COTA-OE MEETING IN ÖSTERREICH 2016

Am 06.-07.August fand auf der Burg Güssing im Burgenland das 1. COTA-OE Meeting statt. Vorbereitung und Durchführung lag in den Händen von Anette OE4YLA und Jo OE4VIE mit Hilfe weiterer YLs/OMs im Burgenland. Mit von der Partie war auch Gerd DL5AWI (Koordinator COTA-DL). Samstag Morgen war die Begrüssung durch den Koordinator COTA-OE Rainer OE3RGB und den Landesobmann Jürgen OE4JHW. Anschliessend wurde das OE-COTA-Programm vorgestellt. Anette OE4YLA referierte über das neue, umfangreiche APAR Programm (Austrian Portable Amateur Radio) welches auch Geo-Caching mit einbindet.http://austrian-portable-amateur-radio.eu/apar/ Damit soll vor allem die Jugend an den Amateurfunk heran geführt werden. Danach stellte Luciano HB9FBI/HB9WFF und Augusto HB9TZA die schweizer WFF/COTA-Programme vor http://ssfg-gsrc.ch/intro.html Beim gemeinsamen Mittagessen im Burgrestaurantgarten wurden viele Gedanken und Geschichten ausgetauscht. Der Funkbetrieb kam auch nicht zu kurz.

Von links nach Rechts Franz OE6WIG, Augusto I2JJR/HB9TZA, Gerd DL5AWI, Luciano HB9WFF/HB9FBI, Rainer OE3RGB

Es wurden von fast allen Teilnehmern QSOs unter OE4COTA WCA OE-00005 getätigt. OPs aus DL waren Jürgen DL7UJM und Gerd DL5AWI.

Jürgen DL7UJM beim Funkbetrieb

Jo OE4VIE QRV als OE4COTA

askGerhard-Kaiser: Activity as DR11COTA from WCA DL-01312 COTA THB-01...

askGerhard-Kaiser: Activity as DR11COTA from #WCA DL-01312 #COTA THB-01...: #hamr Built 1643 until 1654, Castle "Friedenstein" is the largest Early Baroque castle complex in Germany. The four-wing castle was built by Duk...

Activity as DR11COTA from WCA DL-01312 COTA THB-018 Castle "Friedenstein" in the city of Gotha.

Built 1643 until 1654, Castle "Friedenstein" is the largest Early Baroque castle complex in Germany. The four-wing castle was built by Duke Ernest I the Pious with 2 characteristic towers. From the outside, the castle is primarily without decoration and looks quite plain – the Duke aimed to achieve clarity of form and function. However, the interior has many beautifully designed rooms and halls which have retained their original form and furnishings over the centuries. The most outstanding part of the castle is the Ekhof Theatre, the oldest castle theatre in the world with original wooden stage machinery dating from the 17th century. It is still used during the Ekhof Festival in the summer months.

Other items of interest which form the castle complex are the Castle Museum, the Museum of Regional History and Culture, the Museum of Nature, the archives and library, the casemates, the park and the very well-kept orangery garden.

In the early morning, the road to the castle was closed and I was driving to the Museum of Nature nearby.
But on this location was very high noise and
the next possible place for activity was a little marketplace about 300m far from the castle.

It is always a challange to work inside from a city with low power and mobile antenna

Short report about my activity on WCW

(World Castle Weekend)

About castle Oberellen WCA DL-01481 COTA THB-187 in DLFF-128

With the Secularization of the Thuringian monasteries the property got 1543 to the Eichsfeld noble family von Hanstein, who took over the village court and feudal lords. In the place were two representative castles; she was built between 1594 and 1604. 1936 changed the Castle from the family von Hanstein to the community Oberellen. Today, the castle has a restaurant and a pilgrim hostel.

       

   The condx was very poor and from about 1200 UTC on no loud signals on all bands.
   I closed my station and go to the castle restaurant for good meal and
   some glasses of wine... and talking with the people.....
   In the late afternoon, all signals better and many stations found the way in my log.
   Unfuturnately :-) I must go QRT, because the german footall team was playing this evening.
 

The images/fotos all from the castle with some details...

73 44 11 and until the next trip!

 Gerd DL5AWI/m

RIG: FT890 abt 60 watts

Antenna: Outback 3000 mobile wip

first time logged all QSOs with notebook in the car...      

 

Autumn WCA-Activity by DL5AWI/m

On Oct. 24th and Nov.07th I was on air from the Creuzburg near my home-QTH as DL5AWI/m references are WCA DL-1297 COTA THB-003 and it`s count for DLFF-053
also.
My equipment was simple: FT-890 with abt 50/60 watts and outback-3000 mobile antenna.
With a history going back over 1,000 years, Creuzburg is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia. Hill graves in the area of the city demonstrate a settlement beginning at least as early as Carolingian times. The beginnings of the settlement on what became the site of the castle are a result of its position on a major crossroads. The old West-East trade route met at the river Werra with the trade route from the south.
The most prosperous time in Creuzburg was during the reign of Landgrave Ludwig IV, the Holy, and his son Hermann II. After the wedding of Ludwig with the daughter of the King of Hungary, Elisabeth, who is now known as St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the Castle Creuzburg became the second residence of the Thuringian Landgraves (after the Wartburg WCA DL-1295 THB-001).

At the time of WWDX/cw I was on way to my daugther Carina birthdayparty and my plan was to go on air from DLFF-032 Biosphärenreservat Vessertal/
Thüringer Wald and in the afternoon I would working from Bertholdsburg ( build between 1226 and 1232)
in the town Schleusingen WCA: DL- 01296, COTA-DL: THB-002 and short time participate in CQ WW DX CW Contest.
Heavy snowfalls and feezing temperatures inhibited a greater activity. Only around 50 QSOs from WFF and about
50 QSOs from WCA and no QSOs for WWDX by DL5AWI/m. I was with my XYL still on the christmas market for a mulled wine.

I will be often in this area in the future and looking for the springtime to operate again from this castle in the center of the town Schleusingen. You can found announcements at International Castle Announcements or here World Castles Award Info

Announcement of the Castles Activator Award

“World Castles Activator Award - WCAA”

The Award certificate “World Castles Activator Award - WCAA” has been instituted by group of radiohams-founders of World Castles Award Program (WCA) as a mark of commendation for work on the air from historical and memorial places.

The Award certificate “World Castles Activator Award - WCAA” is issued for work on the air form historical objects (activation) such as castles, fortresses, forts etc.

To obtain “World Castles Activator Award - WCAA” need to make not less than 50 QSOs from 5 various objects qualifying for WCA. For radiohams living near castles, fortresses, forts etc not far than 1 km need to make not less than 1000 QSOs.

QSOs are valid since January 1st. 1995 on any bands by any modes.

Award certificate “World Castles Activator Award - WCAA” is free of charge. There are two ways to obtain it:

1) in electronic form - JPG file completely ready for printing in A4 format (297x240) will send by e-mail;

2) in paper form by post (need to pay the postage).

The application for Award certificate “World Castles Activator Award - WCAA” is made in free-form but need to specify objects names, objects numbers by national award program or WCA-number, total number of QSO and dates when they were made.

Award manager: Petushkov Andey Alexandrovich, RN1CW,P.O.Box 340/5, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad oblast, 188540, Russia

E-mail: rn1cw@rambler.ru

Home Page: http://www.wcagroup.org