The Cloud 2010 (1)

I finally got up The Cloud G/SP-015 for the first time in 2010 on the morning of Friday 29th January. It was cold and slightly damp for the ascent by torchlight at 6.45am. On the summit, I set up the new 30m dipole, keen to sample propagation on that band in the morning greyline.

Only three stations were worked - one from Ukraine and two from Slovenia - although strong signals were heard elsewhere on the band. No doubt further experiments will continue as the greyline shifts earlier and I (hopefully) continue my habit of early-morning activating. It has been a difficult task to resume this habit!

So, the first 2010 activation of my favourite local lump has arrived, but alas, no point. Three QSOs was the lot. I did SWL HA7UL/P on HA/KM-029 on 40m CW, and then I tried to fire up the VX-7R for the customary departing call on 2m or 70cm FM. However, the handy was found to be completely out of charge! I guess I'll be back!

US7MM	30m	CW
S51ZG	30m	CW
S51RU	30m	CW

A point at last! Weirdly, Tuesday 9th February 2010 was only my second activation of The Cloud G/SP-015 in the year. Weirdly, my first activation yielded only three QSOs. But there wouldn't be a problem in reaching the quota in a Tuesday night activity contest. It was a clear and dry night, with only a slight breeze across the summit. Nonetheless, it was bitterly cold on the summit - about -2 degrees - and the bothy bag, the extra fleece and the flask of Lemsip were all welcome additions to the kit up there.

I was worried about the SOTA Beams 6 element 70cm beam. This was because of Jimmy leaving it too near to a storage heater causing the boom to bend out of shape, and the general pasting the elements have had in their lifetime, meaning that now some are slightly bent and some are loose in their centre housing. I think most of the damage has been done by heavy antenna falls on Tuesday nights, in winds so strong that I perhaps shouldn't have persisted in erecting the beam at 4m AGL!

Anyway, my fears were confirmed when the 817 indicated a less-than-satisfactory SWR. I have already bought a set of replacement 2m elements from Richard - I started to wonder about buying the rest of the aerial - the boom and the 70cm els!

Conditions were not good at all, with deep QSB throughout the night, but the DX was worked in phases. I got GD8EXI in IO74 Isle of Man and a couple down in JO01 square. Two GM stations were heard - but they didn't hear me, not even when they were operating in CW. I was about to complete with G3TA in JO00 square in CW near the end of the contest, when a local station started calling CQ very close by and obliterated any chance of getting the final report. Nothing was heard from GI, EI or the continent.

All in all, it was a decent night though. While conditions were poor, this was compensated by the continuing increase of activity in these VHF activity contests. I made 49 contacts by 10.30pm, a source for optimism for next month when more stations will be out, conditions will hopefully be better, and the elements on my aerial will be properly aligned. 45 were on SSB, 2 on FM and 2 on CW.

And I got my point for The Cloud! Interesting was the increasing number of stations using CW for all or part of the contest, as well as those "resorting" to it to communicate a report or locator through. Post-match drinkies was at the Harrington Arms in Gawsworth for a pint of some Robbies special edition ale or other, and a bag of Burts Firecracker Lobster chips. Nice to work a few SOTA chasers as well.

2E0BMO	70cm	SSB
G4CLA	70cm	SSB
M0OBW	70cm	SSB
G4SCY	70cm	SSB
M3ZPJ	70cm	SSB
2E0UOG	70cm	SSB
G1AEQ	70cm	SSB
G6HFF	70cm	SSB
M0ICK/P	70cm	SSB
G4GSB	70cm	SSB
2E0CNJ	70cm	SSB
G8ONK	70cm	SSB
G0WTM	70cm	SSB
G0WTD	70cm	SSB
G6GVI	70cm	SSB
M3EYP	70cm	SSB
G8OHM	70cm	SSB
M1DTJ/P	70cm	SSB
G0MRL	70cm	SSB
G4HGI	70cm	SSB
M0COP/P	70cm	SSB
G0XDI	70cm	SSB
G1SWH	70cm	SSB
2E0RXX/P	70cm	SSB
M0GIA/P	70cm	SSB
G8VHI	70cm	SSB
GD8EXI	70cm	SSB
G4DEZ	70cm	SSB
GW8ASD	70cm	SSB
G0CER	70cm	SSB
G0GWI	70cm	SSB
M5HFJ	70cm	SSB
G3WFK	70cm	SSB
G4AQB	70cm	SSB
G8ZRE	70cm	SSB
G4HSS	70cm	SSB
M0GMG/P	70cm	SSB
MW1FGQ	70cm	SSB
GW7AAU	70cm	FM
GW7AAV	70cm	FM
M0AFJ	70cm	SSB
G4APJ	70cm	SSB
G3SPJ	70cm	SSB
G0OWP	70cm	SSB
G0LGS	70cm	SSB
G3WPF	70cm	CW
G3YDY	70cm	SSB
G2ANC	70cm	SSB
M0GHZ	70cm	SSB

So many hobbies, or aspects of hobbies, including ours, are reported to show decline from once halcyon days. Not so the VHF contests in the UK. These have been growing impressively in terms of participation in recent years. And so the trend seems to have continued into 2010 with high numbers of stations QRV in the early 2m and 70cm activity contests of the year, despite the poor weather, and the fact that high participation levels were usually the preserve of the summer months. For February's 2m contest, various factors meant that I was 'grounded', but I was amazed to still amass 25 QSOs with a vertical antenna mounted just 1.5m above my garden!

But cometh Tuesday 2nd March 2010, and a proper outing for the 2m UKAC was on the cards. I charged up the headtorch batteries and set off for The Cloud G/SP-015. With my "Ye Olde Faithfulle" kit of FT-817, SOTA Beam and SLAB, I ascended the usual track, stairs and path, and wound my way up to the summit. As usual, the first task on summit was wind assessment and shelter selection. This time, the operating position would have to be under the trig point and facing west.

Everything was set, and I was inside the relative warmth of the bothy bag ready for kick-off at 8pm. And things did indeed go well. There was a huge amount of activity in the contest tonight, including more CW stations than I have ever heard in an Tuesday night contest before. Signals were good from JO01 and IO91, although some of the angles of incoming signals were confusing. This phenomenon was also reported by other contesters.

