Puig Major - Mallorca

After been away from radio for a few months I’ll be back in August.
I pretend to activate Puig Major in Mallorca, Balearic Islands, during my holidays, but, regarding my research about the summit i’m a little confused right now. It seems to the summit is a military base with a radar station and the access is conditioned to an authorization.
First question is, how to get that authorization? I can’t find any e-mail to ask for it.
Second question is if is possible to get close the summit by car, cause measuring the distance in Google map is something like 14Km, for each side. So a quite long walk, in the Mediterranean summer :frowning: .
Third question is about flying with the equipment. So I pretend to carry on plane my FT-897, and a Lead Gel battery in an aluminum case, in hand baggage, and my Magnetic Loop and the dipole in the dispatched baggage. Is it a problem? I already serch for tis, and I find a lot of opinions, but none regarding Lead acid batteries. Also, concerning the security, a “lot of wires” and “strange things” for non Ham, could arm the security guys?
Any information, or comments are welcome.

Thanks
Sergio, CT2JLS

Hi Sergio,
I think you mean “intend” not “pretend” in your text. As for the airline regulations, I would contact your airlline and ask them how and where you should pack your equipment. Make sure you tell them the battery is “Dry” it does not contain fluid Acid in it and that it is NOT a Litium battery. They should then be able to tell you how and where you should pack the items. I suspect the battery will also need to go in the “hold baggage”, not in the carry on - but I could easily be wrong. See if you can get the airlines answer in writing (e.g. by email) - print that conversation out and take it with you along with a photocopy of your radio licence and the CEPT TR16-01 document as well.

As for how to get permission to enter a military area, perhaps some of the Spanish SOTA activators have done this and can advise?

73 Ed DD5LP.

Hi Sergio

My knowledge is about airport security. No experience in Baleares SOTA! :frowning:

I fly frequently and no I had no problems with my gear (endefed 35 m in a roll), LiPo battery, morse key, MTR-3B or KX-3 and a RG-174 coaxial cable (8m) and a small fishing pole.

If the lead gel battery is sealed and is less than 100 Wh, ICAO rules demand that you have the terminals protected (no short circuits on board…)…

If the security start asking about the gear, you should start tech talk: ICAO and IATA rules, less than 100 Watt-hour, HF, sealed gel technology, bla, bla, magloop, QRP, low power, bla, bla…
Normally that is enough even for the supervisers! :slight_smile:

73 and have a nice holidays

Pedro, CT1DBS/CU3HF

Hi Ed, Pedro,
Many thanks for yours replyies and your advices. It helped me a lot.
With some other help I found a way to request the authorization to enter the army base and climb to summit but unfortunetly the anser that I got was “denied due to security reasons”, watherever it means…
Time to plan other summits activations in Mallorca.

Once again, many thanks to both of you.
Sergio, CT2JLS