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Full list of discussion topics| Post by 2E0EYP on 29th July 2012 at 23:08 |
| Me and my Dad M1EYP have activated all of the SOTA summits in England. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by G8ADD on 29th July 2012 at 23:24 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Well done! Scotland next? ;-) 73 Brian GO8ADD |
| Post by M1EYP on 29th July 2012 at 23:29 |
| More likely Isle of Man... Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by M0CGH on 30th July 2012 at 04:04 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Congratulations Jimmy & Tom! It's nice that you were both able to complete at the same time. 73 Colin |
| Post by M1EYP on 30th July 2012 at 06:42 |
| >Congratulations Jimmy & Tom! Cheers Colin. FB that you called me on 40 CW on my "completing" activation. >It's nice that you were both able to complete at the same time. Except that we didn't. There's always an order to these things: G Activator "Completists": 1) G3CWI 2) G4OIG (+720 days) 3) G4MD (+8 minutes) 4) 2E0EYP (+287 days) 5) M1EYP (+16 minutes) ;) Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by G7LAS on 30th July 2012 at 07:14 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Well done guys, a fabulous and substantial achievement. I even went up the local summit, Bardon Hill, to try and work you Jimmy and to offer my congratulations. While I could often hear the other amateur in the QSO, unfortunately you were too weak on this occasion. My six year old, Ben, I think draws parallels with you guys and often says - "can we get the glass goat", or "we can do all the hills like them, dad." I think our points are currently in the mid-fifties so we've got a bit of catching up to do! :) All the very best, Rob G7LAS |
| Post by M6EPW on 30th July 2012 at 07:23 |
| In reply to G7LAS: Congratulations Tom and Jimmy. A great achievement, especially after your fall on Pillar on Saturday Tom. Hope your back and hand are ok and that you are not too sore. Hope to catch-up with you both again from a summit somewhere soon.. 73 Liz |
| Post by M0LEP on 30th July 2012 at 07:53 |
| Congratulations, both of you. I hope you enjoyed Ennerdale and Black Sail. 73, Rick M0LEP |
| Post by G3CWI on 30th July 2012 at 07:57 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Well done Team GB! 73 Richard G3CWI |
| Post by G4SSH on 30th July 2012 at 07:58 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Jimmy & Tom Congratulations to both - a magnificent achievement 73 Roy G4SSH |
| Post by G3CWI on 30th July 2012 at 08:00 |
| In reply to M1EYP: > 2) G4OIG (+720 days) > 3) G4MD (+8 minutes) > 4) 2E0EYP (+287 days) > 5) M1EYP (+16 minutes) Not sure that I understand your table. Can you explain please? 73 Richard G3CWI |
| Post by MM0FMF on 30th July 2012 at 08:12 |
| In reply to G3CWI: Gerald completed 720 days after you, etc. etc. Andy MM0FMF |
| Post by 2E0EYP on 30th July 2012 at 08:37 |
| Thank you all for your comments. It would have nice to have a summit to summit with Rob G7LAS on Bardon Hill G/CE-004. Ennerdale and Black Sail Youth Hostels were very good and the wardens were friendly. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by 2E0YYY on 30th July 2012 at 08:53 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Fantastic achievevment Jimmy and Tom, I doubt I'll ever complete G/SP let alone the whole of 'G'... Best 73 Mike 2O0YYY |
| Post by 2E0EYP on 30th July 2012 at 08:55 |
| Thank you for your comments Mike. Maybe you should set a target of completing G/SP. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by 2E0MIX on 30th July 2012 at 09:20 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Congratulations Jimmy, also tnx for a great day's walking during our joint activation last Friday. Hope Haystacks is still on the 'to do' list. 73, Derek |
| Post by M0CGH on 30th July 2012 at 09:30 |
| In reply to M1EYP: > Cheers Colin. FB that you called me on 40 CW on my > "completing" activation. Thanks for the QSO! I had been planning our brief contact since Friday. I set up the 10m fishing pole in the garden - I can just squeeze a 40m dipole into the plot if I use a 10m pole, inverted vee style, there is rather an acute angle at the apex, but hey, it seems to work! I was on the air from my little beach shelter on the lawn at 1230UTC, patiently waiting to see a spot on my Kindle that I was using to view SOTAwatch. My most capable rig for 40m is the KD1JV MTR, so I charged up my batteries overnight to make sure I could pump out at least 4 Watts. I saw your initial spot but searching up and down from 7.032, I heard only occasional calls from other chasers. I thought I had lost my chance to work you, so I QSY'd on to 20m and managed to work Sake, LX/PA0SKP on LX/LX-002, still using the MTR. I changed back on to 40m and then saw some more spots for MO1EYP/P, this time I could just make out your CW very weakly. The signal then built up in strength so I dived in with my call. I was so pleased to be able to work you in the end, it had been quite an undertaking just to get in to your log! Typically the QSB made my end of the QSO quite difficult, but then your signal became quite strong just after! The beach shelter earned it's keep, we had quite a downpour at one point. > >It's nice that you were both able to complete at the same time. > > Except that we didn't. There's always an order to these things: > > G Activator "Completists": > 1) G3CWI > 2) G4OIG (+720 days) > 3) G4MD (+8 minutes) > 4) 2E0EYP (+287 days) > 5) M1EYP (+16 minutes) Ah, so Jimmy bet you to it, well done Jimmy! 73 and congrats again, a good time had by all! Colin |
