I’m heading off to Ibiza on Sunday morning for one week.
The island has 11 summits of which three have been previously activated, two by Inaki EA2GKK, and one by Ernest EA1LQ. Next week is seen to be the last week of the Ibiza tourist season when many flights from the UK cease, so I hope to get some warm autumn sun into my bones before battening down the hatches for winter.
EA2GKK and EA1LQ have made 108 QSOs in total from Ibiza using the 40m and 20m bands.
Without the SOTA database I cannot be sure, but I believe no CW contacts have ever been made from a SOTA summit from EA6/IB iza. The nearby Island of Formentera EA6/FO (reachable by ferry) contains just one summit and that is also not yet activated. I don’t plan to do a side trip there as this is a holiday and not a full blown SOTA Tour - unlike my recent tour in the Czech Republic. But I hope to visit several summits between Sunday 18th and Saturday 24th October.
I will be using lightweight QRP kit - notably an FT-817 at 5 watts with a link dipole on a 5m pole for the 30m, 20m and (if I have time) 17m bands. The main emphasis will be to make as many QSOs as possible on CW and SSB in the shortest time available as I will have a non radio ham companion with me. The operating method I used in OK worked well and I will do the same on this trip:
Start on CW 10118 ± QRM
QSY to 14062 ± QRM
QSY to 14285 ± QRM
If I have time and good weather I will finish on 18082 / 18135 ± QRM.
If you want a QSO please keep a watch on the SOTA Alerts page. I will either alert the night before or on the morning of the activation day. If I have coverage I will self spot. If I cannot self spot the RBN or G4SSH will usually find and spot me calling CQ on CW around 10118. SSB only operators please note - as soon as I shut down on 20m CW I will ALWAYS QSY to 14285 ± QRM and call CQ there. In the past without the ability to self spot I have failed to make any QSOs on 20m SSB.
If I can self spot though I usually make a good handful of phone contacts before I close down.
Thank for the info Andy. I should be able to activate EA6/IB-009 later today after leaving the airport, which is about 10 miles from the summit, 1200z - time approx - after I have had some lunch and a beer. I will open up on 20m CW.
Sorry Phil, missed your spots - I was down in the cellar sanding a door down for repainting. Hope I get a chance to catch you on anotther summit - looks like you timed it just right as conditions seem to be pretty well back to normal (at least for a while).
Quite happy with my 38 QSOs worked contest style this afternoon on 17m-20m and 30m from Puig de sa Creu IB-009 - on noisy bands. I didn’t bring a 10m antenna with me, just the usual link dipole,
The logs are about to go in now thanks to F6ENO’s Saisie SOTA - very quick input of contacts into a csv file (Thanks Alain).
It may have been a local comms tower I was sat next to or just midday Mediterranean atmospherics but I had a high noise level on all three bands. I averaged one QSO per minute though and I was pleased to hear you as soon as I went on 20m phone, but G6TUH was louder and I worked Mike first, you, then Mick M0MDA, followed by HB9MKV, OE5FSM and OE7HP!. The other 32 QSOs were in Morse. The summit is a drive on SOTA on top of a hill with some rented villa’s nearby. I walked a short distance to a wall next to the comms tower and small building and operated from there:
Ed - you win some, you lose some and you don’t need a super station to build a big score SOTA. Being there and using CW skillfully is the best way, that’s why Roy G4SSH was first in my log! No surprise for me, as I know if I call Roy and we have propagation he comes straight back. He being the first chaser to record a SOTA CW QSO with a station in Ibiza. I miss loads of chaser points at home daily due to just not being there and busy with other stuff. I did work plenty of DLs but only on CW today, so that may make you feel a little better. I’m sure we’ll work another day on SSB.
Not made any plans for tomorrow yet - will need to consult my other half. After rising today at 3.30am we are both pretty well bushed at present, but looking forward to our evening meal rather than using our light sticks and joining in a foam party in one of the many clubs on the island…
HI Phil,
I took a look at the summit through Google Earth and it looks a bit like the hollywood hills with the rich and famous perhaps having their villas there. I worked some EA SOTA stations today without problems, so band conditions are good again. I’m sure you would have heard me had I “spotted the spot”. Not worried about the chaser points - just would have been nice to be in your log.
If you’ve been up since 3:30am, I wish you a nice and relaxing evening and good weather for your stay.
