Change of Plan - Great Orme

Old Reflector
1

We had big intentions - and alerts to match - of hitting Snowdonia for two days after sailing back from GI. However, as we landed at Birkenhead on the morning of Tuesday 1st April, the weather was horrible and Jimmy wasn’t feeling too well. I was rather tired having lay awake as the ship was thrown up and down many metres at a time during a rather rough crossing!

Jimmy and I decided to drive into Snowdonia anyway, and see if things improved. We arrived at the parking spot for Pen Llithrig y Wrach GW/NW-013 and Creigiau Gleision GW/NW-028, just in front of Tryfan GW/NW-006. Jimmy still wasn’t too sure about his tummy, and the weather was worsening. After much deliberation, we agreed on a cop-out plan of activating the Great Orme GW/NW-070 and heading home.

This meant we now had plenty of time to activate how we liked and play radio. After sticking the pay-and-display ticket in the car and walking up to the trig point, we then dropped down the other side of the summit, and loitered around the back of the summit complex and cable car terminus structures, deliberating on the best shelter from the considerable wind. We eventually settled on a grassy bank with a lovely view North East over the Irish Sea.

It turned out we were lucky. The rain never came all day, it was sunny, and we had total shelter from the wind. It was cold, but we donned two fleeces each under our jackets, so kept warm effectively.

I set up the lot. The 80m dipole and the 40m dipole were erected on the same fishing pole, so it had six lines radiating from it instead of the usual three! I then set up, for the first time, my new SB270 beam.

The results were:

GW/NW-070 Great Orme 1 point
1218 to 1630 UTC
MW1EYP/P: 80CW: 12 80SSB: 4 40CW: 16 40SSB: 2 2FM: 12 2SSB: 3 70FM: 1 70SSB: 1 70CW: 1
MW3EYP/P: 80SSB: 4 40SSB: 2 2FM: 5 2SSB: 5 70FM: 2

S2S with G4OWG/P on G/NP-028

74 contacts, 9 band/mode combinations. I also wanted to do 15SSB, 15CW, 6SSB, 6CW, 6FM and 2CW - but failed due to lack of condx/response.

The drive home was most unusual, in that it did not involve a lengthy queue on the A55 :slight_smile:

73, Tom M1EYP

2

In reply to M1EYP:

Hi again Tom,

Another good effort. You worked a lot of stations and after a sea passage which would have ‘jaded’ the likes of me good and proper.

I did the half-hour walk up there last Wendesday, from the Conference Ctr. on Llandudno Seafront. Took a 2FM H/H and aerial and set up near the trig behind a tiny building, using an umbrella as a mast. It was sunny too. I worked a couple of stations in the Wirral but was 90% ‘wiped out’ by the 2m repeater on the mast a few yards away. It was then time to rejoin the womenfolk in time for evening meal.

I was only ‘messing about’ and out for much needed excercise but it was not one of my better days for radio!

John (YSS)