Monday 27 April 2015

EA6/MA-065 Puig de sa Cova Negra SOTA Activation

After our problems earlier in the day we had a change of plan. The intention was to finish off with a scramble to the summit of MA-066 which overlooks the Bay of Alcudia, however due to a shortage of time we opted to drive east to the town of Capdepera, near to the eastern coastal resort of Cala Ratjada. The summit was activated for the first time by Juerg HB9BIN two weeks before we arrived...


After Nick had negotiated the one way system in Capdepera, which was a pleasant clean town with a square, we found our way on to the winding pot-holed road which led to the summit. We realised on reaching the top that the road had been built to serve a radar station. The end of the road is gated and this is within the activation zone:


The area above and behind the radar array had been landscaped and looked almost like a rockery, and after an easy scramble up this is what I saw from the trig point:

Operating position for my station on Puig de sa Cova Negra - no interference was apparent on HF
Dave and Nick set up slightly below me amongst the "rockery". They were just about within shouting distance:


Time was short so after less than 30 minutes on the air and with 45 contacts logged between the three of us we went QRT and headed back to our hotel in Port de Pollenca. 

Equipment: FT-817 X 2 (5 Watts) - Link dipoles X 2 on 5m poles
Operators: G4OBK - G4OOE - G3TQQ Bands used: 17m & 20m

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