I had my monthly business trip to Wrocław and of course I took it as a chance for SPFF/POTA activations.

I started on Sunday (October 12) earlier than usual as I planned to get off the highway to visit SPFF-2359 (located near Łódź). This place did not have many WFF activations and the last one was in May 2023. I managed to organize a station – it was raining from time to time so regarding the weather it was not a great fun. But of course operating on bands was very nice.

The next three days I was in QRL near Wrocław so I was able to operate during late afternoons only. The time is more and more limitted as days are getting shorter. It starts to get dark around 16:00 UTC in the middle of October.

On Monday (October 13) I made 40 kilometers drive to SPFF-2272. This one was activated only two times. Last time in November 2021. I found a forest car parking where I was able to organize my station. The weather was nice this time.

On Tuesday (October 14) I found a place located quite close to my QRL (20 minutes drive). It was SPFF-1564. This one was also activated only two times. Last time in May 2018. The weather was awful – it was raining all the time. I managed to install the antenna and I operated from inside of my car.

Finally on Wednesday (October 15) I was driving back to Warsaw. I got off the highway about 30 kilometers from Wrocław to visit SPFF-0726 (last activation in July 2022). It was a kind of challenge – I found an operating spot but I had to transport my equipment in the backpack walking in mud (I have to do the laundry now).

All activations were done using Xiegu G90 (20 Watts) powered from a LiFePO4 battery and a G5RV antenna (in an inverted V shape).

So here is the summary of my 4 Days – 4 Parks activity.

Day	WFF	POTA	QSOs	PGA	LOC
12.10	SPFF-2359	PL-2207	111	IA05	JO91JK
13.13	SPFF-2272	PL-2018	116	WQ03	JO81HI
14.10	SPFF-1564	PL-1660	104	WR06	JO81JX
15.10	SPFF-0726	PL-1613	103	TR03	JO81OF

Thanks to all who called me. It was a great fun. And of course – CUAGN

On August 5 I was able to organize a quick cycling ride to SPFF-1309. In total it was a little over 18 kilometers – perfect for afternoon activity.

I organized my portable ham-shack very quickly and I was on the radio for about 20 minutes logging 16 CW QSOs. I will come back to SPFF-1309 for sure. Below you can see a map of my route. The names like “WESOŁA” or “REMBERTÓW” are names of the eastern districts of Warsaw.

I started my ride in Sulejówek (A). The route leads through a military training area. But the forest is intensively used by residents of Wesoła and it is rather safe to be there. Below you can see a warning board “Droga czołgowa” which means “Tank Road”.

SPFF-1309 is the place where Długa River flows. The river is very small, narrow and overgrown with grasses and algae. There were three villages in that area but they were displaced very long time ago. There are still remains of villages – for example wild fruit trees (remains of orchards).

A narrow-gauge railway was routed through that area but it was in 1930s… Old history.

Below you can see my rover-style ham-shack.

I am going to come back to SPFF-1309 in the future. It is so close to my childhood places – but the only way to get there is to go on foot or ride a bike. It is in the forest.

CU again. 73 and 44

Today (July 30, 2025) I was able to operate from Ślęża – the summit is 717,5 m a.s.l. There is some information about this summit in Wikipedia (read about Ślęża). It is not very high but quite impressive as the elevation from surrounding areas is about 500 meters.

Location

On the map below you can see an areas marked in darker green colour. It marks the borders of the SPFF-0132 Ślężaski Ladscape Park (also POTA PL-1666). But there are more attractions than just one SPFF/POTA in that area – as you can see below:

There are free summits valid for SOTA. They are:

• Ślęża – 717,5 m a.s.l.; SOTA SP/SP-001
• Radunia – 573 m a.s.l; SOTA SP/SP-002
• Szczytna – 466 m a.s.l.; SOTA SP/SP-003

Additionally the area of the Summit of Ślęża is a separate natural reserve area: Mount Ślęża Natural Reserve. It is marked with the SPFF-0930 (and POTA-1669).

As you can see there is another natural reserve area very close to Ślęża. It is SPFF-1273 (POTA PL-1672): Nature and Landscape Complex “Skalna”. The name “Skalna” can be translated as “Rocky”. The name comes from the natural character of the area: a lot of rocks and big stones all around.

Getting There

The area is located very close to Wrocław. It is like a 30 minutes drive to get there by car from the southern districts of Wrocław.

The most popular place to park the car is Przełęcz Tąpadła (Tąpadła Pass). There are three big parkings there and it is the starting point for many tourist trails. There are a lot fo cars there even during the week. It is a very popular place for family trekking trips, mountain running and cycling.

