C37EME from JN02 -Andorra EME 144, 432, 1296 and 2320 MHz.

Hello friends,

As many of you probably already know, from August 6 to 11, thanks to the help and support of the Unió de Radioaficionats Andorrans (URA) and Joan (C31US) personally, as well as the enthusiasm of Jean-Jacques (ON7EQ), we will be activating Andorra on EME and HF bands.

• C31US (Joan), C31KC (Beli), ON5OO (Jack), and ON6QS (Gilbert) will be active on the HF bands.

• ON7EQ (Jean-Jacques) will be operating on 432 MHz.

• EA8DBM (Alex) will be active on 144, 1296, and 2320 MHz.

The main page with all the details regarding the activation and QSL information can be found at: https://www.qrz.com/db/C37EME

I was hoping to finish my portable 10 GHz setup in time for this trip, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a suitable portable dish, so I will only be running 3 bands on my end.

My main focus will, of course, be 23 cm. On Sunday, August 9, I will also give the 13 cm band a try for a while during the day. On 144 MHz, I can operate at elevation angles up to approximately 60 degrees.

The trip started, as usual for me, with a few minor hiccups.

My “portable shack” is at an altitude of 2000 meters in Natural Land. I arrived at the parking lot in front of the hotel, and I needed an internet connection to find my reservation. I pulled out my portable Starlink, set it down in front of the car, and waited for the connection to establish. I turned away for just a second, and some idiot drove their car right over my Starlink… “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see it!”

The parking area where I was planning to set up is quite far from the hotel, so the Wi-Fi naturally doesn’t reach. I need a way to sync time for WSJT-X operation and post in the chat—without internet, it’s a total nightmare. I quickly found and activated a random eSIM. The connection is spotty and slow, but at least it’s something.

Moonrise occurs at 01:30 AM, but due to the surrounding mountains, the minimum elevation is about 10 degrees.

The plan is to assemble and mount the 144 MHz Yagi and start on that band tonight, then switch to 23 cm once the main pileup dies down. However, in the afternoon, heavy rain and thunderstorms set in, forcing me to delay installation until 5:00 PM local time.

Assembling and setting up the new tripod and antenna usually takes about two hours if everything goes according to plan… but it never goes according to plan. In the end, everything was installed and checked by 11:00 PM local time. That left only a couple of hours for sleep, but that’s not what matters most. The main goal is to activate C31 on the VHF bands to the absolute maximum.

Activity was low during the night, but things picked up towards morning, resulting in 44 QSOs on 144 MHz in the log. I believe this is a new DXCC for many.

