Due to some family stuff I have to give up on my attempts to reach the Bonus Station GB13COL in the 13 colonies event this year.
I did manage to get all 13 stations in the log along with the PA Bonus station and the French (TM13COL) bonus station.Most were SSB but I did get a few in the log using CW.
I did hear GB13COL on SSB and CW but had no luck breaking the pileups in either mode.
The people who could not understand the concept of “Split” added to the problems and the DX Cops trying to get their point across by adding to the QRM with the words “UP UP” over and over.
That really did not help my popgun station hear what I was trying to listen for.
So with 90 minutes left to go…. Its time to cut my losses and run….but for the most part if was fun. Thanks for a job well do goes out the the Event Organisers along with the station operators of the stations involved in the event.
Many thanks to Christian (IX1CKN) who shares the following field report: Friedrichshafen: POTA Across Borders by Christian (IX1CKN) The Friedricshafen fair is one of the most interesting events for its social aspects, where you can finally put a face to colleagues whose voices you’ve only ever heard. Among the various OM (radio amateurs) I met this year … Continue reading Friedrichshafen: Christian and Andrea’s Multi-Country POTA Rove→
by Vince (VE6LK) Field Day 2024 started out with the best of plans to be spent with the best of friends and ended up totally different – and, unexpectedly, I had a hoot! With my carefully made plan behind me, my new last-minute plan was to run solo for Field Day in the backcountry of … Continue reading Experimenting during Field Day 2024→
On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, I needed to make a morning trip to Hickory, NC, to take care of some family business and visit my father. I started my day early because I also wanted to be back in the Asheville area by noon. Some quick calculations over morning coffee and I decided I had … Continue reading Xiegu X6200 SSB Field Test: A Morning POTA Activation at Lake James→
On Tuesday, June 11, 2024, I took my production run Xiegu X6200 (on loan from Radioddity) to the Blue Ridge Parkway for its first POTA activation. The activation was a success, with good band conditions on 40 and 30 meters. You can read that field report by clicking here. Later that day, I had a … Continue reading Xiegu X6200: Second POTA activation with rough propagation, but CW saves the day!→
Traditionally held on “The Last Rainy Weekend” in June but for the sticklers for the rules its actual date is the 4th weekend in June…
This year it would be on June 22nd and ending on June 23rd
So what will VA3QV be doing???? Its safe to say that my Field Day Station will look a bit like this:
or like this from back in 2017….
FD 2017/ RAC Canada Day Contest 2017Won’t look like this…. This was an early Winter Field Day attempt
So I plan to be operating as a 1B Battery Station from the RAC Ontario East Section (ONE)
The actual location has not been determined yet but there is a good chance the location could be one of the Parks on the Air location in the City of Kingston.
That’s the plan for good weather… and so far the long range forecast is calling for nice (dry). If the weather is not dry then the plan is to operate as a home station in the 1D catagory just to give out points to the participants
Years ago Field Day was considered a test of our emergency operating skills specifically to set up and operate a station for 24 hours and somehow it has morphed into more of contest with groups of operators putting up equipment that would not be used in a real emergency at power levels that could not be maintained unless you had a generator and an endless supply of gasoline.
I’m a little more primitive by setting up my QRP (5w of power) radio with a wire antenna and using a solar panel to top up the battery as needed.
basic shelter
I will have the option of being under cover (see above pic) as protection from the sun and/or rain most likely be needed at some time . Not sure how long I will be operating but it won’t be for the full 24 hours.
Overnight all I would be doing is listening to static and feeding the mosquitoes…
No egos to stroke…. Just operate and make some contacts with the emphasis of having fun and not taking myself too seriously.
Hope to hear you and be heard by you during the event
Anyone who has been with me for awhile knows that every now and again “Murphy” of Murphy’s Law fame comes for a visit.
Things here have been going fairly well (Ham Radio wise) recently. I have been able to some contacts (mostly 20m SSB) during the daytime and also in the evenings (mostly 40m SSB) and considering the band conditions I think that’s pretty good.
