G4YSS: First Activation Report - GM/NS-071, 13-09-13.
CARN aCHOIN DEIRG - GM/NS-071 - 4 points. FIRST ACTIVATION for SOTA. GM4YSS/P and SSEG Clubcall GS0OOO/P. HF/ VHF QRP on 80-40-30-20 and 2-FM. All times: BST (UTC plus 1hr UOS asz`).
Third SOTA in the series GM/NS-082; NS-107; NS-071 & NS-089 from Dornoch Hotel Sep-13.
(See other reports).
EQUIPMENT:
FT817ND HF/VHF/UHF 5W Tcvr.
Adjustable dipole 80 thru` 20.
5m mast; 1m end sticks.
Vertical J-Pole for 2m FM.
4.4 Ah Li-Po battery (2.2Ah in reserve – not used).
IC-E90 4-Band FM, 5W H/H with 7.4V /1.3 Ah Li-Ion detachable battery. (Reserve - not used)
QRP pack: 11kg (24 pounds) including 1 litre drinks, food and Primaloft jacket.
INTRODUCTION:
This expedition was the third during a 7-night self-drive/ four SOTA holiday at the Dornoch Hotel from 9th to 17th of September 2013. (SOTAs worked in chronological order and separately reported: Ben Dhorian NS82; Ben Horn NS107; Carn a Choin Deirg NS71 and Ben Griam Mor NS89.)
Carn aChoin Deirg meansHill of the Red Dog.`
There had been no year-long plans or dreams about activating this hill. In fact I had never heard of it prior to a couple of weeks ago when I picked it out of an unactivated SOTA`s list. It has no significant distinguishing features. If you look at the map, it is surrounded by an apparently pathless and potentially boggy wilderness a long way from anywhere and is roughly at the midpoint of a line line drawn from Ullapool to Dornoch.
After creating a proposed GPS route for it, I more or less put it on the back burner, pending further investigation. The further information required was chiefly regarding the start point. Was one obliged to leave the car at the end of the surfaced road at NH465892 or could it be driven along the Alladale Lodge track to shorten the walk-in? If so, how far? The internet was of little help on this subject. Either way this hill would entail a long trek, which is why at the time I passed on to making routes for easier targets.
In fact the first morning after our arrival was dedicated to finding out about the approach to this SOTA. Upon reaching the end of the tarmac, we found no restricting notices there and my XYL`s Citreon could readily be driven along the Alladale Lodge track which was actually reasonably smooth. However, after a mile and a half we came across the Lodge boundary proper and a notice which stated, “Alladale Estate; No Unauthorised Vehicles Beyond this Point.” Apart from a passing place, the track is narrow but nearby at NH 44701 89345 was found an old quarry with sufficient space to park several vehicles.
EXECUTION:
Because of the need for way-finding and the distance, I decided that a full day would be required. Nevertheless the expedition needed to fit between breakfast and evening meal at the Dornoch Hotel as I was not prepared to get up at the crack of dawn for just a single four pointer only half an hour`s drive away from where we were based.
The drive via Bonar Bridge took from 08:30 to 09:15 and a phone call to Roy G4SSH acquainted him of the chosen target and time estimates. With Alladale Lodge as the destination, the satnav got me lost in Croick whence a backtrack of three miles was needed. These machines dont understand dirt roads but eventually I arrived at the aforementioned quarry start-point which was unfortunately midge infested. After applying a generous coating of AvonSkin so Soft` and downing my standard litre of water to reduce the amount I would have to carry, I set off up the track towards Alladale Lodge at 09:46.
ROUTE UP:
Leave the car in the old quarry at NH 44701 89345 and walk west along the track. Where two dirt tracks cross at NH 44166 89514, go straight on then pass the entrance to Alladale Lodge at NH 43880 89630. Soon after this the track descends towards Alladale and Ghillie`s Rest; two buildings which look newly modernized probably for the use of stalking parties. Just after crossing a bridge at NH 42587 89470, just to the right of the track at NH 42509 89484 stands a small pump house. Starting at this building a quad track goes initially straight up the hill and later turns left (NW), passing via NH 42407 89620; NH 42305 89745; NH 42129 89839 and NH 41903 89889. The track is far from perfect from the viewpoint of underfoot conditions but better than the bee-line alternatives. It is also indistinct in places; albeit some of the difficulty in finding the track was down to the fact that I was now having vision problems. Much of the now redundant midge repellant had entered my eyes making everything blurred.