2026-08-07,00:38:00,2026-08-07,00:42:00,UA3PTW,KO93,144.141001,Q65,-28,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,00:42:00,2026-08-07,00:46:00,7K3LGC,QM06,144.141001,Q65,-20,-26,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,00:52:00,2026-08-07,00:56:00,JP3EXR,PM74,144.141001,Q65,-24,-28,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,01:24:00,2026-08-07,01:46:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,144.141001,Q65,-31,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,01:46:00,2026-08-07,01:50:00,OH3AWW,KP11VJ,144.141001,Q65,-19,-28,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,01:54:00,2026-08-07,01:58:00,OK1UGA,JO80DD,144.141001,Q65,-27,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,02:34:00,2026-08-07,02:38:00,JH0BBE,PM97LG,144.141001,Q65,-28,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,04:12:00,2026-08-07,04:16:00,PA3DZL,JO21LS,144.141001,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,04:28:00,2026-08-07,04:32:00,SM5KWU,JO89IP,144.141001,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,04:44:00,2026-08-07,04:48:00,S54AC,JN86,144.141001,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,04:50:00,2026-08-07,04:54:00,I2FAK,JN45OB,144.141001,Q65,-15,-16,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:09:00,2026-08-07,05:12:00,OH3KLJ,KP21PI,144.141001,Q65,-22,-28,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:12:00,2026-08-07,05:16:00,ZS4TX,KG30BW,144.141001,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:19:00,2026-08-07,05:22:00,I3MEK,JN55,144.141001,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:24:00,2026-08-07,05:28:00,IK2DDR,JN55GN,144.141001,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:36:00,2026-08-07,05:40:00,RD6F,LN05,144.141001,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:40:00,2026-08-07,05:44:00,G4BWP,JO02FH,144.141001,Q65,-24,-16,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:48:00,2026-08-07,05:52:00,DK5EW,JN48MB,144.141001,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:58:00,2026-08-07,06:02:00,OH1MA,KP10,144.141001,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,06:02:00,2026-08-07,06:06:00,OH1NIL,KP11,144.141001,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,06:18:00,2026-08-07,06:22:00,DF1NP,JN58,144.141001,Q65,-24,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:14:00,2026-08-07,07:18:00,9H1TX,JM75FU,144.141001,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:18:00,2026-08-07,07:22:00,S51ZO,JN86DR,144.141001,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:22:00,2026-08-07,07:26:00,SM5DIC,JO89JT,144.141001,Q65,-22,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:26:00,2026-08-07,07:30:00,G4YTL,IO92MB,144.141001,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:30:00,2026-08-07,07:34:00,PY5KD,GG54IO,144.141001,Q65,-20,-27,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:32:00,2026-08-07,07:36:00,SM4GGC,JO69RK,144.141001,Q65,-22,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:36:00,2026-08-07,07:40:00,S52LM,JN65TX,144.141001,Q65,-26,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:40:00,2026-08-07,07:44:00,SM6NOC,JO68,144.141001,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:44:00,2026-08-07,07:48:00,SK5AA,JO89JT,144.141001,Q65,-26,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:48:00,2026-08-07,07:52:00,R1NW,KP71,144.141001,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:52:00,2026-08-07,07:56:00,R2PX,,144.141001,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:58:00,2026-08-07,08:02:00,OM4CW,JN88,144.141001,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:02:00,2026-08-07,08:06:00,OG4X,KP10,144.141001,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:06:00,2026-08-07,08:10:00,IK4ICZ,JN64,144.141001,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:10:00,2026-08-07,08:14:00,OK1DTC,JO60TO,144.141001,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:18:00,2026-08-07,08:22:00,G4SWX,JO02PB,144.141001,Q65,-18,-27,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:22:00,2026-08-07,08:26:00,IW4ARD,JN64FD,144.141001,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:26:00,2026-08-07,08:30:00,YO4GJH,KN35XG,144.141001,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:30:00,2026-08-07,08:34:00,KG6NK,DM03,144.141001,Q65,-25,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:38:00,2026-08-07,08:42:00,OZ5QF,JO44UX,144.141001,Q65,-23,-15,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:44:00,2026-08-07,08:48:00,WQ5S,EM13CI,144.141001,Q65,-24,-29,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:48:00,2026-08-07,08:52:00,SM2BYC,KP25AX,144.141001,Q65,-15,-16,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:54:00,2026-08-07,08:58:00,WA6LOL,CM97TX,144.141001,Q65,-32,-25,,,,,,,

Once I seemed to have worked everyone interested, I moved to 23 cm, where a fantastic pileup was waiting for me! I ended up with 40 QSOs on 23 cm in the log.

