Gun 2010 (3)

Sunday 5th September 2010 would be the day when I would undertake a SOTA activation for the 1000th time. This would also coincide with the 5th and final 2m Backpackers Contest of the year. It would have been obvious to select my favourite and modal summit of The Cloud G/SP-015 for the 1000th, but it is a busy and popular spot, especially at weekends. Hence I never really relish the thought of setting up several antennas, a tent and being there for most of a Sunday.

Gun G/SP-013 is much quieter, and with more options to set things up out of other peoples' way. It is also much less likely to be visited by a warden or ranger. Therefore this was the choice, and I drove out there just before 6am on the Sunday morning. Setting up took a good while as I erected a 2 man tent, plus antennas in rather strong wind. I was reluctant to seek natural shelter due to the 2m contest later, so I sited myself in a large area of heather right at the top.

A tent, a flask, an FT-817, three poles, six aerials and all the other usual stuff made for a heavy pack, and the short easy walk to the summit was therefore well in order. I set up the dipoles for 80m, 60m, 40m and 30m all from the same pole, with the ends of the 80m and 60m legs all supported above ground by walking poles - yes, I took four with me! The 20m vertical-groundplane "Magic Moggy" - or MM20 - was set on the second pole, while the 2m SOTA Beam, horizontally polarised, sat on the third.

Caroline 2E0YLO, Adam 2E0DPI, Helen G7AAU & Steve G7AAV

Looking out across some of my dipole legs

I was finally QRV at 0727 UTC, and first in the logbook on 80m CW was Marc G0AZS. He headed up a run of 10 QSOs on 3.557MHz CW, followed by a single contact on 80m SSB. Then it was over to 40m CW, where 11 chasers were worked. Onto 60m SSB, it was 7 G stations worked, followed by a G and a GM on 60m CW. 13 QSOs on 30m CW, 8 on 40m CW (including S2S with DL1DVE/P on Bieleboh DM/SX-036), 3 on 80m SSB, 5 on 80m CW and one more on 5MHz SSB took me up to noon local, 61 QSOs in the bag, and time for the Backpackers.

This proved to be a slow Backpackers session, with just 56 contacts made, although distance points were quite good with plenty into JO01, JO02 and France. S2S in the contest included Rob G4RQJ/P on Dodd Fell Hill G/NP-016, the Studdart family (Steve G7AAV/P, Helen G7AAU/P, Caroline 2E0YLO/P and Adam 2E0DPI/P) on The Cloud G/SP-015, Ron GW4EVX/P on Moel y Gamelin GW/NW-042 and Walt GW3NYY/P on Mynydd Eppynt GW/SW-018.

After 4pm local, I went onto 20m, but found the band uncharacteristically quiet. Just 21 stations were worked on 20m CW, including USA and Canada, supplemented by 4 on 60m SSB, one on 60m CW, one on 30m CW and 6 on 2m FM. By now, Jimmy M3EYP/P had joined me on the summit, along with his brother Liam and my wife Marianne. A 1000th activation picnic and wine was enjoyed as the four of us crammed into the two man tent, before Marianne and Liam made a sharp exit.

Jimmy remained, and took occasional turns in the 2m SSB Backpackers. Steve, Helen and family arrived on summit to join the celebrations, and the four of them all qualified the summit, as they had done on The Cloud earlier. It was great to see them. As I wound down on HF, Jimmy showed me how it was done, making about 30 contacts on 2m FM in very short order. I was green with envy and couldn't quite fathom how he was so comprehensively out-QSOing me, even though I was on the normally prolific 20m CW!

I was QRT after my 150th QSO at 1800z, and Jimmy and I set about an hour's packing up duties. This was the most QSOs I had ever made in a single activation to date, but I definitely felt that I hadn't got the best formula yet! I was soon already developing thoughts and ideas about choices of summit, bands and preparations for another such activation in the future. Many thanks to everyone who worked me on my 1000th SOTA activation.