But (and you know there had to be a “but”!
After making some evening 40m ssb contacts last night I shut off the power supply and left the shack. I came back to the shack and turned on the power supply and the radio would not turn on.
I did a quick check and the power supply now had an output of 4v dc. Not what I was expecting as before I shut it down it was steady at 13.5v dc which is normal for this unit.
I then took the cover off and could not smell the “magic smoke” and there was no visible issues on the board itself. No burn marks on the board, everything attached and no signs of any thing out of the ordinary.
I did have a backup PS so I’m still on the air with a 25 amp unit rather than the 30 amp unit that now is a paperweight.
The replacement from “The Toronto Toystore” will set me back around $220.00 after shipping/taxes, so it won’t break the bank and they have one in stock so “fingers crossed”.
So, this morning I look out into my backyard and notice the counterweight attached to the end of my “Stealthy Inverted L” is laying on the ground. A quick check found that the wire itself was intact but…. (yup but again) the wire had slipped off on of the branches that support the horizontal section of the wire. This does happen every now and again so…. 30 minutes later I’m back on the air.
The plan now is to see if the band comes to life (the numbers are looking good) and I can get (more than) a few contacts in the log.
.
Ending on a positive note I was able to contact VE3FI Bill as he activated POTA CA-2376 as part of his cross Canada tour. I guess the antenna is working after all that.
Anyone who has been with me for awhile knows that every now and again “Murphy” of Murphy’s Law fame comes for a visit.
Things here have been going fairly well (Ham Radio wise) recently. I have been able to some contacts (mostly 20m SSB) during the daytime and also in the evenings (mostly 40m SSB) and considering the band conditions I think that’s pretty good.
But (and you know there had to be a “but”!
After making some evening 40m ssb contacts last night I shut off the power supply and left the shack. I came back to the shack and turned on the power supply and the radio would not turn on.
I did a quick check and the power supply now had an output of 4v dc. Not what I was expecting as before I shut it down it was steady at 13.5v dc which is normal for this unit.
I then took the cover off and could not smell the “magic smoke” and there was no visible issues on the board itself. No burn marks on the board, everything attached and no signs of any thing out of the ordinary.
I did have a backup PS so I’m still on the air with a 25 amp unit rather than the 30 amp unit that now is a paperweight.
The replacement from “The Toronto Toystore” will set me back around $220.00 after shipping/taxes, so it won’t break the bank and they have one in stock so “fingers crossed”.
So, this morning I look out into my backyard and notice the counterweight attached to the end of my “Stealthy Inverted L” is laying on the ground. A quick check found that the wire itself was intact but…. (yup but again) the wire had slipped off on of the branches that support the horizontal section of the wire. This does happen every now and again so…. 30 minutes later I’m back on the air.
The plan now is to see if the band comes to life (the numbers are looking good) and I can get (more than) a few contacts in the log.
.
Ending on a positive note I was able to contact VE3FI Bill as he activated POTA CA-2376 as part of his cross Canada tour. I guess the antenna is working after all that.
This solution has worked incredibly well from the outset and over time I’ve added extra functionality that I’ve found to be useful to enhance the overall setup.
The latest addition to the ground station solution is a Sennheiser Headset that I picked up for just £56 on Amazon (Much cheaper than the Heil equivalents at the HAM stores!) and have found it to be excellent. The audio quality from both the mic and the headphones is extremely good whilst being light and comfortable to wear for extended periods.
M0AWS – Sennheiser SC 165 Headset
To incorporate this into the ground station the headset is connected to my Kubuntu PC and the audio chain to the IC-705 is sent wirelessly using the latest version of WFView. This works extremely well. The receive audio comes directly from the GQRX SDR software to the headphones so that I have a full duplex headset combination.
Audio routing is done via pulse audio on the Kubuntu PC and is very easy to setup.
