6 SOTA Summit weekender (part 2) Mynydd Y Cwm GW/NW-076. 6/9/24

Friday was soon here, and the weekends plans could begin properly, I had to be in North Wales to drop the XYL and her friend off at a caravan in Towyn, they were having a girly weekend in the Towyn area. once dropped off and mindful of the traffic I decided on a quick one, and Mynydd y Cwm fitted the bill. the weather was superb, not a breath of wind and lovely warm sunshine I was hoping the rest of the weekend would be like this!

I parked in the usual spot on the lane, and headed up the track into the forest. last time I went up Mynydd y Cwm the forestry people had just been in, and there were piles of chopped logs everywhere and alot of open ground, now its very overgrown with tall ferns and brambles in amongst the rotting brash. I managed to find the left turn up to the pond, spana right and heded up the wider track, its another right turn off here to the summit memorial..

I set up in a clearing just before the memorial, got the slim G up the pole and gave a call..

not a fast activation with 12 contacts in just over half an hour, had a decent chat with a mountain biker too.. nice bloke! he was quite interested in what I was doing, and amazed i was getting contacts into Manchester!

With the contacts drying up, and this being a Friday evening I decided to call it a day, get ahead of the traffic, so I packed up and headed down. summit 2 done.... tomorrow was going to be the main event! with 3 summits planned....

as usual, thanks to the chasers!

Alan - 2E0JWA

6 Sota summit weekender!! (part 1) G/SP-010 Winter hill. TP0701 Rivington 4/9/24

 Ok, ok I know the 4th september wasn't a weekend day. I did however have this planned for the weekends adventures, its just I was working in the area, and I managed a dinner time finish..  the weather was decent so I thought what the hell! 

My plan was always to ascend from the Belmont side, the path seems to be a decent balance between steep and walkable! 

If im honest, it looks alot worse than it actually is the path is well made and in reasonable condition, and I was soon on the top.

once up top, You arrive at the tarmac service road for the transmitters and swing to the right  a few more 100 yards walk, and you will find the trig point, The Trig isnt named after the hill, and is called Rivington TP0701. this seems to cause much confusion amongst trig enthusiasts and baggers alike!

the feelings of antenna inadequacy over, I set to activating. given the fact it was an opporunist activation, i had none of my usual kit, infact I ascended in steel toe work boots, and a luminous yellow work coat! this meant, it was the handheld a Nagoya rubber duck, and luckily the SOTAbeams filter for 2M band! Game on!

Got on the air for 1330bst 1230utc and quickly got M0CQE - Paul in the log. followed by 7 more QSOs giving me 8 in the log. but a storm was brewing and threatening rain, so I decided to quit while I had a chance of getting down in the dry! so I headed for the car, quick selfie and away back to the car!

A great activation for a weekday afternoon, as usual thanks to all the chasers without you guys we couldnt do what we do!

To be continued in part 2!

Alan

The Fear - Kinder scout G/SP-001 TP6378 (the Edge) 8/6/24

With hog roast weekend nearing closer, and fancying a piece of the S2S action, I spoke with my good friend Andy M7BOA and we decided to have a go at Black Hill (G/SP-002) this was, however, despite my posting an alert going to be the subject of a Denby Dale RC Field day station, that was announced with a week to go to activation day… Denby dale were very polite about it by the way, but We decided to step aside and re-plan for another summit. so plans were changed, and alerts altered! we decided in G/SP-001 Kinder Scout!!

Now, many of you will remember, last time I attempeted Kinder Scout, I ended up throwing myself in a gully on Ashop moor and having to be rescued by mountain Rescue with a smashed leg! this is something that weighed heavily on my mind, in more ways than one, its what kept me off the hills for most of 2023, and left me with a feeling of unfinished business… but this also stirred a new feeling in me, something I have never experienced going onto the hills… The Fear! but with a week to go at this point, I put it to the back of my mind and we made our plans…

The plan was, myself and my lad William would go via the route I came a cropper on 18 months ago. Snake pass summit, over Ashop moor and up the corner of Kinder, then follow the path along towards Kinder downfall, turning left just after Sandy Heys, to activate at the trig poinf at SK077893 - The Edge! for this walk i Reckoned about 1 hour and 20 mins (big mistake, more later) And after the activation follow the same route back. Andy M7BOA was travelling by train and was going to Solo up from Edale via Grindslow and Crowden tower, accross the downfall then meet us at the trig, with a return straight down the P/Way via Jacobs ladder and Upper Booth. All we needed now was the weather!!