GI and EI were worked, as well as the usual G and GW. I was disappointed not to hear or work anything from GM, IO94 or IO84. But overall I could not complain, and the final serial number of 074 represented the most I have ever made in a UKAC (by some margin), the most I have ever made in any VHF contest and the most QSOs in a SOTA activation (both beating my Backpackers triumph on Gun G/SP-013 last year - by one!).

Due to the activity levels, and the need to be turning the beam rather frequently, I ended up outside of the bothy bag shelter for most of the night, which was bitterly cold. I was pleased to be back at the car after packing up and descending, and then also to enjoy the hospitality of the Harrington Arms, Gawsworth for a pint of decent ale and a pickled egg.

M0EMM	2m	SSB
G0LVH	2m	SSB
G3RLE	2m	SSB
GW4EVX	2m	SSB
G4AGE	2m	SSB
G4TGQ	2m	SSB
G0LMV/P	2m	SSB
M0ICK	2m	SSB
2E0CNJ/P	2m	SSB
G4CLA	2m	SSB
G2ANC	2m	SSB
G0MRL	2m	SSB
G4HGI	2m	SSB
GI4SNA	2m	SSB
G0AFH	2m	SSB
G3RIR	2m	SSB
M3OUA	2m	SSB
M1MHZ	2m	SSB
G1SWH	2m	SSB
M1DTJ/P	2m	SSB
G7HOA/P	2m	SSB
G4ARI	2m	SSB
G8ZRE	2m	SSB
2E0JZK/P	2m	SSB
2E0TGS	2m	SSB
EI3GE	2m	SSB
G8ONK	2m	SSB
G3WFK	2m	SSB
GW8ASD	2m	SSB
G0WTM	2m	SSB
G0BSU/P	2m	SSB
G4GSB	2m	SSB
M3EYP	2m	SSB
G4WDL	2m	SSB
G3NNG	2m	SSB
M0COP/P	2m	SSB
G8VHI	2m	SSB
G4ODA	2m	SSB
G8SRS	2m	SSB
G4FOH	2m	SSB
M0NUT/P	2m	SSB
G8EKG	2m	SSB
G6HFF	2m	SSB
M1CNY	2m	SSB
G4XPE	2m	SSB
2E0BMO	2m	SSB
G4MVU	2m	SSB
G0LGS	2m	SSB
2E0UOG	2m	SSB
M0RSD	2m	SSB
M6LGJ	2m	SSB
G0WTD	2m	SSB
G0TRB	2m	SSB
G3XNO	2m	SSB
G0VJG/P	2m	SSB
G3TCU	2m	SSB
G6GVI	2m	SSB
G4IRC	2m	SSB
G4DEZ	2m	SSB
2E0NEY	2m	SSB
MX0NAR	2m	FM
2E0MAS	2m	FM
MI0SMK/P	2m	SSB
G0CER	2m	SSB
M0AFJ	2m	SSB
G3WPF	2m	CW
M3ZPJ	2m	SSB
G0GWI	2m	SSB
M0MAT	2m	SSB
G0TPH	2m	SSB
G0XDI	2m	SSB
G3ZVW	2m	SSB
2E0MWB/P	2m	SSB
G2BQY/P	2m	SSB

An early finish on Wednesday 3rd March 2010, and no prospect of a game of squash with any of my colleagues, I decided to do a bit of 40m for a change. Although this was my "weapon of choice" in much of 2009, it hadn't got an outing this term due to my pursuit of DXCCs on 80m and 30m for the G3WGV UK CW Table.

It was a lovely afternoon, clear, bright and cold. I was at the Cloudside parking spot by 3.45pm and on summit a little over ten minutes later. By 4.12pm, I was making my first QSO on a very busy 40m band, which seemed to have a DX station running on 7.032MHz. I ended up on 7.0311MHz, where I was found by the SOTA chasers, including Aage LA1ENA who kindly posted the spot.

I had agreed to pick up a mate in Congleton at 5.15pm, so I went QRT after 20 QSOs at 4.50pm, after a speculative call on 15m CW. A pleasant little afternoon activation, and I am certainly getting the taste for them again.

GM0HKS	40m	CW
DL2EF	40m	CW
LA1ENA	40m	CW
OK1ZE	40m	CW
LA8BCA	40m	CW
G6LUG	40m	CW
G3WPF	40m	CW
G0NUP	40m	CW
DL2VTA	40m	CW
G4OBK	40m	CW
HA5MA	40m	CW
HA7UG	40m	CW
G8MIA	40m	CW
G4OWG	40m	CW
G3NYY	40m	CW
PA0WLB	40m	CW
HA7UL	40m	CW
UA3YJC	40m	CW
M0GIA	40m	CW
G0BPU	40m	CW

What a lovely day! Thursday 4th March 2010, and the sun was shining again. It was clear and bright again. But not cold - lovely.

A stressful afternoon at work made me decide to get on the hill again on my way home. The root of that stress caused a slight delay in my departure, compounded by the dire need to fill up with diesel, and then the road to Cloudside being blocked by tree workers. After a short diversion, I was taking the last place in the small parking area, and walking just before 4pm.

Again, I decided to use 40m CW. Yesterday saw my flow interrupted by lots of passers-by wanting to know what I was doing. Today was no exception, but I managed to keep QSOs going while fielding the never ending streams of questions from Joe and Jane Public. Yesterday I just gave up a couple of times and just sent 'QRX', prioritising the courtesy to Joe and Jane rather than the SOTA chasers - who to be fair were very understanding.

The flow was better today, and I worked through a pleasant pile up of 31 stations in relatively short time, kicking off with a S2S with Walt G3NYY/P on Hegdon Hill G/WB-023. I was pleased to be called by the nervous fist of Sean M0GIA again, who is surely pushing on his CW progress now by communicating with activators rather than tutor recordings! Many thanks to all of the 31 callers; I really enjoyed it today.

G3NYY/P on Hegdon Hill WB-023	40m	CW
G6LUG	40m	CW
PA0FBI	40m	CW
IK/OE7PHI	40m	CW
G3WPF	40m	CW
SP3GVX	40m	CW
G4RQJ	40m	CW
I2CZQ	40m	CW
F5SQA	40m	CW
OE6WIG	40m	CW
ON4CAP	40m	CW
DL1FU	40m	CW
G0TDM	40m	CW
DL4FDM	40m	CW
LA1ENA	40m	CW
DF5WA	40m	CW
G3TJE	40m	CW
DL2EF	40m	CW
F6CEL	40m	CW
9A7W	40m	CW
M0GIA	40m	CW
IK3GER	40m	CW
G4SSH/A	40m	CW
G0BPU	40m	CW
LA8BCA	40m	CW
9A4MF	40m	CW
DJ5AV	40m	CW
ON4UP	40m	CW
GI4FLG	40m	CW
S51ZG	40m	CW
HA5MA	40m	CW

Saturday 6th March 2010, and five hours to kill in Congleton between dropping Liam off at an activity and picking him up again. What could Jimmy and I possibly do with the time, especially with home being "out of bounds" while Marianne rested ahead of a night-shift? As if you don't know...