| Post by 2E0EYP on 30th July 2012 at 09:50 |
| Hi Derek, It was good to meet up with you last Friday. Haystacks is not on our to do list. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by M0RCP on 30th July 2012 at 11:24 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Well done to the both of you. Did have a little listen out for you on Harter Fell but not a peep. Did you manage all of them on 2m FM? Rick M0RCP |
| Post by MW0IDX on 30th July 2012 at 11:30 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Well done Tom and Jimmy, a great achievement! 73 Roger mw0idx |
| Post by M0VCM on 30th July 2012 at 15:16 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Congratulations Jimmy and Tom - very well done! I was up near Ingleton and saw your alerts, but sadly my holiday was just ending, so no opportunity for a contact. 73, John M0VCM |
| Post by 2E0EYP on 30th July 2012 at 16:13 |
| Thank you all for your comments. I did manage to qualify all the SOTA summits on 2m FM on my recent trip to G/LD. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by G6WRW on 30th July 2012 at 16:33 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Congratulations Jimmy and Tom :o) Carolyn |
| Post by 2E0EYP on 30th July 2012 at 16:34 |
| Thank you for the congratulations Carolyn. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by M1EYP on 30th July 2012 at 21:56 |
| Thursday 26th July 2012 and a 5am get-up at EYP Towers. This was it. What we had been working towards for nearly seven years. A window of opportunity by the end of which Jimmy and I could claim to have activated every summit in the English SOTA association. We were both fairly snappy getting prepared and out of the house, so we were able to make good time up the M6. Taking the A590 to Newby Bridge, the bad news was that the previously used breakfast cafe was no more, as predicted by Jimmy. However, shortly after, we noticed that the Rusland Pool Hotel was offering breakfast to non-residents. In we went! Following a fine feed and a splendid pot of tea, Jimmy was now in charge of directions and prompted me up into Eskdale. As we drew towards the Bower House Inn, I got the urge for a second pot of tea, so we refuelled here. But now it really was SOTA time. I parked in a wide double farm entrance at NY129054, underneath the Wainwright summit of Buckbarrow, which we noted as a possibility for later. But our target right now was Seatallan G/LD-025 (WOTA LDW-093). We walked a little back down the road, and up the track to Windsor Farm from NY127055. Soon, Jimmy had picked out the very vague path directly north up the hillside, so the proper climbing began. This was a bit of a slog until we reached the cairn at Cat Bields where we paused for a rest and an energy bar. There remained 1.5km to go and nearly 200m of ascent, but the going was now much easier, and the rate of progress to the summit was good. This was a very quiet fell, but three other people were noted on summit during the time we were there. Jimmy, working as 2O0EYP/P made 15 QSOs on 2m FM, attracting both SOTA and WOTA chasers. On 20m CW, I worked SOTA and WFF chasers to the tune of 28 contacts as MO1EYP/P, including two each into USA and Canada. Lunch was taken, and soup of the day was mulligatawny. After packing up, we first headed back to Cat Bields, which was out cue to head over to Glade How. This was not a Wainwright, nor were any of the other very nearby cairned summits. However, we were heading for Buckbarrow LDW-197, lower than all its neighbouring tops but selected by Wainwright due to its spectacular view over Wast Water. Jimmy and I both made several contacts on 2m FM with keen WOTA chasers. Jimmy reported that Derek 2E0MIX had assured him that a direct unsteep unexposed route existed from Buckbarrow to our parking spot. We placed our faith in this, and were rewarded with a straightforward descent. We had made good time and were now in a position to get to Ennerdale YHA in plenty of time to book in, order meals, make beds and shower. A bonus was that we managed to get bottom bunks - the reason I always try to be at youth hostels by 5pm! Dinner was vegetable soup, cottage pie and apple crumble & custard. It was all excellent, as were the Jennings Sneck Lifter and Cumberland ales that accompanied it. We got chatting a 70 year old chap who was a keen sunset photographer. He explained that he had taken up youth hostelling to fill his time after his wife passed away. The warden Sue was very friendly and accommodating, as well as being a great cook! It was to prove the start of not just four days of great walking, but three nights of great hostelling. Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by M0JLA on 30th July 2012 at 21:56 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Many congratulations to you both. I listened but heard nothing. What next; all GM? Perhaps some of the smaller European associations would be a less daunting challenge. 73, Rod |
