Tag Archives: POTA DE-0858 Via Sancti Martini trail

DD5LP/P 11th March 2025 – DE-0963 Wiesengänger NHT, DE-0964 Wasserläufer NHT & DE-0858 Via Sancti Martini NHT (3-fer)

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Preparation:

Although I already had another activation planned for the following day, the combination of a dry sunny day and having spotted two, as yet unactivated, POTA trails while entering my activation from the previous day spurred me to get out and activate the two trails, along with a third, which I had already activated but coincidentally met with the two new ones above the town of Marktoberdorf, about 45 minutes drive away from my home.

I already had all my equipment ready for the following day packed in a small rucksack, so I took this to the car and drove to this 3-Fer location!

The Activation

POTA DE-0663 / DE-0791 / DE-0968

The drive down was uneventful and has in the past formed part of my drive to several SOTA and HEMA summits. On those occasions though, I had only driven around Marhktoberdorf, this was my first time driving into the town and indeed the point where these trails shared the route is up on a hill overlooking Marktoberdorf which also has a large church and a music academy on top of it. Indeed the car park was quite full and soon I saw why, as there was a constant stream of school groups with their instruments going into and coming out of the academy.

I parked as far away from the buildings as possible in the large (free) car park and despite that something was putting out a horrific electrical interference, making communications on 40 metres absolutely impossible. While this was around 1 pm, 40 metres was the band where I expected to get the ten contacts I needed, the quickest. I tried for about 15 minutes, but it was hopeless, so I re-adjusted the coil on the HF-PRO2 to 20 metres and then tuned around. Thankfully whatever was creating the horrible interference on 40 metres was not affecting 20 metres. As I tuned around, I came across a really big signal from SP9VNL who was calling CQ, so I called him to make sure that I was getting out and had a nice chat with him. I then went searching for a free frequency and started calling “CQ POTA” having spotted myself. It took a while but I did start getting called – two of them from stations in other parks. Or in one case, it was to turn out, another activator on one of the trails I was activating but a lot further north along its run.

I had to move frequency once because of QRM from another station, but this is normal on 20 metres when only running 20 watts to a loaded vertical antenna and the new frequency worked out fine. With 13 contacts in the log, the calls dried up and as this was a “spare of the moment” activation, I decided it was time to pack up and head home – after all had an early start planned for the next POTA activation, the next day!

After entering my logs at home, I was amazed to see that the two new POTA trails had changed from being unactivated to one having been activated in September 2024 and the other in June 2017! Before these trails were added to the system – upon investigation, the POTA organisers allow, indeed wish activators to enter logs from activations at the POTA park or on the trail that were completed even before the entity was added to the award scheme.

“POTA welcomes your log files for QSOs predating POTA, as long as your activation was POTA-compliant! If you operated in a POTA park per POTA rules, your log would likely be accepted in the POTA system, even if your activation predated POTA.”

https://docs.pota.app/docs/activator_reference/activation_styles.html#activations-prior-to-pota

Once again, the other purpose of this activation was to make sure the radio operates normally again before leaving for Cyprus, I am relieved that this activation went so well.

Photos:

  • View around site.
  • View around site.
  • View around site.
  • View around site.
  • View around site.
  • View around site.
  • View around site.
  • View around site.
  • National Trail Information.
  • National Trail Information.
  • National Trail Information.
  • View around site.
  • Music Academy.
  • Music Academy.
  • View around site.
  • View around site.
  • Antenna.
  • Station.

Equipment taken:

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

Log:

POTA DE-0663 / DE-0791 / DE-0968

Conclusions:

The activation went well. What is wrong with the POTA database will decide if, at some point, I get one or two more “first activation” tags on my account. If the next activation using the same equipment goes without issues, I will be more happy with the equipment planned for the Cyprus trip.

73 ’til the next activation!

DD5LP/P – February 13th 2025 – Activation of POTA DE-0858 Via Sancti Martini Nature Trail.

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Preparation:

This “pilgrims trail” runs from the North of Germany down to Italy. I had planned it as a part of a “Two-Fer” with another POTA entity however as the opportunity came up to fit in a small POTA activation while taking my wife for an appointment, I decided to take the option to combine a POTA activation with walking the dog, before I needed to pick-up the wife again.

Lately, I have been doing what I call “PLOTA” activations where I operate from a parking lot within a POTA park or on a trail and this would be the same. In this case, I would park by the trail after it goes under the railway line near Kaufering, a suburb of Landsberg am Lech.

As usual, I was able to load all of the radio equipment onto the back seat of our car and put the magnetic base on top of the car the day before, so that the set-up would be quick as my time would be limited.