Since I no longer have a mic connected to the IC-705 directly I found that I needed a way to operate the PTT wirelessly and this is where the latest addition to my NodeRed QO-100 Dashboard comes in.
Adding a little functionality to the NodeRed flow I was able to create a button that toggles the IC-705 PTT state on and off giving me the ability to easily switch between receive and transmit using a simple XMLRPC node without the need for a physical PTT button.
M0AWS – Additional NodeRed PTT Flow
The PTT state and PTT button colour change is handled by the Toggle PTT function node shown in the above flow. The code to do this is relatively simple as shown below.
M0AWS – NodeRed Toggle PTT Function to change button colour
The entire QO-100 Dashboard flow has grown somewhat from it’s initial conception but, it provides all the functionality that I require to operate a full duplex station on the QO-100 satellite.
M0AWS – NodeRed QO-100 Dashboard complete flow
This simple but, effective PTT solution works great and leaves me hands free whilst talking on the satellite or the HF bands when using the IC-705. This also means that when using my IC-705 it only requires the coax to be connected, everything else is done via Wifi keeping things nice and tidy in the radio shack.
M0AWS – Updated NodeRed QO-100 Dashboard with PTT button
The image above shows the QO-100 ground station in receive cycle with the RX/TX VFO’s in split mode as the DX station was slightly off frequency to me. The PTT button goes red when in TX mode just like the split button shown above for visual reference.
As you can probably tell, I’m a huge fan of NodeRed and have put together quite a few projects using it, including my HF Bands Live Monitoring web page.
Many thanks to Christian (IX1CKN) who shares the following field report: QRP Fun Despite the Conditions! by Christian (IX1CKN) The weekend passed without rain, nor snow, but with temperatures that didn’t exactly encourage spending too much time outdoors. It seems that, despite the date, winter has returned. Nevertheless, the POTA call was hard to resist. … Continue reading Christian enjoys memorable QRP DX despite poor band conditions!→
Many thanks to Tommy (N5DUX) who shares the following guest post: Work Trip POTA by Tommy (N5DUX) I recently had a work trip that took me to lovely Emporia, Kansas – home of Emporia State University. Prior to leaving for the trip, I did a little POTA sleuthing to see if there were any parks … Continue reading Kansas City to the Countryside: N5DUX’s Work Trip POTA Journey→
Since I’ve been using my Icom IC-705 on the QO-100 satellite I’ve been getting no end of unsolicited great audio reports with one Op even saying I have the best audio he’s ever heard on the satellite.
Most people are surprised when I tell them that I am using the stock fist mic that comes with the radio. It’s nothing special, in fact it’s rather cheap and plastic, not particularly good quality however, it does seem to have a good sounding mic insert.
The other great thing about the IC-705 is that it has a two channel parametric equaliser built into the radio. Many people don’t realise this and miss out on the massive improvement they can make to their transmitted audio with just a few simple adjustments.
The stock fist mic has a very flat response across the audio frequency range out of the box and doesn’t sound particularly inspiring. Many see this as a negative and often just replace the mic with either a headset (probably from Heil), a boom mic (again probably from Heil) or another, better quality fist mic. All of these options cost varying amounts of money when in reality none of them are necessary.
Starting from a flat audio response is actually a good thing as it makes the equaliser adjustments more pronounced, making it easier to adjust the settings to suit your voice.
We all have different voices but, there is one thing that is pretty much the same for everyone and that’s the frequency range in which the articulation of the words and sounds we make can be found. It’s this part of the voice that is often lacking when we struggle to understand what the DX station is saying.
It’s become common place on the HAM bands these days for stations to boost the bass frequencies and reduce the mid and high frequencies with the net result of a horrible bass ringing sound and muddy mid range often making it very difficult to understand what is being said.
Having spent some considerable time watching the great videos on audio from the late Bob Heil, K9EID it’s clear that the most important frequencies to enhance are those around 2.5khz as this is where all the articulation is in the human voice.
