|
The Cloud, G/SP-015 - 343m ASL - SJ 904 637 - OS Explorer 268 - 1
SOTA point

I was looking forward to the first 2m Tuesday night activity contest of 2011.
With the sensible rule changes that favoured intra-UK contacts in the UK
activity contest, and the new low power (10 watts maximum) section which
protected QRP, SOTA and Foundation stations from having their normalised scores
crushed by 100 watt stations, I had the opportunity to be competitive, rather
than merely a participant. I did what every self-respecting individual does
these days, and announced my enthusiasm in my Facebook status.
Less than 24 hours ahead of the contest, my wife advised that she was going out
for a drink with friends on the Tuesday evening. I have to admit to having
pulled a face like a smacked bottom. After gently spitting out whatever dummies
I could find, I sheepishly returned to my shack to update my Facebook status. In
times of adversity, feel sorry for yourself on Facebook, then loads of people
you sort of know ("friends" - in inverted commas) can type how sorry they feel
for you as well. It solves everything.
The following day, Marianne announced a complete reversal of her plans, and I
was free to go out again. SOTAwatch Alert added. Facebook status updated.
Somebody "liked" it. Have a shower. Eat tea. Prepare kit. I hadn't done a
darkness activation recently, so I grabbed my CD of "I Believe In A Thing Called
Love"... No, I mean I checked my headtorch and put a spare headtorch in my coat
pocket. Flask of coffee prepared. No pre-heating. (Pre-heating is for wimps, or
for inferior quality flasks).
.JPG)
I arrived at Cloudside at 7.15pm, with the evening temperature dropping to
around 1 degree. I ascended the hill while repeatedly running my packed radio
kit around in my mind. Had I remembered everything? Did I remember to transfer
the guying kit and RG58 feeder from Jimmy's rucksack to mine? Upon arrival on
summit at 7.25pm, I was able to confirm that everything was packed. Plus other
things I didn't need. Like a 20m Magic Moggy antenna and a 30m dipole. I
began to prepare the antenna by getting the lower part of the mast in an upright
position before adding the SOTA Beam and extending to full height. Big problem.
The ground was frozen hard and wouldn't take a peg. Usually, I find I can poke
around and find a weaker spot under a tuft of grass, but nothing was happening.
I glanced at my watch. 7.40pm. Time was on my side - if I could find a suitable
contingency.
.JPG)
I decided to site the pole near one corner of the topograph that I would be
using for shelter anyway, and wrap two of the guys around it. I used gaps
between the bricks to tuck the strings in, and found the length was perfect such
that the loops at the end could be brought all the way round and then loop over
the bottom part of the fishing pole. The third guy string was angle at 45
degrees away from the topograph, and was held in place by placing a large rock
over it.
Time check: 1952z. I settled down in the sheltered side of the topograph,
sitting on my foam mat on top of my bothy bag, which I always like to have to
hand. The 817 was set up with fist mike, Palm Paddle (in the event not used),
fresh SLAB and radio controlled clock, and we were ready to go. Time check:
1957z. I got my pencil and notepad ready and found a clear frequency. As
my clock clicked round to 2000z, I began calling and immediately worked GW4ZAR
in IO83KF. My activator point for G/SP-015 for the year was qualified by Jimmy
M3EYP, who was my fourth contact. Thereafter followed one of my best contest
outings with 76 QSOs in the two and a half hours. Everything was on SSB, there
was never enough of a drop in activity to justify any calls on FM or CW.
Although the QSO count was pleasing, the multiplier count was arguably not so.
Of course, the EI station worked wouldn't give me a new multiplier under the new
rules, and I never heard the EI station that others were reporting in 52 square.
I did hear the Channel Islands station in IN square, but he was too close to
M0GVG operating from very nearby Biddulph Moor for me to have a chance. I almost
completed with GM4BYF in IO85, but the word "almost" indicates the gotaway. So
nothing from GM, and I never worked one from JO01 - a big miss.
As well as being bitterly cold on the summit, the ground was filthy - damp and
muddy. My trousers, coat, trainers and rucksack were all in need of a serious
clean by the end of the night. My hair badly needs cutting, and it was a sight
from a horror B movie when I removed my fleecy hat. Undeterred, I still walked
into the Harrington Arms at Gawsworth at 11pm. Thankfully, they hadn't
introduced a dress code since my last visit, although one of the local farmers
having a late drink in there was keen to tell me that I'd got the wrong night
for the fancy dress.
A pint of Mr Scrooge ale, with a bag of Nando's Peri Peri Chicken crisps and a
Spearings pork pie hardly touched the sides as I devoured my late evening
supper. I was home for a quarter to midnight, and watched the test match on Sky
Sports 1 for a while, before retiring to bad. A very pleasing first VHF
contest evening of 2011. Many thanks to the significant number of known SOTA
chasers that worked me. And probably the most QSOs I have ever made for a
scoring one point activation!
|
GW4ZAR |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4UXH |
2m |
SSB |
|
GW4EVX |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3EYP |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0TRB |
2m |
SSB |
|
G6HFF |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0ICK |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0BZU |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3RNX |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3WFK |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3ZPJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4APJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0DNA |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0UOG |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0SLR |
2m |
SSB |
|
G2ANC |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0WTD |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0TGT/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8HCB |
2m |
SSB |
|
GW8ASD |
2m |
SSB |
|
G1SMI |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4GSB |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8ONK |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0BXR |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4CLA |
2m |
SSB |
|
G1SWH |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0GVG |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8ZRE |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8DTF |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4HGI |
2m |
SSB |
|
MI0SMK/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
GI4SNA |
2m |
SSB |
|
EI3GE |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0JCQ |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0TXR/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4WDL |
2m |
SSB |
|
M6DLT |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0EMM |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4VPD |
2m |
SSB |
|
GD8EXI |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3MEH |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4JQN |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3CWI |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0XTL |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0JAV |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0WAY |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0PHJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3ORY |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0YYY |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0BMO |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0LTT/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0BRA |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4LBH |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0TXT/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8VHI |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0DJW |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0GRI |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0COP/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
M1MHZ |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0GHZ/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0BWC/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G2BOF |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0VVE |
2m |
SSB |
|
M1CNY |
2m |
SSB |
|
G1AJI |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3XNO |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0MAS |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0ORC |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0CER |
2m |
SSB |
|
G7HOA/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0XDI |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4IRC |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4DEZ |
2m |
SSB |
|
M5HFJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4XPE |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0ELJ |
2m |
SSB |
Tuesday 11th January 2011 was the first
70cm UK activity contest of the year. I set off from Macclesfield with a
flask of coffee at 7pm, and made good time in getting to Cloudside for
7.20pm. Climbing the stairs for only the second time of the year, I realised
that I needed to get back into the groove of doing so at least three times
per week. Walking up to the summit on a dark, cold but dry night is
always a pleasure, especially when the views open up to the right. The
illuminated towns of Macclesfield, Stockport, Wilmslow, Congleton and
Alderley Edge were easily identified, as was the backdrop of the city of
Manchester, and further beyond, the bright red stick that was really the
main mast atop Winter Hill G/SP-010.
This time the ground temperature was a little higher, and I had no problems
in pegging into the ground. With the SB6 assembled, connected and four
metres above the ground, I settled down in the shelter of the topograph and
put together the rest of the station. I wrote the date in the logbook, made
a few checks and chose the frequency of 432.225MHz SSB, then checked the
time - 1945z. Perfect, time to sit back, relax and enjoy a cup of coffee.
At 1957z I detected some splatter. I tuned down the band to find a regular
contester in full swing, calling CQ. I chipped in to tell him he was early,
but he replied "Oh, both my watch and my car clock must be wrong then". He
carried on calling, but another station advised him he was two minutes
early. Handy things for contests, these radio controlled clocks! The
contest got off to a fine start with 30 stations worked in the first 27
minutes. As usual, then sets in an exponential decay in activity, with a
slight rally near the end. Although the number of QSOs was pleasing, of
concern was the number of multiplier squares worked. This stood at a meagre
four for that first half hour. A few more did dribble into the log as the
contest wore on, but the final tally of 9 was disappointing.
IO81 was missing from my log, and from many others as well it seemed. Bryn
G4DEZ in JO03 was not on, and unusually, I worked nothing from JO01. Neither
did I work anything from EI, GI or even GM. It could have been worse. Just
one contact was made with each of IO74, IO84, IO93 and IO94, and two from
IO91. So I only narrowly avoided a multiplier tally so pathetic that it
would have destroyed my score. As it is, it looks like I might have got away
with it, for I currently have the leading claimed score in the Low Power
section of the contest.
During the first hour, Simon M0TGT/P arrived on summit. He was doing things
the EYP way with a big flask of Thai Green Chicken soup. It was both rare,
and enjoyable to have some company during the contest. Simon made a few
contacts on his 70cm HT from the far corner of the summit area while I
continued on SSB. No QRM was caused to each other. Later on, Simon made the
occasional contact on 70cm SSB using my kit.
In the last half hour I found myself to be feeling too cold. I was naughty,
and soldiered on to the end at 2230z - necessary in order to collect JO02,
IO91 and IO84. I struggled to my feet with my back in some discomfort. Most
parts of my body had seized up completely, sitting for nearly three hours in
freezing temperatures. The only way to warm up and get things moving was to
pull hood over my hat, put gloves on, and get walking as fast as I could.
All was well we reached the cars a short time later, and we agreed to meet
up at the Harrington Arms, where we enjoyed a pint of Robbies Mr Scrooge,
and a Spearings pork pie with mustard. The final tally was 63 QSOs, which
ain't bad for a SOTA activation on 70cm. Have I recorded my first ever UKAC
victory? Watch this space! (Update - no I hadn't - I had, in fact
recorded my second UKAC victory, having won the 2m contest the
previous week!).
|
G6GVI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G7HOA/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0WTD |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3ZPJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0WTM |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3RNX |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G6HFF |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G2ANC |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0LES |
70cm |
SSB |
|
GW8ASD |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8ZRE |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0ICK |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0UOG |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M6EAE |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0TXT/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0LKC |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0ORC |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0COP/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
GW0NWR/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4GSB |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3WFK |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0BXR |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4WDL |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4SCY |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4FZN/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M6DLT |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M5HFJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0SLR |
70cm |
SSB |
|
GW4EVX |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4NTY |
70cm |
SSB |
|
GD8EXI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G1SWH |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4HGI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3VLG |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3EYP |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8DTF |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0BWC/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0BMO |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0CDA |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8VHI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M1NTO/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0EMM |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0GVG/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4CLA |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3WGU |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0LTT/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M6NYL |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4DHF |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8OHM |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G1AEQ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4JLG |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0OWP |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M6XJP |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4FRK |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0HRD/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G1SMI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4NPH |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0XDI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0PNN |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4MVU |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4BRA/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8ONK |
70cm |
SSB |
The motivation for an "early one" on
Sunday 16th January 2011 was - 2011. The New Year, and a new start from zero
for the number of DXCCs worked on each band for G3WGV's UK CW Table. Some
progress had been made from home on 160m, while the first batches had been
collected during SOTA activations on 40m and 30m. But after a barren weekend
from home on the band, I needed a SOTA activation to kick the 80m total into
life.
I set my alarm for 5am and awoke to the sounds of BBC Radio 5 Live on
medium-wave. Things were a bit dopey and sluggish, but I was on the road by
6am and listening to old stalwarts Dave Ward (Curly Shirley) and Umberto on
Real Radio Manchester (formerly Century Radio) 105.4MHz. I remember those
two presenters well from listening to Piccadilly Radio as a teenager.
The ascent from Cloudside always seems to go faster in the dark. Maybe one's
imagination and deeper, philosophical thoughts are more active in darkness,
and so the time passes more quickly. In any case, I had gained the summit
rapidly and was soon erecting the 80m dipole. This is slightly trickier in
the dark, as you can't see the ends of the dipole legs when stood at the
pole. It can take a few goes to get the legs up without them snagging on
heather and needing to be freed.
80m is never a prolific hunting ground like 40m or 20m for me, so the
overall going was slow. Over the course of an hour and 37 minutes, I made 18
contacts into 7 DXCCs - DL, EA, G, GM, HA, LA and OE. Gotaways included SM
and 9A. 17 QSOs were on CW, with one on SSB, which was a summit-to-summit
with Bill G4WSB/P on Wills Neck G/SC-002.
As daylight arrived halfway through proceedings, I was then able to monitor
a band of heavy rain engulfing Macclesfield, and edging ever closer. I timed
my escape to perfection, with the first drops landing as I loaded my
rucksack back into the boot of my car on Cloudside. Many thanks to all
callers.
|
OE7PHI |
80m |
CW |
|
DH2URF |
80m |
CW |
|
DL7BQ |
80m |
CW |
|
DL7DO/P |
80m |
CW |
|
HA1AG |
80m |
CW |
|
DF8IF |
80m |
CW |
|
G4SSH |
80m |
CW |
|
DL1DVE |
80m |
CW |
|
EA1DFP |
80m |
CW |
|
G3VXJ |
80m |
CW |
|
DJ5AV |
80m |
CW |
|
DL1FU |
80m |
CW |
|
LA8BCA |
80m |
CW |
|
G4WSB/P on Will’s
Neck SC-002 |
80m |
SSB |
|
G4OOE |
80m |
CW |
|
MM0DHY |
80m |
CW |
|
GM0AXY |
80m |
CW |
|
G3RMD |
80m |
CW |
Wednesday 19th January 2011, and high time I ended my "lazy streak". I hadn't
walked up The Cloud on the way to work since July 2010. But neither had I
rejoined the gym or done much swimming. I needed to try to resume some more
regular exercise as the football, squash and weekend activating was proving
insufficient.
My alarm was set for 0555z, but I was awake at 0545z. Goodness knows why.
Although I thought I got things together fairly briskly, by the time I had
driven to Cloudside, ascended and set up, it was 0715z, quarter of an hour after
my Alert time. Visibility was very limited with the light from my headtorch
illuminating little other than the blanket of thick fog in front of my face!
My activation on 40m CW was very unremarkable with just 7 QSOs into 6 DXCCs.
That was followed by 0/0 on 2m FM and 1/1 on 70cm FM. The descent on a cold
foggy morning, followed by stop for diesel and breakfast, and continuing journey
to work in Stoke-on-Trent went easily enough. I managed to be changed into my
shirt and tie, and in staff briefing right on 8.45am, and no slapped wrist.
|
S51ZG |
40m |
CW |
|
OK1BB |
40m |
CW |
|
UR5TKM |
40m |
CW |
|
DL6UNF |
40m |
CW |
|
OE7PHI |
40m |
CW |
|
HA3FZ |
40m |
CW |
|
OE6WIG |
40m |
CW |
|
GW7AAV |
70cm |
FM |
Thursday 20th January 2011, and my alarm
did not go off. Instead, I was awoken by my wife's alarm at 0630z, 35
minutes behind schedule. I figured there was still time for the walk, if not
a substantial activation.
My car radio was broken and in need of replacement. While tinkering
with it myself, I managed to loosen the aerial connection, but couldn't
fully get the plug back in. Hence I had been limited to the BBC national
stations from Holme Moss, Sutton Coldfield and Llangollen transmitter sites
while driving round in the car. However, driving over to Cloudside, I was
picking up Cheshire FM (Winsford), Oldham Community Radio, Unity FM (Moss
Side), ALL FM (Longsight) and Radio Na Gaeltachta (Ireland - Gaelic
service). I realised there must be a lift on and considered scrapping my 40m
activation in favour of a VHF one. Unfortunately, my lateness did not permit
time to swap aerials, feeders and guys over in my kit, so I had to ignore
the lift.
I walked to the summit, enjoying the views over an inversion layer which
completely covered Cheshire and filled the wide valleys in Staffordshire.
Just The Cloud, Sutton Common and Mow Cop stood above the clouds as three
small islands.
I set up as fast as I could, but it was already 0745z by the time I was QRV.
F5UKL (QRP) was the first to work me, followed by three more after another
period of calling. With four contacts in the bag, I packed away and
descended. The Man in the Yellow Jacket ran past me and remarked that he'd
not seen me up there for a while. I declined to mention that I'd not seen
him without his yellow jacket for a while.
|
F5UKL |
40m |
CW |
|
SM7BUA |
40m |
CW |
|
HB9AGH |
40m |
CW |
|
HA7UL |
40m |
CW |
Friday 21st January 2011, and my alarm did
go off. I was quicker out of the blocks this time, but not yet up to full
speed, so it was 7.15am by the time I was QRV on the summit. An improvement
on the previous day, but still 15 minutes off racing pace.