G0AZS	80m	CW	T
G0VOF	80m	CW	T
F6CEL	80m	CW	T
F5SQA	80m	CW	T
G3RMD	80m	CW	T
G4OBK	80m	CW	T
G4SSH	80m	CW	T
G3VXJ	80m	CW	T
G0NUP	80m	CW	T
G3VQO	80m	CW	T
GW7AAV	80m	SSB	T
DL1FU	40m	CW	T
DF5WA	40m	CW	T
OE50SPW	40m	CW	T
F5LWF	40m	CW	T
ON5QRP	40m	CW	T
DL3HXX	40m	CW	T
PA0WDG	40m	CW	T
F5SQA	40m	CW	T
DL2HWI	40m	CW	T
OK1CZ	40m	CW	T
DK2JK/P	40m	CW	T
GW7AAV	60m	SSB	T
G0TDM	60m	SSB	T
GM0OGN	60m	SSB	T
M0VEY	60m	SSB	T
G3RDQ	60m	SSB	T
G3RMD	60m	SSB	T
G4USW	60m	SSB	T
GM0OGN	60m	CW	T
G3RMD	60m	CW	T
S51ZG	30m	CW	T
OE7PHI	30m	CW	T
HB9BIN	30m	CW	T
DL3HXX	30m	CW	T
DL3JPN	30m	CW	T
LA8WF	30m	CW	T
DL4CW	30m	CW	T
HB9BQU	30m	CW	T
SM6CMU	30m	CW	T
HA7UG	30m	CW	T
EA7IXN/P	30m	CW	T
DL1DVE/P on Bieleboh SX-036	40m	CW	T
DK5WL	40m	CW	T
G6MZX	80m	SSB	T
G4OOE	80m	SSB	T
G3RMD	80m	SSB	T
GM0OGN	80m	CW	T
G7ROY	80m	CW	T
G4OOE	80m	CW	T
MW0IDX	80m	CW	T
GM0AXY	80m	CW	T
GW4CQZ	60m	SSB	T
DL4FDM	40m	CW	T
F6CXJ	40m	CW	T
HA1AG	40m	CW	T
DL2EF	40m	CW	T
GM0OGN	40m	CW	T
SM7HVQ	40m	CW	T
DJ4QM	30m	CW	T
SM1CXE	30m	CW	T
G0VHF/P	2m	SSB	T
G8N	2m	SSB	T
G4Z	2m	SSB	T
GM6MD/P	2m	SSB	T
M6T	2m	SSB	T
G8T	2m	SSB	T
M2F	2m	SSB	T
G3PYE/P	2m	SSB	T
M8C	2m	SSB	T
G5B	2m	SSB	T
GD8EXI	2m	SSB	T
G0TRB	2m	SSB	T
G4XPE	2m	SSB	T
G0HVQ	2m	SSB	T
G0TPH	2m	SSB	T
GW8ZRE/P	2m	SSB	T
G4ARI/P	2m	SSB	T, J
GW8ASD	2m	SSB	T
G0OVA/P	2m	SSB	T
M0BOL	2m	SSB	T
GM3HAM/P	2m	SSB	T
M0B	2m	SSB	T
F1UVN	2m	SSB	T
GM4ZUK/P	2m	SSB	T
G8IB/P	2m	SSB	T
F6HPP/P	2m	SSB	T
F4ARU/P	2m	SSB	T
G4FZN/P	2m	SSB	T
M4W	2m	SSB	T
2E0BMO	2m	SSB	T
G1SMI	2m	SSB	T
G4RQJ/P on Dodd Fell Hill NP-016	2m	SSB	T
G2NBE/P	2m	SSB	T
GW3ATZ	2m	SSB	T
G0OKF/P	2m	SSB	T
GW0DSP/M	2m	SSB	T
GW1LFX/M	2m	SSB	T
G0FBB	2m	SSB	T
M3UOG/A	2m	SSB	T
G4DPZ	2m	SSB	T
G7AAU/P on The Cloud SP-015	2m	SSB	T
G7AAV/P on The Cloud SP-015	2m	SSB	T
2E0YLO/P on The Cloud SP-015	2m	SSB	T
2E0DPI/P on The Cloud SP-015	2m	SSB	T
G4TUP/P	2m	SSB	T
GW4EVX/P on Foel Fenlli NW-051	2m	SSB	T
G8P	2m	SSB	T
M3TGS/P	2m	SSB	T
G8CQA/P	2m	SSB	T, J
GW3NYY/P on Mynydd Eppynt SW-018	2m	SSB	T
G0EHV/P	2m	SSB	T
M9T	2m	SSB	T
G3BPK/P	2m	SSB	T
2E0DHT	2m	SSB	T
2E0TXT/P	2m	SSB	T, J
G8HQW/P	2m	SSB	T, J
GW4EVX/P on Moel y Gamelin NW-042	2m	SSB	J
G3ZPF	2m	FM	J, T
Z35F	20m	CW	T
IT9IFI	20m	CW	T
G7RHF/M	2m	FM	J
M3OUA	2m	FM	J
VE2JCW	20m	CW	T
2E0RJI/M	2m	FM	J
2E0TDX/P on The Wrekin WB-010	2m	FM	J
EA4ESP	20m	CW	T
G0SJS	2m	FM	J
G0AKF	2m	FM	J
SM5APS	20m	CW	T
M3GHI	2m	FM	J
M3UHG	2m	FM	J
M5GWH	2m	FM	J
G8TSE	2m	FM	J
G6ODU	2m	FM	J
G0RGU	2m	FM	J
2E0XYL/P on The Wrekin WB-010	2m	FM	J
M0DAV	2m	FM	J
G8ADD/M	2m	FM	J, T
G3CWI	60m	SSB	T
G4YTD	60m	SSB	T
G4OWG	60m	CW	T
G4ZRP	60m	SSB	T
G0HNW	60m	SSB	T
GW1YQM/P	2m	FM	J
N4EX	20m	CW	T
HA7JUK	20m	CW	T
UX1IM	20m	CW	T
HA0MO	20m	CW	T
UA3IAH	20m	CW	T
W3WH	20m	CW	T
HA5MA	20m	CW	T
UW1WU	20m	CW	T
US5XD	20m	CW	T
US5VX	20m	CW	T
2E0XOJ	2m	FM	J
HA6VH	20m	CW	T
2E0SUD/M	2m	FM	J
2E0WOZ/M	2m	FM	J
2E0LKC/M	2m	FM	J
2E0LMD/M	2m	FM	J
G0PZP	2m	FM	J, T
M3VUO	2m	FM	J, T
EA7KJ	20m	CW	T
G8ALB	2m	FM	T
M1AIU/M	2m	FM	T
YO4CSL	20m	CW	T
UX1BZ	20m	CW	T
I0MOC	20m	CW	T
UA1CEX	20m	CW	T
EG1SBC	30m	CW	T