Accidental SOTA [044]
Greetings from Wales...
HERE
I’ve just got to my hotel in Wales to discover that the internet is down in all but a strange lounge area. I’d share from my phone but it’s flickering between nothing and very little. So I’m sat on a leather sofa next to an empty bar hoping I can hammer out an update before I collapse. It’s been non-stop these last couple of weeks. And in the style of non-stop that’s not going to let up. But there has been some sporadic bouts of radio and it would be a shame not to share.
THERE
Don't be misled by the picture at the top of this email. It’s not Wales. I’m not long back from a family holiday on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. I had planed to share a kit list from there, but was so into the holiday I forgot. I’ll add in the gear section below. In the meantime here is a pic of the messy station I was working.
I kept meticulous notes with a a whole list of callsigns and conversations I’d had, but accidentally used it as a beermat and now it’s unreadable. It was a good way to go. The beer was quality. Holiday beer always is. So was the wine.
The AirB&B we had was a small cottage on a farm with a decent take off across the sea. In the day we were out and about, in the evening the family watched a little TV and I was allowed to play radio in another room. Perfect.
On the second day of the holiday we decided to tackle Goat Fell. The highest mountain on the Island. I packed a HT. You know. For emergency.
Goat Fell 875M
Latitude: 55.62585, Longitude: -5.191883
Grid Ref: NR 991415, QTH Locator: IO75jp
We started in the brewery carpark and the foot of the mountain at 07:55 and as a result had the mountain almost to ourselves for most of the day. It really was quite a walk and quite the day. Lots of stops on the long trudge up. Snacks, drinks and checking out the amazing views. And the views were indeed amazing.
Broken and hungry at the top, the family wanted to rest before the decent. I took the opportunity to grab the radio to see If I could grab a 2m contact or two. I did. Then another and then another. Before I knew it I’d managed some accidental SOTA and bagged another peak. Seven quick contacts on my Yaesu. Thanks to all those who connected.
Later in the evening I found that being on an island made you popular with the WAB (Worked all Britain) brigade and found the contacts coming thick and fast. I even started collecting squares myself. Thanks to Steve G4HPE for the pointers. I chatted with around six countries and bagged some WAB squares.
If you look carefully you can see my mast and QRP EFHW poking up.
All in all a fantastic holiday.
In other news, the bank holiday Monday this week saw the Huntingdon Amateur Radio Society hold its annual rally. Here is a little video I made...
GEAR
As promised. The kit I used on the Scottish island:
Yaesu FT5D for APRS and SOTA
A QRP 49:1 End Fed Half Wave from Moonraker with about 20m of Sotabeams antenna wire attached to a Sotabeams 6m mast.
Elecraft T1 antenna tuner
ONAIR
Here are some notes that I could find (and read)…
Recently in the shack, for a change of scene I dropped onto the 9:30am net on the GB3EZ repeater 35miles away from my QTH in Wickhambrook, about ten miles south of Bury St Edmonds.
It was a busy net run by Melvin M0IID and joined by G8GRL - Kim, M1TES/M - James, M7WCD - Bill, M7TNI - Tony, G4WXN - Derek, G1VGI - Kevin, M7CUC - Paul, G7MLO - James.
I was told by a few that checked that I could be heard on the input and it was nice to hear some new voices.
Out on the road leaving Iron Bridge and heading to Wales I had a chat on GB3LH with G8DIR Ken.
There was also a new amateur on the radio round our way Ian, M7GPV. He popped onto GB3OV to a warm welcome having only just got his callsign that morning.
ELSEWHERE
Mark’s scanners
Some photos from the HARS rally.
FT8 on an Android tablet. Compact but looks like a faff.
This is my other more regular, slightly more eclectic email.
FINALS
Thanks for reading and I hope subscribing.
I need to get to bed. Working near here tomorrow. Shooting photos, video and podcasting. Then hitting the repeaters all the way home.
Please share this wherever you think it might resonate. At time of writing there are 269 subscribers to this email. You are some of the more curious people in radio ;-) And I thank you.
Over
73 de Christian G5DOC
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