Sunday, March 27, 2011

Carba (EA1/LU-038)

This is a video of the activation of Carba (SOTA reference EA1/LU-038). It was so windy that it is hard to understand the audio sometimes.

This was a difficult activation beacuse the amateur bands were crowded because of the CQ WPX contest. That is why I chose the 17m band instead of the usual 20m band.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Austria (OE6GND)

I have received this beautiful eQSL card from Austrian station OE6GND (operator Gerhard) from Gamlitz, with whom I made a couple of QSOs on 7 and 8 March from two different SOTA summits.
Gamlitz (Slovene: Gomilnica) is a municipality in the district of Leibnitz in Styria, Austria. In the first known document that mentions it (dated from 1145), the settlement is called Gomilnitz, a reference either to the Slavic gomilca which denotes a small hill, or to gom (a group or chain of hills); indeed Gamlitz is situated among and between rolling hills. The tradition of the local castle goes back to the year 1111.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (75)

I have just received an eQSL from Macedonian station Z35F, from Gevgelija, which is the 75th country validly confirmed for my eDX award.
I made this QSO with my FT857 manpack radio for the Summits On The Air programme.
Gevgelija (Macedonian: Гевгелија [ɡɛvˈɡɛlija] ( listen)) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of the Republic of Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica-Evzoni), the point which links the motorway from Skopje and three other former Yugoslav capitals (Belgrade, Zagreb and Ljubljana) with Thessaloniki.
Located between the mountains Kozuf and Pajak only 70 km from Thessaloniki and 165 km from Skopje, the town acts as a rail depot between the two countries, making it a central location in its region. Its position in the south of the country gives it a warm, Mediterranean climate, making it the optimal location in the Republic of Macedonia for cultivation of fruits and vegetables such as figs, lemons, and grapes. The town is also a centre for raising silkworms, an integral part of the country's silk trade.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Alto do Anxelio (EA1/CR-020)

Today I made a SOTA activation of Alto do Anxelio (EA1/CR-020). This is the video of my first QSO on HF, with English Station M0VRS (John).

The video does not have very good audio quality because it was windy, but I made a total of 42 QSOs, which is my best record so far.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Alto das Vaiñas (SOTA EA1/LU-025)

This is a video of my activation of Alto das Valiñas (EA1/LU-025). I was using a LiPO battery which is really light and powerful.

The weather was very nice, and the LiPO battery behaved very well. Thanks to Anca (YO8SOY) for the recording.
By the way, the summit in the background is Pico de Santa Irene (EA1/LU-016).

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Zimbabwe (Z21BB): The number 74

I have just received an eQSL for a QSO with Z21BB (Fernando) from Harare, Zimbabwe. This makes my 74th DXCC entity confirmed for the eDX award.
I made this QSO on 15m SSB from my car, with 100W and a 4m whip. I owe this QSO to Ernesto, EA1LQ, who told me about this opportunity when I has parking my car at the university.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

O Teso (EA1/LU-029)

Last Monday I went to activate O Teso (EA1/LU-029) with Anca (YO8SOY). I had already activated this summit in December, but it was dark when I arrived there and I only made 4 QSOs.

In March the days are much longer, and the weather was nice, so I had an opportunity to make 26 QSOs, which is my record so far. All of them were made on 20m SSB with 20W and a 2.9m whip.
Thanks to EA1AQ and EA1LQ for announcing me on the Sotawatch cluster and thanks to mi0tmw, dg6sfu/m, oe6gnd, hb9agh, ok1sde, dk2rmp, ha7ug, g6mzx, oz4rt, ok1cz, dj5av, dl1dlf/p, g6odu, i3vad, s51zg, g0tdm, la8bca, dj0gm, z35f, g4obk, hb9ckv, on4up, sp9iek, m3xie, dk3bk, and oe6wig for the QSOs.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Bailadora (EA1/CR-038)

This is a video of the activation of Bailadora (SOTA ref. EA1/CR-038). I made several contacts in VHF (EA1AQ, EA1DFP and EA1BTO) and HF.

It was foggy so you could not see the great view. I will definate be back with better conditions for you to have an opportunity to see the great view from up there.