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Gun, G/SP-013 - 385m ASL - SJ 970 615 - OS Explorer OL24 - 1 SOTA point
New Year's Day, Saturday 1st January, 2022 A late afternoon outing to do the first activations of this year. Lazy operating with the VHF handheld!
Activated The Cloud G/SP-015 beforehand, and called into Bar 27 at Macclesfield FC for a swift pint afterwards. A great chat with Will working the bar - a really nice young man getting ready to study medicine at university.
Sunday 16th January 2022 Jimmy cajoled me out to activate all three of our local summits.
On all summits, Jimmy concentrated on 2m FM while I operated on HF bands, mainly using CW.
After Gun G/SP-013, we moved onto The Cloud G/SP-015.
Saturday 5th March 2022
Only one contact was made from Gun summit - but at least it was a S2S contact. The walk and the fresh air was most welcome even so.
Onto the Moss Rose for the football. Macclesfield entertained Longridge Town in the North West Counties League Premier Division and recorded a 3-1 victory. It was good to bump into Ray King M1REK and have a catch-up.
A busy Saturday then continued with a drive up to Preston for a last minute dep gig with Matt Philips & the Detroits - at the Detroit Preston venue. My old friend Mathew Colfar was on drums, so there was a second welcome catch-up of the day!
Saturday 19th March 2022 - The Cloud G/SP-015, Gun G/SP-013 & Macclesfield v Avro Came down off The Cloud G/SP-015 earlier than expected, so squeezed in Gun before nipping home before the match.
Lovely sunny Spring weather, and a nice amble to the summit. Three contacts made on 2m FM with the handheld.
After returning home, I decided to ditch the car and walk down to the match via Bollin Meadow, Flower Pot Greenway and Moss Lane Allotments - a very pleasant route. Macclesfield outclassed Avro 6-0, and then it was a walk into town to meet the rest of the family for a curry.
Tuesday 5th April 2022 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013 With The Cloud G/SP-015 being used for the GB20SOTA special event operations, it was a switch over to Gun for the VHF contest activations. This, being the first Tuesday of the month, brought about the 2m FMAC and 2m UKAC. 97 contacts made including two summit-to-summits.
Wednesday 6th April 2022 - The Cloud G/SP-015 & Gun G/SP-013 The contest exile on Gun - forced by the use of GB20SOTA special call on The Cloud G/SP-015 - continued. This was the monthly 2m FT8AC event. 44 contacts made with G, GW, GI, EI, DL and PA worked.
Saturday 11th June 2022 - The Cloud G/SP-015, Gun G/SP-013 & gig: Simon Faulkner Band @ The Manor House, Sleaford A gig over in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. Not many summits in that direction, so just bobbed up my local two at the start of the drive east.
Nice to bump into Martin M7BIA on Gun. Seven contacts made on 2m FM, including S2S with Alan 2W0JWA/P over on the Clwydians. Callsign used was MQ1EYP/P, using the special RSL 'Q' afforded by a NoV for the Queen's 70th jubilee.
Nice gig, as ever, with the excellent Simon Faulkner Band over in Lincolnshire.
Friday 15th July 2022 - Gun G/SP-013 + gig: Unlimited 90s @ Richmond Holiday Centre, Skegness Great to have Liam with me for company on the seemingly never-ending drive to Skegness!
Not a great selection of summits on a drive from Cheshire to Lincolnshire, so a quick raid up Gun it was.
Six contacts made in six minutes on 2m FM with the handheld. Then a lot of driving to get done!
I'd specified accommodation for me and Liam as a condition of accepting the gig. I'd anticipated a static caravan on the holiday park we were playing, but apparently there was nothing available. So instead, the bandleader booked us into a local "glamping" site!
You can't go to the east coast without having fish & chips - and there was a proper chippy on the holiday park.
Fun gig with Jenny, Shane and Tom. Accommodation was glamping ahead of another day on the road, more hills and another gig the next day, kicking off with Normanby Top G/TW-005.
Tuesday 16th August 2022 - Gun G/SP-013 Football: Leek Town v Macclesfield A Tuesday night SOTA-football combo: Gun G/SP-013 - a wander up the Staffordshire Moorlands summit (between Rushton Spencer and Meerbrook) with fellow radio amateurs and Macc fans Ray M1REK and Andy M1LOL. Also met Adie M0PAI and Stuart G1ZAR up there doing radio.
Leek Town 1, Macclesfield 3 A great comeback win in this local derby at Harrison Park. Ex Premier League striker Nicky Maynard appeared to be an excellent signing.
Friday 26th August 2022 - Gun G/SP-013 Gig: Unlimited 90s @ Club Tropicana, Chapel St Leonards A couple of gigs, back-to-back, out East, meant that Liam and I headed out for a couple of days, and a night away.
First stop was Gun, where two contacts made on VHF on the handheld - very quiet! Then the long drive to Skegness, and I was grateful for the company of Liam!
Great to work with Jenny and Michael again.
After a sleepover in a static caravan, we were back on the road on the Saturday morning, and heading to Bardon Hill G/CE-004.
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