Just the one Mrs Wembley - Stickle Pike

Activation Reports
1

Stickle Pike (Dunnerdale Fells)

WOTA ID: LDO-055 Height: 375 m (1230 ft)
SOTA ID: n/a Grid ref: SD212928
HuMP ID: G/HLD-047 QTH Locator: IO84JH
Book: The Outlying Fells Lat: 54.324532 Long: -3.211733

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I initially started looking at this set of hills due to my Top 30 Oldest Activated Summits post recently. It looked possible to do several in a day, possibly the whole lot. I also noticed there was a road ‘Kiln Bank Cross’ that traversed the cull between Stickle Pike and Raven’s Crag and thought this would be a nice one to do on the new motorbike.

The road was covered in a lot of debris but mostly in the centre between car tyre tracks. Approaching from the South there is one gate but no issues with driving/riding and an easy ascent - nothing like Hard Knott or Wrynose for example. There is parking at the top for four or five cars.

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Free parking in the Lake District!

In my infinite wisdom, having swapped motorbike gear for walking gear, I somehow managed to leave the handheld in the bike - and was questioning whether I brought it at all - and having got half way up the ascent to Stickle Pike I decided to press on and just do the one. It was cold and windy on the ascent but having gained around 150m of height you reach the summit with nice 360 degree views. Of particular interest was the view toward Dow Crag and the Old Man who I’ve not seen from this direction before and look completely different looking ‘up the nose’.

What I did have with me was full HF gear and static VHF - IC-705, RM Italy HLA-150V amp, 4.2AH LifePo, SOTA Beams Band Hopper IV Inverted V Antenna, a homebrew 17m/15m/12m/10m Inverted V, a SOTA Beams 10m Compact Travel Mast (I drop ‘lightweight’ from the description of the mast, because it isn’t!) and a Spectrum Communication SlimG. I noted that this particular antenna and mast combination is actually slightly heavier than my Chameleon MPAS2.0! However, these dipoles are fully resonant and have provided me with some excellent DX in the past. The Chameleon - as good (and especially convenient) as it is - can’t quite match in my opinion.

Recently on HF activations where I know I’m going to spend a couple of hours on the Summit I’ve also spotted for Parks on the Air. The whole Lake District National Park is one park in the programme: G-0165. Previously I’ve done this to try and get some transatlantic contacts, but more recently I’ve found increasing interest from UK and EU stations, and this activation was quite early for our US friends. Stickle Pike is also a HEMA G/HLD-047 and I see no reason not to give everyone points in their favourite programmes.

With regard to the bands - there was solar storm which was surpressing the lately very lively 10m band - and most of the stations I could hear were big contesters. Of surprise was 40m which was exceptionally good Inter-G, Richard 2E0XGO for example was booming in from Whitehaven and the coverage spread well into Europe, up to around 2,000km.

Stringing the Band Hopper IV on this summit proved a challenge and at the end of the activation whilst packing up I apologised to a guy having a break but that ended up in a nice chat about the surrounding fells - and advice to descend on the road the same direction I came in rather than tackle a couple of wet, gravel covered hairpins in the other direction. I’m still getting used to the weight of this new bike so was also very happy that a nice young lady held the gate open for me on the descent! I also had a nice chat to a fell runner and there was a family exploring the summit too - I was surprised it was so popular being well off the beaten tourist track.

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It was lovely to get Douggie @g7cda and Sue in the log @g1ohh1, Geoff @GM4WHA was once again a most excellent chaser being one of the few I could hear on a very poor 80m band and much stronger on 40m. Esther EI6KI (normally GI0AZA) was a great WWFF contact as well as many other regulars.

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I will be returning to these fells, it would make a lovely spring walk, with just the handheld to tick them all off my list.

Mark.

All photos here.

