Christmas day VHF SOTA Activation of Kojsovska hola OM/KE-004

This was almost 3-hour VHF QRO portable from SOTA summit OM/KE-004 on December 24, 2022.

Equipment used: Yaesu FT-2980, power 75W (measured on the external SWR/W meter), 20m Ultraflex 7 coax cable, Diamond NR22L omni antenna on 4m fiberglass mast.

It was difficult to understand weaker signals because of the constant S2 noise on the summit from other electronic devices. Even S4 signals were still effected by that. I heard weaker S2-S3 signals several times but it was not possible to make contact with them. Yagi antenna would possibly solve this.

38 contacts in the log from 08:14 to 10:59  UTC. ODX SP7JS KO00IL 188 km

approaching the mountaintop in the morning..

my base location (Kosice) is 20 km in this direaction but in the fog..

Thank you all for contacts and have a nice Christmas !

QRV on 4m band

In addition to 6m magic band, I am now able to work also on higher one - 4m in all modes including digital modes but I prefer FM. I will be definitely trying to make contacts in digital modes during tropospheric conditions in the summer months but now the FM mode is the priority for local communication and coverage tests. I use Icom 7300 and Anytone 5189 transceivers for this band and dipole antenna from Sirio. I will be ready to go /M very soon, I'm just waiting for the antenna, even though I don't plan to install the Anytone radio permanently in the car yet. I will do maybe sometime later for example in the summer.

Nowadays, I am able to use 4m from my base location through HF antenna switch only because I do not have an extra unused coaxial cable to connect to the antenna. Luckily I had one free antenna output on the antenna switch. That's why I am not permanently monitoring the band yet but I make a CQ  call occasionally. I assume I will install another coaxial cable in May 2023 when temperatures will be acceptable for handling with coax cable so I will be permanently monitoring this higher magic band sice then. My standby and call frequency is 70,450 MHz FM and maximum power 45-50W.

FM mode in Slovakia is allowed from 70,250 to 70,500 MHz in 12,5 kHz steps.

Almost SOTA fail on Velky Milic OM/KE-017

I found out on the summit that I forgot DC cable for HF radio. This has never happened to me before. Fortunately, I made at least 5 contacts with the handheld radio and the telescopic antenna from the nearby sightseeing tower. I have to pay more attention when packing equipment to the backpack.

The first cold and windy SOTA before the winter 2022 on Pipitka OM/KE-005

Hike in foggy and drizzle with light later medium rain during ascent and light snowing during descent. Very windy at the very top of the summit with wind chill several degrees below 0°C. The real temperature in the saddle which is 270 vertical meters below the summit was 1°C. I forgot to check the temperature while on the summit but it must have been below 0°C for sure. I made one 50 km contact on 145 MHz in FM from handheld radio and then 23 contacts on 20m. Power 50W from 20 Ah LiFePO4 battery into 20m long EFHW installed from 2m to about 5m above the ground. I also brought with me and used 10m light fiberglass mast to raise the antenna easily to at least 5m. This mast is very thin at the end therefore it is possible to use approximately only half of its length to fix the wire. 

New FT8 awards (11/2022)

Here are some of new interesting awards for my FT8 activity:

900x USA callsigns, 500x JA callsigns, 50x ZS callsigns, 3x Antarctica, 100x islands

First ever SOTA activation of Skala OM/KE-012

this is the summit

on the summit

I made 30 contacts on 20m. There was no more time for 40m, sorry.

Equipment used: Yaesu FT-891 | LDG AT100ProII tuner | 20m EFHW antenna | 20Ah LiFePO4 battery | PWR abt 50-70W | standard hand microphone

32 km autumn hike, VHF SOTA and visiting the cave

 

morning fog in the Kosice city

autumn forests

SOTA OM/KE-031 Koprivy

Used equipment: Yaesu FT-70, external battery LiFePO4 7Ah via battery eliminator, Diamond RH770 telescopic antenna, full power

ODX SP9BIJ/P S2S SP/BZ-002 QRB 141 km

"Velka Ruzinska jaskyna" - cave

The length of the cave is approximately 112 meters and it consists of a spacious corridor.

Ice drops decorate the cave in winter. It was inhabited already in the Paleolithic and inhabited by the creators of the Neolithic Bukovo Mountains culture. In 1897, Paleolithic hearths, numerous cave bear bones and fragments of the Neolithic Bukovo Mountains culture were found in it.

making tea

cooling the tea

How to get to the cave

In the past, a blue hiking trail passed near it.

This route was relocated and canceled in the 1990s.

Since there is a 5th level of protection, it is forbidden to move outside the marked tourist trail or educational trail beyond the boundaries of the built-up area of ​​the village and to enter with a bicycle on the land outside the boundaries of the built-up area of ​​the village outside the highway, road, local communication and marked bicycle path!!!

To enter the nature reserve with the 5th level of protection, you need to proceed as follows:

1. Submit an application to the district office in the seat of the region, department of environmental care, for the granting of an exemption from territorial protection according to § 16 par. 1 letter a) of Act no. 543/2002 Coll. on nature and landscape protection, as amended.

Such a request must be properly justified and the reasons for which the exception should be granted must be given.

2. Such a submission is charged according to item 160 of Act no. 145/1995 on administrative fees, as amended in later versions, amounting to EUR 10 if the application is submitted by a natural person or EUR 100 if the application is submitted by a legal entity.

VHF SOTA Activation of Skalisko OM/KE-023

HF SOTA Activation of Mincol OM/PO-019

This was the afternoon SOTA activation. I left home just before noon. It took me about an hour to get to the village by car and about 2 hours to the summit.

The weather was fine, temperature about 20 °C but little bit windy.

There are wonderful views from the top.

I made only 6 contacts because it was very windy and difficult to understand stations from speaker. I didn't take Heil headset with me this time. 

HF SOTA Activation of Osadnik OM/KE-025

Remains of a Hussite church in the village of Lúčka - beginning of trail

meadows above mentioned village

first view above forest zone

I made 20 contacts on 20m with Yaesu FT-891 | 7 Ah LiFePO4 battery | 20m long EFHW for 40-10m | 20 W | hand MIC

Thanks all chasers for calling me

HF SOTA Activation of Lastovici vrch OM/KE-010

 

I made 23 contacts on 20 and 40m with Yaesu FT-891 | 7 Ah LiFePO4 battery | 20m EFHW for 40-10m | 20 W | hand MIC