Thanks Andrew… I carelessly entered my alert… Now corrected!
No need to wait. Martin HB9GVE was the best activator signal from Europe with Ed DD5LP the runner up. I did hear some other HB activators but qsb chopped them up badly so a complete callsign not copied and too hard to get a report with so little being copied. Sorry. Need more sunspots.
Plenty of loud home stations on long path.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
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Ooh tempting! Looks like another early ‘o clock
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The activation of this morning lead only to two DX contacts on 20m: @ZL4NVW at 5:33z and @VK5PAS at 6:02z. The signal of ZL4NVW was only 3/3, but when I heard him later, he went up to 5/6. I could copy VK5PAS with 5/7 and he gave me 5/5.
I heard some other strong VK and ZL stations, also on 17m, but not one single SOTA activator, so no S2S DX at all for me.
I used my typical home-brew EFHW in inverted-L configuration with max. 6m height, pointing towards N/E. The end of the 20m long radiator wire was about 2m above ground. 10W SSB was the power.
First I wanted to quickly build a quarter wave vertical, but finally decided do it with my all-round EFHW and look how it goes.
Next time, I’ll definitely try a quarter wave vertical as @HB9GVW did, with who I had a short S2S QSO. I’m really interested how it worked for him.
According the log of @DD5LP, he worked four VK3 stations, three on 17m and one on 20m. Well done Ed! Unfortunately, I could not copy Ed, not even on 40m.
I’m partly blaming the K index with a value of 4, which I think was also the reason for the pretty bad conditions I experienced later on my second summit. On the other side, probably because of the nice weather, I had a total of 20 S2S QSOs in the log, which doesn’t happen every day. All in all, it was great to make a new experience and I enjoyed the typical Spring weather on both summits.
Unfortunately, Fraser @MM0EFI activated while I was hiking to my second summit, but I’m sure we’ll get soon a S2S into the log.
Thanks a lot to all the chasers and activators!
73 Stephan
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Sorry Stephan, I was early and I didn’t hang around on 20m too long this morning. The K was at 4 when I was QRV and it was tough.
Well done on getting some DX though 
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Hi Ron,
really happy about the contact with you this morning - especially as it was on 17m. Straight after you, I also worked Colin VK3GTV. I haven’t heard either of you for a long time, so it was a pleasure!
It took a bit of time to get to this summit and despite setting the alarm and getting up at 5 am - I think I would have had even better conditions had I got there earlier. It’s always a balance between a better summit and a shorter access time. The higher summits around here often require a chair lift or a cable car and then a walk and as the lifts normally only start at 9 am local - it’s too late for the best conditions into VK/ZL.
Saturday and Sunday here are forecast to be constant rain and thunderstorms so I won’t be able to get out to try for some S2S contacts with all the stations who plan to be on. Operating on a weekend in Central Europe with contests is a thankless task - even on a weekday 20 and 40m are now full of inconsiderate QRO operators who simply start-up on frequencies that are already in use, so I’m hoping we may have better luck on 17 and even 12m soon.
73 Ed.
P.S. I’ll have my complete report on my blog site (dd5lp.com) hopefully by tomorrow and a link to it on the DL/AM-156 summit page.
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Hi Ron,
I think you meant me, HB9GVW. After all the fuss about it being so easy to have contacts with VK/ZL, I finally decided to jump aboard and try it out. I selected HB/SO-003 because it is near me, an easy summit, no obstacles, but still fenceposts to fasten a mast. Literally the evening before I prepared the antenna out of two loud-speaker cables, two banana plugs, short BNC cable to my trusty Xiegu G90 with its tuner.
The difficult thing was getting up at 5 o’clock (local time) and out. I (or rather the radio) was QRV at the summit at 05:35 (UTC). In my enthusiasm, I hadn’t set up the paperwork yet and didn’t know the reference, when I saw the spot from HB9EAJ and I called “summit-to-summit”! I had to scramble to find the summit reference in time.
Then it was a breeze: I spotted myself and promptly ZL4NVW answered. Wow! Wow! I was elated! The usual friends from Europe were also already awake.
