Wrynose to Coniston

M0NOM · 10 April 2022 17:46

An early start for me today - my friend Mike 2E0YYY had arranged a sked with two Australian stations - Ernie VK3DET and Ian VK3YFD. As Mike was to be on a HEMA summit, Old Man of Mow, G/HSP-020 I thought I would attempt a contact from a local HEMA Summit Swirl How - this is also a WOTA. With a considerably greater ascent than Mike I had to opt for the IC-705 with the Super Antenna, lightweight tripod and external battery for 10w.

Arriving at the top of Wrynose, parking next to the new Three Shires Stone, at 6:47am I was treated to some wonderful sunrise colours.

The path to Swirl How is a steady ascent, knowing that once you have gained the altitude you keep it for the rest of the ridge line - for the most part - to the Old Man of Coniston.

Great Carrs

WOTA ID: LDW-045	Height: 780 m (2559 ft)
SOTA ID: n/a	Grid ref: NY270008
HuMP ID: n/a	QTH Locator: IO84KJ
Book: The Southern Fells	Lat: 54.397286 Long: -3.124527

Stopping at Great Carrs I had to download the panorama extension of the camera app on my phone since an update I thought I’d give out a call and Douggie @G7CDA was straight there. Had I been able to hang around for 10 mins Geoff @GM4WHA would also have been in the log. Sorry Geoff, but Mike was already in QSO with Ernie and Ian so I needed to press on to setup HF on Swirl How.

Great that Douggie was on the radio however, as that meant the WOTA was activated!

TIME	CALLSIGN	BAND	MODE	RST	RSR	OPERATOR	SIG	REF
06:52	G7CDA	2m	FM	57	57	Douggie

The walk to Swirl How is all of 10 mins.

Swirl How

WOTA ID: LDW-033	Height: 802 m (2631 ft)
SOTA ID: n/a	Grid ref: NY272005
HuMP ID: G/HLD-049	QTH Locator: IO84KJ
Book: The Southern Fells	Lat: 54.394619 Long: -3.121373

There was a little snowman propped on the cairn stone pile to keep me company on Swirl How. Geoff called on the same frequency of the previous activation so the 2m activity was done early doors, although Sue @g1ohh1 came in a little later once Douggie had roused her!

TIME	CALLSIGN	BAND	MODE	RST	RSR	OPERATOR	SIG	REF
07:02	GM4WHA	2m	FM	57	53	GEOFF
07:05	G7CDA	2m	FM	59	59	Douggie
07:12	G1OHH	2m	FM	59	59	Susan
07:13	2E0YYY/P	2m	FM	55	55	Mike	HEMA	G/HSP-020
07:14	2E0KIO/P	2m	FM	55	55	Dom	HEMA	G/HSP-020
07:50	CR3DX	20m	SSB	59	59	Slovak
07:53	OH3GZ	20m	SSB	55	55	JUKKA
08:16	2E0KIO/P	10m	SSB	59	59	Dom	HEMA	G/HSP-020
08:17	2E0YYY/P	10m	SSB	59	59	Mike	HEMA	G/HSP-020

Although I could hear both VK3 stations 59 at times my 10 watts couldn’t quite make it. Shame, but it was good to get a HEMA S2S with both Mike and Dom on 2m, 20m and 10m. It was bitter cold and I needed to wrap up well and keep the gloves on. I set the Super Antenna up close to the cairn stone pile so I could get some protection from the Westerly wind.

Brim Fell

WOTA ID: LDW-037	Height: 796 m (2612 ft)
SOTA ID: n/a	Grid ref: SD270985
HuMP ID: n/a	QTH Locator: IO84KJ
Book: The Southern Fells	Lat: 54.376617 Long: -3.123962

About 20 minutes later I arrived at Brim Fell, after the only significant descent and ascent on the ridge line.

By this time there were more folk on the radio and it was great to get most of the regular chasers in the log. First time on any of these summits for me up to The Old Man of Coniston.

