Thursday 19 January 2017

GW/SW-013 Tor y Foel

GW/SW-013 Tor y Foel

18/01/2017

80m pile-up :) ....Please read previous report of earlier activation of Fan Nedd

Not having  alerted for this one I quickly sent an Alert to Sotawatch before leaving the summit of Fan Nedd although I did have to alter the time whilst driving around to the parking spot. The mist was still hanging around and it looked as if we would be in for a damp and miserable summit.
Our route to the summit...park at SO109187
On our way up...looking back at Talybont Reservoir
Summit cairn..still in need of a rebuild
First in the log was Viki who was eagerly awaiting my contact. Unfortunately 70cms was a non-starter but nevertheless we manged to exchange signal reports on 2m…thanks Viki. I never did manage to catch Rod and although he was spotted on 40m I could not hear him…sorry Rod.
15:05z
M6BWA/P
144MHz
FM
Viki s2s

Setting up in the mist
Setting up the 80m coils in the mist I was soon into a nice run of chasers with mostly excellent reports both ways.  I had swapped my 4Ah LiPos  around as the one running the linear on Fan Nedd was more or less depleted but capable of running the FT817 on 5watts for quite a while…the plan worked.
15:15z
G3XKT
3.5MHz
SSB
Tony
15:17z
G0RQL
3.5MHz
SSB
Don
15:18z
G8ADD
3.5MHz
SSB
Brian
15:18z
2E0KVJ
3.5MHz
SSB
Dave
15:19z
M0MDA
3.5MHz
SSB
Mick
15:19z
G0VWP
3.5MHz
SSB
Terry
15:20z
MM0XPZ
3.5MHz
SSB
SW
15:20z
M0TPG
3.5MHz
SSB
Tony
15:21z
M3FEH
3.5MHz
SSB
Karl
15:22z
G3OS
3.5MHz
SSB
Andrew
15:22z
G0BOM
3.5MHz
SSB
AJ
15:24z
2W0RDD
3.5MHz
SSB
Robert
15:24z
EI9GLB
3.5MHz
SSB
Jim
15:25z
G6TUH
3.5MHz
SSB
Mike
15:25z
G0GWY
3.5MHz
SSB
Geoff
15:26z
G8VNW
3.5MHz
SSB
Nick
15:27z
G8BIG
3.5MHz
SSB
M
15:27z
G1BLJ
3.5MHz
SSB
Steve
15:28z
G7HEM
3.5MHz
SSB
Mike
Working the pile-up
The run of chasers came to an end so I had a quick listen on 60m and found that it was very busy with nowhere to slot in…first time I’ve had that happen to me.  In the mean time Val had poured a cup of coffee which we drank before I heard Adrian calling on 2m.  I decided to answer him for a brief chat. It was nice to get Richard G4ERP in the log quickly followed by an anticipated s2s with John MWXOT/p  on Sugar Loaf GW/SW-011…thanks John.   I heard Bill GW4WSB calling but not from a summit.. ..it transpired that Bill was in his car having had to visit the summit of Mynydd Troed for a second time as he had forgotten his phone at the trig….he was not amused.

15:31z
GW1BXX
144MHz
FM
Adrian
15:34z
G4ERP
144MHz
FM
Richard
15:37z
MW0XOT/P
144MHz
FM
John s2s
15:43z
GW4WSB
144MHz
FM
Bill
15:46z
MW0MZM
144MHz
FM
Mark

Packing up time
The mist was really closing in now and even though it was only 15:45 it was getting dark so I pulled the plug and we headed down hill for another nice cup of coffee and some sandwiches before heading for home.
Car in sight ?
My activation set up:-  (HF) Yaesu FT817 (5 watts) (4Ah LiPo),  UK-MX 50M linear (for 817) and (4Ah LiPo),  3 band link dipole (60/40/20 (+15m extensions +80m loading coils),  (VHF) Yaesu FT270 (5watts) into a ‘cable tie’ dipole.. Antenna support - 7m Fishing pole.

