Tag Archives: GM4YEQ

PW 144MHz QRP Contest 2024 – Sunday 9th June 2024

Posted by on June 3, 2024 No comments

Again members of the club will be going up the hill to operate a portable station for the Practical Wireless 144MHz QRP contest on Sunday 9th June 2024. We will be using the callsign GM4YEQ/P.

The contest runs between 0900-1500 UTC (1000-1600 Local/BST). We’ll likely be on-site by 0915 (local) if not earlier for setting up.

We’ll be at the usual “Middle Swire” location between the Yarrow and Ettrick valleys 6 miles west of Selkirk.

All club members are welcome to come and visit and catch up for a few hours, assist with setting up or operating, or operate your own sets on HF away from urban QRM.

Or if not able to come to the site, please give us a shout on 2m simplex FM or SSB if you hear us (144.150-144.397MHz is the SSB range). Someone will likely be scanning simplex channels 145.200-575MHz through the day. The more contacts we get (even local ones) the more points we get multiplied by the number of locator squares. Calling CQ on 145.500 isn’t allowed so don’t just listen for us there (nor on the repeaters)! Individual members may be monitoring repeaters and calling channels though if you want to make contact with someone in the group.

Exchange will be signal report, serial number (if you’re not participating then give 001 for your first contact) and your Maidenhead grid reference (or approximate location if you don’t know it as it still counts as a contact just not a new grid square).

Visitors should bring their own food and drink if they’re staying all day. Bring suitable clothing in case it’s windy or wet and footwear suitable for a grass field (with sheep droppings!). Dogs under strict control.

Location: Yarrow Swire, off summit of C22 road between A708 (Yarrow) and B7009 (Ettrickbridge). Marked as Witchie Knowe on some maps.
Locator: IO85MM
Coordinates: 55.5215N , 2.9984W 360m (1180ft) ASL
NGR: NT370257 (WAB Square NT32) (NT 37058 25768)
Google Maps shortcut: 9C7VG2C2+JJJ
Closest Postcodes: TD7 5ND (Wester Kershope Farm on north side of the hill on the approach from Yarrow valley) or TD7 5JW (Area covering from our site southwards)
What3Words: /// juggles.police.chiefs (Switch to satellite view)

Click image to open full screen.

Directions:

From Yarrow Valley:

From East on A708 from Selkirk / Philiphaugh turn left just after Yarrow village onto the C22.
From West on A708 from Innerleithen / Gordon Arms / St Mary’s Loch turn right just before Yarrow village onto the C22.
The postcode provided leads to this farm. Do not turn off to this farm but continue on the C22 road to the top of the hill.
At the summit, cross the cattlegrid then immediately turn left up the rough track (on the south side of the dyke).

From Ettrick Valley

From West on the B7009 from Ettrick, turn left on to C22 then follow road to the top of the hill.
From East on the B7009 from Ettrickbridge turn right onto the C22 then follow road to the top of the hill.
At the summit turn right before the cattlegrid onto the rough track up the hill.

2024 Rally and Open Day – Sunday 27th October 2024

Posted by on March 30, 2024 No comments

This year’s Galashiels Rally and Open Day will take place on Sunday 27th October 2024.

This is the last weekend of October so the morning of the clocks changing back an hour.

Venue as usual is the Volunteer Hall, St John Street, Galashiels TD1 3JX.

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Railways On The Air 2023- Whitrope Sat 23rd/Sun 24th September 2023 – GB0WRH

Posted by on September 17, 2023 No comments

Club members will be taking part in this year’s Railways On The Air event, with a station being set up at the usual place of Whitrope Heritage Centre near Hawick on the weekend of 23/24 September.

The callsign used will be GB0WRH (Waverley Route Heritage) operating on HF bands. Dave MM0HTL will be arriving around 9am on Saturday and setting up, and then along with other members will be operating through the day and evenings until late Sunday afternoon.

All club members and visitors are welcome to come along and see the stations (radio and railway) and help with operating or just come along to chat with us.

The Whitrope Heritage Centre is run by the Waverley Route Heritage Association who have restored a length of track and sidings on the old Waverley line (1849-1969) between Hawick and Carlisle. Further details here: https://wrha.org.uk/about/

Location:
Whitrope Heritage Centre, Whitrope, Hawick, Roxburghshire TD9 9TY
Location: 11 miles south of Hawick on B6399 (Hawick to Newcastleton road).

Maidenhead Locator: IO85PH 00co
55.294320, -2.748944 (55°17’39.6″N 2°44’56.2″W) 1034ft (315m) asl
NGR: NT 52540 00279
Google: 9C7V77V2+MC
W3W:///jousting.windmills.wire
https://wrha.org.uk/the-association/find-us/

Satellite image showing location of Whitrope Heritage Centre carpark

https://rota.barac.org.uk/
https://wrha.org.uk/the-association/whitrope-heritage-centre/

PW 144MHz QRP Contest 2023

Posted by on June 25, 2023 No comments

On Sunday 11th June 2023 club members went up to our usual spot up the Yarrow/Ettrick “Middle Swire” (aka Witchie Knowe) to operate the station for the Practical Wireless 144MHz QRP contest.

Weather was decent, starting off as mostly cloudy in the morning and a light breeze, becoming less cloudy, more sunny and hotter by the afternoon. The heavy rain through the night before had passed over.

John GM7NVA, Mike MM3NTX and Brian MM7OYD arrived first, then Dave GM0KCN with the antenna and radio. Some chatting between us and playing with HF radio for a time while waiting for Colin MM1APS to arrive with the mast, which he did around 1040 after having to clean up from one of his dogs making a sick mess of his livingroom carpet through the night.

So we got the antenna set up on the mast, and Dave and Colin started operating the contest on radio and logging with John turning the antenna as needed. Some time was spent chasing other stations, and some sitting on a frequency calling CQ. Mostly on SSB but occasionally chasing locals on FM.

John GM0NYD and George GM1OPO arrived around lunchtime and Jim GM7LUN a little later.

Around 1530 (local time) we decided to call it a day as there was only 30 minutes left in the contest and the only stations we were hearing were those we’d worked before. Radio propagation seemed to be starting to fade.

All in all it was a good day operating, the weather held out contrary to earlier forecasts of thunderstorms. Our logs showed 035 as the last serial number used, but on later inspection we found that the numbers went from 022 to 033 then 034 and 035. So 25 contacts made, and a note was included when Dave KCN submitted the logs to the organisers. The logs corresponded to the information sent over the air, so nobody’s logs will be inaccurate, we just omitted serials 023 to 032, possibly after a battle getting the serial 022 copied by the other station.

For those not operating the contest station a chance to get out and experiment with other bands and antennas away from home QRM.

Many thanks to Dave and Colin for operating the station again this year, and hopefully we’ll maintain our streak of Best Scottish Station and Best in IO85.

Photos by Mike MM3NTX, John GM7NVA and Dave GM0KCN.

PW 144MHz QRP Contest 2023 – Sunday 11th June 2023

Posted by on June 7, 2023 No comments

Again members of the club will be going up the hill to operate a portable station for the Practical Wireless 144MHz QRP contest on Sunday 11th June. We will be using the callsign GM4YEQ/P.

(See next post for how it went.)

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