GW/SW-001 Pen y Fan

GW/SW-001 Pen y Fan

05/01/2017

Testing my new 80m loading coils

The weather forecast was for a nice day and with MWIS..Mountain Weather Information Service ( http://www.mwis.org.uk/ ) confirming this we made our way to the car park at SN 988198 South of the Storey Arms Centre.  It was -5 C when we left the car but the sun was shining although we were in the shade as we walked up which meant it was still quite ‘chilly’.  

My GPS route...just short of 2 miles to summit

On our way...Corn Du in the distance

We were late on summit as it was quite a tricky journey up trying to avoid the icy patches which was once snow compacted my many hundreds of boots and shoes.   

Val reaching Bwlch Duwynt...always very windy here...

Right for PyF (in the distance) and left for Corn Du

Slippery path

Nearly there

Val...nearly there :)...

I also somehow missed a spot and an s2s with John MW0XOT/p on Great Rhos…more than likely it was when we were walking alongside Corn Du where you  tend to loose signals for a while…sorry John.  Even before I had set up I was straight into an s2s using the handheld with John TQE on Moel  y Gamelin ..5/3 each way …thanks John. There was a breeze on top so the temperature was probably  -7C to -10C…thank goodness for a little protection afforded by  a bank of peat partly eroded by the weather…we didn’t deploy the bothy bag as we were quite comfortable.

11:24z	GW4TQE/P	144MHz	FM	John s2s
11:45z	MW6BWA/P	144MHz	FM	Viki s2s
11:47z	GW1BXX/P	144MHz	FM	Adrian s2s
11:49z	MW6BWA/P	433MHz	FM	Viki s2s 70cms
11:50z	GW1BXX/P	433MHz	FM	Adrian s2s 70cms

Now in 2016 I experimented quite a few times to get on to 80m by adding a wire extension to my 60/40/20m linked dipole from the 20m link….it worked very well but meant dropping and raising the fishing pole a few times too often during the activation and also there was the added problem of the lengthening of the antenna system.  I don’t carry or use an ATU on my activations so whatever I did would mean that this would have to be ‘plug and play’.  

My two 80m loading coils...black blobs are 'liquid tape' from Sotabeams

John G4YSS uses loading coils with good results so I thought that I needed to try this approach although my original intention was to make a trapped dipole using the Sotabeams traps ( have used trapped antennas for many years).  I had used loading coils many years ago on VHF and had read many ‘in depth’ articles with many coming to the same conclusion that in the spirit of ham radio you have to ‘try it and see’…this is the course that I followed and is very much ‘work in progress’

One of my  loading coils..on the 40/60m croc clips

11:57z	G0FEX	3.5MHz	SSB	Ken
11:58z	G0RQL	3.5MHz	SSB	Don
11:59z	G0VWP	3.5MHz	SSB	Terry
12:00z	M0MDA	3.5MHz	SSB	Mick
12:00z	G0GWY	3.5MHz	SSB	Geoffrey
12:00z	G6TUH	3.5MHz	SSB	Mike
12:01z	G4WSB	3.5MHz	SSB	Bill
12:02z	EI9GLB	3.5MHz	SSB	Jim
12:03z	G0PLP	3.5MHz	SSB	Don
12:03z	G4IAR	3.5MHz	SSB	Dave
12:03z	2E0KVJ	3.5MHz	SSB	Dave
12:04z	G0HIO	3.5MHz	SSB	Mike
12:05z	2E0SCS	3.5MHz	SSB	Steven
12:06z	G4TYD	3.5MHz	SSB	Tim
12:07z	G3RDQ	3.5MHz	SSB	David
12:07z	G7BGA	3.5MHz	SSB	Geoffrey
12:08z	EI3GYB	3.5MHz	SSB	Michael
12:10z	G4WHA/A	3.5MHz	SSB	Geoff
12:11z	G0TDM	3.5MHz	SSB	John
12:12z	G0FVH	3.5MHz	SSB	David
12:13z	M6HMK	3.5MHz	SSB	Helen
12:14z	G4FGJ	3.5MHz	SSB	Gordon

I set up the antenna and clipped the coils into place on the 40/60 croc clips, plugged in the MX50 linear to the FT817….sent a spot for 3.760 (resonates around this part of the band and upwards) and was delighted when Ken G0FEX answered my call with a 5/7 signal report.  With a steady flow of WAB and SOTA chasers giving me reports of 5/7 to 5/9 I knew all was well although signal strengths reports tended to drop off towards the end and the last caller Karl M3FEH never made my log despite me hearing him at 5/3..ah well, as I said work in progress but at least I’m up and running on 80m if this is the way band conditions are going..we’ll see… What made me really happy was a text from my friend Matt G8XYJ saying that "You're a thumping signal on 80m! Listening on Hack Green SDR at......" ...made me smile..thanks Matt.

We set up well away from the summit cairn...very busy summit as usual

Unclipping the coils and clipping back the 40/60 links I was away on 60m with some returning for a contact on this band as well…thanks everyone.

12:25z	G0GWY	5MHz	SSB	Geoff
12:26z	EI3GYB	5MHz	SSB	Michael
12:26z	MW0JLA/P	5MHz	SSB	Rod s2s
12:27z	EI9GLB	5MHz	SSB	Jim
12:28z	G0LGS	5MHz	SSB	Stuart
12:29z	G4IAR	5MHz	SSB	Dave
12:29z	G0FEX	5MHz	SSB	Ken
12:30z	G0RQL	5MHz	SSB	Don
12:31z	G8VNW	5MHz	SSB	Nick
12:32z	GI8SKN	5MHz	SSB	David
12:33z	DL3HXX	5MHz	SSB	Lothar
12:33z	G4YTD	5MHz	SSB	Tim
12:34z	G0HRT	5MHz	SSB	Rob
12:35z	G4WHA/A	5MHz	SSB	Geoff
12:36z	G6DFM	5MHz	SSB	John

Repeated ‘last calls’ meant an end to my HF activation and really time to leave the summit as we had been on summit for at least an 1 hour and 20 minutes…time to go but not without some summit pics.

Val..well wrappd up to keep warm :)

As I approached the summit cairn I heard a mobile calling on 2m….as nobody was replying I gave him a call which brought in other 3 contacts and a Summit to Summit with Terry on Fan Fawr…really time to go now as the sun was disappearing behind the clouds and it was really cold…brrr J

13:18z	2E0MDJ	144MHz	FM	Matt
13:20z	MW6LPU/P	144MHz	FM	Lee
13:25z	2W0MFD/P	144MHz	FM	Terry s2s

Cribyn (HuMP) and Waun Rydd GW/SW-004 in the far distance

Black Mountain and Hay Bluff distant

Uneventful walk down but as we were having our lunch in the car we had an unexpected visit…a Blue Tit on the scrounge..we happily obliged :)  oops the one below is a Great Tit...he was fed also :)

Very friendly......

My activation set up:-  (HF) Yaesu FT817 (5 watts) (4Ah LiPo),  UK-MX 50M linear (for 817) and 12V 9.2 Ah Lithium Ion battery,  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..another cold one J

73 Allan GW4VPX