the morning of the activation was upon as, and with an early start to collect William from his Mum’s we were up at snake pass head for around 0800, we were met with a heavy mist and wet weather with poor visability and miserable conditions, now if i hadnt read the mountian weather reports and knew it was going to clear up, at that point the activation would have been off, we agreed to re-asses the weather the other side of Ashop moor before we made the ascent onto Kinder! now i reckoned on half an hour for Ashop moor, its fairly flat going on stone slabs, and with the fear hanging haevily on me we gingerly set off along the slab pathway that was literally my downfall last time…

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The slabs are endless and punishing made more so by the conditions, but we were soon past the gully I came a cropper on, pausing for thought as we went it was at this point the fear ws at its wost, but i gingerly stepped accross the gully, and made it to the other side safely… just like that the fear lifted, like a weight coming off me, I finally felt free of the curse of 18 months ago! at that we pressed on, in pretty horrific conditions. Driving rain and a proper wind chill mader this feel like a winter bonus activation, I kept having to remind myself we were in June! But slowly, and thankfully the cloud began to lift and we could see the Behemoth that is Kinder Scout looming out of the mist.

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Ashop Moor was a huge underestimation on my part, i think the ZigZagging of the stone slabs robbed time, and added un-neccecary distance it had took us over an hour to reach the Tee junction at Mill Hill, but with the weather improving as predicted we decided to press on, cross the Col to the bottom of the ascent to Kinder, and then up the steep Scramble to the top! by this point the P/Way path has been joined by other paths coming up the hill, and its got alot busier with other walkers, which is re-assuring! we pressed on up the Charged Rocks and were rewarded with fantastic views! Notice how the clouds have gone… quite a contrast!

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By this stage we were well late for our alerted time, but making good progress on tired legs we located the fences that marked the way up to the trig, and after a bit of an awkward navigation we located the trig, sat on its plinth! by now, over an hour late, I decided due to time constraints to forget the HF, and concentrate on VHF so the Slim G was deployed and the FT4X hooked up and the activation was on!

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Straight into the S2S contacts from North wales I rapidly got the 4 needed to Qualify the activation, and ended up with 13 S2S and 17 all told, not massive, but i only had about 25 mins, as we needed to get back! I was a bit gutted not to have more time, i could have easily doubled that total I would have thought but hey ho! We needed to get back!

M7BOA (left) and myself

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Some idiot on a trig!

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The way back was relatively uneventful, just very busy with walkers till we got to Ashop moor, the slog across the moor was even worse on the way back, on extremely tired legs and bad cramps… but eventually 2 hours and 10 mins after leaving the trig we were safely back at the car EXHAUSTED!!

I really did underestimate the scale of this walk, I reckoned on an hour and a half up but it took 2 1/2 hours almost the same back… but I conquered it! I also realised I had made the same mistake the day I fell, and maybe the fall saved me from a worse fate, as I would have been benighted in a snowstorm on Kinder… not good! but it doesnt do to dwell on these things…

Thanks to everyone I worked, and the usual Chasers, without you guys we wouldnt do what we do!

Alan & William

Freeholds top - G/SP-011 TP4100 - WABsq SD92. The ONLY operator in England!

The sister in law had a pre planned visit to the Rochdale infirmary for a small procedure, that was going to take about 4 hours.... hmmmm.... Freeholds top! G/SP-011.

Its only about a 20-25 min run from the infirmary at rochdale to Sharneyford, and the start of the track up to freeholds top so it was cracking idea!.... except for 1 thing..... the weather! The hourly weather was hastily pulled up on the PC and what do you know? dry from 1300 :laughing: :laughing: its VERY unusual for the WX gods to act favourably on me, but hey.. ill take it!

The start of the walk is a nice made up track called Limers gate, in the Village of Sharneyford a couple of miles East of the town of Bacup, but be warned it somewhat luls you into a false sense of security! and I somewhat understimated the time it would take me (and my still gammy ankle) to get up the track to the trig point! further up the track its made up of huge bricks and full of holes and chunks, that in the wet made the track quite hard going in places, with water completely covering the track over for large parts, facilitating the need to either wade or find an alternative! The path veers right near the end, and climbs steeply onto the moor plateu, with the wet weather this was by far worse than the track, and "bog hopping" was the order of the day, for the final tortuous 200M to the trig!