| Post by M1EYP on 30th July 2012 at 22:01 |
| Hi Rod, GD is the most realistic next challenge. GW and GI are feasible long-term aspirations. GM may be disregarded, not only for the sheer number of summits involved, but for the existence of two sea stacks in St Kilda! Once Jimmy has his full licence, then PA, LX, ON and OZ look possible to complete. 9H too, if we ever go on holiday there. I'm not anticipating completing W6 though... Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by 2E0XYL on 30th July 2012 at 22:26 |
| In reply to M1EYP: Many congratulations to you both! I did listen out for you, Friday onwards, but only managed to catch Jimmy on the last one. 73 Karen |
| Post by 2E0EYP on 30th July 2012 at 22:29 |
| Hi Karen, It was nice to work you on the last one. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by M1EYP on 31st July 2012 at 08:10 |
| Friday 27th July 2012, and it was necessary to make the rucksacks a fraction heavier. A change of some items of clothes, a toothbrush, blood pressure tablets, hiking towel and packets of powdered soup was not an enormous additional payload, but was nonetheless felt by my shoulders! After the YHA cooked breakfast, we walked a short distance along the track from Ennerdale. But very soon we turned left and began climbing up the grassy slope. We were ready for a rest just before where we would cross the stream as the gill narrowed, so munched on Nutri-Grain bars while enjoying the commanding views over Ennerdale. The hard work would not relent, and after crossing the beck we remained locked into a lung-busting pull up the slopes of Red Pike. Derek 2E0MIX waved at us from above. It transpired he had passed the youth hostel at 8am, but thought it necessary to push on and get a head start so as not to hold us up later in the day! Seeing Derek was motivation enough for Jimmy to push on, and I could soon see them conversing up the hill ahead of me. I plodded on at my own slow pace before eventually converging with Jimmy and Derek at the summit of Red Pike, WOTA LDW-062. All of us worked some WOTA chasers using 2m FM handhelds, although in my case it was just a couple of contacts. But after a brief rest, it was time to proceed along the ridge and up the hill to High Stile G/LD-012 (WOTA LDW-029). Derek claimed not to have a head for heights, yet him and Deano (his lovely black labrador) skipped fearlessly past some plunging drops right at the pathside. I edged past them somewhat more cautiously! The summit of High Stile was reached, but it was something of a lottery as to which of the three summit cairns marked the highest point. I didn't agonise over that issue, and dropped a little down a slope for some shelter, and to set up the 20m groundplane antenna. Jimmy and Derek remained at one of the cairns and used 2E0MIX's handheld and 2E0EYP's SOTA Beam for 2m FM work. Jimmy made 8 QSOs using the 2O0EYP/P callsign, while my MO1EYP/P proved popular on 20m CW - or was it the references I was offering? In addition to SOTA G/LD-012 and WOTA LDW-029, I could also be worked for WFF Lake District - GFF-008. And I was definitely worked by chasers keen on each of those three awards programmes. After 54 QSOs, I relaxed with Jimmy over lunch, which was Thai red curry vegetable soup. We double-checked using map and compass to establish the route over to High Crag, WOTA LDW-065. Again, Jimmy and Derek led the way working known WOTA chasers on 2m FM. Derek was using a rucksack antenna and was stood up on the summit. I was sat down at the cairn and just using the helical antenna with my VX-7R, so Derek looked very surprised when Dave GI4SNA came back to my first call! Now came the worst part of the day, a horrible steep stony descent of High Crag to Seat down Gamlin End. I kept Jimmy and Derek waiting some considerable time here! Over Seat (not a Wainwright) it was another descent down to Scarth Gap. I stated that I did not want to climb Haystacks (WOTA LDW-131), which was agreed by Jimmy. Derek therefore said that he would leave it as well, and crack on with his 7 mile walk down the Ennerdale track to his car at Bowness Bridge. He did walk with us as far as the gate into Black Sail YHA though. It had been great fun walking, activating and chatting with Derek (and Deano) during the day. Jimmy and I now arrived at the famous Black Sail Hut, a genuinely