Lake District SOTA Weekend 18/19th May 2019 part2

[M0NOM]

Good question about the pub. Could everyone who is planning on attending the Brookside Inn on Saturday 18th in the evening in Windermere please private message me so I can get an idea of numbers? It would be good to forewarn them. The place can easily take up to around 30 people but obviously larger numbers will have an impact on meal times.

I don’t think setting a time is necessarily productive. I’ll probably be there from around 6:00pm, but hey, it’s a pub, any time is a good time! I’m sure we’ll be able to spot each other.

It’s been suggested that it might be a good base for folk to come to over the course of the weekend - open to suggestions about how we communicate when folk are there, whatsapp has been suggested.

Regards, Mark. M0NOM

[N6JFD]

So I am staying at the Sawery house south of Ambleside and west of Windermere Lake. I’ll get myself to Windermere, will probably Taxi so I can drink… However if anyone else is in that general direction on their return on Saturday would gladly trade a ride for a pint.
Thanks and looking forward to meeting some of the “G” gang

[M0NOM]

I’ve had a couple of questions about gear and what to pack.

Suggest if possible that you check the excellent MWIS service on Thursday/Friday to see what is predicted weather wise. I’ve found this to be the most accurate weather service for the Lake District.

There have been several occasions when I have been basking in glorious warm sunshine the morning of an ascent with less than perfect weather predicted by MWIS on the summits and they have always been spot on. I’ve learnt to pay attention now!

Regards, Mark. M0NOM

[M1BUU]

Agreed that MWIS is the most reliable WX forecast.
One thing that I would say is that the wind prediction always seems to be ‘over egged’.

[G4OIG]

@M1BUU

…the wind prediction always seems to be ‘over egged’.

Thus speaketh the HF operator who can usually manage to get some shelter from the wind. Those of us with VHF and / or UHF on board tend to activate from the highest point and get the full brunt of what is on offer!

[M1BUU]

My last two activations have featured an SB270 beam

[M0RSF]

The G/LD SOTA weekend is the idea of Mark M0MON. Though I’m sure he won’t mind me saying that if there is anyone wishing to take part that cannot make the Lake District they’re more than welcome to activate a SOTA summit closer to home.

The opportunity for S2S contacts is good and there are plenty of points on offer for the Chasers too!

73 Chris M0RSF

[HB9DST]

Some advice from the locals, please.

On Wednesday, my plane arrives in Manchester at 0805. I am thinking about activating one or more of the great iconic SOTAs nearby: Cloud, Gun and/or Shining Tor.

Is it realistic to try all three and still make it to Windermere at a reasonable hour?

Is there any particular order – which one first, second, third – that makes sense for one reason or another?

Looking forward to a fun weekend and meeting so many of you in person.

73,
Paul HB9DST

[MM0FMF]

It will be 0915 by the time you get to the car hire. 945 when you get a car. 1015 when you are ready to set off. The M6 around there is one of the busiest stretches of motorway in the UK. You only need one small prang and suddenly there’s miles of traffic going nowhere.

It took me 10mins to climb The Cloud, 17mins to climb Gun and 23mins to climb Shining Tor (from the tearoom). 2m FM should get you contacts especially the interesting call you will have (M/AA1MI or M/HB9DST). The big problem is the traffic and you’ll be driving a hire car and it will be all back to front. Also some of the roads are a quite tiny. The Macclesfield<>Buxton road (Cat and Fiddle road after the Pub) was a popular bikers road due to the bends and climbs and dips. I can remember discovering the limit of a Ferrari Mondial QV’s grip chasing a mate in a Ferrari 308GTS 35 years back on that road. (Not my car, tyres or petrol!). There are speed cameras everywhere now to try to stop the carnage.

Allow 4 hours to drive, climb and activate (longer for HF) and that takes you to 1415 then between 2 and 3 hours for the busy motorway (early evening rush hour) to get to Windermere. So yes doable.

Tom lives there and drives to and from them all the time so will be better able to advise on local conditions.

[G6PJZ]

I’ve won a pass. Will be heading over Friday and hope to find a hill probably that afternoon. Exact location undecided so far, but north lakes. Taxi service booked for Saturday evening (barring any unforeseen grievances ). £5 note packed for t’pub (I live in Yorkshire now, but can’t quite throw off my Lancastrian generosity). Looking forward to a good few S2Ss and putting faces to voices. Only (slight) cloud is I still haven’t managed to track down permission for Swinside

[G4OBK]

To start my LD weekend off on Friday with XYL and friends I will be walking the Seat Robert Horseshoe - a walk from A Wainwrights Outlying Fells book which lies just outside the LD National Park near Shap. The hills are not valid for SOTA.

