HEMA #2 G/HSP-015 Idle Hill (Werneth Low)

 This is actually my second attempt to activate Idle Hill (Werneth low) G/HSP-015 the first being an utter fail due to the vicinity of other transmitters in the area swamping the radio.. since then I have purchased the SOTAbeams bandpass filter an amazing pice of kit that makes the previously impossible, possible! hahaha

Anyway, we rocked up here after we completed the 6 trig mission, as we were in the area! now, this is where things get interesting.. we had been operating from the vehicle due to my broken leg, HOWEVER the HEMA rules are similar to SOTA in that all activations must be "human powered" so, to ensure I was sin the spirit of the award, I abandoned the car, walked about 30 yards on my crutches and activated /P off the handheld. 5 contacts!

Not as busy as I was hoping, but got some experimentation in with filters and antennas ETC, and that was a worthwhile thing to do... Was starting to get pretty cold after 20 mins sat on a rock..

We wrapped it up about half 3, happy with the afternoons achievements... 6 Trigs, and 1 HEMA!

Again, a HUGE thankyou to Duane 2E0DIJ Chief planner, Driver, equipment carrier ETC ETC 😂😂 and of course the Chasers! it was fun, as usual!

Alan - 2E0JWA

Broken leg vehicle assisted 6 Trig day! with a bonus HEMA.. 26/02/23

Getting pretty peed off stuck indoors with my smashed up leg, Duane (2E0DIJ) came up with a plan to activate 6 vehicle accessible trig points around Greater Manchester! as plans go, this wasn't a bad one, and obviously I was well up for it! a date was set for the 26/02/23 and we were off! 

WAB Trig #18 TP1071 WABSq SJ79 Barton Moss

First of the day, Barton Moss located up a private road near the AirField, we decided forgiveness was easier then permission and rocked up activate the trig!

 Me Making a dash on sticks for the trig! 😂😂

Anyhow, this one is a leaner, and is slowly toppling... 

1 contact made, 2E0LMD Anne in Heald green! (Anne and her partner Mark feature quite heavily in this story). as i was completing the contact the landowner came along to ask what we were up too (fair enough) he was a sound fella! good to have a natter matey! 5 mins later, we were off to the second one of the day..

WAB TRIG #19 TP2030 WABSq SJ78 Castle Hill

Interesting trig this one, being in view of the runways at Manchester Airport.

I absolutely promise you, there is a plane landing in this pic! 

Quick fire contacts with M0XMX/P who was up on the Gun G/SP-013 performing a SOTA activation (bonus chase FTW), 2E0LMD Anne (again, told you!) and M0CQE Paul in Oldham. Duane made his contacts separately, and with that we were off again.. no messing around with these! 

WAB TRIG #20 TP3640 WABSq SJ88 Harrison Pit

Not an easy one to locate this one, we had to use the Trig FindAR app to help us, its below road level in a field, but not to worry! we could operate well within the 30M limit from the car... slightly dodgy parking so no messing with this one, quick in and out smash and grab job! 😂😂

Quick contact with Mark this time, in Heald Green.. 2E0LKC, and off we went!

WAB TRIG #21 TP3920 WABSq SJ88 Hill Top Farm

Another one up Private farm tracks in this case, you have to go through the farms yard.. tried to call to request permission, but no answer.. so like last time we went for it! We got busted in the farms yard, but the guy was sound and allowed us to continue 😄 another one where we had to use the TRIGFINDAR app, buried in a hedge just off the track is the trig... again, the 30M rule was used here, I think we were 16M away from the trig point. not wanting to block the farms track, it was fast again... 2E0LKC - Mark in heald green was the contact! less tan 5 mins on this one.. time to go again!

WAB TRIG #22 TP4668 WABsq SJ98 Marple Ridge

Spectacular spot, plenty of altitude... could have played radio up here all day, but the pillar is on someone's drive in a cul-de-sac.. 

the usual quick call and we got 2W0JYN Stephen in Rhos, nice and strong full scale too! fantastic! and with that, the curtain twitchers were starting, so off we went again!

WAB TRIG #23 TP6798 WABsq SJ99 Werneth Low

Located in a gatehole Just off Cowlishaw Road, this was to be the last one of the day. usual quick call and Mark 2E0LKC replied.. job done!

6 trigs in just over 2 hours... and my 20 activated certificate too! Fabulous day out.... good company and some right laughs! 

But, you said there was a bonus HEMA?? I did! and for that you will have to wait till tomorrow evening.. sorry! [NB - Post will be 1700 on the 03/03/23 - Alan]

Thanks as usual to the chasers, its great fun working you all, and a special thanks again to Duane 2E0DIJ for being the driver and photographer!

