I’m really interested in your numbers Tom and wondered where you are from ? It really is dead around the Black Country/Birmingham/Shropshire area and is echoed by the few contacts I do manage to make.I’ll admit I don’t have the best setup but seem to get a 30 plus mile coverage in all directions ( Repeaters mainly) and have most of my contacts through a repeater 50 ish miles away with only 1 watt. If I look at APRS maps there are quite a few hams local to me but I never hear them on the bands. Whist participating the the 433Alive event last weekend I managed 8 contacts from a Sota summit ranging from 78 miles down to about 20 ish ,Whilst I enjoyed it at the time looking back it is quite bad ! I’m really interested in where the main activity is ?
2nd Tuesday of the month 1800-1855z on 70cm FM, then 1900-2130z on 70cm SSB. I’m in Cheshire (IO83) which is OK, but IO82/92 is where the highest activity levels are - so a 7pm (local BST) activation a week on Tuesday from The Wrekin G/WB-010 or Walton Hill G/CE-002 (for instance - plenty of other options in Shropshire) will get you a bumper log on 70cm. Just making sure you know your IARU Maidenhead locator square to 6 characters (eg IO82ab) and keep a note of your serial numbers as stations working you will want them.
With just a handheld you should get 15-20 QSOs in the 70cm FMAC. With a Yagi and an 817, you could well get 100 QSOs through the evening.
Not in North Yorkshire you wouldn’t! The RSGB 70cms AC’s are still fun though (Despite Fylingdale clicking QRN from 10 miles up the road!). I only partake in the (mainly) SSB event / FT8 event usng G4BP and the folowing night and regularly work Tom @M1EYP on the Cloud.
73 Phil G4OBK (QTH Pickering highest point almost - 60m ASL)