We (with M0JLA driving) set off for a stay in the northern Lake District after a gap of about 13 years according to our records. On looking at the maps the local hills seem to have got higher and our legs are definitely shorter so it will only be the low hills we are aiming for. This makes getting contacts (or even just one!) more of a challenge from the likes of Low Fell (aptly named ), High Rigg (height looks more like Low Rigg), Blake Fell etc. Swinside was knocked off the list as they don’t seem to reply (is it only March now or not at all??). The further challenges are that the weather forecast is reatty dire (fog and 30+ mph gusts in Keswick let alone the tops!!), we are very unfit and unused to wet weather AND …I have lost most of my voice (and can’t find it anywhere). so please listen out very hard for a desperate whisper/croak over the VHF/UHF airwaves. I hope that M0JLA will be a lot more audible IF the HF bands allow. I see there is some Scottish activated also in G/SB and would love some s2s but not easy for low hills. Will spot as soon as we can but any activations may be a last minute decision. I have lots of low hills in the Lake District I need to chase (I only chase from other summits so all my completes are from s2s) so it would be a welcome surprise if other activators also came out for an airing. At present Saturday and Sunday look slightly better but things may change. Thanks for your help - and keep those ears flapping on 145.500 (and 433.475)
Hi Viki, I just got home from activating G/LD-048 and I did G/LD-056 yesterday. On both occasions I was sweating (when the sun was out) on the climb up in just a T-shirt but cold sitting around playing radio on the shelterless summit in strong wind (and overcast sky today / summit low cloud yesterday) despite wearing hat, mid-layer and summer jacket. So my advice, pack some warm clothes.
Tx Andy, have piled in some warmer gear, We visited G/LD-056 many years ago in rather challenging conditions. It is still the only summit where I have broken 2 pipe joints as the dipole was flattened yet, yet, yet again! I still only carry one spare around with me but might pop in another one if we should be thinking of visiting it on our way home! 73
Whitbarrow Scar is one of my locals (you can see it 4.4 miles away from our bedroom window). The wind has blown down my 5m pole (for 2m J-pole and HF EFHW) many times as the ground there is too rocky to push guying pegs in deep enough. Fortunately, there are a few ant hills near the big cairn so for this week’s activation I took my Chameleon MPAS Lite HF vertical and its 35cm-long ground spike goes right down into the ant hill. The 5.2m-long vertical might sway around in strong winds but never falls over.
from M6BWA
Went up G/LD-056 on our way oop north on Wednesday as the rain seemed to be clearing. We were lucky as we actually remained dry which was particularly important for that rocky path which I didn’tlike on the way up and would have found even less fun with wet rock on the way down. It’s 12 years since we last visited and we seemed to get a bit lost after the top stile and spent ages just above the wall before turning up - not sure if that was a good idea. anyway got there BST 1640 so found what little shelter there was not far from the cairn and then looked for places to get pegs in! I was lucky as tne dipole stayed up and in 10 mins I had 5 2m and 5 70cm contacts from 5 chasers mostly down the coast - marvellous. Rod (M0JLA) was struggling on HF and only got 2 contacts I believe.
Next day with a windy showery forecast we went up nearby High Rigg G/LD-044 but I had to shelter from the wind and the dipole had to be held up most of the time. After 30 mins, with intermittent rain and wind, I gave up with 3 in the log and Rod had only managed 3 on HF but we were happy to get any contacts - and some views. We called in at Castlerigg stone circle in the dry and with a marvellous backdrop of hills with intermittent bands of rain - the highlight of the day.
Today the gusts were the same and with a forecast of the rain coming in earlier we set off towards Cockermouth and lowly G/LD-054 Watch Hill with a walk mostly on forest tracks so very sheltered. Rod tucked himself on the low wall beside the trees with the mast in the field and I went onto the field and we both qualified and jsut reached the car before the showers started. Great success
Have now decided NOT to go upr Blake Fell tomorrow as wind and showers still around. with the forecasts improving from Sunday onwards. Thank you for listening out. (PS Apologies for typos - strange keyboard and some eyesight problems)
Viki M6BWA
Sorry I missed you today - timing and weather wasn’t on our side! Noted about your hope for S2S - I reckon our best chance will be Sunday when I’m not far from Carlisle on my return home. Selfishly wouldn’t say no to a Complete if you fancied Low Fell or Mellbreak, but you do what suits you best
from M6BWA
Sorry Jordan it looks as if it will be Knott G/LD-023 with timing not yet assessed - partly because we don’t know how far up the road past Swineside we can drive in a rather elderly car - plus it will be a tougher walk than we have done for some time. The weather was almost dry today but the wind was rather vicious even down at the lakeside. should be better tomorrow and then we are promised drizzle again on Monday - perhaps you timed it right on your side. Best wishes for Sighty Crag - definitely on my ‘never again’ list after Rod had to haul my leg out of a hole that I alone could not perform the extraction! (when my muscles tensed they filled the hole so the leg didn’t move - great fun!!) Well done on all your summits.
