Monday, 7 December 2015

Three on the Welsh Borders

Three on the Welsh Borders

04/12/2015

I’ve long been an advocate of joint SOTA activations. It’s a chance to share ideas, experiences and learning new routes in the company of someone who may know the area well. This is especially so if you are new to SOTA as so much can be learnt even in a day about equipment, operating procedures and possibly the most important point, safety on the hills.   Matt G8XYJ and now SOTA Mountain Goat had expressed an interest in joining me on some of the summits that I know well but as I would not be doing them until January I proposed that I would come across to Ludlow and hit some of his local summits for Winter Bonus….we had a plan.
Corndon Hill GW/MW-013…I started out early on Friday morning with the Sat-Nav set for SO 3018 9761 and our arranged meeting and starting point. Matt had already arrived and we soon kitted up and headed South a short way along the track then straight up the side to the summit.
Black clouds forming over Corndon Hill
The weather in the UK has been rather unpleasant of late but conditions today were not too bad although there was a strong wind blowing and rain clouds were blowing towards us as we reached the summit…we quickly got the activation underway.  Matt has devised an ingenious way of attaching his VHF antenna to a trig point and was quickly filling up his log before I’d set up the HF antenna. 
Matt getting ready for action
As I settled down to start on 60m Matt was calling to say that we had a couple of s2s lined up and very soon James MW0JCQ/p and John G4TQE/p were in our logs from their respective summits..thanks both.
TimeCallBandModeNotes
10:15zMW0JCQ/P144MHzFMJames s2s
10:17zG4TQE/P144MHzFMJohn s2s
10:20zG4APO5MHzSSBRoland
10:22zMM0GGI5MHzSSBJohn
10:24zG3RMD5MHzSSBFrank
10:25zG0NES5MHzSSBDon
10:26zG4WSB5MHzSSBBill
10:27zM0MDA5MHzSSBMick
10:27zG8MIA5MHzSSBAndy
10:27zG0TDM5MHzSSBJohn
10:28zM0JLA5MHzSSBRod
10:29zPF7M5MHzSSBJohan- Netherlands
10:30zPA1BR5MHzSSBPascal - Netherlands
10:30zG0VWP5MHzSSBTerry
10:35zG6TUH7MHzSSBMike
10:35zG4WSB7MHzSSBBill
10:36zON6ZQ7MHzSSBChristophe
10:37zG4OBK7MHzSSBPhil
10:37zM3FEH7MHzSSBKarl
10:38zG4IAR7MHzSSBDave
10:38zG0FEX7MHzSSBKen
10:38zG0RQL7MHzSSBDon
10:39zON4CCN7MHzSSBKurt
10:39zG0TDM7MHzSSBJohn
10:40zOK1AYD7MHzSSBJosef
10:40zDL2EF7MHzSSBFranz Josef
10:41zG0ELJ7MHzSSBDave
10:42zEA2CKX7MHzSSBPedro
10:42zHB9AGH7MHzSSBAmbrosi
10:43zG4WHA/A7MHzSSBGeoff
10:43zPB2T7MHzSSBHans
10:44zGM0AXY7MHzSSBKen
No, it's not that windy Matt
Stiperstones G/WB-003… I followed Matt to Stiperstones, we parked at SO 3692 9769 and headed up the nice easy walk to Manstone Rock. 
On our way
The Trig as we approach
I’d already been in contact via text with our mutual friend David MW0YDH/p and as we approached the summit we could hear him calling from Cadair Berwyn.  David was quickly in the log and as we finished with him John G4TQE/p was calling from his second summit of the day…in the log…thanks both…great stuff :)  On setting up my antenna broke so I stripped back to bare wire, tied a knot in it and with some insulating tape to support the joint I was ready for action on 60m.
TimeCallBandModeNotes
12:12zMW0YDH/P144MHzFMDavid s2s
12:17zG4TQE/P144MHzFMJohn s2s
12:35zG0NES5MHzSSBDon
12:36zG8VZT5MHzSSBDave
12:38zM0MPM5MHzSSBMichiel
12:43zM0MDA5MHzSSBMick
12:43zG0VWP5MHzSSBTerry
12:44zG0TDM5MHzSSBJohn
12:45zG4OBK5MHzSSBPhil
12:47zGI3SG5MHzSSBMartin
12:47zG0ELJ5MHzSSBDave
12:48zPA1JT5MHzSSBJan - Netherlands
12:51zG4FGJ5MHzSSBGordon
12:51zG0RQL5MHzSSBDon
12:56zG6TUH7MHzSSBMike
12:57zMOXVF7MHzSSBJeremy
12:58zON6ZQ7MHzSSBChristophe
12:58zDK7ZH7MHzSSBManfred
12:58zG0TDM7MHzSSBJohn
12:59zG0FEX7MHzSSBKen
13:00zM0IML7MHzSSBBarry
13:00zPA7ZEE7MHzSSBGeert
13:02zDJ6VM7MHzSSBBodo
13:02zPB2T7MHzSSBHans
13:03zEA2CKX7MHzSSBPedro
13:04zHB9AGH7MHzSSBAmbrosi
13:04zM0SAA7MHzSSBBarry
13:05zLA3NGA7MHzSSBHenning
13:05zG4CFS7MHzSSBGlyn
13:06zG4GEN7MHzSSB
13:06zDD5LP7MHzSSBEd
13:06zG0RQL7MHzSSBDon

