The sky looked thickly overcast and chances to have some rain seemed pretty high this morning when Ignacio and I met at the start point for the hike to Eltxumendi (EA2/NV-132) from the small village of Oteiza de Berrioplano.
However we decided to try it.
We completed the ascent and just some few drops started to fall when we were just about to reach the very summit.
Ignacio is much better prepared than I and quickly started to transmit on 2m-FM from the very trug point.
I moved a few meters away from him and a few minutes later I had completed the installation of my 7m long GP with 8 radials equidistantly extended on the ground and around the vertical.
Ignacio had brought a couple of umbrellas and a rain cover for my rucksack.
As soon as the activation had started it started to rain.
I started CQ on 30m and I guess I was automatically spotted by RBN because the pile-up started after my 2nd CQ call.
It was very nice working this very disciplined pile-up and I enjoyed very much logging 23 QSOs in just 12 minutes of operation on 30m.
When nobody else came back to my 2 next CQ calls, I decided to change to 20m.
It was raining pretty much by that time and I was noticing a strong QRM showing up and going away sporadically while adjusting my ATU and trying to find a clear frequency to start CQing. I thought it was QRN but quickly realised that it was QRM coming from my colleague of activation, which had QSY from 2m-FM and was now running his pile-up on 20m-SSB.
So I forgot about 20m and went to 12m-CW. I got 5 QSOs in 4 minutes and then QSYed to 40m.
As soon as I tuned my ATU I copied IV3RJH/P calling CQ SOTA but it was, unfortunatelly, his last call because I called him saying S2S in order to attract his attention but he didn’t come back again and apparently left QRG.
I called CQ and worked a couple of stations on 7.031, but Ignacio, which had finished his operation and had packed everything informed me that HB9TVK/P was just 1 Kc up from where I was, so I decided to QSY to try the S2S QSO. I was copying well the HB9 and called S2S several times, but the pile-up he had was pretty big and it was impossible for me to make my signal audible for him. Since it was cold and rainy we resumed and descended quickly.
All in all 30 QSOs were logged.
Thanks all the chasers and I’ll be looking forward to working you again soon from another summit.
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF
In reply to EA2IF:
I’ve tried to find you, but I’ve already thought that the weather was not the vest, and your activation short. We have had a lot of rain these past days during our trip to Nafarroa. i.e. the activation of Monjardin, lasted just 20 min before being too wet!
Hope next summer we’ll be able to repeat it on better conditions!
Might we try the Estella activation together?
73 de Mikel
In reply to EA2IF:
Guru,
Thanks for the QSO on my favorite band, 30 mtrs. And the new unique summit.
I have since one week S5 to S9 QRM on HF. So It’s sometimes dificult to copy the weak SOTA stations. But your signal was just good enough to copy.
How may power did you use ? 5 Watts or more ?
Good luck es cuagn. Tonnie, PA9CW.
In reply to PA9CW:
Dear Tony,
I was just running 5w out from my FT-817.
I remember very well our QSO. You called together with many other stations in the pile-up so I only picked up your suffix CW. I said ?CW 599 but you didn’t come back. You were probably copying me at nearly your QRM level so you didn’t realise I was coming back to you. After a second ?CW 599 you finally came back and I could copy your full callsign and signal report.
The pile-up was very disciplined and there were no or very few breakers. Nobody or at least I didn’t notice anybody calling in when I came back to you the first time and you didn’t show up.
Definitely not all is bad on air behaviour. Far from that, there’s a lot of good operating and I just want to highlight it today.
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF
In reply to EA2CW:
Yes Mikel, today’s activation was an express one because it was not very comfortable at the summit with the rain. Also because I forgot my hat and with the little hair I have left on my head, I was feeling cold.
I’ve never activated Monjardin but it’s not far from my QTH, so I hope I’ll do it some day soon.
It will be a pleasure doing a joint activation with you in the area of Estella or any other one of these days, when the planets get the good aligment, hi! 
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF
In reply to EA2IF:
Hola Guru…
Today propagation was very strange:((.
Many thanks for 2qso’s 30m(last qso:))and on the 12m:))also.Always for summits /EA2 on the 12m raports
are always better like CW/30m:))but today otherwise.Soo 30m and 12m today rst for you was such identical ±QSB.
Best ragards de Rob(ert) SP8RHP Vy 73!.
In reply to SP8RHP:
Thanks Robert for your calls.
I didn’t expect QSOs with OM and SP on 12m this morning. It was quite a surprise for me.
The 7m long vertical home made antenna I use is 1/4 wave on 30m and 5/8 wave on 12m, so it works pretty well on these 2 bands.
I’ve got 5 QSOs with you on 12m so far and 2 on 30m during different SOTA activations I’ve done and 2 more QSOs on 12m during SOTA activations you’ve done.
Thanks a lot!
Will look forward for more SOTA QSOs with you and hopefully a S2S QSO one of these days…
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF
I have editted this old activation report to add some few pictures.
I hope you’ll enjoy them.