New equipment will give team members clear radio links

Ogwen Valley team members have struggled since rescue radio frequencies changed two years ago.

It meant some members had to act as links between rescue sites and the team's base near Llyn Ogwen, instead of being actively involved in a search.

The new equipment on a mast on Anglesey will solve the problem, and they also want to buy a Conwy Valley link.

You can be in a situation where there is radio contact, then 100 yards later you are in a blackspot Chris Lloyd, Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue

The team discovered they had problems with radio coverage when national search and rescue emergency radio frequencies were changed about two years ago, said Chris Lloyd, of the Ogwen Valley team.

"We have been essentially in a learning curve since then because you can be in a situation where there is radio contact, then 100 yards later you are in a blackspot," he said.

Because the team was aware of the problems there had not been times where lives were threatened, said Mr Lloyd.

But it did mean that team members were used sometimes as a link between sites, rather than as a team member actively involved in the rescue out on the mountain.

"We have been sending out an extra man in a vehicle as a human repeater - that is, a link between the rescue site and our base - but that does not always work very well because it is difficult to repeat exactly what someone is saying," he added.

The new equipment should put an end to radio black spots

Funds for the first of the �4,000 automatic radio repeater links are already in place, but the team is still looking for donations to cover a second link at Capel Garmon, above Betws-y-Coed.

While radio communications have been problematic, mobile phone reception on the mountains has improved steadily over the last few years, and are now at a stage where people are using them "without forethought", said Mr Lloyd.

"We do feel that there are unnecessary call-outs due to a lack of forethought because people are using their phones when otherwise they would have sorted out the situation for themselves," said Mr Lloyd.

"They [mobile phones] can be very handy sometimes.

"We can be alerted earlier, if there is an injury we can talk and give advice on first aid, and if people are lost we can sometimes find where they are from the information they give us.

"But overall I would say that around 30% of our calls are what we would class as unnecessary call-outs and this puts a strain on the team members who are all volunteers," he added.