GM4ZFZ/P - Mountain Adventures with a Radio

Mam na Gualainn, Tom Meadhoin & Doire Ban

9th October 2004

Just about managed to activate all three tops on Saturday with very variable conditions on HF. It was a fine day with eagle-eye views of the villages of Glencoe and Ballachulish (see photo) with respective dramatic backdrops. 2 watts into multiband dipole on HF & 0.5W into rubber duck for 2m.

GM/WS-173 - Mam na Gualainn - 796m - NN115625 - 4 points
4 QSOs: 2m FM - 1, 20m CW - 2, 40m CW - 1

Parked yet again at the West Highland Way access point (NN100667) but this time took the path through the woods by torchlight, roaring stags on the hillside adding to the already eerie atomosphere. Putting on my gaiters I managed to ford the river at NN110636 without too much seepage and heading up the steep hillside joined the stalkers path to the ridge and then up to the summit by 0715bst (about 2.5hrs). This is a pleasant hill.

It was really quite chilly and I was glad I had taken my fleece trousers and down jacket for their first outing of the season. After a chat with GM7PKT on 2m FM I set up on 40m but no G stations heard so wandered up to 20m and worked David, EA7/EI6AL and also Mike, RU3BL/QRP in Moscow. I spent quite a while struggling to find a fourth contact but eventually found Petr OK1FAQ/QRP on 40m who gave me a good report into the Czech Rebublic. Conscious of my tight schedule, I quickly packed up and left for summit #2.

The photo below (taken from Tom Meadhoin) show the West Highland Way snaking through the Glen with Mam na Gualainn on the right.

GM/WS-261 - Tom Meadhoin - 621m - NN087621 - 2 points - 0930-1000bst
4 QSOs: 40m CW - 4

Reached this summit about 1000bst and initially 40m seemed dead but returning after half hour elsewhere suddenly found I was getting a 599 report into Lichfield with G4EHT followed by Pete, EI7CC and Ken, GM0AXY in Edinburgh & G3MNS/P in Lincoln. So used to being alone on these lower hills I was surprised when a fellow walker wandered up and started chatting to me half way through my QSO with Pete EI7CC! Sorry if my sending was slightly erratic Pete!

GM/WS-280 - Doire Ban - 566m - NN090643 - 2 points - 1200-1230bst
4QSOs: 2m FM - 1, 40m CW - 3

I was pushed for time and knew I needed to make this a swift activation if I were to get down in time. I switched on the rig and heard GM7PKT/P straightaway on GM/WS-018 giving me QSO #1, then on 40m G3AIO (Pembury), DK6XM (Hamburg), and then, with difficulty, Pete EI7CC again to complete the activation. A quick call to the XYL assuring her I would be back home in time preceded a run down the hill back to the car in less than 30 mins!

This was an enjoyable circuit and particularly satisfying getting all 3 tops activated after frustrated recent attempts at these hills.

73, Jon
GM4ZFZ

Doire Ban

2nd October 2004

GM/WS-280 - Doire Ban - 566m - NN090643 - 2 points - 0730bst
3 QSOs: 40m CW - 2, 2m FM - 1

Feeling the need to blow away the cobwebs I decided to defy the wet and windy forecast but the weather won, eventually driving me off the hill and causing me to abandon the other two tops I was planning to activate.

Parking again at the West Highland Way access point (NN100667) at about 0630bst, I walked across the bridge and then sought to ford the stream issuing from Lochan Lunn Da-Bhra. This was in spate after all the rain and posed a problem until I discovered a plank and handrail just upstream from the ford (NN095664) which had previous evaded my headtorch beam. I gingerly picked my way through a couple of hundred metres of bog and, thinking I had reached the hillside proper, relaxed only to plunge thigh deep into what felt like a bottomless pit of runny sphagnum soup. Thankfully managed to lurch to the other side before sinking too deep and extracated myself before too much seeped into my boots. I was glad I had set out with full Goretex body armour!

The north ridge is a pleasant plod and teases with a few false summits before a little cairn announces the summit. There was a stiff wind but was actually quite dry and even bright when I reached the top at about 0745 a little behind schedule. Unfortunately my walking pole jammed so was operating with even lower dipole than normal at about 1.5m. A few minutes calling on 7.028MHz rasied G3RDQ in Andover also using only 2 watts but got no other responses so wandered up to 2m for a quick chat to Robin, GM7PKT. Back down on 40m I worked ON5 AG and then moved up onto the higher bands.

The weather then become really quite hostile as the winds intensified and heavy shower of horizontal sleet swept in. This combined with rising static levels had me collapsing the antenna and legging it off the summit for shelter. With no respite for 20 mins I wandered back up, packed up the antenna and called it a day!

Photo of this top in rather more pleasant conditions is at the bottom of the previous post below.