Today I failed my first SOTA activation in 2019.
Woke up this morning trying to speed up my family breakfast routine
to bring my YL and my daughters on top of Mount Coltignone, I/LO-212 reference.
My good friend and experienced OM Roberto IW2OBX was waiting us at the start
of the trail withhis wonderful dog.
We reached the top soon, and after setting up our antennas (an EFHW for me, a 80m
antenna for Roberto) we started calling.
I had no replies at all. I had two radios with me: a Youkits HB1B wich I wanted to try
and my Yeasu FT817ND. I tried them both without success.
Only a few spot and no answers from other operators on 20 meters.
Then some people came by asking questions, my wife and daughters came back
to the car to go find a warm place, and i found that i could not switch to 40 meters
because the EFHW was broken after the coil.
I had to pack everything up, and i was collapsing my fishing pole, when Roberto
called me: “come here! come here!”
An OM from North Carolina was calling, and i had that only contact.
So, my activation was not complete. Roberto was very sorry for me.
He is one of the best SOTA activators and he never misses a shot!
But I’m not sorry at all: I had a good time with family and friends on the mountains,
we had an awsome landscape today, and I feel good with it.
Next activation will be better, and if not, I will still have fun.
73 everyone from IU2IJW
