I had the duty of driving my son Liam and his mate Josh to the Liverpool Anime & Gaming Con at Aintree Racecourse today. Drop off at 11.30am, pick up at 5pm. Billinge Hill G/SP-017 just up the road…
But that’s a bobbins summit and I’ve already done it this year - so no SOTA points and no 10m Challenge multiplier on offer. So I decided to squeeze in Hope Mountain GW/NW-062 instead. OK, that’s an hour’s drive each way via the Mersey Tunnel and M53 - but that still afforded a comfortable 3 hours of time on the hill.
This is a private summit. The entire activation zone is on private farmland with no public right of way passing through. Fortunately, the landowner, David, over the years has been accommodating to polite requests from activators.
I phoned this morning and spoke to David’s wife, who cheerfully granted permission as usual. I didn’t see anyone while I was there, apart from a brief glimpse of their son working on the farrm. I was greeted though by an old and blind dog, and then a very friendly horse in the paddock!
The wind was fierce at the summit and I don’t think a fibreglass mast would have survived. I set up halfway down the leeward slope between the trig point and the transmitter station to gain sufficient shelter.
10m FT4: 5 QSOs - G, RA, UR, W
10m SSB: 6 QSOs - EA8, G, OH, SV, W, YO - S2S: YO8AZQ/P on YO/EC-623
10m CW: 12 QSOs - F, GW, HB, LZ, RA, UR, W - S2S: WA7JTM on W7A/MN-095
10m FT8: 5 QSOs - G, SV, YU
10m FM: 1 QSO - W
2m FM: 2 QSOs - G
On my return to the car, I noticed an arrangement of items in the garden. A search when I returned home revealed the sad news that David had passed in May 2023. Such a cheerful and engaging chap, as anyone who met him will testify.