Monday 26 April 2021

GW/SW-001 Pen y Fan

 

GW/SW-001 Pen y Fan

26/04/2021

The summit all to myself…. well not quite

My assumption was right that there wouldn't be too many people around on Pen y Fan (GW/SW-001) today if I got there early. I arrived at the car park and it was more or less empty.

Very quiet car park

My GPS track

On my way

Looking back at the car park and Fan Fawr GW/SW-005 across the valley

PyF straight ahead...Corn Du and Crybin either side

Quiet summit

Just an hour and 5 minutes to reach the summit which was a record for me so fitness levels are returning I hope. With HF bands in such a poor state it was a 2m-fm activation which maybe explains the rapid ascent with no HF gear in the rucksack 😀.

 

My VHF set up.

Good run of chasers

26 in my log with two s2s with John GW4TQE/p and Mal GW6OVD/p. Thanks to Frank MW0OFA for the spot as I couldn't find the time to put one up myself such was the flurry of initial callers. My friend Dave GW4XUE from Carmarthen had called me initially so I answered and asked him to QSY and so did the rest of the chasers.


My Log

Busy now as I prepare to leave the summit

Llyn Cwm Llwch below PyF  and Corn Du


Cribyn, Fan Big and Waun Rydd GW/SW-004 in the distance

 

Towards Ponsticill Reservoir and Cefn yr Ystrad GW/SW-008


My activation set-up

VHF Antenna support – 4m Life’s a Breeze Glass Fibre Fishing pole

(VHF) Yaesu FT2 2m-FM (5watts) into a ‘Slim G

Thanks everyone for the contacts

73 Allan GW4VPX

Saturday 24 April 2021

GW/SW-041 - Black Mountain

 

GW/SW-041 - Black Mountain (6 points)

23/04/2021

Cold breeze but the sun was shining

My target for the day from the parking spot at SO239372

Getting warmer now

More cars in the parking area now


Twmpa or Lord Herford's Knob with Pen y Fan in the far distance

I altered my Alert to try and get Carolyn in my log with an s2s. I could hear her calling ‘CQ SOTA’ from Sugar Loaf as I left the trigpoint at Hay Bluff.  A quick call to her to let her know I was on my way to the summit brought back the reply that she would hang around on the frequency until I entered the activation zone…thanks Carolyn.

Hay Bluff trigpoint with Pen y fan just visible in the haze

I’d forgotten that in the past the phone signal would be iffy if you were sitting down and it was only when trying to send a spot that I remembered. I think the last time Val had spotted me whilst standing up…anyway I was soon away on 2m when the spot eventually left my phone.

09:54

GW6WRW/P

144MHz

FM

Carolyn s2s Sugar Loaf GW/SW-011

10:15

G7SAI

144MHz

FM

Ellis

10:16

G4WTF

144MHz

FM

Ian

10:18

2W0BTR/P

144MHz

FM

Geoff s2s beacon Hill GW/MW-009

10:20

M5RJC

144MHz

FM

Rick

10:22

G3RMD

144MHz

FM

Frank

10:25

G1NCS

144MHz

FM

Adrian

Once again the bands were not in the best of shape and I’d left the linear at home in favour of carrying an extra large flask for coffee and a couple of bread rolls to eat while I waited for friends to reach their summits….I seem to be on that s2s roll again.

Good run on 60m with 80m not really delivering but happy to get regular chasers in the log..thank you.

10:45

MW0OFA

5MHz

SSB

Frank

10:46

G0RQL

5MHz

SSB

Don

10:47

G4OBK

5MHz

SSB

Phil

10:48

G4WSB

5MHz

SSB

Bill

10:49

G4IPB

5MHz

SSB

Paul

10:50

G0VWP

5MHz

SSB

Terry

10:51

GI4OSF

5MHz

SSB

John

10:58

G0FEX

3.5MHz

SSB

Ken

11:00

MW0VLO

3.5MHz

SSB

Barry

11:01

2W0LLJ

3.5MHz

SSB

Jenny



I set up on the Welsh side of the Offa's Dyke Path

I’d heard some activity on 2m and without even a spot I called G1VQN as he was /p but not SOTA. I suggested a QSY frequency which suddenly became my ‘hotspot’ of s2s and regular chasers/activators…that was great fun and enjoyable…thanks everyone.

