Sport Radio – UKACs – What is it all about ?

Sport Radio – UKACs – What is it all about ?

The main word that springs to mind for me is Fun! However, it is much more than that, by taking part in these my operating techniques have improved and there have been a number of other benefits as well.

When the word contest comes to mind, I used to picture one of those events on HF which has been likened by some as ‘Swimming with the Sharks’, but not anymore.

So what’s different about the UK Activity Contests?  Apart from the fact that they take place on VHF, UHF and SHF? Well to use an old term, I would sum them up as a, gentlemanly contest. Where everyone is very welcoming.

So who can take part in the UKACs? “All entrants and operators of UK stations must be RSGB members except visiting amateurs, not normally resident in the UK” Except if the operator is a member of an RSGB Affiliated Society (AFS).

When do these UKACs run? They take place on a Tuesday evening, between 19:00 and 21:30 (UTC), there are four sections you can enter – which are mainly dependent on your power output. You need to log your contacts and this is time, RST (Rx and TX) , Serial Number(Rx and TX),  Locator. Once the contest has finished you need to upload them to the contest web site. See the RSGBs web site http://rsgb.org.uk  for full information.

I like to operate portable /P which is a good job as my home QTH is down in a bit of a dip and although I hold a full licence I prefer to use a maximum of 10 watts, if I am operating on my own I use a pen and paper to log, backed up with a recorder. Then transfer to minos to upload, you can type your log directly online, but I have found minos works well for me. When I can find someone I prefer to get someone to log for me, and when I do this I get much better results, and less errors! (due to my poor handwriting)(HI).

A typical contest starts a couple of days before when I make sure my batteries are charged up and put my ‘sotabeam’ in my vehicle, log, tea making equipment etc. I plan when I am going to setup.

When the evening arrives, it’s normally a bit of a rush, getting home from work around 18:15 and getting setup on a site somewhere for the start. I can normally be setup now in 10 minutes, and I am getting used to it all now. I start off pointing the antenna, North and call CQ for around 10 minutes, then scan the band and then move North East and repeat the process, again and again. This works well for me but, I am sure you will find what’s best for you.

I find it useful to listen to a weak station until I hear the locator, and then move the beam by hand, so that it’s pointing in the best possible direction. If there are two of us my logger normally moves the beam for me, which helps.

I  find the evenings great fun !!, when I am finished I go home, put the kettle on and make a cup of tea, get the laptop fired up and go online to summit the results, then have a good look at other peoples submitted scores. I find myself checking the results section of the RSGB web site a couple of times a day. Once the new results are up, someone in the club normally post them on out facebook site and we have a bit of a rag chew.

Very often these discussions result in sharing ideas on how we can improve. I also found the people from other clubs are happy to help you improve too. Even if you are competing against them. This says a lot about the friendliness of the contests.

One of the other areas that I enjoy is getting those who are new to the hobby to come and take part, after we are all here to learn, and we all started at some point as a beginner.

Look forward to working you – Paul

Sota Summit G/SP-017 Billinge Hill - Sunday 21st April 2013 - A tail of two Summits ! Part 2

Sota Summit G/SP-017 Billinge Hill - Sunday 21st April 2013 - A tail of two Summits ! Part 2


We found a parking place, just past the 'old vicarage' and then a short walk on to the top of Billinge Hill. This is a one point Sota Summit and had some nice easy access.

On our way to the top of the Sota Summit.

Once you get to the top you will find the 'trig point' and a square 'folly' type building - here is a nice panoramic view from the top.

So we set up our Sotabeams and 40/80m dipole - and started to operate, once again we had quite a bit of QRM on 70cms / 2m /4m.

Here is Denis working 40/80m :

And Mick 2E0MKE - working on 2m :

We had an excellent day, despite the problems with QRM, thanks everyone who answered our CQ called - quite a few people on 40/80m wanting WEB Squares. 

Look out for us on another Sota Summit soon ! - please note that reports from SWL are always welcome.

Sota Summit G/SP-010 Winter Hill - Sunday 21st April 2013 - A tail of two Summits ! Part 1

Sota Summit G/SP-010 Winter Hill - Sunday 21st April 2013

Myself Denis M0USV and Mick 2E0MKE, left a bright and sunny South Yorkshire, to go and operate this Summit.

We had a good if show journey over to Winter Hill, we found  a place to part the car near the Summit, this information we found off the Sota Web site which had been posted by other people who have activated this Hill.

We made the short walk to the trig point, and began setting up our kit, the sky was overcast and the wind had got very cold, we were going to operate 70cms, 2m, 4m FM and 40m and 80m SSB.

