My appologies to all the chasers that I was unable to work today. But I was getting very cold and quiet wet plus the log was beginning to fall-apart so I had to cut short the activation. My thanks to all the successful chasers. Hope to work all of you on a better day.
Ironically I wasn’t going to use HF but my 2m beam let me down! Looked in the carrying tube and it was empty, the plug had come out of the other end and the elements had fallen out!! Looked for them on the way back but to no avail must have been on the decent from the previous activation.
Glad to have spoken with you today. I could hear the wind in the background and it seemed pretty dreadful. I don’t think you ever got round to putting your gloves on as you said you would. Have a nice warm evening and thanks.
I don’t think you ever got round to putting your gloves on as you said you would.
Managed to get the gloves on. I use a pair of fingerless gloves - got them from Aldi - they are for cyclists. They let me operate the radio and write the log but they don’t protect the fingers when it’s v cold.
May not be out tomorrow but Sunday hoping to do some of the WB’s + Corndon
Many thanks for the contact today; I felt very lucky to be called out from that pile-up. I hope you did not get too cold and were able to warm up a bit on the descent; and warm up a lot once back at the car.
Had you been planning 2m FM or 2m ssb?
Very bad luck losing all the elements from the beam and not noticing on the descent. I carry mine horizontal and on one descent became aware of something apparently following me. It was one of the elements about halfway out and waving around. Fortunately the first one. I now keep a spare bung amongst the miscellaneous bits in the car. On another summit I lost a 70cm one when it flipped out while disassembling and vanished into snow covered heather. I was just too cold to go on searching for it. At least you had an HF aerial with you so the walk was not wasted. Actually, we liked Foel Goch and it is on the list for a revisit.
One technique I can recommend to anyone losing bits in this way is to have tracking visible on your GPS. I noticed one of my bits of conduit land on the track off Cefn yr Ystrad. Close inspection revealed that two others were missing. By using the enlargement facility and following the track backwards I was able to keep within a few metres of my descent route as I backtracked. One would have been easy to find by following the gravel track; the other was in the trackless waste and I nearly missed it although I was only a few metres off. I think this would work for any previous activation provided the memory had not been cleared. Considering going back there tomorrow as I feel like a decent walk.
I have to say that I find FM the most fruitful mode up here in N Wales I think that it’s because there is a large population of chasers in the Liverpool , Wirral and S Lancs area some days it’s like the proverbial “Shooting fish in a barrel” symdrome Hi.
At least you had an HF aerial with you so the walk was not wasted.
If you saw my kit you’d see that I pack for every eventuality, my other half (M6TTR) says that I carry too much but then you never know what will happen do you and again if you’ve invested an hour or hour and a half walking up a summit you don’t want to waste the time, can’t see the point of these people just walking up hills and when they get there they don’t even stop just carry on Doh!.
The decent warmed me up a bit but also confirmed that my boots leak as I was only walking through surface water. Do have a pair of boots from work that may be suitible have to see when I get home.
Going to see Richard 3CWI tomorrow to get a replacement antenna hope to be up again Sunday, my last full day here, then its back to England’s newest city and the birthplace of radio - Chelmsford.
I have to say that I find FM the most fruitful mode up here in N Wales
I think that it’s because there is a large population of chasers in
the Liverpool , Wirral and S Lancs area some days it’s like the
proverbial “Shooting fish in a barrel” symdrome Hi.
Yes, I usually find I can do these on 70cm FM.
At least you had an HF aerial with you so the walk was not wasted.
If you saw my kit you’d see that I pack for every eventuality,
I carry too much but am fairly selective and never carry HF at weekends or 2m ssb mid-week
The decent warmed me up a bit but also confirmed that my boots leak as
I was only walking through surface water.
I now assume that all boots leak so I make sure the boot and sock combination is comfortable when wet.
hope
to be up again Sunday, my last full day here, then its back to
England’s newest city and the birthplace of radio - Chelmsford.
Did Hertz live in Chelmsford?
Have a good day on Sunday.
Hope to speak soon,
73,
Rod
No but Marconi did and that’s were he had his first factory and On 15 June 1920 the factory was the location of the first official publicised sound broadcast in the United Kingdom, featuring Dame Nellie Melba using two 450 feet (140 m) radio broadcasting masts in the centre of town which is why up until recently it’s been difficult to get planning permission for amateur antennas!
Incidently I’ve no axe to grind about the place I just live there my home town is Aldershot. And you know what they say about Hampshire people:-
Hampshire born Hampshire bred
Strong in the arm thick in the head.
Spend more money then! The Goretex will fail eventually. I got 18months out of Berghaus Explorer IV boots. Ever so comfy. My Meindl Burma Pro are 5 yrs old and don’t leak. Nor do the Asolo Flames which a 3yrs old.
In reply to MM0FMF:
Plus 1 for Meindl Burma. I’ve had a few pairs over the last few years. They don’t last long with me - maybe two years, but they get an awful lot of stick in that time.
I met someone once who was astounded when I said I wore out boots in two years. They said they had had the same pair for 15 years. Then we compare a count of days out over the previous year…
I used to buy strong, heavy boots and after a pair of these fell apart on the third day of a fortnight’s walking in Iceland I went over to cheaper, lighter and even leakier boots which was all I could get at the time.
As these lasted fairly well and weren’t worth re-soling (total waste of money, I found, even on posh boots) I bought more of the same. They always have good tread because they get thrown away before it is worn out and I always have three pairs. One for long walks (best boots) and two for short (old boots for dry walks and new boots for wet ones). I suppose I throw away a pair about every year. Even when they are new and still waterproof I find that water still gets in over the top in a typical Black Mountains bog, so why bother!
I do rely on the socks for comfort and this is now becoming a problem; they don’t make them like they used to!!