Various gaffes and delays meant that we weren't QRV until well past 12 o'clock, despite my alert for 1130z. Having said that, I managed to post the alert for 6th April rather than March anyway, so it wouldn't have made any difference!

Jimmy did some 2m FM using the VX-110 handheld and SOTA Beam, while I played HF CW using the 40m dipole for 40m and 15m, and 30m. 40m was great with a big pile-up and 18 stations worked in 16 minutes. Although 15m was open, only Reg G3WPF worked me on that band, but 30m eventually got going after a painfully slow start and 14 stations were worked here. Thanks to Roy G4SSH for the dial-a-spot.

Jimmy got a S2S with Pete M0COP/P who was on Titterstone Clee Hill G/WB-004. I got stuck into the picnic kindly prepared by Marianne as a pleasant diversion from the soup. Finally, after packing most of the gear away, the VX-7R handheld brought a 2m S2S with Paul 2E0FPC/P who was using a SOTA Beams MFD on Gun G/SP-013, and then a couple of regulars (who happen to be married to each other) on 70cm FM. No prizes! Thanks for all the calls.

OK1CZ	40m	CW	T
SM1CXE	40m	CW	T
HB9CGA	40m	CW	T
G4OWG	40m	CW	T
DL3JPN	40m	CW	T
G4WSX	40m	CW	T
S51ZG	40m	CW	T
DL6KVA	40m	CW	T
G0TDM	40m	CW	T
DF5WA	40m	CW	T
G4SSH	40m	CW	T
DL2EF	40m	CW	T
G4OBK	40m	CW	T
G0NUP	40m	CW	T
DL4FDM	40m	CW	T
HA5MA	40m	CW	T
G0UCP	40m	CW	T
DJ5AV	40m	CW	T
M1DTJ/M	2m	FM	J
G0DBE	2m	FM	J
M0SGB/M	2m	FM	J
M6SOA/M	2m	FM	J
M0COP/P on Titterstone Clee Hill WB-004	2m	FM	J
G3WPF	15m	CW	T
OH3GZ	30m	CW	T
OK1FLK	30m	CW	T
HB9DNB	30m	CW	T
LA1ENA	30m	CW	T
DR888PL	30m	CW	T
DL2DXA	30m	CW	T
DL3EEE	30m	CW	T
HB9CGA	30m	CW	T
DJ0FX	30m	CW	T
HB9AGO	30m	CW	T
SM0GNS	30m	CW	T
DL9PT	30m	CW	T
DF1CZ	30m	CW	T
DL/OE6BVG/P	30m	CW	T
2E0FPC/P on Gun SP-013	2m	FM	J, T
GW7AAU	70cm	FM	T
GW7AAV	70cm	FM	T

Tuesday 9th March 2010, and 70cm activity contest night. Therefore no "will I won't I" type anxiety - 70cms is the strongest UKAC discipline in the Macclesfield & DRS contest group, and so members are expected to be participating!

Despite having charged all my batteries prior to setting off, my headtorch wouldn't turn on as I kitted up at Cloudside. I unscrewed the cover and found that three of the four batteries were loose. Using some small keys on my keyring, I prised out the coils in the battery compartment, so that they would apply more force onto the batteries. Everything then worked fine.

This did put me a little behind schedule though, and by the time I was on summit and fully set up, it was turned a quarter past eight. Thereafter it was business as usual, and an enjoyable albeit cold two and a half hours in the 70cm activity contest. Squares worked were: G: JO01, JO02, IO92, IO93, IO81, IO82, IO83; GW: IO83; GI: IO64, IO74; GD: IO74; GM: IO75. The DXCC of GM nearly escaped me until I heard a weak CW call after 10pm. I was able to complete with GM4CXM on the paddle, which was pleasing as I hadn't heard anything from GM all night on phone. Indeed, this contact was my ODX at 339km. The final total was 55 QSOs.

The Harrington Arms at Gawsworth, a pint of Dragons Fire ale and bag of crisps concluded my evening out in what is becoming the traditional style! Many thanks to any SOTA chasers that worked me.

M0OBW	70cm	SSB
2E0CNJ/P	70cm	SSB
G8ONK	70cm	SSB
G0NAJ	70cm	SSB
G6GVI	70cm	SSB
M3EYP	70cm	SSB
M0PAI	70cm	SSB
G6HFF	70cm	SSB
M3SMK	70cm	SSB
M5HFJ	70cm	SSB
M0GMG/P	70cm	SSB
2E0MWB/P	70cm	SSB
G4ZAJ	70cm	SSB
G4CLA	70cm	SSB
GW8ASD	70cm	SSB
G0CER	70cm	SSB
GW4EVX	70cm	SSB
GD8EXI	70cm	SSB
G8OHM	70cm	SSB
M1DTJ/P	70cm	SSB
M0ICK/P	70cm	SSB
GI6ATZ	70cm	SSB
G2ANC	70cm	SSB
GI4SNA	70cm	SSB
G8ZRE	70cm	SSB
G3WFK	70cm	SSB
2E0UAC	70cm	SSB
G4HGI	70cm	SSB
G4APJ	70cm	SSB
G0MRL	70cm	SSB
2E0XOJ	70cm	SSB
G0LGS/P	70cm	SSB
M0GIA/P	70cm	SSB
2E0RXX/P	70cm	SSB
G3WGU	70cm	SSB
M0COP/P	70cm	SSB
G4MVU	70cm	SSB
G0GWI	70cm	SSB
M3ZPJ	70cm	SSB
G0WTD	70cm	SSB
M3LQY	70cm	SSB
G4AQB	70cm	SSB
G6SPG	70cm	SSB
G8VHI	70cm	SSB
G4HYG	70cm	SSB
2E0BMO	70cm	SSB
M3OUA	70cm	FM
M1MHZ	70cm	SSB
G1HLT	70cm	SSB
G3SCY	70cm	SSB
G3XAN	70cm	SSB
GM4CXM	70cm	CW
G3SPJ	70cm	SSB
G1AEQ	70cm	SSB
G0AJJ	70cm	SSB

My 900th activation in SOTA was an "on the way home from work" effort, and saw the first outing of the Magic Moggy 20m vertical antenna in 2010. At 3.50pm on Thursday 11th March 2010, I was parking on Cloudside and removing the 70cm beam kit from my rucksack, replacing it with the MM20. On a mild and calm afternoon, I walked up the hill without donning my fleecy hat. It was donned on the summit though, which was that bit chillier in slight breeze.