remote youth hostel, some 3 miles mountain walking away from the nearest public road. It was quite a place, it a beautiful remote setting, and with a great atmosphere generated by the other hostellers (two families) and wardens Suzy and Martin. Dinner was vegetable soup followed by cottage pie, so exactly the same menu as Ennerdale YHA the night before! However, the recipes and presentations were sufficiently different to provide interest, moreover the food was delicious and we were hungry! Chocolate fudge cake and ice cream was dessert, while Jennings Sneck Lifter and Cumberland Ale were the tipples of choice. I was chatting to Suzy the warden, and she told me that Jimmy (who had race ahead of me earlier to do the booking in and making of bunks) had explained about our radio activity. "We had two chaps doing something like that last year" she explained, "but I can't remember their names". "Paul and Gerald" I told her, and she nodded and said "Yes, that's them, do you know them?". Jimmy and I scoured the 2011 guestbook but it seemed G4OIG and G4MD had not made an entry. However the books made interesting reading as we sipped our beers, and I had a go on one of the acoustic guitars. A rendition of "Dirty Old Town" was joined in with enthusiastically by one of the lady hostellers, while I was amused to find an alternative set of lyrics for the reggae classic "Don't Worry, About A Thing" in the 2012 guestbook. Just imagine the line "This is my message to you-oo-oo-oo" replaced with "This is the best hut in the Lake District"! Around 9pm, three girls came into the hut. These were university friends of Suzy's, and had set up camp down by the river in Black Sail Pass. It was Suzy's day off the next day, and I think the plan was for them to go off in the Land Rover and have a day and a night-out somewhere before returning to Black Sail. After around 9.30pm, runners donning headtorches became a frequent sight outside the hut. They were in the Lakeland 100 fell race, which is run over 40 hours! Jimmy and I had an 8 bedded dormitory to ourselves at Black Sail, so we able to spread our gear around and not worry about upsetting other residents. I was straight to sleep as usual, but others reported that headlamps were noted going past the windows up to around 3am. Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by M0JLA on 31st July 2012 at 08:37 |
| > GD is the most realistic next challenge. GW and GI are feasible > long-term aspirations. GM may be disregarded, not only for the sheer > number of summits involved, but for the existence of two sea stacks in > St Kilda! Tom, There is a book which refers to the St Kildans climbing the stacks to catch birds for food, so they might not be impossible! Yes, GD is an obvious one to try; we hope to have a go at it in the autumn. I had not realized that you still had GW to complete; lots of awkward 1 pointers that we are working our way slowly through, with some going straight on to the "never again" list. > Once Jimmy has his full licence, then PA, LX, ON and OZ look possible > to complete. 9H too, if we ever go on holiday there. I'm not > anticipating completing W6 though... I don't expect Vicki to go for M0 which is a pity as I would like a bash at EI as well as GI, but not with intention of completing either. The knees are too old for such aspirations. Best wishes to you both for future activations and to Jimmy for the Advanced. 73, Rod |
| Post by M1EYP on 31st July 2012 at 09:27 |
| Cheers Rod! On the morning of Saturday 28th July 2012, we had the pleasure of waking up in the splendidly remote setting of Black Sail Pass. It had been raining a little during the night, but the morning was dry. The forecast was for a good morning, with a damper late afternoon, so we were keen to get cracking. The forecast was over 24 hours old though - we had carried it up from Ennerdale the previous day at the request of the warden Sue! The packet broccoli & stilton soup had worked quite well, and was in the flask ready to go. After porridge and cooked breakfast, Jimmy and I kitted up and bade farewell to our fellow hostellers, and the wardens Suzy and Martin. We followed the stony path down over the river close to the PhD students' tent, and then up towards the summit of Black Sail Pass. Some horrid drizzly rain came in as we climbed out of Sail Beck, and it was being whipped up by a brisk breeze. This was way earlier than expected, and illustrated the greater inaccuracy of a 36 hour old forecast. Either that, or it illustrated what we all know can happen in the mountains! Full waterproofs were quickly donned, and would remain on all day. The walk was fairly gentle past Looking Stead, but we were soon into a steep path with hands down on occasions as we climbed above 750m ASL. The rain was now hitting harder and it was clear we were going to be getting rather wet! As we approached the summit plateau, a couple of the hostellers from Black Sail caught us up. Just two of them had elected to climb Pillar, with