16 contacts were made on 40m CW, followed by a single 70cm FM contact with
Steve GW7AAV. Right at the end of that QSO, my VX-7R ran out of charge, so
there was no QRZ, or QSY to 2m. I am so rubbish and lazy at keeping charge
topped up in my batteries! Only two days ago I ran out with my 7Ah SLAB!
Thanks to everyone that called this morning. It was cold and foggy again on
The Cloud, but again I enjoyed the walk, the sunrise, and the morning air.
|
HA7UL |
40m |
CW |
|
HA7UG |
40m |
CW |
|
HB9BIN |
40m |
CW |
|
OE7PHI |
40m |
CW |
|
DL5AMF |
40m |
CW |
|
IZ5NFD |
40m |
CW |
|
F5UKL |
40m |
CW |
|
F5PLC |
40m |
CW |
|
S51ZG |
40m |
CW |
|
SP7HDA |
40m |
CW |
|
9A2NP |
40m |
CW |
|
SP6JOE |
40m |
CW |
|
DL6UNF |
40m |
CW |
|
ON5QRP |
40m |
CW |
|
HA0HW |
40m |
CW |
|
I3VAD |
40m |
CW |
|
GW7AAV |
70cm |
FM |
Monday 24th January 2011. The weather was
a little warmer (ie slightly less cold) and the morning a little lighter (ie
slightly less dark). But despite these advantages, I still couldn't haul
myself out of the house before 0630z. Maybe this getting out early business
is easier in summer when there is daylight from an hour before you wake up.
The delay was compound when the radials of my MM20 needed untangling on the
summit of The Cloud. As such, it was 0730z by the time I was QRV - and then
I found I didn't have my mobile with me for a self-spot. So stations would
just have to hear my call or find me - and two did - UR5TKM, and Mark G0VOF.
So not a glorious debut for the MM20 in 2011, but it is staying in the pack
for further dawn activations later this week.
|
UR5TKM |
20m |
CW |
|
G0VOF |
20m |
CW |
The evening of Tuesday 25th January 2011
began well with a Burns night meal at home, of savoury mince (Marianne and
Liam don't like haggis, although Jimmy and I love it), neeps and tatties. My
mood was lifted on the drive out to The Cloud, listening to Jamie Cullum on
BBC Radio 2, presenting jazz music including a superb piece by Oscar
Peterson, accompanied by a Nelson Riddle big band arrangement.
My mood was deflated when I arrived at the small parking area at Cloudside,
to find the drizzle intensifying, in contrast to the earlier forecast which
had assured me that any rain would have moved well away to the South East by
5pm. The fog was thick, and my visibility for the ascent was limited to the
8 cubic metres (2m x 2m x 2m) directly in front of me. This was as far as my
excellent Petzl headlamp would penetrate the clag and darkness.
On summit, erection of the 6m delta loop antenna was slow and careful. The
only way I could get a view of how the delta was shaping up was to stand
right at the base of the pole and aim my torch directly upwards. Even a
metre away from the pole, and all the torch would illuminate was thick fog
where the delta loop should be. Still, once all set up, I was pleased
to find the aerial in full working order. I'd had a few problems with it
last year, and Richard kindly took it in for testing and repairs. Somewhat
sloppily, I had not got around to taking it out for a test outing before the
first 6m contest opportunity, so I was pleased to discover everything in
order.
The bothy bag was deployed from the start of the contest at 8pm as the rain
continued to fall through the fog, which was very damp in itself. This
wasn't the greatest contest night for me, with 45 QSOs into 10 multiplier
squares. Several "getaways" included G8NWU, G3PIA, G4JQN, G4ELJ, M0GHZ and
the CW from G3TA. All were workable, but most were found to be on a QRG
close to Chris G8APB with his 100 watts from very nearby Biddulph Moor, and
so were blanked by his splatter. Best DX was GI4SNA in IO64XM, 297km.
The last half hour was very slow with only three stations worked. Others
were available, but they couldn't hear my 5 watts as well as i could hear
their 100 watts! I started to consider the feasibility of a portable beam
for use in the 6m contests.
After a quick pack-up, the descent was slow going. The visibility had
reduced to 1.5m, and all I could see was my feet! I even found myself being
unsure as to exactly how far along the path I was at times, which is highly
unusual on this hill that I know extremely well. Back in the car, I
was treated to more jazz on BBC Radio 2. The Guy Barker programme was just
beginning, and a brilliant track opened proceedings. It was "Dear Johnny B"
by Tubby Hayes, and had me swinging all the way to the Harrington Arms,
along with "Inhale Exhale" by Benjamin Herman which followed it. From 3:46
in, via
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00m75s4 should you wish to share
the joy!
All that jazz had me in the mood for supper, so it was a Spearings beef pie
and a packet of Firecracker Lobster crisps that accompanied my pint of Mr
Scrooge Ale in the pub. Back home just before midnight, and I couldn't
resist entering my contest log to see how I did, so it was a late night for
me!
|
G8APB |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4APJ |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0VAA |
6m |
SSB |
|
GW3XRM |
6m |
SSB |
|
M6NYL |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0OBW |
6m |
SSB |
|
M1BKL |
6m |
SSB |
|
GW8ASD |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0BXR |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0GVG/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
2E0UOG |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3XNO |
6m |
SSB |
|
2E0PHJ |
6m |
SSB |
|
2E0TXT/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
G0BWC/A |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3WFK |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0COP/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0LTT/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4HGI |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0WLF |
6m |
SSB |
|
G8ZRE |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3ZVW |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3ZOD |
6m |
CW |
|
G6TGO |
6m |
SSB |
|
GW4ZAR/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0NUT/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
G1SWH |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4DEZ |
6m |
SSB |
|
G8JIT |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3VLG/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
G0VOF |
6m |
SSB |
|
G2ANC |
6m |
SSB |
|
G0CER |
6m |
SSB |
|
M3ZPJ |
6m |
SSB |
|
G6HFF |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4XUV |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0XDJ/M |
6m |
SSB |
|
M6DLT |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3WPF |
6m |
SSB |
|
G0WTD |
6m |
SSB |
|
2E0BMO |
6m |
SSB |
|
G7LWT/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
GI4SNA |
6m |
SSB |
|
G8CUL |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0WBN |
6m |
SSB |
The competition for the 2m UK activity
contest series looks good this year, with several stations running each
other close in the AL (10 watts) section in January. In order to try and get
a bt of an edge, I have borrowed an SB5 to use instead of my normal SB3 for
this coming Tuesday night. Many thanks to Richard G3CWI.
I figure it would be wise to practice the new set up in daylight, so that
was the basis of my activation of SP-015 on Saturday 29th January 2011. The
temperatue was about 1 degree when I ascended the hill, and down to -2 by
the time of the descent, but there was hardly any breeze at all, so it was
quite comfortable.
I had an activation of exactly one hour, with 21 QSOs - one on 2m CW, 10 on
2m SSB and 8 on 2m FM. There was one summit-to-summit with Geoff 2W0BTR/P on
Tor y Foel GW/SW-013. Two stations on FM were overheard bemoaning the
attitudes on 2m, with comments like "No wonder VHF is so quiet these days
with people like that about", interspersed with strings of four-letter
swearwords from one of them in particular. No wonder indeed! I made a note
of the date, time, frequency and the callsigns involved.
The practice run for the SB5 went smoothly, and we will discover what
difference it will make on Tuesday night. Thanks to all for the calls today.
|
G3WPF |
2m |
CW |
|
2W0BTR/P on Tor y
Foel SW-013 |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0RQL |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8XEI |
2m |
SSB |
|
G6ODU |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0FSR |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4OWG |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0TRB |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3EYP |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0VOF |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0XYL |
2m |
SSB |
|
GW7AAV |
2m |
FM |
|
G7OEM |
2m |
FM |
|
M3XIE |
2m |
FM |
|
M0ATV |
2m |
FM |
|
GW7AAU/M |
2m |
FM |
|
G1JHB/P |
2m |
FM |
|
G0RXA |
2m |
FM |
|
M6NWT |
2m |
FM |
|
2E0NVJ |
2m |
FM |
|
G1UKS |
2m |
FM |
"The Cloud under new management" was a
cheeky tagline to an alert that made me realise that Sean M0GIA was about to
start a series of nightshifts. He had threatened that he might be having
some after-work activations to coincide with my before-work activations, and
on Monday 31st January 2011, this was it.
