Trig #13 Brown Edge TP1702 WAB sq SD90 24/09/22

 A DOUBLE Trig day! That rarest of days.. After Trig #12 we had a look at Brown Edge, its essentially overlooking the small town of Mossley adjacent to the large cross that stands over the village, just inside a farmers field! 

we parked at SD96202 03074 and took the public footpath just up the lane to the left, this leads you up a track into a field and you can see the trig at the top of the hill we just sort of winged it from there!

The farmer (im assuming) has re-painted the trig to look like the George cross, and I like it! 

Anyway, all calls hand held again due to my earlier forgetfulness.. Calls were VERY difficult, infact I thought the radio was dead TBH.. after 20 mins of calling I had Zero to show for it. I was about to give up, and had a sudden thought... DUANE! I knew 2E0DIJ was out and about so I jumped on the phone, turns out he was over Pendle direction in the car. he gave a shout on his car radio and BINGO! we were on, the day was saved!! 1 contact, trig activated.. Duane, you are a lifesaver! 

im not sure what it is about Saturday afternoons, they always seem hard work when trying to activate... 

The mighty FT4XE

Thanks for reading! 

Cheers, Alan - 2E0JWA

Trig #12 Slack Hall TP6012 WAB sq SD90 24/09/22

 Probably the second closest to my house and to my shame, I've only just done it 😂😂

Anyway, dragged the boy up there as we had a few hours to kill before i took him home to his mum.. Funny trig this, it seems so pointless! add that to the fact its buried in a hedge and tricky to spot its a bit of a PITA! accessible via Austerlands cricket club if its open, the trig us in the back hedge.. I accessed from the other side off  Back 'Oth Low Road park at the last houses and follow the tracks across the top of the quarry.

Trig located, I went 100% hand held (rookie mistake, I forgot the roach pole to mount the antenna on) we called, and called, and called, and called.. i was about to give it up when a call saved the day! 2E0LKC, Mark in Heald green followed by his wife Anne 2E0LMD.. day saved and 2 calls.. trig Activated!

Buried in the hedge

Some Curious Bovines!

Cheers Alan - 2E0JWA

Trig #11 Moss Moor (White Hill) TP4930 WAB sq SD91 29/08/22

 After the success of Standedge a few days before i had been trying to persuade Duane, 2E0DIJ to come try a trig point, and after some procrastination he agreed to come out! we selected Hare Hill, as its a fairly easy walk, and an area Duane is familiar with as he normally works /P DX from up there just not quite at the trig!

Anyhow, park in the car park at the top of the hill off the M62 Jnc 22, cross the road, and follow the Pennine Way.. EASY!

I set up my usual setup on the Trig, and Duane set up to the side. I went first to give him an example. Sadly not as many calls as a few days before, ended up on 4 M6DSV Shaun was the first into Bury and qualified the Trig. A fairly uneventful hour out, playing radio with a very good friend and his dog Maverick, Thanks Duane 😊

Some piccies

Fantastic afternoon, Cheers. Alan - 2E0JWA

TRIG #10 Standedge, TP6152 WAB sq SE01 27/08/22

 Another local one, stuck for something to do with my Son and my Niece I chucked them in the car "don't worry kids it only a little walk" now my lad loves a walk, my niece not so much.. infact if she has to do something physical away from WiFi for more then 5 mins, panic starts to set in!

Anyhow, this one is an old favourite, its above the village of my birth and childhood till the age of 20 - Diggle! its easy too, park the car where you can near Brun Clough Resr (the car park was closed at the time of activating) and follow the well marked paths to the Pennine way, keep following and you will find the trig.. EASY! 

Just look at them happy smiling faces! 😂😂

Anyway, we soon got the roach pole up and the antenna, and started calling, calls were thick and fast with a nice mini pileup M0ALA was the qualifying first call, QSOs were mainly into Lancashire and Yorkshire the FT4XE doing the business on 5W into the flowerpot antenna. the best call was G1PHN, Clee Hills near Ludlow.. I couldn't believe it! 120 miles on 5W into a home made antenna... the quick session ended with 10 calls and 1 very happy operator!

Anyhow, a great couple of hours out, with some amazing contacts!

Cheers, Alan - 2E0JWA

Trig #9 Hare Hill, Walney Island - Cumbria. TP3619 WAB sq SD26 24/07/22

 Each year I have a short break with the XYL up in Cumbria at my parents place on Walney Island. This is the 2nd highest spot on the island (Beacon brow is the highest at 21M ASL), located at far south end, and is a MASSIVE 16M ASL!! 

