Last weekend we were out on a couple of rather cold lowly Mid Wales summits which we hoped were out of the forecast cloud on the hills. As we got beyond Kington and then Rhayader the clouds rolled back, the sun came out and the wet roads started to be edged with ice. We carefully drove up through the farm to the parking for Pegwyn Mawr GW/MW-006. Up the windfarm road rather gingerly because of the ice patches and eventually out on the grass and a large bunch of hungry sheep
We had met the farmer, and had the usual friendly chinwag which ended abruptly when he mentioned the new tax rules for family farmsâŚ, but he had delivered to some lower fields and the food hadnât reached up to the summit yet. Some good s2s (GW5OLD amd MW0PJE) before the dipole was unpacked but I was happy with 13 in the bag (( 2m, 4 70cm) in 30 mins as it was too cold to linger and the fingers were more frozen by the time everything was packed away.
It is really quite a âbusyâ summit with odd poles littered around as well as a turbine which rather dwarfs the trig point on the right. Sharp eyes willl find my mastâŚ! In the intervening hour or so most of the road had unfrozen
so walking down was swifter and we were soon in the car and on to the cross country route to Beacon Hill GW/MW-006.
The last part of the journey is a narrow switchback (we once had to give up up on the second steep bit, somehow turn round and slither back down again as we thought weâd get completely stuck - and Gwaunceste seemed a safer bet with a layby on a main road!) which had had time to thaw out and it wasnât ;until we met a car and small horse trailer that I had second thoughts. Were we going to meet the hunt at the parking place and thus find everything full?? Rodney did a long tricky back down to the farm and the trailer went past - and no more followed phew! Then we reached the parking place (or remains of âŚ)
Sorry, but my camera doesnât like taking pictures into even hazy sun but this will give you a better idea
which had a large horsebox in the big new layby on the right as you drive up and copious amounts of fir tree on the left (apparently blown down in November, we later heard) with cars and trailers scattered up on the bare hillside through the gate (Crown land). Yes, it was hunt day again but we had arrived late enough for most of the vehicles to move and a space was left, after shoving a few branches aside, to park amongst the debris, boot up and start up the very wet track which winds over a big bog (thank goodness they improved it some years ago so winding from clump of rushes to the next was just possible with fairly dry feet), and then round the hill and finally up to the trig point with its scant protection.from the cold wind
but at least the sun was still shining -just.
Up went the dipole (and down again once or twice as usual) and I started calling at 1500 (which is getting a bit late.for 2m chasers) but within 30 mins both bands were qualified and 70cm was bounding along.
Total 20 contacts with 10 on each band (gosh!) including a second s2s with GW4OLD who had left the rather busy Pen y Fan (GW/SW-001) and was relaxing on the very peaceful Waun Rhydd (GW/SW-004) and happpy to work both bands. As I was getting ready to shut down and saying âLast callsâ
Sorry no time to finish now, honestly, will resumes asap - but you can invent the final chapter if you like!.
Edit. Well it looks as if you are all haing a good go in the comments below and some of you have got very close to the reasons for writing (in instalments!) this rambling account. However i will persevereâŚ
Just as I was saying âLast callsâ and, most probably moaning that I was rather cold (as usual) a new callsign came in from someone (I refuse to refer to him as a gentleman and you will see why) stating that he was was from the âWest Midlandsâ (actual location and callsign not divulged by me - or anyone else pse). I gave him my callsign âMW6BWA/Pâ and asked his name. No answer except 'that call sign must be wrong as âyou are not listed in QRZ. Please give me your proper callsign.â I then explained that I was English and that would not be in QRZ under MW6BWA. This was brushed aside (probably because he couldnât actually hear me) and he changed my callsign to MW7BWA and complained again that this wasnât a proper callsign. By this time I was getting somewhat cold and my voice somewhat icy⌠However this mattered not to my caller. He no longer wished to talk to me and just demanded from anyone else listening âGive me the PROPER call sign, give me the proper callsign.â Even I eventually realise a lost cause and my temper was getting hot if my hands werenât, so I pulled the plug and dismantled asap.
On the walk out (into the wind most of the way of course) I muttered that, if he had to ask someone else what my call sign was (whether proper or not) then it was NOT a PROPER contact anyway and I very much hoped that no-one had told him my call sign and thus enabled him to gain 2 pts I felt he didnât deserve. I also thought that, as a full licence holder, he should understand the use of regional prefixes and be able to sort out the mystery unaided. (and also that it was not essential for all activators (or anyone else) to be listed on QRZ. Strangely, I had had the same sort of conversation with another chaser just a week or so before. This person could hear me and use his brain so found me without the âWâ in QRZ, thanked me politely and departed the best of friends.
Sorry this account has been rather disjointed but hope you can see why I wanted to air the topic. When reading the thread please bear in mind that the final part was written after No 8 in the thread. I shall now go and read all the comments below but I have a feeling that MM0FMF are going to be in agreement�
Viki
). I do like that wild area beyond Knighton.
Nevertheless, the current ham culture is against the idea of third party assists and I donât see such an ingrained tenet going away any time soon. Despite this, as our rules stand I donât think that assisted QSO is invalid.
