Mike… “In the spirit of SOTA", nudge nudge wink wink…
To be fair Steve, Andy only raised a point where I had in the past questioned the rules.
I really don’t want to cover old ground, but nothing has changed in my eyes, the rules are in black and white with a touch of grey here and there, which leaves them open to the interpretation of the reader. I won’t accept an individuals point of view, I have a set of rules to work by and as long as we all as individuals adhere to those rules as we interpret them, then there can’t be any problems.
You are raising old issues Mike, we’ve gone over this before.
You’re a big boy now so use your common sense.
Let me put that into context for you. On a few occasions you’ve worked me and you have been unable to be 100% sure you could copy your signal report from me. Rather than just log it as anything so you could claim the points, you’ve refused to until you were 100% sure. This has sometimes meant calling in later for a repeat report or like when I was on Merrick, working me on 2m SSB for a report instead of my usual 60m.
Someone who is determined to be squeaky clean over something as trivial as a QSO is most certainly not the kind of person who would operate outside of the spirit of SOTA. Anyone who has heard you operate will know the same. So if the rules say don’t operate from the vicinity of the car, then you wont. For you, because of your disability in walking long distances, viscinity means something entirely different to someone who can walk further like me. There isn’t a person involved in SOTA who would question your operations when you go out knowing how you act on air when chasing. So, in reality we don’t need to specify a distance.
One day there will be someone who takes the mick when it comes to the spirit of SOTA. They may not be censured for their actions by the MT but you just watch how the majority of the group respond to such people once it becomes known they’re a bit fly.
I have now finished the page. I can add summits as needed when they are suggested.
So far though we have established that there are 40 summits that could almost all be done by driving to. (how they are activated is up to the person involved and I don’t wish to get involved with that one.)
There is a potential of 58 points to be gained for SOTA activations, excluding the winter bonus you could get on 4 of them. (Snowdon and Snaefell may be a problem though)
So once again many thanks for the help, keep looking for summits to do.
73
Steve
G/SP-017 - Billinge Hill. It is a little (5 minute) walk, mainly flat on a good path, short pull up a grassy bank at the end - although you could walk along and around this to ease the gradient considerably. Park at SD 528 010 (end of Beacon Road, Billinge) for this approach.
GI/MM-017 - Cairngaver (silent ‘g’)
A little SE of Belfast, not really in the Mournes at all. A tarmac access road leads right to the top. Car park adjacent the earthwork beacon ring, in which the trig point can be found.
GI/CA-003 - Carrigatuke
Not been, but another that apparently has a public car park in the immediate vicinity of the summit a la Great Orme, Mynydd Bodafon, Kit Hill, St Boniface Down, Cairngaver etc.
G/LD-049 - Kirkby Moor
I’ve never been, but there may be vehicle access to within an easy walk away. There are many tracks indicated on maps - don’t know if they are driveable or accessible.
G/SP-013 - Gun
Parking area high on the Rushton Spender to Meerbrook road. Easy flattish path (ascends 30m over quarter of a mile) to the summit. Easier than the likes of Stiperstones.
Tom, as a person with walking problems, I wouldn’t recommend mynydd bodafon or gun as wheelchair access, kirkby moor either although I have not visited the latter.
I agree Mike. I was responding to the “or for someone that could not walk far” bit of Steve’s original prompt. And if Stiperstones meets this criteria, then NW-071 and SP-013 certainly do.
I taken notes on this and any walking I have added my “I not sure this summit should be included in this list. Please make you own judgment Please do let us know your comments and what you feel regarding this hill”, even on the dead easy stuff
I was not sure about the Gun as there is a style to deal with. A tricky one if I remember right. That’s why I never put it in. I have added it but made a note of the style
Kirby More, I need to know if a 4x4 or car can do that to add it, OS maps are not convincing enough. So for the moment I will not add it. I have a look later this year, early next year.
Stiperstones is an odd one, some of the paths are very good, but it is a steady steep climb in places if I remember so I have made the decision to remove it until I visit it later this year
Stiperstones: there are two car parks at the south end of the ridge, those parking at the car park on the west side (which if I remember correctly has toilets) face a steep tarmac walk and will probably then go through the little entrance right on the ridge line, this path up the ridge line is a bit awkward in places, no problem if you have ordinary fitness but no place for a wheelchair. The car park on the East side has a broad track angling fairly gently up to the first outcrops at which point it changes from fairly smooth to stoney and then quite lumpy but by then I think you are in the AZ. If a disabled person can manage it to the foot of the outcrop with the trig point on top there is a lovely little sheltered nook on the east side with a rock shelf to put the rig on, but the approach to this is unfortunately a vegetated boulder field.
This is from memory, I was last there a couple of years ago!
In reply to G8ADD:
I know what you are getting at Brian, but I just can’t see it on the OS map as a one that should be included. You have to get to 516m to be in the AZ, and this is quite close to the Trig point. You have to remember the Trig is right up on a high pinnacle.
I willing to except I may be wrong in removing it, the last time I was there was Jan and I did puff a bit on the way up… I just can’t see it being done by one of my friends who this project is partly for.
Wentwood SW-033 has a parking spot within the AZ, but the summit is wooded and so may not be that good on VHF. I see you haven’t put Mynydd Sylen SW-036 on the list yet - there is parking at the track / road junction at 270m asl with a decent take off NE. The bridleway could be ascended with care - bramble shoots, etc as potential trip hazards.
In reply to 2E0KPO:
No problem, the choices are yours and anyway it is difficult for me to put myself in the shoes of a disabled person so I may well be underestimating the difficulty. I’ll probably do it over Xmas to blow away the cobwebs and turkey bloat…or the New Year, taking a 'scope to look for the Black Mountain pileup!
Kit Hill G/DC-003 - the site says that the top car park is “10m out of the AZ”. It is well within. The summit trig is at 334m ASL, and the car park is entirely within the 330m contour ring.
Maybe you need a note about the warden…, but thinking about it downhill in a wheelchair must be faster than she can move ;-). Anyway, she goes for her tea a bit before 5 p.m., so the car can be recovered later!