At this point it is difficult to be sure but I think the track losses height to skirt around a spur. Quad bike riders dont mind losing height but a walker strongly objects, so with thistenetfixed firmly in my head, I proceeded cross-country passing a plantation of 1 ft high conifer saplings at NH 41819 89893. After this came a section of uneven and boggy ground through NH 41807 89926 and NH 41705 90066. Eventually I came across what I suspect is the same track at NH 41625 90292. I cant say which option is best; direct or trying to follow the track but for better or worse, direct and pathless is the way I went and I also opted to return over this rough section later.
With a preconceived and realistic attitude about how poor the going might be, I plodded on keeping to the quad tracks NH 41391 90466; fording a burn at NH 41254 90603 and pausing at a tall gate in a deer fence at NH 41133 90676. The gate looked new; the price label still clung to the galvanised steel catch but it wasnt locked and I passed through, turning right to parallel the fence. The track which Id abandoned carried on up the hill to the left and in fact I would employ it on the return. More of that later but for the present my aim was to get across to NS71`s eastern ridge.
There was no path to follow, just more ups and downs to negotiate through heather and over wet ground cut by small steams as I made for the spur which emanates from the east side of the subject mountain, under a darkening sky. For what it`s worth, this section of the walk was via NH 41117 90850; NH 41081 90993; NH 41005 91213 and NH 40887 91436. I was listening to an account of a one-man Amazon adventure on BBC Radio 4-LW and though my task was nothing by comparison, I did feel a certain kinship with the teller.
Eventually I was up onto the grass & rock east ridge at NH 40760 91855 and though I found no path the walking did become a little easier, as it often does on higher ground where better drainage can be expected. Unfortunately before reaching the midpoint of the ridge at NH 40235 92118 it started to drizzle but now working hard, I elected to stick with shirt sleeves and make for the final steep section at NH 40066 92197.
As if to bring me suddenly back down to earth, the phone rang. Daughter-in-Law Hazel was asking my advice regarding her broken down TV set-top box. Labouring upwards past a small sink hole and startled by the sudden movement of a frog, I gasped out a reply but in that situation it is difficult to be of real help. At 11:59 the summit trig point hove into view just after the rain stopped. It had taken me two and a quarter hours to find my way up here but thanks to the BBC it didn`t seem like half that time. The views of Canisp and Suilven, albeit a little misty, took my breath for a second or two. Having activated it, I will ever have a soft spot for the majestically inspiring Suilven.
Carn aChoin Deirgs trig point (GPSd at NH 39753 92340) which has a central hole down to ground level (ideal for the mast) is surrounded by low a circle of large flat rocks, one of which made a half-decent seat with the rucksack as backrest. There is no summit shelter. Small rocks, some of them quartz and a few possibly Schist, embedded in a shallow soil with short vegetation, characterized the summit which looked quite attractive when the sun shone. As expected the mountain was deserted and it was to remain so. In fact in the eight hours I was away from the vehicle, I saw no persons, no deer, no sheep and certainly noRed Dog.` Just the one frog for company.
CARN a` CHOIN DEIRG - GM/NS-071, 701m, 4 pts, 12:00 to 15:56. Wind 10 mph. Temp 7 deg C. Overcast/ sunshine after a shower. No low-cloud. No midges. Reliable EE (Orange) Mobile phone coverage. Hazy views. No previous SOTA activations. LOC: IO77PV, WAB: NH39.
After spending far too long taking photos, preparing the station and making myself comfortable, I started off by phoning Roy G4SSH for a SOTAwatch spot.
7.034 CW - 19 QSOs: Commencing at 11:51z and by way of a practicalthank youfor Roys unstinting help; first into the log were the Scarborough ops Roy G4SSH, Kevin G0NUP and Nick G4OOE. Their responses to my 5 Watt signal were all 559.
The session lasted until 12:24z but propagation to Europe was down on that for UK stations; the former having problems with my weak, QSB affected signal. At the end I worked John G3OKA who was chasing the roadless and therefore rare WAB square of NH39, followed by Geoff G4CPA in Crosshills; a SOTA friend who I haven`t worked for some time.
There was one S2S with HB9BCB/P on HB/LU-013 Wachthubel. At 1415m Heinz had climbed a
mountain twice the hieght of mine for half the points!
Most of the incoming reports were around 449 and countries worked consisted of: DL; HB9; G; GI; GW; PA and ON. Almost 60 percent of contacts were within the UK and I felt sorry for the many Europeans, making a mental note to try 30m CW if there was time. They didnt seem to have had a fair crack of the whip on 40m and this was a hitherto unactivated summit. As for the Gs; I could possibly try 80m later.
7.137 SSB - 7 QSOs: After failing to find a WAB net on 7.160, I phoned Roy for a spot on 7.137 which was clear at the time. Regarding my easy option decision to carry only lightweight QRP, this is where the guilt set in. That said, incoming reports were reasonable and ranged from 47 to 59 but alas I only worked seven stations. All were UK based except one; EA2CKX who surprisingly gave me a 51 report! Despite my 5 Watts I would have thought more stations would hear me than did. Other than 2m FM and a brief appearance on 80m SSB (nil QSOs) this was the only chance chasers had to work me with phone.