20m was busy as I turned my FT-817 on, but a clear QRG was found at 14.012MHz, close enough to my alerted 14.013MHz. Unfortunately, I had allowed my phone to go out of charge, so couldn't advise the exact QRG via Spotlite. Results were good though, with QSOs into Hungary, Russia, USA (Illinois) and Canada.

A rare dabble with the VX-7R brought in a couple of Macclesfield stations on 2m FM, followed by three from all over the North West (Bury, Tarporley and Connahs Quay) on 70cm FM. A final fling on 20m CW produced RU3AM, following which I went QRT. Here's to the next 100.

RA3DUO	20m	CW
HA5KFV	20m	CW
W9OA	20m	CW
UA3DGA	20m	CW
VE1WT	20m	CW
G3VKF	2m	FM
G4FPJ	2m	FM
G6DEG	70cm	FM
2E0RJM	70cm	FM
GW7AAV	70cm	FM
RU3AM	20m	CW

The cottage being renovated on Cloudside Another view

Monday 15th March 2010 brought the next opportunity to play 20m from The Cloud, on my way home from work. This time I remembered my camera; I kept forgetting that this 2010 year page for this summit hadn't yet been illustrated with any photos! A nifty "getaway" from work meant that I was on Cloudside by 3.40pm, and on summit before 4pm. The photo snapping slowed me down a little bit, but not as much as my repeated attempts to erected the 20m vertical "Magic Moggy" antenna on the fully extended fishing pole in strong wind on summit!

Cleared pathway to the cottage Stairway up the first part of the ascent Entry onto the National Trust land

This way please... On summit, just about to activate

When I was QRV, I worked Reg G3WPF on 14.012MHz CW, who kindly spotted me, but immediately a strong station took over my QRG. Hence I put Andy MM0FMF's new SMS SOTA Spot Bot to work and informed of my QSY to 14.017MHz CW. This frequency was soon plagued by QRM as well, but I stuck it out for a while. When the QRG became unworkable, I moved again to 14.025MHz CW, and again enjoyed the convenience of not having to establish whether WAP / GPRS was working or not.

Climbing the path to the summit Final approach 20m Magic Moggy aerial wilting in the wind

The nice thing about 20m is that you get a healthy mixture of known SOTA chasers, and other non-SOTA stations that just want to work you. It seems that on 80m, 40m and 30m (as well as on VHF), the vast majority of callers are SOTA chasers, but on 20m anyone will work you if they hear you! Today I added many DXCCs for the first time in 2010 for 20m CW, including EU (Belarus), YU (Serbia) and OM (Slovakia). The best DX was VE2 (Canada), but the most satisfying QSO was IS0 (Sardinia).

...and here we are! Tom M1EYP/P just prior to going QRT

Many thanks to all the following stations:

G3WPF	20m	CW
OE6WIG	20m	CW
HA5AZC	20m	CW
YU7EA	20m	CW
OM3LS	20m	CW
DJ5AV	20m	CW
UT4WA	20m	CW
SP9FV	20m	CW
G7SKR	20m	CW
HA5CW	20m	CW
OK2EI	20m	CW
IS0LYN	20m	CW
HA2SG	20m	CW
HA5LV	20m	CW
VE2JCW	20m	CW
S51ZG	20m	CW
EU3LA	20m	CW
ON4BB	20m	CW
OE1KLW	20m	CW

On Thursday 18th March 2010, another after-school opportunity window arose, with a gap between finishing work and picking up a mate in Congleton. So what band did I fancy today? I decided to return to the 30m dipole I made recently with Sean M0GIA.

At the start of my walk, I chatted with a descending couple about the cottage being renovated near Cloudside. We speculated as to whether it would be a residence or a cafe, but neither of us had a clue. Continuing the ascent, the wind was strong but it wasn't too cold. The rain was no more than intermittent very light spats that didn't even merit use of waterproofs - more of an occasional refreshing spray really.

QRV on 30m CW, I worked 22 QSOs into 11 DXCCs: OE, HB, LA, SM, F, DL, RA, OK, G, S5, I and EU. The wind got so strong at one point that it blew the pole right over, pushing its base skidding across the summit! Just prior to descent, 2m and 70cm FM (handheld style) brought two more contacts each. All in all, quite a satisfying little sorte; many thanks to all callers:

OE7PHI	30m	CW
HB9BIN	30m	CW
OE6WIG	30m	CW
LA1ENA	30m	CW
SM0GNS	30m	CW
SM7GUY	30m	CW
F5PLC	30m	CW
LA4NE	30m	CW
SM4Q	30m	CW
DF5WA	30m	CW
HB9MKV	30m	CW
DL2RSH	30m	CW
DF8NUH	30m	CW
RV4CO	30m	CW
OK1DX	30m	CW
G4ELZ	30m	CW
S58MU	30m	CW
G3WPF	30m	CW
HB9CEX	30m	CW
DL2VC	30m	CW
I1ULJ	30m	CW
EV6DX	30m	CW
GW7AAV	70cm	FM
G6GVI	70cm	FM
MW6CSS	2m	FM
M3OUA	2m	FM

I made 28 QSOs on 30m CW from The Cloud on Thursday 25th March 2010. Noticing that the SWR was reasonable on 10m, when using the 30m dipole, I opened up with a few calls on 28.008MHz CW, but unsurprisingly they weren't answered. No other activity was heard on the band. It was a pleasant walk up from Cloudside, but I was aware from the earlier forecast that the rain was coming. Throughout my activation I watched it edge closer from the south, tracking its progress along the ridge from Mow Cop.

Setting up the 30m dipole Antenna set up and ready to go

The summit was busy with plenty of walkers, all interested in my activity. I had to politely correct several people who uttered the letters 'C' and 'B' at me. Some hikers were interested enough to take several photographs of my antenna before handing the camera to me to snap them at the trig point. One of them shared the surname 'Read' with me, and we exchanged emails. Thanks to Martin Read for sending these photos through for me to use on the site.

