Sunday 12th May 2019 - Shining Tor G/SP-004, Gun G/SP-013 & The Cloud G/SP-015
So far in 2019 I had done 66 activations of my local three SOTA summits. Jimmy M0HGY - the G Association Manager - had done none - zero - nada - nul pwa. But, to be fair, he had been mithering me for a weekend day out to do them for a number of weeks. The ducks all lined up, finally, for this particular Sunday, and we got them done.
It was a very nice day here in Cheshire. Blue sky and dry all day. A little chilly to start off with for the first one, but then shirt-sleeve order for the rest of the day, and factor 50 applied for the last one!
We spent the longest time on Shining Tor G/SP-004, with both Jimmy and I fielding large pile-ups on 2m and 30m respectively. We actually swapped stations at one point on this summit too, with me working a number on 2m FM, and Jimmy logging four QSOs on 30m FT8 - his SOTA activator debut on the 30m band.
It had really warmed up by the time we were on Gun G/SP-013, and the layers were off accordingly. On here, Jimmy stuck to his 2m FM, while I stuck to my 30m FT8 and CW, though I did take up opportunities for S2S on 2m. Our descent was interrupted by an evangelist who asked us what we thought was wrong with our country today. I offered a concise (polite) response, and quickly resumed my walk.
As anticipated, there was no parking available at Cloudside, so we had to park a little way back down Red Lane. It was Jimmy’s first walk up the now completed re-engineered path. The summit was busy, but Jimmy has his spot and I have mine, so we made immediately for those favoured positions.
These are generally quiet spots that avoid most others on the summit even in busy times, but mine was rather close to a very enthusiastically courting couple. I hoped that my presence, and 10m mast and the sound of CW might be an effective turn-off, but to my surprise they carried on snogging for a further ten minutes. Eventually, they needed to breath, and so they went.
A chap came and introduced himself as Dave M3KWZ from nearby Congleton.
Finally we called in on our local pub the Weston, and watched the conclusion of the Premier League football season while necking back some welcome cold beers.
Between the two of us we made 146 QSOs on the day.
M0HGY: 70 QSOs - 66 on 2m FM & 4 on 30m FT8.
M1EYP: 76 QSOs - 23 on 30m FT8, 31 on 30m CW & 22 on 2m FM.
21 S2S QSOs (between us):
MW3TMX/P on Arenig Fach GW/NW-027
ON4UP/P on Bois Haut ON/ON-017
G4TQE/P on Billinge Hill G/SP-017
CT7ABE/P on Serra do Socorro CT/ES-007
G4TJC/P on Baugh Fell-Tarn Rigg Hill G/NP-012
MW3TMX/P on Mynydd Nodol GW/NW-048
2E0IXM/P on Moel Gyw GW/NW-053
MW3TMX/P on Mynydd Rhyd Ddu GW/NW-073
G0HIK/P on Black Combe G/LD-030
MM6BWA/P on Pibble Hill GM/SS-232
MM0JLA/P on Pibble Hill GM/SS-232
ON4UP/P on Les Aisances ON/ON-016
(I’m assuming they were young?). QRS