4-6 July 2025 – GM3HAM/P – VHF NFD at Gatehouse of Fleet – GM3HAM – Lothians Radio Society

Final group photo.

Friday dinner at the Masonic Arms Hotel in Gatehouse.

L-R: Simon GM0SCA, Danny GM6CMQ, Mike GM4IGS, Colin GM4HWO, Grahame GM4UPB, James GM4WZP, Brian GM4DIJ, Pete GM4BYF, Kay GM6KAY.

Colin GM4HWO outside the Masonic Arms.

The weather on Friday pm and evening was horrendous with horizontal rain and wind.

They got the event tent up and left the rest to Saturday morning. A lot of wet people on Friday evening!

Saturday Morning.

Genny installation – Andy MM0FMF & Danny GM6CMQ.

The full set-up.

Simon GM0SCA

50MHz (6m) and 70MHz (4m)

The 6m (Sat) & 4m (Sun) ops – Brian GM4DIJ & Mike GM4IGS.

They managed to work Malcolm GM3TAL (LRS) near Dunfermline on 4m over the top of the nearby hill.

The 6m / 4m beam. This started as 6m and was taken down and modified to 4m on the Sunday morning.

50MHz Results

The number of contacts was higher than last year, 52 cf. 36.
Conditions, Activity , Antenna re-siting ?

Tx/Rx Equipment                          : IC7300
Tx Power (W)                           : 100
Antenna                                  : 9 element
Number of QSOs                          : 52
Claimed total score                      : 18432
Best DX                                  : EA8BPX; IL18SK; 3105km

50MHz QSOs map – UK only, plus 2 DX – EA8BPX (Canaries) & Croatia.

70MHz Results

The number of contacts was one higher than last year, 46 cf. 45,

15308 points and 14205 points respectively.

ON4IQ was consistently strong for most of the day. I heard S51DI but
failed to get a reply.

TX/RX Equipment : IC7300
TX Power (W) : 50
Antenna : 11 element
Number of valid QSOs : 46
Claimed total score : 15308
Best DX – Callsign; Locator; Distance : ON4IQ; JO20AR; 718

70MHz QSOs Map – UK plus ON4IQ (Belgium).

144MHz (2m)

The 2m ops: Simon GM0SCA (L) & Danny GM6CMQ

2m Results

Tx/Rx Equipment: Icom IC9700

Tx Power (W): 100

Antenna: 2m squared 5 wavelength

Number of QSOs: 130

Claimed total score: 44,751 pts

Best Dx: F1MKG, 771km

2m QSOs Map.

Danny writes:

The 2M station setup was exactly the same as last year. (Icom IC9700 100 watts to an 2m squared 5 wave length antenna). I had my son’s mountain bike van this year so I was sleeping in that, the first year I have not camped at the site.

I arrived on Friday, and helped set up the social tent in the driving wind and rain, got wet, then we then QSY’d to the Pub early.

On Saturday the rain and wind had gone and with the help of others we set up the 2M station including putting the tent and antenna up, although we were evicted from our usual position on the field by the 6/4M guys who said our position was better for their ground gain.

We started on time and had a busy first hour until things quieted down a bit. The 2M station worked well, although we did have computer issues but that was sorted later in the day. On Sunday the 2M station continued with busy and quiet periods up to the contest finishing time. The station was dismantled at the end of the contest, and everything was packed up and loaded back into vehicles before the rain showed up.

This year’s 2M operators were myself, Andy, Grahame, Simon and on Sunday we got gate-crashed by a 70cm operator who was looking for something to do in the form of Pete BYF!

Andy has the logs, from memory I think we worked about 3 French and 3 Belgium stations. All the UK beacons (not that there are many) were heard throughout the contest and the French stations continued to be Rx right through the contest on both days so the propagation was there, just low activity unfortunately.

432MHz (70cm)

Ops – Brian GM8BJF & Pete GM4BYF

NEED PHOTOGRAPHS.

The 70cm station.

432MHz Results

The number of contacts was 30% fewer than last year – only allowed to operate for 1 day

Tx/Rx Equipment : IC9700> solid state linear amp
Tx Power (W) : 100
Antenna : 38bv element
Number of QSOs : 29
Claimed total score : 10057
Best Dx : OR6T; JO20KV; 749km