About to start activating The other hikers I met on summit

The rain started just as I was packing up, but wasn't heavy enough to trouble me on the descent. An enjoyable activation, and 30m was nice and busy on my frequency, not only with chasers but with a QRMer as well. I'll certainly accept that as a gesture of respect! Countries worked were G, EA, LA, SM, DL, F, HB, OE, OK, OM, SP, Z3, RA, S5, 9A, I. From Reg to Russia - not a bad 45 minutes' work! Thanks for all the calls.

LA1ENA	30m	CW
G3WPK	30m	CW
DJ5AA	30m	CW
S51ZG	30m	CW
SP6LK	30m	CW
9A7W	30m	CW
Z31CZ	30m	CW
DL3BRA	30m	CW
OM3BT	30m	CW
F5PLC	30m	CW
9A4MF	30m	CW
RW6CW	30m	CW
OE6WIG	30m	CW
SM7GUY	30m	CW
9A2AP	30m	CW
EA1FAE	30m	CW
HB9AAQ	30m	CW
DL6ATM	30m	CW
OK1AMM	30m	CW
IK/OE7PHI	30m	CW
SM0GNS	30m	CW
UA3DGA	30m	CW
HB9BIN	30m	CW
G4ELZ	30m	CW
DL7VKD	30m	CW
OM1DM	30m	CW
F8FKK	30m	CW
OE5WLL	30m	CW

Saturday 27th March 2010, and I happened to be driving along the A54 in between dropping Liam off in Congleton and picking Jimmy up in Macclesfield. No-one told me that working for Dad's Taxis invoked a seven day contract - and that it would a sorry loss as business ventures go. Anyway, back to topic, I was driving along and happened to glance up at the skyline - which was sunny and blue, with the distinct western prospect of The Cloud cutting an impressive polygon against it. I couldn't resist.

Cloudside was busy as expected, but I got a spot to park the car and headed up the track. I carried nothing - other than a pencil, piece of paper and a VHF hand-portable stuffed into my coat pocket. First to answer the call on 2m FM were the AAV family en route to holiday in DC and SC land. In between Mr AAV and Mrs AAU was newly licensed daughter Caroline - so adding callsign M6CLF/M was a highlight of the activation.

Four other North-West based stations were worked on 2m FM, in the middle of which a couple approached the summit with the chap carrying a pole. It was Tony 2E0LAE and XYL Elaine. After a brief natter while Tony was completing setting up, I headed off down to the car, where I worked Tony on his 2m SSB frequency. A nice sunny day; thanks to the following stations:

G7AAV/M	2m	FM
M6CLF/M	2m	FM
G7AAU/M	2m	FM
G6TET	2m	FM
G4VXW	2m	FM
2E0VFR	2m	FM
M0TXR	2m	FM

I haven't been doing early-bird activations of The Cloud on my way to work for some time. This is because a mate of mine in Macc got a placement in Congleton as part of the final year in his social work degree, and asked me for a lift in every morning. As obsessive and ritualistic as I am, even I couldn't turn a mate down, or impose the condition that he had to go for a walk on the way! But his placement has finished as of 29th March, so on Tuesday 30th March 2010 I planned to rise with my alarm at 5.45am BST and go out for a dawn stroll and a play on 20m. As it was, I was awake, Gerald-fashion, at 5.15am, so cancelled the alarm clock settings so as not to disturb the rest of the family who had all already finished for the Easter holidays.

I made myself a cup of tea and a microwaved Ginsters Cornish pastie for a pleasant breakfast while watching the early BBC news. The it was the familiar drive through the dull misty lanes as day was breaking over East Cheshire. I may have still been asleep mentally, because I arrived at the trig point but had barely noticed the walk! The thick clag was morphing into very light drizzle as I set up the MM20, and hunkered down beneath the topograph in shelter of the wind.

I was QRV on 14.015MHz CW, with a self-spot, at 0555z, but business was slow. Things moved along gradually with six Ukrainian stations and three Russians calling in. Eventually, around 7.30am local, the first non-UR/RA of the day - YO2BF - was worked, followed by the one and only known SOTA chaser that called in. This was HA7UG. It was nearly time to pack away, but not before a highlight with which to end the activation, with station 4K4K (Azerbaijan) worked.

I nearly unleashed the handheld after packing away, but time was marching on and the rain was getting heavier. As such, I decided to descend and go to work! Many thanks to all callers (although there is probably a maximum of one of them reading this hi!).

UT1AA	20m	CW
RU3FW	20m	CW
UT3IV	20m	CW
UR5FH	20m	CW
UU9JFT	20m	CW
RD3ACR	20m	CW
RA6LF	20m	CW
UX3HX	20m	CW
YO2BF	20m	CW
UT5UX	20m	CW
HA7UG	20m	CW
4K4K	20m	CW

Wednesday 31st March 2010 and it was another early rise for another early activation. After the alarm went off at 5.45am local, I was in the car by 6am and switching between 106.1 Rock Radio (Manchester) and 909 BBC Radio 5 Live. At 6.30am I was ascending up The Cloud G/SP-015 in rather heavy snow, and by 6.50am I was set up and calling CQ.

I conducted the entire activation in the warmth and comfort of the bothy bag. As well as the snow and sleet, there was a sharp breeze with an icy bite across the summit. Inside the bothy bag, I was warm and oblivious to all the outside weather, and set for a comfy cosy activation!

7.032MHz CW began promisingly with 11 contacts and 8 DXCCs worked between 0550 and 0611. However, after then things were very quiet. A self-spotted attempt on 7.155MHz SSB came to nought other than an Italian station calling blindly - and a German station pointing that fact out to him! Neither worked me.

Returning to 7.032MHz CW, DL6UNF was added to the log, but that was the lot for today. I soon realised the incredible benefit of the bothy bag as I completed packing away, and I rediscovered just how cold and damp it was outside. DXCCs worked today were DL, ES, HA, I, OM, S5, SM and SP. Thanks to all callers.

