Alto das Valiñas (SOTA EA1/LU-025)

This is an old video, unpublished so far, that I recorded on Alto das Valiñas (SOTA EA1/LU-025).

By then, I didn't use the SOTAwatch cluster. The radio is anf FT-897 manpack with internal batteries and an FC-40 antenna tuner.

SOTA activation of Breamo - Christmas 2012

This is a video of the activation of Breamo (SOTA reference EA1/CR-035) to wish merry Christmas to my SOTA friends around the world. I was using an FT-897D with an internal antenna tuner and a wire antenna.

It includes a couple of QSOs with American stations. Thanks very much to everyone and Merry Christmas to all.

EA1IEZ's first SOTA activation

Ernesto (EA1LQ) and I accompanied Abel (EA1IEZ) in his first SOTA activation, in Alto do Anxelio (EA1/CR-020), which is a summit relatively close to A Coruña.

It turned out to be extremely windy up there, but Abel managed to make a lot of contacts. Welcome to SOTA!

QSO with Norway from Cova da Serpe (EA1/LU-046)

This is a video I have just found of an activation of Cova da Serpe two years ago that was unpublished so far.

The backpack radio is based on a Yaesu FT-857D with an SG-211 smartuner. The red hat is a blend of Romanian and SOTA style. Plese do not confure with Gangnam style.

Testing my FT-857 manpack: Cedeira (EA1/CR-010)

This is a video of an SOTA activation of Cedeira (EA1-CR-010). On this video I was using my light manpack radio consisting of an FT-857D, an SG-211 tuner and a whip antenna.

I was accompanied by Ernesto (EA1LQ) who is also an avid SOTA activator.

Winter activation of Monte do Curisco

This is a video of the SOTA activation of Monte do Curisco (EA1/LE-191), a 1300+ metre summit in the Spanish province of Leon.

The weather was extremely cold (-5C) and windy. There was also a lot of QRM, at S9-level on the 20m band, so I tried the activation on the 15m band. All in all, it was a difficult activation, but I managed to make 8 QSOs.

Alto do Anxelio (EA1/CR-020)

The other day I went to activate the summit of Alto do Anxelio (EA1/CR-020) with my father (EA1AQ) and my elder son Adi. It was a fun activation, and I made a lot of QSOs.

Alto do Anxelio is a relatively nearby summit with easy access and a very important advantage for radio operation. It does not have QRM, which is often a problem in many SOTA summits that host all kids of communications antennas (TV, telephone).

Castro (EA1/OU-038)

This is a video of a SOTA activation from the summit of Castro, near the city of Ourense.

You can hear the cavalry on the background at the end of the video.

DO4DXA from Pico Sacro (SOTA EA1/CR-016) on 10m SSB

This is a video of a QSO from Pico Sacro (SOTA ref. EA1/CR-016) with German station DO4DXA on 10m SSB.

The summit is divided in two. According to the leyend, it was a titan with his sword who did it.

YO8SOY from Castelo (EA1/CR-023)

SOTA activation near Santiago de Compostela on 20m SSB.

It includes two summit-to-summit QSOs with SCotland.

Alto do Anxelio (SOTA EA1/CR-020)

This is a video of Anca's activation of Alto do Anxelio (SOTA reference EA1/CR-020) as EA1/YO8SOY/P on 20m SSB.

Thanks to this activation she now already has 10 DXCC entities confirmed on eQSL.

Serra do Larouco (CT/TM-001)

Yesterday I was invited to a radio fair in Chaves, Portugal, and after the lectures I decided to attempt the activation of a nearby summit, Serra do Larouco (CT/TM-001).

This was my first QSO on 20m SSB, with English station 2E0RDX (Barry).

YO8SOY from Pendella (EA1/CR-002)

Yesterday I went to make a SOTA activation with Anca (YO8SOY). She made a total of 12 QSOs, all of them on 20m SSB using 20W and a whip antenna. On this video you can see an extract of her activation:

The hardest part for her was to memorise the callsigns, because we didn't have a pen to write them down (my fault), but in the end she did quite ok for her first SOTA activation.

Easter activation at Pico da Fiosa (EA1/LU-009)

Last Sunday I went with my father (EA1AQ) to activate Pico da Fiosa (EA1/LU-009) and this is the vide we made. It was a very nice place with an improvised table, great views and excellent conditions for SOTA operation (low noise).

I was running 20W with my FT-857 manpack, an SG-211 tuner and a military whip. The battery is Lithium Polymer and works great. It is powerful and light. I am very satisfied with its performance.

Montalén (EA1/CR-006)

This is a video of the activation of Montalén on 20m SSB. I started with a summit to summit QSO with Germany, and made more than a dozen contacts.

At the end of the video you can see how the wind starts to blow...

Fontardión (EA1/CR-005)

This is a video of the SOTA activation of Fontardión, together with my friend Robi. The QSOs on teh video are on 20m SSB.

Last time I was not able to make the four QSOs necessary to claim the points, but I has luckier this time.

Carracedo activation (EA1/LU-049)

This is a video of the activation of Carracedo. I started on 2m FM with a handheld radio, but I only made 3 QSOs.

Then I set up my HF station. As you can see on this video, I used a 2.9m collapsible whip and two wires as a counterpoise.

The weather and the landscape were magnificent and the activation couldn't go better. Thanks to all the chasers and to my father (Ea1AQ) and Ernesto (EA1LQ) for putting me on the Sotawatch cluster.

Carracedo (EA1/LU-049): Final ascent

Last Thursday Ernesto (EA1AQ) and my father (EA1LQ) went to hunt a metorological baloon. When I joined them the sonde had already stopped tranmitting, so I decided to attempt some nearby SOTA activation. I found that Carracedo (EA1/LU-049) was close, and this is the video of the final ascent.

It was a bit harder than expected, but the wild horses and the beauty of the landscape paid off.

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.

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.