After the initial frenzy died out a little, I listened to the bands. I thought I heard the VK activator on 14.249, but the signal was too weak.
My activation was interrupted by the telescopic mast several times deciding to un-telescope itself. Finally I guyed it down from the top a little bit sideways so as to pinch it a little more, that’s the yellow line you see in the picture.
My shack on top of HB/SO-003. In the background the Alps. At the far left edge, behind the Alps, you can see Australia
(view to the east)
View to south-west: the next summit is HB/SO-001 (Hasenmatt).
Weather permitting, I’ll try to get up Sunday morning early to try again. Maybe on the same hill, maybe another one.
Thanks to all chasers!
Happy SOTA!
73 de Martin / HB9GVW
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GM/ES-065 seems like a lucky summit. Just worked Simon GM4JXP/P on 20 m. I chased him for half an hour before he started to become readable. There was about a 10 minute window but he’s in my log at 3 3. Could not copy the other European activators. Sorry guys.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
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Come back home from Mt. Santa Margherita I/LO-439, active from 5:00 utc to 8:00.
Mainly in 20cw, some european qso in 17mt and some calls in 12 without results.
I start to call in 20, anyone qso in the first 15minute, at 05:17utc ZL1TM a log followed by VK2WP at 05:26, @VK3AFW Ron 05:52, @VK4TJ at 06:10, s2s with @VK1ACE from vk1/ac-040 at 06:30. I tried also in ssb 20mt and I managed in the log @VK5PAS at 07:11, VK5MAZ at 07:16.
I returned in cw with VK3KTT at 07:28 my last dx station in a log.
I passed in qrt with abt 30 qsos.
Many thanks at all chasers!!
73
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Thanks Roberto for my first Italian summit. It’s certainly worth trying 17 m as well as 20 m but you were not quite workable on 17 m today.
My window to Europe is from about 0600 to 0730 but it may not be longer than 10 minutes for working a particular station. The band opens earlier to VK4 and VK1/VK2 than here.
Off topic
For those of you sending at 29 wpm, I can piece together the callsign and copy my report if you signal is out of the noise, but if you want to send the locator, your name the peak name and weather, dropping to under 20 wpm would help. The speed at which I call is supposed to be a hint. I know it’s a problem if you are using a mechanical bug. In that case I suggest spacing the characters a la Farnsworth. Thanks.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
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Thanks you Ron for the nice qso! I hope to contact you again tomorrow for your second italian summit!
73!
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Thanks Roberto for the second summit contact today. Six dx countries in the log this evening.
Thanks to all the CW ops who sent a little slower. Gentlemen, every one.
73
Ron
VK3AFW.
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Ron, It was a great pleasure.
My speed/key was ok?
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Yes Roberto, you keying was very good for me. Thankyou. I hope to see you in my log again soon.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
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As alerted I will be out on two summits tomorrow (5/5/22), using the special call sign DL20SOTA/P.
My timing on the first summit DL/AL-179 Weichberg should be OK for contacts into VK/ZL I hope. The second summit (DL/AL-169 Auerberg) will be late morning and too late for VK/ZL.
I intend to try both 20m & 17m from DL/AL-179.
Here’s hoping the weather calms down a little from how it is at the moment so that I don’t have the activations washed out!
73 Ed DD5LP/VK2JI.
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Giving it a go again on Sunday 08/05/22 0500 from Crohaun
I had so many queries about my unusual (ie forgotten about) antenna design, that I put together a short video about it. Thankfully that was also the day the DX came flooding in!
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It might have been forgotten about but thank goodness you rediscovered it, Fraser. I used my copy of it to work Paul @VK5PAS from GM/SI-200 on Lewis in the Western Isles this morning for my first ever VK contact. A 5/3 received from my 10 watts and the KX2 - plus the “Wenseth Wonder” antenna, of course…" 
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Lovely morning out. Sunrise over fog, 89 QSO’s, 5 EU S2S, 2 QSO’s to VK, none S2S sadly.
With patented back rest
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That’s great Mike. Glad you could make it work and get some DX!
Cheers, Fraser
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