To this end I set about setting up the audio on my IC-705 QRP radio so that my voice sounded such that it is easy to comprehend even in the most difficult of situations on air. This doesn’t mean that it has to be very harsh and overly bright, quite the opposite in that to be heard clearly in all conditions on air one’s audio needs to be balanced across the frequency range with an enhancement in the 2.5Khz frequency range.
M0AWS IC-705 Transmit audio settings – part 1
To reduce the unwanted, muddy bass the first thing to do is change the transmit bandwidth for the “Wide” setting to 200-2900Hz. This will cut off the bottom 100Hz from the voice reducing the overall bass output from the standard fist mic that comes with the radio. This will ensure a 2700Hz wide SSB signal, the recommended max for QO-100 operations and the preferred bandwidth on the HF bands.
On top of this I made a further reduction of 2dB on the TX Bass setting to help balance out the overall audio response of the mic insert.
Next I set about enhancing the higher frequency response of the mic insert and found that it required an increase of 4dB to bring out the articulation of my voice. This enhanced my audio considerably compared to the standard output from the fist mic and improved the intelligibility of my voice considerably, especially in difficult band conditions.
To complete the setup I set the compression to 3 and mic gain to 35 so that the overall drive level is increased slightly giving a greater average output from the radio.
M0AWS IC-705 Audio Settings – part 2
Once I’d got the audio setup correctly I enabled the configuration by setting the Transmit Bandwidth (TBW) to the “Wide” config in the IC-705 Function menu so that the correct settings were made active.
Ever since making these relatively easy changes I have had no end of unsolicited great audio reports from stations asking me what mic I am using and how I’ve managed to get such good audio from the IC-705. Many are surprised that I am using the OEM fist mic that comes with the radio and I’m sure there are those who don’t believe me!
Of course all voices are slightly different and these settings may not be perfect for your voice but, all those that have tried these settings have told me that their audio sounds better than ever and that DX stations often comment on how good their audio is.
I also went through the same exercise with my Yaesu FTDX10 with it’s standard fist mic and again achieved excellent results with it’s 3 channel parametric equaliser. I’ll go through the somewhat more complicated setup for the FTDX10 in another article soon.
This was on 60 Minutes last night. Of course it made me think of our many "Tales of Woe." Perhaps this could be of use to us. But I wonder how the bot would react to our typical problems:
"I am feeling bad about myself becasue my RF amplifier keeps going into oscillation. What should I do?"
"My opposite sideband suppression is inadequate because my filter skirts are too wide. What is your advice?"
"My LC VFO drifts slightly and my SDR-using friends taunt me about this. I feel dejected. What should I do?"
"The Raspberry Pi in my SDR rig is hallucinating and I can't find the needed wisdom files. Is there a support group for this?"
"I have discovered spurs in the output of my transmitter. They are 60 db down, but I still can't stop thinking about them. What should I do?"
I can't help thinking that if Jean Shepherd had access to something like this, his Heising modulator trouble might not have spoiled his date with the girl from his school.
Version 2 of the 15-10 rig continues to give me trouble. But I guess it is "good trouble" because I am learning from it.
You see, after you build an SSB rig, one of the critical alignment steps is the placement of the carrier oscillator/BFO frequency in relation to the filter passband. (The IMSAI Guy has a good video on this -- see above.) You want to place this oscillator somewhere on the downward skirt of the passband curve. This will add to the carrier suppression already done by your balanced modulator. There will always be some carrier remaining from the balanced modulator -- putting the oscillator frequency on the downward skirt of the filter passband adds to the suppression the carrier remnant.
But you can't overdo it. If you place that carrier oscillator frequency too far down on the skirt, you will start to cutoff the low audio frequencies in your transmit and received signals. You will notice that your once beautiful sounding receiver suddenly sounds tinny and high pitched. Yuck.
So you go back to the books and the websites. You look at the passband promissed by the Dishal software you used to design the filter. See below:
Click on the image for a better view
Surely with a passband as nice as that one, you will be able to find the sweet spot where the carrier is suppressed and your audio remains pristine.