I arrived at the Cloudside parking spot to find Sean already there in his
car, but looking pretty fatigued after his first overnight shift.
Nonetheless, he still raced ahead of me on the ascent of The Cloud, as my
own fatigue kicked after my big walk on Kinder Scout
G/SP-001 the previous day.
We reached the summit by torchlight and began to set up. Set-up involved the
mighty effort of pressing a button on a HT for Sean. Mine went pear-shaped
when the groundplane radials of my 20m vertical broke away from the coax
feeder. Fortunately, I was able to peel off some of the tape and cable
coating and twist the radials back onto some braid. This was then secured to
the fishing pole with plastic cable ties and held up for the activation,
giving me a working antenna. It will need attention before the next outing
though!
20m CW then proved to be loads of fun despite the delayed start. A really
interesting selection of ten DXCCs - SV, E7, UN, LZ, 4K, HA, EU, YU, RA, UR
- was worked in the run of 16 QSOs in 16 minutes. I was particularly pleased
with Azerbaijan 4K, and then surprised when another one, with prefix 4J
called me just three minutes later.
I am still working towards being QRV on 20m CW by 0700z in the morning. It
hasn't happened for a while, what with sluggish get-ups, sluggish ascents
and equipment "situations" - but it remains a serious aspiration for the
summer. Now to get that aerial round to M0GIA's. I remain delighted at
the lifetime service and repair guarantees he provides with all the free
aerials he builds me.
|
SV2HTC |
20m |
CW |
|
E77O |
20m |
CW |
|
UN7IU |
20m |
CW |
|
LZ2BR |
20m |
CW |
|
4K4K |
20m |
CW |
|
HA7UG |
20m |
CW |
|
EW7EW |
20m |
CW |
|
4J5A |
20m |
CW |
|
YT1KS |
20m |
CW |
|
RU4HD |
20m |
CW |
|
RA6AS |
20m |
CW |
|
UR5FEL |
20m |
CW |
|
UW2ZF |
20m |
CW |
|
LZ2CF |
20m |
CW |
|
LZ1DQ |
20m |
CW |
|
UR5FEO |
20m |
CW |
I was on The Cloud on the evening of
Tuesday 1st February 2011. The new manager of the summit was not. In fact he
seems only to have activated it once since bestowing the honour upon
himself. Never mind, the recently demoted assistant manager was there to
continue the 2011 RSGB UK Activity Contest campaign as part of the regular
Top 5 Macclesfield team. I was a little earlier in getting there this
time, allowing a few extra minutes to put up the unfamiliar antenna. As a
result, I was parking before the start of Jamie Cullem's Radio 2 programme,
so no pre-activation jazz for me.
On summit I was set up and ready to go a good twenty minutes ahead of the
2000 start time, so a chance to sit back and relax over a cup of coffee from
the flask. The first hour of the contest was relatively slow going with 28
QSOs, but this was compensated by a healthy number of multiplier squares in
the log. The SB5 was certainly enabling me to get the DX stations like GM,
GI, JO01 etc earlier in the contest.
After 2100z, I managed to get a better rhythm going with a run on 144.329MHz
SSB, and this included incoming calls from IO86 and IO70, so pleasing. How
Don G0RQL heard me while I was beaming to Scotland I'll never know, but a
quick turn of the beam and we had strong clear signals in both directions.
As ever it was nice to be giving out SP-015 to known SOTA chasers, and being
requested for it by others. The final tally was 5 DXCCs: G, GW, GI, GD, GM,
69 QSOs and 16 multipliers: IO64, IO70, IO74, IO75, IO80, IO81, IO82, IO83,
IO86, IO91, IO92, IO93, IO94, JO01, JO02 and JO03. I did not hear IO84 or
IO85, but did hear JO00, which was a 'miss'. It would be nice to tally
twenty multipliers in one of these events, but 16 was a big improvement on
the 11 in my winning January entry. Whether or not I will be as successful
this time, I do not know. The band was jam packed with lots of splatter from
strong local stations, so there is the chance of a broken contact, and I
suspect there will prove to be a greater number of competitive entries in
the AL (10 watt) section this month.
Despite putting freshly charged cells into my headtorch before leaving home,
it had given me a couple of flash warnings and was dimming by pack-up time.
Perhaps I am not supposed to be using rechargables with my Petzl headlight,
or maybe my cells are getting tired! In any case, I simply donned the spare
from my pocket (Jimmy's Petzl) in order to pack away and descend.
Guy Barker's late night jazz programme on BBC Radio 2 accompanied me from
Cloudside to the Harrington Arms in Gawsworth, which was astonishingly full
for 11.30pm on a Tuesday night! Already here were Greg 2E0RXX and Simon
M0TGT who had been contesting up near Wildboarclough, and Simon's daughter
Lucy who had been out with them. A Spearings beef pie with English mustard,
a bag of hot chilli and lemon flavour Burts chips, a pint of Robinsons Dizzy
Blonde and a natter with my fellow contesters rounded off another enjoyable
evening.
I had told them I would be chasing the greyline with the 20m MM the next
morning, but remembered when I got home that it was at Sean M0GIA's for a
repair! So I entered my logs at home rather than going straight to bed.
Many thanks to all the SOTA chasers that called in and worked me.
|
G4MVU |
2m |
SSB |
|
M6DLT |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0HRZ |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0LMD |
2m |
SSB |
|
M6NYL |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3CWI |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0EJQ/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8HCB |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3OUA |
2m |
SSB |
|
GM4PPT |
2m |
SSB |
|
M1CNY/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
M5HFJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4OWG |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3EYP |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0TDX |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0XYL |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3ORY |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4GSB |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0BRA |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4CLA |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0RSD |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4RRA |
2m |
SSB |
|
G7HOA/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4LBH |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0WTD |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4DEZ |
2m |
SSB |
|
GI4SNA |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0AFH |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3ZPJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4NTY |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0ONE |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4APJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0ORC |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0PHJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0TXT/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0BMO |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0LTT/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3ZII |
2m |
SSB |
|
GW8ASD |
2m |
SSB |
|
GM4AFF |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3RNX |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4JZF |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0CER |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0RQL |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0UOG |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0TGT/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G6HFF |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0MZZ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3PYE/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3VLG/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0GRI/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
GD8EXI |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0LES |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4PBP |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4KUX |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0NUT/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0ELJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0VXX/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
GM6JNJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G2ANC |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0XTL |
2m |
SSB |
|
M6CNG |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0TRB |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3BNE |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3SPJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4DZL |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0COV |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4JLG |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0MCV |
2m |
SSB |
The weather forecast for the evening of
Tuesday 8th February 2011 indicated clear skies for the first half of the
70cm activity contest, but strong winds and heavy rain thereafter. It was
accurate! I was a little later setting out on this occasion, so by the
time I had ascended to the summit and set up, there was only four minutes
left before the contest. Thankfully, the system was all working properly, so
I could use that time to enjoy a coffee from my flask.
The first half-hour was excellent with 36 stations in the log. Another ten
were added before 9pm, but then things really slowed down with just another
13 between 9pm and 10.30pm taking me to 59 QSOs on the activation. With 9
multipliers squares worked, I was probably one short of where I needed to
be, so I rued the fact that I had missed IO81 and anything from GM.
