5B SOTA in January
A rare, and much needed January holiday. First time trip to Cyprus. The chance to knock off a couple of summits maybe, and operate from a new continent. Yes, Cyprus is geographically part of Asia, as I discovered after my first activation.
Vacation Stuff
Our adventure started with the 30 mile journey to ABZ Airport. Due to heavy snow, we had to take the 110, which meant I had to empty it first. We’d booked an airport hotel due to the weather, arriving to find it full of bored looking, semi-drunk, grounded off-shore oil workers. It snowed heavily all evening. Mercifully this didn’t result in our 0600 flight suffering from much delay, which was due to a visit from the de-icing truck. Pulling suitcases through snow on the short walk to the airport, however, was not fun. Heathrow took a more efficient approach to de-icing, with every aircraft stopping at the edge of an apron, at which point de-icing trucks approached simultaneously from either side.
We landed at Larnaca and took 30 minute transport to our resort. We stayed at the extreme Eastern edge of Ayia Napa, in the five star Grecian Bay Hotel. All of the other big hotels were closed, as we’re many of the nearby restaurants and supermarkets. It was only a 10 minute walk along the beach, where we found the marina and plenty of life. Otherwise, the resort was like a ghost town and would have made the perfect backdrop to a zombie apocalypse movie, such as I am Legend. Nice and quiet, just the way we like it. Also, nice and inexpensive at this time of year. Everyone else was in the Canaries, I guess.
Then there’s the cats. Cyprus allegedly has more cats than humans. The locals all seemed to put food out for the semi-feral felines, as did the hotel, and many of the restaurants and supermarkets. Mo bought a bag of Dreamies from the local store, and at one point had 17 cats and kittens around her. Unsurprisingly, the local store had more space dedicated to cat biscuits than human ones.
cats, kittens, more cats & Mo
We hired a car from Avis for four of the seven days of our stay. I’d paid for a “RAV4 or similar”, so was pleased to collect a shiny new 4 dour RAV4, top of the range, with AWD, three different off road driving modes, as well as hill descent control. It was obviously a Japanese import, having the indicator stalk on the right, as many British cars had back in the day. Oh, and they drive on the left in Cyprus. Very civilised.
The weather at the coast was 21°C most days, mainly sunny and the occasional cloudy spell. Light winds. Cooler up in the hills away from the coast, but still shorts and T-shirt weather, well, for a Scottish person anyway.
SOTA Plans
I didn’t really have any. SOTA wasn’t the reason for the holiday. I’d had a good look through SOTL.AS, mainly at the eastern summits of the island. I found a treasure trove of routes and maps, mainly thanks to Jack @AI4SV who had explored many of the summits, and used a Toyota Land Cruiser to get to the top of some.
We decided to go for a of drive up summit and see how we got on. Reasons? We hadn’t packed hiking kit and I’ve been suffering with lower back pain since before Christmas. I’d had a very busy and physical time at work over the festive period and really needed to relax, for once. Anyway, still plenty of adventure to be had in the RAV4.
To navigate, I used Google maps to get us to the nearest road end, having opened the summit in Google maps using the handy feature in sotl.as. I’d downloaded the Cyprus topo. map from Garmin Explorer and also had that on my phone. It was perfectly sufficient and had many, many tracks and paths on it.
There’s a great motorway that runs the length of the southern coastline and many of the interconnecting roads are wide and good quality. The only confusion is the ever changing speed limits in built up areas. Most signs are in English and Cyrillic.
Radio Kit
I’d packed a carry-on backpack containing my Elecraft KX2, a 2m handheld and a selection of HF wires. The antennas were a 41’ random, EFHW, 20m vertical, W3EDP and extended whip for the handheld. A couple of powerbanks, a notebook and my GPS completed the kit. Two carbon 6 masts went in the hold luggage. I didn’t bring a mains charger. More about that later.
Monday 13th January 2025 Neon appidhaki 5B/CY-047 417m
We collected the truck in downtown Ayia Napa at 11am local and immediately had a problem. The Infotainment screen was very Japanese, and although powered by android, my phone wouldn’t connect, either through USB or Bluetooth. I eventually gave up and just used my phone and the handy RAM mount I’d packed. Bizarrely the main car screen was content to play video content as we whizzed down the motorway! I found this by accident after pressing a button on the steering wheel.
We headed west along the quiet road and up to the village of Psevdas, turned south onto a single track road, and followed this until it ran out. Here, Google maps also stopped navigation, however it was obvious and simple to follow a steep white rocky track directly to the summit. Probably OK for a car with a bit of ground clearance, but only a 200-300m walk in any case.
The summit was adorned with a small Chapel, some vegetation and plenty of room to park. To the immediate north we heard near constant gun fire. I’d neglected to tell Mo that much of the land to the north of the summit was a military firing range. She tends to worry about that sort of thing.
RAV4 and chapel
Setting up for the activation was simple. I used velcro to attach the pole to a 2m high limb of a tree, then strung my EFHW from east to west, broadside to Europe. Little planning and thought had gone into this trip, however a thought had crossed my mind, that 15m would be a good band to try to reach GM. Why GM? Well the Shire lads would be out on summits this week, and I knew that Simon @GM4JXP would be erecting a suitable antenna in his garden, in the hope of a chase.
probably a caption contest
It was 12.20pm local (UTC+2). I started on 15m, putting six stations in the log, then a few on 20m, some on 10m, including a S2S with @HB9EVF. By this time, Simon had erected his 15m moxon and we managed a QSO, only just, as there was heavy QSB.
I think this is 5B/CY-037
Once I packed up, we had a quick look around the well tended Chapel, got some photos of the views and then headed off. Hill descent control was used on the first part of the steep descent. On the way back to the coast, we stopped at a superb bakery for some coffee and cake. This would become a feature of our days out.
Tuesday 14th January 2025 Sinoas 5B/CY-028 789m
Mo was enjoying our drives around the countryside, so we decided to leave a bit earlier and head over to the Limassol area, although our route to Sinoas took us off the motorway much further east, over a variety of ever more interesting roads. This hill was routable to the top using Google. The winding single track tarred road eventually becoming a steep concrete track for the final 300m. The tiny summit had room for two vehicles, which is just as well, as there was a council worker there, emptying litter bins. Bins that evidently don’t see much use, giving the very visible litter around the summit area.
a nice shelter on the small summit
A vertical whip would have been a good choice here. As I didn’t have one, I set my pole on the grassy verge and strung my EFHW parallel to the road. QRV 1145 local. This time I put Simon in my log first, having Whataapped the frequency before spotting. 15m again, and slightly better reports. I completed the rest of the activation on 15m, adding a further 14 contacts. Almost a S2S, but fading stopped that. I spotted and called on 2m FM, hopeful of some local contacts, but no joy. I did, however, work @5BAQU on 15m, who was calling from the nearby city of Limassol. My first ever 5B SOTA contact!
I’ve lost the tripod bit for my GoPro, hence the strange stance
Afterwards, we took a direct route south towards Limassol, grabbed more cake and coffee and then went on an unsuccessful pottery hunt. Not unsuccessful due to not being able to find a pottery, but due to Mo not finding anything she liked. The roads were a lot busier at this part of the island, with more built up areas. We were glad to be heading back east.
Wednesday 15th January Xylias 5B/CY-044 610m
This was the main planned SOTA day, as Alex @GM5ALX had planned a GM/ES summit outing and we wanted to try for a S2S. Xylias wasn’t going to be the most scenic of summits, due to towers and masts, however it would prove to be an entertaining and scenic drive up to the top. Google maps took us to the north of the peak, to the village of Sha. Here we turned south through narrow lanes, following a route I’d traced on Garmin Explore. The tar gave way to gravel and this in turn gave way to dirt. The earthy track weaved and climbed up the hill. Scrub and olive trees gave way to pine as we gained altitude. Occasional rocky sections and washouts, with bedrock here and there, but nothing that couldn’t be avoided.
pleasant driving up Xlyias
We topped out in the middle of the long, slim summit ridge, a fire lookout and mast at one end, and the main tower complex at the other. My issue was that I needed my antenna to straddle the ridge, and there wasn’t any room, thanks to the road along it. The south end was blocked by the fire tower. In the end, I headed to the extreme north end, just outside the tower complex pound perimeter fence and proceeded to set up the 41’ wire, it fitting perfectly in the space available.
lots of metal, poles and wires atop Xylias
Thanks to amazing timing and a WhatsApp, Alex was first in the log (on 10m) from his summit Ben Rinnes GM/ES-021. I then added a couple of handfuls of EU contacts on 10m, before switching to 15m and adding some more. Simon also made the log, notably busting the pileup from his garden, with a low slung moxon.
mast-tastic, but no QRM on HF
fire tower. Make a great air bnb
The descent followed our route up, not all the way back to the village, but taking a bee-line to Mo’s new favourite bakery. I’d built up lots of brownie points in the past few days. Mo suggested I redeem these and do a further summit tomorrow. Yay!
Alex was on a multi-summit day and I reckoned I’d catch him on his third summit from our hotel. When we got back, I went to the beach and used a previously noted concrete block and tube to hold up my pole. When the time came, I could just about hear Alex, but he couldn’t hear me. Not a problem. He had one more summit to do.