11:09

G1VQN/P

144MHz

FM

Karl

11:12

G4HQB

144MHz

FM

Philip

11:14

M6BWA/P

144MHz

FM

Viki s2s G/CE-003 Bredon Hill

11:15

2W0TDX/P

144MHz

FM

Neil s2s Tal y Fan GW/NW-040

11:16

2W0XYL/P

144MHz

FM

Karen s2s Tal y Fan GW/NW-040

11:17

M0JLA/P

144MHz

FM

Rod s2s Bredon Hill G/CE-003

11:18

G0DUQ

144MHz

FM

Rob

11:19

2E0GZN/M

144MHz

FM

David

11:20

MW0OFA

144MHz

FM

Frank

11:21

M6BWA/P

433MHz

FM

Viki S2s diff band

Time to move on as my frequency fell silent on 2m so a move to 40m was in order but not before a cup of coffee. My phone had manged to connect to a network and Mal GW6OVD had sent a ‘What’s App’ message so I tried to send one back to him asking him to spot me on 40m…it worked then I lost signal….short pileup on 40m but regular chasers and Rod throwing in an s2s on a different band.

11:54

F4WBN

7MHz

SSB

Christian

11:55

EA2DT

7MHz

SSB

Manuel

11:56

PA0B

7MHz

SSB

Rob

11:56

M0JLA/P

7MHz

SSB

Rod s2s diff band

11:57

EA1DHB

7MHz

SSB

Ricardo

11:58

DL3HXX

7MHz

SSB

Lothar

11:59

HB9DHA

7MHz

SSB

Ray

12:01

EA1DHB

7MHz

SSB

Ricardo agn

 

My set up once again

For 20m I chose a frequency then I got up and walked around, eventually getting a spot up on Sotawatch followed by a super quick return to my seating position and ‘CQ SOTA’. It worked and a nice run of chasers made my log including one s2s and a lovely contact Stateside with Edward NX4TT and confirmed later on the SOTA Database…thanks everyone.

 

12:10

S57ILF

14MHz

SSB

Franci

12:12

EU2MM

14MHz

SSB

Vladimir

12:12

SM5LNE

14MHz

SSB

Jan

12:13

ON7TWA/M

14MHz

SSB

Geert

12:14

SA4BLM

14MHz

SSB

Lars

12:15

OH3GZ

14MHz

SSB

Jukka

12:16

DL1CR/P

14MHz

SSB

Christoph s2s DM/NS-127

12:19

NX4TT

14MHz

SSB

Edward Rockledge USA

12:20

UW8SM

14MHz

SSB

Adrij


Another cup of coffee and as I scanned 2m I heard Malc MW0NLG on Trum y Ddysgl and during the QSO we were called by Colin GW1KGW/p on Snowdon so bonus s2s in the log…thank you both.  I’d seen that Tony MW5OTA/p was due on Mynydd Troed so I waited a few more minutes and he was soon in the log and a nice final entry for an enjoyable activation….just like the old days.

12:32

MW0NLG

144MHz

FM

Malc s2s GW/NW-024 Trum y Ddysgl

12:38

GW1KGW/P

144MHz

FM

Colin s2s Snowdon GW/NW-001

12:44

MW5OTA/P

144MHz

FM

Tony s2s GW/SW-009 Mynydd Troed

 

Some of my contacts for the day..no plot of the Stateside contact

My activation set-up

HF:- Elecraft KX2 (8 watts) and 4.2Ah LiFe

HF Antenna – End-Fed - 49:1 Unun with loading coil for 80m

HF Antenna support – 6m Sotabeams Carbon Fibre Fishing pole

******

VHF/4m Antenna support – 4m Life’s a Breeze Glass Fibre Fishing pole

(VHF) Yaesu FT2 2m-FM (5watts) into a ‘Slim G

Thanks everyone for the contacts

73 Allan GW4VPX