Thursday 20 August 2015

GW/NW-030 Moel Cynghorion



More than airwave action today

GW/NW-030 Moel Cynghorion

18/08/2015

Val and I came off Moel Eilio yesterday and decided to pop down to the car park at the beginning of the Snowdon Ranger Path SH5643 5506. As expected it was full so an early start would be required the following morning to ensure a parking space for the day as I was not too happy about leaving the car on the main road....it would cost us £5 for the day:(  Later in the evening Simon G4TJC sent me an e-mail reminding me to get there early...thanks Simon.
My GPS track
By the time we were ready to leave the car park in the morning it was already full so Snowdon was in for a busy time again as it was once more a glorious day. About half way up the zig-zag we were treated to a fly past by a pair of F-15 fighter planes leaving me wishing that I had my SLR camera with me today. 
 F-15 above Llyn Cwellyn
The path was very busy and we surprised quite a few when we turned left off the track at SH5743 5529 and cut up towards the bwlch between Foel Goch and Moel Cynghorion....we looked back and it was surprising how many had stopped wondering if they were going the right way for Snowdon :) It’s a 3.76km walk to the summit but a very pleasant one with glorious views towards Snowdon, Llanberis and South towards Beddgelert and Moel Hebog. 


Llyn Cwellyn
Towards Cwm Clogwyn and Snowdon
Towards Beddgelert and Moel Hebog
As I was setting up we had a visit. A helicopter was flying around Snowdon and moving around Llyn Coch and the cliff face below Snowdon as if searching the area. We assumed it was a Police helicopter but very soon it headed directly for us hovering just above us... a wave from the pilot and it was away towards Moel Eilio. Turned out to be an Eurocopter Squirrel of the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire.
Eurocopter Squirrel
I was straight into 60m today as Rod M0JLA/p was on 5.398.5 from G/WB-017 Shobdon Hill and tendering my apologies for not being able to hear Viki on 2m....thanks Rod. I announced a QSY with Jonathan confirming that he would spot me....thanks Jonathan.  60m was really working well today..incidentally,  the linear does not work on 60m.
10:22z
M0JLA/P
5MHz
SSB
Rod s2s
10:25z
GW2HFR
5MHz
SSB
Jonathan
10:27z
GW4ENB/P
5MHz
SSB
Clive
10:29z
G4ZRP
5MHz
SSB
Brian
10:29z
G8MIA
5MHz
SSB
Andy
10:30z
GM0AXY
5MHz
SSB
Ken
10:31z
GM4YMM
5MHz
SSB
Christine
10:31z
GM4COX
5MHz
SSB
Jack
10:32z
G4WSB
5MHz
SSB
Bill
10:32z
G0RQL
5MHz
SSB
Don IO70uv
10:33z
MW0YCC
5MHz
SSB
Alun
10:34z
G4APO
5MHz
SSB
Roland
10:35z
M0TVU
5MHz
SSB
Paul
10:35z
GW6OVD
5MHz
SSB
Mal
10:37z
G8TMV
5MHz
SSB
Colin
10:37z
G0VWP
5MHz
SSB
Terry
10:38z
GW6DGU
5MHz
SSB
Roy
Moel Eilio behind me
Llanberis Path and a couple of trains heading up
With Roy GW6DGU being the last caller I moved quickly on to 40m as Hans HB9BQU/p was calling from HB/SZ-039 Unter Gibel...another s2s in the log....thanks Hans. A quick spot via RRT and Barry M0IML kicked off a good run of regular chasers...thanks everyone.
10:50z
HB9BQU/P
7MHz
SSB
Hans s2s
10:52z
M0IML
7MHz
SSB
Barry
10:54z
PA7ZEE
7MHz
SSB
Geert
10:55z
G4WSB
7MHz
SSB
Bill
10:56z
LA3NGA
7MHz
SSB
Henning
10:56z
G4FEX
7MHz
SSB
Ken
10:57z
G6TUH
7MHz
SSB
Mike JO00bx
10:57z
DL8DXL
7MHz
SSB
Fred
10:58z
MX0WFF
7MHz
SSB
David G0WOU
10:58z
EA2DT
7MHz
SSB
Manuel
10:59z
DL3HXX
7MHz
SSB
Lothar
10:59z
EA2LU
7MHz
SSB
Jorge
11:00z
ON4QM/M
7MHz
SSB
Rik
11:00z
SM6DER
7MHz
SSB
Sten
11:01z
DK5WL
7MHz
SSB
Heinz-Josef
11:01z
PA2CVD
7MHz
SSB
Cor
11:01z
MW0BYT
7MHz
SSB
Ross
11:03z
G0WOU
7MHz
SSB
David
11:03z
PA3EVY
7MHz
SSB
Willy
11:05z
2E0DIQ
7MHz
SSB
Andy
11:05z
DK7ZH
7MHz
SSB
Manfred
11:05z
G0VWP
7MHz
SSB
Terry
11:06z
F5PLR
7MHz
SSB

