Friday night activation of Lauensteiner Kopf DM/NS-135
3rd Sep 2021, 1611 - 2231utc
IC-705, 70W @ 8dBd
QSO map courtesy of adventureradio.de
Ahoi
Pom
QSO map courtesy of adventureradio.de
26 Likes
Excellent results. So, what kind of 2m antenna did you use?
“5 Elli”, she’s a DK7ZB 28 Ohms design, boom length 1.5m.
Ahoi
Pom
7 Likes
Well done Pom, congrats! Nice set up. You made the best of the condx on a SOTA. Sorry I missed you as I was in Cardiff, Wales, Friday until today. I checked the band tonight after seeing your message on the 2m FT8 frequency and worked DL1KDA (JO30) and DF1JC (JO31) (2140-2145z). Sadly, unlike you they were not SOTA.
73 Phil
And they were not SSB, Phil. 
It seems that no dedicated SOTA chaser made their way to my log. I self-spotted with “beaming UK” and GI4KSO later on proofed by spotting me that my signal was received on the Isles.
Ahoi
Pom
1 Like
FM Contacts then Pom - even more amazing!
73 ES MNI DX OM etc etc
Phil
1 Like
Another tropo day!
Hepburn was quite optimistic for morning ducts to South G and North F, so I alerted for 0600 on DM/NS-135 and was only 20 mins late on the summit. Just another 12 mins to set up the station and I would have been ready to go, I thought.
But things went a bit different. Something was wrong with the 5 elements yagi, showing an SWV anything but good. I took me over an hour to take her down, check all cables, connectors, solder points, screws, and amplifiers before recognising I mounted the directors in the wrong order. 
All elements are marked with ‘dir 1/2/3’. I’m still wondering what is unclear about this and why I mounted them in 3-2-1 order this time. Anyway, after sorting them the antenna suddenly worked as expected.
Now it was after 0730 utc and I started cqing in SSB, knowing that F5LEN’s forecast was tropo peak around 0600. So I didn’t have very high expectations, but first to come back was G4EHD in IO93. Nice qso and odx of the day, but the signals faded after some minutes of chatting. One after another, some North-DL local stations, an SM7 and two PA’s came to my log. Last one of the day was M0ITF JO02 at 0958, who said, my signal disappered in the local qrm just after exchanges and confirmations.
Hepburn and F5LEN suggest that the lift condx might last.
The one-eyed lady looks friendly.
Ahoi
Pom
4 Likes
My 2m APRS digipeater (MB7UAZ) just picked up a packet from a Welsh mobile station and re-broadcast it to the radio in my Land Rover!
Shame it’s too hot to climb a hill this evening. Currently 30°C in my garden.
3 Likes
How 'bout tomorrow morning? The lady looks good for a s2s DM<>GM.
My alarm ist still set to 0545 loc, however I’m not yet sure if i’ll be out tomorrow, as the local ARC meeting is tonight. 
Will decide when going to bed.
Ahoi
Pom
Mmm…tempting. I have to be at work at 0600UTC, so latest I could be on a local summit is 0500UTC. Would be a wasted journey if there’s no Tropo over Scotland or you sleep in Pom. 
Let’s see when the other OMs let me go home. 0500 would be challenging, but doable.
OK, Fraser. Alarm set to 0500 loc. I hope I can make it in time.
1 Like
Ok, lets go for it. I’ll be on GM/ES-068
Oh, forgot to say that I’ll be on DM/NS-135.
1 Like
Sorry I missed you Pom. Your alert pinged through just as I was leaving the summit of Craiglich.
Nice morning for a walk before work though.
3 Likes
Ups, I still owe you an activation report! Here you go.
Sunrise view to Northwest/GM
Task of the day was to get up early after the local ARC meeting the night before. Requirement was to be QRV at 0500 utc, as Fraser would have to go to work later.
I got a text message from him while I was deploying my station on the viewtower of DM/NS-135, so I was almost in time! “QRV now 144.300 :)” it read. Texted back that I would need another 3 minutes to be QRV.
3 minutes later, DG7ACF/p qrv!
No time to make a cuppa, antenna to the Northwest, tuned to 144.300 aaand… Nothing.
Sorry we didn’t make it! Seems, condx weren’t as good as the day before. These are the worked stations. I used an IC-705 @ 70 W into a 5 element (28 Ohms) DK7ZB 20 m agl.
Map courtesy of adventureradio.de
5-Elli on the viewtower
Ahoi
Pom
2 Likes
Another tropo weekend! 
Alerted for today’s afternoon and tomorrow morning. Hope to get some s2s and dedicated chasers, however I rather work the stations myself instead of letting the computer do the work. So its gonna be SSB, not FT-8.
1 Like
I will take my 3 ele beam and try for a S2S but I was only planning on taking my FT817.
2 Likes
I will be on G/DC-003 Samstag morgen 0800 - 1000 and will take my 2m Yagi with me and look for your spot. It will take me a few minutes to change from HF to VHF so don’t stop transmitting too early. If I miss you I will post my own spot and call CQ.
John
1 Like