The Merrick had been on my bucket list for many years following a caravaning holiday to Glen Trool in about 1968…
Located in South West Scotland about 30km East of Stranraer, this is not an easy spot to reach, but a family holiday to Annan provided the base for a summit bid.
The alarm clock was set for 0600 and departure time 0630. Glen Trool is 2 hrs distant along the heavily used A75 road to Ireland. I was parked up at 0830 and ascent time 2 hrs 10 minutes. The activation on 30m CW went smoothly, with 28Q’s and one S2S with IK2LEY/P, followed by a spell on 60m CW with 9 Q’s. Then a change of aerial and S2S with G3TQQ/P and G4OOE/P on Cross Fell, plus 9 more 2 m Q’s in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Sorry John, did not hear you, pitty.
Equipment FT857 running 50W CW and 25W FM. Link Dipole at 6m on H F and EF Dipole at 6M on 2m FM.
Thanks for the report and the photographs. It’s nice to see what the view looks like from the top. Not something I saw when I climbed it (pre-SOTA days)! It’s on my list for later this year and your report has given me fresh motivation, especially your success on 2m.
Many thanks for the report David. I really enjoyed that summit with its varied and interesting approach. I could just about hear you on 10MHz and was tempted to call you to try for the Complete, but decided not to knowing you’d probably hear me at a similar level. Then when you moved to 5MHz I had a listen, but it was a bad day for local noise here and I couldn’t copy you at all. C’est la vie.
Thank you for not calling it a “Flowerpot” aerial David, IT BUGS ME, and for an interesting and useful report for a future visit by me (I hope). I know you were staying in Annan but it’s still a long haul across the A75 to Glentrool. I have relatives that lived at Longwood - the bungalow on the right just before the bridge / road junction that turns into Bargrennan. They moved there from Preston around 1983 and moved into Newton Stewart itself around the millenium and are still there and in their 90s now. I went to the area a lot from the mid 70s onwards on cottage holidays and to stay with them, but you beat me to it with your 1968 caravan holiday, while I was still in school!
Memories are made of this and you will have been glad to go back I’m sure.
I built a dual band f.pot for 70cm/2m
I agree that it’s a daft name, but it’s really easy to find on the web when you’re looking for an improved mobile aerial and someone comes along and says, "build a f.pot)!
