|
After descending from The Cloud G/SP-015, now came
the familiar short drive across the valley to Gun G/SP-013. My last walk up here
in 2011 was damp and boggy, but this time the ground was frozen, so it wasn't at
all bad. Again, it was 2m FM for Jimmy M3EYP and Ed M6NSR, and 40m CW for me.
This time I made 24 QSOs, taking me to 91 for the day. This prompted me to
unleash the VX-7R again to try for the century. This was achieved, before Jim
and Ed, now back at the car, each worked me for QSOs 101 and 102.
.JPG)
.JPG)
There was no slack in the time, so en route back to Macclesfield, we called at
the football stadium and bought our tickets for that afternoon's match versus
Torquay United, and Tuesday's FA Cup replay away at Bolton Wanderers. It was
then a little further north on the Silk Road to drop Craig and Edward off before
returning south to The Macc (what used to be the Three Crowns) for lunch. This
recently reopened pub is a free house specialising in local real ales and fine
cheeses and pies - great for a pre-match luncheon.
.JPG)
.JPG)
We continued to the match where unfortunately Torquay ran out 2-1 winners, and
then a quick turnaround at home to get back out to Gurnett (a small hamlet
between Macclesfield and Langley). Here stands the Old Kings Head pub, these
days a popular live music venue. I had a gig with a band called The Manatees,
which I enjoyed very much, especially when my son Liam got up to sing a song and
open up the second set. The amateur radio theme had continued through to the
evening, with M1EYP on stage and M3EYP, M6NSR, 2E1AEQ, G0DMV and G3CWI in the
audience. M1DDD was supposed to be going as well, but couldn't make it in the
end.
A cracking day - thanks to everyone who called in to our stations.
|
G4SSH |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
G4OOE |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
DL6UNF |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
OM1AX |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
DL6KVA |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
M0TUB |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
G0NUP |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
GW4ZPL |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
G4WSX |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
G8JSM/P on Billinge Hill SP-017 |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
OE8SPW |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
OM7OM |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
G4OBK |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
G0BPU |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
2W0LYD/P on Manod Mawr NW-035 |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
F5SQA |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
DJ5AV |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
G4VSS |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
SP3J |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
OE6WIG |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
M0TUB |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
DJ4WG |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
M1CNL |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G3XQE |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
G6ODU |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
PA0SKP |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
GM0AXY |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
G4AFI |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
M6GHU |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M0LEX/M |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
GW0NLB |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
GW4OKT |
40m |
CW |
T |
|
M0VFR |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M0MXB |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G1HFS |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G6WRW/M |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
M0YHB/M |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
2E0NVJ |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
M0MXB |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
GW4OKT |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
M0VFR |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
M3XIE |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
G4VYR |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
2E0BMO |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
M6NSR/M |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
M3EYP/M |
2m |
FM |
T |
I hadn't been sleeping well. Most
definitely a new and unfamiliar phase of life for me. But upon realising
that I was wide awake with no prospect of nodding back off at 4am on the
morning of Friday 9th March 2012, I decided to go for a walk! I
packed my suit, shirt, tie and shoes into the bag with my footy kit and
took a drive out to Gun G/SP-013. Although Tuesday night headtorch walks
are a common feature, pre-dawn sortes are altogether rarer, so it was a
strange feeling to be yomping up to Gun summit like this.
Given the solar storm and disruption caused, I wasn't sure what the best
choice of band would be. I analysed the previous day's cluster spots and
opted for 30m CW, and erected the dipole on Gun summit.
It was fairly slow going between 0548 and 0705z, with 25 QSOs being
made. Without exception, all contacts were with Central/Eastern Europe.
It was getting cold, so rather than persist with more CQ calls, I chose
to put the slack time to better use over a "Mega Breakfast" at a greasy
spoon in Burslem. And even after that I was early for work. After work I
played football - and played the best I have played in a long, long
time. Yet I was still up to nearly midnight preparing kit for the
following day's expedition in Shropshire.
The sleep thing was a concern. Another day of serious physical exertion
that next day, and yet I was still tapping on my computer keyboard at
0230z. I didn't even fall asleep midway through Match of the Day.
Something must be wrong!
|
UT5PI |
30m |
CW |
|
US7MM |
30m |
CW |
|
LZ2BR |
30m |
CW |
|
RV3LO |
30m |
CW |
|
UR0VQ |
30m |
CW |
|
UX0ZA |
30m |
CW |
|
US0TA |
30m |
CW |
|
YO2CJX |
30m |
CW |
|
UX0BB |
30m |
CW |
|
OM7OM |
30m |
CW |
|
ER3MM |
30m |
CW |
|
OM3TDD |
30m |
CW |
|
HA5AOE |
30m |
CW |
|
OM3YDX |
30m |
CW |
|
IK0CNA |
30m |
CW |
|
SP8AJK |
30m |
CW |
|
UT8IO |
30m |
CW |
|
IK5ZUL |
30m |
CW |
|
I5FLN |
30m |
CW |
|
HA7LJ |
30m |
CW |
|
LZ1GC |
30m |
CW |
|
OK2AU |
30m |
CW |
|
OM7DX |
30m |
CW |
|
UR7QC |
30m |
CW |
|
RN2FQ |
30m |
CW |
Well this is rubbish isn't it? Me,
stressed, and not sleeping? Unheard of. Well, unheard of before last
week anyway. But on Friday 16th March 2012, exactly one week after
the previous incidence, I endured another sleepless night. In the
end I gave up and got up at 2.35am. The revised plan (ie, instead of
being asleep) was to venture out to Gun G/SP-013 and chase the
greyline with the 20m groundplane.
And that was rubbish as well. The band was the flattest it has been
in a good long time. I tried many CQ calls on 14.013MHz CW, all
unanswered. Occasionally, I heard a weak signal from other station
calling. Prefixes heard were FK and FG, so I remained optimistic
that it would be worth waiting for the band to open up as daylight
approached. But it never really happened. At dawn I managed to
answer a call and exchange with a 4Z (Israel) station, but that was
it, a one QSO activation! I did hear Phil G4OBK calling me just
before 6am, and I answered him, but Phil only went on to send "NIL".
Thanks for trying Phil!
Despite the rubbishness of the activation, I did rather enjoy my
very early morning walk on Gun and my 3 hour lounge on its summit. I
also enjoyed the Mega Breakfast at the cafe in Burslem, which was
slotted in as I approached the works QTH.
