On Saturday, March 21, 2026, Roman @DL3TU and I, Marcel @DM3FAM planned a get-together. We wanted to spend some time together chatting and of course doing a few SOTA activations.
The meeting was planned for Schluchsee. Roman had family commitments early in the morning and was already on the road. I used the time to visit Hochfirst DM/BW-015. The weather was cold and crisp, a bit sunny but no rain! The conditions weren’t great, but I was very happy to hear from the callers. After that, i go back to the Saig parking lot.
From there, i drove on to the Äulemer Kreuz parking lot. Our first destination together was the Schnepfhalde DM/BW-284. After meeting at the parking lot and chatting for a bit, we set off. We took a leisurely stroll along the Schnepfhaldenweg. After just under half an hour, we reached the top.
Roman had brought everything he needed for the current 2m Challenge, and I had my usual shortwave gear. We set up our stations a short distance apart and activated the Schnepfhalde. In between, I was able to make QSOs on 2m SSB from Roman’s station.
Conditions on shortwave were still not great, but we managed to log a few QSOs and some S2S contacts. Many thanks to everyone who called. The weather took a turn for the worse, and suddenly it got darker and started to snow.
We packed up our gear because we wanted to get out of the way of a possible thunderstorm. On the way back to the parking lot, the weather became pleasant, and once we reached the bottom, the sun came out. But only briefly. A short time later, a few raindrops fell. We considered where and how to continue and decided to drive to Wagnersberg DM/BW-849. Next parking lot: Seebrugg.
Once we arrived, we looked up. We all agreed: “Let’s go—this spot will do.” We walked for about half an hour here as well and arrived. The weather continued to be on our side. Here, too, we set up our stations a little apart from one another. Roman set up his hourglass antenna for 2m this time.
As expected, shortwave was a bit more challenging due to the conditions. Fortunately, I managed to log a few S2S QSOs here as well. I was particularly pleased with the S2S with Andy @GM4LLD Our joint QSOs are more than rare. I later read that this was his 50th activation on Scald Law GM/SS-125 → Scald Law x 50
Things went really well for Roman. There was another small contest going on—I think it was the AGCW DL VHF/UHF Contest (VHF/UHF Contest – AGCW). Roman logged some nice contacts there! I never would have thought there could be so much activity on 2m.
The weather then picked up a bit, and we were already planning to leave. But then it got nicer again, so we stayed a little longer.
Then we moved on. We packed up and headed back toward the parking lot. Our next destination was the Gasthaus/Hotel Hirschen in Fischbach near Schluchsee, just below the Ahaberg DM/BW-851. We checked in, reserved a table for dinner, and settled in for a bit. Over a good dinner and some tasty beer, we had interesting conversations about family, work, and hobbies. After that, it was decided: we’d head up to the Ahaberg early the next morning.
After a hearty breakfast and checking out, we looked out at a wall of fog and set off. At the Kohlplatz waypoint, we noticed another hiker. We were a bit surprised, since there’s no official hiking trail leading to the Ahaberg. Most hikers continue on the path toward the Bildstein in the direction of Schluchsee. We saw an antenna (handheld radio)… the hiker heard us, turned around, and recognized us. It was Wolf @DF7TF He was also on his way to Ahaberg. What a nice surprise! We chatted for a while before continuing on our way. Wolf found a spot, and so did we. Thanks, Wolf, for the surprise encounter. We really enjoyed it!
Roman DL3TU, Wolf DF7TF, Marcel DM3FAM
We set up our stations separately again in a small clearing. On shortwave, the conditions weren’t great, just like yesterday. Still, I was happy about the QSOs! It was also a bit more difficult for Roman, but that was partly due to the location. 2m, in the middle of the forest, surrounded by trees—not exactly ideal 
We were pretty frozen through. The ground was covered in snow and was really chilling us from below. We packed up and walked back to the parking lot.
We said our goodbyes at the parking lot. Many thanks to everyone for the chaser and S2S QSOs, and to you, Roman, many thanks for the wonderful time together! I really enjoyed our meetup! We’d been planning this for a long time, and this time it worked out. And finally, for our next meetup, I’ll be heading to Roman’s SOTA home zone 
73 Marcel DM3FAM
And by the way… Today, SOTA-BW Gemeinschaft (https://sota-bw.de/) is celebrating its 5th anniversary! 
In April 2021, we finalized our plans and went public. To this day, SOTA-BW has become such a kind, helpful, motivating, respectful, and friendly group. And for me I am grateful to be a part of it.
Roman @DL3TU has summarized everything briefly.
https://sota-bw.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/5_Jahre_SOTA-BW.pdf (PDF file in German)