the rest preferring to just go straight to the Wasdale Head Inn. "Sensible people" I remarked. The rain did not abate on the summit, so 2m FM handheld-rubber duck only operation was a necessity. Jimmy 2O0EYP/P worked 4 WOTA chasers, while I worked double that amount. We descended steeply down to Wind Gap, which would be the scene of a poor decision. The weather was still poor, and the climb directly ahead onto the WOTA summit Scoat Fell did not look appealing (but would have been a much better and easier option in fact). The map indicated a route down Wind Gap back to Ennerdale, and we thought this would be a good escape route. Alas not - in reality, it was too steep a descent to be considered in such wet conditions, and I would soon pay for this error of judgement - but fortunately not too dearly! As Jimmy and I gingerly edged our way down the steep path, I had veered onto a grassy bit and suddenly lost all friction between myself and the ground, and went into a slide that I couldn't arrest. I sped past Jimmy who looked on in horror. I managed to roll onto my front and thankfully slowed to a halt. I had bumps and bruises, a couple of nasty cuts and some very sore spots, but I was generally OK. The shape of the hillside meant that I wouldn't have fallen off anything, but it was good it was a slide rather than a tumble, and that I didn't bang my head. Jimmy picked his way carefully down to where I was, collecting my dropped walking poles and SOTA pole on the way. We rested there for some time while we considered a strategy to complete the descent safely. This was a painstaking and slow job, but I wasn't taking any chances. We picked out objectives around 20 yards away and moved across to them. This continued in a zigzag pattern until the valley became flatter and we could sit by some rocks and have our soup lunch. I checked for damage in my rucksack, but thankfully all the radio gear and camera were fine. My waterproof overtrousers were ruined though! We pressed on until reaching the path that had come down from the shoulder of Pillar, after which we had a tricky stream crossing to negotiate. The normal crossing point was unfeasible due to the large amount of water flowing through. We climbed onto some rocks in the middle of High Beck, which we then clambered along upstream until spotting a way across to the other bank. There was still plenty of descent to go, confirmed when we spied Ennerdale YHA well below us in the view! We were tired as we followed the forest paths downhill, and a little unnerved when we were suddenly aware of a sheer 50 foot drop into a ravine and waterfall right by the left edge of a muddy slippy path! I had already got away with one slip today. I dared not risk another. Therefore I was pleased to be down at the forest ride and some horizontal walking at ground level! We took the footpath that edged closer to the River Liza so I could check if there were any routes directly across to Ennerdale YHA, but as the map, and the warden had said, there were not. So we continued to walk west until we could use the bridges, and then walk the final 1km east to the hostel. Again, I sent Jimmy ahead to book in, order meals and attempt to bags two bottom bunks. He completed this mission successfully, even radioing his results to me on 2m FM! This meant I had a relaxed final walk through Low Gillerthwaite Farm knowing that my dinner was ordered, and I would have a bottom bunk ready made up for me! Jimmy is an excellent team member! He did it just in time as well, for a father-and-son team ending their first day on the Coast 2 Coast arrived in the same dorm shortly after. They had got very lost coming out of Cleator, and were having to get a taxi back to there in the morning. A family of four with two very young sons had completed the first C2C day successfully, while a lady called Lynette had run out of time by Ennerdale Bridge and taxied to the YHA from there. We offered to drop her back there on our way out the following morning. Dinner was carrot & lentil soup, followed by chicken curry and rice. Jennings Sneck Lifter went down better than ever. The warden Sue was excellent again, and fetched some more newspapers from her living quarters to stuff into our wet boots in the drying room. She also gave me an antiseptic wipe to clean around the cuts on my finger. We chatted to Lynette about her Coast 2 Coast plans before going up to bed. I was ready for a good sleep. Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by M1EYP on 31st July 2012 at 11:17 |