17-Apr-12
Battery: #1. Activation: #2
Summit: G/SP-013. Band: 30m
Radio: Rockmite 30
Antenna: Inverted V Dipole @ 6m agl
Battery: Duracell Pro-Life
Finish Voltage at room temp: Not a clue
New DXCCs: 1
Cumulative DXCCs: 8 (DL, G, LA, HA, OE, OM, OZ, S5)
QSOs: 1. Cumulative QSOs: 12
That nice chap Fred Talbot led me to understand that the weather would be dry
this morning, at the end of the Granada regional news last night. The problem
is, once you've got it into your head you are doing a SOTA activation, it is
difficult to cancel. So off I set in heavy rain at 5.48am on the morning of
Tuesday 17th April 2012, arriving in lighter rain at the parking spot around 30
minutes later.
The walk up Gun G/SP-013 was soggy as anticipated. I got the 30m dipole up
quickly on the summit, so I could get inside the bothy bag, and out of the rain
as soon as possible. I connected up the Rockmite 30 and self-spotted. It
seemed a busy band, but that was probably because I could hear all of it! Keying
seemed a little better this time, but still some way from perfect. I must give
my paddle a proper test.
Well, lots of calling for both SOTA G/SP-013 and WFF GFF-014 brought just one
QSO, and that with OE6WIG. Some very bad QRM came up on frequency, and I just
about heard OE6WIG advising me to QSY because of it. But I couldn't, because I
was using the Rockmite! So I gave up with just the one QSO collected, and
trudged back to me car. The Cottage in Dalehall provided a sausage, bacon and
cheese double oatcake for my breakfast, before I drove around the corner to the
work QTH.
18-Apr-12
Battery: #1. Activation: #3
Summit: G/SP-013. Band: 30m
Radio: Rockmite 30
Antenna: Inverted V Dipole @ 6m agl
Battery: Duracell Pro-Life
Finish Voltage at room temp: Not a clue
New DXCCs: 0
Cumulative DXCCs: 8 (DL, G, LA, HA, OE, OM, OZ, S5)
QSOs: 0. Cumulative QSOs: 12
Another 5.30am BST get-up in horrid weather, and up to Gun G/SP-013 again.
Awful. Couldn't raise a single contact. In the end, I made one QSO on 2m FM with
the handheld, just to record the walk as an activation. Elsewhere on 2m FM were
two chaps understanding why Anders Behring Breivik did what he did - eek. Time
for a sharp exit.
After work on Thursday 26th April 2012. The weather was still horrid. Gun
G/SP-013 was so waterlogged that I was surprised they weren't trying to drain it
to solve the water shortage in the south east. The view was the grass within a
few metres of the trig point, topped by a wall of grey. It was horrible.
And even worse while it was raining, which it did for most of the time. Still, I
had ascended with the full intention of enjoying myself, so I erected the 30m
dipole hastily and bedded down inside my bothy bag. The Rockmite 30 QRPP rig was
connected up, a self-spot placed on SOTAwatch, and off I went.
Good it was too. Lots of contacts were coming in from SOTA and WFF chasers. Not
at the same 2/3 per minute rate as would be the case using 5 watts from the 817,
but easily enough to keep me interested. Some of the exchanges were very easy
and straightforward with excellent copy both ways. Things got a bit
interesting when OZ1HDF started calling CQ on top of me. With no QSY available,
I battled on, and was surprised to find I could still work the chasers. Then it
slowly dawned on me that my rig was wide open, and that it could well be that
OZ1HDF was on a different frequency!
26-Apr-12
Battery: #1. Activation: #4
Summit: G/SP-013. Band: 30m
Radio: Rockmite 30
Antenna: Inverted V Dipole @ 6m agl
Battery: Duracell Pro-Life
Finish Voltage at room temp: Not a clue
New DXCCs: 8
Cumulative DXCCs: 16 (9A, DL, G, HA, HB, I, LA, LZ, OE, OK, OM, OZ, RA, S5, SM,
SP)
QSOs: 26. Cumulative QSOs: 38
I finished with 26 QSOs in the log after 71 minutes of operating. This was
very satisfying. I got on much better with the keying response this time too, so
I could be set for some real fun with the Rockmite 30 and Kjell's challenge.
|
HA7UG |
30m |
CW |
|
OE7PHI |
30m |
CW |
|
LZ1GC |
30m |
CW |
|
SP2AOB |
30m |
CW |
|
DL8UP |
30m |
CW |
|
DL3HXX |
30m |
CW |
|
I2CZQ |
30m |
CW |
|
OK1APV |
30m |
CW |
|
DJ5AV |
30m |
CW |
|
9A1AA |
30m |
CW |
|
DL6ATM |
30m |
CW |
|
SM6DEC |
30m |
CW |
|
DL2SWB |
30m |
CW |
|
HB9BIN |
30m |
CW |
|
DL7URB |
30m |
CW |
|
S58AL |
30m |
CW |
|
RV3LO |
30m |
CW |
|
IK1GPG |
30m |
CW |
|
DL5MX |
30m |
CW |
|
LA8BCA |
30m |
CW |
|
DF6EX |
30m |
CW |
|
DL4KUR |
30m |
CW |
|
SP7HOV |
30m |
CW |
|
OM1AX |
30m |
CW |
|
DL4FDM |
30m |
CW |
|
DK7ZH |
30m |
CW |
2-May-12
Battery: #1. Activation: #5
Summit: G/SP-013. Band: 30m
Radio: Rockmite 30
Antenna: Inverted V Dipole @ 6m agl
Battery: Duracell Pro-Life
Finish Voltage at room temp: Not a clue
New DXCCs: 0
Cumulative DXCCs: 16 (9A, DL, G, HA, HB, I, LA, LZ, OE, OK, OM, OZ, RA, S5,
SM, SP)
QSOs: 2. Cumulative QSOs: 40
Quite a nice afternoon up on Gun, which was much less boggy than any time in
recent memory. Perhaps United Utilities decided to action my earlier
suggestion. Two ladies were taking photos of a dog, which was posing atop
the trig point. This dog clearly loved having the camera pointed at it and
was surely destined for a career as a canine supermodel. It did not love my
fishing pole or unravelling wires of the 30m dipole as I was setting up. It
was going beserk, although it was harmless enough. The ladies decided to
continue the walk so as to settle the dog down, which meant they had to stop
asking me questions about amateur radio. Such is life.
