Tom Read - click to email meBDXC ISWL WAB SOTA RSGB IOTA - see my radio page for more detailsLiam & Jimmy

Gun 2016

 

I went to bed nice and early after the New Year's Eve festivities at 0030 UTC, so I could get up at 0540z and make the most of the morning, which was forecast to be dry and fairly calm, albeit cold.

Gun summit, before daybreak on New Year's Day 2016        Trig point on Gun

The first port of call was Gun G/SP-013, which I did as a "raid" - 2m handheld in one coat pocket, logbook in the other, no mast, no separate antenna, no FT817 and no rucksack. Even at 0725 to 0730z on New Year's Day 2016 morning, even with a HT and rubber duck, I had four quick contacts into the log to qualify my first activator point of 2016. I walked back to my car by the light of my headtorch as it was still dark.  I then drove across to The Cloud G/SP-015.

Time

Call

Band

Mode

07:25z

M6OXO

144MHz

FM

07:27z

G0BSD

144MHz

FM

07:29z

G0OHY

144MHz

FM

07:30z

G4DEE

144MHz

FM

 

After Shining Tor G/SP-004 on Saturday 30th April 2016, Andy and I chatted on 2m FM as we drove over to the parking spot for Gun G/SP-013. I was surprised that my SatNav app took me down the A53 Leek road and back up through Meerbrook rather than my usual route through the Macclesfield Forest, but there you go, I must have been taking longer than I needed all these years!

Andy G6PJZ on Gun summit        Tom M1EYP

I didn't need the points from Gun, so left Andy to get his four on 2m FM. This was to be a quick "no setting up" HT type activation for us both. I grabbed 2 contacts just before descending, one each on 2m FM and 70cm FM.   Next was the quick 10 minute drive across the Dane Valley to The Cloud G/SP-015.

Time

Call

Band

Mode

15:41z

M1CUE

433MHz

FM

15:59z

2W0JYN

144MHz

FM

 

@!#%** cyclists. Don't like them myself.

It's the way they ride at a speed that is slow enough to hold me up when I'm driving, but too fast for me to easily complete a safe overtaking manoeuvre. Or when they ride two-abreast on a main road, especially on the bits with double white lines in the middle. Or that they ride six feet away from the left-hand edge of the carriageway when there's a perfectly good gutter for them to ride in. And don't even get me started on the wannabe Olympian holiday cyclists in Majorca.

And that's nothing compared to the mountain bikers that persist in churning up the paths on The Cloud G/SP-015, happily riding past and happily ignoring the National Trust signs that prohibit cycling on there. I mean, just how selfish can people be?

Now the Olympians themselves are OK. I don't mind them so much. I like the way they win lots of gold medals for Britain and give us some sporting pride, especially just after the national football team has performed to its usual tournament standard in a tournament. And how our boys keep winning the Tour de France. I think Kenya counts as "ours" doesn't it?  So with Mr Froome set to ride into Paris as the "le Tour" winner once again on Sunday 23rd July 2016, I thought I would bury the hatchet for one afternoon and support "SOTA Cycling Week". To do this, I piled all my gear and grown-up children into my Citroen Xsara Picasso and drove up to Gun G/SP-013 for a look at Richard G3CWI's bike.

Jimmy M0HGY & Richard G3CWI on a busy Gun summit        Liam

I arrived at a strangely deserted parking area just after 3pm local. It was no surprise that Richard's car wasn't there, but there were no other cars there either. Not even Mickey 2E0YYY's car. Unbelievable! I felt every one of my now 46 years on the long and gruelling ascent, with Jimmy disappearing into a dot on the horizon, and my failing to keep pace with Liam despite my very finest efforts.

Ton's antenna and activating spot    Richard G3CWI and his bike    Tom M1EYP - paella chef!