Thanks everyone for the contacts
73 Allan GW4VPX

GW/SW-007 Fan Nedd

GW/SW-007 Fan Nedd

18/01/2017

First of a double activation

Looking at the Alerts on Sotawatch the previous night I thought I would be the only activator out on the hills and mountains of Wales the following day….how wrong can you be.  Half way up Fan Nedd a WAB Facebook posting by Karl M3FEH alerted me to the fact that others had decided to come out and play radio :)  
Our route to the summit-park at SN923196
Summit in the distance
Mist moves in
First in the log as I arrived at the trig on Fan Nedd was Bill GW4WSB/p with a 5/9 each way from Mynydd Llangorse GW/SW-015..thanks Bill. The summit was busy as young soldiers were on a navigation exercise and one of their checkpoints was in a tent next to the trig. I sent a spot via RRT and had a nice run on 80m…I had expected more as the band was in good shape…thanks to everyone that called in.
11:01z
GW4WSB/P
144MHz
FM
Bill s2s
11:08z
G0VWP
3.5MHz
SSB
Terry
11:09z
MI0RTY
3.5MHz
SSB
Martin
11:10z
G4FGJ
3.5MHz
SSB
Gordon
11:11z
GB2IWM
3.5MHz
SSB
Colin
11:12z
M6MUU
3.5MHz
SSB
Steven
11:14z
G4AYF
3.5MHz
SSB
Tony
11:17z
G8VNW
3.5MHz
SSB
Nick
11:18z
G7HEM
3.5MHz
SSB
Mike
Checking RRT before setting up the FT817..checkpoint tent left ...trig right
A quick change of settings on the antenna i.e. taking off the coils and replacing the 60m links saw me quickly into a nice run of chasers on 60m. Mixed signal reports although Michael DJ5AV was in the log  with 5/5 sent and 3/7 returned.
11:29z
G0ELJ
5MHz
SSB
Dave
11:30z
G8ADD
5MHz
SSB
Brian
11:31z
G0FEX
5MHz
SSB
Ken
11:31z
G0VWP
5MHz
SSB
Terry
11:32z
G4WHA/A
5MHz
SSB
Geoff
11:32z
M0NTC
5MHz
SSB
Gez
11:33z
G0HRT
5MHz
SSB
Rob
11:34z
G4TJC
5MHz
SSB
Simon
11:34z
G0TDM
5MHz
SSB
John
11:35z
DJ5AV
5MHz
SSB
Michael
11:36z
G1ZGZ
5MHz
SSB
Richard
11:38z
G0RQL
5MHz
SSB
Don
11:39z
G6ENN
5MHz
SSB
david
A flurry of s2s followed so thanks to Viki, Rod (G/WB-002 Brown Clee Hill) Mal and Ian (GW/SW-003 Fan Brycheiniog) for making my log. 70cms worked well between Viki and myself although I did have to plug in the FT817 as I had left my 70cms HH at home…the FT817 is certainly a versatile rig.
11:40z
M6BWA/P
144MHz
FM
Viki s2s
11:44z
M6BWA/P
433MHz
FM
Viki s2s 70cms
11:46z
GW6OVD/P
144MHz
FM
Mal s2s
11:47z
2W0IWM/P
144MHz
FM
Ian s2s
11:57z
M0JLA/P
5MHz
SSB
Rod s2s
We had been on summit for just over an hour so still feeling quite warm I decided to see what condition 40m was in…proved quite fruitful for both inter-G and across to Europe.
12:02z
MW0VKD
144MHz
FM
Kevin
12:03z
2W0RRM
144MHz
FM
Robert
12:13z
G0GWY
7MHz
SSB
Geoff
12:14z
M6HMK
7MHz
SSB
Helen
12:14z
G0VWP
7MHz
SSB
Terry
12:15z
EA2CKX
7MHz
SSB
Pedro
12:15z
PA0SKP
7MHz
SSB
Sake
12:16z
G3RDQ
7MHz
SSB
David
12:16z
G3VCG
7MHz
SSB
Don
12:17z
DJ9BX
7MHz
SSB
Michael
12:17z
G0FVH
7MHz
SSB
David
12:18z
HB9BXE
7MHz
SSB
Hans-Peter
12:19z
ON7MD
7MHz
SSB
Michel
12:19z
PE1PIC
7MHz
SSB
KeesJan
12:20z
PA0B
7MHz
SSB
Rob
12:20z
OE5JKL
7MHz
SSB
Karl
12:20z
MM0XPZ
7MHz
SSB
SW
12:21z
G1BLJ
7MHz
SSB
Steve
12:22z
G0FEX
7MHz
SSB
Ken
12:23z
GM4COX
7MHz
SSB
Jack
12:25z
G0HIO
7MHz
SSB
Mike
12:26z
GW7MMG
7MHz
SSB
Philip
12:26z
M0MPM
7MHz
SSB
Michiel
12:29z
IW3AGO
7MHz
SSB
Heinrich
12:42z
GW4WSB/P
144MHz
FM
Bill s2s
Just as we were about to leave the summit Bill GW4WSB/p came in with a booming signal from Mynydd Troed GW/SW-009 having crossed the road for the usual double activation of Troed and Llangorse…thanks Bill.
Heading back to the cairn and the descent to the car

My activation set up:-  (HF) Yaesu FT817 (5 watts) (4Ah LiPo),  UK-MX 50M linear (for 817) and (4Ah LiPo),  3 band link dipole (60/40/20 (+15m extensions +80m loading coils),  (VHF) Yaesu FT270 (5watts) into a ‘cable tie’ dipole.. Antenna support - 7m Fishing pole.
Thanks everyone for the contacts

73 Allan GW4VPX