I can’t remember having had a failed WOTA activation although I must have had a few, probably on one of those more remote summits near Shap. In any case, Scout Scar is a favourite dog walk with or without radio.
I’ve done a lot of HF-only SOTA activations recently (5 so far this year) mainly for the 2024 10m Challenge. But today I fancied some VHF for a change. I mostly do WOTA-only activations on 2m FM (with my trusty FT1D HT and RH770 ½-wave telescopic whip). But I dusted off the FT817 and J-pole/4m pole and tried 2m CW, SSB and FM from my usual spot out of the cold wind behind the junction of two drystone walls near the trig point.
Despite VHF CW and SSB being a minority sport (outside of contests) I’ve managed contacts with those modes from Scout Scar and other small WOTAs in the past. But today I was out of luck even after posting WOTA self-spots. I was fully expecting to make at least one contact on FM but despite spotting and calling CQ a lot, there was nowt. I suppose I’ve been spoilt by having a small band of very regular 2m FM chasers since I started WOTA almost 5 years ago.
This might be my swansong for WOTA VHF multi-mode – I’ll probably stick to 2m FM in future and take just the 2m HT for convenience. Despite the failed activation, I always feel I get something positive out of it: a lovely walk (and my dog really enjoyed that), a chance to practise my technical skills and to field-test (again) my new Helinox portable chair with the (even more recently acquired) groundsheet stabilizer.
Well… I don’t know if you announced the activation on the website beforehand - that can help a lot. I’ve been in the same boat, even just with 2m FM. Not pre-announcing the activation and just pottering out onto the fells on-spec. Zilch.
Even with pre-announcing, I’ve sometimes only managed only one contact from a WOTA summit. I like to keep things simple and just 2m FM with a dipole, but well done trying those various modes. Mid-week can be quiet too, of course. If asked to pick, I’d say late Saturday and Sunday mornings are the times most likely to generate plenty of contacts.
Apart from your experience, there still seems to be quite a lot of WOTA stuff going on in winter, even if quite a bit of it is on the back of SOTA. Better luck next time.
Anyway, it’s always great to get out, and at least you and your canine chum enjoyed the walk. Impressed that you take chair and groundsheet BTW.
Hi Phil, yes I alerted on the website in the morning or day before (I can’t remember which). Scout Scar is well in range to many regular chasers but by chance I suppose weren’t chasing at that time.
I tend to activate weekdays, late morning to early afternoon. I’ve definitely had some summits (Hallin Fell, as I recall) where I couldn’t raise a single reply to my 2m FM CQs due to its remote location or - particularly for some of the northern fells - been ‘saved’ by a single chaser like Geoff G4WHA/M when in his shop in Carlisle. Other times I’ve had to use my HF rig and antenna to get the contacts.
The vast majority of my non-SOTA Wainwrights are 2m FM with my HT and whip. That arrangement is so quick and easy that I’ll probably go back to doing it that way every time. Of course, many WOTAs are also SOTAs so I usually take the 2m HT and my HF rig (KX2), a winning combination.
Hi Andy
i have had a couple of faild activations but that’s been down to plug or adapters comming a part
on more than one activation John G0TDM in Penrith was the only contact made
my recent activation of Holme Fell could have been a disaster i bent the antenna on a branch going through the woodland bit on the way up. And the bnc plug came adrift. Richard’s gear work fine and we got the contacts
After last month’s failed activation on Scout Scar I almost had another one there today. I had alerted before leaving home. I called CQ repeated at three places in the AZ at about 10 intervals. I knew my 2m FM HT and RH770 whip were working fine as I could open the Dufton and Lancaster 2m FM repeaters.
With frozen fingers in the ice-cold wind I was about to go QRT for the third and last time when I got a call to save the day. Another demonstration that activators need chasers and chasers need activators.