Just as i opened the gate to the trig area, lady luck ran out.. the heavens OPENED! So a quick operation on the "rubber duck" was called for, I fired up VK portalog, spotted gave it a min or 2 and then called CQ, Quickly Paul @M0CQE came back to me, for number one in the log.... "you know my friend, you are the only operator out in England today according to the spots" he informed me! Mind you, i wasnt suprised with the weather! it soon became apparent that paul was the only person who could hear me on the rubber duck, so with the rain pouring i stuck the trusty mast and Spectrum slim G up, and made another call.... BOOM! Straight into 3 more M7ELO - John, G1JPV - Tony and G6XBF - Walt! gotta admit it was a releif to hit the 4 mark, it was more of a releif for the rain to be stopping too! I added 6 more to the log for a total of 10, that'll do!

Anyhow the descent was more of the same, bog hopping, ankle crunching fun and it thankfully stopped dry! if i go again, i might try it from Shawforth next time.. steeper, but shorter!

Oh, and im now on 20 Activator points! haha

Thanks to all the Chasers and those taking the time to read.

Alan

Battling Gun - G/SP-013 - TP3538 29/03/24

My lovely Wifey decided that she wanted to go to Bingo, with her pal and wanted to be dropped off in Manchester near Belle Vue at 1715… given that it was now 1500 that didnt leave me alot of time. So a plan was hastily formed to have a quick trip up the Gun, i should be able to drive there, activate, and get back to the car before we lost complete daylight. and given its a fairly straightforward half mile wander up a well defined track a headtorch descent wasnt the end of the world! the weather had been fairly decent here all day, and so I reckoned the going would be ok, with no major issues!!

Quick activation gear was packed, and the Girls dropped off to (try) and win us some money I was on my way to the Gun! G/SP-013. all was well, as I passed through the town of Macclesfieldbut as we drove up the Leek road, the heavens OPENED! proper biblical rain… ooooohhhhh i was chatting with my mate on 4M FM at the time and distinctly remeber saying “if this doesnt clear up soon, im calling it off” anyhow, as quickly as it started was as quick as as it stopped, with warming spring sunshine and blue skies behind it, I decided to press on.

As I arived at the parking area, I could see the remnants of a hail storm settled on the road, but it was fast dissapearing, but there was ALOT of water on the road… i had a quick look at the track and the bottom bit by the gate was a quagmire, but the rest form this position looked easy going, so the gear was grabbed and off i went! Quagmire was an UNDERSTATEMENT it was a horrible wet mud pit that tried to suck my trekking poles into its black depths, but after some careful footwork i was accross and on the track proper. Now this was to be the HARDEST virtually flat 1/2 mile i have EVER walked, the mud and water was constant and never ending, and what should have been a 10 min bounce to the top turned into a half hour battle with the bog!! however, i would come oput triumphant!

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud…

Anyhow, the twighlight was fast approaching and in the distance in incoming squall, I needed to do this and do it FAST! I chucked the roach pole up on the trig point, whipped the Slim G up on it, and cracked on… 10 contacts in 11 mins, that’ll do!

Everybody loves a Slim G!

Selfie time!

With the rain spit spotting as i packed my final bits, and donned my head torch we were off to do battle again! unsuprisingly things hadnt improved much, but the descent was slightly quicker (about 20 mins) than the ascent! after again crossing the mud pit of doom, I was elated to be back at the car! gear packed and off to find food…

Muddy…

Great little evening out, and ill be back on the Gun, i can see it being a great little spot on a nice summers evening in the dry!

Thanks to all the Chasers, with a special mention to Paul @M0CQE First in the log, and for later checking I was down safe by whatsapp. thankyou buddy!

73 all, till next time!

Alan

First HF activation G/SP-004 Shining Tor TP5950 25/11/23

No idea why i forgot to post this one.. Anywhoo!

As pretty much all of you know by now, I have been off the mountains since my unfortunate accident on the way to Kinder Scout at the beginning of the year. Having missed pretty much all of the summer SOTA season and with my leg much improved, I have been ITCHING to get out! I also reckoned it was time to test the Little Xeigu G106 out on a proper activation…

A window of opportunity presented itself, and after spending most of the week watching the mountain weather, Saturday looked suprisingly pleasent! it also had the advantage of being a weekend when i had my son, so he could be roped in to help!

The day was pleasant and although it was cold, it was lovely in the sunshine. I couldnt have asked fr better walking conditions although imnot going to lie, I was nervous… conditions were spookily similar when it all went so wrong on Kinder! but I put this to the back of my mind as we set off up the track from the Cat and Fiddle. Now i must confess, I did cheat slightly, William was my Sherpa!