As the night became unpleasant and stormy after 9.30pm, I was forced into
the inside of my bothy bag. This was effective in keeping the cold and the
wet out, but ineffective in keeping me comfortable and seriously limiting my
ability to direct my beam to full advantage. After descent, I actually
didn't fancy a beer or a meat pie, so drove straight home. Thanks to any
chasers that worked me - I don't think there were that many.
|
2W0CCK |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4APJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M6NYL |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0UOG |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0TGT/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0VOF |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M5HFJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0LES |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0BZU |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3ZPJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3EYP |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M6GLT |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0ORC |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0LKC |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M6XJP |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8ONK |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G2ANC |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4NTY |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G6HFF |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3OUA |
70cm |
SSB |
|
GW8ASD |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M6EAE |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3RNX |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0TXT/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0OWP |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0WTD |
70cm |
SSB |
|
GI6ATZ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4TGQ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3XAN |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G1AEQ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0CDA |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0BWC/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0COP/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3XQY |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4KUX |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G7WFE |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3MWQ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0CER |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G7HOA/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8VHI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8DTF |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8OHM |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4HGI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0GVG/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4JLG |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3SPJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4CLA |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0XDI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0CRY/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0LMD |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3PYE/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M1CNY/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3HBI/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M1MHZ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0BMO |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0JAV |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8HAV |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4XUV |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0WBN |
70cm |
SSB |
Where did my speed go? I used to be able
to get up at 6am, and be QRV on The Cloud before 7am. This morning, Thursday
10th February 2011, I set the alarm for 5.30am, with the intention of
investigating earlier propagation on 80m. But I still only made it to the
summit and set up by 7am. Must do better.
It was actually a rather horrid morning, but I fancied the walk regardless.
So I walked up from Cloudside, with my headtorch illuminating every drop of
fine drizzle before my eyes. Work has been done on the steps. They have been
cleaned and cleared of mud and debris at the sides, making them effectively
50% wider. Also wooden posts and rails have been installed on the right hand
side of the path as you ascend. I first noticed this on Tuesday night, but
they were only halfway up then. Now they are nearly to the top of that
section, where two more posts have been installed either side of the path,
as though a gate is going in there.
Despite the constant drizzle and puddle hopping on the ascent, I rather
enjoyed it, and was soon at the top to begin setting up. The 80m dipole is
tricky to set up in the dark, even with a good torch, so it takes a few goes
and iterations and improvements on each dipole leg before it is up properly.
The problem is, you just can't see more than about 15 feet, so you are
judging by the feel of the pole whether a wire has got snagged or not!
The activation was quite interesting with nine stations worked on 3.512MHz
CW. Seven DXCCs were OE, G, EA, DL, S5, LA and GM, so that was a pleasing
return for 80m. By 0720z, things were getting quiet on frequency, and the
rain was getting heavier. I had plenty of time left in my before-work
activating window, but I decided to reallocate that time to my breakfast!
Pittshill Oatcakes in Chell provided that bacon, mushroom and cheese double
oatcake that completed another of my bizarrely enjoyable commutes to work.
Thanks to all the stations that worked me, and Mark G0VOF for the spot.
|
OE7PHI |
80m |
CW |
|
G4XRV |
80m |
CW |
|
G0VOF |
80m |
CW |
|
EC2DM |
80m |
CW |
|
DL3HRL |
80m |
CW |
|
S51ZG |
80m |
CW |
|
LA8BCA |
80m |
CW |
|
G4OWG |
80m |
CW |
|
GM0AXY |
80m |
CW |
Despite a late night, I was up at 0530 on
Friday 18th February 2011. With a family dinner invitation at Chateaux de
M0TGT that coming evening, after what was expected to be a typically intense
game of staff 5-a-side, I was aware that I was most likely burning the
candle at both ends. Only time would tell I could keep going!
Anyway, here was the opportunity to make a prompt start on The Cloud
G/SP-015 for my pre-work dawn activation, and I was pulling into the parking
spot by 0635. Sean M0GIA hadn't turned up, despite his positive noises the
previous evening. Ah well, to be fair, he would be at the end of his working
"day" (night) in contrast to myself. The new wooden posts and railings
are now all the way up the stairs on the right hand side, and commencing
their journey down on the left. I am a little perplexed by their actual
worth or purpose, but I guess it's all part of some masterplan or other.
It was a cold morning with a touch of damp in the air, as revealed by my
headtorch. Dawn was just starting to break as I arrived on summit. Drat - I
wanted more 'dark' time to investigate than that! Some stupidly early
mornings will now be in order if I am to properly play greyline with the
MM20.
I set up the 40m dipole and hunkered down, as usual, using the topograph to
shelter from the wind, which was, unusually, south-easterly this morning. I
made 25 QSOs on CW using the 7.031 and 7.032MHz QRGs. Ten DXCCs worked were
HA, DL, S5, HB, SM, I, OK, EA, OE and F. I then switched to 7.112MHz SSB and
listened into the activation of F/ON8OO/P on F/VL-025. I tried a few calls
and a few "Summit to summit"s, but WFF was also in play and the pile-up was
monstrous. I elected to leave it as an SWL log, and get myself to work on
time instead! Many thanks to all who called in to work me.
|
HA4FY |
40m |
CW |
|
HA7UG |
40m |
CW |
|
DJ5AV |
40m |
CW |
|
S58MU |
40m |
CW |
|
HB9DAX |
40m |
CW |
|
DL7URH |
40m |
CW |
|
SE6Y |
40m |
CW |
|
IK1AAS |
40m |
CW |
|
OK1JGP |
40m |
CW |
|
HA3FZ |
40m |
CW |
|
IK3DRO |
40m |
CW |
|
EC2DM |
40m |
CW |
|
OK2QA |
40m |
CW |
|
I2CZQ |
40m |
CW |
|
OE3KAB |
40m |
CW |
|
HG4GHJ |
40m |
CW |
|
F8GAK |
40m |
CW |
|
F8FKK |
40m |
CW |
|
OE7PHI |
40m |
CW |
|
DK9PS |
40m |
CW |
|
F6EWB |
40m |
CW |
|
DL2JES |
40m |
CW |
|
EA5FTE |
40m |
CW |
|
I3VAD |
40m |
CW |
|
DL7VKD |
40m |
CW |
Disaster. Monday 28th February 2011, and Marianne said to me "You can't do
your contest tomorrow night because I'm going out". She tried to look stern but
I'm sure there was a glint in her eye. I took it on the chin and accepted my
fate, although nonetheless probably had a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp. I
really didn't want to lose my lead in the 2m UKAC AL section as early as March.
Time to invoke Plan B. My brother owed me a favour, so I enquired as to his
babysitting availability. The excuses were so tenuous that I suspected he
actually didn't want to. So, where does every man turn to in times of trouble?
His mum. And mine didn't let me down. I felt so glad that I had taken her to the
Weston Balti for a slap up birthday meal on Sunday, and that she had really
enjoyed it!
I took great joy in sharing the excellent news with Marianne as I returned home
from work on Tuesday 1st March 2011, and enjoyed observing her feigned pleasure
that I could still do my contest. It was nonetheless a frenetic and coordinated
last minute preparation to have all the pre-requisites in place. I bought coal
and kindling from the shop, caffeine free cola and dark chocolate from another,
and went to pick my mum up. I motored to the Cloudside parking spot flicking
between BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Stoke and Frank Sidebottom's
5:9:88 album, recently on CD for the first time ever.
There is something about those new wooden posts and stair-rails that flank the
concrete stairway up to the National Trust land that makes me climb faster.
Don't ask me what it is, I cannot explain it. But I'm not complaining,
especially when it was in my interests to have a spare couple of minutes to my
set-up window.
And that's all it was. My radio controlled clock displayed 19:58 as I plugged
the microphone, paddle, feeder and power cable (from 7Ah SLAB) into my FT-817,
having just assembled the SB5 and raised it to 4m AGL. Things got off to a real
flyer with me running on 144.315MHz SSB and reaching the end of one pade of my
waterproof notepad (21 logs) by 2013z. By 2100z, I was up to serial number 048,
which was probably my best ever first hour performance. Going into S&P mode, the
multiplier locator squares began to build up, and eventually totalled a
satisfactory 15, even though IO82 proved elusive until given to me by a SOTA
chaser 2E0XTL at 2149z.
At 2129z I worked G4JED for my final contact and serial number 100 - my first
venture ever into a three figure serial in a VHF contest. This was pleasing, and
testament both to the extremely healthy activity levels in the UK activity
contests, and the SB5 antenna, for which I thank Richard G3CWI for the loan.
I didn't bother with a nightcap at the Harrington Arms; I had a mother to run
home and she was expecting me at 11pm. In the event, I arrived home at 11.05pm
and found that Marianne had already driven her home 15 minutes earlier.
