Today I, my Mum, her friend Cath and my Friends Edward and Hunter all went to Llandudno for a day-trip today. I decided that I and my friends would walk up and down the Great Orme GW/NW-070 while my Mum and her friend would visit Llandudno. This is first I’ve walked up the Great Orme. In previous activations we always drove up the car near to the summit and walked to the trig point from there.
I got up 6:30am and I ready just before my friend Hunter arrived. When Hunter arrived we both went up to the shop to buy some coffee beans and draw some money out. Both us went back to my house before my friend Edward arrives. We all had a brew and some of us had some toast. We all left my house and picked up my Mum’s friend Cath. We soon left Macclesfield to set off to Llandudno. On route we stopped in Knutsford to get some petrol and the first McDonalds in Wales to get some breakfast. When we got to Llandudno we packed the car on Hill Terrace which is road below the Great Orme.
From here my Mum her friend walked into the town centre while I and my friends started our walk to the summit of Great Orme GW/NW-070. We walked up the cul-de-sac and then the walk through the gardens up to the ski slope. We walked up the ski slope and made our way to the half way station. We walked passed the half way station and then walked the hill to the trig point.
I set up the SOTA beam and then called CQ and 145.500 fm. This called was answered by Glyn GW7SBO and us QSYed to 475. I struggled to work Glyn because of heavy qrm either from the transmitters or I had an intermittent radio problem, this continued through all my qso’s. I called qrz and Mike G4BLH answers, I called Mike and there no reply after. My next qso was with Alun 2W0CYM. My next qso was with Chris M1DTJ/P who I was struggling badly to contact and this contact might not be valid of Chris did not get my 51 report. My next contact was with MW0MON/M. After this there no takers, but I found a QSO on 475 which was my working frequency which I broke into. This answered by Glyn GW7SBO and I asked to work the other station which Dave GW0DXO which struggling very badly with and he was 21 when I was 59+. Thank you to Glyn GW7SBO for making this QSO possible. No more QSO’s were made after this.
I then packed the SOTA beam away and we descended back down to the half way station. From the half way station we followed the tram track all the way to Llandudno. When we in Llandudno we found a cafe to have lunch and the food was excellent.
After this we meet up with my Mum and her friend Cath I passed my walking gear onto my Mum to put back into the car. I and my friends went into a few shops to buy a few things. We then went into the arcade at the start of Llandudno pier and I won a £5 on the 10p machine. My Mum and her friend met us in the arcade and me and my friends walked up the pier to the end to it. We then returned to the arcade and my and her friend started to walk back to the car and we soon walked back to the car ourselves after me and my friend Hunter had a game of air hockey.
We then left Llandudno to set off back to Macclesfield via Sale. We stopped at Chester services to get a drink and clean the windscreen-wipers as they were squeaky. We then drove to Sale drop off my friend Hunter. We then drove home to Macclesfield where we dropped my friend Edward at the hospital as his Dad was there. We then dropped my mum’s friend Cath off and then me and my Mum returned home where loaded all the stuff into the house.
Apologies to anybody I wanted GW/NW-070 but didn’t work me and if my operating was poor and those that I struggled to work due to the QRM.
Thank you to all stations that I worked and my Mum for the day out.
Jimmy M3EYP
P.s-this report will eventually be found on my Dad’s M1EYP website which is http://tomread.co.uk/ and some photo will be there as well which were taken by my friend Edward.
No problem at all with your operating Jimmy and thanks for the contact, my report was received ok as you were 59 all the way once the beam heading was sorted. The Orme is a very hostile RF environment on 2m FM especially if you’re only using a handheld so it’s hardly surprising you struggled to copy even the strongest of signals.
I called qrz and Mike G4BLH answers, I called Mike and there no reply
after.
Hi Jimmy,
Your signal was 59 with me, but you said that I was on the back of your beam and that you would turn the beam. Unfortunately, when you did I lost your signal and never heard it at ‘workable’ strength again.
Hi Jimmy, It was my pleasure to make contact with you on GW/NW-070 yesterday.
The other station that you mention, (Dave,GW0DXO) was helping another amateur (Graham MW3VQJ) to try and sort out an antenna problem.
They were on low power owing to a high SWR reading on the antenna.
They have now located the fault in the coax feed and will be replacing it soon.
This is probably why he was only managing a 21 with you.
Glad to hear that the Dave GW0DXO and Graham MW3VQJ have located the fault in the coax feed. At least I did manage to work Dave GW0DXO and exchange reports both ways, so at least it is a contact.
In the shack I’m afraid Jimmy, no SOTA until weekend. If you had the front/back of the beam mixed up I wonder if you were beaming at the transmitter mast which would make thigs especially difficult for you. I have always had terrible breakthrough problems working 2m vertical on the Orme. I tried to send an aprs beacon out from the VX8 last time I was up there but the RF was so bad it wasn’t hearing any packets coming back.
I’m not sure where I was beaming when I worked you, but I’m sure it was towards you. I’m sure I had the beam towards the tramitters by accident when I tried to work Mike G4BLH. This is the first time I’ve had bad RF on Great Orme GW/NW-070.
All noted on you being in the shack, I thought you were signing portable which made me think that you possibly on a SOTA summit.
Nice report Jimmy. I really must walk up the Orme myself one of these days, rather than leaving the car in the car park and undertaking the “person-powered final ascent” on foot. Remind me I’ve got to do that, if we happen to be back in Llandudno at all this summer.
Strategies I have employed in the past have included putting the SOTA Beam on with horizontal polarisation - perhaps not the best for chasers, but can be effective at reducing the hideous QRM up there. Another tip is to make use of the 25m AZ rule and drop down the grassy bank a bit away from the transmitters.
However, that time we went up there with my dad just before he died, I recall that we were set up right by the trig point with hardly any problems, and as you say, we have both activated with handhelds and rubber ducks from there before without too much difficulty. I do think that the QRM up there can be better or worse at different times, but suspect that using the SOTA Beam with a handheld possibly collected too much QRM for your VX-110 handy to deal with.
I will certainly use your report and Ed’s photos for my website - thanks for sorting that out.
Sorry I missed your activation, I was listening out for you between work. I usually use the attenuation button when operating my TH-F7 handie on the Orme.