This mother my elder daughter and I set out to do a what I thought would be an easy 4mile circular route with an easy summit.
We parked the car in Alcudia and failed to find the track out of town to the base of the mountain. Instead we wondered through package holiday hell and eventually found the track we needed only to be set upon by killer mosquitoes ( had the experience in Africa of been chased by killer African bees before) and they were hungry!!
Only after leaving the low ground by the lagoon did they leave us alone as we walked through beautiful pine forest.
As we got to the base of a vertical cliff, the path ran out. At this point a group of girls were rigging there racks ready yo climd the wall. I asked if they knew the way to the top but they didn’t. So we carried on skirting the base of the cliff and gaining height as we did. Its not a high hill but rocky and the top needed a bit of scrambling to gain the ridge an summit.
There was not a sole on the summit and I put up the base loaded antenna and tuned for 20m PSK31 on 14.070. There were signals already visible in the waterfall so I called cq sota.
Three German station in the log and we were ready to find our way down.
The way down was supposed to be a straightforward path leading to a track taking us back into town. Was it ever!! More scrambling and bushwhacking down to intersect a none existent track that turned out to be a dry river bed and then thick woody scrub. We did eventually find a path and evidence of others who had tried this route before. This led us back to the main road and another scramble down to the road. The temperature was now 30degrees an we were in need of a beer! By fortune I had parked right next to a bar! So our return to the villa and poor were little delayed.
Hi Luc
Just read it and agree its a difficult one as scrambling is needed. We came from the North and came round the South side to reach the summit. My plan was to take another marked route back down on the North side to make it a circular route. Warning! This does not exist and you are left bushwhacking through undergrowth and more scrambling down rocks.
We did it and made the route ok. Beers were in order on our return.
Did I read correctly that you made exactly three contacts? I went to check on the Database but I couldn’t find any activation entries for you. Anyway congratulations on undertaking a challenging activation!
Yep three. I don’t log them myself. I actually don’t do it for the award just for fun and something I have been doing since way before SOTA time. All were on PSK31 and even though I used pre set SOTA messages, I don’t think the guys I worked were chasers as they used normal PSK marco messages.
My knowledge of the rules a is a little lacking and think you need four to count as points for yourself and log it as successful.
Any excuse to be is a success to me!
The antenna is a bit of this and that.
Comprising of
1 x Slide Winder DX Coil
1 x long Buddy Stick telescopic wip
3 x approx 4m radial on the ground made with light weight Sotabeams wire
Fed with RG 174
Mount is a small camera tripod and home made adapter plate for the antenna stud and counterpoise attachment.
Tuned with a nanoVNA.
Quick and simple with small footprint.
You can log any activation with one or more QSO in the SOTA Database. Yes, it is four distinct QSOs to be awarded the points for the summit in the main activator table/award. The people you work need not be registered chasers; all QSOs are valid provided they meet with the General Rules document. As you say, you don’t have to claim awards or log your activations and chases on the Database. However, logging activations on the Database is something we very much encourage!
Not really. It’s sure nice to see an activator upload a log, but it’s not essential for chasers to get their points, as chasers upload their own logs. (Other schemes work differently. For example, only activators can upload anything to the POTA database.)
For me its not about the points or being chased. SOTA is a coincidence for me that I was doing way before SOTA began and I am happy to provide a service for others to gain points if I can.
I just love being out walking, climbing etc and if that coincides with a SOTA summit them all good for others.
