Preparation:

This was another “fill-in” activation after dropping my wife off at her Physio rehab centre. I had several hours for these activations, even with a chance to get lunch in between the two locations, so I was to take them at a slow pace. The sub-zero temperatures meant that they would be “PLOTA” activations from within the car, only stepping out to attach or adjust the HF-PRO2 antenna.

As usual, all radio gear was put ready in the car for this PLOTA.

The Activations

POTA DE-0466 Augsburg Statswald/DE-0942 Via Julia NHT/DE-0968 Romantische strasse/DE-1056 Lechauen

After dropping the wife off, this first location was only about a 10-minute drive. Having checked maps, I had found this POTA 4-fer, although the parking was a little restricted (more a pull-in than an actual parking area, but used by locals to start jogging from, take their dogs for a walk, etc.).

The setup time was short as usual, and since it was around 10 am local (0900 UTC), I expected the long path on 20m to have closed, which turned out to be the case. My best DX was probably Mike in the UK with his new M9MMM/P call sign. I did, however, manage to establish two P2P contacts in this first session, so that was a plus. Indeed, one station (M8VZT) was in three UK POTA entities, so this was a 4-fer to 3-fer P2P contact.

Mike told me he had worked DX on 15 metres, so once the calls dried up on 20 metres, I moved to 15 metres, where indeed I heard VU2DKI at over S9, but despite trying several times to call him, I could not break the major pile-up that he had going. I also heard a VK6 station on 15m, but too weak to really be able to work. after spotting anf calling on 15m for a while, I decided I was wasting my time as no one was coming back and stations that I could hear on the band were dealing with kw plus stations calling them, so my little 20w signal with a loaded whip as antenna, while certainly arriving at the other station, it was being crushed by the high power stations.

I switched to 40 metres at around 1015 UTC, but my spot on POTA and CQ call only returned two callers. Wanting to try 10 metres before I packed up, I switched bands and, as luck would have it, heard Daryl M3ZDZ on 17m as I switched through. I stopped, changed the antenna setting and then we had an enjoyable chat for 10 minutes. On eventually getting onto 10 metres, I had the same result as on 15 metres – so much DQRM and pile-ups on the band meant that the DX stations I could hear, I could not work.

By this time, I decided it was time to pack up and head for lunch. On checking the map, the restaurant that I had chosen (one of the few in the area who are open on a Tuesday) was closed for the Christmas break, but it seems Google Maps had just been updated the day before. Searching for another restaurant that was shown as open, that turned out to be a kiosk that was only open in summer! In the end, I always had the fallback of the local McDonald’s, which, while difficult to reach in the middle of the industrial area in Mering, was at least open. After a “meal” there, I headed to my second POTA location at the other end of the town.

POTA DE-0905 Paar und Ecknach Natura 2000 park

The access to the parking spot located in Mering in this park needed to drive through a residential area between two main railway lines (I would not like to live in those apartments but I suspect they were at the lower-priced living grade).

I was lucky, one spot was available in the parking area, and I was set up in no time. I started again on 20 metres, and again my first entry in the log was when I called M8VZT as he was still in his 3-fer POTA location. 55 rather than the earlier 59 signal could mean my new location was not as good as the earlier one, or simply that band conditions on 20m had changed. The band suffered QSB on signals from both locations. After 60 quickly obtained contacts on 20m, I switched to 40m to pick up two more P2P contacts, but my spotted CQ call on 40m brought no calls. So I decided to pack up and head back to pick up my wife, arriving 15 minutes early, but after two good activations, reducing the number of parks I have not activated in the area yet.

Photos:

DE-0466, 0942, 0968, 1056

DE-0905

Equipment taken:

• Xiegu G-90 radio.
• Komunica Power HF-PRO2-PLUS-T loaded vertical antenna.
• 3-magnet car roof mount and single magnet mount (single not used).
• 8 Ah LifePO4 battery.
• 2 x 4Ah Eremit LifePO4 batteries (not used).
• Lightweight headphones.
• Smartphone for spotting.

Log:

POTA DE-0466/DE-0942/DE-0968/DE-1056

POTA DE-0905

Conclusions:

The trouble getting contacts on 15 & 10 metres was disappointing, as the propagation was there. It was purely the disadvantage of only running enough power to make the contact (as required in all amateur radio licences) and the limited antenna, which stopped contacts. Even with a better antenna, I suspect those KW stations will remain a problem for everyone else. Crocodiles.

73 ’til the next activation!