SPOTA 3fer: Hunds, Views, PB’s, Stupidity and MI5 Spies.
: A grand day out at 1 summit, 2 parks and an Aldi.
Ireland has been at the behest of a rather sparse, bleak month. I’m not referring to energy-related protestations either. Rather the joy of April showers. Side note: April showers is a phenomena that doesn’t actually exist (well, it actually sort of does but it depends on where you live in the world), the term comes from a 1557 poem by Thomas Tusser titled ‘Sweet April showers do bring May flowers’.
April has been one of those months where April Showers really have been at the forefront of the WX in EI, though not as bad as the non-stop months of rain we had at the start of 2026.
This weekend of April 18th and 19th was approached with a due sense of caution and dread after Met Eireann declared we were in for some half decent weather. I decided to be the big man, the high roller, the creme de la menthe, the ‘sac magique dans le patisserie’.
With the weather map for Ireland resembling a patchwork quilt of rainsunrainsunrain, I risked it all and on Saturday April 18th, 2026… I ventured outside for a bit of portable radio goodness.
Abject Misery.
Before leaving the gaf, I’d had a quick check of the aul Ham Solar app. I’d seen Dr. Tamitha Skov’s forecast earlier in the week and she was right, conditions were going to be very much hit and miss. Ham Solar appeared to confirm this.
Being a pessimist, I decided to triple check Kiwi SDR before even contemplating having a wash, putting on my best Stephens’ Day (that’s Boxing Day in the UK) clothes, dusting myself in Insignia talc and a liberal spritz of Blue Stratos and getting in the increasingly-more-expensive-to-run Allegro Type R.
Silence. Like sitting in an aneochoic chamber with Mr. Bean.
So, with band conditions resembling the number of shops open on a typical UK/Ireland high street in 2026, I decided to do the sensible thing and head out with a KX2 and a Diamond RHM-12 compromised antenna!
CW. The ‘Camembert Radioactif Deluxe’ of Amateur Radio.
Bag packed. Skin drenched in Blue Stratos and the afternoon to myself, I headed out to trusty steed POTA IE-0136 to give the park a cheeky tickle on QRP CW.
Setup was brief. Though I would like to see if there is some sort of clamp available for the RHM-12 for the KX2. There is one for the ICOM IC-705, I wish there was a KX2 one.
Naturally the KX2 tuned the RHM-12 like the champion that it is. I did have my Rigexpert A55-ZOOM with me but in all honesty, a quick guess on the RHM-12 slider is enough, the KX2 does the rest. Result? 1.0:1. As George Clooney would say when flogging coffee that resembles a collection of loose, watery stools…
What else?
In a little over 30 minutes I had my 10 contacts in the bag and the park activated. Shout out to K2UPD who chased me from New York - proof trans-Atlantic QSO’s were happening, hooray! I also bagged contacts across Europe as far as Ukraine and Finland.
Being the VHF connosieur that I am (I’m a big fan of Dubus!), I decided to bring along my new mast - the Sotabeams Carbon 6 (with ground stake) and my Microwave Modules 40 Watt linear amplifier and SLim G for some 40w amplified VHF juicyness post-QRP shenanigans.
What a load of old cobblers that turned out to be. I went to all that trouble to set up, nearly crushing a curious child with my Carbon 6 that I hadn’t covered the stake with properly in the process, and no sod showed up! This was in spite of there being a 145 Alive event on as well!
I tell a lie. 2 local chaps showed up like the VHF heroes they are. @EI7CTB and @EI7GUB joined in for some proper 2m action. Thank you good knaves!
At this point it was time to go QRT. I walked over to a nearby coffee caravan thingybob and got some brown grit with hot water in it. Their coffee is exceptionally good. I’ll make a note of their name next time I am there and give them a shout out. The lady on the stall wondered what I was up to in the park and I explained about POTA, CW and so forth.
I was taken aback by her response and enthusiasm to amateur radio. She said she was interested to learn more so I pointed her to the IRTS and NSWLC Web sites. Hopefully she will take up HAREC studies and be on the air soon!
Two’s Company
With a bunch of time left in the day, I decided to scoot on over to POTA IE-0135 for some more QRP CW.
At this stage the weather was beginning to turn and look a bit more patchwork, akin to traditional April Showers. I decided to change my setup and upon arrival, fished out my KH1 as well as my trusty FT-65 and RH-770.
No piddling about. Armed with a KH1 and FT-65, if the WX turns a bit soggy I could pack up in minus 5 seconds and be back in the car dry faster than Lester Piggot could fill in a tax return form.
