I’m an active member of GW2OP, ‘The Pembrokeshire Contest Group’ and having finished 3rd (2011) and 2nd (2012) we were delighted to be awarded the Surrey Trophy as overall UK winners in the Open Section of the 2013 ‘Centenary’ VHF National Field Day at only our third attempt. A combination of huge amounts of planning, hard work and technical engineering coupled with some excellent Tropo’ conditions from West Wales into Europe resulted in a 2nd on 4m and quite remarkably 1st place on 6m, 2m and 70cm!
The GW2OP /P team generally meet up three or four times a year operating from The Ridgeway near Tenby in Pembrokeshire (IO71OP) for various VHF contests. These normally include some of the 50Mhz (6m) and 70Mhz (4m) events as well as VHF Field Day of course. Below are a number of videos from our GW2OP /portable Ham Radio shenanigans… if you’d be interested in joining us, please use this contact form.
The photograph above shows Alan, G0IFC - Tiverton (SW) Amateur Radio Club - holding the ‘Bill Capstick G3JYP Memorial Award’ presented to the station with the highest overall score in the 70MHz CW contest. I’m on the right with the VHF NFD ‘Surrey Trophy’.
GW2OP was the call-sign of George Price, President of the old Pembroke & District ARC, then in the early 1970’s it was used by the Pembroke Club until they disbanded some 20 or so years ago. GW2OP was reissued to the Pembrokeshire Contest Group with kind permission of the Price family, and first reactivated by ourselves in June 2011.
The photographs above & below are of GW2OP /P at The Ridgeway, near Tenby (IO71OP)
Current members of the Pembrokeshire Contest Group are: G4FJK (Tim), G4BVY (Roger), G3XBY (Dale), GW3LEW (Geoff), GW3XJQ (Martin), MW0RLD (Barbara), GW4VRO (Peter), GW6TEO - Club President - (Gordon), GW4MBN (John), GW0WGG (Ian), GW0GEI (Steve), GW0ETF (Stewart) plus Irene Hugill - a non licensee - and myself :O)
by Nigel Hearne
The following YouTube videos are of GW2OP /P in 2011 and 2012…
↓ VHF National Field Day 2012 - RSGB Contest - GW2OP/P
↓ 50Mhz (6m) Trophy 2012 - RSGB Contest - GW2OP/P
↓ VHF National Field Day 2011 - RSGB Contest - GW2OP/P
↓ 50Mhz (6m) Trophy 2011 - RSGB Contest - GW2OP/P