30 August 2004
GM/WS-277 - Creag na Doire Duibhe - 574m - NN615906 - 2 points
5 QSOs: 2m FM - 1, 40m CW - 2, 30m CW - 1, 20m CW - 1
This hill is best enjoyed as a horseshoe despite the undulating nature of the ridges. The corrie is boggy and anywhere near Loch Glas-choire doubly so. I found that out last time! A pleasant and easy outing though, starting as it does at over 300m ASL on the A889. Parking just up from Half Way House NN935910 and the return ridge deposits you on the road about 1km from the car. About an hour to the summit and an hour back along the longer northern ridge. The hill is positioned above the watershed and gives fine views both into Strathspey to the east and down Loch Laggan to the west.
I spent most of the time on the top listening to an aurora opening on 6m with a bunch of GI and LA stations coming through quite strongly on CW & SSB. Gripping stuff! The main purpose of this activation however was to test my new multi-band dipole which with a bit of fiddling is now resonant on 40/30/20/15/10/6 and even 2m (ish, with a hack using a bit of wire and a croc clip!). This with only two 'jumper points'on each leg. Next job is loading coils for 80 and top band in the footsteps of G4YSS.
After a natter with Eddie, GM4TGC down the road in Kincraig on 2m, EI7CC & G3ICO came back to my calls on 40m before I was trounced by QRM. A QSY to 7032 yielded nothing so up to 30m. There was strong data qrm on 10116 so called on 10120 and worked SP6TGI in Luban, Poland and then on 14062, YU1CA/QRP Beograd, Yugoslavia. Both getting 579 reports on 2.5 watts. Nearly worked a Russian, RK6 on 21028 but he faded out on his first over depite being 559 to start with. Nothing on 10m.
An enjoyable afternoon with only a spot of rain and a nice breeze to keep the midges away!
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