A super night, cold and dry on the summit, and loads of radio - excellent!
Thanks to all the SOTA chasers that appeared in my log as part of their own
contest participation and/or SOTA chasing. Recognised chasers included 2E0MAS,
G8HXE, M0LMP, GW4EVX, G0VOF, 2E0PHJ, M0TGT, 2E0TDX, 2E0XYL, G4XPE, G0LGS, M3WDS,
2E0XTL, GW7AAV, 2E0BMO, M0COP and G0TRB. Cheers all.
|
2E0BZU |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4APJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4KUX |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0PAI/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8ONK |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0MAS |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8DTF |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3CWI |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0LES |
2m |
SSB |
|
G6HFF |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0LKC |
2m |
SSB |
|
G7WFE |
2m |
SSB |
|
G2ANC |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0ICK |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8HXE |
2m |
SSB |
|
M6DLT |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3RNX |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0LMP |
2m |
SSB |
|
G7OEM |
2m |
SSB |
|
M5HFJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0TJU |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0BWC/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4YXS |
2m |
SSB |
|
M6XJP |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0UOG |
2m |
SSB |
|
G7IGB |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0LVH |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4FZN/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0WTD |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4MVU |
2m |
SSB |
|
GM6TVR |
2m |
SSB |
|
GW4EVX |
2m |
SSB |
|
G1SWH |
2m |
SSB |
|
M1NTO/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
GM4JR |
2m |
SSB |
|
G1SMI |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8ZRE |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3ZII |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0XDI |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4IRC |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0NFH |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0BBL/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3VLG/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8VHI |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0TAV |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3MEH |
2m |
SSB |
|
GD8EXI |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0VOF |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0HFX/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G2BQY/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4HGI |
2m |
SSB |
|
GI4SNA |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0NEY |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0MJW/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0PHJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3OUA |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3IOE |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3XQV |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0JCQ |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0XOJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0CDA |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4JLG |
2m |
SSB |
|
M6NYL |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3ZPJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8HAV |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0TGT/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0ORC |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0GVG/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3SPJ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8CUL |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0JAV |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4CLA |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0TDX |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0RHM/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0XYL |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8MCA |
2m |
SSB |
|
G3TA |
2m |
SSB |
|
G8CLY |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4XPE |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0LGS |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3WDS |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4PWD |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3LNU |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0XTL |
2m |
SSB |
|
G6LNU |
2m |
SSB |
|
M3XTL |
2m |
SSB |
|
GW7AAV |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4ENZ |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0SBM |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4BCA |
2m |
SSB |
|
2E0BMO |
2m |
SSB |
|
M1MHZ |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4DEZ |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0COP/P |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0WYB |
2m |
SSB |
|
M0BRA |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0TRB |
2m |
SSB |
|
M6CNG |
2m |
SSB |
|
G0IUE |
2m |
SSB |
|
G4JED |
2m |
SSB |
Exactly seven hours and fifty minutes
after descending those stairs, I was climbing them again. The last thing I
expected to be doing on Wednesday 2nd March 2011 was waking up, fresh and
alert, at 0615z. Especially not after going to bed at 0130z the night
before, after entering all my contest logs! Still, waste not want not,
and I decided to use the opportunity to take another wee stroll. The
mornings are getting lighter very quickly, and the headtorch was not even
considered as I arrived at Cloudside at 0650z. Still feeling limbered up
from the night before, I cruised up the stairs and onto the hill, for a
really enjoyable, if short brisk walk.
I opted for the same south-western facing side of the topograph as I had
used the night before, and conducted the very fast set-up of the 40m dipole.
25 minutes operating brought 19 QSOs into 8 DXCCs - DL, E7, HA, I, LA, OK,
S5 and Z3. Many thanks to all chasers.
Then I descended and drove to work, a little apprehensive that my late night
and early morning exertions might not have been ideal preparation for a
lesson observation by my line manager scheduled for the morning. But then,
perhaps it was, as it went well. Maybe I should make a habit of doing an
activation before an important day at work.
|
DH0DK |
40m |
CW |
|
IK3DRO |
40m |
CW |
|
S51ZG |
40m |
CW |
|
HA7UL |
40m |
CW |
|
IK3GER |
40m |
CW |
|
LA8BCA |
40m |
CW |
|
DL4CW |
40m |
CW |
|
HA0IT |
40m |
CW |
|
DL1FU |
40m |
CW |
|
DL3BRA |
40m |
CW |
|
DF7US |
40m |
CW |
|
HA5TI |
40m |
CW |
|
Z35F |
40m |
CW |
|
DL7VKD |
40m |
CW |
|
OK2TBC |
40m |
CW |
|
DL6CMK |
40m |
CW |
|
DL2JES |
40m |
CW |
|
DL4OCE |
40m |
CW |
|
E77O |
40m |
CW |
Thursday 3rd March 2011, and I was up
early again. It was a beautiful bright and sunny morning, if a little cold
at -4 degrees Celcius. The walk up flew by although I could feel the fatigue
from a game of squash late the previous evening. I had the summit to
myself, with no early morning dog walkers or exercise regimists passing over
the hill. A reasonable run on 40m CW amounted to 13 contacts into seven
DXCCs - DL, F, HA, LA, OE, S5 and YL, which I think is a new one for me on
40m for this year.
I packed away and descended in good time, and was able to drop into
Pittshill Oatcakes on the way to work, for a bacon, sausage, mushroom and
cheese oatcake for breakfast. I reasoned that with all the walking and
squash I had been doing this week, that it was a luxury I could afford.
|
HA7UL |
40m |
CW |
|
HA3FZ |
40m |
CW |
|
LA8BCA |
40m |
CW |
|
OE7PHI |
40m |
CW |
|
DJ5AV |
40m |
CW |
|
S55DX |
40m |
CW |
|
S58MU |
40m |
CW |
|
F8DZY |
40m |
CW |
|
DJ5JH |
40m |
CW |
|
YL2CA |
40m |
CW |
|
DJ4XD |
40m |
CW |
|
S51ZG |
40m |
CW |
|
DL6UNF |
40m |
CW |
Only one Cloud visit in the week - Tuesday
8th March 2011, and the RSGB 70cm UK Activity Contest. Cutting things fine
as ever, I was set up and sat in position by 1950z, with just ten minutes of
slack time. Opening up on 432.220MHz SSB, I enjoyed a reasonable run of
contacts before reverting to mainly S&P style operating.
The SB6 (6 element 70cm beam assembly from the SB270 product) was fed with
Aircell 7 cable from my Yaesu FT-817 running 5 watts. In February, I came a
very close second to my friend Simon M0TGT. On that occasion, I had 9
multipliers in the log, whereas Simon had 10. But with me having a much
higher QSO rate than him, the margin of defeat was only 86 points (out of
about 37,000) - hence I figured that ekeing out the elusive tenth multiplier
would be crucial, and I tracked them carefully during the event.
With IO94, IO81 and IO74 in the log relatively early, I had a decent start.
The usual ones of IO83, IO93, IO92, IO91 and JO01 came in without
difficulty. IO82 eventually arrived, somewhat later than usual, so that
matched the previous month's nine. But where was that all-important number
ten going to come from? I heard fleeting weak QSB-affected signals from two
stations in JO02, heard GM4JR/P working other stations but not running, and
suspected David GI4SNA in IO64 would be about somewhere, but never found
him. Ultimately, after a few failed attempts to work G0AJJ/P in JO02, I did
manage to contact G3PYE/P in the same square.
