Month / August 2020

by KE6MT

Two First-Time Activations: Harry Watkins and Gray Rock Dome

Two previously-unactivated summits in the beautiful Castle Crags Wilderness / Trinity Mountains. I got injured and carried on!

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Quick Info:

Activation Date: 18 July 2020Summits: W6/NW-069 and W6/NW-076
Transport: HikeDistance: 4–8 miles
Elev. Gain: 2000–3000 feetTime: 2.5–4 hours
Rig(s): MTR-3B, VX-6rBands: 40, 20m CW. 2m FM
Antenna(s): Tri-band EFHWAntenna Support: Rocks
RF Noise: NoneCell Service: Fair (T-Mobile)

On a backpacking trip with some close friends, I decided to get these two summits. They’re locally named “Harry Watkins” and “Gray Rock Dome,” so even though they have different SOTA names, that’s what I’m calling them here. Getting to the first peak was pretty uneventful, and most of the people on the trip with me actually joined me for that one. I got injured on the the way to the second one and decided to carry on for some crazy reason!

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by KE6MT

Activating in the Rain: Kelly Butte, W7W/KG-060

True Pacific-Northwest style SOTA fun!

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Quick Info:

Activation Date: 8 July 2020
Transport: HikeDistance: 3.5 miles
Elev. Gain: 1060 feetTime: 1 hour 20 min
Rig(s): Yaesu FT-891, VX-6rBands: 20m CW, 2m FM
Antenna(s): Linked DipoleAntenna Support: Lookout Tower
RF Noise: MediumCell Service: Fair (T-Mobile)

Ahhh – a nice, rainy hike into the clouds in my home turf of the Pacific Northwest. This was originally going to be a joint activation with Josh, WU7H after work on a weekday. But as things go, sometimes work gets in the way of other things! So, while I ended up doing this one on my own, it was nonetheless a very enjoyable outing.

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by KE6MT

Antenna Ideas from Fred Maas – KT5X

Some useful antenna ideas from WS0TA

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Fred, KT5X – AKA WS0TA, recently put together this document with a lot of antenna ideas (and what led him there). I’ve used information Fred shared with me to make the antenna traps for my tri-band EFHW antenna (I really gotta write about that sometime!). Fred asked me to post this PDF so he can share this info for anyone that might need it.

One of the particularly intriguing (to me) ideas in this PDF is the “beam” antenna on page 4. Enjoy!

fred-kt5x-antenna-ideasDownload
by KE6MT

Eastern Sierra Fun: Mount Gould, W6/SS-066

Lots of fun summit-to-summit contacts made in the High Sierra.

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Quick Info:

Activation Date: 20 June 2020
Transport: HikeDistance: 1.5–11 miles
Elev. Gain: 1200–3400 feetTime: 1.5–5 hours
Rig(s): MTR-3BBands: 40, 30, 20m CW, 2m FM
Antenna(s): Tri-band EFHWAntenna Support: None
RF Noise: LowCell Service: Fair (T-Mobile)

It’s good to get out and get some fresh air once in a while. Even if the air is a little thin! Having been invited by Adam K6ARK on a trip to the Eastern Sierra was something I just couldn’t turn down. The plan was to hike up from the Onion Valley trailhead and camp at a lake, and do a few summits while we’re up there. We ended up just doing this one, but a fun one it was!

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by KE6MT

Camping on a Summit (again!): Mount Stevenson, W6/SS-399

A quick overnight trip to the Sierra foothills, with some exciting contacts made!

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Quick Info:

Activation Date: 16-17 May 2020
Transport: HikeDistance: 4.2 miles
Elev. Gain: 800 feetTime: 1.75 hours
Rig(s): FT-891, MTR-3BBands: 160–2m, CW, SSB, FM
Antenna(s): Random Wire, EFHWAntenna Support: Many Trees
RF Noise: LowCell Service: Good (T-Mobile)

In need of some fresh air, and trying to keep with my self-imposed goal of some kind of camping at least once per month this year (including once in the back yard due to COVID), I decided to do a quick overnight trip to this summit. I wasn’t able to find a whole lot of information on it, so I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to make it to the summit. As it turned out, there weren’t any issues.

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