2026-08-07,10:24:00,2026-08-07,10:26:02,UA3PTW,KO93,1296.101001,Q65,-25,-13,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:26:00,2026-08-07,10:28:00,PA3DZL,JO21LS,1296.101001,Q65,-14,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:29:00,2026-08-07,10:31:00,NC1I,FN32OB,1296.101001,Q65,-12,-13,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:32:00,2026-08-07,10:34:00,OE9ERC,JN47VL,1296.101001,Q65,-09,-03,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:34:00,2026-08-07,10:36:00,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.101001,Q65,-16,-13,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:36:00,2026-08-07,10:38:00,G4CCH,IO93QL,1296.101001,Q65,-15,-14,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:38:00,2026-08-07,10:40:00,ON4AOI,JO21BA,1296.101001,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:40:00,2026-08-07,10:42:00,DF3RU,JN59UL,1296.101001,Q65,-15,-16,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:42:00,2026-08-07,10:44:00,OK1UGA,JO80DD,1296.101001,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:44:00,2026-08-07,10:46:00,RA4HL,,1296.101001,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:46:00,2026-08-07,10:48:00,I2FAK,JN45OB,1296.101001,Q65,-20,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:48:00,2026-08-07,10:50:00,RY4C,,1296.101001,Q65,-15,-15,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:50:00,2026-08-07,10:52:00,PA3FXB,JO33KC,1296.101001,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:52:00,2026-08-07,10:54:00,VE6TA,DO33GS,1296.101001,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:54:00,2026-08-07,10:56:00,DL4DTU,JO60TS,1296.101001,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:58:00,2026-08-07,11:00:00,HB9Q,JN47CG,1296.101001,Q65,-12,-14,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:00:00,2026-08-07,11:02:00,N5TM,EL29DS,1296.101001,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:02:00,2026-08-07,11:04:00,SP5GDM,,1296.101001,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:04:00,2026-08-07,11:06:00,DG0FE,JO62UN,1296.101001,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:06:00,2026-08-07,11:08:00,G0LBK,IO93JK,1296.101001,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:08:00,2026-08-07,11:10:00,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.101001,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:10:00,2026-08-07,11:12:00,ON4QQ,JO20FS,1296.101001,Q65,-27,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:11:00,2026-08-07,11:13:04,AA6I,RD73,1296.101001,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:13:00,2026-08-07,11:15:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.101001,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:15:00,2026-08-07,11:17:00,PE1L,JO32BW,1296.101001,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:17:00,2026-08-07,11:19:00,OK1USW,JN69UN,1296.101001,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:19:00,2026-08-07,11:21:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101001,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:21:00,2026-08-07,11:23:00,DM2CFH,,1296.101001,Q65,-16,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:23:00,2026-08-07,11:25:00,PA0BAT,JO31FX,1296.101001,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:25:00,2026-08-07,11:27:00,DL1HUH,,1296.101001,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:28:00,2026-08-07,11:30:00,SM6CKU,JO67,1296.101001,Q65,-12,-15,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:30:00,2026-08-07,11:32:00,OZ9AAR,JO45TS,1296.101001,Q65,-14,-17,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:36:00,2026-08-07,11:38:00,CT1FFU,IM59KJ,1296.101001,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:42:00,2026-08-07,11:44:00,PA0TBR,JO21SL,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:53:00,2026-08-07,11:56:00,DF2VJ,JN39LI,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:56:00,2026-08-07,12:00:00,LZ4OC,KN33,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,12:00:00,2026-08-07,12:04:00,G4RGK,IO91ON,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,12:04:00,2026-08-07,12:08:00,EA8/RD4D,,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,12:18:00,2026-08-07,12:22:00,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-26,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,12:24:00,2026-08-07,12:28:00,IK3COJ,JN65BN,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

That brings it to a total of 88 QSOs for the first day. Not bad at all, if you ask me!

Despite the high level of QRM at his QTH, Jean-Jacques ON7EQ also did quite well, logging 24 QSOs on 432 MHz.

My plan for tomorrow is as follows: at sunrise (assuming no thunderstorms and provided I don’t oversleep), I’ll start on 23 cm, run that for a few hours, and then switch to 13 cm. After that, I’ll most likely move to 144 MHz. Of course, the weather and circumstances might adjust the plan along the way.

+++++++++

There was a thunderstorm and heavy rain during the night, but fortunately, as moonrise approached, the weather cleared up. The plan was to work 23 cm, then move to 13 cm, and after that choose between 1296 MHz or 144 MHz depending on demand. I left the dish deployed and drove the car over to the hotel, where they kindly let me recharge my 10.5 kWh capacity.

I managed to wake up when the moon was already at about 20 degrees elevation. Unfortunately, it was already a bit late for VK, there were still no active ZL stations on 23 cm, but there was plenty of time left for JA.

The moon is shining brightly, there is no wind, making operation pure pleasure—I can hear everyone, and everyone can hear me.

I added 25 QSOs on 1296 MHz to the log, and once I worked everyone there, I switched to 13 cm.

