Burgkranzegger Horn - DL/AL-181 SOTA (2024)

Summits on the Air Activation Report

Activation Date: Wednesday 24th July, 2024.
Activator(s): Richard M1HAX.
Summit: Burgkranzegger Horn, Allgau Alps, Germany.
Summit ID: SOTA reference DL/AL-181 (2 points).
Summit Height: 1151m elevation, 129m prominence.
Summit Location: Lat./Long. 47.63000, 10.40690. Maidenhead Grid JN57ep.
Distance: 1.6km travelled with 110m of ascent.
Difficulty: SAC Grade T1.^(?)
Elapsed Time: 50m (including operating).
Weather: 20°C, clear, 15kph NNW wind, 70% humidity.
Radio Equipment: Elecraft KX2, Elecraft AX1.
Callsign Used: DL/M1HAX/P.
Contacts: 4 (20m SSB).

Trip Notes

Burgkranzegger Horn (1151m) is a modest two-point summit in the Allgau Alps near the village of Wertach in southern Bavaria. The forested peak offers none of the dramatic Alpine scenery of its higher neighbours, but provides a pleasant short walk with the reward of a peaceful woodland summit away from the tourist crowds.

I approached via quiet countryside roads south of Wertach, eventually reaching a small parking area with space for perhaps two vehicles without blocking farm access. The route follows an obvious forestry track climbing steadily up the hillside through dense woodland.

During the ascent, it became apparent that I had somehow missed the trail leading directly to the summit. Rather than retrace my steps, I took a direct pathless route across the steep wooded slope, navigating through the trees to reach the top. On the descent, I was able to locate and follow the proper trail back to the gravel track, confirming I had simply overlooked the junction.

The summit itself is unremarkable, consisting of a small clearing in the forest with a bench providing a welcome resting spot for activators. Despite the 1151 metre elevation, the enclosed woodland setting and mild sunny weather gave little sense of being at altitude.

I set up my Elecraft KX2 with the AX1 antenna on the bench and proceeded to activate on 20m SSB. Contacts proved straightforward, with four stations logged including Greece, Spain, Ireland, and Finland. The entire radio operation took approximately 20 minutes.

Returning down the track to the car, I encountered a large group of what appeared to be guided hikers approaching the hill, suggesting this small summit sees reasonable visitor numbers despite its low profile. This is a straightforward short walk suitable for those seeking an easy SOTA point in the region. It combines well with more demanding activations in the Allgau area when time permits.

Photos

Below are some photographs taken during my activation of Burgkranzegger Horn on Wednesday 24th July, 2024.

Walking Route for Burgkranzegger Horn

The interactive map below shows my GPS track taken to the SOTA activation zone for Burgkranzegger Horn. The DL/AL-181 summit area is marked on the map with a blue pin icon.

You can download the route shown above as a GPX file suitable for use with most GPS devices. This file is provided for information only, to support your own walk planning and research (it may contain navigation errors, detours and/or safety hazards). The route downloads provided here are governed by the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.

Station Log

I logged the following 4 amateur radio contacts operating as DL/M1HAX/P from DL/AL-181 Burgkranzegger Horn on Wednesday 24th July, 2024 (all times shown are UTC):

In the notes field I will usually log the other operator’s name and the signal report they provided. In accordance with the Summits on the Air rules, I do not make a log entry where a complete exchange of callsigns and signal reports was unsuccessful.

Additional Information

The following resources may be helpful to walkers, mountaineers and SOTA activators interested in Burgkranzegger Horn:

• Sotl.as Summit Page for DL/AL-181 Burgkranzegger Horn.
• Peak Bagger Page for Burgkranzegger Horn.
• Google Maps Page for Burgkranzegger Horn.
• Wikipedia entry for Burgkranzegger Horn.

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