But I couldn't do this with the 15-10 rig. I was forced to compromise: I had to accept less than optimal carrier suppression for less than optimal low frequency passband coverage. And here is why:
Click on the image for a better view
The curve above is a much more realistic picture of what my filter passband actually looks like (see NanoVNA picture below). The curve above is from the AADE software. I found out that the Dishal software DOES NOT factor in important things like Q or ESR. Dishal treats all crystals as "loss-less radiators." So when you get up to 25 MHz where Q is important, AADE and other programs will show you that your passband has become curved. And you can see how this curvature makes it difficult to get the kind of carrier suppression and audio response we want.
What my filter looked like in a Nano VNA
Click for a better view
Look, the rigs work OK. The receivers sound good to me. The carrier is so far down that no one can hear it. I have to remind myself that we are using 'SSB-SC" -- suppressed carrier, not eliminated carrier. I've worked a lot of DX with these rigs. But still, I would like to improve the situation. It kind of bothers me. Homebrewers will understand.
I have been experimenting with different balanced modulators. I started with the simple two diode, single transformer, singly balanced design from Farhan's BITX20. It works fine. But I think I get a bit better suppresson from a doubly balanced diode ring. I may try an NE602 Gilbert Cell. I may also try to build a higher Q 25 MHz filter using low-ESR surface mount crystals from Mouser. Stay tuned.
Thanks to W7ZOI, VU2ESE, WN2A, KA4KXX, KK4DAS, N6QW, W2AEW, and G3UUR for all the good advice and encouragement. Please put any additional ideas in the comments below.
Front panel is on. RF PA is installed. Balanced Modulator problem fixed (?) Rig is on the air with about 3 watts, working lots of DX.
But there is an annoying amount of carrier that is still getting through. It is only about .5 watts with sidebands of 100 watts PEP, but it annoys me, and it makes the setting of the carrier frequency in relation to the filter passband very critical: If I set the carrier a bit too far from the passband I get improved carrier rejection (from the filter), but I also lose the lows in both received and transmitted signals -- the RX just doesn't sound as good. I see it in both of the 15-10 rigs (IF of 25 MHz). There is less of it in the 17-12 meter rig (IF of 21.4 MHZ), and none of it in the Mythbuster (75-20 meters) (IF of 5.2 MHz). I am now wondering if this might be a consequence of my using a very high (25 MHz) single conversion IF in the 15-10 rigs. What do you folks think?
From my log:
March 7, 2024 PUT VERSION 2 of the 15-10 RIG ON THE AIR!
10S 1528 OK2RZ Jiri – said I was 57!
15S 1539 S52WW 58 Damian.
15S 1602 SP1NQH Stev said I am big signal!
10S S58N 1726Z
10S S58N 1726Z
10S S57S 1728Z
10S IK4GRO Lauro 1735Z
10S W0CJV 1825Z Ft. Collins Gary
10s 2000Zish KK7TV Gary in Randy. Asked what software/microcontroller I was using.
10S KJ5MFF 2015Zish a middle school in New Mexico. KI5MFF control op sent picture
About UV-K5 CEC Firmware Version 0.1X (from v0.1p)
1.About Version 0.1X
This version is the stable version of UV-K5 Version 0.1P
In Version 0.1P, many things were changed, including the internal variable structure, and we received feedback for about 8 days to check if there were any problems. The original plan was to just change the name from Version 0.1P to Version 0.1X, but several features were added as follows. Please read Version 0.1P for main features
2.SSB Filter (bandwidth)
The filter can select one of these : VFO, 3K, 2K, 1.7K, 3K+, 2K+,1.7K+
This filter operates only in SSB mode and is disabled in existing FM mode. If you select a filter with +, the + mode is also applied to CW mode
VFO : Previous firmware state. It is selected among WIDE/NARROW selected in VFO
3K ~ 1.7K : When actually measured, it is a little wider than stated.
