Friday 8th April 2005 was the date of a scheduled family day out to Llandudno. Sadly, despite it being the school holidays, the place was a bit dead and half shut when we arrived - probably best left for the summer or the November rally in future! Anyway, after a bit of a stroll on the front and a session on the 2p machines on the pier, the inevitable drive up the Great Orme GW/NW-070 was upon us.

There was probably more life on the Great Orme than the rest of Llandudno combined, with the cafe and visitor centre open, but sadly the Randolph Turpins themed boxing pub and arcade were closed, so there was a limit to how long Marianne could be entertained while we activated. We set up by the trig point in the lee of the strong easterly wind after the short climb from the cafe, and enjoyed the terrific view over Snowdonia and the coast. The concern about Marianne's patience being tested turned out to be undue, since the contacts completely dried up after working the fourth station, and this was some minutes before she had even arrived on the summit to give us our marching orders.

So four contacts, in a prime SOTA spot - a long time since I've experienced the like of it! We drove back to Cheshire and enjoyed a fine Indian meal in Ellesmere Port to break up the return journey.  

Thanks to the following stations, all worked on 2m FM, the first two with 0.5 watts, and the others with 2.5 watts:

After Jimmy got his amateur radio (Foundation) licence through, we went to activate Tal y Fan GW/NW-040.  It then seemed sensible to reactivate Great Orme before going home, to give Jimmy an easy point while in the vicinity.

My dad said that he would love to see his grandson operating, so I said that he could, outside his house with Jimmy working through the GB3MN repeater.  "I was actually thinking of coming up a hill to see the SOTA operation properly" replied my dad.  Now, my old man is a veteran of heart attacks, heart failure, suspected strokes and diabetes, so that was out of the question, except that we were doing Great Orme.  I told him of my ETA in case he wanted a ride out, and sure enough, as we were parking on the Orme, there appeared my dad on his Triumph motorbike. He was glad of his biking layering attire on the cold windy summit!  (My dad passed away three weeks later, and this is the last photo of him)

Jimmy and Liam raced to the trig point, while I kept an eye on my dad who managed to complete the ascent in about 10 minutes!  It was his first Marilyn it turned out, after I checked if he had ever been up Bosley Cloud (G/SP-015) in his younger days.  I suspect he won't be adding to the count!  Activating from this spot was irritating, with the breakthrough from the nearby masts very prominent today - I've managed with considerably less disruption on here before.  I must remember to go across to the other side of the hill in future.  Nonetheless, we both qualified the activation with enough contacts after kicking off on Jimmy's handy to grab Steve GW1INK/P before he left Mwdwl-eithin GW/NW-047.  My dad thoroughly enjoyed watching and listening to his grandson operate, and was struck by the warmth of those working him.

Liam disappeared off with his Grandad to the cafe, but Jimmy and myself were called by Lee 2W0TLC/M - on the Great Orme, wondering where our excellent signal was coming from. Suffice to say, he soon joined us on summit, with his two very young daughters.  Lee is from Stockport, and I have worked him many times on the local repeaters.  Jimmy and myself packed up and joined Liam and my dad in the cafe for hot chocolate and sandwiches, but sadly not a pint in Randolph Turpins themed boxing bar, which had by then closed for the day. My dad rode off to Betws to treat himself to dinner, bed & breakfast in a decent pub (lucky thing) while myself and the lads drove back to Macc.  Jimmy operated mobile most of the way (he is indeed rather smitten with this amateur radio thing).  We worked Steve GW1INK/P on his third summit of the day, Penycloddiau GW/NW-054, but still couldn't get through to Shirley even through we were listening for and calling each other.  

Many thanks to the following stations, all worked on 2m FM, using 0.5 watts, by Tom MW1EYP/P (T) and Jimmy MW3EYP/P (J):

On November 6th, I activated Great Orme GW/NW-070 for zero points yet again.  Eyebrows may be raised.  I made one contact (a S2S with Steve GW1INK/P on Cyrniau Nod GW/NW-034) and then went QRT.  Jimmy elected not to activate, not that he could have done on my
converted PMR 4 watt handy anyway.  (He chose to leave his own Yaesu handy in the car on the summit car park).

On the summit we enjoyed the ever delightful company of Steve M0SGB and his daughters Bobbie M3DNC and Nicola 2E0DNB.  Jimmy and Nicola found the Sotacache, then we found a very nearby geocache.  Nicola and Bobbie then set about finding more of the alleged seven geocaches on Great Orme, while Jimmy, Liam and myself returned to the Llandudno rally.

We had been at the rally in the morning, after collecting Shirley MW0YLS en route.  As usual, it was a very pleasant show, superbly organised by Jenny MW0BET, Roger MW0IDX and the rest of their club.  I only had one item on the shopping list - some RG58, which was duly located and purchased.  Liam took a shine to a wall clock on the W+S stand, in the style of an alloy wheel surrounded by a tyre.  A combination of his excellent company so far and a price of £14.95 encouraged me to part with the cash and treat my youngest.  Jimmy did not leave empty handed, picking up a callsign badge with his shiny new "M3EYP" engraved upon it.

I had a chat with Chris M0DOL who printed my new QSL cards, after me meeting him at this show last year.  He was also helping to promote the new CASHOTA (Castles and Stately Homes On The Air) awards programme, and was keen to point out that the iron age hill forts and such we may come across are valid activation sites in this scheme.  He asked me to pass on that he has a special offer of 1000 QSL cards printed for the price of 500 for anyone actively involved in the SOTA programme.

After a chinwag with Rob G4RQJ and Audrey back up at the SOTA stand, and a scrumptious sampling of Audrey's apple cake and shortbread, we got back on the road.  Dropping Shirley back off in Llay was a good excuse for a break over a cup of coffee, following which we drove home while listening to the rest of my new (and long sought-after) Frank Zappa CD "Civilization Phase 3", and then the GB2RS news om 145.525MHz from Keele University ARS.

It was the most trivial of activations, but it was another grand SOTA day out.