 
G4VPX/p trying to drop the W from his callsign :)
Leaving the summit
Long Mynd- Pole bank G/WB-005….Once again following Matt we made our way to SO 4208 9530 and the Shooting Box car park. It’s a very pleasant walk to the summit of this one along a well surfaced path and we were soon at the summit Trig.  
Long Mynd-Pole Bank
Matt was quickly on to 2m but there were no s2s contacts for us this time. I set up and had a quick listen on 60m which seemed to be full of stations and our usual spot-frequencies being occupied…it was obvious our friends from the Netherlands were having a good time on their newly acquired band.  I quickly moved on to 40m and as Matt had finished on VHF he changed the links for me.  Matt has just purchased the same linear that I use so  I set mine up to give him a demonstration…result…one big pile-up…thanks everybody.
14:57zDD5LP7MHzSSBEd
14:57zG0RQL7MHzSSBDon
14:58zG4WSB7MHzSSBBill
14:58zDL3HXX7MHzSSBLothar
14:58zG6TUH7MHzSSBMike
14:59zHB9AGH7MHzSSBAmbrosi
14:59zLA3NGA7MHzSSBHennig
15:00zEA2DT7MHzSSBManuel
15:00zEA2CKX7MHzSSBPedro
15:01zEB2JU7MHzSSBJose
15:01zF4HMI7MHzSSBJean
15:01zG4VWP7MHzSSBTerry
15:02zG0TDM7MHzSSBJohn
15:02zM0MDA7MHzSSBMick
15:03zDL2HWI7MHzSSBDietmar
15:03zF5PLR7MHzSSB
15:04zDL4TO7MHzSSB
15:04zSO7BIT7MHzSSBBartek
15:04z2E0KVJ7MHzSSBDavid using new callsign
15:04zM1SMH7MHzSSBStuart
15:05zPB2T7MHzSSBHans
15:06zOE7PHI7MHzSSBHansjoerg
15:07zON7DQ7MHzSSBLuc
15:07zG4AFI7MHzSSBAndrew
15:08zG0WFH7MHzSSBChristopher
15:08zHB9MKV7MHzSSBRudi
15:09zGM7TUD7MHzSSBJim
15:09zRA3OA7MHzSSBPavel
15:10zPA7ZEE7MHzSSBGeert
15:11zG4WHA/A7MHzSSBGeoff
15:11zDL5AX7MHzSSBJuergen
15:11zG6LKB7MHzSSBDavid
15:12zDK7ZH7MHzSSBManfred
15:12zDL1JEE7MHzSSBFrank
15:13zEA3EVL7MHzSSBPablo
15:14zM0JLA7MHzSSBRod
15:14zDL6BBR7MHzSSB
15:15zG1BLJ7MHzSSBSteve
Matt..I was trying to get the Trig in the picture :)
It had been a great day…Matt and I never stopped talking as we found out that we had quite a few hobbies in common but the day was not over…..

We packed up and headed back to Ludlow arranging to meet up later at’ The Squirrel’ pub next to the Travelodge where I was staying for the night.  After a light meal we were on our way in Matt’s car to the Hereford Amateur Radio Club.  It was a Mince pies and Sausage rolls night and not only that we had a fascinating talk by Mike Allenson G3TGD (Malvern Club) on SMD and a chance to get some’ hands-on’ experience of working with these devices. It was great to meet the members as some were SOTA chasers and to have a chat once again with Rod M0JLA (SOTA MG) …thanks everyone. Matt and his dad gave me a demo of both D-Star and Fusion as there might well be a new repeater popping up close to me...watch this space. It had been a long day but a truly memorable one…joint activations are fun…thanks Matt..looking forward to the next one.
Thanks everyone for the contacts, spots and brief chats

73 Allan GW4VPX & Matt G8XYJ

I cancelled the following day's activations as I was nearly blown over twice in the first 100m attempting Titterstone Clee Hill....it'll be there for another day.
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