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TIME CALLSIGN BAND MODE RST RSR OPERATOR SIG REF
10:11 SV8QDJ 10m SSB 55 55 Dima
10:13 EA8DKV 10m SSB 59 57 ALEXIS
10:20 EA2EVM 17m SSB 59 59 Cesareo
10:21 SO5CAL 17m SSB 59 59 Arek
10:21 IV3GVY 17m SSB 59 59 Maurizio
10:21 EA2ERT 17m SSB 59 59 Loren
10:22 EA9IB 17m SSB 57 57 PEDRO
10:23 OH3GZ 17m SSB 59 59 JUKKA
10:24 IZ0WXS 17m SSB 59 59 VIRGINIO
10:25 IZ1HIY 17m SSB 59 59 Ettore
10:26 VA1MA 17m SSB 59 57 Mark
10:27 IU4PUG 17m SSB 59 59 Guido
10:28 YO6CFB 17m SSB 44 42 “Lacy”
10:29 F4CYQ 17m SSB 59 59 David
10:30 IU1DOF 17m SSB 59 58 Mario
10:32 IK1GPG 17m SSB 59 59 Massimo
10:32 EA7KNK 17m SSB 59 57 DAVID
10:33 2E0YYY/P 17m SSB 59 59 Mike GMA M/SP-001
10:35 IU2EBO 17m SSB 59 56 Giorgio
10:35 IU3OJA 17m SSB 59 59 Alex
10:37 IK5AEQ 17m SSB 55 55 Luca
10:39 OH2CTG 17m SSB 58 57 Petri
10:41 EA4GJP 17m SSB 55 55 Angel
10:42 SP4NPI 17m SSB 59 59 Adam
10:46 EA4GJP 15m SSB 59 59 Angel
10:46 SP8QC 15m SSB 59 59 Andrzej
10:47 CT1DYH 15m SSB 59 59 Carlos
10:50 YT4ZZ 15m SSB 59 59 Radic
11:13 G1OHH 2m FM 59 59 Sue
11:14 G7CDA 2m FM 59 59 Douggie
11:15 G6LKB 2m FM 59 59 David
11:16 M7MCG 2m FM 58 53 Micah
11:57 G0RQL 80m SSB 59 57 DON
11:58 M0OMC 80m SSB 57 57 H.A.R.C.
11:59 GM4WHA 80m SSB 59 59 GEOFF
12:02 EI4KT/M 80m SSB 55 55 Esther WWFF EIFF-0021
12:06 G7VJA 80m SSB 59 58 Ken
12:06 G1DIF 80m SSB 59 58 NORTH
12:12 G3VCG 40m SSB 59 59 DON
12:14 PD4US 40m SSB 59 59 Wim
12:14 GW3YQP 40m SSB 59 59 Chris
12:14 G7VJA 40m SSB 59 59 Ken
12:16 G4NAQ 40m SSB 59 59 Clive
12:16 G0BFJ 40m SSB 59 59 J.
12:18 G4PFK 40m SSB 59 59 Graham
12:18 M0KHT 40m SSB 59 59 Keith
12:20 MM0HCD 40m SSB 59 59 Fraser
12:22 G6AEK 40m SSB 59 59 Dave
12:22 G4XXH 40m SSB 59 59 Ray
12:24 G5VHF 40m SSB 59 59 Dave
12:25 ON4CB 40m SSB 59 59 Kurt
12:26 ON5MA 40m SSB 59 59 Nick
12:27 PD2GCM 40m SSB 59 59 Gerard
12:27 G0RQL 40m SSB 59 59 DON
12:28 M0OMC 40m SSB 59 59 H.A.R.C.
12:28 M7GNR 40m SSB 59 59 Barry
12:28 2W0FLW 40m SSB 59 59 Derek
12:28 ON3QRP 40m SSB 59 59 Frank
12:29 ON7GR 40m SSB 59 59 Guido
12:29 M1DLS 40m SSB 59 59 Joe
12:29 M0ICR 40m SSB 59 59 Carl
12:30 F4ILH 40m SSB 58 58 JEAN
12:30 ON3UA 40m SSB 59 59 Jurgen
12:31 GM4WHA 40m SSB 58 59 GEOFF
12:31 M0HQL 40m SSB 59 59 Stephen
12:31 PA2CVD 40m SSB 58 59 Cor
12:31 M0BKV 40m SSB 59 59 Damien
12:32 M6ANW 40m SSB 59 59 Steven
12:32 G0FVH 40m SSB 59 59 David
12:33 2W0DSP 40m SSB 59 59 Andrew
12:34 GI4SZW 40m SSB 59 59 Shamus
12:35 G6LKB 40m SSB 59 59 David
12:35 G3VFF 40m SSB 59 59 Don
12:36 EA2TW 40m SSB 44 55 Jon
12:36 PD3RL 40m SSB 59 59 Alex
12:37 GI0BFD 40m SSB 59 59 Alwyn,
12:37 IK1GCB 40m SSB 55 55 AMEDEO
12:39 M0DXT 40m SSB 59 59 William
12:40 2E0XGO 40m SSB 59 59 Richard
12:41 DL1MDU 40m SSB 57 57 Dipl.
12:42 M0JOW 40m SSB 59 59 David
12:42 F5LWF 40m SSB 58 59 Bernard
12:43 EI6KI 40m SSB 59 59 Laurence
2 Likes
2