Our south facing beach was hemmed in by large hotel blocks and rising ground to the north. I reckoned I’d have a better chance from our NW corner balcony. I attached the 41’ wire to the 6m pole and pushed it out into free space. Most of it now hung vertically. The base of the pole rested horizontally on a corner block and was secured using velcro straps. The KX2 was placed on a patio chair, and the set up was quickly tested to see I it would “tune up”, which it did.
the balcony “special”
At this point Mo appeared on the balcony and all brownie points became null and void. Mo is risk averse (dunno how she ended up with me!) and is generally our safety conscience when out and about, especially when we’re doing recovery at motorsport events. Various phrases were uttered, including - the downstairs neighbours will report us – I can hear voices on the ground. Are they looking up? – we’ll get thrown out – there will be complaints about the noise. The best one was when we heard the diesel engine of some piece of plant equipment being started, some four floors below us. “That’s them starting a cherry picker and they’re coming up to see what’s going on!”. At that point, she was asked to retire to the room. What you can’t see won’t hurt you.
Eventually, Alex appeared. I could hear him on 10m, he couldn’t hear me. 15m. After much trying I could give him 3/1 and I received 4/5 in return, which was great, because he was on Knockan GM/ES-081, and that was a Complete for me.
Thursday 16th January 2025 Pipis 5B/CY-046 472m
Bonus summit day. We chose Pipis, mainly because it was the closest un-activated (by me) summit to our hotel. The drive took us over familiar roads to the village of Pyrga. Here I switched to Garmin and followed a tarred road, then very steep stony track past various dwellings. Eventually it levelled and contoured around the hill, now a dirt road. The final climb to the top was a steep, rutted and rocky ramp, a good test for the RAV4’s electronics. Thanks to those electronics and my right foot, we made the climb no problem. Lesser vehicles could be left at the bottom of this section and the remainder done on foot.
RAV4 perched on Pipis
longest climb of the week
The car ended up on a smallish flat area, with rocky knolls to the north and south. We were in the AZ, but I made the short climb up the south and highest looking knoll. Again, not much room for an aerial, but I managed to rest the pole against a tree and get the 41’ wire up. The main quest today was could I get Simon in my log to give him a 100% chase record. Simon reported via WhatsApp that 15m was very quiet. I replied with my frequency, and he came through, strongest of the week and we made the QSO no problem at all.
the previous days summit
wire through a bush and up to the leaning pole
1120am. Spotting brought a 15m pile up and some bad behaviour when I was calling summit to summit only. Some chasers kept on calling, including a well known G3. In the end, I managed summit exchanges with @DL6GCA and @IK2LEY, despite the QRM. A toss-up between Simon and @EI5FR for ODX. A switch to 10m followed. Not the best band conditions, but I added a few, including @EA8CCA in Tenerife.
The skies were very clear to start with, giving brilliant visibility over the Cypriut landscape. Soon, however, dark grey clouds built from the west. Time to go. The bakery was entered into the sat-nav for one final time, and we headed down, keeping ahead of the weather. We passed a battle tank on a transporter, turning into the firing range. Mo couldn’t help but comment that they would have probably had us in our sights, had we been on Neon appidhaki today.
It didn’t rain in the end. We did keep ahead of the weather by heading to the extreme SE tip of the island, which is a national park and enjoys some stunning seascapes. We couldn’t quite get to the headland, it being a fenced off coastguard station. The car was returned, much duster than when delivered and with evidence of red mud and limestone puddles on the tyre sidewalls. No questions asked. No explanation offered.
the next stop is Syria
Friday 17th January 2025 and more chasing
Chris @2M0RVZ was going up Ben Aigan. I needed this for a Complete. Alex @GM5ALX was heading up Bennachie. We hadn’t planned anything but relaxing at the hotel for the last full day of our holiday. I daren’t repeat the balcony trick again. Anyway, it was pretty breezy and the balcony was in the face of it.
Earlier in the week, we’d visited a lovely sculpture park, just 1km east of the hotel. I’d noted higher ground above it, so headed there. A track took me up to a fresh water facility and from there I had the choice of a few km² of limestone scrub. Finding a flat spot in the shelter of a bush, I set up two antennas as an experiment. On one side, the EFHW, with the 41’ wire on the other. Both followed an imaginary SW to NE line, both fed from the mid-point, where I sat in the sun with my radio, awaiting any action.
Listening on 15m and switching between antennas really didn’t reveal any difference in received signal quality. I could hear F, DL, and even G and GM stations calling an Oman special event station on 15m. The plan was to make contact with the GM summit guys and then attempt an A/B test, if at all possible.