73 Viki
Thanks Jordan for the s2s on Sunday from Knott - and the 70cm as well! that gives me a complete that i thought I’d never get. Hope you got back off the hill without visiting any more holes!
We are now back home again after a long drive with sunshine all the way - the best day of the trip - of course. Weather very variable but with a strong SW/W wind most of the time. We both (with Rod M0JLA) activated 6 summits and I added Blake Fell in low cloud (and a fit of madness to try and prove I had got slightly fitter..) on Monday. The final summits yesterday were the 2 Mell Fells which were difficult to qualify on VHF and UHF without the help of Derek 2E0MIX or various Scottish contacts who were out of range. However Darlington on 70cm from ‘Great’ was good but we couldn’t manage it from the lower summit. The cloud was down on the higher summits in the northern Lake District, as usual - not sure they ever cleared during the week in Keswick. We visited Aira Force near Ullswater briefly during the sunny evening and heard it long before we could find it and it was quite a sight but I could have done without the drone buzzing around all the time. Not sure they are allowed by the National Trust but almost impossible to stop them being used. Will attempt to get my log up.. sometime! Thanks for listening out for me and also for being patient while I retrieved my notebook, dropped my pencil or was generally creative with the call signs. Especial thanks for the s2s which I gained on the way and also to GM4WHA/G4WHA for all the contacts and spots - I couldn’t have qualified without you Geoff on most hills (and neither of us got 4 contacts on High Rigg as it was).
Delighted to discover that my contact with Julia M7UBB on Hallin Fell G/LD-043 was not only another complete but a FIRST SOTA activation for Julia, Welcome to the airwaves and congratulations for qualifying that hill on 2m as it is not an easy one. I look forward to the next S2S.
Many thanks for the very difficult 2m FM S2S from Housedon G/SB-010 to Great Mell. Unfortunately I couldn’t hear you at all when you were on Little Mell; I was then further away on Lamberton Hill. I failed to qualify either of my hills that day on 2m, but 40m came to the rescue including S2Ses with Rod.
I also heard Julia M7UBB about 41 on her Hallin Fell activation, but she couldn’t hear me for the S2S. Managing the qualify Hallin on 2m FM is an achievement in itself.
Delighted to hear that you confirm we did actually get a s2s from Housedon to Great Mell Fell. That is another complete that I never expected to get. (I only chase from summits so they have to be s2s.) It was certainly a great struggle wit 21 on both sides. It was much more difficult to get contacts from Little Mell Fell despite the only slight difference in height and position. I am very impressed by the number of hills you’ve been activating - keep up the good work.
Yes that was a good s2s which I didn’t expect and looking at the range map this morning there are some peaks in the way. It was a great shame that I was only on the RH770 as I think you would have heard Rod on the dipole but I had galloped up the top of the hill and dragged out the telesopic aerial to get the contact (you’d gone by the time the dipole was up). I know that it is often said that the female voice carries further than the male but I was surprised you could hear nothing from him and he was standing just beside me using the same equipment. Thank you for picking me out of the barrage of voices that responded to your CQ and sorry for the delay we caused to your other contacts. Looking forward to the next s2s!
I activated Hallin Fell at lunchtime today and managed to qualify it - but only just - on 2m FM and SSB only, getting 5 QSOs with 4 chasers , with a slow QSO rate. I’ve always struggled with 2m on G/LD-043 with so many hills around it. A lot depends on local chasers. I think it might have helped having a J-pole on a 5m pole getting my 5W SSB down into central Lancashire.
I have just been booking a short trip to Lundy Island (no Marilyns I’m afraid) in April and found this statement from the National Trust who own the island::
The use of drones is not allowed. As a landowner, the National Trust does
not permit unauthorised drone operation on its land and or properties.
Permissions for research or commercial filming must be granted by the
warden.
BTW I have uploaded my log for the Keswick trip, which didn’t take very long except for the activation of Knott G/LD-023 on the Sunday with 18 contacts (8 on 70cm) in less than 25 mins. This was greatly helped by contacts from 4 other summits with the highlights being the 70cm contacts with a rather cold Jordan G3TMX on Sighty Crag G/SB-005 and Caroline MM3ZCB on Dirrington Great Law GM/SS-225. Many thanks to all chasers.
They can’t stop people flying drones (complying with CAA rules) over their property, all they can do is prohibit take off and landing on their property.
Yes, I agree but the Trust owns the whole of Lundy Island so that only off-shore drones would be legal - and I very much hope that not too many of those will be homing in on Lundy in April!!
I hate drones buzzing overhead but I think this statement is only partially true. You need permission (from the land owner) to launch or land a drone on private property but under UK law the land owner cannot forbid drones from overflying except for restricted areas e.g. MoD, railways. Private landowners do not own or control the skies above their property.
In fact, the National Trust explicitly conceded this position following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, admitting they have no control over access to airspace for pilots operating entirely from outside their property boundaries.
