Fan Brycheiniog GW/SW-003

Fan Brycheiniog  GW/SW-003

202/04/2017

The ‘Viki effect’

Just had to get out as the weather man had promised a fine day and Viki M6BWA was creating a bit of SOTA history today.  It was Sunday and  Val was otherwise engaged with organ playing duties in a couple of chapels so I was on my own.

My target today

My route to the summit

Low cloud moving in...soon cleared

Heading up....Llyn y Fan Fawr below

Llyn y Fan Fawr below

I set up next to some bags of stone keeping away from the summit cairn as it would be busy today.  A spot on Sotawatch brought an immediate response from Andy FMF/p on GM/SS-155 Hill of Stake and after a brief chat I carried on calling…no response…the bands were suffering the effects of solar activity.   I was about to move frequency when up pops Victor ONL/p with another s2s from Slemish GI/AH-007..he couldn’t stay to chat has he had a slight antenna mis-match…then silence..I went to change the links.  I also monitored  4m fm early on and gave a few calls as there was supposed to be a contest in progress…nothing heard and no replies to my CQ……ah well.

In the sun and protected from the wind

My 2m handheld burst into life and I heard my callsign,  John XOT/p was out looking for us and he was soon in the log followed very quickly with an s2s with Adrian on GW/MW-001 Plynlimon…thanks both..summit qualified.  These contacts started a bit of a roll with Lee calling in to say he was on his way to a summit and friends and regular chasers calling in for the summit.  I quickly spotted myself on 80m with Don RQL coming back with a 5/5 and Don being 5/9… then a text from from Mike G6TUH in SE saying that he was going back to the garden as the bands were in a terrible state….no contacts after Don…

10:09z	MM0FMF/P	5MHz	SSB	Andy s2s
10:15z	GI4ONL/P	5MHz	SSB	Victor s2s
10:21z	MW0XOT/P	144MHz	FM	John
10:22z	GW4AZS/P	144MHz	FM	Adrian s2s
10:25z	MW6LPU/P	144MHz	FM	Lee
10:30z	MW3DLA	144MHz	FM	Aled
10:32z	2W0DSP	144MHz	FM	Andrew
10:34z	GW7MMG	144MHz	FM	Phil
10:39z	G0RQL	3.5MHz	SSB	Don
10:43z	GW6DGU	144MHz	FM	Roy
10:45z	EI/ON4TA/P	144MHz	FM	Filip s2s
11:03z	MW6BWA/P	144MHz	FM	Viki s2s
11:09z	MW0JLA/P	144MHz	FM	Rod s2s
11:09z	MW6BWA/P	433MHz	FM	Viki s2s diff band
11:14z	MW6LPU/P	144MHz	FM	Lee s2s
11:18z	2E0EFK/P	144MHz	FM	Tom s2s
11:22z	G6GGP/P	144MHz	FM	Paul s2s
12:07z	G7HEM/P	144MHz	FM	Mike s2s

I went back on to 2m and had a qso with my friend  Roy in Cardigan when  a booming s2s call came from Filip ON4TA portable over in EI land…he was soon in the log…thanks Filip.  Viki gave me a quick call to say they would be on Waun Fach GW/SW-002 in 15 minutes.

Viki and Rod were soon in the log with s2s from Waun Fach as was Lee MW6LPU/p who had gone out to catch us from Allt yr Esgair GW/SW-023.  Allt yr Esgair is not an easy VHF summit but Lee managed to qualify with 4 s2s…well done Lee.  

Busy summit...paths have been improved...looks like this is the next project

After calling several times during my stay on the summit I managed to get an s2s with Tom 2E0EFK/p on Ruardean Hill G/WB-021..this was Tom’s first SOTA activation…let’s hope it’s the first of many…thanks Tom.  Then someone called me with a booming  5/9 signal,  a very familiar voice with an unfamiliar callsign?  It was Paul (G4MD) over on Walton Hill using his G6 callsign..…well, we had a long chat :)  

Taken from Fan Foel

I’d been on summit for quite a long time and as I was packing up I was still monitoring 2m and listening to Viki on WaunFach when up pops Mike G7HEM/p for an s2s with her.  I’d heard Mike earlier but never managed to get him in the log.  A quick s2s call and thanks to Viki he was in the log. Another s2s presented itself as Viki asked if I could hear Stuart G0LGS on Cleeve Hill but sadly I couldn’t hear him so I congratulated her once again and headed down hill after going over to Fan Foel for a few summit pics .   I’ll let Viki announce her SOTA achievement……

Very busy down by the lake...on my way down

My activation set up:-  (HF) Elecraft KX2 (10 watts). Battery 4Ah LiPo ,  Antenna 3 band link dipole (60/40/20 (+15m extensions +80m loading coils),  (VHF) Yaesu FT270 (5watts) into a ‘cable tie’ dipole. Wouxon KG699E 4m.  Antenna support - 7m Fishing pole.

Thanks everyone for the contacts

73 Allan GW4VPX