Dear all
It’s time to advertise a little even in advance!
6 hobby friends have reached 10 Mountain Goats so far: @OK2PDT, @HB9BIN, @SP9MA, @SQ9MDF, @DS5SQS and @KE5AKL. Now – probably tomorrow Thursday – number 7 will be added to this honor roll: Kurt HB9AFI.
Kurt is an experienced and enthusiastic CW operator. SSB contacts on shortwave or FM QSOs on VHF with him are rare. Kurt also takes his time on the summits, often logging 60 and more QSOs per activation. Anyway, his heart beats for the mountains. He used to visit many challenging summits, but nowadays he takes it a little easier, partly for health reasons. But he is always on the bands. Kurt has lived in French-speaking Switzerland for many years and primarily visits the summits in his home region and in nearby France. He is always on the move because he somehow can’t be without SOTA: “Et il court et court, le furet”! 
Kurt is still very active. Who would have thought that his 80th birthday was a few years ago? How nice that he is now reaching this rare milestone! SOTA has been established in Switzerland in spring 2005, and Kurt has been involved since the summer of the same year. That’s almost 20 years. For many years he was our SOTA number 1 in HB9. He has witnessed how SOTA has become a popular sport for radio amateurs.
What are the results of almost 20 years of SOTA so far? 2,344 activations, including 111 activations this year (more than me!), almost 900 uniques, around 80,000 QSOs, of which >99 % CW. There are many stories associated with this, as we all know them. SOTA is a unique hobby, and Kurt’s rare milestone makes you realize that. May it continue like this for Kurt HB9AFI and for all of us for as long as possible!
Congratulations, Kurt, on your special success and milestone!
Vy 73 de Markus, HB9DIZ
= = = = = = = =
HB9AFI Super Goat activation on October 17, 2024
ATTENTION — Who of you has time for a CW QSO with Kurt tomorrow morning? 9,998 points are on his account, the missing 2 points should be added tomorrow morning, probably on Mt. Moron in the Bernese Jura in western Switzerland - HB/BE-101. Spots can be expected from about 0800 UTC, cf. SOTAwatch. We hope for good weather and good radio conditions and an unforgettable day for Kurt.
= = = = = = = =
HB9AFI on Sotlas - soon 20 years of SOTA, impressive statistics.
A spontaneous visit from Kurt HB9AFI when I activated one of his home hills above Lake Geneva, La Tour de Gourze, HB/VD-044.
Recently on Le Brévent, F/AB-258, near Chamonix – Kurt looks back somewhat thoughtfully on many wonderful years with SOTA.
action in the swiss alps and around!