SP6LK	40m	CW
HA7UG	40m	CW
SM5AKU	40m	CW
HA0HW	40m	CW
DL8UP	40m	CW
OM3LL	40m	CW
OM1AX	40m	CW
HA0LG	40m	CW
ES1IP	40m	CW
IK3OGN	40m	CW
S51ZG	40m	CW
DL6UNF	40m	CW

Thursday 1st April 2010, and I eventually felt like the fool on the hill. It started as a good morning though. Everything went to plan - the alarm, the 5.45am get up, the bowl of cereal with a taste of honey, the outward drive, the ascent and the set up. My fitness is definitely getting better. Even the weather was dry. It was bitterly cold though, so again I deployed the bothy bag on Cloud summit. In fact I couldn't wait to get inside it and warm up!

I was about to be QRV on 30m CW at 0550z (6.50am local), but noticed the high SWR. Checking all the usual things like which antenna connection I was set to and which band I had selected just confirmed that my station was configured correctly. Something was amiss though, and further experimentation indicated that resonance was somewhere nearer to the 40m band.

It was far too cold to be inspecting and maybe repairing the antenna, so I tried a speculative self-spot for 7.032MHz CW and called CQ. A reply came from F6CXJ and I wondered if I would get back to him, but good reports were exchanged both ways. That was the lot though, and it was obvious that while a QSO was possible on 40m, the system wasn't hearing much and probably wasn't putting much out. It wasn't the best day in the life of the new dipole, which had been faultless until now.

No chance of my logbook being back in the USSR now, so I resorted to the handheld. Calls on 2m FM were unanswered, but admittedly these were from my sitting position inside the bothy bag! So, the end, and because I packed away early, I had some extra slack time which I put to good use by calling at Pittshill Oatcakes and picking up a bacon, sausage, mushroom and cheese double oatcake for breakfast - delicious! I thanked the girl in the shop as I saw her standing there, and completed my commute down the long and winding road to Tunstall.

Closer inspection revealed no obvious problems with the antenna, so I'll have a proper look when Sean M0GIA has the time to help. I'll drop him an email when I get home. I'm sure we can work it out. Being embarrassingly clumsy, I only undertake such tasks with a little help from my friends. You won't see me using a soldering iron! (There's 18 to find if you're interested!). Here's the one contact I made!

F6CXJ

40m

Grrr. Richard's quote in the pub afterwards was "I made way more than that on 2m" when I mentioned my decidedly mediocre 15 QSOs on 40m. So 3 = "way more" these days. Furthermore, while I was kicking myself for not availing myself of the information that 40m was not in good shape, it transpired that Richard already knew, yet failed to disseminate while I was umming and arring between 20m and 40m in the car.

I got my own back later though. I was telling Richard how Marianne picked 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th out of five bets on last year's Grand National. He assured me that we wouldn't pick the winner again, and placed a £10 wager to that effect. However, we both did (grateful thanks to Don't Push It + A P McCoy, backed at 22/1 even though its SP came in to 10/1), and are about to spend a modest portion of our £90 profit on a Weston Balti Raj take-away for tea!

Liam was at his youth group in Congleton on Saturday 10th April 2010, which gave me a 3.5 hour window to fill in the area. On a gorgeous day, surely the best of the year so far, Richard and I ascended The Cloud G/SP-015 from Cloudside and set up our stations. I took the 40m dipole, thinking that it would give me a 15m option on this JA contest day (yeah yeah I know) while Richard went for 2m multimode using his MFD. And multimode indeed, for I understand he used FM, SSB and CW during his activation.

As mentioned, 40m was in poor shape and I limped along to 15 QSOs in well over an hour's operating. There was a S2S involved at least with Bob F5HTR/P on F/AM-442. The QSY to 15m found the band to be closed - disappointing as it often cooperatively opens when there is a contest on ;)

I had been disheartened on the earlier ascent with the amount of litter seen around the summit area, so on packing away, I left out the carrier bag I had brought my egg mayonaise and tomato sandwiches in. Into this went every bit of litter I saw from the summit down to the staircase, until my eyes had become more trained and I was noticing more and more of the disgusting stuff down the side of the hill. Maybe another time for a clean up there - yuk! This hill is fantastic, especially on a cracker of a day like today; why do people have to spoil it?

There was a bit of time left before Liam was due to be collected in Congleton, so Richard and I stopped by the Coach & Horses in Timbersbrook for a spot of lunch, and pulled a couple of Dizzy Blondes while we were at it.

9A7W	40m	CW
DF5WA	40m	CW
ON7RN	40m	CW
S51ZG	40m	CW
F5HTR/P on Montagne de l'Ubac AM-442	40m	CW
DL5ZG	40m	CW
M0GIA	40m	CW
F5AKL	40m	CW
HB9CGA	40m	CW
SM1CXE	40m	CW
I2CZQ	40m	CW
OK1DWF	40m	CW
DL3JPN	40m	CW
DL6KVA	40m	CW
DL1EKO	40m	CW

I was eagerly anticipating my Cloud activation on the evening of Tuesday 13th April 2010. I had the opportunity to be on summit a little earlier, with easier set-up due to the extra daylight. I even thought I would due some 80m CW before and after the 70cm RSGB contest, so added the necessary gear to the pack.

Courtesy of the two walking poles that I would have used to support the ends of the 80m dipole, I was approaching the summit in double-quick time after a fast march up the steps. But then I realised that my 70cm elements were in the shack at home! Drat. So what did I do? I descended, dumped the 80m gear in the car with that idea quashed, and drove back home. Picked up the eles and drove back to Cloudside. A second ascent of the evening brought me onto the summit for about five minutes before the contest.

This was when I realised that the guy strings for the SOTA pole should have had some untangling attention since Jimmy used them on Billinge Hill. This took some time and delayed things further, but I was eventually on air - with good flat SWR (thanks for the temporary loan of the feeder Richard) - by 8.21pm local.

Conditions were a bit weird with stations loud and clear one second and inaudible the next, but this was also reported by many participants on the night. I got into JO01 and JO03, plus IO84 and the Isle of Man, but that was about as exotic as it got. Overall a disappointing contest evening although I did clock up 51 QSOs.

