23 April 2024
We were staying in Braithwaite caravan site for a few days and today dawned bright and sunny with just a few mist patches slithering over the tops. Grisedale Pike is a short but steepish walk from Braithwaite.
I spent a while deciding what extra clothing to take - the MWIS said winds of 25mph & a temperature of 3 - 4 c could be expected. Kit was packed and I added an additional 2 amp battery, ‘just incase’’.
Setting off and 1:45’ minutes later I could see I’d be on the top earlier than I planned so I edited my ETA accordingly for 1000z/GMT/UTC .etc. A fresh wind from the North had me donning my hat and Gortex jacket and I found a nice sheltered spot just below the summit. The temperature was 3 c and lovely and sunny.
I connected the battery but the radio wouldn’t switch on:disappointed_relieved:
despite my attempts to twiddle with the connections. I fished out the spare battery and the radio burst into life 
. I sat in the sun and out of the fresh breeze, thanks in part to my umbrella. (Yes, I do get the odd remark about umbrellas on hills. It does make a handy walking stick as well though) The bloke I’d passed earlier on the way up came by gasping for air - I wondered where he was going and how far he’d make it.
Exactly on 1000z I posted a spot and called CQ on my little Russian ‘spy key’.
Gerald/G4AFI was the first customer answering immediately after my 1st CQ. 10 minutes later the well behaved pile up got me 11 QSOs on 7 mhz including GI0AZA & B . and an S2S with N6JFD/P from an Irish summit -EI/IE-007 a 10 pointer. 
In a quite period one of the callers mentioned the weather and told me it was raining. I enjoyed telling him it was lovely and sunny and quite nice where I was. A minute later a big dog started barking at me whilst his owner called him off and then a minute or two later two RAF jets rocketed through the valley below me rendering all morse on my radio unreadable. Quite spectacular I must admit, but I do love the peace of the hills. 
All became quite on 7mhz so after a few unanswered calls I changed to 14mhz and hoped I get an S2s with both Andy MM0FMF, Fraser and Ben. 26 minutes later I had an additional 17 QSOs in the log including W2WC. from NY.
Looking at the spots on my phone I could see Andy on 10mhz and a quick listen on my SWB-1b I could hear him being called by several chasers. I wasn’t too hopeful, but a quick “S2S” got an immediate reply although it took a couple of repeats of my call for Andy to recognise it really was an M6 calling him using CW. I was quite pleased getting Andy as I’d never worked him before.
Then my ‘spare’, battery kept cutting out and I could see it had run down to 9v and the radio was cutting out. I pulled the first battery back out of my bag and tried that…it worked immediately - even though it hadn’t before. I then realised I’d not switched in on previously 
…
Back on 14mhz I worked a few more customers, including AC1Z and another S2s with Bruno calling from I/PM-261.
I’d been on the top for two hours and it had quietened down. A fell runner stopped and asked what I was doing before disappearing towards Braithwaite.
I was hoping to work Fraser and Ben from their Scottish summits but it would mean waiting on top for another hour and I was getting a little chilled. I did see a spot for Fraser calling on SSB but I wasn’t sure he’d switch to use CW. Time to go…
7mhz : 14 contacts
14mhz : 29 contacts
And 1 on 10mhz.
As I walked down I heard my 1st cuckoo of the year calling from Coledale below me and on reaching the trees I could hear numerous Chiffchaffs, a single willow warbler and a pied flycatcher - a nice tick if you enjoy a bit of birdwatching as I do.
