Ten Meters is Awesome

My favorite band has always been 10 meters.  While I have not been able to spend as much time on 10 meters lately that I'd like to, I was able to get on the air for a small amount of operating during a couple of recent QSO Parties from Ten-Ten International Net.

I was surprised to receive these awards today in my inbox!  Thank you 10-10!

Climbing Mountains...10% of a Goat

I recently passed the 100 points mark for SOTA Activations.  My goal is to achieve "Mountain Goat" status, which requires 1,000 points...at current rates, I estimate that will take me at least 5 years and probably more!  It's not easy, but actually it's nice to have a long-term goal.  You cannot rush your way to the Summit!

I also recently reached the 500 point level as a SOTA Chaser.  Points as a Chaser come much more rapidly.  My goal as a Chaser is to achieve "Shack Sloth" status, again requiring 1,000 points...at current rates I will likely be a Shack Sloth by early spring, 2017.  I really enjoy working other operators who have made the effort to reach the highest peaks, some of which are very challenging.

Tanque Verde Peak - A Wonderful Hike and SOTA Activation

Some SOTA peaks are easily accessed, and others are very challenging to reach.  When I plan an activation, I usually start by deciding how much time I have available.  Some of the activations I've done involved only a short car drive and left me with plenty of time for other activities the same day.  On the other hand, the challenging peaks may require a strenuous hike, and they also may leave me sore and tired afterward.  Interestingly, the point value for peaks in Southern Arizona does not always correlate to the level of difficulty in reaching the peak, with some 10-pointers being drive ups.

There are several 8- and 10-point peaks surrounding Tucson, and on December 9th I was able to take a day off from work and decided to look for a peak that might also require a good long hike.  I settled on Tanque Verde Peak in the Rincon Mountains, East of Tucson.  The total hike distance was about 18 miles round trip, and it appeared that adequate trails existed to make summit access likely.  Since Tanque Verde Peak, W7A/AW-023 had never been activated for SOTA before, this would be a "New One" for chasers.

I left the house early enough to enjoy the sunrise over the peak during the drive to the trailhead.

The hike began at the trailhead of the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail inside Saguaro National Park East.

The trail began to climb fairly quickly.  It was typical desert trail - rocky, lots of cacti, with a stark beauty that offsets the dusty dryness.

As I hiked along, my cell phone was buzzing and ringing with business messages, but I chose to ignore them and enjoy my hike.  The freedom of the wide-open desert and the amazing vistas in every direction, the blue sky, and fresh air are what keep me coming back to the trails.

As I reached higher elevations, it was obvious the trail was less traveled.  At some points, the terrain became too rocky for a true trail to exist, and it was necessary to carefully look for rock cairns to follow.

I didn't see any large wildlife on the way up, but at one streambed crossing, I did notice some fresh evidence that I was not the only living creature on the mountain that day!  I'm fairly certain this was a bear print, and it was quite large.  I looked around but didn't linger for too long - maybe he was watching me!

Higher up, after passing the Juniper Basin Campground (which appeared to have no visitors when I passed), I noticed quite a few cactus with bright yellow fruits, which almost looked like candy (but I didn't taste them!)

There were a few sections of rough scrambling before I reached the rocky formations that included the peak, but nothing too bad.

I reached the summit after about 4 hours of hiking and was greeted by some patches of snow!

At the base of the rocks that form the true summit is a Summit Register.  The peak is about 4,000 vertical feet higher than the starting point of the hike, and about 9 miles of hiking distance.  There were not a lot of entries in the Register.

I climbed up the rock and claimed victory!  It was a beautiful view in every direction and I was quite happy to have reached the top by noon.

I quickly set up and made my first QSO with my friend Quinton, NU7Y.  It didn't take long for the pileup to begin and I was really having a lot of fun!  As usual my Elecraft KX2 and Begali Key made the operating a joy.  My antenna is an Aerial 51 OCF Dipole and I've really appreciated how well it works and how nice it is to be able to change bands instantly.

I operated for a little under 2 hours total, making contacts on 5 different bands (7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 MHz), all CW mode.  I worked 63 QSO's total.  A few of my favorites contacts were with my friend Karen, W4KRN, as well as 10 meter contacts with Canada and New Hampshire!

I would have loved to keep going but it was only a few hours to sunset and I had 9 miles of hiking to get back down the mountain.  So I packed it up and started out.  One thing I love about mountains is how the weather and air changes throughout the day.  Hiking in the late afternoon felt very different from hiking mid-day, with a coolness that wasn't there before even though the sun was still up.  About an hour into my downward hike, I was startled by a flash of white, and looking up I realized there was a large young deer next to the trail, who was equally startled by my presence.  He stayed nearby and watched me, and I stopped to watch him.  He was a healthy young buck, curious but remaining at a safe distance.

Watching him brought back fond memories of hiking and observing wildlife as a child with my family, especially my mom who is a wildlife artist and has painted many beautiful deer.