| So to Sunday 29th July 2012, and our final day in the Lakes. Moreover, with our final English Marilyn summit ahead of us. The weather forecast remained somewhat vague, but one possible interpretation of it was that the worst of the rain would have passed to the east by afternoon, and that any following showers would be short and isolated. Although cancelling the activation for a future date remained a possibility, we agreed we would only make a final decision once at the Dunnerdale car park. First it was another hearty YHA breakfast at Ennerdale, and I also prepared a flask of broccoli, salmon & watercress soup. Lynette joined us in the car, and we dropped her in Ennerdale Bridge to resume her C2C walk. Jimmy directed me south through Calder Bridge and then on the high road over Birker Fell, before turning left at Ulpha to drive up through Dunnerdale. We parked in the car park at SD235995, and with very light drizzle and clearng skies, took the decision to proceed. We walked along the forest track to near the farm at Birks before turning right to head steeply uphill on Mart Crag. In all honesty, I was very fearful of this very steep looking approach, especially after my slip on Pillar G/LD-006 the previous day. The general tiredness, aches and pains of the last few days, not to mention discomfort from the minor injuries sustained in Wind Gap, did not help either. I did not enjoy the route as it became ever steeper, more scrambly and rather exposed. "No way am I going back down that way" I advised Jimmy as we emerged on kinder ground at SD224992. Indeed, I was prepared to take any walk off the other side of the hill and walk all the way around in preference. I even stated that I would descend to Hard Knott Pass and hitch a ride from there if necessary, much to Jimmy's disdain. At least now it was more of a straightforward wander up towards the summit. The summit area itself was a super place, with lots of tall rocks, trig point, cairns, great views and plenty of sheltered operating points. I posted a spot on SOTAwatch using my mobile 'phone, but then lingered around for half-an-hour soaking up my final G summit. Eventually I set up under the tall rock upon which is the highest point. Jimmy insisted on clambering up to it before settling into his 2m FM operation. I didn't bother before cracking on with 40m. I had decided to scrap 20m this time, as more of my loyal friends and chasers who normally call me would be on 40m, and wouldn't have to compete with the WFF "wall". In the end, I made 40 contacts, mostly 40m CW, but including 8 on 40m SSB and 3 on 2m FM. Jimmy made a sizeable 33 on 2m FM. Jimmy had interviewed all the other walkers and most of his chasers as to the best route down. He decided on Rob G4RQJ's suggestion of the path towards Hard Knott Pass, before doubling back on the forest bridleway to the Dunnerdale car park. The two tired lads drove home via the M6, snacks and Red Bull, before indulging in mixed meat kebabs from a shop on our estate. And we had done it - activated every summit in the G SOTA association, including all those that had existed but became deleted during our participation time. Many thanks for all the calls and support. Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by G4MD on 31st July 2012 at 12:15 |
| In reply to M1EYP, 2E0EYP: Hearty congratulations on G completion to you both. It's a good feeling! Sorry to hear about your tumble Tom and hope the bruises soon fade :-s When Gerald and I did Harter Fell, we completely missed the direct route up - never recognised the precipitous jumble of loose rocks as the path - and ended up going round in a big loop to the East although we did risk the "quick" way down fortunately without incident. Good luck with GD and GW completions! 73 de Paul G4MD |
| Post by G3RMD on 31st July 2012 at 15:26 |
| In reply to 2E0EYP: Congratulations guys. Great effort. 73, Frank |
| Post by 2E0EYP on 31st July 2012 at 16:15 |
| Thank you Paul and Frank for your congratulations. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by G3CWI on 31st July 2012 at 16:44 |
| In reply to M1EYP: > went into a slide that I couldn't arrest. I sped > past Jimmy who looked on in horror. I feel that you have exaggerated this incident. I have had worse falls outside pubs in Macc. 73 Richard G3CWI |
| Post by M1EYP on 31st July 2012 at 16:45 |
| I have to agree. Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by G0VOF on 31st July 2012 at 22:36 |
| In reply to M1EYP: Congratulations to both you & Jimmy. Jimmy was the strongest I've heard him on 2m FM from home on Harter Fell & it was easy to work him. 40m CW was a different matter & at first you were inaudible here in Blackburn. A little later & your signal rose up out of the noise & it was very nice to be able to work both of you on your G completion activation. Best 73, Mark G0VOF |
| Post by 2E0EYP on 1st August 2012 at 08:07 |
| Hi Mark, It was nice to work you from Harter Fell G/LD-028. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by M3ZCB on 1st August 2012 at 21:15 |
| Congratulations both on completing G. Hope Tom is recovering from his fall - when we did Pillar my research had led me to believe it was a hazardous route, and it sounds like we were right to avoid it! Caroline M3ZCB |
| Post by 2E0EYP on 1st August 2012 at 21:17 |
| Thank you for the congratulations Caroline. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by G4OIG on 5th August 2012 at 16:21 |