The final reckoning was 64 contacts into ten multiplier squares, and as I
write this, currently leading the AL section of the contest. Furthermore, it
seems my biggest rival, Mr TGT, did not enter this one, giving me a free
shot at the 1000 points for winning the section! Nightcap at the
Harrington Arms, Gawsworth, was the Robinsons "Hannibal's Nectar" ale.
|
M0PAI/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G2ANC |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0DHT |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4APJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0TXT/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0WTD |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G6HFF |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8ZRE |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G6ORS/M |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M5HFJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0LES |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0LMD |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G1ORC/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0UOG |
70cm |
SSB |
|
GW8ASD |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0PHJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M1ZRP |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G6SPG |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G7HOA/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0ORC |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G1SMI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3EYP |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3XQV |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0XOJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0CDA |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3RNX |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0ICK |
70cm |
SSB |
|
GW4EVX |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4FZN/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
MW0TTK |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8OHM |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0ODQ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0TRB |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3XAN |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8DTF |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0REG |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4CPE |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3SPJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4HGI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4EPA |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3HBI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8VHI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0GHZ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0GVG/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0COP/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3MEH |
70cm |
SSB |
|
GD8EXI |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M6XJP |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M3ZPJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4JLG |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4NTY |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4CLA |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G0CER |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0XYL |
70cm |
SSB |
|
2E0TDX |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4DHF |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G8HCB/P |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0XDJ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4LBH |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G4MVU |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M0JAV |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G1EHF |
70cm |
SSB |
|
M1MHZ |
70cm |
SSB |
|
G3PYE/P |
70cm |
SSB |
On Cloud 9. Let me explain.
Jimmy M3EYP got his latest two Maths and Further Maths A-Level modular
results through this week - and they were an A in Mechanics 3 and an A* in
Core 3. As a reward, he requested an activation on the Saturday, coupled
with a pub meal and a couple of pints. Seemed reasonable! Captained
the work staff football team to a surprise away victory in Crewe, versus one
of the strongest school staff teams on the circuit on Friday evening.
Back to Saturday 12th March 2011, and The Cloud was the target, as Jimmy was
yet to collect his 2011 activator point from there. M3EYP/P made 22 QSOs on
2m FM, while M1EYP/P made two on 2m FM and nine on 20m CW. However, it was
the Commonwealth Contest, and those nine were 4 Canadians, 2 from Cyprus and
1 from British Military Bases, Cyprus (ZC4), plus 9M6 East Malaysia and VK -
Australia! Both of these were brand new DXCCs for me, and quite thrilling to
work them on a SOTA activation, running 5 watts into a simple aerial made of
four lengths of wire!
But even that was not the end of the joy. While descending, I listened to
BBC Radio 5 Live on my VX-7 and found that not only had Macclesfield Town
won away at Northampton, but Port Vale had lost at home. Could it get
better? Yes. We entered the Harrington Arms in Gawsworth and asked if they
were serving grub. "Yes, I'll get you some menus" came the reply. But we had
already spotted "Haggis Pie" on the specials board. "They won't be
necessary" I responded, "Two of them!". Jimmy and I celebrated the
football results, exam results and DX results with pints of Hannibal's
Nectar ale. Does it get any better than this?
|
G8HXE |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G6LKB |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
2E0XYL |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
2E0RCS |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G6ODU |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G4YLB |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M3YYK |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M3XIE |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G4ZRP |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M3WLP |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M0MOL |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G0SJS |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
M6MGB |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
9M6/VO1AU |
20m |
CW |
T |
|
MW3UDA |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
2E0TAJ |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G4HZG/M |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G3ZQC |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
2E0CDG/M |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
VY2SS |
20m |
CW |
T |
|
M3HGH |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
G0HRT |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
VK2BJ |
20m |
CW |
T |
|
M6RWN |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
2E0DHT |
2m |
FM |
J |
|
VE1RGB |
20m |
CW |
T |
|
VE3OI |
20m |
CW |
T |
|
P3J |
20m |
CW |
T |
|
XL3A |
20m |
CW |
T |
|
M3EYP/M |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
MW3ZCB/P on Pegwn
Mawr MW-006 |
2m |
FM |
T |
|
C4Z |
20m |
CW |
T |
|
ZC4LI |
20m |
CW |
T |
All our lottery lines matched two numbers
I am informed. So looks like the winning streak ended sometime on Saturday
evening. I was certainly thinking that - and questioning my own sanity - as
I got up at 4.30am on Sunday 13th March 2011, and drove to Cloudside in
heavy rain. And it was freezing cold as well. Bonkers. The
ridiculously early start did mean a return of one of my favourite things - a
headtorch-lit ascent in darkness. Even by early March, the need for torches
is no more for a more typical 7am activation.
It was pretty horrid on the summit, cold blustery wind, squally sleet and
rain and the whole surface of the place utterly filthy with mud churning up
everywhere. Nonetheless, I was there to enjoy myself, so up went the MM20
and down I went by a side of the topograph, although no one face of it
actually afforded much shelter. There was not any Commonwealth Contest
activity to be found before daybreak, so I got into a run of my own on
14.015MHz CW. A few known chasers worked me as well as the usual interest
from Ukraine, Russia and Bulgaria.
As the sun rose, I scanned around again, and fairly quickly found 5N7M,
Nigeria. I tried, but couldn't get my signal through. I had plenty of time
though and consoled myself with probably having another opportunity later.
As it turned out, I didn't, and 5N was a getaway. But then I found ZA/I2GPT,
working split down near the bottom of the band. This was a bigger treasure.
For I have worked Nigeria before; it was on 24MHz CW from South Park in
Macclesfield while Sean M0GIA and myself were testing the newly built MM12.
Albania, however, had never been worked by me. The closest I ever got was a
few Radio Tirana English Service QSL cards in my collection!
I fiddled through the 817 'F' menu to get the A/B split operation going,
waited for the next invite to call, and keyed in my callsign. Worked him
first time - result! My mood lifted, and no signs of any other Commnwealth
stuff yet, I went to 14.022MHz to do some running for the SOTA chasers.
Despite being headed up by Phil who 'clustered' me, this run did not last
long. It would have done if The Cloud had a WFF reference - but it does not,
and it seems that particular programme has a lot of sorting out to do before
it resumes issuing new area reference numbers. I didn't fully check
the rules of the Commonwealth Contest in advance, but listening around to
the activity, I deduced that (a) stations at both ends of the QSO must be in
Commonwealth entities, and (b) contacts within the same Commonwealth entity
are not valid. I did try to cheekily call the occasional GI or GM station
when things got very quiet for them - and I needed them for the 2011 G3WGV
UK CW Table - but was tactfully ignored. The exception was MD0CCE who kindly
gave me a quick 599/599 exchange without serials.
Now more contest activity could be seen, although maybe not as much as the
previous day, and of course many of the stations on had already been worked
by me on the Saturday. I heard a VK station (VK6DXI) and worked him first
call. This was followed by Gibraltar courtesy of ZB2EO, a very big signal.
After another run for the chasers on 14.022MHz CW, I worked my second VK of
the morning - and third of all-time with a surprisingly easy contact with
VK2IM.
Then things got really exciting, but frustrating as well at the same time. I
heard good signals from VP8ANO, ZL2BR, VK4EMM and ZL2AZ. I spent the last 45
minutes of the contest (0915 to 1000z) trying to call these stations, but
couldn't get any of them to hear me. Oh well, I suppose I've had worse days!
It was a nasty old morning on Cloud summit, and I felt damp and cold and
uncomfortable despite two fleeces, coat, hat, overtrousers and 100% indoor
operation - bothy bag. Maybe being there for over four hours had something
to do with it. On the way down, I met two guys walking the Gritstone Trail,
having set out that morning from the Rushton Inn. We compared notes and
compared accommodations used as I recounted my own Gritstone Trail walk of
2007. There was now a blue sky and sunshine, which was very nice, but five
hours late in showing up!
Many thanks for all the calls today. Because I was hunting the DX again, the
QSO rate was pitiful considering the amount of time up there. All the same,
those 34 QSOs did include a ZA, a ZB and 2 VKs. Yes, I've definitely
had worse days.
|
LZ1HBA |
20m |
CW |
|
Z35F |
20m |
CW |
|
UY2IW |
20m |
CW |
|
G3WPF |
20m |
CW |
|
UT5EOX |
20m |
CW |
|
SV2DGJ |
20m |
CW |
|
Z35G |
20m |
CW |
|
UR5QA |
20m |
CW |
|
UA4UAR |
20m |
CW |
|
UA1OLM |
20m |
CW |
|
LZ2RS |
20m |
CW |
|
UT7IX |
20m |
CW |
|
YO6MZ |
20m |
CW |
|
US5VX |
20m |
CW |
|
US5HE |
20m |
CW |
|
UT2UB |
20m |
CW |
|
ZA/I2GPT |
20m |
CW |
|
G4OBK |
20m |
CW |
|
RA1OW |
20m |
CW |
|
UA9CGL |
20m |
CW |
|
RW3CW |
20m |
CW |
|
RX9WN |
20m |
CW |
|
MD0CCE |
20m |
CW |
|
VK6DXI |
20m |
CW |
|
ZB2EO |
20m |
CW |
|
HA5BPS/P |
20m |
CW |
|
HA7UG |
20m |
CW |
|
OE6GND |
20m |
CW |
|
DJ5AV |
20m |
CW |
|
S55DX |
20m |
CW |
|
RU4HD |
20m |
CW |
|
OE8SPW |
20m |
CW |
|
S51RU |
20m |
CW |
|
VK2IM |
20m |
CW |
Wednesday 16th March 2011. I hadn't
planned to do a before-work activation, but accidentally woke up at 5.30am.
