Formigueiros 3: Final ascent

On this video you can see the final ascent to the top, where we set up the station. This last stage was probably the hardest because it was steeper and there was a lot of ice and snow.

Here you can also see Anca (YO8SOY) carrying the radio and greeting fellow radio amateurs.

Formigueiros (EA1/LU-002): Part 2

I am afraid we don't have the video of how we managed to turn the car around, because at that time we were just thinking of finding a way to get back home safe.
After checking the way up and down we decided it was safer to go backwards to a slightly wider point and turn the car around over there. I was driving while Anca was giving me directions from outside.

After turning the car around, we decided to walk to the summit. As you can see, we were much happier now, but there was a long way to go...

Formigueiros (EA1/LU-002): Part 1

This is the video of the expedition to Formigueiros (1640m), an 8-point summit. As you can see on the video, we got into trouble. The main issue was that we went too far with the car. The way was more and more dangerous, narrow, with snow and ice, and a cliff on the left side.

Anca (YO8SOY), who was recording the video, did not realize the seriousness of the situation until she got off the car and saw the cliff... At this point the SOTA activation was the least important thing. Now the only objective was to get back home safe.

Nice eQSL from M0WGI

I have just received this nice eQSL from M0WGI, for a QSO on 40m SSB in January 2009.
I think I remember this QSO because I don't have so many on that band, and Steve had a distictive Asiatic accent. If I remenber right, I was in the car park by the Torre de Hercules on a very stormy day, and I was using a mobile D-Original DX-UHV antenna. EA1AQ was in his car with another mobile antenna similar to the Outbacker.

My fourth QSO from Chao da Poza (DL3JPN)

This is the video of my fourth QSO from Chao da Poza (EA1/LU-010) for the Summits On The Air (SOTA) programme, on 15m SSB.

The fourth QSO is always a happy QSO because that is the minimum required for a valid SOTA activation, and everything is easier after that.
DL3JPN (Steffen) is an avid SOTA chaser that has worked more than 5,000 activator to date, acording to data on http://sotadata.org.uk.

Another QSO with the Czech Republic (OK2LDH)

This is the video of another QSO with the Czech Republic from Chao da Poza, SOTA reference EA1/LU-010.

Ludvik has already sent me a nice QSL card with a picture of the city of Olomouc. Olomouc (Czech pronunciation: [ˈolomou̯ts]) is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis of Moravia.
During teh Second World War most of the town's German residents sided with the Nazis and the German-run town council renamed the main square after Adolf Hitler. The Czech residents changed the name again after the town was liberated. When the retreating German army passed through Olomouc in the final weeks of the war they opened fire on the town's old astronomical clock, leaving only a few pieces (that can now be seen in the local museum). The one that can be seen today is a 1950s reconstruction and features a procession of proletarians rather than saints.

Sultanate of Oman (A43ND/40)

This is a video of a QSO on 15m SSB with A43ND/40, a special event station celebrating the 40th National Day of the Sultanate of Oman.

The station was operated by Sami (A41OP) and the recording was made by Eric (EA1HTJ, ex EB1DNP).
In November 2010, The United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) listed Oman as the most-improved nation in last 40 years from among 135 countries worldwide.

Another Czech station from Chao da Poza (OK5RK)

This is yet another video with the Czech Republic (Karel, EA5RK) from Chao da Poza, SOTA reference EA1/LU-010.

I am looking forward to my next activation where I will have a chance to test my new slightly longer 2.9m whip.

Testing the FT-897D manpack

Today I have been testing my FT-897D manpack with the help of EA1AQ. The antenna was a 2.9m military whip for which I had to create a special mount with an M10 thread.

The QSO we were listening to was so long that we didn't have a chance of making a call...

Onother QSO with the Czech Republic from Chao da Poza

This is a video of a QSO with Czech station OK1SDE (Borek) from Liberec. It was my second QSO with the Czech Republic from Chao da Poza (SOTA reference EA1/LU-010). I was using my FT-897D on 15m SSB, with a 2.4m whip anttena.

Liberec is a city in the Czech Republic. Located on the Lusatian Neisse and surrounded by the Jizera Mountains and Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge, it is the fifth-largest city in the Czech Republic.

Canada from Punta Fiateira Rear Lighthouse (VO1TX)

I have just received this nice eQSL for a QSO with Canadian station VO1TX on 20m SSB when I was activating Punta Fiateira Rear Lighthouse together with EA1HNP (José Luis). That was a short but very fruitful activation.
Christopher has been a licensed Radio Amateur since April 19, 2000 and he volunteers as a Certified District Emergency Coordinator( ARES) for The Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland.

Hungary (HA5CW)

I also made a QSO with HA5CW from Chao da Poza on the 15m band.

After my QSOs in SSB I tried CW for some minutes but I didn't have as much luck, probably because I had not announced that mode of operation in the SOTAwatch alert system. I didn't have much time either because we had to leave for Madrid.