Alex appeared first. We had another scratchy QSO on 15m. I switched antennas. Alex was marginally better to me on the 41’ wire. He reported the same at his end. When Chris summitted, we tried for a QSO on 10m and 15m. Chris could barely hear me, not workable and I was hearing nothing at my end, no matter which antenna I used. Oh well, Complete failure. Time to back up and head back down.
That chapter closed the book on radio activities for Cyprus. I’d had great fun every time I’d taken the radio out. As I type this on the flight back to LHR, I’d really like to visit again and explore some of the higher western summits.
Battery Charging Issues
I carried two 3S li-ion batteries. One was in the KX2 and the other alongside it. I didn’t bring a mains charger, in anticipation of not needing one. That changed when I first turned on the radio to find a partially depleted battery inside, and also due to the amount of use the radio eventually had.
At the last minute, I’d chucked in a USB to 12v thing, which had a barrel connector on one end. I also chucked in my ebay special charging PCB, which had Croc clips on one end and a barrel connector on the other. The USB charger didn’t work because I forgot to put in an adaptor, leaving me with female barrels on both battery and charger. I then attempted to get the USB -12v thing to power the ebay special. This it did, thanks to the crocodile clips and my robbing 2cm of antenna wire from the W3EDP. It powered up, but wouldn’t charge. All because it needed 13.8v, not 12v. So, in the end I attached the crocodile clips straight to the car battery, stuffed the battery in a hole behind the headlamp and charged as we drove. It kept me going the whole week with two partial charges. I had to abandon any idea of charging the other battery due to the absence of a BMS. (It is fitted with balanced charging leads.)
Air Travel with my radios
I had no issues travelling through Aberdeen and Heathrow, nor on arrival at Larncana Airport, Cyprus. My bag was never opened. Leaving Cyprus was more troublesome, thanks to old tech and a congested security area. My bag was opened and various bits returned to the scanner on a separate tray. And again. It got to the stage that individual antennas, un-un’s and legths of coax were being examined. Ultimately, it all went through, with the exception of my cabin friendly Gerber Dime multi-tool, which the guy said wasn’t allowed, as he promptly dumped it in the sin bin, never to be seen again.
Military Activity in Cyprus
Given the situation in the middle east, as well as the long running territory dispute with Turkey over the north of Cyprus, the military are ever present. This includes Cypriot army, UN peacekeepers, as well as British army and RAF. Summits contain bases, radar stations, and as described, are close to firing ranges. Discretion is advised. Wearing camo gear, carry and using ex-military equipment and conducting military looking activations is not recommended! Leave the tank whip and Clansman set at home…
Tourism in January
As already alluded to, the place was deserted. Many of the supermarkets, hotels, cafes, car hire kiosks and restaurants were closed. Regular service buses were still running. Full service was available at our hotel, despite it being very quiet. Obviously, we got a cheap holiday and enjoyed excellent weather. We didn’t leave home with any plans, however it soon became obvious that some of the sights we would have visited while out on the road, were closed, or only open at weekends. I’m not talking water parks and the like. Those didn’t interest us. Things like botanical gardens and potteries. Sights that Mo would have enjoyed, resulting in more brownie points for me. Actually, the marina area of Ayia Napa came alive at the weekend, with many Cypriots visiting the bars and restaurants. Our hotel was in a great location on the edge of town. Plenty of nice walks to the sculpture park, a roman aqueduct and along the coast.
Drive up summits
For anyone who fancies the drive-up lifestyle, it’s really worth looking through sotl.as to see summits that have been accessed using a vehicle. Even the highest summit on the island, the 1950m 5B/CY-001 Chionistra, can be driven up in summer. In winter it is likely to be snowy on top, although there is a ski resort, so the road will be ploughed as far as there. However, I’m not taking responsibility for your hire car, nor your ability to drive on non-surfaced roads!
Final Thought
It’s 0450 Saturday, and as we’re heading to the hotel lobby to check out, we come across one of the cats snoozing on the reception desk. “That’s the real hotel boss”, the night porter told us. The only time we’d seen one of the cats inside the hotel. Anyway, if you’re allergic to cats, Cyprus isn’t for you.
0450 and the head feline decided to be my friend
Final, Final Thought
We enjoyed a lovely clear sky most of the way home. Mo grabbed lots of photos of Greek islands, as well as snowy peaks on the mainland. The best photo was when we were crossing the Channel above low cloud. A Broken Spectre…
73,
Fraser 5B/M0EFI
Don’t worry, I still have to do Aigan so you’ll get chance … again 
having the place to yourselves by the sounds of it.
To be fair, it was a miracle getting one out of two, so I’m happy with that.