3K+ ~ 1.7K+ : It improves the functionality of the existing filter. Based on SINAD, there is an improvement effect of about 1dB.
3.SSTV
3.1 Scottie 1 Mode
Scottie1 mode was added to the existing Martin1 mode. You can select it from STVEnc in the settings menu.
3.2 TX Screen preview
Shows which screen is being transmitted.
3.3 QSO TX Number
SSTV transmission sequence record. It is displayed at the top right when transmitting SSTV.
3.4 SSTV transmission resolution has been increased. If this causes problems, I plan to reduce the resolution again.
X-TAL is not connected to the MCU (CPU) used in UV-K5. (Internal LC res) So, there is a slight problem during precise transmission like SSTV.
Modification of SI4732-A10 for full HF band reception on UV-K5
I will guide you on applying SI4732-A10, which is mainly used in shortwave radios that support SSB, to UV-K5. Firmware Version CEC_0.1HF
This version is different from the existing CEC series of UV-K5
This version is a test version for devices in which the FM radio chip BK1080 of the UV-K5 radio has been removed and replaced with SI4732-A10.
Do not upload to your radio if you have not modified the hardware
When the source of UV-K5 CEC version is released (Release 1.0), you will be able to run SI4732-A10 through Makefile options
1. Parts
1.1 SI4732-A10 * 1
If you search SI4732-A10 on Google, you will find various shortwave receivers. It has been popular with many people for several years due to its pretty good performance.
You can buy it on aliexpress for about $2.xx
There are several versions of SI4732, but the one that supports SSB is the one with A10. You must purchase SI4732-A10
1.2 X-tal 32.768Khz * 1
1.3 Capacitor 15~35pF * 2 (When purchasing crystal, purchase it in the recommended dosage. Approximately 22pF works in most cases)
1.4 Capcitor 100uF * 1 (or 50uF ~ 200uF)
1.5 Registor 10~15K * 1
2.circuit diagram
The red numbers shown in the circuit diagram below are the pin numbers for the existing BK1080.
In the circuit below, the letters 3 and 4 mean to connect to both numbers 3 and 4
To use FM radio, you must connect a separate antenna. However, even if you only use AMI, you can hear a strong FM signal well. (If you want to improve FM radio performance, you must implement and connect a separate antenna or SPLITTER)
I wrote numbers on the PCB board below.
If you feel the sound is low, connect to POINT.A instead of 3 or 4.
3.Tip
It is difficult to make it in a general PCB form due to lack of space.
I stuck the SI4732-A10 upside down on double-sided tape and soldered the parts.
Before attaching, make sure the lid closes well before connecting.
If you can replace your existing speakers with smaller ones, you can use a regular PCB.
4.operate
A representative product of SI-4732 is the ATS-20 in the picture below. I created the firmware by referring to the ATS-20's screen interface.
Buttons
Number 0 : Long Press -> Enter SI4732-A10 Mode
Exit : Long Press -> Exit SI4732-A10 Mode
UP / DOWN : Frequency Up or Down (Step)
Side Button : Frequency 1Mhz Up or Down
Number 1 : Change Bandwidth (use LSB or USB mode)
Number 4, Number 7 : BFO Frequency Up/Down, This function allows adjustment in Hz units in SSB mode.
Number 2 : AGC ON/Off
Number 5 : Att Manual Mode (AGC Off) and Att change
Star (*) : Step Change (1 -> 5 -> 10 -> 20 -> 50)
F (Function): Short Press : change mode AM <-> FM or LSB <-> USB
I did the SI4732 MOD a few months ago. At the time, I didn't have a circuit diagram, so I checked it by scraping the pattern on the board with a cutter knife, and a grateful radio amateur (IU0AZB)sent it to me last night.
If you want to improve reception performance, you can try changing the boxed areas below.
In particular, simply removing all the parts in the red B square will slightly improve reception performance.
