Altberg - Also a very popular SOTA summit - HB/ZH-015. It was my first one!
Cheers and a very merry Christmas to all.
Nick
Dito.
(although I fear that the kit building will be above my skills. but who doesn’t try never wins).
Just in case the QRP labs elves run into issues, I am preparing to ask Santa to bring me a NanoVNA to do some decent antenna, traps and coil experimentation (and over-engineering).
73 de ON4KJM
The QCX Mini will probably be a lot easier than the normal QCX, since most of the SMD parts come factory soldered, including the OP amps; so much less scope for a bad path. Hans has done some really helpful videos showing how to debug your QCX once it is finished, and if all else fails, you can send it to him and he will fix it (by the sounds of it). A cheap component tester may be useful:
I also found my Sandford dissipative wattmeter to be indespensible:
There’s an io forum with loads of advice on it:
https://groups.io/g/QRPLabs/topics
73 Matt
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Hi all,
I asked Santa Claus for this year that he (she) bring me this accessory which will go very well with my FT-817ND !
73 Éric
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- The resumption of the SOTA on Tour threads. (Because if they reappear, it means I’m back on the road gigging again).
- A Yaesu FT-991A
- Hiking socks
- Slippers
just received two more gifts that will go under the Christmas tree 
my FT-817ND will be happy 
73 Éric
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Good choice. Mine has those two and it’s very happy
73,
Guru
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I asked for a new headtorch, as my old one is well past retirement age and my dog walking one is too anemic for use on the hills.
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Hopes dried up on my side long time ago. No (material) presents for me as usual. Santa u fu… capitalist.
I’ll climb a hill and have some QSO, what else do I need? Maybe I’ll try attending HSC - if anyone has time for 1/2 hr sked?
Kind and generous Santa for all of you.
73 Martin
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Sara, I have a cheap £9.99 Decathlon LED headtorch. It has a red light for not ruining any night vision you have. An energy saving mode and bright mode. I think it is only 120 lumens in bright mode. But it is rechargable with a phone charger. Battery life is meant to be 4hrs in bright and 15hrs in saver mode. It has a comfortable head band that is easily adjusted.
In saver mode it’s more than enough for walking the dog on known paths/tracks. Obviously better in bright mode. For a tenner, I’m very pleased.
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When I activate summits there are always spots from others who are on the move in the surrounding area and are active on 2m FM.
I do not always have my transverter with 2m antenna with me and I am a little annoyed because it would be possible to get a S2S.
Santa has now recognised this problem. And because he knows that there is a lot of blocking HF on the mountains, that I have all /p-antennas with BNC connector and that I like simple robust devices… there was an Icom IC-V 80…
(and because I’m on the road on the weekend - already now )
Isn’t that nice?
73 Armin
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Andy @MM0FMF
Have you asked Santa for a SOTA vest top for your next stay in the F/CR region?
73 Éric
Next time I visit I shall go topless ! 
I visited my sister one December a few years back. Temperature was 14-16C by lunchtime most days in and around Nimes. That’s just a little cooler than the average Summer day here at 56N. So I was walking about with her and her husband just wearing a T-shirt. I was thinking how pleasant it was, T-shirt weather in December. My sister and her husband were wearing Down Jackets and hats. We visited the medieval walls and museum in Aigues-Mortes and the woman selling tickerts asked my sister if I was OK as I was not wearing a coat etc. in the middle of Winter. She said “il habite en ecosse” and the woman then peered over the counter and checked what I else I was wearing and said “où est son kilt?”. Of course I replied “il fait beaucoup trop chaud pour un kilt” and she just shook her head.
Santa called early this year and delivered an almost fully optioned K2 (160m, 60m, xvtr, SSB, AF filter, RTC. internal battery, internal ATU, aux io). It’s not for SOTA use which is just as well as it weighs a ton!
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Hi all,
say to me “you had a poor signal on last activation, I’ll send this items, you can build a better antenna with more bands”. 
Thank you
73 Éric
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Looks professional!
THIS IS RADIO EA3BV - BROADCASTIG WORLDWIDE
73 Armin
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Hi Eric, just be aware of a problem with mAT-10 and FT817ND that I discover (or maybe it’s just my rig or tuner) . First, it’s a great tuner when I use manually, that is I use no control line from tuner, just manually to FM, PTT, Tune and back to CW mode, no problem. Also, using Control line no problem if rig in SSB, press Tune, rig goes to FM, Tunes then switches back to SSB. However I am 99% CW so rig was in CW mode, I hit Tune on maAT-10 , rig switches to FM, Tunes then stays stuck in FM mode, all controls on 817 even Power frozen. Only way to return 817 to normal is to pull all power including the battery, not something to want to do on a summit. So now I just do not bother with the control line and use manually, I am happy with that. But, yes, it’s a great tuner. 73
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Hi Declan, @EI6FR
Thanks for the warning, i did not receive the tuner but will test it at home first taking your experience into account.
What types of antenna have you used with the mAT-10?
73 Éric
Could this be RF pickup on the line causing futzing and gubbing of the CPU in the 817? Or it’s affecting the tuner and that sends rubbish commands to the 817 causing it to crash?
Maybe some RF choking will fix it but it could be a pain in the derrière to locate and fix.