Saturday 11 August 2018

GM/WS-001 Ben Nevis


GM/WS-001 Ben Nevis

11/06/2018

A long day….

It didn’t all quite go to plan. We initially started as a group of 5 but by 300m ASL Val felt the pace was a little too fast for her and decided to go back down.
On our way...crossing bridge by the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre

On our way
Val meeting up with Rhodri
As many will know the distance to the top from the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre is 5 miles and even if you are fit it is still a long haul.  Nevertheless she enjoyed her day talking to others who had also given up and reverted to waiting at the Centre for friends and family to return. However, she did have one joyous moment when she met Rhodri our son on his way up. He had started a good hour behind us as he had just arrived at Fort William on the Caledonian Sleeper from London. He had taken a taxi to the Ben Nevis Centre, picked up his rucksack from our car and set off in pursuit….incidentally he didn’t know he was carrying the HF linear and battery….he took an hour less than us to reach the summit…oh to be young again.
Leaving Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe

Looking back down at our route and Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe
Still climbing
Heading into the mist
The snow
The summit

We spent a few poignant minutes on the summit as Barry scattered a few of his wife’s ashes. Andi was also an experienced hill walker and Barry was fulfilling one of her wishes.

Rhodri arrived just as we were setting up the HF gear so we promptly plugged in the linear and immediately heard Rod M0JLA/p asking G8ADD if he had heard us as he had gone out specifically to get an S2S with us….thank you Rod.
 Activation

Rod was soon in the log and handed us his frequency. Despite a depressed Attenuator button on the KX2 we managed  to qualify on 60m picking up quite a few more on 40m. The bands were not in the best of shape and rapid QSB was a major problem.  

12:44z
M0JLA/P
5MHz
SSB
Rod s2s
12:47z
EI3GYB
5MHz
SSB
Michael
13:03z
G0RQL
5MHz
SSB
Don
13:05z
G4IAR
5MHz
SSB
Dave
13:14z
EA2CKX
7MHz
SSB
Pedro
13:14z
G4WSB
7MHz
SSB
Bill
13:14z
PA0INA
7MHz
SSB
Frans
13:15z
M3FEH
7MHz
SSB
Karl
13:16z
G8XDD/P
7MHz
SSB
Dave h2s
13:17z
G0ELJ
7MHz
SSB
Dave
13:18z
G0FEX
7MHz
SSB
Ken

Summit selfie
Mist clearing
Rescue Chopper...practice run
Long way down

Our Activation set up

 (HF) Elecraft KX2 (5 watts) and 4Ah LiPo

UK-MX 50M linear and 4Ah LiPo

 Antenna - 3 band link dipole (60/40/20 (+15m extensions +80m loading coils)

Antenna support - 4m Fishing pole.

Thanks everyone for the contacts
73 Allan GW4VPX and Barry M0IML

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