Hegdon Hill Hike - G/WB-023 SOTA (2021)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Friday 18th June, 2021.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Hegdon Hill, Welsh Borders, England.
Summit ID: SOTA reference G/WB-023 (1 point).
Summit Height: 255m elevation, 157m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 52.18197, -2.60798. Maidenhead Grid IO82qe.
Distance: 0.1km travelled with 3m of ascent.
Difficulty: Drive on summit.
Elapsed Time: 15m (including operating).
Weather: 22°C, 7 mph SW wind, 68% humidity.
Radio Equipment: Yaesu FTM100D, MFJ-1714, Zippy 4200mAh 4S LiFePo4.
Callsign Used: M1HAX/P.
Contacts: 7 (2m FM).

Trip Notes

Hegdon Hill is a modest summit in the Welsh Borders region, rising to 255 metres with a prominence of 157 metres. Situated on the border between Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, the hill offers panoramic views of the surrounding countryside when visibility is good.

This activation was the second part of a two-summit day trip, following my earlier activation of Burton Hill (G/WB-020). Unlike most SOTA summits which require at least some hiking effort, Hegdon Hill is what SOTA enthusiasts call a “drive-on summit,” meaning the activation zone can be reached with no to minimal walking from the car park.

I approached from the south and parked my car on the roadside where there’s just enough space to safely accommodate a single vehicle. The parking location is almost within the SOTA activation zone itself, making this one of the most accessible summits in the area.

From the car, it was a matter of crossing a few metres into the adjacent field, which falls within the activation zone. The true summit and trig point are located in private land a short distance away, but the SOTA rules only require operation from within the defined activation zone, not necessarily from the absolute highest point.

I set up my VHF station using the Yaesu FTM100D mobile transceiver with the MFJ telescopic antenna mounted on a convenient fence post. Despite the minimal effort required to reach this activation point, the hill’s modest elevation still provides reasonable radio coverage for VHF operations.

During my brief 15-minute activation, I managed to make seven contacts on the 2-metre band, which was a satisfactory result for such a quick setup. The highlight was a summit-to-summit contact with Ben (2W0BML) who was operating from Allt y Main (GW/NW-059) in North Wales.

While Hegdon Hill satisfied my goal of adding another SOTA point to my activator score, it was not particularly remarkable as a hill experience. For SOTA enthusiasts looking to accumulate points with minimal physical effort, or those with mobility limitations, Hegdon Hill represents an excellent opportunity. However, those seeking the traditional SOTA experience of combining hillwalking with amateur radio may find more satisfaction in the region’s other, more demanding summits.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Hegdon Hill on Friday 18th June, 2021.

Station Log

I logged the following 7 amateur radio contacts operating as M1HAX/P from G/WB-023 Hegdon Hill on Friday 18th June, 2021 (all times shown are UTC):

In the notes field I will usually log the other operator’s name and the signal report they provided. In accordance with the Summits on the Air rules, I do not make a log entry where a complete exchange of callsigns and signal reports was unsuccessful.

Additional Information

The following resources may be helpful to walkers, mountaineers and SOTA activators interested in Hegdon Hill:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for G/WB-023 Hegdon Hill.
• Hill Bagging UK Summit Page for Hegdon Hill.
• Google Earth view of Hegdon Hill.
• Wikipedia entry for Hegdon Hill.

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