A great day for sure for me, guys. I feel on top of the world!
As GM4CXP in Kelso said to me today in QSO “Its SUMMIT to do”!
20 QSOs on 2m FM with my 50 watts from White Coomb - best DX in my friend Victor GI4ONL who as my last QSO, was scraped out of the “back of the set” as the CB fraternity say. GW4ZPL/P in Anglesey was also logged. I made a contact into my home birth county of Lancashire (until age 36 - not a lot of people know that - they take me now for a Yorkshireman). This was a station in Accrington, Lancashire. 4 S2S QSOs were logged with G4VFL/P, 2E0MIX/P, G4OOE/P and G3TQQ/P (This is Dave’s original young mans callsign issued “in the day” as folk now say). The path up the side of Grey Mares Tail up to Loch Skeen was heaving on my way down on this local Bank Holiday (Scotland not England) and the Scottish National Trust Car Park was heaving with cars - £3 per day unless you are an NT member.
I set off from Grey Mares Tail CP in the car to SS-168 car park spot (22 miles) and as I passed St Mary’s Loch by the superbly restored AA box in the /M, I heard G4OOE/P call CQ from Little Mell Fell LD-037. Amazed as I was, to make an instant easy QSO when I was surrounded by mountains such as SOTA Andrewhinney Hill, which I activated around 2008/9.
The climb to Law Kneis SS-168 was pretty awful I have to say - a mere 1.8 Km with 272m ascent, but it took me 63 minutes due to the terrain and forestry fallen trees to circumvent before I reached the rotten fence posts which line the summit. I came back down through the forest the same way, however when the graded forestry road was reached, as it was dark on my way down, I used that, doubling the distance walked to 3.35 Km, but it was safer than the really nasty steep dead bracken section encountered by the side of White Sike, which I tussled with on the way up. Coming down took me 59 minutes, a win-win I reckon. It was an expensive 1 pointer, but worth every penny to me as it is a SOTA Complete, my raison d’etre to reach 1000 before I too old for “Summit to do”… The route will as always. be uploaded to the SMP with the appropriate caveats, as I like sharing information.
The activation was OK (No OK actually worked) but not brilliant, using 20m, 30m and 40m I only netted 18 QSOs. K3TCU and K4DY were worked on 20m CW, the rest were all EU (No G stations - skip too long at that time) and unsurprisingly there were no S2S. 2m was monitored throughout with a handheld and long whip - nothing heard at all. Good job I didn’t rely on it like I did on White Coomb… Elecraft KX2 and link dipole as inverted vee at 5m AGL.
Two more summits on HF are skedded for tomorrow near to the pub where I staying - Gerald and Paul were right - the proprietor cannot do enough for the solo guest (which I am) tonight. Being a Scottish Pub they were full and packed to the gunnels, serving meals on New Years Eve.
Tushielaw Inn - recommended and surrounded by GM/SS summits in the Ettrick Valley. I have no commercial interest. I’ll definitely return here, probably with the XYL and dog Treacle. Excellent value - more in line with EU prices for a single guest at £35 per night en-suite with cooked breakfast.
73 de Phil
