Revisiting the nation’s sweetheart 2 years after a failed SOTA.
The darling of Ireland. Le grande dame. The Great Sugar Loaf. EI/IE-022. April 26th 2026.
The Great Sugar Loaf (EI/IE-022) is one of those summits that the merest mention of it in conversation with anybody in Ireland will draw instant recognition.
“Yep. I know it.” and “Ah yeah, climbed that loads. Great spot.” or responses to that effect are what you’d usually receive. She’s one of the summits that I’d wager the majority of the population of Ireland feel some sort of connection with. She’s just ‘there’, ever present, watching over Dublin from the comfort of the Wicklow mountains, nestled alongside her junior – perhaps less glamourous – sibling Little Sugar Loaf (EI/IE-052).
I’ve climbed the Great Sugar Loaf more times than I’ve had hot dinners. Last September I ran up both summits, twice, in an ultramarathon that also involved climbing Bray Head at the start line as well.
I have a fond affection for this summit, indeed it was in August 2024 that I boldly ventured up to the top one misty, drizzly morning armed with a Tidradio H8, a magnetic Bingfu car antenna and a Pyrex cake tin and attempted to conduct my first SOTA activation as a relatively-newly-licensed amateur.
I made 1 QSO, failing at the first attempt. Fast forward almost two years and on Sunday April 26th 2026, I went back for another attempt…
Looking out to the Irish Sea with Little Sugar Loaf to the front and Bray Head at the rear. April 26th 2026.
One Lump Or Two?
Returning to my favourite summit in Ireland (because I’ve climbed loads of them…) for the sole purpose of a SOTA activation attempt after a 2 year hiatus since the failed attempt had me feeling a little anxious as to how it would go, I will freely admit.
With the generous VHF/UHF lift of the preceeding couple of days, I did hold more confidence I could bag the 4 contacts required to get the activation done. Bagging the 4 would also merit a complete because I’ve chased this summit over the past 2 years.
The only potential spanner in the works was that I was going to attempt to activate again with just a handheld radio and a whip.
You guessed it, I was bringing along Ye Olde Faithful aka the Yaesu FT-65 and Diamond RH-770. I did carry a couple of extras though! Notably a SOTAbeams Carbon 6 mast and a Slim G antenna.
I never ended up using them though. I’ll explain why.
The Great Sugar Loaf is a very popular summit. 364 out of 365 days (plus one on a leap year) it is packed with traffic. It’s just how it is. Everybody loves this summit. It’s familiar. It’s easy to climb. It’s a spectacular view from the top.
By the time I reached the top it was already resembling one of those ‘hottest day of the year’ news reports from Corfu with images of a jillion lobsters sandwiched along the shoreline, audibly crackling.
In actuality the summit was rather civil yesterday, but you hopefully get my point. It was busy.
I didn’t feel like it would be the most appropriate of moments to be whipping out a 6 meter mast, dangling an antenna from it and asking passers-by to please be careful. That’s not good form.
Plus I had one of my mini headmelters with me and we were having a great afternoon climbing the summit, dangling our feet over the edge, feeling on top of the world as we overlooked Bray Head and followed the shoreline up, past Poolbeg (see my Ticknock SOTA report for a photo of that) and as far as Howth, Malahide and a smidgen of Skerries.
On a super clear day you can see even further northwards. For a relatively small summit in comparison to others across Ireland, the nations sweetheart offers a lot of bang for her buck, which is why EI/IE-022 is so popular I think. It always will be too.
So the mast and Slim G stayed in the bag. So did my camera for the most part, which explains the lack of photos in this blog as I was with Mini Ted Nugent.
Dangling my feet over the edge as I sat on the summit point and called some CQ SOTA. April 26th 2026.
Second Time Lucky
Mini Ted Nugent was perched alongside me, looking around at stuff, while I set up Ye Olde VHF/UHF faithful and started to call CQ.
I had barely released the PTT button when a reply came in from Nicky EI9JG/M out and about in his motor! I was taken by surprise at the rapid response. Brilliant, we were off and running. Just 3 more to get in the logbook!
HUND-O-METER
Ds = Dp + 11
Hund-o-Meter (Ds = Hunds Seen, Dp = Hunds Petted)
I should make note here that on the hike up, Mini Ted Nugent and I made a brief pitstop for some Evian (normal people just call it water), Pringles and half an Easter Bunny while tuning in to the IRTS Sunday News report on 2 meters.
As always, if I’m tuned in I call in at the end to thank the newsreader for their service and to log an RST. I made mention I was at the Sugar Loaf base and doing an activation within the hour. I’m assuming this might have helped rustle up a few chasers as well.
The QSO’s came in thick and fast. I had 8 QSO’s in 4 minutes. Job more than done! The hits kept on coming with a great response to the activation attempt, including 2 POTA Parks and 3 Summit to Summits.
I originally had 4 but the activator later contacted me to let me know they were just outside of the activation zone on their summit, which I think is mighty noble and very cool of them to admit the faux pas. I would do the same as I hope would others.
As always, I like to make sure 70cm isn’t left out so I did make a trip over to UHFville and bagged 2 more QSO’s there, across the water to Wales no less! Highlight of the activation was a 443km contact to G4ZKN in London (a new 2 meter DX record for me) and 326km down to the tip of Cornwall with GB0CHC who I heard break through on the calling frequency. Fantastic!
QSO Map for SOTA Activation EI/IE-022. Sunday April 26th, 2026.
Come Fly With Me
Time to go QRT and enjoy the rest of the time remaining on the summit. Before heading back down, Mini Ted Nugent and I found some time to use our binoculars to spy on the world below, devour more chocolate and send my drone up for a couple of ‘dronie’ photos and videos (notes: a) I’m a fully licensed UAV operator and b) I set restrictions on distance so as to not get in people’s way).
It got a bit tasty towards the end of one 360 circle shot where my drone hovered in front of me over the edge and appeared to have no intention of returning to my palm!
Thankfully it flew within safe reach and I was able to snatch it back. Bad drone!
18 VHF and UHF contacts in the bag, some fun on the summit and some glorious weather to boot, it was time to head back down to the Supercharged Delage Straight 12 Austin Montego and to the world below.
After a two year hiatus, a return to my first (and failed) SOTA summit was now complete and activated. Mission accomplished. Where to next?
BLOG LINK: Sweet Sugarloaf SOTA Two-timer. – EI3LH