The difference now though is I’d be limited to 5 Watts and a telescopic antenna. Would it be enough in the aneochoic chamber today?
Turns out it would. 12 QSO’s in 58 minutes including Ukraine, Hungary, Slovenia, Cezchia, Finland and more! Plus on the walk up to the hilltop I called in to the local repeater for a signal report and there was Alex @EI4JY who gave me an RST and stopped by for a quick catch-up chat with me. He did ask me if I was going to do some 270 CW and SSB but I didn’t have my kit with me. I am currently building my very own Brad Turner Hourglass (BTHG) though, I just need to tune the wire a little more and then I will be unstoppable soon!
Sadly I never got Alex on Simplex but it was great to have the chats on the repeater all the same. That’s one good reason why repeaters are there for us to enjoy!
Two park, one afternoon. Both activated. In addition, IE-0115 is also a WWFF and LLOTA site, so that POTA became a 3in1 activation. Lovely jubbly.
Taking The Bins Out
Before leaving both parks, I made use of a new purchase I’d made recently. I’ve gotten a little bit in to birding - the avian kind, not the Peter Stringfellow kind - and purchased a set of Nikon Prostaff P7 binoculars the other day.
IE-0136 is a great park with loads of wildlife in it and great views out to sea. I took the chance to have a peek at ‘some birds’ (note the lack of identification here, I’m working on that part!) as well as Rockabill lighthouse and Lambay Island.
IE-0115 is a lagoon, park and nature reserve with a Birdwatch Ireland hide. I wasn’t able to get in to the hide as it was too far from my activation site, but I did have my bins with me and I saw ‘some birds’. If you are in to birding, this park is highly recommended.
So that was day 1 done and dusted. I finished the evening off with an 8.5km trail run along the coastline trail from Loughshinny to Rush and at that point, it was time to go full QRT.
Day 2: SPOTA, Hunds and MI5
Sunday April 19th I was up early doors for parental duties and to prep my bags and load up the Group B Morris Marina Supersport.
I was off to SOTA summit EI/IE-018 for a 13km mountain run round the Kilmashogue/Fairy Castle loop and would stop at the summit to hopefully bag some QSO’s.
The run up to the summit went well. Hund activity was below average though, which was disappointing. More hunds did appear and were ready for mandatory petting as I went around the loop though. Hooray!
After the post-summit arrival trigslap, I dumped my running pack and took the FT-65 trusty steed out of my dry bag along with it’s faithful RH-770 companion and called CQ SOTA.
6 QSO’s. 12 minutes 32 seconds. Le potage sportif!
Only one EI station, the rest were a mix of Wales and Northern Ireland. Conditions appeared to be very good though and I was a solid 59 over with everyone pretty much, maxing out around 150km. Beaujolais sur la plage!
Was ist das?
SOTA activation completed it was time to head back down to the supercharged Jensen Interceptor Evo VIII where a flask of tea and a choccy biccie awaited.
Back at the Dolomite Sprint I was just in time to catch the start of the Sunday IRTS News, this week read by the legend that is Tony ‘voice of a Nightingale’ @EI5EM.
I listened to all of this weeks news and called in to the log at the end to thank Tony for his service and for the news. 59+20 both ways. My flask of tea tasted extra good while listening to the news over VHF.
A great start to the day but it wasn’t over yet.
Parklife.
I decided to make the most of the trip back towards the gaf and stopped in at IE-0135 to try another batch of QRP CW with the same setup as the day prior.
Band conditions were still utter turnip juice and as it was approaching lunch the park was super busy. No picnic tables free so I needed to find an open area to operate. I wished at this point I’d bought the Helinox Chair Zero LT I had my eye on recently, I could set up under a tree then away from the crowds and stay relatively incognito.
It was a precarious setup as the area was full of children running around and I was a little worried they might come a cropper on my RHM-12 and injure themselves. The KH1 would have been a better choice here I feel.
Still, CW defied the band conditions and 23 QSO’s were made in a little over 80 minutes. I noticed that 20 meters began to improve as the day passed and signals became stronger, particularly a station from Belarus and some stations coming in from Scandinavia.
Before I packed up, out came the FT-65 and RH-770 again. As I always say, it’s a license-revokable offense (or it should be) to be out portable and not operate on 2 meters or 70cm. So I gave both bands a try, as is customary.
