Winter activation R9U/SO-050
02/25/23 Vlad and his friends went to the summit SO-050.
We started from the suburbs of Beloretsk.
My friend Tim has a motorized towing vehicle.
With its help, it was possible to cover a route more than 40 km long in one light day. Nevertheless, it was often necessary to drag the motorized towing vehicle with the efforts of three people, since the snow was loose. The last part of the journey - the ascent to the summit - Vlad skied, while the rest of the team used snowshoes.
The weather was frosty and clear.
Only during the installation of the antenna and activation did a strong wind with snow begin to blow. In a mountaineering down jacket, I was not cold, but my fingers were terribly cold.
I damaged the skin on my fingers while I was QRV or doing the antenna installation. Because of the cold, I didn’t notice it right away.
Only when blood began to drip on the log did I have to leave the key and seal the wound. Snow fell on the log, on the transceiver.
It is very good that the sealing gaskets did not let moisture into the case! But the snow got so full in the unbuttoned backpack that it had to be shoveled out later. In such conditions, I could only endure 20 minutes.
The wind was getting stronger. I had to hurry home. Before dark, it was necessary to drive the most difficult section of the path, where the blizzard poured fresh loose snow …
Of course, activation in winter, with a tent and an overnight stay, I like it much more. You can work in fairly comfortable conditions, on different ranges. But my comrades were not ready for such an overnight stay.
I only got 31 QSOs on 14 MHz. But it was not an easy job! Many thanks to all the chasers for their help and support!
73 de RX9WT
