Thanks, Markus, for the heads up and for the S2S-QSO today on HB/LU-028!
I would like to second @EA2IF and @ON7DQ: Canton Uri is missing on my list as well for “Edelweiss” (and Vaud too).
Thanks for the big fun with chasing HB15SOTA 
73, Roman
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You’re welcome Roger. That has been an episode of “doing funny things at least once in your life”. Any advice welcome to do it better next time. The equipment is still coping with me, hi.
HB/FR tomorrow will be back on regular roots for me.
Vy 73 de Markus, HB9DIZ
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This time I didn’t activate as HB15SOTA, not because I only have 13 cantons for the diploma, but because I was outside of HB9.
I activated EA3/BC-048 and could add two HB15SOTA S2S contacts in my log. Because I left before Markus activated LU, I missed my 14th canton. Well, let’s try it another time…
To show you how much QRM I experienced on this summit on 40m, I added a short video where you can hear the HB15SOTA operator Timo HB9HGQ, running his pile up with QRO according to the comment of his spot:
I could not clearly locate the source of this local RF noise that was between S6 and S9+ on 40m, but 20m and 60m were pretty fine and I could log even the second HB15SOTA station in SH on 60m. Not bad for my EFHW that is 1/3 shortened on 60m.
At the end, a total of 43 contacts made it into the log.
Sorry to the ones I could not hear well enough on 40m.
73 Stephan
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Hi Stephan
Thanks for letting us participate in your view from outside onto the HB15 cosmos.
Jürg, HB9BIN, was on HB/LU-029 today, maybe his activity has matched for you.
Vy 73 de Markus, HB9DIZ
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Dear all
The weather forecast has announced some winter days for HB9 now, so we’ll see how this influcences the possibilities for the next HB15 activities.
Nearby Chiemen, HB/SZ-032, was on our agenda for the afternoon of Easter Monday, an easy 1-pointer between Lake of Lucerne and Zugersee, not far from home. It was already windy, but we found a nice and calm place on the summit ridge in the wood.
Propagation was not very favorable, and no corner on 60 m was free for me. On 40 m Guru and I fought against different QRMs from windmills and other old men for an S2S contact to EA2 and finally lost both. But there will next possibilities for good contacts for a HB15 diploma.
My lucky guy on Saturday was Roman, DL3TU. He was my last contact after nearly 3 hours in a stiff breeze on Höhi, HB/FR-049, in Canton Fribourg. The only place to escape from the breeze was on the lowest steps of the staircase of this water system utility.
There was no propagation for short distances on 60 m, what had been frequently a golden key to southern Germany in the past for me. We finally switched to 80 m to give it a try . . . and were successful just on the last second to provide this canton although my EFHW is not made for that band. So I was also a lucky guy in that moment!
Since I was late now I had to collect my stuff in a hurry and run down the hill to catch the bus running only each 2nd hour. I was successful – it was “just in time” at its best. 
Next opportunities for HB15SOTA will follow – stay tuned!
Vy 73 de Markus, HB9DIZ
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Thanks Markus @HB9DIZ for your report and your feedback!
I always enjoy the low man-made noise that one usually experiences on a summit, but unfortunately this is not always the case. If possible, I try to avoid such summits in the future and warn other activators about this fact somehow on the corresponding summit page. This time I recorded this kind of QRM for the first time with a short video, but as one can hear, a powerful HB15SOTA station aka @HB9HGQ made it through the noise.
Further, I don’t like to realize that a summit is not accessible just before starting the hike, as it happened to me on EA3/GI-036. In this case, the summit was within a military zone. These kind of annoyances definitely need documentation for the next activator, especially when there is no hint on one of the corresponding maps!
BTW: A summit with zero activations in EA is not necessarily a sign of such condition. I first-activated last year several easy ones in EA3.
To me, hearing known voices from abroad is always nice and on 20m I could make two times a S2S with @HB9HCS who was very active on EA8/Lanzarote.
Also, Eric @F5JKK was a very loyal chaser, always reachable with a strong signal on 60m, thanks to his relatively close proximity.
Back to the HB15SOTA topic:
Unfortunately, there was no time to activate yesterday, after I got back to HB9.
If weather and work allows, I’ll activate as HB15SOTA the upcoming Friday and/or Saturday, probably to a close by summit, either canton BL, SO, AG or JU, but who knows, maybe a further one… Anyways, I’ll alert a day in advance.
