GW/SW-006 Fan Gyhirych

 GW/SW-006 Fan Gyhirych

18/04/2021

HF bands in poor shape

It’s a long 3 mile trek from the North but a good work out for the legs. I did the double last year incorporating Fan Nedd into my route GW/SW-007. My legs voted against that this year.

My GPS track

Parking at SN931 884 (don’t block the gate) I set off a little bit apprehensive as to what shape the HF bands would be in as there had been some solar activity.  A request from Matt G8XYJ to test access into GB3VM kept me entertained on the way up finding several points where I got into the repeater on Clee Hill near Hereford.

My target..Fan Gyhirych GW/SW-006

Pen y Fan GW/SW-001 and Corn Du

Getting closer

The summit

I’d carried the ‘flowerpot antenna’ for 4m to the summit and was disappointed when only two fellow Carmarthen Amateur Radio Society members came back to my call....thank you both. I’d publicised the fact that I would be on 4m but evidently nobody else could hear me. I could hear other stations but they were in QSOs. I have come to the conclusion that I need more power than the 7.5watts the Wouxon KG-UV8G is giving out as the antenna seems to be working well. Time to think this one out and return to 2m and HF for the foreseeable future. Great run on 2m and an s2s as an added bonus.

10:08	MW0INC	70MHz	FM	Ian
10:09	MW0VLO	70MHz	FM	Barry
10:20	M0WOF	144MHz	FM	Matt
10:22	GW6OVD	144MHz	FM	Mal
10:25	2W0JMK	144MHz	FM	Mark
10:27	GW4XUE	144MHz	FM	Dave
10:28	G4WTF	144MHz	FM	Ian
10:29	2E0RYR/A	144MHz	FM	Roger
10:30	MW0OFA	144MHz	FM	Frank
10:31	GW4ZHI	144MHz	FM	Bryn
10:32	2E0BTR	144MHz	FM	Geoff
10:38	GW4TGT	144MHz	FM	Terry
10:40	GW7FBV	144MHz	FM	Stephen
10:42	GW4HQB/P	144MHz	FM	Phil s2s GW/MW-013 Corndon Hill
10:44	G4TCI	144MHz	FM	Mike
10:45	GW1BXX	144MHz	FM	Adrian

 

My setup for the day

My friend Bryn GW4ZHI had gone ‘portable’ a few hundred meters from his house and was the only chaser to get me on 60m which just wasn’t working. Things improved on 80m with Bryn kicking off a brief pile up and reports that I could not be heard on 60m.

11:01	GW4ZHI/P	5MHz	SSB	Bryn
11:09	GW4ZHI/P	3.5MHz	SSB	Bryn
11:11	M0JLA	3.5MHz	SSB	Rod
11:12	G4WSB	3.5MHz	SSB	Bill
11:12	G0FEX	3.5MHz	SSB	Ken
11:13	MW0OFA	3.5MHz	SSB	Frank
11:14	G0RQL	3.5MHz	SSB	Don
11:16	2W0LLJ	3.5MHz	SSB	Jenny
11:16	MW0VLO	3.5MHz	SSB	Barry

 

New battery today

I had a listen on 40m which had some loud stations and quite a bit of noise so I decided to move up to 20m.  A good run of chaser and an s2s with Markus with 5/5 each way. It soon went quiet.

11:27	F5JKK	14MHz	SSB	Eric
11:29	M0ROL	14MHz	SSB	Andrew, Bruton
11:30	OM1ALT	14MHz	SSB	Michal
11:31	OH3GZ	14MHz	SSB	Jukka
11:32	EA1DHB	14MHz	SSB	Ricardo
11:32	MW0VLO	14MHz	SSB	Barry
11:33	EA7GV	14MHz	SSB	Jose
11:34	SM5LNE	14MHz	SSB	Jan
11:35	IN3ADF/P	14MHz	SSB	Markus s2s I/AA-204
11:36	SP9AMH	14MHz	SSB	Mariusz
11:38	S57ILF	14MHz	SSB	Franci

 

Lifted the end of antenna today which improves VSWR

I decided to give 40m a go and as soon as my spot was up Manuel EA2DT was there followed by Ray HB9DHA and then silence which gave me the chance to pick up Colin M0NVJ/P on View Edge for my final contact of the day...time to pack up..let's hope the bands improve in the near future...thanks everyone.

11:42	EA2DT	7MHz	SSB	Manuel
11:44	HB9DHA	7MHz	SSB	Ray
11:46	M0NVJ/P	144MHz	FM	Colin s2s G/WB-018 View Edge

 

Fan Brycheiniog GW/SW-003 in the distance

Cray Reservoir below

Cray reservoir from NE face of Fan Gyhirych

My activation set-up

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

HF Antenna – End-Fed 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 FT270 2m-FM (5watts) into a ‘Slim G

4m-fm  rig:-  Wouxon KG-UV8G (7.5 watts) into ‘flowerpot’ antenna 

Thanks everyone for the contacts

73 Allan GW4VPX