SOTA…
No activations to report this month…
SOTA chasing had been excellent in August after the upward trend shown so far in 2011. Activity has been steady all summer long, first points this month were gained from Iain WJZ who activated Beinn Eich and Doune Hill, both in the Luss Hill area, mention is made of Roddy 2MØIOB who had activated Blackwood Hill in the Scottish Border area and gained the points necessary from the Beinn Eich summit to summit contact with Iain to gain his Shack Sloth award, nice one!! Later in the day Robin PKT put an appearance in from Stob a’Choire Odhair.
The following day, Neil 2MØNCM returned to the Glen Douglas area to activate Beinn Bhreac, I had a look at Google after Neil mentioned large fissures about the hillside, one for the future.
There was no midweek activations so it was on the following Saturday that Bob AWV called from The Fruin above Helensburgh, I contacted Bob with my wee 2w handie as the hill is line of sight from the home QTH, a cloudy day. Neil NCM popped up on the Sunday on what was an occasionally wet and windy day from Lomond side, Ben Vorlich was his hill for the day.
Luss and Arrochar hills
The following day Robin PKT was out on sister hills in the Ben Lawers area, Meall Corranaich was the first and was later followed by Meall a’Choire Leith, I managed to work him on the latter which was my first home contact to the hill as it sits slap behind Corranaich. He was out on most days this week and popped up on Beinn Challum, Ben Lui and Sgurr a’Mhaim ( in the shadows of Ben Nevis).
On the Saturday, I had gone out for a local hill walk taking in Corlic which I had timed to work Iain WJZ using only a handie and on my walk home, Roddy IOB had let me know that fellow Paisley club member Craig ANL was to activate Beinn Chaorach later that afternoon, I ended up working him from home.
On the last weekend of the month, it was Robin PKT who activated a double on the Sat doing both Beinn a’Bheithir tops, Sgurr Dhonuill and Sgurr Dhearg and finally for the month, Iain WJZ did the pair of Ben More and Stobinnean…
Ben More and Stobinnean
Another excellent month
for ‘chasing’ points !
HF..
I tended to spend too much time on JT65 this month, ignoring my usual modes of PSK and WSPR. Contacts being made across Europe as far as Japan and as westwards to the US. There is, as in WSPR an excellent spotting facility in this mode and pleasantly surprised to be ‘spotted’ in Indonesia, South Africa , Australia and in New Zealand on more than one occasion. Power varies between 5 and 15 watts.
If the bands are quiet then a test of three CQs using the JT65HF software will let you know the propagation situation, I occasionally used other bands in this mode, contacts being made on 40, 30, 20, 15 and 10m but spent most time on 20m. I’ll probably look further more at the mode but unless conditions improve dramatically, I’ll just move between WSPR and JT65.
Outlook..
As this is usually written at the start of the next month, Sept in this case, plans were afoot to activate a SI munro but due to weather and other circumstances, this had been shelved until later, hopefully in early October…I did try to up my fitness level doing regular local walks late in the month and early Sept but suffered an ankle sprain whilst on my way to Corlic, unfortunately I had just under two-mile to hobble to a pick up point, sod this healthy exercise stuff. Oh well.
aching legs and CQ 