Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but there is new locked gate at the start of the road up to Winter Hill. You cannot now drive up to the cattle grid parking area.
It’s a tedious slog now ! There is a security camera at the gate.
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This is a good reason why the over 75s should not pay a TV license fee. The BBC has reduced it failities for the over 75s. Previously as you got older and could not walk to the summit you could drive to BBC sites for a nice hill top view and eat your sandwiches in the car plus a bit of radio.
Andrew G4VFL (under 75 with no TV so has no personal axe to grind)
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No such thing as BBC transmitter sites. They were sold off a long time back, over 25 years IIRC so it’s nothing to do with the BBC any more. Complain to Arqiva.
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Fire risk is the reason you cannot drive up, disposable instant barbecues are the main concern.
They pose a high risk of setting the moors on fire.
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In terms of HF radio, Winter Hill has a poor take-off…Too flat at the top. Even during the good HF conditions, I never managed more than 8 VK contacts during an activation off Winter Hill.
Having said this, a couple years ago, I worked 4 ZL’s during an early morning activation of this summit. One on 40m ssb and three on 20m ssb.
I reckon you’re far better off saving your energy and taking an easy 15 minute walk up the nearby G/SP-017 Billinge Hill. Amazing little summit.
YYY
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Barbecues ?
It was never a BBC site, it was IBA and sold off to National Transcommunications aka NTL who became Arqiva,
I never said it was.
Does Arqiva still own it? I did hear they sold a substantial part of the transmitters business to a Spanish company?
Arqiva sold their telecoms business (i.e. mobile phone masts) to Cellnex. They continue to own and operate virtually all the TV and radio transmitters in the UK.
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That’s what I thought, when the sale was announced it was badly reported in some sections of the trade press so hence the confusion.
Who currently owns the BT masts like Copt Oak, and Zouches Farm?
Soon to be banned from sale, someone had dumped one in the Bardon Hill radio mast compound earlier in the year!
That has been called for by many organisations but there is no guarantee it will happen.
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The SOTA experience on G/SP-010 is better if you incorporate a proper walk anyway. Win-win.
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The first time I went we drove up! What you can see on the SCAM 12 mast is part of the Triffid antenna system, so called because it had three heads, one UHF and two for Microwave, this particular one is the higher of the two Microwave band antennas in use. Not every day that you see a SCAM 12 in its natural environment!
Good site for using Microwave bands!
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