…have you already booked?
Where do you stay?
Yes, staying in Cornimont from 11 to 18 July.
I’ve been in Vosges a couple of times before I was a ham 
Thanks all the tips on SOTA activations.
@ON7DQ, great resource; will read through this!
Don’t forget FL/VO-002, it’s a drive-in.
There’s a restaurant on the summit, and it’s pretty close to FL/VO-080/FL-VO.170.
73 Jens HB9EKO
… and the owner of the hotel almost beat me up and destroyed my equipment because I was active in sight of the hotel / restaurant…
I was absolutely shocked! He hates hams!
73 Armin
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True, the last time I activated there, I saw a sign at the parking lot mentioning that. I walked a couple of minutes along a hiking path until the restaurant was out of sight, and attached my fishing rod to a fence pole. It was one of these ditch-in-ditch-out activations with only a few QSOs to score the activation, because I had 5 other summits on my list that day 
73 Jens HB9EKO
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Just like my xyl 
Good to know!!!
I am back from my one-week stay in FO/VL; I thought it would be nice to write some of my thoughts on the summits I activated (and give them my subjective rating!) I activated 12 summits in that week (some non-very popular); you can easily do 4 times as much in that region if your main focus is SOTA. I had to give my family a break and the two days and a half of rain didn’t help! The description of the walks is based on https://en.mapy.cz (Outdoor layer). I had 3G/LTE roaming network on every summit and was able to spot on https://sotl.as.
- FL/VO-066 Le Rondfaing
**
Short walk from Col de Menufosse (east of summit) with a large but busy parking on Saturday. Nice view from the top and ample space to operate a few steps back in the forest (there’s a picnic table but didn’t want to block the view with my antenna mast for too long).
- FL/VO-067 Haut du Roc
***
Stunning walk from Col des Hayes (west of summit). We went up on the north side and back down on the south. The summit is very large, with great views and a few picnic tables (some in the shadow) which makes activations a treat! There’s a RF tower nearby which didn’t cause any problems with my FT-818.
- FL/VO-081 Le Lauchenkopf
**
Pretty nice summit - very grassy, with some views. People tend not to stop too long there so I could operate serenely
- FL/VO-079 Klintzkopt
***
Rocky summit with a very nice walk up via Col d’Oberlauchen. It’s a natural reserve and the trail is closed from 01.12 to 30.06! The view from the top is stunning and it’s easy to find a spot on the rocks. We walked further to Col du Lauchen and then back on the trail south of the summit.
- FL/VO-088 Le Faing Berret
**
Nice walk, pretty much off trail from Col du Brabant with ample parking (at least in the summer - could be tricky in winter as it’s a ski resort). Pleasant and short activation in the forest
- FL/VO-018 Haut du Rouge Gazon
***
Ski resort, but plenty of options to get to the top. We chose the red trail on the West side and it was a very pleasant walk with some nice views. There’s plenty of place to operate at the top, but be ready to be disturbed by a tractor collecting straw as I was
- FL/VO-002 Le Hohneck
*
The summit can be reached by car, but radio amateurs are not welcome here, which is confirmed by a sign on the road before the summit (“Radio Amateur/CB INTERDIT”). Thankfully I was warned on this thread by Armin, and noticed the sign. I operated out of sight from the hut, and outside what appeared to be the private area, while still being in the activation zone… all in all not a very pleasant experience . I chose this summit as the weather was very unstable and it was an option for the family to stay cosy in the hut while I activated (option which they declined eventually!)
- FL/VO-008 Tête de Fellering
**
Fairly long but pleasant walk from Col d’Oderen along GR531. There may be nice views from the stop but it was raining on that day! There’s plenty of place from the top to operate, and because of the rain, it wasn’t a problem for me as there was pretty much nobody in sight!
- FL/VO-030 Tête du Midi
*
One of the least activated summits in FL/VO. It’s a fairly long walk from Col de Morbieux (west of the summit) although there may be alternatives available. The ground can be boggy at times; keep this in mind after rain (or during, which was our case!)
- FL/VO-087 Haut de Brampas
**
Short walk from Col du Page, although about half off trail, but quite easy terrain. I think the SOTA coordinates are slightly off as the peak seem to be a rocky area; I operated from it. No views but fairly nice operating location, and great if you’re looking for secluded spots
- FL/VO-003 Gazon du Faing
***
Very scenic and popular walk from the nearby parking. There are plenty of tourists and hikers there, but there is a spot at the top, a few meters to the west which is ideal for operating. Well worth for the stunning views along the trail.
- FL/VO-010 Le Grand Ventron
**
Also a very popular spot, at a very short distance from the nearby parking (10 minutes walk…). I didn’t want to erect my mast beside the viewing table/circular plaque, and found a spot withing the activation zone by the forest to the north of the summit.
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Thank you very much for your feedback. This is not self-evident and all the more friendly.
There are summits that I have not yet reached either. There is still much to discover. How nice
73 Armin
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