We are never tempted (apart from the very first time) to climb the steeper paths that cut the corner as we commence our walks to Moel Famau. This morning, as usual, we followed the big wide path around the big wide angle, keeping a decent pace. The weather was remaining improbably dry, but we still wanted to summit as soon as possible, and get the tent up for when the heavens did open!

Moel Famau summit was reached just before 11am on Sunday 19th July 2009 (my 39th birthday), so the timing was beautiful to be fully set up and settled down before the contest start at midday (1100z). Jimmy M3EYP cracked on with some 2m FM operating from his VX-110 while I erected the SOTA Beam and the 2-man tent. Things now moved much more quickly, and he soon had twelve stations in the log, especially after the SOTA Beam was set up and he plugged into it using an adaptor.

       

With the time approaching midday, I flipped the SOTA Beam over to horizontal and set up my FT-817 station inside the tent. I failed in my mission to establish my own QRG right from the start of the contest, so things were slow initially with just four QSOs in the first ten minutes. However, I was then bedded down nicely on 144.310MHz SSB and enjoying a little run. The little runs were never anything more than little though. In fact the best stretch in the whole contest was one on 145.375MHz FM.

As well as the SOTA reference GW/NW-044 (as appropriate), the main contest information being given out was locator IO83ID and postcode/district code CH (Chester).  I used FM to good effect several times in otherwise quiet periods, although of course the km score per contact won't be exactly competitive on FM. Better than not making any contacts however!

A few S2S contacts popped up. These were with G8JAY/P on Ruardean Hill G/WB-021, G1OPV/P on Whitbarrow G/LD-056, G4RQJ/P on Top o' Selside G/LD-048 and GM4GUF/P on Tinto GM/SS-064. By the end of the contest I had reached serial number 062, with 46 multipliers in the bag - 5 countries; G, GM, GW, GI and EI; 11 squares; IO63, IO64, IO81, IO82, IO83, IO84, IO85, IO92, IO93, IO94 and JO01; and 30 postcode/district locators; BB, BD, BL, BM, BT, CH, CM, CW, DG, FY, GL, HD, LA, LE, LL, LN, LP, ML, MR, NP, OL, SK, ST, SY, TF, WA, WN, WS, WV and YO.

The little tent gave us adequate respite from the chill, the wind and the later rain. We could hear people on Jubilee Tower behind us saying things like "What are they doing?", "I think they're doing a survey" and "No, I think it's CB radio, I didn't know that was still going". One chap came and introduced himself as Phil G0DOR. Inside the tent, sustainence was of the form of Bouillebaisse soup - an especially al a carte flavour for my birthday of course!

The rain had been driving down pretty hard for the last hour of the contest, but we had been mercifully spared from it before then, so we couldn't complain. We got a bit wet as we packed up, but as soon as we stepped away from Jubilee Tower to begin the descent, the rain stopped. All in all, we had been very lucky with the rain. It could have been much worse.

Anticipation grew on the drive home, as we were having friends round for my birthday. The weather even cheered up enough to allow use of the barbecue and newly installed decking, even though half-an-hour before the event, it looked like neither would be called upon!

I had bought in two cases of Macclesfield's Storm Brewing Company's 'Pale Gale Ale' (same people that brew the famous Bosley Cloud beer) to treat my guests. By bed time, the 24 bottles had become zero, and that was with most people drinking lager and wine. It seems it was the amateur radio contingent amongst the guests that took a particular liking to the PGA!  Many thanks to everyone who worked me, whether for SOTA, contest or both, and thanks to those that wished me a happy birthday - it certainly was.