I’ve had little luck on the last two activations where I tried 80m - a solar flare for sure on one, maybe both. I see the Band Hopper IV supports 80/40/30/20, a good compromise if one has just the one linked dipole.

But with so many summits being 80m-unfriendly I decided I needed two linked dipoles: I added 60m extensions to my Band Hopper III (40/30/20) and made a separate 80/60 linked dipole for ‘low band activations’ on suitable summits.

3

When I restrung the Band Hopper last time I added 60m links, so technically it is a Band Hopper 5.
One of the massive advantages of the Chameleon is its’ low footprint. I do often research new summits to see if the Band Hopper is going to fit. Yesterday it was strung past the summit cairnstone pile which is far from ideal - I normally try and keep them out of the way. I just wasn’t expecting the footfall.

I’ve had some wonderful chats with folk on 80m in the past, and like to provide the opportunity for folk to get contacts at all distances, but with 40m working so well at the moment it just isn’t necessary.

Regards
Mark.

4

Nice photo’s Mark.
Thanks for the contact on 2m and 40m.
Here are a couple of shots I took in 2012 from The Knott(LDO-079) looking back to
Stickle Pike(Raven’s Cragg) LDO-058 and from Raven’s Cragg across to Stickle Pike(Dunnerdale Fells)
LDO-055

David G6LKB

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1 Like
5

Also Great Stickle LDO-073 from trig point back out to the sea.

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2 Likes
6

Great photos Dave, and thanks to you too for your consistent chasing. You are so consistent it is easy to overlook your sterling service to the WOTA community. There have been several summits where you were the only contact.

Cheers, Mark.

7

Thanks for both 80m and 40m contacts. Stickle Pike and the other fells in Dunnerdale are not ones i can work on 2m from Annan so was good to get you. Great pictures from Dave to. It is a nice part of the Lake District to.

73’s Geoff GM4WHA

8

That’s the sole reason I decided to get an HF vertical. Never used one before. Despite the high price, I’m still very pleased I got a Chameleon [MPAS Lite] for its small footprint, robust construction, ease & speed of setup / tear-down and appearance most likely to invite curiosity questions from other walkers .

9

Mind, I’ve just bought a set of four Chameleon radials (second hand mind, they want £140 for a new set!) so for a better activation it will have a little bit more of a footprint than a single counterpoise.

M.

10

Mark, that’s the trouble with being a perfectionist. Me, I know the vertical is a performance compromise compared to my (linked) dipoles but it has all those advantages previously mentioned. I can be bothered only to roll out the one counterpoise.

Having said that, when I first got the MPAS Lite, I took it and my 20/10/6 linked dipole to a local hill to compare Rx on 20m. Switching quickly between them using an antenna switch I found no difference on some sigs, the MPAS slightly better on others, and the LD slightly better on others. That’s good enough for me although I don’t attempt to use the vertical below 10MHz.