The walk takes in five of Wainwrights Outlying Fells, so if you are in the Lakes area on Friday motoring, walking or operating from home with a 2m FM radio switched on, then please listen out for G4OBK/P. I imagine it will be getting on for 1100z by the time we have driven over and are standing on the first little hill with the handheld and whip. I only need one contact on each summit to qualify it under the WOTA rules.

73 Phil G4OBK

[M1EYP]

The LD SOTA weekend starts here! On a Wednesday in Cheshire…

Wednesday 15th May 2019 - Gun G/SP-013 & The Cloud G/SP-015

Gig: Liam Read
Venue: Swan With Two Necks, Macclesfield

I’d already told Paul HB9DST that I wouldn’t be able to meet him during his trip due to my work schedule. However, I arrived at a school in the morning to be greeted by the news that they’d changed their mind and only wanted me for half a day. Normally I’d be furious, but I immediately realised I could now meet Paul!

I’d seen on the spots Paul had activated Shining Tor G/SP-004 but wasn’t yet spotted on Gun G/SP-013, so after my lunchtime finish, I headed for the Staffordshire Moorlands.

There was Paul operating on 40 and 30. It was great to meet and chat, and Paul - a SOTA veteran of 72 activated associations - made his first ever 2m S2S QSO - with Dave GW0NZN/P on Moel Gyw GW/NW-053. I just operated on my HT collecting four contacts.

We then drove in convoy over to The Cloud G/SP-015 where I was amazed to find plenty of available space for us both to park. I didn’t expect that on such a glorious afternoon. The summit was unusually quiet too, with the NT path workers outnumbering the walkers!

I was actually intercepted by a NT ranger up there who mentioned something about taking care not to block paths with guylines. I said I thought I’d done that but I’d take the antenna down if he wanted me too. He took another look and said “No actually you’ve done a pretty good job there considering four paths all meet here”! That was a pleasing outcome to that situation!

HF conditions were awful and I made just two contacts on each of 20m FT8 and 20m CW. I added three on 2m FM after packing away. Paul struggled to six QSOs on 40m with his KX2, but then took advantage of the VHF opportunities in this part of the world, and worked a good number on his handheld.

We walked down together and said goodbye. I wished Paul a safe drive up to Cumbria and a great few days in G/LD. He presented me with a kind gift of some delicious Swiss chocolate to take home, which was gratefully accepted (and very much enjoyed by my XYL Marianne)! A most enjoyable afternoon, followed by a good evening performing a few tunes with Liam at our local open mic night.

[HB9DST]

They know we’re coming!
Paul M/HB9DST

[G6PJZ]

@HB9DST

They know we’re coming!

And so’s the rain

[MM0FMF]

You can only get so wet then it doesn’t matter. WX looks good/ok for Sunday and as I will be staying overnight I may as well bag something on the way home.

[G8CPZ]

@MM0FMF

You can only get so wet then it doesn’t matter

I’m waterproof but most of my radio gear isn’t. Pity if that wipes out 23cm for me. The 2m FM h/h will be okay. The forecast is still showing dry(ish) for early Saturday afternoon when I plan to be QRV.

[G4IPB]

I have been watching the weather forecast all week and on each visit it seems slightly worse, the cloud being replaced with light rain and now heavy rain…(sat). Will be OK for 2m, might put up a shelter on one of the summits and risk HF later in the day.

Paul

[MM0FMF]

WX looks iffy. But I have a B&B booking that can’t be cancelled without having to pay the full price so I’ll be down. I’ll drive to the parking place and review things then. Maybe take the bothy bag, maybe just chase from the car. So possibly the activation gets scrubbed. That leaves the main purpose, meeting like minded nutters like me later on.

Every cloud…

[M0OAT]

Evening all

Got some work in Liverpool on Friday so will be travelling to the Lakes afterwards, bivi and sleeping bag packed along with spare clothes. I may decide to rest up in a lay bay for few hours . Plan is to get Black Combe (left the battery in the car last vist) and Illgill Head completed on my G/LD uniques list, may change though if the weather is bad.

Planning on using VHF with FT270 and RG174 coax 1/4 antenna and HF CW with the LNR MTR with a linked dipole for 40,30,20,17m bands.

Will try to get the pub in the evening for a hello and drink.

73
Graeme

[G6PJZ]

Well the slight cloud I referred to earlier has gone. Permission to access Swinside Sat afternoon.
The other clouds may limit me to the VHF H/H.