Not much action on the Rockmite. But the two stations worked, SOTA stalwarts
OE7PHI and DJ5AV, were both solid copy both ways.
|
OE7PHI |
30m |
CW |
|
DJ5AV |
30m |
CW |
Wide awake at 4am on Saturday 26th May
2012. Only one thing for it - off to the Gun G/SP-013 for some early morning
CW on 20m. Thing was, stupid old me had forgotten that (a) it was the WPX CW
contest weekend, and (b) the CW filter needed putting back in my FT-817. So
you can well imagine how near-impossible 20m CW operation was!
Surfing around the upper end of the contest activity, around 14.079 to
14.102MHz, I made 12 QSOs, which included NN5J (Arkansas) and 3V8BB
(Tunisia). However, it was no fun listening to this din, so I
uncharacteristically went up to 20m SSB, 14.264MHz. This netted a further 27
QSOs, mainly from SOTA and/or WFF chasers. It was very nice to speak (on
phone) for the first time to several chasers that I have worked many times
on CW. The pick of the bunch was W7CNL in Idaho.
When things went quiet on there, I decided to take down the 20m groundplane
antenna, and replace with the 30m dipole, and resume the LA1KHA PP3
Challenge. S51ZG and OM7DX were straight in for me, but then there was
nought. I had all sorts of problems, with my paddle doing funny things. The
speed went up in excess of 35wpm, but I managed to work out how to put that
back to my preferred 25wpm!
The paddle also reversed, with dashes on the left and dots on the right. I
wouldn't work out how to fix this, but it dawned on me after a few minutes
that I could simply turn the paddle upside down! What I couldn't resolve was
the very high CW pitch - so I just put up with that. After returning
home, I had the Rockmite 30 in the shack together with the instructions, so
I was able to work through the menus to restore the preferred settings, and
also store a couple of memory keyer strings for next time!
26-May-12
Battery: #1. Activation: #7
Summit: G/SP-013. Band: 30m
Radio: Rockmite 30
Antenna: Inverted V Dipole @ 6m agl
Battery: Duracell Pro-Life
Finish Voltage at room temp: Not a clue
New DXCCs: 1 - SV
Cumulative DXCCs: 17 (9A, DL, G, HA, HB, I, LA, LZ, OE, OK, OM, OZ, RA, S5,
SM, SP, SV)
QSOs: 2. Cumulative QSOs: 45
After packing up, I called on the VX7R, and added five QSOs on 2m FM, taking
the total for the activation to 46. I wandered back down to the car at
around 8.50am BST, and listened to "Sounds of the 60s" with Brian Mathew on
BBC Radio 2 while driving back home. Thanks to all stations who worked
me. I suspected I was going to pay for my early-morning antics that night -
because I had a gig...!
|
EU1DX |
20m |
CW |
|
UW3U |
20m |
CW |
|
3V8BB |
20m |
CW |
|
OK2D |
20m |
CW |
|
NN5J |
20m |
CW |
|
9A4U |
20m |
CW |
|
YT1DX |
20m |
CW |
|
UT7NY |
20m |
CW |
|
HA1Q |
20m |
CW |
|
GQ8SRS |
20m |
CW |
|
YP5A |
20m |
CW |
|
EU1FC |
20m |
CW |
|
OE6WIG |
20m |
SSB |
|
OM7DX |
20m |
SSB |
|
OM5AA |
20m |
SSB |
|
SM3TLG |
20m |
SSB |
|
IK3DRO |
20m |
SSB |
|
OE8SPW |
20m |
SSB |
|
I5FLN |
20m |
SSB |
|
HA3OU |
20m |
SSB |
|
SP6FHU |
20m |
SSB |
|
UX1IM |
20m |
SSB |
|
W7CNL |
20m |
SSB |
|
RZ3BJ |
20m |
SSB |
|
S51ZZ |
20m |
SSB |
|
SP8LEP |
20m |
SSB |
|
F1BLL |
20m |
SSB |
|
OK1DVM |
20m |
SSB |
|
HA4XG |
20m |
SSB |
|
SP2AOB |
20m |
SSB |
|
SM5CNQ |
20m |
SSB |
|
RA1AVP/1 |
20m |
SSB |
|
DJ5AV |
20m |
SSB |
|
OM7OM |
20m |
SSB |
|
EA7HYL |
20m |
SSB |
|
IW1QEA |
20m |
SSB |
|
US5WCP |
20m |
SSB |
|
UX5IO |
20m |
SSB |
|
SQ2HI |
20m |
SSB |
|
S51ZG |
30m |
CW |
|
OM7DX |
30m |
CW |
|
M0JVW |
2m |
FM |
|
MQ0JVW |
2m |
FM |
|
G4XEE |
2m |
FM |
|
GQ3VBA |
2m |
FM |
|
GQ6ODU |
2m |
FM |
20-Jun-12
Battery: #1. Activation: #12
Summit: G/SP-013. Band: 30m
Radio: Rockmite 30
Antenna: Inverted V Dipole @ 6m agl
Battery: Duracell Pro-Life
Finish Voltage at room temp: Not a clue
New DXCCs: 2 - GM and PA
Cumulative DXCCs: 19 (9A, DL, G, GM, HA, HB, I, LA, LZ, OE, OK, OM, OZ, PA,
RA, S5, SM, SP, SV)
QSOs: 3. Cumulative QSOs: 56
Better organised this afternoon, in the lovely warm sunshine, and the very
unlovely high pollen count. Already done Cloud today, so it had to be Gun on
the way home from work. This time, had the manual to hand, and managed to
program both message memories (Picokeyer chip in the Rockmite 30) - one for
CQ SOTA from Gun G/SP-013 GFF-014 and one for The
Cloud G/SP-015. I even got to grips with the need to enter the slashes
twice (to avoid confusion with commands), and also managed to include
commands like /R to take up less memory space.
Only 3 QSOs were made on 30m CW, but this was a marked improvement on recent
outings, and included two new DXCCs for me in the challenge. Particular
thanks to GM4JYB who I was halfway through working when the mast collapsed,
and was still there to complete the QSO once up and running again!
|
G4ISJ |
30m |
CW |
|
PA0SKP |
30m |
CW |
|
GM4JYB |
30m |
CW |
After dropping Liam off at his youth group
in Congleton on Tuesday 26th June 2012, I had plenty of slack time
available. I normally use this to get myself a chippy tea before moving on
to my UKAC contest site, but I had already eaten. However, I had no plans to
utilise the spare time, I just set off up the A54 as usual.