It seems that I can switch temporarily back to my “normal” call, when I hear another HB15SOTA activator from a canton that I’m missing. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
73 Stephan
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I see that Guru still needs Graubünden and so do I!
This is surprising as Graubünden is a Canton with more than 300 summits. Any activity in HB/GR planned? It should preferably include 60m CW, otherwise I will have hardly a chance working into HB9 these days.
73 Heinz
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Thanks, Markus, for your report and your perseverance on FR-049! While 60 metres has been the ideal band for distances as short as 150 km on many occasions, there was no hope for a QSO last weekend. I knew it had to happen one day: The 100km MUF would simply not reach 5MHz.
Had I known that your bus is about to leave, I wouldn’t have kept you longer, though 
Luckily everything worked out fine and you caught your bus in time 
Many thanks and 73,
Roman
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Hi Roman
Don’t worry, that was my very own problem. This bus service runs only every two hours and I realized only on the descent that it would leave the trail head 5 minutes earlier on this round as an exeption.
Dear Heinz
HB/GR is on my list, but unscheduled so far. There are 4 lowland summits and 2 popular tops of ski areas with cablecars in GR. But most of the other summits are covered in meters of snow at present and the domain of the specialists or of nobody. In case you prefer CW, we should alert our CW guys like Jürg, @HB9BIN, or Bruno, @HB9CBR. But they are not from this region and it takes them longer trips from their homes. So any type of availability remains part of this HB15SOTA game since we can’t provide any cantons for sure. And yes, unfortunately even not all HB15SOTA operators alert their activities although this would help the chasers and especially the S2S operators! 
But in case you take a microphone with you I’d certainly love to come back to your calls on 60 m SSB as already done earlier – enjoying it here that 60 m is allowed now even in your country. A major problem at present are the primary user on 5363.6 and some “long talkers” on the only remaining reasonable SSB QRG. Since I’m not yet retired I can travel only on Saturdays, and same problem probably on your side.
Vy 73 de Markus, HB9DIZ
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Hi everybody,
i intend to activate HB/GR-161 Crupspitz with call HB15SOTA tomorrow 08.04.2021 around 1030 to 1300 z +/- // CW only.
73 s Bruno HB9CBR
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1030 to 1300 z …
wrong
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Hi Bruno,
I have to be in office tomorrow 
Will try to sneak out during my lunch break. Today I could not copy Jürg while he was on HB/SO-019 at all. I hope condx are better tomorrow.
Thanks, Heinz, OE5EEP
Just added for tomorrow at 09:30z an alert for HB/SO-012. Probably I’ll try also 60m and activate HB/SO-013 afterwards, after I checked-out the nearby castle. I like to combine sightseeing with SOTA, there is always something new to be discovered.
As always, one can follow me on APRS.
Since I live in the very Nord-West corner of Switzerland (Basel), the alps are pretty far away, especially canton GR. This would need an overnight stay.
Therefore, before COVID border restrictions, I activated a lot in the Black Forrest (Germany) or in the Voges (France) that are much closer to me.
73 Stephan
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Bingo, Heinz and Guru are in Bruno’s log.
73, DIZ
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I still need GL and NE preferably 40m. or 60m. CW. My rig is QRP and my antenna is a windom dipole. I would like to complete the 24 cantons that I have so hard pursued. I ask for information one day in advance. Many thanks to the activators.
73 Oscar
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Yes, I had some difficulties with QSB on 60m, but we finally made our QSO. Thanks Bruno!
Great that we made it on 60m because I had to leave for some errands and I wasn’t home when Bruno activated on 30m, which is usually the best band for EA-HB contact.
I already qualified for my Enzian diploma
You can see it here:
I now need 2 cantons (AI & UR) only for Edelweiss
and a full month to chase them. I think this is something achievable.
Let’s keep fingers crossed.
73,
Guru
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After returning from the two SO-summits today and hearing that some chasers still need BL, as well as seeing that the weather doesn’t look too good from Sunday on, I decided to activate a BL summit tomorrow: I just alerted for HB/BL-015 from 10:30z on.
I hope to hear you tomorrow!
73 Stephan
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Hi Stephan,
Can I congratulate yourself and the HB15SOTA team on a very professional approach to this award it has been very satisfying to take part I don’t think I will make the Edelweiss Award as I was late in starting but it is the taking part that counts and have had countless hours of fun. Thanks again for all the hard work that the team has put in.
Regards Brian
MM1HMZ
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