GW/SW-002, GW/SW-009 & GW/SW-015 – Three Peaks
Three fairly easy tops done in one day. Weather forecast not great but at least it had warmed up a bit. As it turned out it remained dry but overcast all day although the top of Waun Fach was in the cloud and sub zero.
Route
Waun Fach
There is no proper parking at Waun Fach, it is just a case of getting onto the verge somewhere, there is a reasonably wide and flat space just up the northern road from the junction. The climb is uneventful but enjoyable, better when it is clear on the tops and there is a view. There was still a few traces of ice around at higher elevations but nothing to affect progress. Above about 750m in the cloud the wind was blowing freezing fog which covered everything in a thick frost.
The top is fairly exposed with no real cover. There is a small rock at the summit just big enough to use as a bench but not enough to give any shelter. The large boulder that used to mark the summit has been removed although the erosion pit is still clearly visible if you know what you are looking for. I set up the station holding the aerial rather than guying it and soon had seven contacts in the log. The descent was straight forward and quicker than the ascent.
GW/SW-002 Log
Journey Details
Date – 13th January 2018
Postcode – LD3 0EU
Parking – SO 186 290
Radio – Kenwood TH-D74 + 50W PA on 2m
Antenna – 2 ele dipole
Band – 144 FM
Contacts – 7
SOTA points – 8 (+3)
Group – Myself
Walking Route Summary
Mynydd Troed
It’s a short drive from Waun Fach south to the col at the top of Cwm Sorgwm. There is parking easily for two cars only and both spaces were full. I tried to get on the verge just to the south west of the normal parking but managed to get the car stuck there on the soft wet ground. Eventually with a lot of heaving and some help from one of the other drivers I managed to get off and was able to take the space left by the driver who helped.
The walk up Mynydd Troed was uneventful. There had not been too much rain recently so the steep bit at the top was fairly dry which made it easier to climb.
It was quite windy at the top but just to the north of the trig point there are a couple of small depressions just the right size to provide some shelter. I set the station up there and called CQ. It took some time to make the contacts this time, at one point I didn’t think I would qualify the summit but with some perseverance I eventually made the four contacts required although generally the signal reports were down. This hill is lower than Waun Fach which lies to the East and tends to mask the signal. At this point I was seriously wondering whether it would be worth climbing Mynydd Llangorse if there was no activity. I had only alerted Waun Fach on the reflector so perhaps no one was expecting this activation. I packed the station away but when I came to the aerial I realised I had not extended the telescopic sections, ahh, that was why no one could hear me. Decided to go for Mynydd Llangorse after all.
GW/SW-009 Log
Journey Details
Date – 13h January 2018
Postcode – LD3 7UL
Parking – SO 160 283
Radio – Kenwood TH-D74 + 50W PA on 2m
Antenna – 2 ele dipole
Band – 144 FM
Contacts – 4
SOTA points – 4 (+3)
Group – Myself
Walking Route Summary
Mynydd Llangorse
Back at the car I soon ate lunch and after a quick change of batteries I set off up Mynydd Llangorse. It is an easy climb and I was soon nearing the top. As I reached the top I reached for my map to check my position but couldn’t find it, I must have left it in the car when eating my lunch. doh.. Unfortunately the summit reference was written on the top of the map so I now didn’t know the summit number. Well I wasn’t going to walk all the way back down again so I spent the rest of the walk to the summit trying to remember the summit reference and name. I did of course have a spare map in my bag so could look up the summit name on that.
I reached the cairn at the crossroads where I activated last time but could see that I could gain another couple of metres height if I continued another 100m along the path. Given the problems getting contacts on Mynydd Troed I decided that another couple of metres might make the difference so I continued on to the highest point.
I set up the station here, again holding the aerial pole rather than guying and this time I made sure I extended the aerial elements properly. Calling CQ a few times I was again met by complete silence. With perseverance I did eventually manage to make the four contacts required but it was hard work. Unfortunately the summit reference I gave out was wrong, I had decided this was summit GW/SW-013 but in fact it was GW/SW-015 so apologies to any chasers who have logged the wrong summit. I don’t think it makes any difference to points as they are both two pointers and no one else activated 013 that day. Signal reports were down again so I started to suspect that I may have blown the finals in the amplifier due to the high SWR when operating on Mynydd Troed. The route back down to the car was uneventful and I was soon on my way back towards home and looking forward to dinner.
GW/SW-015 Log
Journey Details
Date – 13h January 2018
Postcode – LD3 7UL
Parking – SO 160 283
Radio – Kenwood TH-D74 + 50W PA on 2m
Antenna – 2 ele dipole
Band – 144 FM
Contacts – 4
SOTA points – 2 (+3)
Group – Myself
Walking Route Summary
Overall Summary
The day was long but some very enjoyable walking. In total I managed to gain another twenty three points bringing me up to 150 so far.
When I got back I set up the amplifier and antenna in the back garden and checked the output. Power out was still about the same at around 85 Watts and SWR was around 1:1.2 so nothing wrong there. I was relieved not to have damaged the amp but still puzzled as to why I could hear people on the top but they could not hear me.