GW/SW-001 and 005 with MW0IML/p

GW/SW-001 Pen y Fan

28/02/2015

I’d been saving most of these summits until Barry came up but the two today would be the ‘icing on the cake’ with 20 points up for grabs. Weather forecast was for high winds and hill fog. As Barry was ‘on holiday’ I let him have the run of 40m on the summits and I would  use 2m and 60m – method in my madness . ....less work for me :)  Anyway, we made our way up from Storey Arms via SN004215 to Corn Du agreeing to return via the Beacons Way as a round trip. It was windy and my pole broke almost immediately so 2m was the order of the day.  34 contacts in total with 1 s2s with Franz ON9CBQ/p on ON/ON-006 La Croix Scaille – thanks Franz. 

Corn Du in the mist

GW4VPX/p and MW0IML/p... SW-001

 Wet and windy Pen y Fan

 GW/SW-005 Fan Fawr

28/02/2015 

  

Tea and burger opposite Storey Arms was the order of the day before tackling Fan Fawr. Conditions were not much better so I opted just for 2m and it was nice to hear Steve MW0BBU calling in – one of 6 contacts for me. No s2s for me but Barry managed one with Paul G6GGP/p  on G/WB-013 Garway Hill. 38 contacts between the two of us and we were both glad to get down off this one. 

  Heading for Fan Fawr - invisible in the mist

GW/SW-009 and 0015 with MW0IML/p

Joint activations with MW0IML/p in GW/SW.........................

GW/SW-009 - Mynydd Troed

27/02/2015

Barry had made his way up from Kent that morning and as soon as he arrived we  had some lunch and then made our way up to the summit. Although it was cold the sun was shining and during our brief activation we made 39 contacts including s2s with Pete GW4ISJ/p on GW/SW-008 Cefn yr Ystrad and Neil MW0ECX/p on GW/MW-003 Drygarn Fawr – thanks both.

 MW0IML/p

  

GW/SW-015 - Mynydd Llangorse

27/02/2015

As most activators will know this is summit is exactly opposite Mynydd Troed so with a quick cuppa at the cars we were on our way up again. 44 contacts this time with an s2s with Rod M0JLA/p  on G/WB-020 Burton Hill for Barry and Matt GW8XYJ/p on GW/SW-041 Black Mountain for both of us – thanks both.

 MW0IML/p and Llangorse Lake

GW/SW-002 -Waun Fach

Another cold one!

GW/SW-002 -Waun Fach

20/02/2015

Parking the car at SO187289 I made my way up Rhiw Trumau  towards the cairn at SO204286 then North and  up over Pen Trumau through the mist passing  the ‘woollen line’ on the way.

 Rhiw Trumau

 Misty ascent over Pen Trumau

This has been a project to regenerate growth after a fire burnt away grass allowing erosion to set in so well worth a visit to the website. (https://woollenline.wordpress.com/2012/06/03/walk/

 The woollen line

As I past the ‘woollen line’ it got increasingly colder and I could see that the grasses had horizontal icicles attached to them.  I then hit the snowline and decided that this would have to be a short activation in the ever strengthening  breeze and freezing mist.  

 Out of the wind....view from the office :)

Remnants of the trig

Finding a reasonable shelter  close to the concrete foundation of the old trig point I put on extra layers, set up the dipole and prepared to send a spot to Sotawatch via RRT. I was interrupted as 2m burst into life with a call from Mal GW6OVD  asking if I was on summit. With Mal in the log a call from Rod MW0JLA/p on GW/SW-008 ensured that full s2s points were collected so thank you Rod.

11:53z	GW6OVD	144MHz	FM	Mal
11:54z	MW0JLA/P	144MHz	FM	Rod s2s

I sent a spot saying that I would only be on 40m due to the cold and my visit soon got underway with 3 chasers in the log before another s2s presented itself.

12:05z	G6TUH	7MHz	SSB	Mike
12:05z	G3RXA	7MHz	SSB	John
12:07z	M0IML	7MHz	SSB	Barry

 Hiding out of the wind

 Mike 2E0YYY/p and Rob G7LAS/p were on G/SP-004 Shining Tor and both were soon in the log – thanks both.  With some wildly varying reports I had a feeling that something was not quite right with the Band Hopper 3 and I glanced quite a few times across both legs of the antenna as the VSWR rose slowly during the activation.

12:09z	G4WSB	7MHz	SSB	Bill
12:10z	M0MDA	7MHz	SSB	Mick
12:10z	G0VWP/M	7MHz	SSB	Terry
12:10z	G0TRB	7MHz	SSB	Roger
12:10z	G8MIA	7MHz	SSB	Andy
12:11z	DL3HXX	7MHz	SSB	Lothar
12:11z	CT1HIX	7MHz	SSB	Gomes
12:12z	G4APO	7MHz	SSB
12:12z	G6LKB	7MHz	SSB	David
12:12z	M6WSB	7MHz	SSB	Stephen
12:13z	M0BKV	7MHz	SSB	Damian
12:13z	G8VNW	7MHz	SSB	Nick
12:13z	DK7ZH	7MHz	SSB	Manfred
12:14z	G3RMD	7MHz	SSB	Frank
12:14z	M3FEH	7MHz	SSB	Karl
12:14z	EA1HMT	7MHz	SSB	Ignacio
12:15z	EA2CKX	7MHz	SSB	Pedro
12:15z	G4ASA	7MHz	SSB	Dave
12:16z	MW6GWR	7MHz	SSB	Ricky
12:17z	EA2CZF	7MHz	SSB	Jose
12:17z	M0IBC	7MHz	SSB	David
12:17z	G0ELJ	7MHz	SSB	Dave
12:18z	DL8DXL	7MHz	SSB	Fred
12:19z	DM2AL	7MHz	SSB	Andreas
12:20z	G4ZRP	7MHz	SSB	Brian
12:22z	G7CHB	7MHz	SSB	Roy
12:25z	ON6ZQ	7MHz	SSB	Christophe
12:27z	M0RMY	7MHz	SSB	Tom
12:28z	G0RQL	7MHz	SSB	Don

I tried to pass a few comments to some of the chasers  but it was evident that my signal not getting out as usual and as soon as everything went quiet I got up and went to take the antenna down. It transpired that there was a thick layer of ice on all parts of the antenna.  I thought of getting the camera and taking a picture of the ice but thought better of it and quickly bundled everything into the bag.  We have a saying in Wales....MoM (Mas o Ma) which means ‘Out of here’ so a quick ‘pack away’ and I was heading off the summit.   

 Ready to go...Mas o ma!

Now I usually have a cup of coffee and sandwich on summit but today I made my way down and after a nice QSO with Rod on 2m I opened the flask and sat in the comfort of the second little cairn at SO204286.

Thanks everybody for the contacts and s2s. Not sure when the next one will be but I will be out with Barry M0IML in GW/SW next weekend for at least six activations weather permitting.

73 Allan GW4VPX