Only just managed this yesterday. I forgot my antenna pole😩 which I’d left at home 130 miles away!!
My plan having come this far was to walk up through the forestry as I was parked in Garsdale in the Lay-by at White Beck and see what I could find on my way up.
One discarded fence pole , a broken handle from a fire beater and some zip ties from discarded tree guards on the way up I cobbled my new antenna support up and raised the ends up with a couple of short sticks.
My spot posted and much to my relief I was immediately answered by EA7GV / Jose. It took me an hour to get a total of 6 contacts.
I hope you left all that stuff in place so someone can moan about it. Maybe the two ladies that asked me whether I was going to leave my pole and 2m yagi on Binsey G/LD-041 and on Stob Binnein GM/SS-002 would like to visit Aye Gill Pike to further their moaning career.
On a couple of activations I’ve had women ask me - in a tone of voice that expressed disapproval - if I intended to leave my antenna stuff there on summit. So now, whenever approached by walkers curious about what I’m up to, I mention early in my explanation that everything came up in my rucksack and will goes home with me.
Were you in the boy scouts David? I remember Aye Gill Pike being a never ending tramp across wet ground. It’s not a massive climb or really very far and it was nice to get to the trig and activate. I just remember hours of hearing squelching noises.
But that’s a good story to remind me to gather up things like ty-wraps in future. I’ve often picked up plastic bottles etc. but collecting things to fix an antenna never crossed my mind.
I had a bossy woman on Allermuir back in 2007. I was setting up the pole at the time.
“What are you doing?”
“Tying this fishing pole to the fence post”
“Why?”
“So it doesn’t fall over in the wind”
“But why are you doing that?”
“To hold the aerial up”
“Why are you installing an aerial?”
“The radio doesn’t work without one”
I kept this up for quite a few more questions. I did feel I could get a job at Microsoft Techincal Support as all my answers were 100% accurate but just totally useless!
As for Aye Gill Pike, it was one of those hills you actually enjoy once you get back to the car
As it happens my activation today was on the opposite side of Dentdale, on Great Coum G/NP-011. I was trying out my new Yaesu FT-65. The first QSO was with MW0WML/P on Glyder Fawr GW/NW-003 just using it handheld with its stock antenna. 164km. Not bad!
The walk up and down was dire through the forestry as the track was well overgrown and rough going but had I gone up from the other side Dent dale i don’t think I’d find anything useful.
I’ve popped into Grassington today and bought a 9ft plastic tree/plant support for £2.95 and cut a similar Length of hazel from a wood and some more zip ties. I’m intending activating g/np-004 Whernside tomorrow Friday. I’ll look rather unusual carrying my new antenna supports but a try out at our caravan seems to work tied together with electrical tape and ties I hope!!
I’m remember parking in a big car park then climbing up on an ATV track that followed a fence / wall all the way to the trig. But I was surprised to see it was 9 years ago.
Sounds like the woman who was dissatisfied with the view from her Fawlty Towers bedroom. It’s not good enough and I want a discount. You all know the rest,
I’m not too sure Richard.
I just saw two different tracks on Sotl.as - one from Garsdale to the north and another from just outside Dent. Unfortunately I mistakenly went up Garsdale and found parking rather infrequent. I was too fed up of driving by then to go any further. The ‘best’ spot was just at at the bottom of the forestry, where the map showed a forestry rd going up the hill. This was well overgrown, and I’ll never use that track ever again. But it was only when I got out of the car I noticed I’d no Antenna support. That really forced my hand as I then planned on getting some thing to use out of the forestry - and thats what happened.
Looking at the map now it appears that the route I saw on-line started a little further west near a large parking area - this is probably the parking MM0FMF/Andy mentions. It follows a fence or wall all the way to the top.
I hope!!