Its a bit of an odd place as there is a tower of unknown use on the site, I've hears several uses or the tower given over the years, from a radio beacon for shipping, to a light for the docks and military uses related to the large gun battery located at the south tip of the island. There is also a few local tales of the local Hams climbing it to attach portable antennas! 

Anyhow, some pictures...

Note the tower of unknown use, and the fire beacon stand, with he trig in-between

The FT4XE all hooked up and ready to go!

Anyway, I could have picked a better evening for it, it was grey, and threatening rain.. but I was there so I had a go! no sooner had I chucked the antenna up, it POURED down so i hurriedly called CQ on S20!

it took ages to get a response, in the end i was begging.. "cmon, there MUST be someone listening, I only need 1 contact to qualify the trig.." anyhow, to my surprise it worked! 2E1RAN, Rick in Clitheroe came back to me, music to my ears! the usual info was passed, and happy I de-rigged and made for the car...

Possibly a better trig for those using HF this one! but glad I ticked it off the list.

Cheers, Alan - 2E0JWA

OARC SOTA Day - G/SP-009 Hail storm Hill, SOTA #6 Trig #8 25/06/22

Full details - SOTA, Hail Storm Hill G/SP-009. WAB Sq SD81 Trig point TP3566 Hail Storm Ridge.

The OARC (Online Amateur Radio Club) is a free to join radio club, who encourage activity, this was one of those activity days, Organised by an OARC member to encourage SOTA operation and get people out portable operating!

Anyhow, I had originally planned to do Freeholds top G/SP-011 but somehow, I decided Hail storm would be better. I took some advice off Tom, M1EYP who suggested that the Trig point located at Top of Leach was in the Activation Zone, and makes an ideal activation point apparently the actual summit of Hail storm Hill is a boggy unpleasant mess! Tom also suggested a route to the summit from the village of Cowpe, however I noticed that it was also accessible from Rooley Moor Road AKA The Cotton Famine Road..

Time for a quick History lesson! The Cotton famine road got its name, when, during the American civil war there was a great Cotton Famine during the years 1861 - 1865. most of the mills of Lancashire were either on stop, or short time, and 1000s of mill workers were laid off. in order to receive poor relief men were "employed" to make improvements to the then Catley Lane. a total of 327,600 stone setts were hewn out of the local quarries on the route and laid to form a road. quite a feat! sadly some of the road is now damaged, and the setts stolen but large sections still exist and are open as a bridleway.

Right, back to the activation... I've always fancied a walk up the "Cotton Famine Road" so this was a perfect opportunity! I duly Alerted the activation on the SOTA system, and awaited the day..

The day was a warm, but not massively sunny (my first mistake!) warm enough for shorts (significant later on) so I ditched all my wet weather gear, packed snacks and plenty of water as well as my portable setup and headed up to the start of my walk. I decided to start at Catley Lane Head, parking the car at SD 86954 16092 and essentially follow the yellow brick road up hill from there!

The road surface varies from the yellow stone setts, to sections of none existence where the setts have been robbed out and can be VERY rough in places! interestingly some sections have long stones placed for cart wheels to run along, and still show the grooves of the carts that once plied thier trade over this bleak moor..

There are also some fantastic views down the valleys I was really enjoying this!

After an hour or so's walking I diverged off the track to find the trig, and located it easily, got setup, spotted and gave a CQ call..

it was pretty Windy up top, so I found a hole in the grass to lie in and get out the wind (mistake number 2). the calls came in fast totalling 17 2E0DIJ being the first. the calls covered a good area, into Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire the best being into Ulverston and near the end a S2S with Peter MW0PJE/P who was on GW/NW-062 - Hope Mountain. after 50 mins the calls tailed off, and I decided to pack up..

Now, remember from the top of the post, this was supposed to be the OARC SOTA day, so imagine my disappointment at not having an S2S with any other OARC member! that said, it was another SOTA and another Trig in the bag.

Logbook..

The descent was as uneventful as the Ascent, and equally enjoyable except my legs felt a bit funny.. sort of sensitive, i thought it somewhat odd maybe the grass i lay in had irritated my skin.. very odd!

it wasn't
until i got home, and realised my 2 mistakes! Balls, BURNT LEGS!!

these were sore for the best chunk of 2 weeks... Lessons learned!! Sunblock and not lying in the sun!

Another Great afternoon out, as ever thanks to the chasers and fellow activators always makes my day to see the contacts rolling in!

