This one is the SOTA activation that I put off from last week due to good weather allowing a visit to Foel Cwmcerwyn.
Anyway left the home QTH at around 07:20 and made my way up North over the Preseli's arriving at Rhos Ymryson at around 09:00, traffic hadn't been too bad and the place is easy enough to find.
Quick check of the kit and this time remembering the bungees for the pole.
Walking to the top was a pleasant affair as there is a track which leads up to the Dwr Cymru reservoir sited there.
Weather today was not too bad, overcast and slightly humid but no rain but the grass was quite wet so the old plastic bag came useful as a seat... anyway, set the gear out with the doublet raised and strapped to the site fence and after a little chat with the farmer who was mowing hay nearby and had been curious as to what I was doing.
On went the rig, as ever tuned easily and 40m around 7.032 seemed to be very active, this was due to HB9AFI/p SOTA activation from HB/BE-158, waited for a gap and I managed to work S2S for the first one of the day. Soon the frequency was clear and I started the old CQ CQ SOTA, I guess there was a few waiting around today as it was full on from the outset..anyway, DL3HXX was first to work my CQ,s again followed by Roy, G4SSH.
I stuck with 40m until around 08:55 utc and thought I would try the other bands as 40m was getting crowded and I have no filter in the FT817..
Anyway, 20m, nothing doing and same on 30m, surprising but hey that's radio, so back to 40m I went.
Almost straight away I was answered and on this set I managed to get another S2S with LA1ENA/p who was on LA/TM-122, great stuff....
Also it was great to work an old friend of mine again, MW0BYS, Bill who as I have mentioned before lives near to me.
I carried on until just after 09:50utc then called it a day.
In all I managed a total of 48 qso,s in just under an hour and a half, all on 40m.
After I packed away I couldn't help spending some time watching the flock of Red Kites that had come together over the mown field, I have to say personally I have never seen 15 plus Red Kites together before.. great sight.
All in all it was a great little trip albeit a round trip of just over 100 miles and again will most likely be back there next year....
That's all for now, enjoy the hobby and take care..
73,s,
Steve..MW0BBU.
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