I should have continued down the A523 towards Leek, but somehow didn't. It
was probably muscle memory that caused me to bear left and uphill at Rushton
Spencer. By the time I had consciously realised my mistake, I was nearly at
the parking spot for Gun G/SP-013! Could I squeeze a cheeky 2m FM handheld /
rubber duck activation in? It had to be done!
As I was walking, I totted up the time impact of doing this would have. Hmm,
short easy walk it might me, but the whole effect added up to over half an
hour. I would be cutting it fine for the 6m UK Activity Contest. Thankfully,
it didn't take many CQ calls to get going from the summit. Ten minutes QRV
brought 8 QSOs on 2m FM, and it was time to walk briskly back to the car.
I managed to drive up to Merryton Low and be QRV from the trig point point
by 8.01pm, so not too bad, although the opportunity to watch a frequency for
a few minutes before 1900z would have been useful. As it was, I started the
evening as I spent most of the rest of it - searching and pouncing. It was
yet another mediocre evening, and a 2nd place looked to be the best I could
have hoped for. Many thanks to the callers on the 2m FM SOTA activation
earlier:
|
2E0XYL |
2m |
FM |
|
M1CNL |
2m |
FM |
|
M0TUB |
2m |
FM |
|
2E0DDD |
2m |
FM |
|
M6EEL |
2m |
FM |
|
G4HZG |
2m |
FM |
|
G6ODU |
2m |
FM |
|
2W0JYN |
2m |
FM |
Thursday 19th July 2012 and my
birthday present to me was an 0440z get-up and a before-work activation
of Gun G/SP-013, on my favourite HF band-mode combo of 20m CW. Walking
boots were needed for the short walk up to Gun's trig point, for there
had been much rain and most of the area was waterlogged.
On summit it was raining too, so I had
to conduct the activation from inside my big bothy bag after setting up
the 20m groundplane antenna. Ultimately, I did not get the intensity of
pile-up I had hoped for, and certainly not the target of 42 QSOs(!), but
a bit of early morning fresh air, 15 QSOs, and then a bacon, sausage and
cheese double oatcake (Stoke-on-Trent delicacy!) made for a satisfying
morning's work.
|
IK3DRO |
14MHz |
CW |
|
DJ5AV |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OM7OM |
14MHz |
CW |
|
G0VOF |
14MHz |
CW |
|
HB9MKV |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OE5WLL |
14MHz |
CW |
|
5P5J |
14MHz |
CW |
|
IZ0CCD |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OE6WIG |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OM1AX |
14MHz |
CW |
|
S52ON |
14MHz |
CW |
|
G3XQE |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OM7DX |
14MHz |
CW |
|
I2ZBX |
14MHz |
CW |
|
DF2DM |
14MHz |
CW |
Underwhelmed by my birthday activation
the day before, I returned to Gun on Friday 20th July 2012. It was the
last day of the school term and I was up bright and early at 0430z.
Gun Hill wasn't quite as wet as the previous day, but still demanded I
change into boots for the walk up.
This time 20m was a bit livelier with WFF collectors joining the SOTA
chasers on frequency. 22 QSOs later, and I was packing up and thinking
about what fillings I would have on my oatcake for breakfast.
|
DJ5AV |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OM7DX |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OM7OM |
14MHz |
CW |
|
DL8DXL |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OM3KEG |
14MHz |
CW |
|
IK3DRO |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OE7PHI |
14MHz |
CW |
|
DL6UHA |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OM1AX |
14MHz |
CW |
|
SP8RHP |
14MHz |
CW |
|
S51ZG |
14MHz |
CW |
|
RD3FF/3 |
14MHz |
CW |
|
F5UKL |
14MHz |
CW |
|
IZ0CCD |
14MHz |
CW |
|
SP/I4ZSQ |
14MHz |
CW |
|
F8FEO |
14MHz |
CW |
|
UA4PNT |
14MHz |
CW |
|
F8BJO |
14MHz |
CW |
|
R3DQ |
14MHz |
CW |
|
OM3LL |
14MHz |
CW |
|
S52ON |
14MHz |
CW |
|
HA7LJ |
14MHz |
CW |
The summer holidays from work had
just begun. Yet as early into them as Wednesday 25th July 2012 I was
repeating that familiar commute route. This is because following a
successful work experience placement, Liam now has some occasional
holiday voluntary work at an M.O.T. garage in Tunstall, and today
was one of those days. But could I think of anything to do
between dropping him off and picking him up? You bet!
I made my way to Gun G/SP-013, and
set up the groundplane 20m antenna close to the summit. I
'accidentally-on-purpose' let it slip that my summit was also valid
for the WFF awards - several times. Result? Pile-up
practice.
My four-and-a-half hour stay on summit was largely comfortable,
apart from the hayfever at the beginning, and midges at the end. I
could have done with some of that repellent brought up to Merryton
Low (contest site) by Mike 2O0YYY the previous night! In the end,
they won, and I scarpered.
I finished with 140 QSOs - 14 on 2m FM (including S2S with John
G1STQ/P on The Cloud G/SP-015), a rather
dismal 2 on 20m SSB, and 124 on 20m CW (including S2S with Aage
LA1ENA/P on Bltjnnfjell vest LA/TM-084). As the contacts
really started to thin out, and the midges were doing the opposite,
I decided it was time to go and pick Liam up and get home. Thanks
for all the calls.