G8AXW	70cm	SSB
G8HXE	70cm	SSB
G7HOA/P	70cm	SSB
G3WGU	70cm	SSB
G0WTD	70cm	SSB
M5HFJ	70cm	SSB
2E0BMO	70cm	SSB
G0WTM	70cm	SSB
2E0DAI	70cm	SSB
M1NTO/P	70cm	SSB
G6HFF	70cm	SSB
M0OBW	70cm	SSB
2E0TXT/P	70cm	SSB
M0COP/P	70cm	SSB
G8ZRE/P	70cm	SSB
G8APB	70cm	SSB
M0GMG/P	70cm	SSB
G3VBA	70cm	SSB
2E0CNJ	70cm	SSB
GD8EXI	70cm	SSB
G8VHI	70cm	SSB
M0GHZ	70cm	SSB
G8OHM	70cm	SSB
G8XVJ/P	70cm	SSB
G0MRL	70cm	SSB
G4CLA	70cm	SSB
G4HGI	70cm	SSB
G0VJG/P	70cm	SSB
G1SWH	70cm	SSB
M0ICK	70cm	SSB
G3WFK/P	70cm	SSB
G4ODA	70cm	SSB
G0LGS/P	70cm	SSB
2E0RXX/P on Shining Tor SP-004	70cm	SSB
G0EHV/P	70cm	SSB
G3RLE	70cm	SSB
G6GVI	70cm	SSB
G0HIK/P	70cm	SSB
M3ZPJ	70cm	SSB
2E0UAC	70cm	SSB
GW8ASD	70cm	SSB
M0VOM	70cm	FM
G4DEZ	70cm	SSB
G4APJ	70cm	SSB
M3WDS	70cm	SSB
2E0UOG	70cm	SSB
2E0MWB/P	70cm	SSB
M1ZRP	70cm	SSB
G8DTF	70cm	SSB
GW4EFX	70cm	SSB
M1MHZ	70cm	SSB

A quick activation was possible on Saturday 17th April 2010, again due to Liam being at an event in Congleton. I grabbed the last parking spot on Cloudside and ascended in the warmth. I did take my jacket in the rucksack, but in the end it wasn't required. The fleece was though. I set up a bit further along the summit than usual, to give myself a nice view, and a more secluded perch away from the trig point area. Still lots of people came to chat about what I was doing!

40m CW brought in 12 QSOs from F, OE, DL, HA, G and S5, while 15m CW brought just the one from 4X. Undetectable from ground level in Macclesfield, my vantage point on The Cloud gave a much more obvious impression of the volcanic ash visiting UK airspace from Iceland. Also distinctive was the complete absence of aeroplane trails in the sky above, as well as the complete absence of airband traffic on my scanner earlier! Descended, went to the football, watched Macc play well again and beat Chesterfield 2-0.

F6CEL	40m	CW
OE8SPW	40m	CW
DF5WA	40m	CW
HA3OD	40m	CW
G3WPF	40m	CW
OE6WIG	40m	CW
S51ZG	40m	CW
DL3JPN	40m	CW
DL2EF	40m	CW
F6FTB	40m	CW
OE8XBH	40m	CW
4Z5AD	15m	CW
S51UJ	40m	CW

I managed to go for a walk on Sunday 18th April 2010. I asked Jimmy and Liam if they fancied a curry for lunch, to which they naturally answered in the affirmative. We then set off (without me announcing the plan!) on a walk to the north end of Bollington to visit the Viceroy restaurant. To be fair to Liam, he worked out what I was up to while we were still walking on our estate in west Macclesfield, but he pressed on unfazed. The walk outward on the Middlewood Way (disused Macc to Marple railway line) and return on the Macclesfield canal towpath was probably about 12 miles - and while not a SOTA expedition itself, it unwittingly created one.

I was still feeling the effects of Sunday's walk all day Monday, leading to me hitting the sack about 10pm Monday night. Which in turn meant that I was awake by 5.45am on Tuesday 20th April 2010. Hence one of my early-bird pre-work activations of The Cloud G/SP-015 was in order. So taken aback was I by the comments of a certain political party leader on BBC Radio 5 Live, that I completely missied my turning for North Rode, and found myself heading into Congleton. No worries, this just meant turning left up the A54 from the town and cutting across to Cloudside via Key Green. I don't think I lost much time.

It was, visually, a lovely bright sunny morning on summit. However, there was a biting cold wind from which there was little shelter, so the sunshine could not be fully enjoyed. 7.032MHz CW wasn't very busy and I made a few contacts, just about into double figures. A quick listen on 15m inidcated that the band had not yet opened, while a self-spotted QSY to 7.118MHz SSB produced no QSOs whatsoever. After packing away, a call on 70cm FM was also unanswered, so I decided I would use the spare five minutes to pull in for a BLT sandwich on the way to work. Here's hoping for more bright sunny mornings this summer, but not so cold! Many thanks to all callers.

DL6CMK	40m	CW
OK1HCG	40m	CW
S51ZG	40m	CW
LA8WF	40m	CW
DL4CW	40m	CW
9A4MF	40m	CW
DL4OCE	40m	CW
9A7W	40m	CW
SP6LK	40m	CW
SP3LPR	40m	CW

I was up early again on the morning of Wednesday 21st April 2010, so went up The Cloud again. This time there was hardly any wind, so it was much more comfortable and possible to enjoy the bright dawn sunrise. Earlier, I was packing the 80m dipole into the rucksack and noticed something out of place. Closer inspection revealed that one leg of the dipole was separated from the coax braid it was supposed to be attached to. Grrr. And just when I thought my full compliment of portable gear was back up to full fitness!

I dashed back into the house and changed my alert and self-spot from 3.557-cw to 7.032-cw. Not too much time was lost, and my first QSO from the summit (with F5UKL on 7.032MHz CW) was timed at 0604z. I went on to make nine QSOs with DXCCs F, OE, HA, SM, DL and OH - thanks to all. No response again to my departing calls on 2m and 70cm FM.

F5UKL	40m	CW
OE6WIG	40m	CW
F5OZC	40m	CW
HA7UG	40m	CW
SM6EQO	40m	CW
F6CEL	40m	CW
DL3JON	40m	CW
OH3GRB	40m	CW
DL6UGF	40m	CW

I overslept by half-an-hour on Thursday 22nd April 2010. However, the extra rest resulted in me feeling fresh enough to make a sharp exit from the house, and I was set up and QRV on The Cloud G/SP-015 only about ten minutes late. It was another bright and calm morning, and the same was true on the 20m band. Signals heard and worked were good, but activity was low. I made just the four QSOs, into Ukraine, Hungary, European Russia and Asiatic Russia. I did call CQ lots and lots of times on 14.013MHz though! Many thanks to Laci HA7UG for the spot.