TIME	CALLSIGN	BAND	MODE	RST	RSR	OPERATOR
09:06	G7CDA	2m	FM	59	55	Douggie
09:07	G6LKB	2m	FM	59	59	David
09:08	GM4WHA	2m	FM	42	57	GEOFF
09:09	GW4ZPL	2m	FM	59	55	John
09:09	G1OHH	2m	FM	59	59	Susan
09:09	G0TDM	2m	FM	55	21	John
09:10	GM1VLA	2m	FM	55	57	Tony

Coniston Old Man

WOTA ID: LDW-030	Height: 803 m (2634 ft)
SOTA ID: G/LD-013	Grid ref: SD272978
HuMP ID: n/a	QTH Locator: IO84KI
Book: The Southern Fells	Lat: 54.370355 Long: -3.120712

The draw of SOTA, and use of HF again meant plenty of contacts on the Old Man. I thought HF was quite poor and that was verified with a K index of 7 - the highest I’ve ever seen it on a summit. So for the most part it was the bigger chaser stations that I got in the log, although I did manage to bag a few S2S including Robert on his second ever SOTA activation on St Sunday Crag (he was clearly in awe of the Lake District) and Shane right at the end on Grayrigg Forest.

TIME	CALLSIGN	BAND	MODE	RST	RSR	OPERATOR	SIG	REF
09:26	M0RWX/P	2m	FM	59	59	Robert	SOTA	G/LD-010
09:32	GM4WHA	2m	FM	59	52	GEOFF
09:33	G6LKB	2m	FM	59	59	David
09:34	2E0LDF	2m	FM	57	53
09:36	G7CDA	2m	FM	59	59	Douggie
09:37	GW4ZPL	2m	FM	59	55	Colin
09:37	G1PIE	2m	FM	59	59	MARK
09:38	G6AEK	2m	FM	59	59	Dave
09:40	M0TRI	2m	FM	59	53	Andrew
09:43	GW3YWP	2m	FM	57	59	Chris
09:44	G4UME	2m	FM	59	59	HUGH
09:57	OE6GND	20m	SSB	59	55	GERHARD
09:58	S52CU	20m	SSB	55	55	Mirko
09:58	EA5K	20m	SSB	59	55	Miguel
09:59	F5JKK	20m	SSB	59	55	Éric
10:00	CT1DIZ	20m	SSB	59	59	JOSE
10:01	OH3GZ	20m	SSB	59	59	JUKKA
10:08	CT2GSN/P	20m	SSB	55	55	JOAO	SOTA	CT/MN-035
10:11	F4IVP/P	20m	SSB	59	54		SOTA	F/AM-369
10:15	SA4BLM	40m	SSB	59	52	Lars
10:16	LA9DSA	40m	SSB	55	31	Knut
10:17	EA2CKX	40m	SSB	59	53	PEDRO
10:18	EA2DT	40m	SSB	53	44	Manuel
10:23	CT2HOV	17m	SSB	59	51	Nuno
10:25	SV2HJW	17m	SSB	53	57	KOSTAS
10:37	G6WBS/P	2m	FM	59	59	Shane	SOTA	G/LD-038

A great morning in the Lakes, a proper walk long over due. I took the tourist trail back down into Coniston where I met Alex and Brooke - Alex kindly offering to collect me here and return to pick up the car at Wrynose. I don’t often manage linear walks but this was one very special ridgeline, best done in one direction only! Highly recommended!

GM4WHA · 10 April 2022 19:34

Hi Mark,

What a great set of photos. The fells around Coniston Old Man i have wanted to do since the start of WOTA. Like you i wanted to start from the 3 shires stone to do them.

If i had been 10 minutes earlier i would have got you on Great Carrs but the main thing was you qualified it. Your aerial on your handheld does extremely well as the path from my QTH to the Coniston Fells is a poor one so the signal reports were quite good considering.

Thank you for the summits i worked you on.

73’s Geoff

GM4WHA

PhilM0AYB · 11 April 2022 09:40

A great report indeed, including clever graphics too. Regarding VK, I suspect a wire dipole antenna might help: I could hear a VK station on 20m yesterday afternoon, but with a whip and magmount on the car, couldn’t get through. Understandable, I guess, but I’ve resolved to try a dipole for my next parked / ‘mobile’ operation. The next solar maximum should help with global DX of course, but isn’t expected until 2025. Wire antennas on the fells are cumbersome, though, to say the least! 73, Phil

M0NOM · 14 April 2022 08:45

Thanks for the comments @PhilM0AYB. As it happens I’ve used both the Super Antenna MP1 and a SOTABeams Band Hopper IV wire dipole to make contacts with Australian stations.

The first being from Lanzarote - on two separate activation’s I got Australia in the log using the Super Antenna MP1 and my FT-817! There is a report here: Activation of Montaña Colorada on Lanzarote.

Admittedly the radio path is probably better from Lanzarote than the Lake District.

My Australia contacts in the Lake District were early one morning on Red Screes - using the Band Hopper IV and an FT-857 100w. I suspect if I’d had 100w available on this trip I might have made contact.

Thanks, Mark.