Well, I planned this activation some time ago as it slotted in nicely with the Hornsea Rally. I decided to make a day of it and left early Saturday morning at about 5am. Dead easy drive from my home qth with literally just three roads to navigate M6, M62, A166 about 135 miles …Job done!
Parked up in the big lay-by close to the trig point and set up on a bit of grass. Chucked up the collinear and at 0718z put out a cq on 2m fm. By 0725z had qualified it. Calls trickled in for the next couple of hours, the best dx being a contact with Brian, 2E1GOP a very keen 2m dxer in Hinckley, a very respectable distance of 105 miles on FM, from a summit of just 248m.
Cathedrals on the Air came into play yet again, working Mark 2E0ZLO/M and Alister M0TEF/M from Lincoln Cathedral roof who were using their handheld while carrying out maintenance on the Lincoln repeater antenna. There were plenty of Dutch stations on 2m fm, however, using M6MMM/P with just 10 watts into a vertical, just wouldn’t cut it. Even trying a call using 2E0YYY/P and 50 watts didn’t work although, no doubt, a beam would have done the biz.
I then qsy’d to HF, working 10 12 15 and 17m. The HF bands were in reasonable shape, however, nowhere near as good shape as last Thursday, where I was working US States when HF was on fire. Shame I wasn’t on a SOTA summit, as the American aeronautical mobile station I worked, would have looked good in my SOTA log…
Anyhow, spotting myself on the 15m band brought in chasers from all over Europe with chasers from VE and WI joining the party and thanking me for a unique. Also a couple of JAs who gave me a shout. I then found a CO lurking up the band. Spotting myself on the as yet, never worked, 17m band from G/TW-004, brought another swift response from Europe, along with three more grateful chasers from Stateside, who thanked me for a unique.
Total number of contacts, 91. Thirty two VHF and fifty nine HF contacts was OK, although hardly ground breaking for the time and effort expended.
The day was brightened up with a visit from Dave G4ASA who I had worked earlier. Thanks for the chat Dave, most enjoyable.
To sum up, this summit is a bit of a curates egg, good in parts. VHF on a collinear, ain’t that brilliant and after the SOTA chasers had dried up, HF was pretty labour intensive too. To be quite honest, G/TW-004 joins the ranks of G/TW-005 on my “don’t bother again” list.
Sunday morning and time to try and earn a crust at the Hornsea rally. Plenty of SOTA people here including Nick G4OOE, Roy G4SSH, Dave G4ASA who all came along to say hello. Apologies to the other call signs I haven’t mentioned. What a lovely little rally! Highlight of the day, well it must be picking up a mint Silver Eagle lollipop mike for a very reasonable price. Such a shame this American icon is no longer produced…
Many thanks to all the chasers, who took the time to call in.
73 Mike
M6MMM