| In reply to G4MD: First of all, belated congrats to Tom and Jimmy for bagging all the G summits. Well done the pair of you. From experience, the task certainly needs commitment! > When Gerald and I did Harter Fell, we completely missed the direct route up - never recognised the precipitous jumble of loose rocks as the path - and ended up going round in a big loop to the East although we did risk the "quick" way down fortunately without incident. I recall we were chasing our tails on that one as we had planned an entirely different approach and were scuppered by a road closure requiring a 20 mile detour. A fair amount of the loose stuff was certainly dislodged on our descent, though not sufficient continuity for a decent scree run. I seem to recall that having experienced that we concluded that our ascent route hadn't been a bad option despite the additional distance involved. 73, Gerald G4OIG |
| Post by 2E0EYP on 5th August 2012 at 17:40 |
| Thank you for your congratulations Gerald. Jimmy 2(O)0EYP |
| Post by M1EYP on 9th August 2012 at 14:08 |
| Everything, now (in England), has to be a repeat. But no surprise, I guess, that my most recent two "repeats" have been on my most repeated summits - The Cloud G/SP-015 and Gun G/SP-013. On the evening of Tuesday 7th August 2012, it was 2m night in the UKAC series. I was fed-up with Merryton Low and its boring views, and still wasn't convinced that my contest performances up there were worth abstaining from SOTA for. I suppose the results are marginally better, but I would have hoped that the difference would be much more significant. So, back up to The Cloud it was, the decision cemented when Chris G8APB (who runs QRO very close to The Cloud) informed me he would not be contesting that night. The usual cohort of club runners passed across the summit during my set-up time. Most stopped to rest at the trig point, and bemoan the poor decision to relegate Queen Victoria in the first heat of the women's sprint final at the Olympic track cycling. The first 14 minutes of the contest was good. I recorded 25 QSOs in that time. Thereafter, it was difficult to establish a good rhythm or make the best decision between S&P, running or chasing a particular multiplier square at any given time. I finished on 73 QSOs into 14 multipliers, with one 'DX' contact into EI. The ODX was within the UK however, with GM4AFF in IO86. A finish of no better than 4th can be expected. Tom M1EYP |
| Post by M1EYP on 9th August 2012 at 14:31 |
| Onto Wednesday 8th August 2012, and Liam was working at the garage in Tunstall again. This left me with a few hours to kill on a beautiful day, while remaining fairly local. I drove over Brown Edge and Biddulph Moor to Gun G/SP-013. The decision was to go up just with the 20m aerial, and to try some SSB when variation was required. I also had the 2m FM handy as well of course. It was a lovely day with bright sunshine and blue sky. There was a gentle breeze which meant midges were kept away, although there were a few flies when the wind dropped slightly. A steak and gravy pie made for a pleasant lunch in the middle of the day, but I should have taken more water with me! The results were as follows: 20m CW: 144 QSOs, including 1 S2S 20m SSB: 65 QSOs, including 5 S2S 2m FM: 15 QSOs, including 4 S2S Total: 224 QSOs, including 10 S2S ...not a bad six hours' work! Thanks for all the calls. Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by M1EYP on 11th August 2012 at 08:34 |
| The photos from the first two days of this expedition (Seatallan, Buckbarrow, Ennerdale, Red Pike, High Stile, High Crag, Black Sail) may now be seen at http://tomread.co.uk Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by M1EYP on 11th August 2012 at 09:38 |
| The photos from the day on Pillar LD-006 (our penultimate G summit) are now on at http://tomread.co.uk Including a couple of photos from the scene of my slip! Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by M1EYP on 11th August 2012 at 16:03 |
| And now the photos from our last English Association summit, Harter Fell (Eskdale) G/LD-028 are on. You can see us on the last one by visiting: http://tomread.co.uk This website now has pages (often more than one) for EVERY summit in the G association, with photos. This includes the 176 summits currently valid in G, and also a further 6 summits no longer valid in the G association. In addition, there are an additional 104 summits from outside G with one or more webpages. Hope you like it. (Please sign the guestbook). Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by MM0FMF on 11th August 2012 at 22:42 |
| In reply to M1EYP: I really have to take my hat off to the 5 of you for completing G. It's not that there are that many summits to do. It's the fact they're well spread out, especially some of the Southern ones. Well impressed. I really should try to activate all the local summits to me sometime. Still got a few with an hour's drive I haven't done yet! Andy MM0FMF |
