5 Mhz… a quick call was greeted by meter crushing signals, especially from Alisdair GW0VMZ. I worked a run of about 10 stations and then Mike GW0DSP tipped me off about Klaus DF2GN/P on 20M.

I finished up on 5Mhz and went looking for Klaus on 20M… bingo, a fine summit to summit with Klaus… my first on HF!

Then I called on 7.118 and 3.725 but alas with no self spotting facility I heard no one after a few rounds of calls on each band.

I went back to 5Mhz and was rewarded with two more S2S, MM0FMF/P and G4RQJ/P… thanks to both for the patience as the QRN was starting to get bad… static crashes and so on.

So with that and with Tom and Jimmy already off to the cafe for a tea and sandwich, I packed up and joined them just as the first drops of rain were falling.

What a difference from the VHF activations… and the doublet seemed to work a treat. The autotuner had me hopping up and down the bands with ease. Worth the weight to carry it although it is pretty light as it’s just a black box that sits under the 706.

So thanks to the following stations for QSO’s and as Arnie said, “I’ll be back…” on HF (and CW too) from G/CE-005:

GW0VMZ, M1MAJ, GW7AAV, GW0DSP, GM4CFS, G4ENA, G4ZRP, G8ABB, G0NES, DF2GN/P, MM0FMF/P, G4RQJ/P

BTW Just as well we did it this morning as we have just had the mother of all thunderstorms this afternoon with some strikes within a couple of hundred meters of the house… and no doubt up on the summit too! Everything is unplugged!

73 Marc GØAZS

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In reply to G0AZS:

Hi Marc

A very good read and thanks for the contact on 60m-ssb.
Your first foray into HF activation was certainly a big success, with 3 s2s contacts.

The antenna and tuner/radio set up is working fine style, so leave well alone, or if anything I would suggest a linked dipole so that the tuner can be left at home, having said that, you were a cracking signal with me in CQ town.

You will have no problem on Fun Evenings now and will get a good pile up on 5Mhz without a shadow of a doubt.

73 Mike GW0DSP

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In reply to G0AZS:

It was a pleasure to work you for the first time Marc, I look forward to lots more. 60m didn’t seem very good today. Not too many stations on and lots of QSB. RAF Volmet was well down when I worked you from SS-219 but was S9+ later from SS-208. Sadly not too many chasers about. Still I bagged 3x S2S on the day and worked 2 new activators, yourself and Gordon MM3XGP. In addition, Mrs. FMF was able to accompany me so I had some local glamour to make up for the less than wonderful RF conditions.

Andy
MM0FMF

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In reply to G0AZS:

Thank you Marc for helping to make what started a bad day a very good one.

Last night I set up my new Kenwood TM-V71E dual bander in the shack, it was about 02:30 local when I finished setting it up and no-one was about. This morning I called Barry M3PXW on 70cms for a report and he gave me 5/8 “fair enough I thought”. I little later Barry reported Mike GW0DSP had called him over the top of my transmission. Mike was on 2w and I was running 50w, something was amiss and Barry reported I was 5/1. A quick QSY to two metres confirmed GB3VT which had been 5/9+60dB was now 5/5. I now knew why my much beloved Trio 9130 had died I had an intermittent fault on the antenna which had never shown up during regular checks on the SWR. It is also of note the Mike G4BLH had said some time ago that my signals had been down even though I had been on the Icom 706 IIG with 50w compared to 25w from the Trio 9130 I had a big check then and found nothing. So for SOTA on 2/70 I was on a low level antenna today and I was not expecting much.

I only had 17 English summits left to chase so when I spotted that you were doing 5mHz I was very pleased if only band conditions would be up to it. When your superb signal rattled the windows in the shack my bad day was over and I have to admit I danced a little jig when I had worked you.

I had danced a slightly bigger jig just a few minutes earlier when ROB G4RQJ came on Nine Standards Rigg, but then I have lost count of the number of times that one has escaped me. Times when the band has closed on 5mHz and when I have called and called but the activator could not hear me and when I have come in to see the spot to say “now QRT”.

A strange SOTA chasing Sunday for me: Only eight stations worked, four ten pointers, four uniques and two little jigs in ten minutes.

I look forward to your future activations, with a signal like the one today you should have no problems in qualifying. If you or anyone else feels like doing CE-002 on 5mHz I can promise another little jig.

Many thanks Steve GW7AAV 73

Check out mostwanted - gw7aav2 and see what will make me dance.

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In reply to GW7AAV:

If you or anyone else
feels like doing CE-002 on 5mHz I can promise another little jig.

Steve

You really should try to get out more :wink:

73

Richard
G3CWI

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In reply to G3CWI:

You really should try to get out more :wink:

I would have done and indeed we had talked of doing a summit or two today but I have worked 12x12hr shifts in the last 14 days and I am to tired to do any more than a little jig, in fact I am having trouble remembering which way out is.

Steve ;o)

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In reply to GW0DSP:

The antenna and tuner/radio set up is working fine style, so leave
well alone, or if anything I would suggest a linked dipole so that the
tuner can be left at home…

Yes but it was so easy to just stay sitting on my stool and press band up/down, press tune and then “CQ CQ” etc… lazy but easy :slight_smile:

I just noticed my QSO with Klaus is the first and only 20M QSO from Wendover Woods… it was worth the tip Mike… thanks. Maybe I’ll try next time with 500mw from the 20M Rock Mite I have :slight_smile:

Now to get the CW going… although I need a Palm Paddle… the other is much too heavy to lug about.

Sorry all… I didn’t stick around and try 6m… approaching storm and beckoning cafe trashed that idea.

73 Marc GØAZS

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In reply to G0AZS:

In reply to GW0DSP:

Yes but it was so easy to just stay sitting on my stool and press band
up/down, press tune and then “CQ CQ” etc… lazy but easy
:slight_smile:

73 Marc GØAZS

Deck chair, knotted hanky, kiss me quick hat and all, hi.

Seriously though, nice one Marc and look forward to our first cw QSO.

73 Mike GW0DSP