Nothing heard. Cripes. I was just about to give up when I received an off-frequency response. I had called on 145.500 but the caller was coming in on 145.510 and then shifted automagically to 145.500. Turns out it was a mobile station, the first ‘true mobile’ contact I think I’ve ever had!
@EI/GI0BJH/M called in and said he was on his way up to Antrim, Nothern Ireland and was on the M1 motorway that passes by where IE-0135 is located. In the car was a second operator, @EI/MI5SPY/M too! I joked and said “yeah right, who else is in the car, MI6SPY?”. Turns out their friend is MI6SPY but only has the call sign but no interest in amateur radio. In addition, they were driving up from Shannon to Antrim via Dublin, coming home from the Shannon Radio Rally this weekend, and said I was the first person they had heard all day on 2 meters. Incredible!
I really need to state my feelings again on this as to how strongly I feel about it. Please, for the love of God, if you have access to 2 meters and 70cm, would you fire up your radio(s) and get yappin’? One day those bands will be swallowed up - probably by commercial interests - and we’ll moan and reminisce and complain that they are gone (just like when Radio 4 disappears on Longwave in September). Use the bands or lose them. Don’t give Comreg or your relevant comms authority the ammunition to take away VHF and UHF (or SHF for that matter).
It’s up to YOU. Fire up a radio. Get yappin’.
Abject Stupidity, or, Next Time Bring A Charger, You Knob.
After an all to brief pit stop at Aldi for a bottle of full-fat Coca Cola and a Calippo, all was right with the world. I was on the way home…until the spectre of another POTA opportunity arose.
I pulled in to IE-0114, another nature reserve - also with a Birdwatch Ireland hide, alas today I was raging as I left my bins at home - and looked to complete another (hopefully) quickfire activation before calling it a day.
Same setup as before, also on a park bench as Turvey does not have any picnic tables at all. I was off and running on 20 meters, heck, I was feeling so full of myself at defying the band condition odds that I tried 40 meters (the band that hates my guts for some reason, I never have luck on it) and made a QSO to the Netherland with @PA4PA!
I was riding a QRP CW wave. Nothing could stop me. I was the chief justice, the main man, the boulangerie sportif, the filius populi of the QRP CW world today. Starred up and ready to take on allcomers. You want a QRP CW QSO? You got it. Come see EI3LH, he’ll sort you out. What’s that? Poor conditions? Pfft. Go see EI3LH. 599+20 mate.
I was (in my head), ‘the’ man.
Then my KX2 switched off. The battery was dead.
6 QSO’s in and I’d a flat battery. A KX2 with a shiny new USB-C charging board fitted in to it and idiotbrains here, EI3LH the man with IQ of a bubble in an Aero bar, had not brought either a) a power bank or b) a spare KX2 battery.
What a turnip I was.
I tried to seek solace in the arms of some VHF desparation. But zilch. Zip. Nitto. Nix.
Time to call it a day. My cockiness and stupidity had cost me an activation. An activation with a QSO on 40 meters to boot - see I told you 40 meters hates me for some reason. I don’t know why, I was never rude to it. What have I done to upset 40 meters?
IE-0115 was still a fun way to spend time though. A chap at the next bench to me was visiting the park with his wife and children. They were all curious as to what I was doing, so being HAM ambassador again I explained what I was up to.
Turns out the guy I was talking to is an SDR developer and is working on some sort of cognitive SDR solution. I didn’t fully understand it all but he mentioned he uses Linux and also got in to a chat with me about entanglement, stabilisation and that then lead me on to waffling on for ages about photonics!
With the QSO’s in the bag and an activation failure, I packed up, supped the rest of my Coca Cola and made my way back to the motor and headed home.
You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire.
I rarely get opportunities like this and was able to pack an awful lot in to one weekend. This weekend brought along opportunities for several hours of fun radio activities, 99% of which was QRP CW. Proof that Morse Code can get you through despite poor band conditions, even at low power.
I got to chat to some great people too, both over the airwaves but also out on the trails, either by petting hunds (see stats below) or just spreading the word of amateur radio to curious passers-by. Long may it continue and here’s to the next long, sunny, radio-packed weekend!
BONUS FEATURE:
The weekend saw a low start in hund activity, though as the weather improved and more folks ventured outside, the hund populi gathered in their droves. I’ve provided a handy new Hund-o-meter statistic that shows number of hunds enountered and hunds petted (when opportunities arose).
HUND-O-METER: 6/42
Also, I today was my first time running the full 13km trail and all summit points since last Summer and I beat my unofficial PB by 10 minutes. 