40m and 80m being operated by Denis at 5watts and the other by Mick and myself. I soon found it hard going on 2m FM I was picking up loads of QRM from the nearby masts and working stations was difficult, thanks to the operators who helped I managed to work 12, but I had a problem with my electronic log and it lost the information for some of my contacts, so it was back to pen and paper. 

70cms was no better, and 4m was much worse. Well we had planned to activate a second summit. So we headed off to a nearby pub, for a quick pint, a bite to eat and to pick the next summit.

We had already been working on a short this. 

We picked Billinge Hill (not a great pick as it turned out). More later 

50/50 Bread

For some years now I been making 50/50 Bread - that is to say 50% unbleached stone grounded white flour and 50% wholemeal flour.

Mainly this came about because when my children were small I could not get them to eat brown bread.

This is the result I get :-

If you want to make this - these are the instructions:

Ingredients :

(cup measure based on 8fl oz cup size).

Water 1 1/2 Cups (may be a little more dependent on the flour)

Olive Oil - 5 Tbsp

Salt - 1 Tsp

Strong White Flour - 2 cups

Strong Wholemeal flour - 2 cups

Dry Easy blend yeast - 1tsp

Mix everything, taking care to keep the salt away from the yeast.

Kneed until you have a nice elastic dough.

Leave to prove in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film until doubled in size.

Knock back and shape for the type of loaf you want.

Put on a baking sheet, I put baking paper on the sheet, you can use flour too.

Clover with cling film and allow to rise until its doubled in size again.

Bake at 220 C for about 30 minutes.

If you want to make bread rolls, then cooking them for around 15 minutes - this will make a dozen.

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

I am not sure how long this keeps, because it all gets eaten in a Day at home !

   

Sota Summit G/SP-002 Black Hill - Saturday 13th April 2013 (SE 078046)

Sota Summit G/SP-002 Black Hill - Saturday 13th April 2013 (SE 078046)

After such a great day the weekend before, it wasn't going to be long before we were back out again, some questions during the week about which day would be best weather wise. We picked Saturday.

Only three of us this time Denis, Graham and Myself, the route up taking us about an hour, there was still quite a bit of show about and some very muddy / boggy patches. The streams crossing the path being fun to cross.

We walked up following the pennine way, North to South to the 'trig point' on the summit.:-

The top of Black Hill is quite interesting, you might expect to see the trig point from some way off, but you are almost on top of it before you can see it.

Some views from the Summit ;

 Again I took my trusty, wouxun, and sota beam, 18 QSOs were soon, carried out. Put out a couple of CQs on 2m - nothing was coming back. The wind was now quite strong and it kept moving my beam back to the same direction.

I thought that it was about time I had some lunch and went over to see what Denis and Graham were upto.

I found Denis working a pileup on 40m - quite a number of people asking for his WAB Locator. Denis was using his homebrew 40m dipole and his FT-817 and on 5 watts was working Scotland, Ireland, and Parts of Europe.

Above showing Denis (M0USV) working 40m, (sotabeam in the back ground) and Graham (2E0TRU) (pictured) and myself causing some local QSB (HI).

Had a great time again, this Sota stuff is addictive ! Had quite a number of people stop and ask what we were doing, have to take some info next time !

Also had chance to use my map reading skills, was able to give help and advise to a number of walkers.

 

Sota Summit G/SP005 Pendle Hill - Saturday 6th April 2013

Well, I have been Hill Walking for years, and for a little over 2 1/2 years I held an Amateur Radio License. I had been up on a couple of Sota (Summits on the Air) hills before, but never activated them.

(see www.sota.org.uk ) for more information about Sota.

Well for a number of reasons we didn't, pick the quickest or the easiest route up. 

Our Route is pictured here :-

 
We had the afternoon to make the assent and activate the summit, I took with me my Wouxun KG-UVD1-p 5w on 2m FM and my sotabeam, (these were in addition to all the 'normal' safety equipment I take into the Hill). I had used the sotabeam a number of times before - so I was able to set it up quickly, and start some QSOs on 2m - they came flooding in.

After a short while the weather turned much colder and we started to pack up and make our way off the Hill. Stopping for a quick Photo at the 'trig point' before starting the journey back.

On the journey back we stopped to look at the cairn - in which there are a number of monument to Scouting - the one in the picture being of the 100 years (2007).

 Many thanks for a great day, to Denis M0USV, Graham 2E0TRU and Mick 2E0MKE. We are already planning the next Sota Summit.

Also thanks to Denis and Graham for the pictures and allowing me to share them.