As a stranger to Mid Wales this is going to be an exciting day for me. Money sent, GPS loaded, diesel purchased, tent checked over. I do hope I make more Qs than the TWO last week from 6000ft asl in OE. Listen out for G(W)0EVV/P.
David
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
One last piece of information before the GW S2S and Hog Roast day this Saturday - please bring your own chair, I’m not sure will I have enough with the extra numbers that are now coming 
which is fantastic! I will have tea and coffee on tap, and a limited water supply, so please bring your favourite drinks and alcohol.
Not too long now, and the weather is looking pretty damn good, for a change! hi.
See you all there on Saturday!
73, Ben
GW4BML
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In preparation for the GW SOTA event this weekend, earlier today I updated the LoRa APRs Digipeater MB7UWL-2 on Arenig Fawr (GW/NW-011). It’s been up for a couple of months now, but in recent weeks seemed to go a little deaf - so we’ve replaced it with a new model.
Along with the high altitude iGate, just south of Welshpool (GW4BML-10), we should have excellent LoRa APRS coverage for the event. So If your are coming along, and have a LoRa APRS tracker, please remember to bring it with you.
73 Dave
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Well done Dave, that looked like a big day out following your LoRa tracks. I pinned my ears back here at home and you were signal 2 but just unreadable for a QSO. Instead I listened on G0XBU’s excellent SDR: http://g0xbuwebsdr.ddns.net:8902/ - you were pulling them in from all over. Fantastic weather as well!
Edit: I’ll also be deploying a temporary iGate for a raynet event around south Shropshire on Saturday - it’ll be down in a valley between Long Mynd and Stiperstones, so may not be that helpful, but with GW4BML-10 you’ll be covered anyway!
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We will not be on Y Golfa, NW-061 for the Hog Roast s2s day so it is free if anyone is still seeking a free summit.
Rod
Yet again I can’t make this S2S party hog roast. So I’m hoping the WX is good for all, both for their summits and the actual party.
Thanks in advance to Ben for organising and hosting the event. The SOTA MT do appreciate very much the fact that people organise these events to help raise funds to run SOTA services.
Have fun and maybe, WX, new grandchildren and building work chez FMF will not get in the way of me getting out and try to chase some of you on HF from up here in GM.
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I think you’ll be fine from that summit with 2m!
Its looking like the weather wont be so good over the weekend with some thunderstorm warnings being issued. Worth keeping eyes and ears open for the danger signs.
I’m lucky with my chosen summit (G/WB-005) as its a quick 10 mins back to the car if required and if I end up working mobile from the car park then so be it, but will still be a good get together and it might mean we get there in time rather than the usual - oh lets try just one more band.
Ian
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Activated Stingwern GW/MW-030 this afternoon. 2m only just made it with 2 S2S and then 2 very welcome contacts with Ben and Kevin on their way to the hog roast ground. Just made it before the rain. Tried 40 & 20m with no luck at all. Not sure I’ll bother taking HF up tomorrow. Good to meet up with some already.
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Hi all,
Just wondering what time the piggy will be ready tomorrow? I note the festivities begin around 1500BST, but I’m thinking about going out onto the hills a little later in the day to try and miss some of the weather? I want to make sure I’m back in time for the main event!
I’m hoping the food won’t start till after 1700?
73s
Dave
G7SAT
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The food will arrive at 5pm 
so you have plenty of time.
People will start arriving at 3pm onwards.
73, Ben
GW4BML
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Great, thanks for your response!
73s
Dave
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Thanks for the S2S yesterday. I made 4 contacts on 40m and two on 20m from GW/MW-026 but it was hard going.
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I don’t know how other folks found the bands today but HF was dead for me. Tried both 40 and 20m….and failed to make a single contact.
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K=5 when I looked earlier.
Now K=3 and A=58 
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Hopefully better HF condx tomorrow. I was very glad it was hog roast day today.
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HF wasn’t great but managed a few including a couple of STS from G/WB-005
4 on 40m including HB20SOTA and 2 others replying to my CQ
2 on 20m both STS M1EYP/P and EA2EUS/P - no replies to CQ
1 on 10m replying to my CQ
6m wasn’t that spectacular either, even though open had deep QSB but managed 2qso into Spain
More than made up for by 2m and 70cm and the great atmosphere created around the hog roast.
Ian
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Thanks Ben - a really enjoyable event.
I was lucky with the rain on WB-007 - wet but not unpleasantly so. It was clearly my day for 2m (M6BWA being absent) so I took the dipole and a stack of spare batteries for the VX7s. 19 summits worked and several others heard but missed a QSO. I did have the QMX and aerial for HF but never even considered getting it out.
Great Hog Roast and a chance to meet lots of new people and re-meet old contacts.
Looking forward to the next one.
73,
Rod
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As a distant observer I’m glad things went well and people didn’t get too wet. It was certainly wet here. Significantly wet. The building works chez FMF are water-tight but the guttering and drainage isn’t in yet and so there was a wonderful moat for most of the day around the works
The only real problem I see with the GW SOTA S2S party is that it’s a bit of a trek from the Edinburgh area, where we have had an increase in activator numbers, down to mid-Wales. Likewise, the Aberdeen/NE has a keen and active group of activators and it’s one significant trek for them to go and play. That suggests those of us up here should consider having a similar activity event with maybe a deer instead of a pig. We’ve had the S2S event last February followed by a meeting at a lovely cafe in Braemar. We need a Summer and Autumn repeat organising of that. Especially if the sunny weather can be booked too.
Good to see people had fun, which is what it’s all about.
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