After Mynydd y Cwm GW/NW-076 on Saturday 16th May 2009, we returned to the A55 and head back East towards Cheshire. However, the afternoon was too young not to consider another activation, so the most inappropriately named Hope Mountain GW/NW-062 would receive a visit.

       

We parked in the pull-in opposite the tarmac access road up to the transmitter site. The gate at the bottom of the road was wide open. We walked up the road and soon saw David, the farmer from the other side where we have always previously approached, with his dog and a colleague. We stopped for a chat, and he advised where best to cross over onto his land. The top of the access road by the transmitters is within activation zone, but you just can't beat a trig point on the real summit can you?

Having said that, the trig point was a most inhospitable place to be. Jimmy, Liam and I dropped into a hollow a few yards down, soon to be followed by Richard. I set up the SOTA Beam with horizontal polarisation. This one was intended to be an all 2m activation, with Jimmy on SSB and myself on CW. Richard had already completed on 2m FM by this juncture.

   

Unfortunately, my first calls on 2m CW produced nothing, so I left Jimmy to do 2m SSB while I descended back down to the car - to retrieve the camera I had left there! Good job that only a ten minute round trip was involved!

Back with the chaps near the summit, I first took those all-important summit activation photos, then had another crack at 2m CW. Jimmy had worked six chasers on 2m SSB in the meantime. 2m CW produced just Graham G3OHC and Frank G3RMD, but that was it. I realise that I will have to work at it and build the numbers up again if I ever want 2m CW to be a success. I guess I got complacent after my 2m CW pile-up on Cracoe Fell G/NP-032!

A couple of 2m SSB stations in the 24 hour contest completed the quota for me, and all thoughts of trying 2m CW again evaporated with Richard mumbling words like "pub" and "beer" under his breath.  It was the first pub we came to, at a crossroads, that provided the usual refreshments of beer (2 pints of Hydes), J2O and pint of water, plus pork scratchings all round.

On the road again, and home for an evening of Britain's Got Talent, Eurovision Song Contest, Match of the Day, Dominos Pizza and more beer. Does life get any better?  Many thanks to all stations that called in: