Saturday 2nd June 2018 - Sharp Haw G/NP-029 & Normanby Top G/TW-005

Gig: The Ragdolls

Venue: Grange Leisure Park, Mablethorpe

Normanby Top G/TW-005 is a rubbish summit.  It’s just a big expanse of flat, private farmland that just so happens to drop away >150m in all directions, probably some considerable distance away!  I did once have a relatively enjoyable activation here when I happened to meet the farmer, who granted me permission to walk to the trig point.  Today though, I just went into the yard beside the large radar tower, and set up my 20m groundplane. The person-powered final ascent from my car must have been around 5cm vertically, and 25m horizontally!

I’d gone straight for 20m, as I’d monitored 2m while driving and heard no activity whatsoever.  When I came to connect my Mini Palm Paddle and Code Cube, I found the keyer was playing up again, so needed to be reset.  This involves removing the 30-32 battery - which I stupidly prised out with the jack plug from the cable I use between the Code Cube and the 817.  The tip of the jack plug broke off.  Botheration. 

No FT8, no CW, no FM. I now had to resort to SSB - not really a favourite mode of mine!  I was a bit concerned about time marching on too.  The Lincolnshire Wolds were not too far from Mablethorpe, but it was still important to be on time for soundcheck, the same as punctuality is generally expected for all types of work!  I self-spotted, and SOTA chaser Manuel EA2DT worked me - but then, silence. I went off in search of CQ calls, and managed to get another three good contacts in the next ten minutes, included my first special World Cup call of the year - AO18FWC. 

I was now able to complete my journey to Mablethorpe, and meet the guys again who I had worked with the previous night in Keighley. It was another enjoyable gig, and we were finished before 11pm, so I was able to get on the road and see how far I could get in the direction of home!  I drove until about 1am, and then found a nice dark spot in a services on the M18 near Doncaster. I set my smartphone alarm to wake me after 90 minutes, as I noticed that there was a two hour limit for parking, with registration plate camera enforcement. I always take a couple of pillows with me on the road, and find that with my driver’s seat fully reclined, I can get some decent quality rest.  I resumed my journey and was home around 5.30am - and of course, went straight back to bed.  I allowed myself to wake up naturally, but then it was back on the road for another gig - via Easington Fell G/SP-012!