73 Ed.
P.S. congrats on being the first activator of that summit!
Dear Phil,
Today I started late my activation from EA2/SS-030 in HF bands mainly because I had good response on 2m.
I always find very nice to share long words with this great number of SOTA followers which are grouped into EA2 area. Anyway, I will be following your next alerts hoping to have a new chance to catch you but outside weekend my work takes up much of my time.
Yes, today as M3FEH has pointed before a spanish “basque” sota has worked well USA and Canada stations on 15m. The window was open for a short moment but getting good signals, amazing contact with them with a quarter wave vertical stick.
Phil enjoy your stay in Ibiza, you will feel like a real hippie now that the disco-party season has ended.
Also I recommend you visit the western part of the island to find the best sunsets and cliffs.
73s de EB2GKK
The villa’s must be rental spots Ed as the people going out weren’t territorial as they were waving to me as they passed my activation point in their cars!
Yes good place here Inaki, we are stayin in Cala San Vicence on the north west side. Nice hotel and beach, mainly German guests, I think maybe we are the only British here. I’ve never been here before but the island has a different feel to Mallorca.
I did have one transatlantic QSO with VE1WT on 20m. Skip was short on 10 MHz yesterday so I worked several EA stations including the prolific EA2DT! The only UK station on 30m was M0BKV who I think is nearest as he lives on the south coast. We will be going to look at the western side of Ibiza. I want to activate IB-001 while over that way. But not today - it is wet and stormy so I can’t see an activation taking place at present unless things improve this afternoon. I need to find a petrol station for some hire car fuel. The ones in St Eularia closed before 3.00pm yesterday.
Hi Phil,
I believe Ibiza is the number 1 German summer holiday spot - certainly for the young people. I think you’ll find the petrol stations open today - often shops and businesses (even petrol stations) close early on Sundays.
Hope the rain stops for you, so that you can enjoy the island. Today is possibly a good day to buy those souvenirs and postcards that one has to bring back or send from a holiday island. (Don’t forget to pack some sunshine to bring back for the TW-Funday HI).
OH my what a shame listening to Ukraine Bulgaria Brazil and gut bay in cuba calling the WAG contest stations between 1200 and 1300hrs ut butr good to hear it open up as it did . Americans seemed more on 15m.
Thanks for the useful info Ed. We are off to the Decathlon shop in Ibiza Town to look around there as we have few of these shops in the UK and none near to where we live, we’ll get some fuel en route and suss out access to somewhere to park the car for IB-007 as we will we walking in that area tomorrow when the WX forecast is better. Hope the WX for our G/TW funday is more like tomorrow will be in Ibiza, and not like today…
Karl - SOTA activating is about working 4 or more stations to qualify on any band. Any DX or S2S contact is considered to be “icing on the cake” to my mind, nice, but not essential to get the points, so as an activator who qualified a “unique” yesterday I do not feel I missed out in any way!
UNIque in deed Nice one
Was for me too as in sota and IOTA island and new region sota too
Iceing on cake indeed.
Bands well open on 20m at mo listening to JA beaming via NZ and VK strong signals from them this morning listening out for you this morning hopefully on voice 280 and 286 is busy with said stations and 290 with polish SES .
I called you too but in vain
You were 559 with deep QSB into a grey overcast Gloucestershire.
Same on 18Mhz!
Best was on 14Mhz where you were a reasonable copy on SSB. Unfortunately missed your opening CW session so it will have to wait for another day for a EA6/IB point. Such is life
The skys are grey in Ibiza - it is only just coming light and its nearly 8.00am local. If it doesn’t start to rain after breakfast I am heading up IB-007 to Talai de Sant Joan by mid to late morning hopefully.
Yesterday we chilled out looking at the fortifications in Ibiza Town, the architecture and bronzes. The trip to Decathlon proved expensive and the suitcase will be well full now for the return flight. We chose a cafe at random at lunchtime and struck lucky, it was a good lunch.
Whilst in the town I picked up some ferry timetables. We have decided to go to the island of Formentera on either Thursday or Friday to activate EA6/FO-001 - the 202m high Torre Mola, for the first time. We will catch a service bus from the port at 10.30z and then complete a linear walk from one village to another crossing the hill en-route.
There is now some light outside but the day is quite dull with blanketed cloud, I hope rain does not arrive.
