EQSL from 5T0SP (Mauritania)

I have received this beautiful eQSL card from Mauritania. It is a new confirmed country for me. Now I have 85 for my eDX100 award.

The government of Mauritania was overthrown on 6 August 2008, in a military coup d'état led by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. On 16 April 2009, General Aziz resigned from the military to run for president in the 19 July elections, which he won.
In Mauritania about 20% of the population live on less than US$1.25 per day.

Austria (OE1AFU) on 15m

This a video of a QSO with OE1AFU (Alex)in Vienna. I was in a public park near my home in Acea de Ama testing a new jumper cable in my light manpack transceiver.

My friend Robi, who has recently passed his test to become a licensed radio amateur, helped me prepare this cable, and was also recording this video.

HF manpack radio tutorial

On this video I explain how my portable backpack HF radio works. I explain that radio set consists of a Yaesu FT-857D, an SGC SG-211 antenna tuner, a military whip antenna, and a 5Ah LiPo battery.

I show how the antenna tuner works and test it in a QSO with SU9VB in Egypt on 15m SSB.

Finland (OH1TIN) on 15m

This is a video of a QSO I made in February from a public park called Beiramar, in Oleiros, near the city of A Coruña.

I was using may usual backpack radio considting of a Yaesu FT-857D, an SGC SG-211 smartuner, a LiPO battery and a military whip antenna.

Yaesu FT-897D with internal antenna tuner: First test

I this video you can see the first test of my new project: a Yaesu FT-897D with an internal antenna tuner.

I intend to use this as a table-top portable radio. This is not intended as a backpack transceiver for SOTA operations in adverse conditions. For that purpose, I have opted for my FT-857 manpack, which is smaller and lighter.
Thanks to Robi and Ernesto (EA1LQ) for the help with the construction and tests.

Pantelleria Island (IH9YMC)

Last Sunday I made a QSO with Pantelleria Island (AF-018) on 15m SSB.
Pantelleria, the ancient Cossyra , is an Italian island in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, 100 km southwest of Sicily and just 60 km east of the Tunisian coast. With an area of 83 km2, it is the largest volcanic satellite island of Sicily.

Portable from a public park: Romania (YO4RIU)

Thsi is a video of a QSO I made from a public park using my FT-857 manpack with a 3m-long whip antenna.

Beacuse there were people walking around, I could not extend the counterpoise wires properly, and I was using only a wire around the bench I was sitting on.
Because communication was very difficult for my counterpart Bogdan, at a given point I had to increase the power from 20W to 50W, which made the QSO possible.

The United States on 15m (W2NLS)

This is a video of a QSO with Neil (W2NLS) on 15m SSB from my car, using a 4m-long military whip antenna.

His antenna is a 5-element multibander. You can see it on the picture below.

Neil was licensed first as WN2KQI and then became WB2KQI for about 47 years. When the vanity call of W2NLS came up with his initials he decided to go for it. But somedays, still, he actually will give the wrong call!

Ham Radio really shaped Neil's life. He spent many years as an editor working on magazines having to do with electronics. He first was on Elementary Electronics Magazine and then he joined Popular Mechanics as the Electronics Editor. He was with PM for more than a decade and did more than one article on ham radio.

YN2N (Nicaragua) on 15m

This is a video of a QSO with Nicaragua from my car, using a Yaesu FT-857D with a 4m-long whip antenna.

THe antenna tuner is a Yaesu FC-40, which tunes the whip from 7Mhz up.

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.

Fontardión (EA1/CR-005)

This is a video of the SOTA activation of Fontardion (EA1/CR-005) together with EA1AQ and Adi, who also helped with the camera.

I think I chose the wrong frequency this time (15m). I only managed to make 2 local QSOs before it started raining, but it was a good experience anyway.

From Naxos Island to the Falklands

Today I made a QSO with Greek station SV8FEB from Naxos Island (operator: Vangelis) on 15m SSB. He gave me reference EU-067 for the IOTA (Islands On The Air) programme.
Naxos is the largest island (429 km2 (166 sq mi)) in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. Mount Zas (999 metres) is the highest peak in the Cyclades, and tends to trap the clouds, permitting greater rainfall. According to a story in Greek mythology, the young Zeus was raised in a cave on Mt. Zas ("Zas" meaning "Zeus").
Immediately after that I made a QSo with VP8LP (Bob) from the Falklands (IOTA ref. SA-002).
I also made contacts with South Africa (ZS6RF and ZS1AX), the US (KC0CF, K1BKE and W3JK), Cameroon (TJ9PF), and Uruguay (CX4BW).