Cheers, Alan de 2E0JWA

Moel Famau GW/NW-044 TP0005, in a sunny gale! SOTA #5 TRIG #7 11/06/22

Being on a short break in wales, and having activated the nearest summits to where we stay previously I was at a bit of a loose end. anyhow, the XYL was hatching a plan to drag me to the weekend market at Towyn so i needed a plan, FAST!! after a twitter post, and a reply, Moel Famau GW/NW-044 was suggested as a relatively easy 2 pointer, and with the threat of a market in mind… i was off!

A 40 min drive from Towyn had me to the car park. On the way there I could see the tower looming on the hilltop.

Anyway, the walk up is a decent well marked track, with some fantastic views across and down the valley to the sea…

Continuing up the track, its about an hours walk (definitely less if you not fat and unfit like me)…

the only way is up!

Anyway, at the summit stands the remains of Jubilee tower, and a rather colourful Trig point, im led to believe it has been painted for the Eistefodd that recently took place in the area. Its also potentially the windiest summit I have ever been on! the wind was absolutely HOWLING!

It was at that point, i noticed a roach pole attached to the fence… DANG IT! someone's beaten me too it, and sure enough attached to the other end of the pole was a radio ham! (My apologies, i have forgotten your name and callsign) anyway, after exchanging pleasantries, i found he was working HF, i was going to work VHF so no problem! i set up on the fence, out of the wind and started calling CQ after spotting… Made 4 calls (LKC being the final) and DISASTER the gale force winds brought my antenna down! so after a short break to sort it out, I was back on the air 4 or 5 mins later!

14 contacts in total, with a nice s2s with Tom MQ1EYP on Gun G/SP-013 made for a pleasant activation! another 2 points, and a trig point in the bag!

Log…

Quick explore of the tower after a butty, and the obligatory selfies…

and the road back down again…

Brilliant afternoon, but im running low on easy North welsh summits now! haha

Thanks to all the chasers as usual, its great to hear you all!

And i hope to catch you all again on the air soon!

Alan - 2W0JWA

A Traffic jam, and Tal-Y-Fan - GW/NW-040. TP6307 SOTA #4 Trig #6 17/4/22

Full info.. SOTA GW/NW-040 Tal-Y-Fan. Wab SH77 WAL, TP6307

To conclude my long weekend in north wales, i decided on 1 last activation. Tal-Y-Fan, “the easiest 4 pointer in Wales” (allegedly) anyhow, the day was set and the weather was good. had a good study of the maps and previous reports and headed up to the parking point. bit of a problem on the way mind, as the traffic was terrible! 

Anyway, from the bottom it looks pretty reasonable for a portly chap like me, I know my limitations and im not going to risk injury for a few SOTA points. the decision was made to go for it!

7

I will admit I did find the climb a bit of a slog, but took my time and made it to the top, now… the top isnt actually the top! to gain access to the trig there is a double rocky scramble to get there, I had my doubts about it, but had a go, being careful to not go beyond my limitations, it was pretty tough TBH, but slowly and steadily i made my way to the trig, and it was totally worth it! the views off here are MEGA. I also had the advantage of pretty much having the summit to myself!

View over the great Orme, and Llandudno

after a breather i got set up, with the assistance of a handy fence pole to get the 6M pole up and the flowerpot i spotted, gave it a couple of mins and started calling CQ…

I had the all important 4 contacts logged in the 1st 6 mins… G1PIE in Preston, M7BIA/P on G/SP-004 Shining tor with an S2S, MW0CCG/P - Nick, near Moel Famau (but sadly not on the summit) and 2E0DIJ - Duane in Prestwich. the calls continued to pile in, another S2S later on with 2E0NRL - Ethan on G/SP-015 the cloud and ended up with an eventual total of 15, happy days!

One happy operator about to descend

But not before one last look at the epic view!

the descent was pretty uneventful, i did manage to avoid reversing most of the scrambles and picked an easier way down… and a quick chat with the locals before I got in the car and headed home! overall a very pleasing activation, and definitely worth he effort.. possibly one of my favourite SOTAs so far.

I think this one is called BAAAAAAARBRA....

As ever, thanks to all the chasers and OPS for the S2S QSOs!

Mynydd -Y-Cwm - GW/NW-076. First SOTA Complete! SOTA #3 15/04/22

After my success on the Orme, the previous evening and being based in Towyn for a few days, i decided to have a crack at Mynydd - y - Cwm (Cwm mountain). only a single point, BUT it would be my first “complete”!

The instructions for the ascent are helpfully published on the summit page, on the SOTA website, and its a fairly easy summit to have a go at! HOWEVER the forestry people are currently cutting the trees up there, and alot of the landmarks have gone so be careful with the instructions!

Yours truly, setting off up!

Another lightening setup, and a spot off the app, i gave it a couple of minutes and started calling CQ.

