In mid-October the final UKuG 24GHz contest took place. I’d intended to go to Hackpen to work GW, but because of the Covid-19 lockdown in Wales a number of stations further west were not taking part. Instead I decided to stay in IO91 and rove along The Ridgeway path, visiting 4 sites from East to West.
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| 7 QSO's from 4 Sites on 24GHz |
I arrived at Britwell Hill (229m IO91LO78), North of Henley-On-Thames at just before 9:30am. This is my go-to UKAC site for 6/4/2/70/23cm and SHF /P. It's about a 25 minute drive from Wargrave. After setting up I quickly worked Dave G1EHF/P on Walbury Hill for my first QSO using 2m 144.290MHz SSB as talk back. Before I packed up Mark G0OIW drove-up to take part in the 50MHz Trophy contest and after putting up his dipole, he placed his camera on the top of my car and took a socially distanced photo!
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| Mark G0OIW and Pete G1DFL at Britwell Hill |
After less than an hour I packed-up for the 35-minute drive South West along the ridge and across the River Thames to my second site at Bury Road Chilton (183m, IO91IN22). This is where I'd arranged to met up, again socially distanced, with my twin Brother Rob G1TYY. We have not seen each other for a while and it was great to share the day with him.
I last visited this site when it was covered in snow and ice for the January 2019 SHF UKAC. It was somewhat warmer this time and after unpacking the gear again I found Martyn G3UKV/P on Brown Clee on 2m SSB. After a lot of effort peaking the dish, I managed to hear Martyn’s signal it was very weak and in the noise. We could only just hear each other on SSB. After about 30 minutes of trying we completed a QSO based on a mix of SSB and whistled CW (I’d forgotten my key) for a new PB on 24GHz of 136km. I also worked Dave G1EHF/P again on Walbury Hill at 25km. I tried with Barry G4SJH/P at Cheesefoot Hill near Winchester but the path that way was locally obstructed.
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136km on 24GHz from Bury Road, Chilton |
My third site took 25 minutes to drive to and again is on The Ridgeway at Sparsholt Firs (IO91FN86), just West of Wantage. I last visited this location for the March 2019 SHF UKAC. It was now early afternoon and the mist had burned off and I was rewarded with a fantastic view North. Sparsholt Firs is a fabulous site, and at 241m (791ft) the highest stop of the day. Putting up 2m first I could hear a lot of talkback conversations going on between John G8ACE/P and Neil G4LDR/P who were trying 122GHz paths with Dave G1EHF/P and Noel G8GTZ/P. I put the kettle on for a brew and sat back and listened to the chatter.
First in the log on 24GHz was G3UKV/P again this time much stronger and a great signal on SSB at 125km. Loud QSO's with G1EHF/P and G4SJH/P at 24km on Walbury followed.
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| Misty to the North at Spartsholt Firs |
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| Looking South from Applepie Hill, Compton |
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| 2nd Overall in the October 24GHz Event (Source: UkuG Website) |
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| UKuG 24GHZ Championship 2020 Results (Source: Scatterpoint) |
I am looking forward to 2021 and making some continued improvements to the equipment. Certainly I will be replacing the power supply, increasing the length of the power cable so I can get the dish higher if required, and also making more use of the Pluto SDR as the main 70cm driver. Being able to hear and see the signals, makes a huge difference.