For my second QRP activation of the year I chose Kerloch, using the same route up I used in 2021 (see my report from then on the reflector). I left Aboyne in bright sunshine but soon drove into fog and I was still in fog at Kerloch car park and couldn’t see any high ground. After an hour’s walk, some blue sky appeared and on the final approach was finally out into sun again. Not much had changed on the route - the same fallen trees to duck under and the same heavily eroded path on the final third, which made for slow going. I’d alerted for 1130 +_ 30m and got to the top around 1145, relieved at not feeling too bad following a New Year bout of Covid.
Activation
I set up in the sun close to the summit trig and cairn, with great views out over the fog.
View South, over the windfarm
Set-up location, with Moxon
View North, with Bennachie-Oxencraig GM/ES-061 just poking out above the fog
View West, towards the snow-covered Cairngorms
Looking back down the path up
Equipment: KX3, 10m moxon, Sotabeams dipole for 40/20. SSB only.
Mindful of the 10m challenge, I started on that band, which had some signals but didn’t sound that busy. SV2RUJ/P Stavros, was first in the log for a S2S with good reports both ways. A spot produced SV3IEG Dinos and EA7GV Jose, again with good reports both ways. Then…nada. I QSYd and respotted…CQ CQ…nada. With no chasers, I took a look around the band and found Hamed A61HS calling CQ and had a short chat with him. Then another spot finally brought some more chasers, first of all Chris F4WBN off the side of the Moxon - I was beaming West, followed by 3 US chasers WX1S, W4GO and KC1ILF. Then it went quiet again, so I went to 40m for some locals.
This was in decent shape, with a couple of S2S in the log to start with (G4YTD/P and M3TMX/P), with another 31 chasers, including the ever-reliable Manuel EA2DT. Best signal report was 59+20 from Neil, M3XNK, who was also running 10w - he was 59.
Back on 10m I managed another 6 chaser QSOs: 4 US, Dov 4Z4DX and a final EU contact with IU8QTM. I then decided to pack up in order to get down off the hill before the light got too dim. Roll on longer days so that I can still be QRV as the rest of the US wakes up.
QRP v QRO
I bought the KX3 in order to lighten my pack load, following the accident I had last year in Croatia. I was unsure how results using 10w SSB would differ from my usual 50w but so far I’m happy, in that reports are good. Mostly 57 on 40 with the occasional 59+ and I can still obviously work DX on 10m without too much of a problem - I have faith in the Moxon, which on garden tests outperforms my previous go-to delta loop and also a T2LT vertical.
See you on the next one, and more 10m chasers please!