| Post by M1EYP on 11th August 2012 at 23:57 |
| In reply to MM0FMF: >Still got a few with an hour's drive I haven't done yet! Ha! I've got 4 within an hour's drive. Total. Never mind whether I've done them or not yet. I'm not complaining though, it's four more than some people have got. It's a good job I don't mind repeating them, even when there's no points on offer! Thanks for the congrats. Without doubt, it has only been possible due to the drive and focus of Jimmy 2E0EYP, and the meticulous planning and preparation he did for each and every summit. And just as I am ready to put my feet up, Jimmy is busy plotting for our forthcoming family holiday to Pembrokeshire, and raising suggestions for SOTA day-trips to Wales. No rest for the wicked. Tom MO1EYP |
| Post by M1EYP on 15th October 2012 at 21:33 |
| OK, here is the full story... http://youtu.be/J2cdo234Emo Tom M1EYP |
| Post by MM0FMF on 15th October 2012 at 21:47 |
| In reply to M1EYP: Is the lead guitar on Born Under a Bad Sign a Gibson ES-335? Can't be the SG, too mellow. Andy MM0FMF |
| Post by M1EYP on 16th October 2012 at 07:54 |
| Not sure. Video and photos for further investigation at http://www.manateesband.co.uk/ The guitarist on the track in question is the older guy, ie not the one playing the SG! Tom M1EYP |
| Post by G4OOE on 16th October 2012 at 11:47 |
| A truely inspirational video! I really enjoyed seeing some that I have done and many more I have yet to do. GL/73 Nick G4OOE |
| Post by G4OIG on 16th October 2012 at 14:11 |
| In reply to M1EYP: Well put together Tom - thanks for that. I was trying to name the summits before the titles came up. :-) I don't know why Andy is asking about the lead guitar, surely he didn't miss the superb bass line on "Born Under A Bad Sign" did he? Do you do the neo-contrapuntal stuff as well? ;-) 73, Gerald G4OIG 2004 Epi Les Paul Bass, Heritage Cherry Sunburst 2009 Epi EB-0 Short Scale Bass, Black Early days yet....... |
| Post by M1EYP on 16th October 2012 at 14:17 |
| 1988 Fender Jazz (white) on that track. |
| Post by G4OIG on 16th October 2012 at 14:28 |
| In reply to M1EYP: Could it be anything else? :-) |
| Post by MM0FMF on 16th October 2012 at 14:59 |
| In reply to G4OIG: The EB-3 with a bit of overdrive gets a wonderfull fat sound. c.f. Andy Fraser/Free. FMF Jr. has a 2010 Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass (which looks the business) and a 2008 Fender Jaguar Bass (which looks odd but sounds good). We've a 2009 Sunburst Stratocaster MIM knocking about as well. Yes, I noticed the bass line, but I knew who and what that was! Andy MM0FMF |
| Post by 2E0MIX on 16th October 2012 at 15:53 |
| In reply to M1EYP: A very nice video Tom, what a lovely way to record not only the achievement but also of Jimmy's progress from boyhood to manhood, absolutely priceless. Well done to both of you. PS, It was great to meet up with you on the High Stile walk and maybe our paths will cross again in the near future. 73, Derek |
| Post by G8ADD on 16th October 2012 at 16:38 |
| In reply to M1EYP: I've never swung an axe, myself, being a horn man, so some of this is over my head, but I absolutely loved the first sax solo on "Coming Home" - down and dirty blues! You have a good tight ensemble there, Tom. A joy to listen to! One minor criticism - I think you are somewhat wasting the two young ladies with "cornflour orchestration" (just there to thicken the texture!) 73 Brian G8ADD |
| Post by M1EYP on 16th October 2012 at 17:45 |
| Cheers all! Brian, I have simply transcribed whatever horn parts were on the original recordings of the songs we have covered. Therefore, as you can imagine, the ladies have a lot more to keep them busy on the Steely Dan stuff! Try the last two videos listed on that webpage. Anyway, glad you all like the video. I did it a few weeks ago but kept it "under wraps" until after the RSGB Convention. Yes, I never tire of watching it myself as it brings back such wonderful memories (apart from my "super-quick" descent of Wind Gap when coming off Pillar G/LD-006!). Here's the link again to save any new readers searching for it up the thread: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2cdo234Emo Tom M1EYP |
| Post by M1EYP on 24th January 2013 at 20:20 |
| Glancing through the SOTA Database, I see there have been recent activations of the two Isle of Wight summits by Steve G1INK. This, I think, means that Steve has 'completed' England for SOTA, becoming only the 6th person to do so. Hearty congratulations Steve from the 5th! Tom M1EYP |
| Post by G3CWI on 25th January 2013 at 07:45 |
| In reply to M1EYP: Wow, he kept that quiet! Well done Steve. 73 Richard G3CWI |
| Post by G3CWI on 26th January 2013 at 07:35 |
| Maybe all the G completists should meet up some time? I am sure that we would all have some great stories to share. 73 Richard G3CWI |
| Post by ON4UP on 27th January 2013 at 18:38 |
| Congrats Tom and Jimmy! 73, Peter - ON4UP |
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