First up to respond was 2E0OTG - Steve in Chorley, then rapidly followed by 2E0LKC - Mark in Heald Green a couple more quick QSOs off G5VHF - Dave on the Wirral, and then 2E0LMD - Anne in Heald Green saw the activation complete! this was also my first SOTA complete, Meaning I had both activated AND chased the summit, so well happy with that!

I was contemplating packing up, as things had gone quiet but then got a text message off 2E0DIJ - Duane in Prestwich “I can hear you on S20 but cant hear you on .325, any chance of going to .575?” so i did, got him his chase points and another one on the log for me! another call on .500 produced 2 more M7ATV - John in Barrow in Furness, and then M6DFU in Blackpool! job done, it was rapidly going dark by this point, so I packed up and headed down. taking a few nice pictures on the way!

It was going dark as I was descending, but the moon was bright and lighting up the trees! this produced some nice pictures, the last one being my favourite.

As usual, Thanks to all the Chasers and SWLs out there, Without you lot we wouldn't be able to complete our activations! Cheers 2E0JWA

A quickie on the Orme - GW/NW-070 TP0174 SOTA #2 Trig point #5 14/04/22

Full information SOTA: GW/NW-070 Great Orme, WAB Sq SH78, TP0174 - Great Ormes head

Had a quick trip up the Orme tonight GW/NW-070, first full activation test of the portable setup!

parked on the top car park, and walked up to the trig. within 8 mins, i had the antenna up and spotted myself, first out the bag was M1DYU - Gary in Wigan, quickly followed by M0MZB/P Matthew with a Summit 2 Summit from Grasmoor G/LD-009. he was spending all night up there! next came M7CCI Arthur in Burscough then… nothing, my heart sank!! but i persevered and Malc MW0NLG saved the day with the 4th contact… PHEW!! anyway we had a decent QSO, and a bit of a natter. we did our finals and i did 1 more call, M6LPE, Peter in west Kirby on the Wirral made the 5th and final contact.

all in all a decent little activation for a Thursday night well happy with it!

Thanks to all the chasers, its appreciated

Cheers 2E0JWA (2W0JWA for this activation lol)

A First Activation, Tough times! G/SP-002 (TP3980 - Holme Moss) Black Hill SOTA #1 trig point #4 20/3/22

Full information:- SOTA summit G/SP-002 Black hill

Wab Sq SD80 trig TP3980 - Holme Moss

Well, i have been contemplating it for a while… Black Hill, my Local SOTA! Only 20 mins in the car from my house…

Messaged a pal to see if he fancied it Andy M7BOA, he did so we set off up the hill! Now im pretty unfit and love my pies and beer a bit too much, but i do enjoy a walk! We decided upon setting off from the “isle of Skye road” following the Pennine way to the summit trig point, and activating from there! (bags me another WAB trig too). anyway, i found it a proper SLOG up that hill, the climb up was relentless! nearly gave up at least once, but, i made it!

Contacts were very slow on the Yaesu FT4XE and Andy Baofeng was deaf, so we need to sort better kit next time… I managed the required 4, just! started with G6WBS/P Shane with a S2S from G/SP-015 the cloud, then a pal of mine came on out of the blue, G8UVC Peter in Oldham many many minutes later another S2S. M0RWX/P Robert on G/NP-005 Ingleborough and finally M1HLL/P stan on Rivington pike!

4 contacts in the bag, and struggling to get more, we decided to head back to the vehicles. Great little afternoon out all in, and im bloomin aching now legs will be dead tomorrow! haha

M7BOA , Andy stood next to the trig point

FT4XE, and a log sheet!

Dean clough in the early spring sunshine

As usual, thanks to the chasers and SWLs! 

Cheers Alan

Hello there!

 Hello! Welcome to my new radio adventures blog! My Name is Alan and i have been a licenced radio amateur since 2013 with my first callsign M6VXL and in 2014 with my intermediate callsign 2E0JWA. On this blog i plan to showcase "stuff" I am doing, from homebrew antennas to portable operations and SOTA activations, HEMA and WAB trig points.

I am the holder of a 10 activated Triangulation Pillars certificate from WAB, and a 100 Chased contacts certificate from SOTA. and this is building daily!

Just incase anyone is wondering about the numbering of my trig points, trigs #1,2&3 were done back in 2019 #1 was Blackstone edge activated on the 29/07/19, #2 was Tandle Hill on the 2/8/19 and #3 Bishops park on the 10/8/19. so my trigs on here start at #4!

Many thanks for following me, I look forward to talking to you on the air sometime 73 for now Alan DE 2E0JWA