15m QSOs from A Cotela do Faro (EA1/LU-003)

On this video you can see the QSOs I made from the Summit of A Cotela do Faro. There was a great view from up there at 1615m of height.

The QSOs were all made on 15m SSB using my battery operated light manpack radio with a 2.9m whip and a dragwire as a counterpoise.

Testing the FT-857D manpack: Beiramar

Here are some videos testinf my light Yaesu manpack. The first QSO was with Germany (Mike, DB1JAW) on 17m SSB. I didn't get a very good signal report because the band was not in very good shape.

Here you can see a demonstration of how easy it is to use the automatic antenna tuner, the SG-211 by SGC:

On this video you can see a very good QSO with the Canary Islands (Jean, EA8/ON5JV), on 20m SSB.

Finally, a QSO with Scotland (Kevin, 2M0ONW):

All the QSOs were made with 20W, a 2.9m whip, and a single wire as a counterpoise.

Transylvania (YO6OAF) on 15m

This is a video of a QSO with Romanian station YO6OAF (operator Bela, from Miercurea-Ciuc) on 15m SSB.

Miercurea-Ciuc is the county seat of Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. The town is situated in the Olt River valley.
Miercurea-Ciuc was captured by Hungary between 1940 and 1944 as a result of the Second Vienna Diktat. In 1944, the Soviet Red Army captured the town. It became part of Romania again in 1945, a move confirmed by the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947. Between 1952-1960, the town was part of the Magyar Autonomous Region, later named the Mureş-Magyar Autonomous Region between 1960-1968. In 1968, Miercurea-Ciuc became the county seat of Harghita.
In the post-WWII period, the town was industrialized; among other projects, a tractor factory, a textile factory and, in the 1960s, a beer factory were built here. The Ciuc Beer products have gained an increasing popularity in Romania.

United States from the summit of Pradairo (1029m)

This is the video of my QSO with Steve (N3EON) from the summit of Pradairo (EA1/LU-031) on 15m SSB.

That day I was accompanied by Ernesto (EA1LQ), who is currently the leading SOTA activator in Spain. As you can see from my GPS at the beginning of the video, we were operating from the summit, at an altitude of 1029m.

EA1LQ/P from Pradairo (EA1/LU-031)

Last Tuesday I went with Ernesto EA1LQ to activate the peak of Pradairo for the Summits on the Air programme (ref. EA1/LU-031). The height is 1029 metres, which means 4 points, plus a seasonal bonus of 3 points for the winter activation.

Ernesto is currently the leading SOTA activator not only in EA1, but also in the whole of Spain, with 13 summits and 38 points, followed by EE1URO with 4 activations and 26 points.

Virginia (W4JTE)

This is a video of a QSO with W4JTE (Jack) on 15m SSB. W4TJE is now QRV from the blue ridge mountains in southwestern VA, along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The elevation at the shack is 3000 feet with a nice take-off in most directions.

The last picture was taken in his woods by his motion activated wildlife camera. It is mama bear with her 3 cubs.

Formigueiros 4: Calling CQ

This is a video of the expedition to Formigueiros. I am calling CQ on 15m SSB.

The best from this video is the view from the peak.

EC1CW - EA1LQ: Lithuania (LY2PX)

This ia s video of two QSOs that I and Ernesto (EA1LQ) made with Lithuanian station LY2PX (operator: Willy from Vilnius) on 15m SSB.

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 (850,324 together with Vilnius County) as of 2010.
The city was first mentioned in written sources in 1323, when the Letters of Grand Duke Gediminas were sent to German cities inviting German members of the Jewish community to settle in the capital city, as well as to Pope John XXII. These letters contain the first unambiguous reference to Vilnius as the capital; Old Trakai Castle had been the earlier seat of the court of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. According to legend, Gediminas dreamt of an iron wolf howling on a hilltop and consulted a pagan priest for its interpretation. He was told: "What is destined for the ruler and the State of Lithuania, is thus: the Iron Wolf represents a castle and a city which will be established by you on this site.