TA1/EA8DBM from KN30ap

Made it to TA1. I plan to stay here for two moon passes. I’ll try to be on my MR at 17:30 UTC.

It was supposed to be a short drive — just 250 km. But somehow, right from the start, everything went sideways. I’d prepared myself for the usual torture at the Turkish border: mentally braced, all papers neatly in order, even printouts of the regulator’s documents in case someone wanted to get picky.

My car, of course, has its “Achilles’ heel” — the rotator control by the sliding door. With a tap of my foot, I can spin the antenna and check the angle. A marvel for me, but for border guards it’s like waving a red flag at a bull: endless questions, suspicious looks. This time, I threw a jacket over it — at crossings it serves as nothing more than a coat hanger. The rest of the gear was buried under blankets ;-) and to top it off, a giant pillow I never use, just to make the whole setup look boring.

The Greeks noticed on entry, but that was to be expected — you’re stepping into the “promised land,” after all. Nobody cares when you leave. No queues, just a couple of cars. I nod politely, smile: yes sir, no sir, of course sir… already rehearsing my answers for the Turkish border.

And then — surprise. As I was leaving Greece, they waved me aside. Two smiling customs officers strolled up, one wearing a German uniform, the other a Portuguese one. And then the grilling began. “Open this. What’s that? Why do you have this? What’s it for?” They poked under the car, into the engine, even the steering column. Two hours later, I was finally free of Greece. The upside? Turkey let me in within ten minutes flat.

But the relief didn’t last long. Almost immediately, the navigation failed. No Internet. Turns out — Starlink doesn’t work in Turkey. I had to find the rental house by following landmarks, and when I got there… well, that was the real disaster. The photos had nothing to do with reality. The place was boxed in by buildings. No sky, no chance.

So, goodbye to the money I’d paid, and hello to a frantic search for another spot. MR was coming up, I needed to be on the air by dawn.

I drove in circles until I stumbled on a tiny clearing next to a small hotel. I ran to the manager, asked if I could park there. “Sure!” he said, cheerfully. The site wasn’t great: pine forest to the east, a massive transformer to the south, the hotel itself blocking the west. But there was no time left.

I set everything up, too drained to even measure the sun. Clear skies above, so I trusted my eyes. Switched on the radio — and immediately, click… click… click. Every 9 seconds across the band. The NB helped a little, but the sync was still a mess. No Internet either — the hotel Wi-Fi didn’t reach, and my phone connection was barely alive.

But somehow, against all odds, it worked. By the end, 53 QSOs made it into the log.

2025-09-09,19:04:00,2025-09-09,19:06:00,UA3PTW,KO93,1296.081000,Q65,-13,-10,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:06:00,2025-09-09,19:08:00,HB9Q,JN47,1296.081000,Q65,-07,-12,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:09:00,2025-09-09,19:11:00,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.081000,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:11:00,2025-09-09,19:13:00,YL2GD,,1296.081000,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:13:00,2025-09-09,19:15:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.081000,Q65,-13,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:15:00,2025-09-09,19:17:00,RD4D,,1296.081000,Q65,-19,-07,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:17:00,2025-09-09,19:19:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.081000,Q65,-21,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:19:00,2025-09-09,19:21:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.081000,Q65,-22,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:21:00,2025-09-09,19:23:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.081000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:23:00,2025-09-09,19:25:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.081000,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:25:00,2025-09-09,19:27:00,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.081000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:27:00,2025-09-09,19:29:00,OK1USW,,1296.081000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:30:00,2025-09-09,19:32:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.081000,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:32:00,2025-09-09,19:34:00,RA4HL,,1296.081000,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:35:00,2025-09-09,19:37:00,ZS5Y,KF59,1296.081000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:38:00,2025-09-09,19:40:00,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.081000,Q65,-21,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:40:00,2025-09-09,19:42:00,JS6UJS,PL24,1296.081000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:42:00,2025-09-09,19:44:00,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.081000,Q65,-12,-15,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:44:00,2025-09-09,19:46:00,I2FAK,JN45,1296.081000,Q65,-15,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:46:00,2025-09-09,19:48:00,G0LBK,,1296.081000,Q65,-19,-16,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:48:00,2025-09-09,19:50:00,G4CCH,IO93,1296.081000,Q65,-13,-12,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:50:00,2025-09-09,19:52:00,OH2DG,,1296.081000,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:52:00,2025-09-09,19:54:00,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.081000,Q65,-17,-15,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:01:00,2025-09-09,20:03:00,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.080999,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:03:00,2025-09-09,20:05:00,DK3WG,JO72,1296.080999,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:05:00,2025-09-09,20:07:00,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.080999,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:07:00,2025-09-09,20:09:00,SP7EXY,,1296.080999,Q65,-16,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:09:00,2025-09-09,20:11:00,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.080999,Q65,-17,-15,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:11:00,2025-09-09,20:13:00,JH3AZC,,1296.080999,Q65,-17,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:13:00,2025-09-09,20:15:00,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.080999,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:15:00,2025-09-09,20:17:00,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.080999,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:17:00,2025-09-09,20:19:00,IQ2DB,JN45,1296.080999,Q65,-16,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:19:00,2025-09-09,20:21:00,DG0FE,,1296.080999,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:21:00,2025-09-09,20:23:00,PA0BAT,,1296.080999,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:23:00,2025-09-09,20:25:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.080999,Q65,-11,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:25:00,2025-09-09,20:27:00,OE9ERC,JN47,1296.080999,Q65,-06,-09,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:28:00,2025-09-09,20:30:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.080999,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:30:00,2025-09-09,20:32:00,DM2CFH,,1296.080999,Q65,-10,-12,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:32:00,2025-09-09,20:34:00,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.080999,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:35:00,2025-09-09,20:37:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.080999,Q65,-12,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:37:00,2025-09-09,20:39:00,DG5CST,JO60,1296.080999,Q65,-04,-08,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:41:00,2025-09-09,20:43:00,OM4XA,JN98,1296.080999,Q65,-19,-26,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:43:00,2025-09-09,20:45:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.080999,Q65,-29,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:45:00,2025-09-09,20:47:00,PE1L,,1296.080999,Q65,-14,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:26:00,2025-09-09,21:30:00,OK1IL,JN69,1296.080999,Q65,-16,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:30:00,2025-09-09,21:34:00,DK4RC,,1296.080999,Q65,-06,-08,,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:34:00,2025-09-09,21:38:00,ON5GS,JO21,1296.080999,Q65,-15,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:39:00,2025-09-09,21:42:00,G4YTL,IO92,1296.080999,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:42:00,2025-09-09,21:46:00,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.080999,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:46:00,2025-09-09,21:50:00,YU1DA,KN03,1296.080999,Q65,-16,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:50:00,2025-09-09,21:54:00,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.080999,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:58:00,2025-09-09,22:02:00,R1NW,KP71,1296.080999,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,22:14:00,2025-09-09,22:18:00,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.080999,Q65,-26,-23,,,,,,,