A few years ago, I made a receiver with the SI4735, a model similar to the SI4732-A10, and due to the characteristics of the radio chip, I used a transformer to increase the impedance. I experienced a tremendous improvement in reception performance. However, interference waves are also quite strong, so a filter (FMI, AMI) must be used.
The space where we work is small. I hope that the various experiments of amateur radio operators will yield good results.
6.3 TODO : Removing the crystal and two capacitors
We are examining whether three components can be removed by using an external clock (BK4819's reference clock - Checked by IU0AZB)
I experimented a few times, but it didn't work. I suspect an interference problem due to the reset circuit, which is different from the original circuit and is configured as analog, or my experimental environment.
If successful, only SI4732 and two components (C1, R1) are needed.
Long, fairly easy to follow trail but steep at times
Very few other hikers
Large, no trees
Rocks etc to help secure mast
Recommend: Yes but travel light
Solo operation: All alone
Cell Coverage: Good cell coverage
Photos: Copyright Paul Gacek 2024
Spains Atlantic coast
Out of the corner of my eye I’ve watched his movie. It didn’t really matter that I couldn’t hear anything as it was in Spanish, set during the Spanish Civil War and actually looked quite good. Boredom had me restless and I rifled through the Iberian in flight magazine that like so many has airport maps, pictures of unbelievable cuisine and something that absolutely caught my eye. Asturias; mountains, coast line, royal palaces and of course cuisine. I’m sold.
Interrupted by Covid and years later, I find myself driving toward what I thought would be a great first Spanish peak. The barrier was unmistakable and the bright neon lights declaring no entry without reservation was not what I wanted to see this early AM.
“Do you speak English?”, “Yes” she replies telling me that twenty minutes earlier, I could have driven in but now and without any reservation I’m out of luck. Come back tomorrow but that isn’t really my plan as I have this not so carefully planned trip to climb peaks, see Vitoria’s (1813) geography and then enjoy Bilbao and aspects of the Basque Country.
The idea of speeding is silly and really isn’t an option. The mountain roads are very narrow, climb relentless and wind and wind around a geologic marvel that is the Picos de Europa National Park. It’s July and while not a big destination for foreigners, it’s super popular with Spanish and I’m convinced my late arrival will yield no parking spot and all in all I’m skunked.
The downside to parking in Sotres is the 500 ft decent to then start a 2,200ft ascent but I have a space and walk down the paved road trying hard to determine which peak is mine.
Just outside Stores and heading down and down and down
Rustic buildings
Steep ascent, pack is far too heavy and shoes were a poor choice….but it’s worth it all
6,000ft on the peak and the views are stunning
A very fancy peak marker
45 contacts later and I’m smiling away….857D and big battery were overkill
Mainly 20m voice contacts across Europe and a few local on 40m
Above the clouds and always mindful that the weather was forecast to possibly rain
Long journey from Sotres to peak ad back
The car pulls up next to me and the window winds down. “Sorry, I don’t speak Spanish” is my reply to her. “Would you like a ride?”. Thinking wasn’t required and I blurted out “yes!!”. Pilling in the back they inquire where I have been. The story of mountain top radio needs a little explanation. The three young hikers were very curious about my peak and I surmised my paltry 8 miles and almost 3,000ft was just a warm up for them. Nevertheless, this Basque Country trio are charming and pretty much take me right to my car. Absolutely a Godsend as I was knackered.
Thirty euros buys me all I can eat at the hotel for dinner and then I discover it includes all you can drink….wine, beer….
Perfect place to hang out, read, drink and admire the view from the hotel patio
My hotel
View from hotel of Picos de Europa
Like most Brits, I love Spain, I really do. The south is a big attraction with its warm weather, beaches and sometimes Fish and Chips. In stark contrast, the Atlantic Coast of Spain is green, wet and a place less trodden. It’s been a desire of mine to hike/drive west along the Pyrenees and then along the Atlantic coast to that little know Napoleonic debacle that was the evacuation via Corunna (1809). Another day, sooner than later.
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