The W-S-M qualifier once again took place with some awful weather conditions (for the third year in succession). The heavens opened up over the Mendip Hills at around 2.30pm and both the competitors and the TX operators got thoroughly drenched.

Station A, G3TRY/P (Graham Jones) was located 22 Kms (13 ½ miles) from the starting point (Westhay Moor Nature Reserve) in a small forest at Cadbury Hill NGR ST 439648 near the village of Congresbury.

The antennas used in both stations where full wave dipoles and at both stations the antenna crossed the footpath on the route into the stations. At station A the antenna crossed the footpath close to the transmitter which was 400yards (350 Mtrs) up a steep track from a minor road. Graham hid by lying down in a small ‘crack’ in some rocks about 75 feet (15 Mtrs away from the footpath).

All competitors went for station B first, and first to reach Graham at 4.08pm was a rather soaked Rosie and Colin Merry quickly followed by an equally drenched Andy Collett.

Station B, G4MDF/P (Rupert Allcock) was located at White Hill NGR ST 585576. This was 19Kms (10 miles) from the start and South East of Chew Valley Lake and in a heavily wooded slope near some pheasant rearing pens. Rupert was hidden in some dense scrub and he was difficult to spot until competitors where very close to him. Locating Rupert was made considerably more difficult because of the signals being reflected from the wire mesh on the various pheasant pens. The ground which was rapidly becoming a quagmire did not help the situation. First station ‘in’ was Rosie & Colin at 3.19pm although they actually came within 10 ft (3 Mtrs) from him at about 2.30pm!

Graham Jones