I always look on the WOTA site every morning to see if anyone’s out. I noticed Andy G8CPZ/P was on Watch Hill which is about a 40 minute walk from my home,so i thought i would go up and say hello and Andy was half expecting me to turn up.
I’m always interested in what setup other activators use, the last time i meet Andy he had a long telescopic whip this time it was a end fed wire for 40/20/10 meters.
Andy setting up the roach pole
time to self spot
the weather was perfect for a activation and it was great to have a chat and catch up, and come a way with a few ideas for future HF activation my self
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Nice sunny day for it. The little chair looks handy. More clobber to drag up the hill though! 73, Phil
Hi Phil
Andy handed the chair to me and it was very light and packed down to a small size none of the tubes were more than 9 inch long elasticated to gether
73 reg
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Reg,
I’ll bet Andy’s chair was quicker to up than my shelter I brought that day you came up to see us ?
Richard
yes but your little shelter was more entertaining.
I expect you can now do in a fraction of the time
73 reg
Hi Reg, it was nice to see you and chat on Watch Hill again. Nice photos (especially of the dogs) but who’s that old duffer in the flat cap sitting in my chair and messing with my radio?
I used to be a bit dismissive about portable chairs (thinking they were a luxury for hillwalking). But after suffering numb legs, sore or cold backside, cramps, etc sitting on rocks or the ground on years of activations I was impressed reading reviews of them by experienced activators. I decided on the US-made Helinox portable ‘chair zero’ and its optional groundsheet (to stop the legs from sinking into soft ground). Expensive but high quality, lightweight (660g) and very comfortable. It’s quick to deploy and repack and takes only a bit more volume in my 20l rucksack than a large water bottle. I used it today on Place Fell (LDW-108) and was still feeling fine after sitting in it for about 90 minutes.
What luxury not having your bum sat on a cold wet fell 
I had a prolapsed (or herniated) disc about 30 years ago (stupidly lifting something very heavy on my own), probably my most painful experience and which lasted for months afterwards, and even now I have to do daily exercises to avoid lower back pain. But I suspect it’s more of an age-thing getting discomfort, dead-leg, cramp, etc sitting on the ground or on low rocks especially in cold weather for a prolonged time.
Since I got the portable chair (as a Christmas present last year) I’ve taken it on every activation since then and never begrudged its modest extra weight and volume. Not only do I feel very comfortable in the chair but I can now do much longer activations than previously.
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