|
DL2JRS |
20m |
CW |
|
S51RU |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1MNI |
20m |
CW |
|
HA7UG |
20m |
CW |
|
OM7DX |
20m |
CW |
|
OK2PAY |
20m |
CW |
|
HA6VH |
20m |
CW |
|
I5FLN |
20m |
CW |
|
UU2JQ |
20m |
CW |
|
EA1DR |
20m |
CW |
|
EA1DFP |
20m |
CW |
|
EA1EYG |
20m |
CW |
|
OZ4RT |
20m |
CW |
|
SP6CES |
20m |
CW |
|
R7NA |
20m |
CW |
|
OH1CM |
20m |
CW |
|
RA6AR |
20m |
CW |
|
YO3BAP |
20m |
CW |
|
RA1OD |
20m |
CW |
|
SP2AOB |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1CZ |
20m |
CW |
|
EA5YI |
20m |
CW |
|
OK2KR |
20m |
CW |
|
YO5AMF |
20m |
CW |
|
I0NNY |
20m |
CW |
|
9A2AA |
20m |
CW |
|
SQ9DH |
20m |
CW |
|
RA6HD |
20m |
CW |
|
DL2VPO |
20m |
CW |
|
OE6WIG |
20m |
CW |
|
IT9XUA |
20m |
CW |
|
HA4XG |
20m |
CW |
|
EA5GDW |
20m |
CW |
|
9A7W |
20m |
CW |
|
RG5A |
20m |
CW |
|
OM7OM |
20m |
CW |
|
US7LM |
20m |
CW |
|
R6AF |
20m |
CW |
|
9A1CCB |
20m |
CW |
|
DK5OZ/P |
20m |
CW |
|
OE1PEW |
20m |
CW |
|
IT9ELD |
20m |
CW |
|
UA4NBA |
20m |
CW |
|
LZ1BJ |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1BB |
20m |
CW |
|
SP8RHP |
20m |
CW |
|
YO3JW |
20m |
CW |
|
UX1IM |
20m |
CW |
|
OH2EI |
20m |
CW |
|
CN8GL |
20m |
CW |
|
S57J |
20m |
CW |
|
SP7AWG |
20m |
CW |
|
GM4FAM |
20m |
CW |
|
YU7EA |
20m |
CW |
|
F5IUZ |
20m |
CW |
|
S56VJM |
20m |
SSB |
|
M0VFR |
2m |
FM |
|
MW0RSV |
2m |
FM |
|
OK1DVM |
20m |
CW |
|
CT1BQH |
20m |
CW |
|
SP1DPA |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1DOL |
20m |
CW |
|
RU3QR |
20m |
CW |
|
OM1AX |
20m |
CW |
|
RX1CD |
20m |
CW |
|
LZ1GC |
20m |
CW |
|
OH6RP |
20m |
CW |
|
SM7GUY |
20m |
CW |
|
RV9DC |
20m |
CW |
|
RA3CQ |
20m |
CW |
|
G3WPF |
20m |
CW |
|
UA3CS |
20m |
CW |
|
HA2EOA |
20m |
CW |
|
DJ2PJ |
20m |
CW |
|
DL8YRM |
20m |
CW |
|
RK3DWA |
20m |
CW |
|
OM3YCA |
20m |
CW |
|
UX5VK |
20m |
CW |
|
RX3ABC |
20m |
CW |
|
RK3DAJ |
20m |
CW |
|
YO3RK |
20m |
CW |
|
SP9EWM |
20m |
CW |
|
OK2KJU |
20m |
CW |
|
G1STQ/P on The Cloud SP-015 |
2m |
FM |
|
G0SJS |
2m |
FM |
|
G0AKF |
2m |
FM |
|
2E0YYY |
2m |
FM |
|
2O0YYY |
2m |
FM |
|
M6MMM |
2m |
FM |
|
MO6MMM |
2m |
FM |
|
DL6UHA |
20m |
CW |
|
DL1DVE |
20m |
CW |
|
N4EX |
20m |
CW |
|
OE7PHI |
20m |
CW |
|
LA8BCA |
20m |
CW |
|
9A4W |
20m |
CW |
|
S59DXX |
20m |
CW |
|
I7PXV |
20m |
CW |
|
OE5FSL |
20m |
CW |
|
RA4WA |
20m |
CW |
|
HA8LNN |
20m |
CW |
|
IK3GES |
20m |
CW |
|
DL2DXA |
20m |
CW |
|
DJ5AV |
20m |
CW |
|
DL2NAI |
20m |
CW |
|
F8AAB |
20m |
CW |
|
IK0CHU |
20m |
CW |
|
LZ1HA |
20m |
CW |
|
DL0HTW |
20m |
CW |
|
UA9OGF |
20m |
CW |
|
DL1VJL |
20m |
CW |
|
RW6BX |
20m |
CW |
|
HA5KY |
20m |
CW |
|
S57EA |
20m |
CW |
|
F6HIA |
20m |
CW |
|
DJ3EF |
20m |
CW |
|
LA1ENA/P |
20m |
CW |
|
VE1WT |
20m |
CW |
|
OM7DX |
20m |
SSB |
|
MO3OUA |
2m |
FM |
|
M3XIE |
2m |
FM |
|
YO2AQO |
20m |
CW |
|
OH1CM |
20m |
CW |
|
OM3CFF |
20m |
CW |
|
SP6APD |
20m |
CW |
|
WA2HZR |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1GS |
20m |
CW |
|
2E0BKW |
20m |
CW |
|
I1YRL |
20m |
CW |
|
IZ6BTN |
20m |
CW |
|
HA3OD |
20m |
CW |
|
M0TUB |
20m |
CW |
|
SM4DIG |
20m |
CW |
|
SP3ZBY/1 |
20m |
CW |
|
DL2JRS |
20m |
CW |
|
DL4NBE |
20m |
CW |
|
OK2BWJ |
20m |
CW |
|
2E0BKW |
2m |
FM |
|
M1CNL |
2m |
FM |
|
G6MML |
2m |
FM |
Onto Wednesday 8th August
2012, and Liam was working at the garage in Tunstall again. This
left me with a few hours to kill on a beautiful day, while
remaining fairly local. I drove over Brown Edge and
Biddulph Moor to Gun G/SP-013. The decision was to go up just
with the 20m aerial, and to try some SSB when variation was
required. I also had the 2m FM handy as well of course.
It was a lovely day with bright sunshine and blue sky. There was
a gentle breeze which meant midges were kept away, although
there were a few flies when the wind dropped slightly. A steak
and gravy pie made for a pleasant lunch in the middle of the
day, but I should have taken more water with me!
The results were as follows:
20m CW: 144 QSOs, including 1 S2S
20m SSB: 65 QSOs, including 5 S2S
2m FM: 15 QSOs, including 4 S2S
Total: 224 QSOs, including 10 S2S
...not a bad six hours' work! Thanks for all the calls.
|
DL3HXX |
20m |
CW |
|
YO3RK |
20m |
CW |
|
F9XN/P |
20m |
CW |
|
F5SQA |
20m |
CW |
|
DJ5AV |
20m |
CW |
|
OM5LD |
20m |
CW |
|
F6CXJ |
20m |
CW |
|
OE6WIG |
20m |
CW |
|
OE8SPW |
20m |
CW |
|
DF5WA |
20m |
CW |
|
S52ON |
20m |
CW |
|
SP8RHP |
20m |
CW |
|
S51ZG |
20m |
CW |
|
HA7MW |
20m |
CW |
|
CT1BQH |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1FMG |
20m |
CW |
|
OM7OM |
20m |
CW |
|
R9AX |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1DVM |
20m |
CW |
|
DL5AMF |
20m |
CW |
|
DL7URB |
20m |
CW |
|
UU0JW |
20m |
CW |
|
UA3PF |
20m |
CW |
|
IK3DRO |
20m |
CW |
|
DL1VRL |
20m |
CW |
|
DL/HB9BIN/P on Schauinsland BW-008 |
20m |
CW |
|
DF6QB |
20m |
CW |
|
OM7DX |
20m |
CW |
|
F/E73CQ |
20m |
CW |
|
HA7UG |
20m |
CW |
|
I8/IZ2BKP |
20m |
CW |
|
LA8BCA |
20m |
CW |
|
I2CZQ |
20m |
CW |
|
R9XC |
20m |
CW |
|
EA5NZ |
20m |
CW |
|
IZ7CTE |
20m |
CW |
|
OM7AX |
20m |
CW |
|
LA9VDA |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1AL |
20m |
CW |
|
UU2JA |
20m |
CW |
|
S58AL |
20m |
CW |
|
UX1IM |
20m |
CW |
|
S51AP |
20m |
CW |
|
OH6NT |
20m |
CW |
|
I5JFG |
20m |
CW |
|
OH3GRB |
20m |
CW |
|
R6FS |
20m |
CW |
|
9A3AN |
20m |
CW |
|
YL2AG |
20m |
CW |
|
F6GLX |
20m |
CW |
|
UA1OJL |
20m |
CW |
|
DL3AMB |
20m |
CW |
|
ON4BB |
20m |
CW |
|
SP1DTQ |
20m |
CW |
|
IW1QEA/P |
20m |
SSB |
|
EI1NC/P |
20m |
SSB |
|
S57OWA |
20m |
SSB |
|
DJ5AV |
20m |
SSB |
|
CT2IWW |
20m |
SSB |
|
EI7JZ |
20m |
SSB |
|
DL2KAS |
20m |
SSB |
|
OE5WFN |
20m |
SSB |
|
UA1OJL |
20m |
SSB |
|
HA4XG |
20m |
SSB |
|
ON2LBT |
20m |
SSB |
|
S55KZ |
20m |
SSB |
|
ON4BAV |
20m |
SSB |
|
DL1EBR |
20m |
SSB |
|
I0SSW |
20m |
SSB |
|
2M0NCM |
20m |
SSB |
|
EA2DT |
20m |
SSB |
|
HB9TUL |
20m |
SSB |
|
ON3RAJ |
20m |
SSB |
|
G0RQL |
20m |
SSB |
|
DK2RMP |
20m |
SSB |
|
SM7LPY |
20m |
SSB |
|
LA8BCA |
20m |
SSB |
|
OK1GT |
20m |
CW |
|
S52CU |
20m |
CW |
|
IK8TEO |
20m |
CW |
|
M0OTE/M |
2m |
FM |
|
GW8NZN/P |
2m |
FM |
|
IZ5XCT/P |
20m |
SSB |
|
ON4CDX |
20m |
SSB |
|
EA7PY |
20m |
SSB |
|
OM3MB |
20m |
SSB |
|
IZ1UIA |
20m |
SSB |
|
I5FLN |
20m |
SSB |
|
9A3KS |
20m |
SSB |
|
SP2FCR |
20m |
SSB |
|
EA7KC |
20m |
SSB |
|
HB9AGH |
20m |
SSB |
|
9A2HF |
20m |
SSB |
|
SP2ORL |
20m |
SSB |
|
EA7HGX |
20m |
SSB |
|
ON5JK |
20m |
SSB |
|
F5XL |
20m |
SSB |
|
HG4GBX |
20m |
SSB |
|
M0RPF/M |
20m |
SSB |
|
PD1CW |
20m |
SSB |
|
DG2MEL/P on Jenner BG-062 |
20m |
SSB |
|
SV2KGA/P on Eresou Ipsoma MC-045 |
20m |
SSB |
|
M0ZTG/P on Old Man of Coniston LD-013 |
2m |
FM |
|
M0XOC |
2m |
FM |
|
MO0XOC |
2m |
FM |
|
G6HFF/P on Longridge Fell SP-014 |
2m |
FM |
|
DF6RI |
20m |
CW |
|
S58MU |
20m |
CW |
|
IK2XDE |
20m |
CW |
|
DJ2PJ |
20m |
CW |
|
IK2XDF |
20m |
CW |
|
DL4KUR |
20m |
CW |
|
RW0LIF/6 |
20m |
CW |
|
HA6NF |
20m |
CW |
|
DJ4OQ |
20m |
CW |
|
OH8LXT |
20m |
CW |
|
HA0LG |
20m |
CW |
|
SP5BWO |
20m |
CW |
|
HB9MKV |
20m |
CW |
|
OE3DHS |
20m |
CW |
|
HA8IE |
20m |
CW |
|
LY3BG |
20m |
CW |
|
HA0IS |
20m |
CW |
|
RO7M |
20m |
CW |
|
RV9DC |
20m |
CW |
|
HA7LJ |
20m |
CW |
|
VE2WFF |
20m |
CW |
|
IK1GPG |
20m |
CW |
|
YU1FW |
20m |
CW |
|
K2TQC |
20m |
CW |
|
YU1AM |
20m |
CW |
|
OK2BBQ |
20m |
CW |
|
S52KM |
20m |
CW |
|
DJ2CP |
20m |
CW |
|
S51GW |
20m |
CW |
|
SM7GUY |
20m |
CW |
|
YT5Z |
20m |
CW |
|
LA1ENA |
20m |
CW |
|
RL3DZ |
20m |
CW |
|
IZ1JMN |
20m |
CW |
|
UR5BV |
20m |
CW |
|
N4EX |
20m |
CW |
|
RX1AL |
20m |
CW |
|
DL5EBG |
20m |
CW |
|
EA5YI |
20m |
CW |
|
DL2NAI |
20m |
