Next week Martyn M1MAJ and I are planning on activating the 9 G/SE summits we haven’t already done. We’ll probably follow our usual pattern of me trying to activate on 2m and 70cms FM and resorting to HF of necessary or sufficient time. Martyn will normally start on 60m moving to other HF bands as needed and time allows. Normally one of us will at least try 40m.
I have routes for all the hills. HF might be restricted to higher bands if not room to get dipole up at Crowborough. For Cliffe Hill G/SE-014 I wondered if anyone had tried accessing through the access area from the layby on B2192? Most people seem to have come in from the east and Week Lane with possibly limited parking.
I’m guessing 2m and 70cms may be challenging, and recall that the last time we were down that way some years ago, the 2m channels were all pretty quiet, including at least one which when challenged with a “is this frequency in use?” always seemed to have someone come back with an irritated “Yes, it’s always in use” when I never heard anything. Does anyone know of any reserved channels in G/SE? (It wasn’t one of the “half” channels because I normally avoid them).
Caroline.
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I can’t remember where (may have been when I was in the South Downs), one operator told me that they all monitor 145.375 for each other and to try calling on that frequency in case anybody is listening.
Would also be worth programming in some local repeaters, and if anyone comes back to you asking if they want to try simplex (I’ve done this a couple of times from NW Wales on the Three Rock repeater). DV simplex also works if you can find someone on a DV repeater willing to try.
When I activated Leith Hill (a struggle on 2m) one contact in London said it was the first time he’d ever heard anybody on 2 m.
My report from Botley Hill and Crowborough if it’s any use: SOTA on a golf course - Cliffe Hill G/SE-014 - #32 by MW0PJE
First post in that thread has another option for Cliffe Hill, but not the B2192 one.
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Hi Caroline,
I was just looking back on my photos from my activation on Cliffe Hill in 2021, and it seems like I used the layby on the B2192. The below photo seems to tally with what I can find on Google Street View.
As you can see, there was plenty of room to park. I don’t recall much about my walk from there to the summit (and didn’t seem to take any photos of this), but I don’t remember anything being particularly difficult or challenging.
Good luck with your activations. I will try and keep an eye on SotaWatch and see if I can work you on 2m and/or 70cms as and when the stars align. As you say, it can be a bit challenging on those bands in this neck of of the words.
I’m not able to get much from home, which is in a poor location for VHF, but I’ll try and take some radio stuff in the car with me as I travel to and from work appointments. There are plenty of local high spots for me which should be within range of most of the summits.
Good luck with your activations, and hope to get you in the log for some of them!
73, Matthew M0JSB
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For information, I will be carrying [unless I forget] a couple of APRS trackers.
M1MAJ-7 is a LoRa tracker recently purchased from the SOTA shop. Unsurprisingly coverage is excellent near my home; I have no idea what it will be like in SE land.
M1MAJ-12 is my inReach (actually a DeLorme dating from before the Garmin takeover). The position reports are gatewayed into APRS by a script running on a Raspberry Pi at home. This has coverage everywhere there is sky, but only reports once every 10 minutes.
Martyn M1MAJ
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I won’t let Jimmy delete Cliffe Hill till you have completed it 
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