| Activation Date: 28 July 2018 | |
| Transport: Hike | Distance: 1.25 miles |
| Elev. gain: 220ft | Time: 20-25 minutes |
| Rig(s): VX-2R | Band(s): 2m FM |
| Antenna(s): 12.5-inch whip | |
| Cell Service: Strong (T-Mobile) | |
| Parking: Seaview Trailhead | |
| Trailhead: Vollmer Peak | |
| Fees/Permits: None | |
| Route: Vollmer Peak Trail | |
| Dogs: Yes | Toilet: Yes |
| Antenna Support: Trees |
RF Noise: Moderate |
After attending the Bay Area SOTA meet-up, I still had time to do a quick activation on the way home. Keeping with my clockwise trip around the Bay Area to avoid traffic and tolls, I chose Vollmer Peak. It’s a quick east-Bay summit with the parking a little over a half-mile from the top. It turned out to be a little bit of a rough activation!
Getting There
Drive to the parking lot where the “Seaview Trailhead” is. The two times I’ve been there, parking wasn’t an issue—even on the weekend.
The Hike
It’s a very short hike. I still haven’t tried taking the road to the top, since I prefer single track trails whenever I can find them. The trailhead for the Vollmer Peak trail is at the end of the parking lot.
Trailhead for Vollmer Peak
On the way up, there’s a view of the Bay.
Looking NW toward Marin
Arriving at the top, I decided to go back down a little bit, to be in the shade and use some nice high tree branches to set up my HF antenna.
Operation
I got out my end-fed half-wave antenna, tied my arborist’s weight to the end and threw it up to a branch about 35-40 feet off the ground. I was pretty proud I’d gotten it on the first throw. But then trouble started. It was kinda snagged. I tried wiggling it loose to get it to drop. No-go. I tried pulling it back over—it just got stuck some more. I pulled a bit harder and the antenna wire broke where it ties to the rope. I stood there for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out how I might get my throwing weight and cordage back. I even briefly considered climbing the tree. In the end, I decided I’d have to leave it there. Maybe I’ll figure out a way to get it back at some point!
Cordage and throwing weight claimed by the tree!
I then went back up to the summit and worked on making some VHF/UHF contacts. I wanted to make sure I at least tried to get S2S contacts with a couple of the guys from the SOTA meetup. The RF conditions on this summit were a bit challenging for my VX-2R with its wide-open receiver. With some work, I managed to make it happen!
Activation Log
| Time | Call | Band | Mode | Notes |
| 19:39z | AA6XA | 144MHz | FM | S2S |
| 19:44z | K6ABM | 144MHz | FM | S2S |
| 19:48z | W6BSD | 144MHz | FM | |
| 19:49z | K6EL | 144MHz | FM | |
| 19:51z | W6KCS | 144MHz | FM |