The Activation

POTA DE-0858

The weather was raining on and off, then, later after the activation and a meal at a Bavarian restaurant, that rain turned first into sleet and then snow in a matter of 15 minutes.

The location that I had marked out, behind the railway lines and near the water board base in Kaufering, was as expected. After the mandatory dog walk, set up was literally extending and then adding the Komunica HF-PRO2-PLUS-T antenna to the roof mount, getting in the back seat, connecting the LifePO4 battery to the radio and I was on-air.

I searched for a free spot on 20m, spotted myself on the pota.app website and then started calling CQ. Within a couple of minutes, I had calls coming in. One by one to start with and then a small pile-up later. The complete activation time was only 15 minutes but long enough to get 17 contacts in the log. It’s amazing what is possible with 20 watts of SSB and a loaded vertical whip. As you will see from the map below, contacts came in from all directions of the compass. several of the callers were people I knew from earlier activations which is part of the POTA community feeling.

After quickly packing up, I arrived back to collect my wife and then we went for a very nice (warming) meal before heading home in the rain/sleet/snow.

Photos:

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Equipment taken:

  • Xiegu G-90 radio.
  • 6-metre mast and linked dipole (not used).
  • Komunica Power HF-PRO2-PLUS-T loaded vertical antenna.
  • Three-magnet car roof antenna mount.
  • 8 Ah LifePO4 battery.
  • 2Ah Eremit LifePO4 battery (not used).
  • Plastic painter’s sheet (used) and seat pad (not used).
  • Lightweight headphones.
  • Smartphone for spotting.

Log:

DE-0858 Via Sancti Martini National Trail

Conclusions:

  • The activation went well. I am always amazed at how well this radio/antenna combination works. The simple car set-up works well in plans where others’ needs are to be considered.

73 ’til the next activation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DD5LP/P – July 10th 2024 – First ever activation of POTA DE-0791 Lech Erlebenis Weg Plus DE-0641 Via Romea Germanica & HEMA DL/HBY-040 Rosenau Kreuz.

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Preparation:

I had submitted a preservation trail for POTA consideration while others exist in the system.  This one runs along the banks of the River Lech from Landsberg am Lech down to Fussen on the Austrian border. There are lots of beautiful spots along its length and the initial section from Landsberg runs through the POTA DE-0663 Possinger Au nature reserve further along its length, close to Schwangau, it goes over the HEMA DL/HBY-040 Rosenau Kreuz summit making it a location where points can be earned for both systems. In addition, another longer trail “Via Romea Germanica” also passes through this point and is in the POTA system as Trail DE-0641. Today I decided to combine both trails’ activation with a HEMA activation close to the Rosenau Cross summit on both trails.

The Activation

POTA DE-0791&0641 (2-FER) / HEMA DL/HBY-040

With the threat of bad weather later in the week (indeed it actually arrived later in the day), I decided to perform this first activation of the new POTA entity early in the morning, hoping to make some long-path contacts into Australia. So an early start was planned and I arrived on the summit/trail around 0600 UTC. I sent a quick message to Ernie VK3DET in Australia and he was the first into the log. After Ernie however, contacts were more difficult to find despite being spotted on both the HEMA and POTA systems.

The contacts eventually came however with five stations from Spain, one from Portugal. One from Serbia, a second from Australia (VK2) (a missed contact into VK4 would have made 3 contacts into VK however the VK4 station was battling local S8 noise so my 20 watts was not enough for him to hear me. He could tell I was there but not strong enough to work). An Italian and a French station rounded out the 11 contacts.

I would have stayed longer but as I could see black clouds approaching and more and more flying bugs had found me in their field, I decided to pack up and head home.

Photos:

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Equipment taken:

  • Xiegu G-90 radio.
  • Seven metre mast.
  • Screw-in-ground mast base.
  • 2-element switchable direction, wire beam.
  • Komunica Power HF-PRO2-PLUS-T loaded multiband vertical (not used).
  • 5-band linked dipole antenna (not used).
  • 4Ah Eremit LifePO4 battery.
  • 4 Ah 3S LiHV battery (not used).
  • Plastic painter’s sheet and seat pad.
  • Lightweight headphones.
  • Smartphone for spotting.

Logs:

POTA DE-0791 Lech Erlebinis weg & DE-0641 Via Romea Germanica.

HEMA DL/HBY-040 Rosenau Kreuz

Conclusions:

  • The activation went fairly well although conditions were variable. It was good to be the first activator for another POTA entity (and a POTA 2-Fer as well!). I was hoping to take my 70-watt portable HF amplifier along to give a little more “UMPH” but it wasn’t ready – maybe next time.

73 until the next activation!