I want to apologise because yesterday morning (Sunday) I put an alert on Sotawatch for an activation of a never before activated summit, EA2/NV-025 Borrokoxko and it finally couldn’t be.
The alert warned that I was going to be with family so the activation itself, the start time and its duration was highly uncertain.
We went 75 Km Northeast from my QTH to a mountaneous area in the very Southwest skirts of the Pyrenees. I had never been there before and this preliminary expedition served me to explore the area, the accessability and try to determine where exactly was the Borrokoxko mount I wanted to activate and how to get to its base.
After driving 7,5 Km on a very dirt, slopy and sometimes difficult mountain road from the little village of Ayechu/Aietxu, with permanent All Wheel Drive and the shortest gears in the gearbox of my car we got to a nice area right between 2 impresive tall rocky top mountains.
I thought one of these two was the Borrokoxko but it was a bit too late in the afternoon, the mountains looked too high and the idea of hicking to the top with my wife and our 3 kids sounded crazy, so I decided to abort the activation to enjoy the mount base slopes and the still remaining snow patches with the kids.
I couldn’t delete the alert because there was no signal for mobile phones in that area.
Since I wasn’t totally sure about the mountain name, I took a picture of it and thanks to this picture, once at home, I have been able to find out that none of the two mountains at which base we were playing yesterday afternoon was the targeted Borrokoxko.
The one I wrongly thought Borrokoxko is indeed Ezpondarri (1386 m and not yet a SOTA unique), but I’ve seen on a very good web page (www.mendikat.net) that Borrokoxko was very close, just 2 or 3 kilometers from where we were.
I know now where you are, Borrokoxko, and I’ll activate you very soon.
Yesterday wasn’t successful for me as a SOTA activator but I had the pleasure to chase from my car both Alberto’s (EA2DYS & EA2DCA) + Iratxe (EA2DNO) twice in 2 different SOTA activations they did (EA1/LR-038 & EA2/VI-018).
Both contacts were more than 100Km each and this was very satisfying.
I’m glad of having recently bought Luis - EA2BK’s (SK) Yaesu FT-23R handie and put a 1/4 wave antenna with a magnetic base on the roof of my car to have a permanent 2m-FM radio again in my car, like in the old times, because thanks to it I’ve been able to chase a good number of SOTA activators lately.
SOTA fever keeps growing…
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF
In reply to EA2IF:
Hello Guru
Thanks for your report.
I think that mountains will be at the same place for a long time.
I hope that you have success on the next hike.
Agur de Andre
f5ukl
In reply to F5UKL:
Merci Andre pour votre reponse.
Oui, c’est vrai, les montagnes seront toujours la quelque plus de temps, hi, hi!
J’espere pouvoir faire QSO avec vous bientot depuis une de nos montagnes, meme sur les 2m FM.
Mes meilleurs 73,
Agur, laster arte.
Guru - EA2IF
Thank you Andre for your replay.
Yes, it’s true, the mountains will be still there some more time, hi, hi!
I hope to QSO with you soon from one of our mountains, even on 2m FM.
My best 73,
Guru - EA2IF
Well, the time has come for my second atemp to activate this remote summit. It’s about 75Km away from my QTH and 'm planning to do it tomorrow morning.
I’ll get up at 4AM utc and hope to be SOTA QRV by 7AM.
First, I’ll try to find some VK on the 20m band.
Last time I was there, there was not telephone signal available down in the valley, so I won’t be able to check SOTAWATCH unless the signal becomes available when I’ll be up at the summit.
After trying some VKs if any on the band, I’ll work 20m-CW, then 20m-ssb, later 30m-CW and finally 2m-FM.
Hope to copy you all very soon in the pile-up.
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF.
Guru,
Hope I will catch you from this summit. It would be a new one for me.
I will try with 100 mW. If it’s not working I wil go to 5 W in steps.
Have fun and cu 73. Tonnie, PA9CW/p from Texel.
Hi Tonnie,
I’d ask you to start with 1 watt first and increase in case it doesn’t work, but only after having tried for some few minutes.
I’m sure I’ll copy you with little power, as the QRM level there will probably be ZERO.
CU SOON.
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF
I’m planning to start with 2,5 w on each band and mode in tomorrow’s activation (except for the VKs) and once the stations able to copy me well with that little power had got into the log, I’ll increase to 5w to make my signal copyable to others.
I hope this will work well and it will make my batteries last longer.
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF
Guru,
On 20 mtrs I could not hear you. But on 30 mtrs your signal was real 559. Nice to work you with my 100 mW. Your 2.5 W was enough, but there was some QSB. And some QRM from other stations calling you. So I lost your last over.
At this moment I’m on holiday on Texel island. So no QRM here and good signals. I use KX-3 and a 30 mtr HyEndFed on a 14 mtrs long mast.
Good luck, and keep on QRP-en…
Tonnie, PA9CW.
Dear Tonnie,
Thank you for your call this morning on QRPP 100mW.
I copied you perfectly with almost no S-meter signal but very well, thanks to the QRM level being ZERO, NOTHING, NADA at the summit.
As I told you during our QSO, I was transmitting with 2.5 watts and the GP antenna.
I’ll write a report of this activation with nice pictures and I hope you’ll like it.
Enjoy your stay at Texel Island.
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF
Hello Guru,
Thanks for going onto 20M SSB this morning.
I could not hear you as there was so much QRM from the contest.
Strange - I heard some G stations calling you and saying 59 but of course I could not hear you so I don’t know if they really heard you or were just having a pretend QSO 
Oh well always another day.
Best wishes
Mike
Dear Mike,
I thought of you and missed your call on 1watt this morning.
It seems there was a weird propagation as you couldn’t copy me but I worked very well some UK stations on 20m. One on CW and 5 on SSB.
Perhaps it was my fault, as I’ve been running 2.5 watts for some time in order to find out how the activation go like that and how much longer the battery last.
I think many stations could copy me well, as I logged 68 QSOs this morning, but running this little power might have made others (like you) go away without the chance to chase me because NIL copy after checking the spotted frequency.
Should that be the case, I’m sorry. Please accept my apologies.
Next time I’ll run 5w all the way through to the end of the batteries and that will be it.
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF