The “Serra do Lopo” contest station can be considered without a doubt as a different sort of contest station, located in a rare or at least atypical place. The name of the station comes from the Serra do Lopo, or Wolf Mountains, given that name due to the large number of wolves that inhabit the region (Photo A).
Serra do Lopo is located on the border between the cities of Extrema, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, and Joanópolis in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The Pico do Lopo (Photo B), is the highest point of the mountain at 1,750 meters (5,740 Feet) high. The only access is through trails along socalled “Rota dos Ventos.”
The path begins at the foot of the huge mountain, passing through forests and streams. The ascent covers about 600 meters (1,968 feet), but it takes almost two hours to climb, so it is necessary to be in good physical condition.
To find out more about this contest station, we interviewed its team leader, Fabio Lima, PY2RMZ, a radio amateur with extensive contesting experience (Photo C).
