G6CSY/P  

You should read the title of this page as 'going stroke P', or, in amateur radio terms, '/P'. It means just that, you load up the car with aerial, mast and transceiver, and head for the hills, (although a cliff-top is just as good). When you arrive at your 'stroke P site', you assemble the station, erect the mast and aerial and then start putting out calls (and hoping that the weather stays dry and warm!).

Looking north from Knockholt JO01bh
[once you are over the ridge of the North Downs!]

My usual /P location for V.H.F and U.H.F. operating is in the western end of the county of Kent, just to the north of the North Downs Way ridge , towards the Surrey border, just outside the village of Knockholt . Although not an ideal location, it is fairly good to the north west through to the north east for GI/GM/SM/LA contacts, as the land gradually falls away towards the London basin. This can be a problem though when trying to work DX and all you can hear is QRM from contest stations to the north of England.

Like this image shows, some /P locations can be quite good (in certain directions!). Here is the takeoff to the south from my /P location, but only once I get over the ridge line of the North Downs. Unfortunately the ridge line in question is on private property and has restricted access. The takeoff to the southern horizon towards F/EA is OK but not ideal. Unfortunately the land rises across a field to the actual ridge of the North Downs, some 400 yards away, and some 50 yards higher elevation. It then drops away sharply down into the Kentish Weald, and then on to the South Downs and Europe! And, if you look carefully, no power cables or telephone masts in sight!

The real problem in terms of other 'radio activity' to the east, when trying for European contacts out to DL/OK/UK. My local 'neighbours' have the distinct advantage in both height, number of aerials and power! I suspect there are also cell-phone masts hidden (and even disguised) amongst the surrounding trees.

G6CSY/P in the 1988 144MHz Trophy contest

Even so, the /P site in Kent has proved its worth. With only 25W and a 9-element Tonna Yagi at 20 feet, it has resulted in 144MHz [2m] contacts to Germany, Luxembourg, France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The main problem in the area of my own /P site is the abundance of overhead power and telephone lines. Not ideal but so far I have not found anything close to home that is better sited. It will be interesting to see how the site does when operating /P on the H.F. bands with Q.R.P. and a vertical antenna. I fear there may be interference from the power lines and the 'neighbours'.

Why 'stroke P' though? The licensing regulations in the U.K. require you to suffix your callsign when operating away from your home (licensed) address, at a portable location, e.g. my home callsign of G6CSY would be G6CSY/P when operating portable. Just a quick definition of a portable location; it usually means operating without using a mains power source, e.g. running everything on petrol/diesel generators or using pre-charged batteries. Some stations even use wind powered generators and solar cells. If you do make use of a mains power source then the callsign suffix you must use would change to 'stroke A'. This would identify G6CSY/A as operating from an 'Alternate location'. Other suffixes include '/M' when operating from a 'Mobile location', i.e. a vehicle [G6CSY/M], or '/MM' when operating from a 'Marine Mobile location', i.e. a yacht or a ship [G6CSY/MM]. Just to confuse matters, if you visit another part of the U.K., you may have to change your prefix as well! An example would GW6CSY/P for a portable location in Wales, or GJ6CSY/M for a mobile location on the Island of Jersey.

Portable locations for G6CSY/P have included: