CUMBRIA RAYNET GROUP

Morecambe Bay & Bowland
Long Distance Walkers Association

Where Eagles Fly

Saturday 4th September 2010 

Introduction

Cumbria Raynet Group were asked by Morecambe Bay & Bowland, Long Distance Walkers Association to assist with their communications during this event.  The LDWA is an Association of people with the common interest of walking long distances in rural, mountainous or moorland areas. The Resilience Unit was the User Service for this event.

The Event

The “Where Eagles Fly” event was a 25 or 16.5 mile walk to be completed in 10hr. It started at Burneside Cricket Club then took walkers over hills to Longsleddale then to Mardale (where the Eagle flies) then back over Kentmere Pike and return to Burneside. Proceeds went to St John's Hospice, Lancaster.

Those who took part were :
Control at Burneside Cricket Club – John (G4ZBW), Steven (M3VYT) and Jean.
Talk through on Harter Fell – Alistair (2E0BEE) and Katie.
Check Point 1 at Sadgill, Longsleddale - Richard York (G6ZGH) from North Lancs Raynet.
Check Point 2 at Mardale Head – Stuart (2E0BKV), John (G4ISS) and Sally.
Check Point 3 at Green Quarter, Kentmere – Norman Dickinson (G0FZA) and Paul Bradshaw (M6APB) from North Lancs Raynet.

The weather was very good and there were few incidents of consequence. One walker found that he could not  go any further after reaching Mardale Head and there was some anxiety in regard to how the organisers might help him get back to Kendal as there were no transport  arrangements in place; this was resolved. Another walker was concerned that she might not be able to complete the walk as her shoes were falling apart but nevertheless did eventually finish the 25 miles. Aside from the event we did report a road traffic accident in Kentmere to the police; there was no mobile phone reception in Kentmere.

Operationally it was of considerable interest. Contact on 2m between Harter Fell and all other operators was near perfect at all times. There was no signal between Control (at Burneside) and Mardale Head and weak, intermittent or no signal between Control and Longsleddale. There was no line-of-sight between Harter Fell and Control and 70cm link was intermittent; there appeared to some “refraction” of the signal early in the day and when the sun was out, but 70cm reception generally was unreliable; a talk-through was therefore abandoned and all communications were conducted on 2m with Harter Fell effectively taking over as Control. When check point 2 closed Harter Fell stood down as there was good 2m reception between Kentmere and Control at Burneside for the final leg of the event.

On a personal note this was of considerable value as it was the first event I (G4ZBW) had organised. Also, although “impressive”, the two Yagi beams on the Land Rover at Burneside were cumbersome and not particularly useful; in poor weather conditions or in an emergency this configuration would be impractical. In future one of the Group’s colinears would be a far more practical proposition particularly in an emergency or if G4ZBW was functioning as event Control or operating a talk-through.

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almost there ..

proving we didn't drive up!

Harter Fell 70cm talk-through

(intermittent!)/Control.

Heard on the day...

It must be an important match
the BBC are here!