Tom Read - click to email meBDXC ISWL WAB SOTA RSGB IOTA - see my radio page for more detailsLiam & Jimmy

Hensbarrow Beacon 2005

 

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It was the same early get-up routine for Jimmy and myself on Wednesday 27th July 2005.  This was the summit closest to our holiday park, and so we hoped it would be finished earliest too.  Furthermore, there was only going to be one antenna set up - the 40m dipole, considering that the landfill heaps reportedly tower above this summit!

We followed the A30 eastbound as far as Roche, from where we turned south and took the minor road over Hensbarrow Downs.  Just before one of the several entrances to stone companies was a parking area at the start of the PROW to the summit.  This path was a flat 3 minute amble to a ten foot mound, upon which stood the trig point.  Crescented around this was a higher profile in the landfill site, but a heavy mist was down and it was difficult to estimate just how much higher.  We could hear the lorries trundling around, but were not sure whether they would be diggers, refuse trucks or lorries carrying aggregates and the like.

Tom M1EYP/P on Hensbarrow Beacon G/DC-004            Trig point and antennas on Hensbarrow Beacon

Up went the 40m dipole, and F/G4DAX/M in Brittany was worked.  Then, no joy at all for over 90 minutes, whether putting out my own CQ calls or trying to answer other people's.  Here I had two moments of embarrassing weakness.  The first was to erect the SOTA Beam in the hope of catching the guys in Truro I had worked on the previous days - the "open" half of the summit was in that direction.  This failed.  The second moment of weakness was to find myself wishing that I had a MOBILE TELEPHONE with me so I could self-spot on SOTAwatch.  Aargh no, wash one's mouth/mind out I thought, I'm not having one of those things until I have to (July 2006, my concession to Marianne in return for the Pennine Way pass-out).  Having said that, it would have been useful to have taken Marianne's mobile out with me so I could call up CWI or the Mafia!

The SOTA Beam, set up in vain!            Jimmy on the summit

I returned to persevere on 40m, and managed to get in on the WACRAL net.  The net contained around 6/7 stations in addition to myself, and I managed to exchange reports with exactly three of them, to give me the point.  We packed up and returned to the car, and to the holiday park for 11.55am, via a Cornish pasty stop in Roche.  

Many thanks to the following stations, all worked with 5 watts on 40m SSB:

F/G4DAX/M Brittany Dave
EI/OZ4PAT Doolan George
G3XNX Brixham Derek
M0PAR Malvern Roy