Thanks to those who listened me this earlier this morning on 40m and 30m on Hünenburg DM/NW-062 - due to the condx, it wasn’t to be. The 4 stations eventually worked were not SOTA participants, so it is unlikely they will read this message
EW8CP and LY2RJ responded to a CQ on 7032 and EW8CP and YT7M were worked by answering their CQ calls. I started calling CQ at 0453z and got my 4th QSO at 0540z.
20m at 0500-0540z was devoid of signals on DMNW-062. Repeated CQ calls with SOTAWatch spots on 10119 and 7118 produced nothing. I was running the usual 10 watts from a KX2 to a link dipole.
This was the hardest summit to qualify for me in 12 years of participation as an activator! A combination of solar condx and an early morning I believe… I set up at dawn in mist on the wooded summit.
I am next going to activate Piesberg DM/NS-108 at around 0900z, which will be the last one of my tour.
Hi Phil,
Listened for you when I saw the spots from you, but sorry nothing heard. Most llikely skip distance however the band conditions STILL don’t appear to have recovered from the battering that the Ionosphere got from the sun over the last week, so it could be that as well.
Best of luck with the next (and last) activation and a good, trouble-free journey home.
Not one that gets activated very often, that. I’ve been up it twice. The first time I only had an HT, and only managed 1 contact. The second time was a little easier.
Looks like there’s been a bit of a geomagnetic storm today:
Good luck with Piesberg DM/NS-108, and a smooth journey home.
Dr OM Phil,
Reading about your ‘Nightmare’ I looked in my log of 17th of January 2016. On Moriscos EA8/GC-003, I was 14:10 QRV. First QSO was 15:22 with Lothar DL3HXX who was so kind to put a Spot for me. 20 minutes later I had 9 QSO’s in my log.
Sometimes SOTA asks for being a little stubborn
73 de Geert PA7ZEE
TNX info Rick - back home in Yorkshire now. I realised that I have missed you when you were on Hunenburg, so I still need to chase it to get the SOTA Complete. Must keep an eye out for it coming on again when I am in the shack.
Thanks for several QSOs on my tour - now back home via the Rotterdam - Hull P&O Ferry. You had a long wait for your first QSO on EA8/GC-003 for sure… The difference was for me that I had plenty of spotting but no regular SOTA Chasers at all due to the early hour and lack of propagation west, unusual for the 40m band.
Yes our QSO was the high spot of my day also! Thank you very much. The log is now entered…
Now back home in the north of England after an enjoyable but expensive tour caused by the low value of the £pound against the €uro and CZ Crown… SK e e
Phil, I had similar situation a year ago when I reached Tarnica SP/BI-001. This is quite a high peak, and the conditions shouldn’t be so bad.
What yours and mine have in common is the early hour. I climbed this in the night (ah those animal/bear? roars nearby in the dark…) to get to the summit for a sunrise. Long story short it took me >1.5hours to have my qso’s and guess what - they were not from SoTA chasers at all! Next was SP/BI-002 and that one went well as the day was well bright.
Also in June I was in LA and I tried to activate a summit at about 2000z - not a single qso for 1 hour. I gave up. It seems after a certain evening hour the European chasers stop paying attention to the spots, as this is time for Americas, I reckon.
Based on those 2 cases and reading yours, I’m betting the early time of the day played much more role in this challenge.
By the way, I was trying to chase you then but it seemed too far to hear you in A6 that day.
I briefly contemplated activating this one this afternoon, but the forecast said “rain”, and it was correct. It is a mite damp outside. Having only minimal HF SOTA kit with me (see Stapellager Berge DM/NW-089), and lacking sufficient bad weather protection, I decided on a change of plan…
Curiously, Google maps suggests there’s a drive-up option. The previous times I’ve visited I’ve walked up from Google Maps so I’ll have to check out the drive-up option sometime.