2026-08-08,02:58:00,2026-08-08,03:02:00,JA6AHB,PM53CP,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-27,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:02:00,2026-08-08,03:06:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.100999,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:06:00,2026-08-08,03:10:00,G4YTL,IO92MB,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:16:00,2026-08-08,03:20:00,IQ2DB,,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:20:00,2026-08-08,03:24:00,JQ3JWF,,1296.100999,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:24:00,2026-08-08,03:28:00,JS6UJS,,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:28:00,2026-08-08,03:32:00,UA9FAD,LO88AA,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-15,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:32:00,2026-08-08,03:36:00,ZS4TX,KG30BW,1296.100999,Q65,-19,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:36:00,2026-08-08,03:40:00,DL1AT,JO61SF,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:44:00,2026-08-08,03:48:00,IK7EZN,JN90DG,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:48:00,2026-08-08,03:52:00,UA1ALD,,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:54:00,2026-08-08,03:58:00,RX3DR,,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:58:00,2026-08-08,04:02:00,BA7NQ,OL63NA,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:02:00,2026-08-08,04:06:00,OK1IL,,1296.100999,Q65,-16,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:06:00,2026-08-08,04:10:00,JH3AZC,,1296.100999,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:10:00,2026-08-08,04:14:00,ON5GS,JO21VD,1296.100999,Q65,-17,-13,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:14:00,2026-08-08,04:18:00,ZS6JON,KG33VV,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:18:00,2026-08-08,04:22:00,DL8FBD,,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:22:00,2026-08-08,04:26:00,9H1BN,JM75GU,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:26:00,2026-08-08,04:30:00,OM4XA,,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:32:00,2026-0808,04:36:00,UA9YLU,MO92HX,1296.100999,Q65,-26,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:36:00,2026-08-08,04:40:00,ZS5Y,KF59JR,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:58:00,2026-08-08,05:02:00,KA1GT,FN54UJ,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,05:04:00,2026-08-08,05:08:00,DK5AI,JO51GO,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,05:26:00,2026-08-08,05:30:00,IK2DDR,JN55GN,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,

I added 10 QSOs on 13 cm to the log, but there were no more takers. I spent a couple of hours calling CQ, but people were working each other in the contest, and Andorra didn't generate much interest, so I switched back to the 23 cm band.

2026-08-08,05:48:00,2026-08-08,05:52:00,PA3DZL,JO21LS,2320.100999,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,05:52:00,2026-08-08,05:56:00,OK1DFC,JN79GW,2320.100999,Q65,-19,-05,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,05:56:00,2026-08-08,06:00:01,OK1KIR,JN79,2320.100999,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:02:00,2026-08-08,06:06:00,HB9Q,JN47CG,2320.100999,Q65,-09,-17,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:06:00,2026-08-08,06:10:00,PA0BAT,JO31FX,2320.100999,Q65,-17,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:11:00,2026-08-08,06:14:00,OE9ERC,JN47VL,2320.100999,Q65,-11,-13,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:14:00,2026-0808,06:18:00,OH3LWP,KP11WK,2320.100999,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:18:00,2026-08-08,06:22:00,G4CCH,IO93QL,2320.100999,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:22:00,2026-08-08,06:26:00,OH1LRY,KP11,2320.100999,Q65,-15,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:28:00,2026-08-08,06:32:00,DG5NFF,JN59,2320.101000,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,
Added in log 11 QSO

2026-08-08,08:36:00,2026-08-08,08:40:00,OK2DL,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-17,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,08:40:00,2026-08-08,08:44:00,IK2CDI,JN55GN,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,08:44:00,2026-08-08,08:48:00,F6KAR,JN36,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,08:50:00,2026-08-08,08:54:00,R1NW,KP71,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,08:54:00,2026-08-08,08:58:00,OT7K,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-14,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,08:58:00,2026-08-08,09:02:00,N4BAA,EM79HU,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-27,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,09:02:00,2026-08-08,09:06:00,ON4BCB,,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-16,,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,09:10:00,2026-08-08,09:14:00,CT1WO,IM58,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,09:14:00,2026-08-08,09:18:00,DJ2DY,,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,09:18:00,2026-08-08,09:22:00,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,09:32:00,2026-08-08,09:36:00,K6EME,DM06DK,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-15,,,,,,,

after more 3 QSO on 13 см

2026-08-08,09:56:00,2026-08-08,10:00:00,PA7JB,JO22MD,2320.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,10:20:00,2026-08-08,10:26:00,DF3RU,JN59UL,2320.101000,Q65,-18,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,10:26:00,2026-08-08,10:30:00,SP9VFD,JN99XN,2320.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

And then picked up another 10 QSOs on 23 cm.

