EA8/LA-026 Montaña Roja

Activation Reports
1

This is an easy summit to reach from the suburbs of Playa Blanca.

map
Montaña Roja with marked trails

You’d be hard pushed to get lost! I parked at the end of the most Northerly trail which proved a nice easy 20 minute walk to the rim of the extinct volcano. From there it is another 5-10 minutes to reach the summit marker.

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Parking spot

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Playa Blanca

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Views towards Fueteventura

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I setup 10m to the South of the summit marker. I had arrived early as there was a slim chance I would hit an opening to Australia. As it happens Mike @2E0YYY was on a HEMA summit with Ernie @VK3DET in QSO and I was able to drop into the chat with an amazing 5w QRP contact to Ernie 58/56 who was usng 400w and a 3 Element Monoband Antenna, thus surpassing my previous UK to Falkland Island longest 5w contact which is now 17,730 km!

I then got some nice contacts on 20m including 4 S2S with @SV2RUJ on SV/ST-080, @IK2LEY on I/LO-227, @HB9HCS on HB/BE-141 and @F5IUZ on F/CR-272.

Great to be able to get CW QSOs with friends Nigel M5TUE and @G8CPZ Andy, nice strong signals on 20m following poor signals from our attempt on 17m.

Simon @G4JXP who was also on holiday didn’t have 2m in the end but we had a great 10m S2S, with him as EA8/G4JXP/P on EA8/LA-004 booming in. Unlike myself who was in a constant 20 knot wind he reported light winds from his summit.

The deep QSB on 20m didn’t seem to be affecting 17m quite the same, or maybe the signals were just a bit up but I had a nice run again on 17m SSB with Mike once again in the log and nice to have a chat with Guru @EA2IF.

TIME CALLSIGN FREQ BAND MODE RST RSR OPERATOR SIG REF COMMENT
07:45 2E0YYY/P 14.294 20m SSB 58 55 Mike Hunter HEMA G/HSP-020 HEMA: G/HSP-020, NOTES: Mow
07:48 VK3DET 14.294 20m SSB 58 56 Ernie OP: Ernie
07:56 F5JKK 14.285 20m SSB 45 44 ERIC JAUCH
07:57 G4OBK 14.285 20m SSB 58 55 Philip (Phil) Catte
07:58 SV2RUJ/P 14.285 20m SSB 44 33 Stavros Triadafyllo SOTA SV/ST-080
08:00 EA2DT 14.285 20m SSB 55 52 Manuel
08:01 IK2LEY/P 14.285 20m SSB 58 57 FABIO PELLIZZONI SOTA I/LO-227
08:02 EA5JN 14.285 20m SSB 58 58 ANGEL GARCIA
08:02 G0VWP 14.285 20m SSB 58 55 Terry Sayner
08:03 PF2X 14.285 20m SSB 57 53 NOTES: location from qrzcq.c
08:06 HB9HCS/P 14.285 20m SSB 44 55 Stefan Kirchhofer SOTA HB/BE-141
08:06 DD5LP 14.285 20m SSB 57 53 Edward A Durrant
08:08 2E0ESY 14.285 20m SSB 45 51 MIKE Clitheroe
08:09 SM5LNE 14.285 20m SSB 59 57 Jan Skoldin
08:09 G0LWU 14.285 20m SSB 55 41 Andrew Charles Scar
08:11 ON6EF 14.285 20m SSB 55 55 Eddy Walscharts
08:11 ON4UP 14.285 20m SSB 58 44 Peter Preudhomme
08:12 EA5IFF 14.285 20m SSB 56 59 Juan Puche Aguilera NOTES: QRP
08:33 M5TUE 14.057 20m CW 589 339 Nigel Wadsworth
08:40 G8CPZ 14.057 20m CW 559 529 AJ Barth
08:46 F5IUZ/P 14.062 20m CW 589 559 DAUTRICOURT Moïse SOTA F/CR-272
09:06 EA8/G4JXP/P 28.470 10m SSB 59 59 SCH Green SOTA EA8/LA-004
09:10 S57S 28.530 10m SSB 59 22 ALEKSANDER ZAGAR
09:11 IV3GVY 28.530 10m SSB 59 55 Maurizio (Mauri) Do
09:12 OE6RCD 28.530 10m SSB 55 52 ROLAND ROBIC
09:15 G3VXJ 18.120 17m SSB 59 53 BOB RYLATT
09:16 F5JKK 18.120 17m SSB 59 55 ERIC JAUCH
09:17 G4OBK 18.120 17m SSB 58 35 Philip (Phil) Catte
09:20 GM0GAV 18.120 17m SSB 59 55 Gavin Taylor
09:21 G0VWP 18.120 17m SSB 59 55 Terry Sayner
09:21 HB9DHA 18.120 17m SSB 59 55 Reinhard (Ray) Sieg
09:21 GI4ONL 18.120 17m SSB 59 44 Victor Mitchell
09:22 DL8DXL 18.120 17m SSB 55 55 Fred Grimm
09:22 EA2IF 18.120 17m SSB 59 45 Op. Guru .
09:23 2E0YYY/P 18.120 17m SSB 57 52 Mike Hunter HEMA G/HSP-020 HEMA: G/HSP-020, NOTES: Mow
09:24 G0RQL 18.120 17m SSB 59 44 DON ROOMES
09:25 DL2DXA 18.120 17m SSB 55 56 Bernd Ponetka
09:26 G6PJZ 18.120 17m SSB 59 53 Andy Clift

MyLocation
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Operating Position

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EA8-S2S
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EA8 S2S with Simon

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There are panoramas in the Google Photos Album.

Thanks for all the chasing and S2S.

19 Likes
2

Well done for getting up so early on holiday!

Oh, and the spectacular start to your log.

3

Looks like the road now has a tarmac surface, it wasn’t complete in 2015. You got a good view to Fuerteventura, it was just discernable in the mist/haze when I was there but that was late afternoon. It was windy when I did it ISTR.

1 Like
4

Thanks for the nice S2S Mark and great stuff getting VK in the log!

1 Like
5

That’s amazing Mark. What antenna were you using?

6

Thank you for today’s S2S QSO and the complete Mark. I activated the Montaña Roja volcano on 29th of March this year. I hope for more S2S with you and enjoy the holidays!
Stefan

1 Like
7

Hi John, that was using the Super Antenna MP1 on their supplied lightweight tripod and standard radial sets for 40,30,20 and 17,15,12 & 10. Should have taken a photo! I was using an external 3 cell LifePo4 2200mah. The MP1 has surpassed all my expectations and then some.

Cheers, Mark

1 Like
8

I had my first trans-Atlantic QSO using the MP1 a few, weeks ago. From a low hill in Norfolk. I was amazed. :slight_smile:

1 Like
9

Great pics Mark, well done with your qrp setup. If you get chance to do any other activations it’s definitely worth trying 10m as it always seems open to somewhere or other from EA8. You could get the ferry to FU from there, it only takes half an hour :wink::wink::wink:

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10

Congrats. As always there is a bit of right place right time. Look really good as antennas go too :space_invader: M.

1 Like
11

Hi Mark, great report and photos. Fantastic to work VK also. Well done. :+1::beers: :champagne:

Cheers: Geoff vk3sq

1 Like