Activation - Beacon Hill GW/MW-009

As the weather in the UK is now turning distinctly autumnal, I thought I would share an excellent activation last week (21 Sep) that we fitted in before the weather turned. Beacon Hill GW/MW-009 is an excellent spot, with good views and good VHF take-off, it is also quiet (not too many random hikers) and there is plenty of usable space on the summit.

Parking at SO 15281 76512 we had an easy walk up the hill, climbing only 140m in 2.8Km - not at all strenuous, on good tracks and with ideal walking weather at about 17° and almost windless. Down in the lower valleys there was some mist remaining, so I had hopes of some tropo propagation on 2m.

The kit was my usual for easier hills - Kenwood TM-281 (25W), 4S LiPo (with voltage dropper), flowerpot antenna and 6m pole, and the results were indeed excellent. 28 QSO’s were recorded in one hour, the best distance being to G0PMJ in Darlington at 262Km. 7 S2S were recorded, though one of these contacts was with Ben @GW4BML on Snowdon during his unfortunate out-of-AZ activation.

The weather continued to warm, so as we arrived back at the car it was around 22° and the mist was gone. Altogether an enjoyable activation and a hill I will certainly revisit.

Here are some photos taken by my wife Cathy - when I do a SOTA activation she often joins me for a photography fix. Obligatory sheep included !




Cheers
Rick

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Great work Rick & nice photos from Cathy.

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