2026-08-08,11:58:00,2026-08-08,12:00:05,KG0D,CN88,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-27,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:06:00,2026-08-08,12:08:05,IK5VLS,JN53GU,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:14:00,2026-08-08,12:16:04,KB2SA,DM13,1296.091000,Q65,-25,-30,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:26:00,2026-08-08,12:28:03,K3SK,FM07,1296.091000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:29:00,2026-08-08,12:32:15,KB7Q,DN54FW,1296.091000,Q65,-24,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:34:00,2026-08-08,12:36:01,KH6FA,BK29CB,1296.091000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:39:00,2026-08-08,12:42:03,W5AFY,EM04ID,1296.091000,Q65,-24,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,13:02:00,2026-08-08,13:06:00,K6FOD,DM04,1296.091000,Q65,-25,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,13:30:00,2026-08-08,13:34:00,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.091500,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,13:34:00,2026-08-08,13:38:00,N0FJP,EN34,1296.091500,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

In total, for this moon pass: 46 QSOs on 1296 MHz (bringing the total to 86 QSOs), 44 QSOs on 144 MHz, and 13 QSOs on 2320 MHz.

For the next moon pass on August 9th, I want to dedicate more time to the 144 MHz band in the morning. If there are requests closer to noon and the weather permits, I can switch to 1296 and 2320 MHz. Then, in the afternoon, I’ll likely head back to 144 MHz.

+++++++++++

I started the morning on 144 MHz. The result wasn't very impressive, but as I came to realize, closer to the evening I can only receive when the antenna is pointing away from the solar panels. Normal noise level is around 55 dB, but when the antenna turns toward the panels, the noise jumps to 69 dB. Of course, with an added 14 dB of noise, any EME operation is out of the question.

2026-08-09,02:48:00,2026-08-09,02:52:00,OZ7UV,JO65DH,144.141000,Q65,-21,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,03:00:00,2026-08-09,03:04:00,OZ1HDF,JO55,144.141000,Q65,-24,-32,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,03:12:00,2026-08-09,03:16:03,DK4RC,JO60EQ,144.141000,Q65,-23,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,03:19:00,2026-08-09,03:24:00,JE3GRQ,PM75SR,144.141000,Q65,-24,-26,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:06:00,2026-08-09,04:10:00,UX0FF,KN45NI,144.141000,Q65,-29,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:28:00,2026-08-09,04:32:00,LZ1KU,KN32,144.141000,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:30:00,2026-08-09,04:34:41,UA9YJM,NO13VM,144.141000,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:46:00,2026-08-09,04:50:00,DL1SUZ,JO53UN,144.141000,Q65,-26,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:50:00,2026-08-09,04:54:00,R5BI,KO86,144.141000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:54:00,2026-08-09,04:58:00,G8RWG,IO91,144.141000,Q65,-22,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,05:02:00,2026-08-09,05:06:00,DF7DX,JO42,144.141000,Q65,-18,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,05:10:00,2026-08-09,05:14:00,F5AQX,JN27,144.141000,Q65,-27,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,05:14:00,2026-08-09,05:18:00,S57M,JN76PO,144.141000,Q65,-25,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,05:20:00,2026-08-09,05:24:00,S56P,JN76SN,144.141000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,05:28:00,2026-08-09,05:32:00,OZ1LPR,JO44UW,144.141000,Q65,-13,-28,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:06:00,2026-08-09,07:10:00,IK4WLV,JN54XK,144.141000,Q65,-17,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:12:00,2026-08-09,07:16:00,IK2CDI,JN55GN,144.141000,Q65,-17,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:16:00,2026-08-09,07:20:00,DK5YA,JN49,144.141000,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:20:00,2026-08-09,07:24:00,PA3FYC,JO31,144.141000,Q65,-28,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:26:00,2026-08-09,07:30:00,F1HQM,JN23LV,144.141000,Q65,-23,-31,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:32:00,2026-08-09,07:36:00,SP8NR,KO12,144.141000,Q65,-23,-29,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:36:00,2026-08-09,07:40:00,UY5BC,KN29,144.141000,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,08:06:00,2026-08-09,08:10:00,NJ9R,EN62,144.141000,Q65,-26,-31,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,09:32:00,2026-08-09,09:36:00,DL6ZG,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,09:36:00,2026-08-09,09:40:00,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,10:06:00,2026-08-09,10:10:00,RA4HL,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,11:50:00,2026-08-09,11:54:00,W2HRO,FN20NG,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,11:58:00,2026-08-09,12:02:00,VE4SA,EN19,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,12:04:00,2026-08-09,12:08:00,M0FXX,IO91,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,12:24:00,2026-08-09,12:32:00,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-26,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,13:52:00,2026-0809,13:56:00,SM5DGX,JO89NW,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-19,,,,,,,