CW |
|
VE1AI |
20m |
CW |
|
R3BM |
20m |
CW |
|
OH6RP |
20m |
CW |
|
I5FLN |
20m |
CW |
|
YL2CA |
20m |
CW |
|
SE6Y |
20m |
CW |
|
RV3DBX |
20m |
CW |
|
YU7CQ |
20m |
CW |
|
IK3GER |
20m |
CW |
|
DL5AXJ |
20m |
CW |
|
RU4CS |
20m |
CW |
|
9A2QP |
20m |
CW |
|
UA1ABO |
20m |
CW |
|
S57U |
20m |
CW |
|
OM3MB |
20m |
CW |
|
RN7G |
20m |
CW |
|
OM3CND |
20m |
CW |
|
DK3HM |
20m |
CW |
|
IN3XUG |
20m |
SSB |
|
HA8IE |
20m |
SSB |
|
RV3ATS |
20m |
SSB |
|
SP9IEK |
20m |
SSB |
|
DL1ICB |
20m |
SSB |
|
DL7UWR/P |
20m |
SSB |
|
F1BLL |
20m |
SSB |
|
OH5ZZ |
20m |
SSB |
|
S56OA/P |
20m |
SSB |
|
I2AE |
20m |
SSB |
|
UA9LT |
20m |
SSB |
|
SP6FHU |
20m |
SSB |
|
SP/PA3FYG/P on Ochodzita BZ-051 |
20m |
SSB |
|
S55KM/P on Ulovka TK-028 |
20m |
SSB |
|
S55NM/P on Ulovka TK-028 |
20m |
SSB |
|
IK1GPG |
20m |
SSB |
|
EA4FJX |
20m |
SSB |
|
DL2KAS |
20m |
SSB |
|
SM5MEK |
20m |
SSB |
|
YU1FW |
20m |
SSB |
|
DL150BH |
20m |
SSB |
|
9A2AA |
20m |
SSB |
|
GO3UJE/P |
2m |
FM |
|
G8APB |
2m |
FM |
|
GW8NZN/P on Carnedd Llewelyn NW-002 |
2m |
FM |
|
G6MML/P on Longridge Fell SP-014 |
2m |
FM |
|
G0SJS |
2m |
FM |
|
M3OUA |
2m |
FM |
|
MO3OUA |
2m |
FM |
|
GO8MIA |
2m |
FM |
|
G4FPJ |
2m |
FM |
|
EA1DFP |
20m |
CW |
|
YL2IU |
20m |
CW |
|
OH2EI |
20m |
CW |
|
SP9BRP |
20m |
CW |
|
IZ5GRS |
20m |
CW |
|
EA3FAG |
20m |
CW |
|
SP9YCW |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1ASG |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1DG |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1DPU |
20m |
CW |
|
RN6MA |
20m |
CW |
|
RU3MT |
20m |
CW |
|
F6FNG |
20m |
CW |
|
RN7G |
20m |
CW |
|
RW6MBC |
20m |
CW |
|
UA1OLM |
20m |
CW |
|
DK3GG |
20m |
CW |
|
UT4WA |
20m |
CW |
|
OM3CFF |
20m |
CW |
|
4Z4DX |
20m |
CW |
|
RZ4LA |
20m |
CW |
|
I3VAD |
20m |
CW |
|
OM3CAZ |
20m |
CW |
|
R3QJ |
20m |
CW |
|
UR7ET |
20m |
CW |
|
US4IQ |
20m |
CW |
|
OM8RA |
20m |
CW |
|
UT1PO |
20m |
CW |
|
HA0HH/P |
20m |
CW |
So Friday 10th August 2012
saw Jimmy and I driving down the A523 Macclesfield to Leek
road for a SOTA evening out. During the drive, I chatted
with Sara M6NHA on 2m FM, and also worked Neil 2W0TDX/P on
Pen Llithrig y
Wrach GW/NW-013. Once at the parking spot for Gun
G/SP-013, Jimmy 2O0EYP/P and I both worked Karen 2W0XYL/P,
also on Pen
Llithrig y Wrach GW/NW-013. Soon on air was Greg
M0TXX/M, also driving up to the same parking spot. Jimmy and
I set off for the summit, while Greg waited for Roger M0GMG
and Roger G0BSU to arrive.
It was a beautiful warm summers evening, but without enough
breeze to keep the midges at bay. I took cover inside my
bothy bag to escape them, while Jimmy abandoned his station
to take a circular walk around the local PROWs. I had
started on 30m CW using the Rockmite and PP3, but struggled
to only two QSOs (MNI TNX DH8WE ES OE7PHI) in around 25
minutes. The FT-817 was brought in to replace the Rockmite,
and an updated self-spot was posted. Now things took off
with 16 QSOs in the next 18 minutes. Over on 2m FM,
Jimmy 2O0EYP/P recorded 9 QSOs, while on 6m, Roger M0GMG/P
made one on each of SSB and FM modes. Greg M0TXX/P made just
one contact on 40m SSB, and Roger G0BSU chose not to pollute
the fresh air with any further RF.
When I emerged from my bothy bag, I was pleased to note that
the breeze had stiffened, the sun was setting, and the
midges were gone. However, I was not so pleased with the
rapidly increasing noise floor, the frequent static crashes
and the sky turning a strange murky blue/grey colour over
The Roaches. Greg M0TXX/P said that he was also hearing the
increased noise and the static crashes, and it was generally
agreed that it was time to scarper.