Anyhow, summit reached and time was knocking on… we were late (as usual for me) so we rapidly set up the EFHW to the summit finger post and got the G106 hooked up to the SLAB, found a peaceful frequency on 40M… chucked up a spot on SOTAwatch, gave it 2 mins and put a call out…

9 contacts later,i got wiped out by QRM and loads of stations suddenly deciding to use my frequency,sometimes QRP has its drawbacks! Either that or some people are just plain ignorant, but hey ho, I was not too dissapointed though! 9 contacts meant for the first time it was activation complete on 40M… happy days!

I left William packing up the HF gear, and decided on a quick VHF activation on the handheld with the NR770 antenna, mainly because I wanted a 10th contact for the POTA! This lead to another 7 in the log, but I soon had to call time on the activation, honestly i could have worked stations all day!

The sun was fading RAPIDLY as by now it was 1530 and i didnt fancy a walk off by head torch we gathered the gear and made our way back to the Cat and Fiddle just in time for the sun to set.. Perfect!

This is fantastic SOTA mountain I reckon ill be back to spend a whole afternoon up there in summer playing radio and making contacts. It was honestly such a fantastic feeling to be working contacts form a SOTA summit again, after the fat end of a year off the hills... Thanks to everyone for their ongoing support, and the Chasers I worked, you guys make SOTA what it is!

Till next time, 73 - Alan & William!

21 & 29/10/23 - A BOTA completion, and a bonus trig to trig..... B/G-0944 Crossland Moor and TP2622 Crossland heath.

 Unfortunately due to "life" I haven't been as active as Id hoped on activating the bunkers, i am quite lucky here, that I am within half an hours drive of several bunkers, but settled on the one at Crossland Moor, Huddersfield as my first one.

The Bunker is located in front of the Huddersfield Observatory, and has sadly been demolished, or rather the surface features have been, I'm unsure if the bunker its self is still underground. 

Anyhow, the bunker rues stipulate an activation is allowed within 1Km of the bunker site, and this one affords a nice easy Layby where you can sit in the car and fill yer boots! 

I first activated the Bunker on the 21/10/2023 on HF, using the little Xeigu G106 and an EFHW on 40M, but I ROYALLY messed up my timing, Worked all Germany weekend and the usual big station contesters were making life VERY difficult, with my little 5W QRP station! I persevered and with some internet assistance managed 17 calls, including a few into France and Belgium, but sadly short of the 25 needed to qualify a bunker as activated. I gave up in the end, as the band conditions were worsening by the second... 

Now this is where the rules work to an activators advantage, you dont have to do all 25 qualifying contacts in 1 session so I planned a return at some point...

I returned on the 29/10/23, I did take the HF gear, but planned on doing the activation on VHF, using the car antenna and the usual FT4XE handheld, I made a start calling on the 2M calling frequncey, but calls were slow! I needed 8 to qualify the bunker, and boy did I struggle!

The first out of the bag was G6XBF - Walt and then M7GDE - Andy K in Kippax, north Leeds. who proceeded to text his radio friends and DX groups he knew of to try and get me over the line, Thanks Andy!

I got a few more in the log, and then spoke to Paul, M0AIA/P who was at a trig point, we got talking and he mentioned there was a trig near to the bunker! A golden opportunity for a trig to trig... he helped me over the line with my last 3 contacts, and a change of antenna to the slim G helped AGAIN to get the last couple in the log, happy with 25 uniques, it was tick tick... bunker activated! 

Trig point TP2622 - Crossland heath

Bunker done, I was off to the trig point, its literally a few mins walk from the road, Paul had kindly agreed to hang around for a trig to trig. so i made my way over with the handheld, and called "trig to trig, trig to trig 2E0JWA/P" and we did it! A VHF trig to trig TP2622 Crossland heath to TP3676 Haw Cliff Top .. had a little QSO from the trig, and with the light failing and the temperatures dropping rapidly I made a dart back to the car!

A really nice trig point, in a picturesque location made a nice end to the activation.
Special thanks to the Bunkers on the Air crew, for setting up and managing a fantastic scheme, long may it continue! Andy K M7GDE for Rallying the troops and Paul M0AIA for telling me about the trig, passing some of his calls to me so I could get over the line, and for hanging around so we could get the trig to trig. Sometimes I am humbled by the amateur radio community's willingness to help others and keep the spirit of amateur radio alive..

Till next time 73s - Alan