EA2/VI-003 Aratz (1446m), Surprised by Tropo !!!

"Really it was an amazing day today from Aratz that I will not forget it easily"

I started my walk not very early in the morning, this summit is very close to my home and the day dawned with fog. While I was approaching the summit clouds were dissolving and the sun began to warm my body. The climb is made by the traditional path that starts from Araia, described in previous spots in my blog

 

Track followed

I fix my aerial in the geodesic vertex. My working conditions have been a Yagui 3 elements and TM-V71E set up to medium power. After reading the user manual of this transceiver I knowed that it was providing 10W instead of 15W said during my activation.

EB2GKK/P station at the summit

I was following the tropo propagation forecast reports last days and the selected summit has been successful.

Tropo forecast map

Many local chasers have been surprised also here in EA2, listening my calls in English... not in Basque. I have worked a total of 43 stations of which 10 are from UK, 4 Summit to Summit contacts of which one has been worked with MW0ECX/p from GW/SW009, it has been also great for Neil, as he told me he was operating from the summit with 5w from his TH-F7E into a vertical dipole. 

This time I only worked 2m-FM but getting far contacts over 1100km until the batteries died out at about 15h30utc. Here I show you on the map some of the more distant contacts from IN82uw:

11:48,145525,FM,EA2DYS/P, IN92nw
11:56,145525,FM,EA2LMI, IN92eu
11:59,145525,FM,EB2JU, IN83mg
12:09,145525,FM,EA2DCA/P, IN82rb
12:13,145525,FM,EB1CU, IN83jj
12:18,145525,FM,EA2BDS/P, IN82jr
12:35,145525,FM,M6NRW, IO82wg
12:37,145525,FM,MW0ECX/P, IO81jw
12:51,145525,FM,EB1HYS, IN82mq
12:52,145525,FM,EA1HDN, IN91as
13:04,145525,FM,2E1GNZ, IO83to
13:06,145525,FM,G0OHY, IO82gw
13:10,145525,FM,G0EWV, IO83to
13:16,145525,FM,G3SMU, IO83so
13:20,145525,FM,G0JEI, IO93ic
13:35,145525,FM,EA2EDN, IN92eb
13:42,145525,FM,G4PGJ, IO92et
14:21,145525,FM,MW0RHD, IO72tw
14:47,145525,FM,GW0IRT, IO81jt 

I was very lucky with the several DX into UK worked for a whole hour while the magic window remained open. It was absolutely great, I attach here some comments comming from contacted stations also show their amazement.

Hello Inaki,

yes it was an amazing QSO. Conditions were exceptional - I could hear you calling other UK stations clearly for a good hour. Thank you.

I hope we can make another S2S QSO again this year!

73s de Neil, MW0ECX

kaixo Inaki

Thanks for eqsl from SOTA EA2/VI-003, really amazing dx for 2metre FM 1102 km. In over 30 years of operating on 2m this my best ever dx on 2m FM and first over 1000km!

I hope we can do it again someday.

73 de G4PGJ Dave

Eskerrak agur.

Hello Inaki,

it was very good to work you today from SOTA EA2/VI003

May I compliment you on your English very good, the attached picture is me just after I worked you, I was using the handheld transceiver Yaesu VX-170 ON 5 Watts into a vertical aerial on my roof @ 350 feet asl.

QSL card is 100% via eqsl.cc

My locator square is IO72TW

Best 73 God bless. 

Bob MW0RHD

Hi Inaki

it was good to work you on the sota summit ...you were very lucky to get the good contacts very good skip to uk hi ... you were coming in very well on my old kenwood tm731e abt 20w into d/band anttena on my roof you were verry good 5/3 to 5/5 at times good hi ..ok inaki e.qsl is good by me and i also send you my personal card ....so all the best from les G0JEI

Thanks a lot to all local chasers for your calls and company, also to the good friends spotting me on Sotawatch. I hope this activation will inspire other stations to use this band for DXs. 

Looking forward to the next tropo pass, 73s de Inaki.

Next pictures were taken during my way back after packing everything.

Ready for back home

The cold keeps the last snow on the summit

Looking backward, Aratz from Elurzuloak