11:07z
PA0B
7MHz
SSB
Rob
11:09z
DL8DXL
7MHz
SSB
Fred
11:10z
DJ8BK/P
7MHz
SSB
Dieter
11:12z
EA2BD
7MHz
SSB
Ignacio
Snowdon and the Snowdon Ranger path
It went quiet on 40m but RRT informed me that there was a possibility of an s2s with Inge and Reithaler on HA/KD-003 Kozepso-Hajag (20m) ....in the log ...thank you both. Now Simon G4TJC/p had been making a long but steady slog up to Moel Hebog GW/NW-014..he got there eventually and a very much out of breath Simon made it into my log :)..thanks Simon.(see Simon's blog..link in 'My blog list')
11:24z
HA/OE5IRO/P
14MHz
SSB
Ingeborg s2s
11:27z
HA/OE5RTP/P
14MHz
SSB
Reinthaler s2s
11:33z
GW4TJC/P
144MHz
FM
Simon s2s
 Towards Glyder Fawr
As it was such a nice day I decided to go onto 20m so links changed and linear on I spotted myself. Surprise, surprise first in the log was Sean MW3PZO down near Blaenau Festiniog followed by an all mighty pile-up of chasers. This was a troubled visit to 20m as QSB was spoiling some of the contacts so I hope all the callsigns are correct.
11:43z
MW3PZO
14MHz
SSB
Sean
11:43z
EA2DT
14MHz
SSB
Manuel
11:44z
HB9AGO
14MHz
SSB
Hansruedi
11:44z
YO2LGH
14MHz
SSB
Curtu
11:45z
OK1VM
14MHz
SSB
11:45z
HB9AGH
14MHz
SSB
Ambrosi
11:45z
OK1SDE
14MHz
SSB
Borek
11:45z
OK3KW
14MHz
SSB

11:48z
RA1AVP/1
14MHz
SSB
Alexei
11:49z
UA1ANE
14MHz
SSB
Ostapenko
11:49z
S58AL
14MHz
SSB
Albert
11:50z
SQ5NAZ
14MHz
SSB
Kamil
11:50z
SO9EWA
14MHz
SSB
Henryk
11:51z
IK2ZJR
14MHz
SSB
Antonio
I was glad to get off 20m as it had been difficult as I had to repeat my callsigns and locator so many times. I decided to give a call on 2m to end the activation and was pleasantly surprised to hear my friend Jeff GW3UZS/p replying. He was down near Cardigan so another good contact. As I was preparing to pack up RRT informed me that Andy FMF was on 60m from G/SC-001 Dunkery Beacon, so a quick link change and he was in the log...thanks Andy.
11:57z
GW3UZS/P
144MHz
FM
Jeff
11:59z
MW0BYT
144MHz
FM
Ross
12:01z
MW3PZO
144MHz
FM
Sean
12:02z
GW4ZPL/P
144MHz
FM
John
12:07z
MW0PAD/M
144MHz
FM
Paddy
12:17z
M0FMF/P
5MHz
SSB
Andy s2s
On our way home we noticed the usual crowd of aircraft enthusiasts lined up on the hillsides above the ‘bwlch’ leading down the valley to the Tal-y-Llyn Lake (Cad E and Cad W –Mach Loop).  Now this forms part of the renowned ‘Mach Loop’ (Google it) so today I pulled in at the car park SH7530 1358 and went to get my little camera from the boot.... jumped out of my skin as an RAF Hawk screamed over head...missed opportunity :( ‘Patience is virtue’ and it paid off as within 15 minutes an RAF Typhoon came down the ‘bwlch’ edge on...now I pressed the button on the camera but I thought it had switched itself off and I had missed another interesting photo opportunity...I was wrong because when I checked at home there it was :)

Many thanks everyone for the contacts. The weather is not looking good for the next couple of days but fingers crossed for next week and a few more NW summits.

73 Allan GW4VPX