10.119 CW – 15 QSOs: With the link dipole running asymetrically (thehot` leg with 20m selected and the other with 40m) I had a VSWR of about 2:1. Nevertheless, it does a fine job on 30m and saves the work of adding dedicated links for the band.
Target Europe! Entities worked on 30m: DL; PA; F; OM; SP; OK and just one UK station - David G3RDQ. The ones that got away - OM5DP and EA2DT. The latter station would later put things to rights on 20m. Reports ranged from 329 to 599, averaging around 559 and the session took 26 minutes from 13:00z.
14.053 CW – 4 QSOs: Respondents to my (G4SSH pre-announced) CQs on 20m were: EA2DT (who had missed out on 30m) OM1AX; OE8SPW and finally N4EX who gave me an RST of 549! Not expecting a response to my mouse power from over the pond I was very pleased with this. All I can say is that the antenna system at the remote end must have been doing 95 percent of the work!
3.557 CW – 1 QSO:
Much more in hope than expectation but out of duty to UK stations particularly the closer GMs, I phoned Roy with the suggestion of 80m and was astonished when a signal came in from his ground-mounted multi-band vertical at 589! Roy gave my 5 Watts a 339 report but despite it being posted on SOTAwatch, there were no further takers. It was the same story on 3.724 SSB. Despite 80m demonstrating a decent 300 mile path, the expected Gs and GM`s did not appear. Perhaps this was due to local noise which is more prevalent the lower down you go.
3.724 SSB – Nil QSO`s:
See above.
145.475 / 145.575 FM – 4 QSOs: If time allows, I like to put on 2m FM, especially in Scotland. HF can come from just about anywhere but VHF more or lessprovesyour location. Not that I have ever been anything but completely honest in SOTA but this was after all anew` summit. In the light of recent happenings, added proof of activation on top of photos GPS track log and a report, does not go amiss, especially when you go to the trouble of getting into a remote area.
Stations worked on here using the FT817 and 5 Watts to the vertical half-wave were: 2M0IBO Jon in Port Gordon; GM4KGK Norman 5 miles from Stornaway in WI; GM0GTU Stewart, a Lancastrian living in Nairn and finally at 14:25z, GM3PIL Ray in Piper Hill near Nairn. In conjunction with Andy GM0UDL, Ray had helped me log some QSO`s from Ben Wyvis in 2011. Reports for the above four contacts were: 59/55; 59/57; 54/53 and 59/58 but there was no sign of Andy this year.
Time was marching on and it was a long way down. I packed up the gear but as sometimes happens on a never before visited summit that you may not do again, there was a niggling reluctance to leave. Only after a few more souvenir stones had been loaded into the rucksack and a final photo had been taken, was I able to tear myself away and finally terminate a memorable activation.
ROUTE DOWN:
The plan was to backtrack the ascent but soon after arriving at the summit I could see a potentially better way down along the ridge-line to the south. If it could be surveyed and waypointed, it might serve future activators better than the up route. Setting off at 15:56, the first landmark was a small pond in the col at NH 39658 92033. The 665m high point at NH 39659 91869 features a large sliver of rock positioned vertically. Further along, I encountered a second small pond at NH 39622 91773.
The ridge which rises to 667m, was grassy and stony but the going easy, albeit with undulations which forced some height loss. Although it was unavoidable later, at least for the time being I was bypassing some of the the soft and lumpy ground of the ascent route. I found the semblance of a quad track at NH 39832 91307 but as far as I could see, it was not to become firmly established until I had passed a couple of other features; namely a third pond at NH 40112 91017 and an impressive quartz slab at NH 40306 90975. By the time I got to NH 40664 90849 the quad tracks had become sufficiently well defined to follow down via NH 40887 90815 as far as the gate in the deer fence; the very one that I`d passed through on the ascent route.
Once back on the familiar way it was just a matter of retracing the mornings tracklog and marked waypoints rather than risking an attempt to find the missing section of track that I suspected had been missed on the way up (seeComments). A well concealed bog caught me out; the right leg shooting down and filling my boot with unspeakable filth. In the hope of saving time, I rather foolishly ignored the quad track which I should have rejoined at NH 41903 89889 to take me safely back down to the pump house. Instead, erring to the right, I found myself stumbling downknee splittingbad ground before regaining the gravelled track close to Alladale at NH 42286 89413. From there it took just over half an hour to limpup hill and down dale` to the car at 17:45 passing Alladale Lodge again on the way. A further 45 minutes were needed to de-boot and drive to the hotel. The descent had taken 1 hour and 49 minutes.
ASCENT & DISTANCE:
CAR to NS71 (via East Ridge): 562m (1,844ft) ascent / 7.3 km (4.5 miles).
NS71 to CAR (via South Ridge): 122m (400ft) ascent / 8.1 km (5.1 miles).
TOTAL on 13-09-13: 684m (2,244ft) / 15.4km (9.6 miles).
(Note: If using the south ridge route for both ascent and descent (recommended) particulars would be: 604m up + 122m down = 726m (2,382ft) total ascent and 16.2 km (10.1 miles) walking.
CHRONOLOGY:
Left Dornoch Hotel: 08:55
Parked car: 09:35
Walk started: 09:46
GM/NS-071: 12:00 to 15:56
Returned to Car: 17:45
Drive: 17:55
Back at Dornoch: 18:30
Walking times: 2hr-14 min up / 1hr-49 min down. Total: 4hr-3 min.
Summit time: 3hr-56 min.
Time Car to Car: 7hr-59 min.
Gross time Hotel to Hotel: 9hr-35 min.
QSO`s
1 on 80m CW
0 on 80m SSB
19 on 40m CW
7 on 40m SSB
15 on 30m CW
4 on 20m CW
4 on 2m FM
Total: 50 (5 Watts)
COMMENTS:
Putting on previously unactivated SOTAs is something I love to do but they are gettingused up` at quite a rate, even in this remote region of Scotland. It is always a voyage of discovery as well as being popular on the air but there is always a feeling of responsibility to the chasers to get as many of them into the log as possible, within the constraints of time and equipment. When all said and done, many of these NS summits get activated once in a blue moon.
Because of the relative remoteness of this peak but more especially the potential difficulties of unknown terrain which must be crossed to get there, QRP was used. Unfortunately the policy excludes many chasers who live on the margins. That can be balanced to some extent by using more bands but there is always going to be the problem of weak signals versus noise and/ or QRM. In this case the QSO total of 50 was slightly disappointing but some of that was because the activation took place on a weekday.
The intention is always to GPS mark as good a route possible on new summits but much of the walking in this case was on rough, boggy ground with no path to follow; especially on the way up. If I was to do NS71 again, I would follow the route that was marked on the way down via the south ridge for both ascent and descent. Though this entails walking further and climbing higher, the going is better and more of the available quad track can be used. The latter, while not offering great underfoot conditions, does at least provide some confidence should low-cloud become a factor.
I took a bee-line across rough ground for about half a km after leaving the quad track at NH 41903 89889 and relocating it (or another?) at NH 41625 90292; returning the same way. Whether the quad track runs via a circuitous route between these two points remains a mystery. If it does exist, it is likely to be to the NE of my direct route and lower in altitude.
Band conditions on 40m were good for both inter-G and European signals but the Gs were on average one or twoSpoints stronger. Out of 26 stations worked on 40m, 19 were in CW. 30m was worthwhile in extending the range of QRP into Europe and accruing a further 15 QSOs for the log. 20m CW was added to further those ends but there was insufficient time for SSB. In fact 20m only added a further three Europeans but it did succeed in getting down into Spain, Austria and over to the USA; the latter surprising with QRP.
80m had the potential to add more local stations to the log but despite 5 Watts of CW getting to my home village (G4SSH) which is some 480km away, plus the addition of SSB, the QSO total was only increased by one.
In contrast to the other three SOTA`s activated this week where 160m was tried using QRO (unsuccessfully as it turned out), no operation took place on 1.8 MHz from NS71. Even 100 Watts to a low/ loaded dipole will not normally get down into England in daylight on 160m. I have found in the past, that unless a GM station within range happens to see a spot for 160, it is best to arrange skeds in advance or on 2m-FM just prior to operating. I did neither on this occasion but the main problem was 5 Watts.
G4SSH - Roy`s essential help in providing an alerting/ spotting service must have significantly increased the QSO count and decreased the time taken up on the summit.
Forecasts for the week seemed less than optimal but the weather on this day was close to perfect with very little sunshine and only one rain shower. The only midges encountered were where the car was parked.
THANKS to:
ALL STATIONS worked and apologies to those who could not hear my QRP signal on any band. To G4SSH and G4JZF for spots. Once again, special thanks to Roy G4SSH for his invaluable telephone liaison/ spotting Service, my XYL Denise for the use of her car and to Peter the waiter for the summit sandwich.
73, John G4YSS
Using Scarborough Special Events Group Club call - GS0OOO/P & GM4YSS/P.
Note-1: GM4YSS/P will be used in the database.
Note-2: This is the first of a series of four reports in non-chrono order. NS82; NS107 & NS89 will follow.