Just thinking about plans for 2023. Looking through my activated summits I haven’t completed a book yet, so I’m going to do that. The other thing would be to have a few more S2S contacts and maybe a CW S2S.
Hope you’ve all had a lovely Christmas and hopefully a WOTA filled new year
Alex
Hi Alex,
SOTA-to-SOTA CW QSOs are two a penny on HF but a WOTA-to-WOTA CW QSO is more of a rarity. For such a minority sport, it probably needs prior arrangement.
With advanced notice and good weather on the day, I could take my FT817, Morse key and 2m J-pole (maybe even my 4-el 2m Yagi) up Lords Seat (Whitbarrow Scar), LDO-109, my nearest WOTA (4.7 miles as the crow flies, 10 miles by road) for some WOTA CW. Or were you thinking HF?
A Happy New Year to all.
73, Andy
P.S. checking the database, not as a rare as I thought. I’ve had 2 WOTA-to-WOTA CW QSOs this year with Mark @M0NOM, once in May on 40m CW [Mark on Pike o’Blisco, me on Claife Heights] and then in November on 30m CW [Mark on High Rigg, me on Lingmoor Fell].
Well, Alex, since you ask, I’m hoping to do another low-key 2m activation on 1 January, probably a top in NW Fells. I think I’ve done new Year’s Day WOTA activations every year since 2011, so can’t stop now! Sometimes weather has been dire, or even desperate! Hanging onto rocks across the top of Eagle Crag in a full storm comes to mind: one contact and gone. As for 2023-proper, I’m hoping to drag my 2m 9 element Yagi onto one or two tops for a bit of extra reach. 73 and all the best for 2023. Phil
Sounds like I’m just late to the party Andy. Was having a conversation with mrs g7kse today about plans. It’d have to be sunny if its a CW one 
I’m running the Lorton half on the 2nd January and have been told not to be going out on the 1st this year. I’ll have to just do some chasing instead Phil.
Earlier in the year I lost my dad so not been a good year not felt like playing radio or getting on the fells much…but June 2023 I am planning on doing the 10in10 (10 peaks) again so will be concentrating on getting back fell fit and loosing couple of stone for that. Also knocking off a lot more Wainwrights and activating them has we go 
Good morning all, and happy Christmas.
We are due back in the UK later on New Years Eve, so hopefully I will be out on a smaller fell on New Years Day - weather permitting.
My weight has increased quite significantly over the past year, so I am looking to get back to something sensible in the New Year. I see WOTA as a good opportunity to include fell walking in that process. I’d very much like to complete the Fairfield Horseshoe with associated Wainwrights early in the New Year. Although I’ve done Fairfield several times, it’s always been from Dunmail Raise or Patterdale and incorporated St Sunday Crag most times, so I’ve never walked the horsehoe properly. I’d also like to do a linear walk from Red Screes over to Fairfield - this is an area of the Lake District I have been on either side of but never walked. A linear walk incorporating Helvellyn would be good too.
I hope everyone is having a great time - we are snowboarding in the Austrian Alps at the moment, but every year seem to do more Apres Ski and less on the slopes!
Regards, Mark.
Look forward to a few s2s’s Mike. Also i need a new wall built, you’ll have to come out of retirement
I’m pretty sure that most clothes have shrunk because of climate change. The biggest effect is on waistbands.
Enjoy the snow. Very jealous
I only managed to walk up 2 in 2022. I expect that should not be to difficult to better. I’ll be keeping to shorter walks to test my hip out initially. Likely Dent, Watch Hill(s) and then move up towards Binsey.
Happy New Year, folks. Post-script to my earlier message: New Year’s afternoon looks to be very rainy, and since I’m also suffering from the back end of a flu bug, getting up a local fell with friends today is looking a bit unlikely. Not 100% unlikely yet! If there’s a break in the weather, something unchallenging like Ling Fell might be on the cards: I’m reluctant to break my own tradition of NYD activations. Anyway, all the best for 23, and let’s hope for some good weather and plenty of contacts. 73, Phil
Post-post-script. A break in the weather yesterday afternoon did indeed allow me to do a quick New Year’s Day 2m activation of Ling Fell. My 12th New Year’s Day WOTA activation in 12 years. A bit damp and breezy on the top, but a New Year’s celebratory nip of Auchentoshan helped things along. Delighted to exchange greetings with Geof GM4WHA; Reg 2E0LDF and Steve 2E0XUP. Worth noting that on my first NYD activation trip back in 2011 (Dale Head, Robinson, Hindscarth), Geof caught me on all three tops. We’ve had dozens of WOTA contacts since I joined the scheme in 2010, and it’s great that the scheme fosters such long-term radio relationships. 73, Phil.