UT4LX	20m	CW
RU9UX	20m	CW
HA7UG	20m	CW
RN3DAO	20m	CW

I set off for my pre-work activation on Monday 26th April 2010 at 6.30am, looking forward to giving 80m a rare outing. As I got to the canal bridge by my turning off the A54, I was dismayed to find that the road was closed. Instead I took the next left with the aim of getting to Cloudside via Key Green. However, the 'Road Closed' signs were also up beside Key Green Methodist Chapel. I wondered what was going on.

I now diverted through Timbersbrook and up onto Dial Lane which is the road between Mossley (Congleton) and Rushton Spencer. I turned left onto the road up to Cloudside from the opposite direction to usual, and this time made it to the parking spot.

The ascent was enjoyable in the early morning, and it was a good feeling to have some fitness back after the abandoned activations trials of the winter. After climbing the staircase and passing onto the National Trust land, I spotted the large area of black to my right. It was considerable and rather creepy. A huge area of heather had burned off, from the right-hand edge of the footpath, right the way down the steep slopes and across to a boundary fence of the farm below.

On summit, I set up for 80m, which was a trial in itself with me being somewhat out of practice in erecting these lengthy dipole legs! It worked though, and my repair had been successful. Things were quiet on air with just one CW contact followed by two on SSB. But I enjoyed the activation nonetheless, on a quiet and peaceful morning.

While descending, I met a couple who live on Cloudside walking up. I asked them about the fire and they reported that the whole hill was ablaze with six fire crews in attendance for 48 hours over the weekend. The chap showed me some stunning photos on his phone, before I made my apologies needing to shoot off to work. A photograph on the internet is here: http://bestviewinbritain.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/cloud-fire.jpg

F5SQA	80m	CW
G0AZS	80m	SSB
G6MZX	80m	SSB

I had my first opportunity to survey the weekend damage more fully on the evening of Tuesday 27th April 2010. I was heading to The Cloud G/SP-015 for a SOTA activation combined with the RSGB 6m activity contest, and this time the roads weren't closed so I could see around the front of the hill in daylight.

It was pretty desperate. The fire has wiped out an enormous ten acres of heather and vegetation. From the fence lines behind the farms and residences at the foot of the hill right up to the paths and rocks on the summit has been burnt off. From the boundary of the National Trust land near Cloudside all the way around the hill to its west facing slopes has been burnt. It just looks like a big lump of naked black peat now.

I guess it did appeal to people's voyeuristic natures though, because it was busier than ever before on a Tuesday night up there. I set about erecting the 6m delta loop, and realised that I had forgotten to bring the guying kit for the pole. A tricky improvisation was used with an old guy string from a WASP Special SOTA Beam mast looped above two sections of the SOTA pole and pegged into the ground to keep the assembly upright.

The first contact was with G3ZOD on 6m CW. The second was S2S on 2m FM with Sean M0GIA/P over on Gun G/SP-013. There followed a further 51 QSOs all on 6m SSB in the contest with a fairly decent coverage of UK areas - and the occasional SOTA chaser!

G3ZOD	6m	CW
M0GIA/P on Gun SP-013	2m	FM
G6GVI	6m	SSB
G4APJ	6m	SSB
GW4EVX	6m	SSB
GW7AAV	6m	SSB
GW4ZAR/P	6m	SSB
GW8ASD	6m	SSB
G0BSU/P	6m	SSB
G0VOF	6m	SSB
M1AVV/P	6m	SSB
M0ICK/P	6m	SSB
G0LGS/P	6m	SSB
G4HGI	6m	SSB
G1HSG/P	6m	SSB
M0COP/P	6m	SSB
G0MRL	6m	SSB
G3ZVW	6m	SSB
G3UDA	6m	SSB
GM3ZBE	6m	SSB
G3KAF	6m	SSB
M0EMM	6m	SSB
G6HFF	6m	SSB
G3TCT	6m	SSB
G0EHV/P	6m	SSB
G6TGO	6m	SSB
G8ZRE	6m	SSB
G4ZRP	6m	SSB
M0WLF	6m	SSB
2E0NEY	6m	SSB
G3WFK/P	6m	SSB
G0WTM	6m	SSB
G1SWH	6m	SSB
M1ZRP	6m	SSB
G0LMV/P	6m	SSB
M0WBN	6m	SSB
2E0UOG	6m	SSB
G0HFX/P	6m	SSB
G7ROM	6m	SSB
G4DEZ	6m	SSB
G7CJW	6m	SSB
M0YJT/P	6m	SSB
G8BCG	6m	SSB
G0CER	6m	SSB
M2SWK	6m	SSB
G0WTD	6m	SSB
M3ZPJ	6m	SSB
GI4SNA	6m	SSB
G8CUL	6m	SSB
M0NUT/P	6m	SSB
G2ANC	6m	SSB
G4SCY	6m	SSB

I was really tired when my alarm went off at 6am on Friday 30th April 2010, but having advertised my 80m CW activation on the reflector as well as the alerts, I felt somewhat obliged to make the activation!

It was a sluggish and fatigued start though and it was 6.30am before I was on the road. The morning was mildly damp but not too bad. Walking up from Cloudside, I checked out the cottage to find that it now seems to have had new windows fitted at the rear. I remain intrigued to see what will become of this property. Maybe it will be a Wrekin / Leith Hill / Wendover Woods type cafe, or maybe a residence. If the latter, I wonder if it will be lived in by the developers or put on the market - and if so how much ;)

By the time I had reached the summit of The Cloud it was drizzling and whipping up in the moderate wind, so I was glad I had opted to don my overtrousers down at the car. I struggled a little to erect the 80m dipole, but was set up and QRV just after 7.20am (0620z).

The activation comprised 7 QSOs on 80m CW (DL, G, SM, F, HA) then 2 on 80m SSB (G, GW). Reports both ways on 80m CW were good, apart from HA7UG (449/339). Outgoing reports from me were very good to Geoff G6MZX and Steve GW7AAV on 80m SSB - they both had massive signals and superb audio. However, although I peaked at R5 with both of them, it was clear that overall they weren't hearing me as well as I was hearing them. 7.40am is pushing it somewhat to start packing up, so I cracked on with it and did a speedy descent. I just about made it to work on time. Thanks to all callers.

DJ5AV	80m	CW
G4ZIB	80m	CW
G0TDM	80m	CW
SM6CMU	80m	CW
G4OWG	80m	CW
F5SQA	80m	CW
HA7UG	80m	CW
G6MZX	80m	SSB
GW7AAV	80m	SSB