Friday 23 October 2015

SOTA on Ibiza - EA6/IB-010 Puig d'en Pep

After leaving IB-011 near Cala Llonga we drove towards the town of Santa Eulalia. Half way back to Santa Eulalia we turned right and climbed up a minor road passing houses and villa's until we reached the gate of the last villa at the top. This was within the activation zone but there was no where else to go and no access to the woodland and the summit at this point, so I turned round and went back downhill to the second bend bend where I parked the jalopy. From here I walked around 300m through an old quarry around the back of the top villa, and set up my station hard against the perimeter fence of the villa.
Satellite view of the summit. I operated against the perimeter fence of the top villa - the nearest point I could get to the summit
My approximate operating location 
The activation was quite fraught as I did not want to be seen or heard, so I deployed my headphones as I perched on a steep earth bank operating the radio. This has to be one of my least enjoyable activations, done in failing light. Fortunately the occupants of the villa did not appear to have a guard dog...
EA6/G4OBK/P station set up hard against the perimeter fence of the villa
A verandah or some such structure in the villa grounds above my antenna
Some sort of hippy hangout in the grounds of the villa on EA6/IB-010
An old Opel / Vauxhall dumped in the quarry to the rear of the villa
I did complete 25 contacts in CW. I cannot be sure but it is likely that it was on this summit, perched on that bank that my microphone insert expired. I did call CQ after a self spot and there were no takers. It is likely that I wasn't transmitting as on my next activation I discovered that I had no transmit signal on SSB or FM. At 1648z I worked Rich N4EX and at 1651z I worked F6EAZ for my last contact from EA6/IB-010. I won't be rushing back to activate it that's for sure!

Puig d'en Pep EA6/IB-010 seen 4 days later from the seafront in Santa Eulalia
Four days later on our last day in Ibiza we were sat at lunchtime at a seafront cafe in Santa Eulalia, enjoying a bottle of Prosecco and a sandwich. I realised then that I was looking at the north facing side of Puig d'en Pep, which is being built upon. IB-010 is the second hill at the back in the picture. Looking at Open Street Cycle Map some paths are shown going up through the woods. I would advise any future activator to try to access the summit from that side of the hill should they attempt it. 

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