I also parked my car there. I marked the parking with (P) on the map.

Trekking to Ślęża

I was on Ślęża many times. This time I choosed the yellow trail – the easiest and the fastest one. I always use Nordic walking sticks – it was the case this time also. I treated this trekking as a prefromance training. So it was quite a fast walk.

Below you can see the trace of my trekking. It can’t be seen on the screenshot but I’ve done this route twice as I ued exactly the same trail. I marked the places I operated from.

Ślęża (SPFF-0930, POTA-1669, SOTA SP/SP-001)

Operating from Ślęża was very comfortable. There is a tourist shelter with tables and benches there. I threw the wire (about 20 meters) over the trees with a weight and connected it to an EndFed balun. I was using my Xiegu G90 (20 Watts) powered with a LiFePO4 battery.

I spotted myself in the cluster and started on 40 meters. I was logging on paper.

First QSO: 16:12 UTC, last QSO: 16:44 UTC. I made CW 46 QSOs. 42 QSOs on 40 meters, 4 QSOs on 20 meters. I was trying also 80m but with no luck.

SPFF-1273 (POTA PL-1672): Nature and Landscape Complex “Skalna”

AFter finishing of my operation from Ślęża I quickly dismantled my station, packed everything and started my trekking trip to SPFF-1273. It is necessary to go down a little and then to go up. As I mentioned “Skalna” can be translated as “Rocky”. Below you can see why:

Of course I used the same setup and the same method to install the antenna. And here is my “Rocky” ham-shack.

It was a quick operation. I was standing this time. It was very short operation. Only ten minutes. First QSO: 17:30 UTC, last QSO: 17:40 UTC. I managed to work 20 stations on 40 meters, CW.

Going Back

I quickly dismantled my “Rocky” station and started my trekking down to the parking. It started to get dark at about 17:50 UTC. I wanted to overcome the rocky part of the trail in daylight (sunset was at 18:40 today). So again it was fast trekking.

I reached the parking site without any problems. I tried to operate on 40 meters from there just to activate the SPFF-0132/PL1666. Unfortunately nobody called me. Przełęcz Tąpadła (Tąpadła Pass) is not the best place for radio operation – high hills all around. I was not even able to spot myself in the cluster – no internet/mobile accees there (beautiful place).

Thanks for all QSOs. Of course all contacts will be uploaded to WWFF, POTA and SOTA databases. I will upload my logs to the LoTW also.

Today (24.05) I was able to activate the summit Równica. It is 884,6m asl high and it is located in SPFF-0070 and POTA PL-1320.

This summit is located very close to our holiday QTH. In a stright line the distance is about 2,5km. Of course to reach the summit it is not that easy and you must use tracks or forest roads.

Our host kindly offered me to use his e-bike. So I prepared all my radio stuff yesterday and I got up early in the morning. I made about 23 km ride on e-bike. I reached Równica after about 15 kilometers. I quickly organized my portable station: Xiegu G90, 12V LiFePO4 battery and EndFed antenna (feeded via a balun).

Below you can see my portable ham-shack on Równica:

The sign says 884m asl. Based on Wikipedia the exact height is 884,6m asl.

I spotted myself in DX Cluster and many stations could hear my signal and gave me a call. Thanks very much for all QSOs. I was active on 40, 30 and 20 meters.

I will upload my logs to databases of WWFF, POTA and SOTA. I will also upload my logs to the LoTW after coming back home.

We are coming back home tomorrow morning so I will activate my basic holiday QTH (also SPFF-0070) today in the evening and then I am going to put down my antenna, disconnect all cables and pack my station.

Next week I have a business trip to Biskupice Podgórne near Wrocław (south-western area of Poland). I am going to activate SPFF-0132 and SPFF-0930 (also SOTA SP/SP-001) and maybe also SPFF-1273 (and SOTA SP/SP-003).

Today (July 22) I managed to operate from Czantoria Wielka (Great Czantoria) – 995m asl. This summit is valid for SPFF-2223, POTA-1976 and SOTA SP/BZ-035.

There are great views from the top. The summit is easy accessible – there is a cable car. It is neccessary to walk up about 1,2km from the top station. Not a great challenge – that is why this track is very popular. Hence Czantoria Wielka was a little crowded today. But I still was able to find a small, calm spot to install my antenna (EndFed). This time I took my Xiegu G90 with me – it was powered from a 12V LiFePO4 battery.

Below you can see my very portable ham-shack:

Here I am operating from Czantoria Wielka:

Here is feeding point of my antenna:

And here are location details (based on HamGPS):

During a 30 minutes stay I was abel to work some stations from 9H, DL, F, I, SP and YL. Thanks for listening to my weak signal.

Finally – I really appreciate the patience of my wife and daughter.

Plans are plans but real life verifies all of them. Yesterday instead of other activities we made a quick trip to Klimczok – a beautiful summit which is 1117 m asl high.

We took a cable car from Bielsko Biała to Szyndzielnia and then we made a short trekking (abt. 3 km) to Klimczok. We had a short rest there so I quickly organized a portable station: (tr)SDX+powerbank, magnetic balun and a longwire antenna.

Only four CW contacs on 40 meters – I know, not too many. Anyway it was a great fun.

Klimczok is valid for SPFF-0070, POTA PL-1278 and SOTA SP/BZ-020.

Below: SP5UAF/P operating from Klimczok.

Here are the details of the location (screenshot from HamGPS):

Tomorrow I am going to operate from Czantoria Wielka (995m asl) valid for SP/BZ-035 and POTA PL-1976. I am not sure about the borders of natural reserve areas but as far as I see it on the map Czantoria Wielka is valid for SPFF-2223 (otherwise it is SPFF-0070).

This year (2025) we decided to spend our summer holidays in Beskid Śląski – southern part of Poland, full of beautiful hills. The location is Brenna, very picturesque mountain town. This is a family trip and first of all we are doing trekking trips or bicycle rides. But still there is some time for radio activity…

Our QTH is located in the SPFF-0070 (Landscape Park of Beskid Śląski) and also POTA PL-1320. Locator: JN99KR. So starting from July 15 I am active on all possible bands, mostly on CW, using a Xiegu G90 (20 Watts) and wire antennas. The very last day of the operation is July 25.

I am also going to activate SPFF-2223 (POTA PL-1976) which is also a SOTA SP/BZ-035. Locator: JN99JQ. This operation is expected to take place on July 21 or 22 in the second part of the day (starting at about 11:30 UTC for about 2 hours). I will be using a (tr)uSDX (5 Watts) and an EndFed antenna.

Another expected operation will take place somewhere between July 22 and 25. It will be also SPFF-0070 but the location will be SOTA SP/BZ-054. Locator: JN99JQ. Again it will be QRP with a (tr)uSDX (5 Watts) and an EndFed antenna.

Below is G5RV installed in the holiday QTH.

An here is my small holiday radio-shack:

The end of August/beginning of September 2024 was quite an intensive time for us. We had some family trips because of our jobs and/or school. So why not to use the time for side radio activity?

On August 29 I was active as SP5UAF/P from Witów, near Zakopane. This area counts for SPFF-0384. For PGA Award it is ZP04 (Powiat: Zakopane, Gmina: Kościelisko). Locator was: JN99WH. It was 30 meters only activity with QCX and a longwire.

On September 07 and 08 I was active as SP5UAF/9 – this time again the area counts for SPFF-0384. But for PGA Award it is: LI10 (Powiat: Limanowa, Gmina: Niedźwiedź). Locator KN09BN. For this activity I was using G90 (20W) and a longwire.

In the meantime we had a family trekking trip to Turbacz (the highest mount of Gorce Mountains, 1310m asl). I was able to organize a quick activity from the top of Turbacz. It counts for SPFF-0007 as well as for SOTA-SP/BZ-005. For PGA Award: NT08 (Gimna: Nowy Targ, Powiat: Nowy Targ). This time I was using a (tr)uSDX and a longwire.

All activities were CW only.

The plan was to have a serious start in Multi-Single entry together with friends from SO4M Team.

But we had a problem with our 20 meters antenna. So finally we had to put down the tower, next to repair antennas (feeders) and finally put up back the towers. In total over two days of hard work.

It was about 0 degrees of C so not bad but the most important is that it was no windy.

On Friday we tried to repair the feeders on the tower (without putting down) but finally we did not manage to do it.

You can see a short video of my work on the tower. In that time other members of the SO4M Team were working very hard on the ground, preparing RX antennas and other station devices.

This year we spent our summer holdays in Arco, Italy. We visited the place during the last days of July – first week of August.

Arco is located in the Dolomites and it is a very special place for people who are active in many kinds of sport: rock climbing, bike riding, trekking, hiking, jogging, via ferratas, wingsuit etc. The city has very specific, sporty atmosphere.

We had great time. We have visited so many beautiful places. We did some rock climbing and we made two via ferrata treks. We had our bicycles with us and riding a bike through wine courts surrounded by mountains is really a great experience. We especially love the valley of the river of Sarca – everything is beautiful there.

We hope to visit this area again if time permitts.

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