So today’s tally is 23 QSOs on 144 MHz (67 total) and 7 on 1296 MHz (93 total).

The plan for tomorrow: at sunrise, I'll stay at the current location and dedicate the whole morning to 144 MHz, as there are a ton of requests. Closer to noon, when the moon moves in the direction of the solar panels, I’ll pack up the entire setup and try to find a quieter spot. If I get lucky, I'll be able to work the western direction during moonset.

+++++++ 10 august

For the first time since I arrived, there was no rain or thunderstorm during the night. The previous night, it was impossible to sleep: a herd of about 30 cows, with bells the size of 8-liter buckets around their necks, wandered right onto the Naturland property. From about 2:00 AM on, the herd walked around the grounds and scratched themselves, clanging those giant cowbells. Sleep was impossible, even with the windows shut tight.

Thankfully, tonight it was horses and ponies instead—blessedly bell-free, just emitting the occasional friendly whinny ))) So I actually managed to get a good night’s sleep. Woke up at 4:00 AM, and by the time the moon cleared the mountain, I was fully set up and ready to go.

The noise level in the direction of moonrise is 51 dB (compared to 69 dB yesterday at moonset!)—absolute paradise. However, activity is very low; it seems like everyone in Europe is asleep.

Nevertheless, 11 QSOs were added to the log:

2026-08-10,04:42:00,2026-08-10,04:46:00,UT9UR,KO40XD,144.141001,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,04:52:00,2026-08-10,04:56:00,YO6DBA,KN36,144.141001,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,05:28:00,2026-08-10,05:32:00,UC1I,LP52,144.141001,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,05:40:00,2026-08-10,05:44:00,YU7SMN,KN05,144.141001,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,06:58:00,2026-08-10,07:02:00,K1DG,FN42JU,144.141001,Q65,-20,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:10:00,2026-08-10,07:14:00,DL8DAQ,JO31,144.141001,Q65,-24,-30,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:14:00,2026-08-10,07:18:00,PA0V,JO33II,144.141001,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:22:00,2026-08-10,07:26:08,IK2DDR,JN55GN,144.141001,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:34:00,2026-08-10,07:38:00,W9IP,FN12,144.141001,Q65,-21,-24,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:40:00,2026-08-10,07:44:00,HB9SHD,JN37,144.141001,Q65,-23,-28,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:46:00,2026-08-10,07:50:00,F4HBY,IN97,144.141001,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,

Then, as the heading to the moon drifted closer to the solar panels, the noise and hash spiked to the point where receiving anything became impossible. Over the next hour, I dragged the antenna array 50 meters down the road, further away from the panels—and the band turned crystal clear like spring water again, with the noise level right back at 51–52 dB. Consequently, I easily logged whoever managed to catch me: 12 QSOs.