Cheers, till tomorrow! 

Alan - 2E0JWA

Kinder scout G/SP-001 - Failed SOTA & a mountain rescue - 2/1/23

Fancying a winter bonus activation, I fancied a crack at the biggest summit in my local area. G/SP-001 Kinder Scout 4 points plus a 3 point winter bonus so a worthwhile 7 point total. I originally had the thought of doing it between Christmas and new year, but my missus catching Covid put paid to that, so a replan was devised for the bank holiday Monday 2/1/23.

The Weather on the morning of the activation day was fantastic, sunny, warm (ish) a lovely day for a SOTA activation! a plan was formulated to solo the trip, going on to Kinder Plateau along the Pennine way from Snake pass summit, and activating the trig point at SK 07698 89370 - TP6378 The Edge. this trig is well within the AZ for the SOTA and would have the added bonus of ticking me off a trig too! kit prepared, and a last check of the mountain weather report.. bright and sunny, clouding over late afternoon and a small chance of snow after dark... that'll do! I planned on being off the hill by 1600 latest, so was satisfied this would be a pleasant activation. 

I parked the car on Snake summit, did a SOTA activation alert, and set off. the path is well marked on stone slabs laid by the national parks service to reduce erosion to the local pathways. these stone slabs, would prove to be my literal downfall! the going was good, and although the slabs were damp, the temp was around 6 degrees and there was no sign of any ice I reckoned on about 50 mins to cover the 3 and a bit miles to the trig the path crosses several gullies, and the stones slabs form little bridges across the gullies. Placing my foot on one such slab, I felt my left leg crumble from underneath me and in that split second it dawned on me, id hit the only patch of black ice on the whole path! BALLS by this point im upside down, on my back doing a dying fly impression wedged in the gully by my backpack. this was the point the pitfalls of soloing a walk on the moors become very apparent! I knew there were others in the vicinity so I shouted and whistled for help managed to extract myself from the straps on my rucksack and luckily people appeared to help me. they rolled me from my precarious position back onto the path, it was then the pain in my leg hit me, and I realised I was in ALOT of pain from my Left leg and now in quite serious trouble.

So, here I am, lying on the cold floor I cant move due to a busted leg and people are trying to help me, this led to the 1st problem.. poor mobile signal! I could get a GPS NGR but no one could dial out, not to worry I thought... I have radio! Now, I need to get something off my chest here, I could hear people calling on S20 I called mayday and my callsign.. but yet my calls went IGNORED! SERIOUSLY PEOPLE, WHY WOULD YOU IGNORE A MAYDAY CALL???? really, why? honestly, its been nearly a month since my accident, and this is STILL really eating at me...

 So, here I am lying on the ground, slowly getting hypothermic due to shock and the pain in my leg. a small crowd was gathering to help me, people finding warm coverings and blankets, people off to raise help, MADNESS! but boy, was I thankful for them. my memory is a little hazy, so if you were one of the heroes who helped, thankyou! the ones I can remember were the older couple, who stuck their dog in a bivi bag with me to keep me warm, the polish couple who supplied hot tea, and all the runners who went to get mobile signal to get help! Special thanks also goes out to my friends Andy (M7BOA) and James, after I somehow managed to get a help whatsapp to them, with my NGR on screengrab and they came to meet me and sort my car and stuff...

All photos, unless otherwise stated on this post © James Smith 2023

After 50 or so mins, the angels in red coats arrived, in the form of Glossop Mountain Rescue Team who quickly administered pain medication, and packaged me in their fleece lined casualty bag while a plan was formulated with the team medic to get me off.. Meanwhile, in the background a storm was brewing.. one of the evening snow showers arriving early! so, the team survival tent was deployed...

They soon had my leg splinted, and I was loaded onto the team stretcher, fastened on and packaged up for the carry off. now this is quite cool, the stretcher is called (I think) a Bell stretcher, it was specially developed for use by MRTs and has a single wheel underneath, to roll it in a guided way, and take the strain off the team on a long carry off! great piece of kit, weird to ride on! haha

Luckily for the team, I was only about half a mile from the road, so the carry off wasn't too arduous, and they quickly got me into the back of a warm land rover, to await the arrival of NWAS to take me to hospital. Now, this is where things got a bit interesting! according to the MRT, NWAS had telephoned their duty controller and informed them an ambulance wouldn't be attending??!! so we worked out a plan to get me, in my own vehicle and James was going to drive me to the hospital... as preparations were being made.... an Ambulance turned up!

Anyway, eventually safely loaded into the Ambulance I was finally on my way to A&E, but that is a whole other story! one I may share one day, lets just say I wasn't too impressed with the care I received...

