Saturday 27th June marked our fifth annual GW SOTA S2S event, and what a day it turned out to be. From first light right through to the last chat in the hog roast field, the enthusiasm, laughter, and sheer love for SOTA was unmistakable.
A Morning Full of RF, Laughter & S2S Madness
Activators took to the Welsh hills early, with others joining in from summits across the UK, always brilliant to hear voices from further afield getting involved. The 2m FM band was absolutely buzzing; at times it was genuinely difficult to find a free frequency, which is exactly what you hope for during a S2S event. The airwaves were full of excitement, friendly banter, and plenty of laughter.
I headed up one of my local hills, Upper Park GW/MW-032, one that doesn’t get activated very often due to permission issues, so it was great to give out completes to others who needed it. It was a lovely 2‑mile walk with the family, and once at the top I set up the Icom IC‑705 with the Slim‑G on a 6m tactical mini mast, pushing 10 watts on FM. The effort paid off:
- 35 stations worked in 80 minutes
- 25 of those were S2S contacts
A cracking session, and a real reminder of how special these S2S days are. I even managed to find GB26HOG, operated by Lee MW0LPU and his son Joe MW7JPU from the hog roast field - great to get them in the log before heading down.
The Afternoon Gathering – Hog Roast, Coffee, Community & Smiles
Once the radio fun was wrapped up, we made our way to the field to finish preparations before everyone arrived. By mid‑afternoon the place was alive with activity. At one point we counted 56 people chatting, laughing, and sharing stories about SOTA and the wider amateur radio hobby. The atmosphere was brilliant, one of those afternoons that seems to fly by because everyone is having such a good time.
The hog roast from JP Hogroasts was superb once again, with many compliments flying their way. And what can we say about the coffee and snack van? A fantastic addition this year. She had queues several times throughout the afternoon, and her coffee tasted absolutely amazing, especially after a good hike. Should we book her again for next year? I think many would say yes!
Raffle, Prizes & A Record‑Breaking Fundraiser
Once everyone had eaten and settled, we held the raffle, our best one yet. We had an incredible selection of prizes, including:
- QMX donated by Hans Summers
- Yaesu handheld plus enough Yaesu caps for everyone
- Poles and Bandhoppers from SOTAbeams
- Antennas made by Allan @GW4VPX and Kevin @MW0KXN
- Lora Tracker from Dave G1JKS
- A box of goodies from Icom
…and more. A huge thank you to everyone who donated prizes, mentioned or not, you made the raffle truly special.
John @MW9JWS won first prize and chose the QMX, well done John, Easter definitely came early for you!
After covering essential costs (including £90 for the on‑site toilet), I’m delighted to confirm that we raised £725, our best total yet. This goes directly towards supporting the running costs of the SOTA programme. Thank you to the SOTA MT for everything you do; please keep up the great work.
Speeches, Reflection & Thanks
I (Ben GW4BML) gave a few short speeches, including a minute’s silence for Paul M0CQE, a familiar and much‑loved chaser who sadly passed away recently. It was a touching moment shared by all.
Allan GW4VPX delivered the vote of thanks at the end, wishing everyone a safe journey home. Unfortunately, our SOTA Wales Manager Roger @MW0IDX couldn’t be with us this year, but we look forward to seeing him again in 2027.
Looking Ahead
From me personally, thank you all for making the fifth annual GW SOTA event such a memorable one. The community spirit, the radio activity, the food, the laughter… it all came together perfectly.
I’ll be posting the date for GW SOTA S2S & Hog Roast Party 2027 very soon so you can get it in your diaries nice and early.
Take care, and happy SOTAing everyone.
73, Ben
GW4BML