2026-08-10,10:34:00,2026-08-10,10:38:00,W5ZN,EM45DH,144.140924,Q65,-22,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,10:38:00,2026-08-10,10:42:00,LY2IJ,KO25TF,144.140924,Q65,-25,-19,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,10:56:00,2026-08-10,11:00:00,K3SK,FM07,144.140924,Q65,-27,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:06:00,2026-08-10,11:10:00,K6EME,DM06DK,144.140924,Q65,-23,-30,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:12:00,2026-08-10,11:16:00,RW9FT,LO89,144.140924,Q65,-28,-31,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:18:00,2026-08-10,11:22:00,KB9TVR,EM49,144.140924,Q65,-26,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:22:00,2026-08-10,11:26:00,LY1G,KO05,144.140924,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:28:00,2026-08-10,11:32:00,OZ7MHZ,JO44,144.140924,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:35:00,2026-08-10,11:38:06,OK1VVP,JO79DO,144.140924,Q65,-27,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:52:00,2026-08-10,11:56:00,N0AKC,EN44GU,144.140924,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,12:22:00,2026-08-10,12:26:00,DF9YF,JO42GE,144.140924,Q65,-22,-15,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,12:30:00,2026-08-10,12:34:00,VA3DIF,FN04,144.140924,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

Then the moon moved to a 270-degree heading—pointing straight toward the solar panels from my position. The noise level shot back up to 61 dB, and as expected, I couldn’t hear a thing.

My only hope is that once the moon moves another 20 degrees or so further west, the noise will drop. Moving the setup a third time today and trekking somewhere else is out of the question—I’m completely out of energy.

As the saying goes, “first come, first served.”

2026-08-10,14:36:00,2026-08-10,14:40:00,ND4X,EM57TC,144.140924,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,14:48:00,2026-08-10,14:52:06,UT7QF,KN77NV,144.140924,Q65,-23,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,14:52:00,2026-08-10,14:56:00,IK4GNG,JN64,144.140924,Q65,-27,-24,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,15:00:00,2026-08-10,15:04:00,NH6V,BK29MJ,144.140924,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,15:08:00,2026-08-10,15:12:00,KC2HFQ,FN02,144.140924,Q65,-25,-32,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,15:58:00,2026-08-10,16:02:00,W4ZST,EM84,144.151001,Q65,-25,-15,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,16:08:00,2026-08-10,16:12:00,DD0VF,JO61,144.151001,Q65,-28,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,16:24:00,2026-08-10,16:28:00,KK8X,EM99,144.151001,Q65,-27,-29,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,16:38:00,2026-08-10,16:42:00,NX9O,,144.151001,Q65,-26,-25,,,,,,,

The DXpedition has practically come to an end. Tomorrow, August 11th, I can still spend a few hours on 144 MHz during moonrise in the morning. The antenna array is set up, and the remaining battery charge sits at 30%—about 3 kWh, which should easily cover a few hours of operation. So if anyone hasn't managed to make a contact yet, tomorrow is your chance to add Andorra to your log.

2026-08-11,05:04:00,2026-08-11,05:08:00,LZ2XF,KN33CI,144.141001,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

2026-08-11,05:10:00,2026-08-11,05:14:00,IW0RNA,JN62,144.141001,Q65,-20,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-11,05:50:00,2026-08-11,05:54:00,OZ7UV,JO65DH,144.141274,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-11,05:56:00,2026-08-11,06:00:00,IV3VEA,JN66,144.141274,Q65,-28,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-11,06:10:00,2026-08-11,06:14:00,YL2FZ,KO37QI,144.141274,Q65,-25,-21,,,,,,,

2026-08-11,07:54:00,2026-08-11,07:58:00,F5AQX,JN27,144.141001,Q65,-28,-24,,,,,,,

The DXpedition has come to an end—huge thanks to everyone!

• 144 MHz: 105 QSOs

• 1296 MHz: 93 QSOs

• 2320 MHz: 13 QSOs

• Total: 211 EME QSOs

Special thanks to those who supported us with donations:

PA3FXB, KB7Q, OK1IL, N4BAA, DF2VJ

All of these funds will be donated to a local pediatric oncology charity project.

QSL management for this expedition (covering all QSOs across all bands) is handled by ON7EQ. Please find the QSL policy and details on the QRZ page: https://www.qrz.com/db/C37EME

73! Alex