So I decided to go up The Cloud G/SP-015 and get a bit of fresh air before
work. I used the MM20 again, and had a remarkably enjoyable
activation. Operating from 0700 to 0753 UTC, I made 70 contacts on 20m CW.
DXCCs were E7, EA, EA6, ES, EW, G, HA, I, LY, LZ, OE, OH, OK, OM, OZ, RA,
S5, SP, UA2, UA9, UR, YO, Z3 - a pleasing 23 DXCCs including (I think) some
new ones on 20m CW for 2011. I hope I keep waking up early - that was
fun!
|
S51MF |
20m |
CW |
|
HA2EQD |
20m |
CW |
|
EA6UN |
20m |
CW |
|
Z35F |
20m |
CW |
|
RZ4FB |
20m |
CW |
|
E74CN |
20m |
CW |
|
UA1APR |
20m |
CW |
|
RA1TU |
20m |
CW |
|
RX6CB |
20m |
CW |
|
UR0MZ |
20m |
CW |
|
OM3LL |
20m |
CW |
|
OH8US |
20m |
CW |
|
HA0HW |
20m |
CW |
|
SP8AWL |
20m |
CW |
|
RX6FJ |
20m |
CW |
|
G3WPF |
20m |
CW |
|
OE4AAC |
20m |
CW |
|
SP2EPV |
20m |
CW |
|
S51ZG |
20m |
CW |
|
UA0ZC |
20m |
CW |
|
OH6NPV |
20m |
CW |
|
HA7UG |
20m |
CW |
|
R3DN |
20m |
CW |
|
EA1SB |
20m |
CW |
|
UT2GW |
20m |
CW |
|
RA9MR |
20m |
CW |
|
S58MU |
20m |
CW |
|
RN3DAO |
20m |
CW |
|
IK3DRO |
20m |
CW |
|
UT8IU |
20m |
CW |
|
RU4HD |
20m |
CW |
|
OM3CFF |
20m |
CW |
|
UX7ID |
20m |
CW |
|
UA1AAU |
20m |
CW |
|
RW9UCA |
20m |
CW |
|
ES4RR |
20m |
CW |
|
UA4PNV |
20m |
CW |
|
RU2FZ |
20m |
CW |
|
LY5G |
20m |
CW |
|
RN3QVN |
20m |
CW |
|
EW7EW |
20m |
CW |
|
HA6ZQ |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1PR |
20m |
CW |
|
LZ2CF |
20m |
CW |
|
S53AT |
20m |
CW |
|
OK1MKI |
20m |
CW |
|
RK2FWN |
20m |
CW |
|
HA5KQ |
20m |
CW |
|
RX3DLH |
20m |
CW |
|
RV1OO |
20m |
CW |
|
UA4PNV |
20m |
CW |
|
IZ8OCU |
20m |
CW |
|
UR5TKM |
20m |
CW |
|
UT4LX |
20m |
CW |
|
I2ZBX |
20m |
CW |
|
EA4RU |
20m |
CW |
|
UA4PNT |
20m |
CW |
|
OM3LL |
20m |
CW |
|
RN2DA |
20m |
CW |
|
HA2AL |
20m |
CW |
|
OE6WIG |
20m |
CW |
|
RD3DM |
20m |
CW |
|
E77O |
20m |
CW |
|
UR3UI |
20m |
CW |
|
OZ4RT |
20m |
CW |
|
UT3IV |
20m |
CW |
|
UR5FEL |
20m |
CW |
|
OM8SL |
20m |
CW |
|
UA9CBR |
20m |
CW |
|
YO3BAP |
20m |
CW |
The evening of Tuesday 22nd March 2011 saw
my next SOTA trip up The Cloud G/SP-015. This was for the RSGB 6m UK
Activity Contest, and was important for me - because I was not actually
winning that one! However, being in 2nd place by only 35 points meant that a
solid if not spectacular performance on the night should see me pull away in
the lead again. (My 2011 6m campaign stuttered in the February session when
I was away in IO94 and unable to properly research a suitable site. The
multipliers came to my rescue that night and kept me 'in the mix' even
though I lost my lead).
I ascended the hill at dusk, switching on my headlamp about halfway up as a
precaution against twisting my ankle on uneven ground. At the top I realised
I hadn't packed a guying ring for the pole, but I did have the back-guy from
the 80m dipole, so I set up the 6m delta loop with that instead to keep
things upright. In fact, I found that this was a much easier and
quicker way to set up this antenna, and that I could get the shape of the
loop right first time without any trial and error. It was a little more
tricky to change the direction of the antenna - but not majorly difficult,
so I think this will be the way to go from now on.
Conditions seemed to be very good down into IO91 square, from where there
was plenty of activity as well. Squares worked were IO64, IO71, IO80, IO81,
IO82, IO83, IO84, IO91, IO92, IO93, JO01 and JO03. IO85, IO94 and JO02 were
heard briefly around the band, but not found to work myself. As usual there
were a few SOTA chasers worked - they were participating in the contest as
well, but did want the SOTA reference.
It was a very nice March evening. A clear night sky saw Orion watching my
every move as it leant over me, the temperature was mild and hardly a breath
of wind. The downside to this was that the midges were bothering. One
doesn't expect that particular inconvenience at 10.30pm on a March night on
The Cloud!
The final reckoning of 57 QSOs into 12 multiplier squares saw me comfortably
leading the AL section after entering the data - although only three AL
entrants had submitted their logs by then! I managed to pack away and
descend very quickly for once, and was in the Harrington Arms just after
11pm. A delicious pint of Ginger Tom Ale, a Spearings beef pie and mustard,
and a pack of Hearty Beef Winter Warmer Burts crisps was the enjoyable
conclusion to the evening.
|
G4APJ |
6m |
SSB |
|
M6DLT |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4UKP |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3XNO |
6m |
SSB |
|
2E0XOJ |
6m |
SSB |
|
GW4EVX |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4GIQ |
6m |
SSB |
|
G2ANC |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4TSW |
6m |
SSB |
|
G1LDC |
6m |
SSB |
|
G7HOA |
6m |
SSB |
|
M3ZPJ |
6m |
SSB |
|
M3EYP |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3ZOD |
6m |
CW |
|
G8APB |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4DEZ |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4ELJ |
6m |
SSB |
|
G6TGO |
6m |
SSB |
|
GW4ZAR/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0WLF |
6m |
SSB |
|
G0TRB |
6m |
SSB |
|
G1PUV |
6m |
SSB |
|
G0CER |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4ENZ |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3ZKN |
6m |
SSB |
|
2E0YYY |
6m |
SSB |
|
2E0TXT/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
G0WTD |
6m |
SSB |
|
G8CUL |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0NUT/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4HGI |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0GVG/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
G0VOF |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3SMT |
6m |
SSB |
|
GW6TEO |
6m |
SSB |
|
GW8ASD |
6m |
SSB |
|
G8ZRE |
6m |
SSB |
|
G6HFF |
6m |
SSB |
|
G0EHV/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
M6OXO |
6m |
SSB |
|
M3OUA |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0COP/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
G1SWH |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4JED |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3WZK |
6m |
SSB |
|
G7IVF/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
2E0BMO |
6m |
SSB |
|
2E0REG |
6m |
SSB |
|
M0XDJ/P |
6m |
SSB |
|
G4ASR |
6m |
SSB |
|
MW6UPH |
6m |
SSB |
|
G3MEH |
6m |
SSB |
|
G6UBM |
| |