Richard had already finished his 2m FM activation and was sat by the trig point modelling his yellow cycling helmet and branded SOTAbeams cycling vest. Jimmy was delighted not to have any competition for VHF spectrum and made 9 contacts of his own on 2m FM. On 15m CW, I made 6 QSOs, mainly into central Europe.  I was tempted to stay longer with some very loud signals being heard on the PSK frequencies - and I had all the data kit with me. However, Richard's suggestion of beer at the Harrington Arms, Gawsworth won the day. We'd worked out that if we started packing up at the same time that Richard set off on his bike, that we'd arrive at the pub around a similar time. And we did, and enjoyed a couple of very welcome beers.

Richard, having established that Marianne was working a late shift, then managed to skilfully manipulate himself an invitation to dinner at EYP Towers. That necessitated a diversion to Big Sainsburys on the way home to get ingredients for my speciality - chicken, chorizo and squid paella. This had a cycling theme to it as well as a cyclist joined us to eat it. Apparently, sometimes cyclists in Spain eat it too.

So, there's my entry to the SOTAbeams SOTA Cycling Week activation report thing. I think it's a sure-fire winner myself - we took part in a SOTA Cycling Week activation, we had a look at a bike, we overtook two bikes on the roads, we took a photo of a bike and we fed a cyclist. #WINNER

Time

Call

Band

Mode

15:00z

OE6GND

21MHz

CW

15:01z

S57LC

21MHz

CW

15:02z

DL6AP

21MHz

CW

15:05z

OH2NOS

21MHz

CW

15:06z

DK3YD

21MHz

CW

15:07z

OM4WY

21MHz

CW


I returned home to collect the poles and radio bag after The Cloud G/SP-015 on 28th December 2016, but noticed that the kitchen was a tip. I decided that it would be "good form" to sort this out before Marianne got up out of bed, so I delayed going out again until after I had washed all the pots! Originally, Richard G3CWI had declined my joint activation invitation due to my early start. But with me unexpectedly being back in Macc, I sent him a message to update and inviting him to Gun. It was 9am, and Richard was now interested. This was good because he also had the information that there were tropo conditions on 2m. This meant that the 80m plan was deferred yet again, as 2m SSB was now the focus. We parked at the usual spot and walked up the boggy, partly frozen track to the summit. At the summit, up went the battered, bruised, used and abused SOTAbeams SB5 antenna. It might be showing evidence of wear and tear, but it still works!

Richard G3CWI        With Marianne on Eccles Pike

I operated on 2m SSB and made 14 QSOs. Conditions were good, particularly to the south, and signals from France, Guernsey, Cornwall, Devon and Surrey were all particularly strong. Locators worked were: IN78, IN88, IN89, IN98, IO70, IO73, IO81, IO82, IO83, IO91. Additionally, using the VX7R handheld, I worked Simon GW4TJC/P S2S on Y Lliwedd GW/NW-008 plus one other station. After a pint at the Harrington Arms, Gawsworth, it was back home to the family, then a drive up into Derbyshire to watch the sunset from the top of Eccles Pike (a HuMP) and some pub grub. A rather nice day in all respects.

Time

Call

Band

Mode

S2S

10:15z

F0DBU

144MHz

SSB

 

10:33z

GU6EFB

144MHz

SSB

 

10:38z

G4SJH

144MHz

SSB

 

10:40z

M0PNN

144MHz

SSB

 

10:42z

G0IUE

144MHz

SSB

 

10:47z

G4DPZ

144MHz

SSB

 

10:48z

G0RQL

144MHz

SSB

 

10:50z

F6CIU

144MHz

SSB

 

10:53z

M0WBG

144MHz

SSB

 

10:55z

MK0BKV

144MHz

SSB

 

10:56z

G8XYJ

144MHz

SSB

 

10:58z

G0LGS

144MHz

SSB

 

10:59z

G0VVE

144MHz

SSB

 

11:01z

MW0TTK

144MHz

SSB

 

11:04z

GW4TJC/P

433MHz

FM

GW/NW-008

11:09z

G3XEV

433MHz

FM

 

11:26z

F5CBU

144MHz

SSB