The west is blocked by a building, so there’s no point in waiting until 5 a.m. local time for the States to open up. In the morning I’ll pack everything back into the car and head out to find a new spot where I can set up.

+++++++++

Quick morning pack-up and a 100 km hop east to a new spot. In photos it looks like a huge open lot; in reality… not so much. The good news: there’s a construction site behind it, so I should be able to set up there after work hours—luckily the Moon is rising at night now. Azimuths to both east and west are clear from about 10° elevation, which is plenty with the current declination for JA, VK, and the U.S. West Coast.

If you still need TA, please be on for today’s lunar pass—this will most likely be my last day in Turkey before I head back to Albania. I’ll be on my MR around 18:30 UTC to work whoever still needs me in Europe, then I’ll grab a short rest and return around 04:00 UTC to give the West a shot.

+++++++++++

The location is excellent—clear to both moonrise and moonset, with no noise at all.
The moon is bright, the sky is cloudless, and there’s no wind. I quickly logged six QSOs, but no more takers so far. QRT until 04:00 UTC. Then I’ll work the West and hit the road back to Albania. I’ve got 800 km to drive, two borders to cross, and a good spot to find.

2025-09-10,19:20:00,2025-09-10,19:23:56,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.100999,Q65,-30,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-10,19:23:00,2025-09-10,19:27:56,BA7NQ,OL63,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-10,19:26:00,2025-09-10,19:30:00,SM5DGX,,1296.100999,Q65,-12,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-10,19:33:00,2025-09-10,19:37:56,VK3NFI,QF31,1296.100999,Q65,-28,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-10,19:59:00,2025-09-10,20:05:56,OK2AQ,JN89,1296.101489,Q65,-27,-26,,,,,,,
2025-09-10,20:28:00,2025-09-10,20:34:00,DK5AI,JO51,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-25,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:14:00,2025-09-11,03:16:02,NY1V,EM69,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-28,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:17:00,2025-09-11,03:19:02,NC1I,FN32,1296.101000,Q65,-07,-07,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:21:00,2025-09-11,03:23:16,W3TI,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:25:00,2025-09-11,03:27:05,N0LWF,EN10,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:29:00,2025-09-11,03:31:18,9H1BN,JM75,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:33:00,2025-09-11,03:35:17,W1FKF,FN43,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:34:00,2025-09-11,03:38:00,N5TM,EL29,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:38:00,2025-09-11,03:42:00,DJ2DY,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-16,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:45:00,2025-09-11,03:47:00,W2HRO,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:48:00,2025-09-11,03:52:00,IK2DDR,JN55,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-11,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:56:00,2025-09-11,03:58:05,KD5CHG,FN31,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:58:00,2025-09-11,04:02:00,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-08,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,04:03:00,2025-09-11,04:07:56,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,04:07:00,2025-09-11,04:11:56,LZ4OC,KN33,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,04:16:00,2025-09-11,04:20:00,KB2SA,DM13,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-27,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,04:38:00,2025-09-11,04:42:00,KB7Q,DN45,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-30,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,05:43:00,2025-09-11,05:47:56,KA1GT,FN54,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,05:50:00,2025-09-11,05:54:00,OE3JPC,JN87,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

24 QSO - Total : 77 QSO

Many thanks to everyone who supported and donated – much appreciated!

NC1I, DL4DTU, IK3COJ, DL7FBD, PA3DZL, DF2VJ, G0LBK, PA0BAT, PA3FXB, DK3WG, KB7Q

Your support covered my ferry and fuel costs – truly grateful, thank you!!!