Scarper we did, as far as the Fools Nook Inn on the A523
back to Macclesfield. We were joined there by Ray M1REK,
with the conversation centering on youth hostels of all
things. In keeping with Great Britain's excellent cycling
season, I enjoyed a pint of Pelaton Ale.
|
MW0TGT/A |
144MHz |
FM |
J |
|
MW0ARL |
144MHz |
FM |
J |
|
G0OXV |
144MHz |
FM |
J |
|
G8XYJ/P on Garway Hill WB-013 |
144MHz |
FM |
J |
|
2O0LKC |
144MHz |
FM |
J |
|
DH8WE |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
G7LAS |
144MHz |
FM |
J |
|
OE7PHI |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
M6PRR |
144MHz |
FM |
J |
|
M6SXI |
144MHz |
FM |
J |
|
DK6YM |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
HA7UG |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
OE3CHC |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
F5VGL |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
UA3YJC |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
ES4MM |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
UT2LF |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
S57DX |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
US3LX |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
DL6ATM |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
OK1DVM |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
LZ3SM |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
GO0VOF |
144MHz |
FM |
J |
|
DL6XAZ |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
LZ1CY |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
UT3IB |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
|
SP9CV |
10MHz |
CW |
T |
Yes, the bug had
definitely bitten! Friday 2nd November 2012 saw me
make another early get-up-and-out, and over to Gun
G/SP-013, hoping to take advantage of the fact that it
was also a WFF qualifying site (as GFF-014: Peak
District). Well, the WFF pile-up never found me - seems
they don't monitor the RBN, and no-one spotted me on the
DX Cluster.
I kicked off with a 10m SSB contact with SV0XCA/5 on
IOTA EU-001 Dodecanese Island, which was followed by
EY8AN (Tajikistan) on 10m CW. I was then into the usual
fayre of G, UR and RA stations on a mix of 10m CW and
SSB frequencies. Peter ZD7FT was heard calling
from St Helena Island, but sadly he didn't hear my
replies. I did add IT9 and YO to the 10m FM logbook
though, before wrapping up with a couple of 2m FM
contacts using the VX7R.
By this time, I was very cold and eager to walk back
down to the car for a warm up. I noted the campaign
poster attached to the trig point. It seems the plan is
not to install a wind turbine on Gun itself, but
somewhere on the line between Sutton Common (Croker
Hill) and Rainow. The poster was concerned about the
view from Gun being spoiled! Back in the warmth of
the car, I began to appreciate what a beautiful day it
was, and decided therefore to walk up
The Cloud G/SP-015 before
returning home.
|
SV0XCA |
10m |
SSB |
|
EY8AN |
10m |
CW |
|
M6BLV |
10m |
CW |
|
SV1KU |
10m |
CW |
|
G3KAF |
10m |
CW |
|
RZ3MM |
10m |
CW |
|
UK6AC |
10m |
CW |
|
G6ODU |
10m |
SSB |
|
RK3ER |
10m |
CW |
|
US8UX |
10m |
CW |
|
UY7LA |
10m |
CW |
|
G3XQE |
10m |
CW |
|
RU6CS |
10m |
CW |
|
RX6LG |
10m |
CW |
|
RN3DMB |
10m |
CW |
|
RX3DN |
10m |
SSB |
|
IT9JCB |
10m |
FM |
|
YO2BF |
10m |
FM |
|
M0WMD |
2m |
FM |
|
M0HFF |
2m |
FM |
Sunday 11th November 2012, and Richard
G3CWI, Jimmy 2E0EYP and Liam all joined me in the car to Gun G/SP-013.
Richard got out at the road junction before the parking spot in order to
have a longer walk in to his preferred activating spot by the wood. Jimmy,
Liam and myself parked in the usual place and walked along the increasingly
boggy track to the summit.
Richard activated on 40m CW in-between making equipment videos for his new
SOTAbeams webstore and Facebook page. Jimmy, as usual, was on 2m FM from the
handheld and SOTA Beam, while I took the MM15 to see if I could find a bit
more life on 21MHz CW.
I made 15 QSOs, which included three into
the USA, and a nice S2S with Rob G0PEB/P on Brighstone Down G/SE-012. The
plan then was to drive over to The Cloud G/SP-015 and have a quick walk up
that one. I intended switching to 10m. However, just as we parked up on
Cloudside, we had a call from Marianne saying that her car wouldn't start,
and she would need to borrow mine to go to work. Activation cancelled, and
even more devastatingly, post-activation beers and pork scratchings also
cancelled.
|
2E0LKC |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
2E0JKR |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G3TXH |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
2E0LMD |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M0HDE |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
US0UX |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
2E0XYL |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
W4ZV |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
2E0NVJ |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
HB9BIN |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
M3YFL |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
E74GZ |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
G4AZS |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G6LUZ |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G0PEB/P on
Brighstone Down SE-012 |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
N1FJ |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
DJ5AV |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
N3GJ |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
M6BLV |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M6AYW/P |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G4ZRP |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
SP9ODY |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
EA5YI |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
LZ1HA |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
M3XIE |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
LZ1GC |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
G0HIO |
15m |
CW |
T |
|
UU4JDD |
15m |
CW |
T |
Sunday 23rd December 2012, and the lads
and I dropped in on Gun G/SP-013 between a family Christmas present drop-off
in Congleton, and another in Flash. The path was waterlogged, hardly
surprising after the recent weather. As we approached the summit, the
top of a rucksack with a pole sticking out could be seen moving about above
the horizon. We did not catch up with this person, but a call from Jimmy's
handheld revealed the expected identity - Richard G3CWI. He had walked in
from Hen Cloud, and wandered back up to see us before finally setting off on
his return walk.
Jimmy, undertaking his first activation as M0HGY, made 6 QSOs on 2m FM. I
set up the 80m dipole for the first time in ages, but was soon reminded why
I don't use this band that often! The band was very busy, particularly on
the SSB section where getting a decent QRG was difficult. I made 7 contacts
on CW, and just 2 on SSB.
Jimmy and Liam had long since returned to the car by the time I was packing
up. I stood at the trig point ready to put a call out on 2m FM. However, my
VX7 would not switch on, despite the fact I had not used it since fully
recharging it a few days earlier. Looks like I'll need to replace the
battery!
Back in the mood, and back in the zone, I enthusiastically alerted for an
early morning Christmas Eve activation, despite the dismal weather forecast.
But then I woke up nearly four hours late for it!
|
G3CWI/P |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G0SJS |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
2E0LKC |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
2E0LMD |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M1CNL |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M3OUA |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
DL1DVE |
80m |
CW |
T |
|
G4WSX |
80m |
CW |
T |
|
DK7ZH |
80m |
CW |
T |
|
DJ5AV |
80m |
CW |
T |
|
G0RQL |
80m |
SSB |
T |
|
M0XSD |
80m |
SSB |
T |
|
PA0SKP |
80m |
CW |
T |
|
DF1OE |
80m |
CW |
T |
|
F8CZI |
80m |
CW |
T |
|
MW0IDX |
80m |
CW |
T |
|
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