Final result is a Spiral Fracture Distal third Left Fibula, and after some messing around and an operation, its been pinned and plated, and im now non weight bearing on my left leg (so virtually immobile) till the end of February and then a decision will be made on whether or not I can start physio and gentle weight bearing... the screws and pins holding it all together are pencilled in for removal in 3 months time (so another operation) and there will be recovery time after that, so looks like the end of summer till im strong enough to get out on the tops again, and im utterly miserable about it!!

I will be back, doing something at some point when im back driving, maybe POTA or WWFF activations, in the meantime I wish to express my extreme gratitude to Glossop Mountain Rescue Team, without whom I would have been in real trouble and i would ask if anyone reading this could chuck them a few quid, whatever you can afford it would be really appreciated! I aim to do something to raise a few quid for them maybe later in the year, see how my fitness goes.. so watch this space!!

donation link for GMRT click here

GMRTs main website here

Its been pretty difficult to write this, and I have wrestled with myself for most of the month whether I should, or shouldn't do it! but reading it back to myself now, and reliving the experience I find quite therapeutic! Anyhow, sorry its a long one, I WILL BE BACK! thanks for reading folks

Alan - 2E0JWA

Worked all Britain trig #17 TP1391 - Birshaw SD90 WAB 7/12/22 Part 2

 Part 2 of my unexpected day off...

The earlier contact with 2E0DIJ led to another text message.. "do you fancy a crack at the angry farmer?" the name we gave to the Birshaw trig, as the reports on the Trigpointing UK all point to the farmer not being so keen on people visiting the trig! talk of arguments, confrontations and dogs meant setting a contact up in advance was a must, as I would have to be stealthy to avoid the gaze of the farmer and speed was essential, its position in a valley also meant that an "organic" contact would be difficult on the hand held with a rubber duck antenna! contact set up, i made off for the difficult approach to the trig, through a forest in twilight, up a steep hill and out to the Trig...

 

I gave a CQ call, and was VERY surprised when G4DEE- Tony in Bury!

Did a QSY, completed the call, Duane followed us up, so had a second one with him and then my peace was shattered by the sound a barking dog, getting louder and louder, next thing, its on to me! Oh balls I thought, quickly completing my QSOs... the hound was hotly followed by a human, I can only assume it was the angry farmer.. I didn't wait to find out! I high-tailed it for the trees and disappeared in the undergrowth before I was spotted! PHEW!

Back at the car, I caught my breath.. job done! happy I had finally done the closest Trig to my house! who would have thought trig activating could be so exciting!

As usual thanks to the chasers, we couldn't do this stuff without you!

Till next time, Cheers! 2E0JWA - Alan

Worked all Britain Trig #16 TP3756 - Hey Farm SD91 WAB 7/12/22 part 1

 One of my locals, and been on the list for AGES! (but not as long as Trig #17).... anyway an unexpected day off, gave me a bit of free time so I reckoned i could squeeze a couple in off my list..

Maps read and plan made, went for the direct route (and later regretted it)..

the reason for my regret?? the path after a couple of hundred yards following a stream, becomes the stream!! and here's me in my lightweight boots.. oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound!

After a VERY muddy ascent (if i ever go up again, wellies 100% needed!) you end up wondering up a sheep field, looking for the trig... 

AHHHH There it is! activation at the actual trig is difficult, as its in a mud pit, so I set up on an adjacent fence within the AZ...

I HOPED due to its great take off that an operation on the rubber duck would do the job, but sadly that wasn't to be, Luckily I had chucked the Mast and the Spectrum slim G in the bag! so, mast up... improvement none.... Balls, this is going to be a cold waste of time!

Got a text off Duane 2E0DIJ, "are you coming on the radio pal?" WINNER!! Trig activated... but, this brought in another caller Paul G6SPG in Irlam, 2 contacts.. that'll do! by this time I was positively icy, so a quick de-rig and made for the ascent, not before a quick look back to see the moon rising! 

Now, the ascent! I didn't much fancy the river bed again, so I found a longer but MUCH drier way down via the farm, if I'm honest I wish I went up that way!

Anyway, job done! onto the next... #17 - Birshaw!

Thanks to the Chasers as usual, 73! Alan - 2E0JWA

SOTA G/SP-017 - Billinge Hill TRIG #15 WAB Sq SD50 TP1362 - Billinge 3/12/22

Looked at this one once or twice, but the price of diesel has held me back recently, anyway it was my weekend to have my boy, and I had some business to attend to in the nearby town of Atherton so this fitted in perfectly with a trip to Billinge Hill.. FINALLY! 

If I am being completely honest here, I think the real reason I haven't visited was procrastination.. Anyhow, I digress!

I am fairly certain that Billinge must be the lowest summit on the SOTA programme, I honestly cant think of and havent seen another smaller. Mind you, dont be put off by its meagre 179M its a Marilyn.. Just! the walk up is pretty easy, and good practice for my boy, who, I am happy to add has finally stared training with me, for his Foundation exam!

Here he is, having just made the gentle walk up the slope to the Summit!

plenty of space up the top, but it is quite busy. Consequently daft antenna's wouldn't be a good idea! i set up on the trig, with the usual 6M fishing pole, and my NEW spectrum communications Slim G antenna!

Now, just let me take a few seconds out here... The Slim G by Spectrum Communications is an EXCELLENT piece of kit, honestly! I was previously using a homebrew "flowerpot" and while it served me well, the Slim G was in a different league, just so much quieter and less susceptible to noise.. if you want a lightweight portable antenna for £25 you cant go wrong!

Right, back to the action...... there is a large collection of transmitting towers adjacent to the summit, i would advise the use of a filter, so i deployed the SOTABEAMS 2M bandpass filter, and as usual it worked fantastically.

Trig pics, and the Flush Bracket.....

so, all setup, quick spot.. and off we go! first to bite was M0MOL-Gareth in Barrow-in-Furness with a cracking signal 5/9 across the scale! (told you this was a good hill)... ended up with a total of 14 across Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales with the final call 40 mins after I started!

With that, it was time to go. but not before we had a quick look at the ROC nuclear warfare observation bunker on the way down. sadly not much of it left, and what is left has been filled with concrete!

The underground access hatch would have been on the top of this concrete block

Access Hatch from the other side, sadly missing the air vent and louvres

Extant green paint

The FSM tube, missing its metal cap

And sadly that is all that remains! I couldn't find the vent stack or the BPS tube sadly, but hey ho!

If you wish to know more about ROC posts WIKI is a good start and there is TONS of info on google!

Anyway, as usual thanks to the Chasers/SWLs and huge thanks to those who follow my ramblings!

73, 2E0JWA - Alan

SOTA in the dark! G/SP-015 - The Cloud. Trig #14 TP6366 WAB sq SJ96. 23/10/22

 SOTA in the dark?? Well.... the wife decided herself and her niece wanted to go to play Bingo and I dropped them off at the Bingo hall around 1715 (BST). all dropped off, i sat in the car and pondered what to do with myself for the next 3 and half or so hours till the needed collecting! Anyhow, I had all my portable kit in the car so decided to have a go at a SOTA in the dark! 

I needed an easy hill, one that wouldn't get too technical, could be done fairly quickly and preferably one I wouldn't have to put the antenna up! only 1 fitted this bill.... The Cloud! so off I went... just a smidge over an hours drive to get there after a satnav fail I was in the parking area at SJ907633, follow the track up the hill to the steps on the right, and follow your nose to the trig! now, let me talk about them steps.... They are HORRIBLE in my opinion, each step is a different height and shape from the previous, and its damn near impossible to get a rhythm going on them, and they seem to go on FOREVER! anyway, once up the steps its a well defined marked path for about 6 or so mins walking up to the Trig and Viewing area...

 No sparkling photography today, handheld night shots off my phone! Sorry!

*A quick important note about this summit* 

It is located on National Trust land, and sometimes the patrolling wardens do get funny about radio hams chucking big daft antennas and elaborate setups up on their hill! Permission is recommended if not discretion is a must! Keep it simple folks :)  that said I went up at 1900 on a dark Sunday night, i didn't reckon on there being an issue, and there wasn't 😂😂 

Didn't bother chucking the antenna up, went for a handheld activation.. spotted on the app and then called CQ.... Nothing.... UH OH!! this surprised me considering the views and the area's i was potentially transmitting over!

I had a pause, and decided to let the spot do its "thing" as i sat there, a HUGE lightning storm caught my eye to the east, over the hills.. I later found out it was over Leicester and it looked spectacular!

Ok, time for another CQ.... THANK THE LORD! there was life... first call 2E0LKC-Mark in Heald Green followed by his wife 2E0LMD-Anne. a quick recall produced 2E0NRL-Ethan in Sandbach and then finally 2E0DIJ-Duane in Prestwich. PHEW! Activation complete! WAHEY! few more CQs came to nought and the lightening storm appeared to be on the move and getting brighter, so a quick exit was decided upon. Ascend - Activate - Descend all done in 40mins perfect! so I hit the car, and headed back to the Bingo hall to collect the girls and arrived back with time to spare! Short and sweet, the plan worked!

As usual thanks to the chasers for the dedication to be listening at 1900BST on a Sunday night and coming back to me. 

Till next time 73 for now and cheers! Alan