I’ve visited this quite beautiful location several times over the last few years, even this year not long after I purchased my new motorcycle. There really is something magic about it. Perched on the very Eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons valleys, not 200m across the border separating Wales to the west and England to the east, it provides a great take-off for amateur radio activities on HF or VHF, and is also a great location for spectacular views of almost 180 degrees; northeast to Clee Hill in the Shropshire Hills and southeast towards Bristol, the Cotswolds & Chilterns.
I have also recently invested in a 360° camera – the Insta360 X3 – which not having used one of these cameras previously, I am finding the results quite astonishing. 360° photos and videos are easy to create using the Insta mobile or desktop app, which are subsequently easily shared via social media but not so easy to share here… alas I have, after some experimentation, managed to figure out how to get them to show on my blog!
I managed several contacts through the course of the day starting at 10:00 with some QSO’s with members of the Newport Amateur Radio Society Sunday who were in their Sunday morning net, then on and off throughout the course of the day until I packed up around 16:00.
Interestingly, this location is cited right on Offas Dyke path – you can see part of the path on the image below – which is the hiking trail running pretty much from South to North Wales – which meant that many walkers, hikers and ramblers were passing through during the day.
I was approached by several of the more curious hikers regarding what the ‘thing sticking out of the back of my bike’ and the ‘wire’ was for, and what it was I was up to. Fair play, it was lovely to see the reactions on some of these faces as I conversed with stations in Serbia, Romania and the East coast of Canada! As amateur radio enthusiasts we are of course entirely used to this, but for those who are less familiar with the hobby, it can be particularly impressive and in fact, is often a jaw dropping moment for some.
For the one or two folk reading this who might be curious as to my set up, my station comprised the ubiquitous Icom IC-7300 with LDG ATU connected to a UK Antennas multi band EFHW configured as a sloper. On the new bike, I opted for a slightly larger 44 litre top-box and pretty easily managed to get all the radio gear needed for the day packed up securely and safely which included the following: IC-7300, LDG ATU, Ultramax LiFePO4 battery, EFHW antenna, a few patch cables, ground pegs etc. whilst the snacks and drinks went into the Oxford tank bag situated alas not on my tank, but on the rear seat!
Thistle was pretty much in bloom everywhere, which attracts Peacock and Green Veined White butterflies and many White Tailed bees – wish I’d have also taken the Sony Aiii with my zoom lens… maybe next time!
Anyway, thanks for reading, I’ll leave you with another 360° image from the Insta360 – this time the camera is on the end of a 10′ extendable telescopic pole held down underneath the entrance to a bridge with one of the many streams in the area flowing through it… crazy what shots can be obtained on this little thing!
