Day 3 Friday 28th June 2024
Today was Ham Radio Show day one. I used my time chatting to friends and guests from behind the CDXC and SOTA booths and around the show. Victor had driven us to the parking area and towards the end of the afternoon we left to activate DM/BW-348 Gehrenberg before we went to the SOTA dinner nearby at Gasthoif Adler in Obteuringen.
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| SOTA Booth at the show - Victor in blue shirt - one of the helpers |
As I'd activated Gehrenberg a couple of times previously this was just a points gathering exercise, so I didn't take any photos. I did work (the recently married) Luc DL/ON7DQ who was in his hotel room... Luc told me he poked a whip antenna for 10 metres out of the window and we made an SSB QSO! The other chaser worked on 10m was the prolific Pablo EA3EVL. The other 9 QSOs were gathered on 40m. As I was packing up my station Roman DL3TU arrived. We had a nice chat and I later found Roman had also qualified the summit by working an amateur in a tent on a campsite somewhere down by the Bodensee - good job done!
The venue for the SOTA dinner was excellent. There was a good choice of food on the menu and excellent service by the staff who were catering for such a large party. We made some new friends - many were hams who we had QSOs with but had never met and who we missed seeing during the day at the show, and we renewed acquantancies with some SOTA folk that we had met before.
Day 4 Saturday 29th June 2024
The plan today was to attend the show and leave by mid-afternoon which would allow us time for two activations and enable us to reach our Gasthaus in Mulheim an der Donau 100km from Friedrichshafen.
Everyone who has use of a vehicle and goes to Ham Radio invariably activates DM/854 Hochsten. SOTAists are falling over one another to activate this one during the long weekend! Over the four day period from Thursday 27th until Sunday 30th June the summit was activated 28 times! Hochsten beat Gehrenberg by two as DM/BW-348 was activated 26 times over the four days.
When we arrived on Hochsten Pierre DL/F5MOG/P was QRV. We split up and I operated by the roadside near the radio mast. Victor went as far as he could down the track opposite beyond where Pierre was sitting.
I bungied my 6m pole to the road sign. For this tour instead of a link dipole for 20/30/40m that I usually carry, I had an OCFD inverted vee dipole with 4:1 balun cut for 40m/20m/10m, which was ideal. It meant that no ATU was needed when changing bands. The aerial could be used on 30m via the ATU, but I never needed to use that band on this trip. 10m conditions on Hochsten were superb - 19 QSOs completed on 10m in less than half an hour, all over Europe and PY1KJA was also worked. We packed up and headed off in the direction on DM/BW-853. Luc ON7DQ was visiting Hochsten later in the day, so we would be looking out for him on 10m when we got there...
DM/BW-853 Blankenhalde
The parking place (48.0423N 8.996E) was just off the road and inside the activation zone for this summit. Victor set up on some steps below a small underground reservoir. I walked into the field beyond and guyed my mast. It was 14:45z when we started and 10m was still open. Stations as widely apart as GI (Northern Ireland) and UR5 (Ukraine) were worked on the 10m band.
After twenty minutes activity on the 10m band I packed up. Luc DL/ON7DQ/P made it into my log via ground wave for a welcome S2S. We made our way to to the Gasthof Hirsch in Mulheim an der Donau for a one night stay.
Day 5 Sunday 30th June 2024
Today we were heading for a three night stay in Bobingen, 200km away. The town is in the northern part of the DM/BW area and within reach of the DM/BM area whihc is ripe with unique summits for both of us. We planned to activate four summits on the way, but as it happened we had some free time so we activated five, a mix of 6,8 and 10 pointers. After an hours drive from Mulheim we reached DM/BW-852 Herranwald. A short walk on a forestry track took us to the highest point of this wooded summit. There was nothing worth photographing. Just two chasers were worked on the 10m SSB band, Pablo EA3EVL and Dave EA6/M0DLL/M who lives on Menorca.
DM/BW-089 Farrenberg
This summit was a unique for me, which Victor had activated in 2023. The plateau is another flat top glider airfield and we operated on the edge of the permitted area. I walked beyond where Victor stopped by around 400m, so we were both able to operate alternately on the 10m band using SSB and CW.
Storm showers were threatening but they kept off. DM/BW-854 Hochsten was again on the air. I worked Juerg DL/HB9BIN/P who was there on 10m on both modes. Sporadic e was plentiful today, and I worked Nick G4OOE and Pete M0HOQ who live near me in Yorkshire.
DM/BW-099 Achalm
This is a busy summit that stands proud over the surrounding countryside. Being Sunday the carpark was just about full when we arrived. We had been warned about not using the hotel car park by Markus HB9DIZ and I used his GPX track to access the summit from the public car park area at 48.495N 9.233E.
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| Victor DL/G4ONL/P making his way towards Achalm DM/BW-099 |
When we reached the top Victor went left and I went right. I found a good bungee post on the edge of the area summit beyond the tower. Most of the visitors left me alone until towards the end of the activation when a couple of ladies asked what I was doing. The usual explanation was given...
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| Post to bungee to on the edge of the steep hill |
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| The OCFD was tied off above head height on the ivy on the stone ruin |
Once again 10m was in fine condition. This would prove to be the best day for sporadic e of the whole trip. After this day we would scratching for the odd contact on ten over the next four days.
DM/BW-078 Romerstein
Once again we followed a SOTAMAP Markus HB9DIZ track from the car park. When we reached the summit a group of locals had driven up there with their barbecue gear and smoke and the smell of cooking was in the air... Victor set himself down on a bench and table and I walked on. It is very common to see shooting boxes in German woodland and today was my chance to operate from one. The sky was threatening rain and I thought if I got inside the shooting box I could keep my equipment dry when the rain came, which it did. As I was around 5m above ground I did not need my fishing pole to raise my aerial, I just fastened the centre insulator to the roof of the box and ran out the wires. The summit is on a plateau 874m ASL.
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| Shooting box for DL/G4OBK/P |
My station on Romerstein DM/BW-078. The Yaesu FT-4X handie is for keeping in touch with Victor who was around 500m away from me on the summit.
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| The 28m high lookout tower on Romerstein built 1912 10 minutes on 10m brought in seven QSOs: |
DM/BW-855 Michelsberg
A storm was threatening as we parked the car. The summit was less than 1 km walk. I stopped short in the AZ and set up and Victor continued to the highest point. Once again we used the GPX track provided by Markus HB9DIZ which started from a car park by some buildings:
It was now 1345z and the 10m band was closed. Despite working DL3TU on ground wave on the previous summit Roman was not around or he was out of range. I grabbed 7 quick QSOs on 20m and packed up as the storm arrived. Victor was still working stations when the storm came. We both got a good soaking before heading to our hotel in Bobbingen an der Rems for the next three nights.
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