G/LD-004 Skiddaw & Mountain Goat

Mountain Goat here I come :)

G/LD-004 Skiddaw (10 points)

14/04/2016

The 13^th was a washout so we decided to do some sightseeing and take a  trip through Hardknott Pass investigating some future SOTA summits on the journey.

Weather fit for ducks on the 13th..you might spot one?

We were due to go home on the 14^th so even with a long 230 mile journey ahead of us Skiddaw was my nominated Mountain Goat summit as it would be easy to pick up the M6 and head for home later in the day.

My GPS track..Skiddaw

Little Man was covered by low cloud so it would be the same for Skiddaw and sadly Val would not see the wonderful views across to Scotland from the summit. 

Low cloud on Little Man

Monument to two Shepherds 

It’s about 3 miles to the summit but we made good progress arriving more or less on alerted time. There were texts flying around on my way up asking where I was so I knew there would be chasers listening for me and hoping the bands would be in reasonable shape. 

Thirsty work

Misty summit

A very cold breeze was blowing on top so we dropped down into a cairn below the trig. As per usual I started on 2m and within 4 minutes I was a Mountain Goat for SOTA with Rob G4RQJ being my fourth contact….a really wonderful moment after a ‘tad over 3years’ of activating.

11:32z	G4WHA/A	144MHz	FM	Geoff
11:34z	G6LKB	144MHz	FM	David
11:36z	GW4ZPL/P	144MHz	FM	John
11:36z	G4RQJ	144MHz	FM	Rob
11:37z	G1OHH	144MHz	FM	Sue
11:38z	G1KLZ	144MHz	FM	Doug
11:39z	GI4TUV	144MHz	FM	Roy

MG moment

Mountain Goat and XYL :)  ..'

An announcement on 2m that I was moving to 60m brought a spot on Sotawatch with 8 chasers making the log despite poor band conditions and multiple repeat reports….everyone I heard made the log thankfully.

11:41z	G6TUH	5MHz	SSB	Mike
11:42z	GI4ONL	5MHz	SSB	Victor
11:43z	G8MIA	5MHz	SSB	Andy
11:43z	G7AFM	5MHz	SSB	Phil
11:44z	G4IAR	5MHz	SSB	Dave
11:45z	G3XXR	5MHz	SSB	Roger
11:46z	PA7ZEE	5MHz	SSB	Geert
11:47z	GW4BKG	5MHz	SSB	Steve

A move to 40m brought an instantaneous reply from Barry M0IML who along with Steve MW0BBU had accompanied me on so many activations over the years…thank you both…oops ..better include Val here as well :)  Not many chasers made my log on 40m which is sad as I know there were so many trying desperately to get a contact but the band was just not working.

11:51z	M0IML	7MHz	SSB	Barry
11:52z	M3FEH	7MHz	SSB	Karl
11:53z	G6TUH	7MHz	SSB	Mike
11:54z	PA2CVD	7MHz	SSB	Cor
11:55z	G0RQL	7MHz	SSB	Don
11:56z	DK7ZH	7MHz	SSB	Manfred
11:58z	PA7ZEE	7MHz	SSB	Geert

As with all summits I look forward to at least one s2s but as I was packing up I left the FT270 plugged into the 2m dipole for as long as I could as I knew Jim MM0GLM/p was out and about in Scotland and not too far away….we made it so that finished off the perfect SOTA day for me….thanks Jim.

12:16z

MM0GLM/P

144MHz

FM

Jim s2s

Happy MG and XYL leaving the summit

Heading down...mist clearing

Derwent Water and Keswick

Thanks everyone for the contacts and the spots including those chasers that have ‘looked after me’ whilst I’m on a summit or travelling to and from a summit…you know who you are…thank you.

My activation set up today:-  (HF) Yaesu FT817 (5 watts) (4Ah LiPo),  3 band link dipole (60/40/20 (+80m extensions),  (VHF) Yaesu FT270 (5watts) & cable tie dipole for 2m - 7m Fishing pole.

