NI trip to Sperrin Mts etc from 14 May

Activation Reports Pre-Planning
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On Saturday 11 May we (M0JLA and M6BWA) set of for our third trip to Northern Ireland via, possibly, 2 or 3 small SS summits and then the Cairnryan –Larne ferry on Monday 13th. We’ve a few nights near Ballymena to conquer Trostan AH-001 which got omitted on our last trip 2 years ago which is particularly unfortunate as we hear ‘the third route’ has been stopped by the farmer so it is now the Moyle Way… or the Moyle way – neither of which is recommended!

We then move to Omagh for an assault on the rather scattered (we’ve done the nearer ones!) 10 remaining Sperrin summits and to start the remaining 6 South-West peaks. Our final stay is near Enniskillen where there are many other attractions (Marble Arch caves, Devenish Island, various National Trust properties and…yet again a search for a calling corncrake as it was so cold last year in the Outer Hebrides in early May that they delayed arrival until after we left!) On Wednesday 28 May we drive to Dublin (via a EI summit for R??) and return to Wales and then, eventually, the QTH.

I will be working on 2m fm and 70 cm as usual if I can - but may have to resort to 40m or 80m if contacts are scarce. On previous visits I have been mostly successful thanks to the assistance of local amateurs but this time we will be a lot further west and finding contacts may be more of a challenge. Rod will normally be operating on HF as usual.

We will post alerts and spots when possible but weather, access problems and legs (!) may cause a change of plan. We hope to join in the LD S2S event on Saturday 18 May from SM-021 Slievemore when there should be nothing in the way for my 2m and 70cm signals – apart from quite a long distance (260 km to Helvellyn!)! Please listen out for us – if only because it has only been activated 10 times so you may not have chased it yet! We hope to hear from you.

73 Viki M6BWA

3 Likes
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Great stuff Viki, I hope you both have a brilliant time. VHF from the lower hills in Ireland tends to be easier than the same in parts of England, as the topography on the island of Ireland has a lot more “gaps” in it that signals can bounce their way through. These gaps tend to plunge deeply down to near sea level in many places too. I first noticed this before I was licensed, and “DXing” for local radio stations on FM. It seemed that once parked up on any hill range, it was possible to receive local radio stations from practically anywhere in GI and EI!

Plus of course it is almost impossible not to be worked 59 both ways by Robert MI0GDO on 2m FM, whatever hill you’re on!

The Sperrins restaurant near Omagh is excellent BTW.

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Thanks Tom, I hadn’t found that restaurant and we are very short of ideas where to eat during the trip (assuming we have time to do so!) I am very much hope that Robert MI0GDO will be listening out although, living in Antrim, I know he had some difficulty with some of the SW hills on our previous visit. I’m not looking forward to G!/SW-003 after your comments on the long walk in…
73 Viki M6BWA.