73 Allan GW4VPX

G/LD-020 Dale Head

Misty then wet and windy

G/LD-020 Dale Head

12/04/2016

I’d planned quite a few different activation strategies for the trip to LD to take into account the changeable weather. Today was one such variation. Usually Dale Head is the first of a ‘double’ with Robinson following on afterwards either as a linear walk with a car each end or coming back the same way to your start point. The weather forecast had promised a dry morning with wind and rain following in the afternoon…..we would bag at least one of the summits. Starting from the Honister Slate mine (£5.00 for parking) we headed up into the mist along the fence line which you can follow for most of the way…well worn tracks very much in evidence.

Dale Head..my GPS track

Honister Slate mine, carpark, cafe and shop

Into the mist

Setting up..convenient post on summit

With Mike G6TUH having put up a spot to say that I would be QRV shortly on 2m I qualified the summit immediately with 4 contacts but despite repeated calls nobody else made the log.

12:08z	GW4ZPL/P	144MHz	FM	John
12:08z	G6LKB	144MHz	FM	David
12:10z	G0TDM	144MHz	FM	John
12:11z	G4ZRP	144MHz	FM	Brian

Band conditions were different today on 60m and only 3 chasers made the log despite a spot by Mike. Once again after repeated calls I decided to move to 40m and asked Mike to spot me on a given frequency…thanks Mike.

12:16z	G6TUH	5MHz	SSB	Mike
12:17z	G0TDM	5MHz	SSB	John
12:18z	G4APO	5MHz	SSB	Roland

This frequency was working but after Geert cleared with me I was stamped upon by a station calling CQ a few Khz below..once again despite numerous calls I went QRT as I heard a ‘CQ SOTA’ call on 2m.  

Qualifying on 2m...no view today into the valley behind me

12:24z	G6TUH	7MHz	SSB	Mike
12:25z	G4OIG	7MHz	SSB	Gerald
12:26z	PA7ZEE	7MHz	SSB	Geert

That CQ call was from Caroline and Martyn on The Cloud G/SP-015. They had told me at the Blackpool radio rally that they would be out somewhere so thank you both.

12:36z	M1MAJ/P	144MHz	FM	Martyn s2s
12:36z	M3ZCB/P	144MHz	FM	Caroline s2s

Thinking it was odd that there were so few chasers on 40m earlier I sent a spot with a new frequency. Don RQL came back immediately saying he was sorry but he was gardening earlier on and had missed me :) It was nice to get a few more in the log but as Karl FEH told me he had suffered very rapid QSB with my signal and I had disappeared completely earlier. Thanks to those who did make the log....band conditions are making it tough.

12:41z	G0RQL	7MHz	SSB	Don
12:42z	G0FEX	7MHz	SSB	Ken
12:43z	M3FEH	7MHz	SSB	Karl
12:43z	ON6ZQ	7MHz	SSB	Christophe
12:44z	PA0SKP	7MHz	SSB	Sake
12:44z	M0NTC	7MHz	SSB	Gez
12:45z	PA0B	7MHz	SSB	Rob
12:46z	DL2EF	7MHz	SSB	Franz Josef

The wind was picking up and it had begun to rain so a quick ‘pack up’ was the order of the day and we headed down hill. Our outer garments were soaked by the time we reached the car but our inner garments were dry. We had a coffee in the Honister Slate café hoping we could get a rebate on the parking fee…it transpired you had to buy a piece of slate to get a refund..pricey!  9 points to go….

My activation set up today:-  (HF) Yaesu FT817 (5 watts) (4Ah LiPo),  3 band link dipole (60/40/20 (+80m extensions),  (VHF) Yaesu FT270 (5watts) & cable tie dipole for 2m - 7m Fishing pole.

Thanks everyone for the contacts and the spots.

73 Allan GW4VPX