I could not dawdle too long as shadows were lengthening.  (As it turned out, maybe I dawdled just a bit too long).  I continued my hike down, and eventually it was nearing twilight and I still had about 3 miles to go.  I was cruising along at a good pace, but somehow, I managed to walk myself right off the trail.  For a few moments I found my heart rate quickening as fear tried to take over; this was very steep, very dense desert foliage terrain and hiking in the pitch dark through this would be very slow and risky.  I wasn't concerned at all about getting lost, as this is on the East side of the hills and I could easily see down towards the city, and knew exactly where I needed to go.  But scrambling through cactus and sharp rocks is tough enough when it's light, and in the dark could easily become a major problem.  As the sun set in the West, I decided it was simultaneously trying to be both beautiful and terrifying.  The beauty won, and I will never tire of seeing our amazing Arizona sunsets, regardless of the circumstances.

I used my GPS to navigate back towards where I believed the trail might be.  It took me about half an hour, during which the sun had set and darkness was rapidly falling, but fortunately I did manage to eventually get back on trail.  I had packed a small flashlight for emergency purposes, and I put it to good use.

It's an interesting dilemma we face in the desert.  The optimal season for hiking is late fall and winter, yet that is the very time of year when days are shortest.  For hikes of this length, the probability of hiking in the dark is high.  I was fortunate to get back on trail!  I made it out safely and made mental notes to myself to be better prepared for darkness hiking in the future.

This is the downward hike only.  I normally save the up and down portions separately for easier comparison.

An Easy Activation in Northern California - Pine Hill

As I've gained experience with portable operations, I'm finding myself including amateur radio gear as a standard item in my luggage during out-of-town travels.  My YL and I had planned a trip to Sacramento, CA to run the California International Marathon, and as the trip approached I decided I should search the SOTA Mapping Project site to see if there were any nearby summits that could be added to the trip itinerary.

The main purpose of the trip was the marathon, and my YL does not share my amateur radio passion, so any "plans" I made had to be very flexible, achievable in a very short amount of time (no long hikes), and subject to change.  I located 3 candidates for SOTA activations, all of which were reasonably close to the Folsom Lake area.  These were all low hills - the classic high peaks of the Northern Sierras would have to wait for some future visit.  Of the 3, Pine Hill (W6/NS-357) and Pilot Hill (W6/NS-426) seemed to be the best options.  

We arrived in Sacramento on Thursday and for a variety of reasons, it looked like my best bet was going to be Friday morning.  So with trepidation I suggested to my YL that I rise early on Friday and go spend a couple of hours with radio stuff.  I had printed off directions using both Google Maps and Mapquest.  I actually thought that if things went very well, I might do a brief activation on Pine Hill, then head over and activate Pilot Hill as well.  The maps estimated a total drive time for this plan at around 2 hours, but since there was not a lot of hiking I thought it would be possible if things went well.  Unfortunately, they did not.  My first leg of the journey brought me to a location that seemed correct, yet did not match the descriptions I had seen of the Pine Hill Preserve.  I saw numerous Deer and other wildlife, but not a single sign, and the roads did not lead me to anything resembling a pathway to the top.

Look close, there is a deer!

I pulled out my maps, and realized that one of them had different directions.  So I backtracked and drove to where they said I would find the Pine Hill Preserve.  Instead, I found myself in front of a BLM office in a valley...clearly not where I wanted to be!

This is NOT where the Summit is.

Frustrated but not willing to give up, I drove all the way back to the other location to see if I had missed something.  By the time I reached it, I had been driving for about 1.5 hours instead of the half hour I had expected.  But, I did realize that I had in fact been in the correct location the first time.  There is a gated "Private Road", but apparently it is OK to park outside the gate and hike up the road to the summit.  What I had missed the first time was the small pedestrian gate next to the road gate.

I measured a 0.8 mile hike up the steep road on my Garmin 64cs GPS unit.  I like to obtain the data, partly because I'm just a data junkie, but also I like to upload it to the "Tracks" section of the SOTA Mapping page, in hopes that perhaps it will help others to plan their own summit adventures.  At this time of year, the road was lined with plenty of pretty red berries and mistletoe hanging in the trees, adding a Christmas sort of feeling to the scenery.

When I arrived at the summit, I quickly set up, knowing that this was going to be a short one.  The views were spectacular in every direction, with Lake Folsom to the West and snow-capped peaks of the Sierras to the East.

My first QSO was with my friend Quinton, NU7Y, back in Tucson, at 1737 UTC, on 40 meters.  His signal was surprisingly strong and I later learned he was running QRP power.  I stayed on 40 and operated for only 28 minutes, logging 22 QSO's.

I wanted so badly to stay longer, and work other bands, but after the mapping fiasco I was already running late.  So I packed up and practically jogged down the road to my waiting car.  I made it back to our hotel around lunch time.  Pilot Hill was out of the question for this trip, but maybe I'll be back.  The rest of the weekend went well, and my YL and I ran the marathon together, finishing in 3:24.  This was my second SOTA activation from W6 - both were brief, simple, low-point activations, but I'm glad to have done both and I'm looking forward to many more!

Activating a Congested Hill Overlooking the City - Tumamoc Hill on Thanksgiving Weekend

There's a small hill on the edge of Tucson which is a very popular spot for locals.  Tumamoc Hill is an easy hike, with a paved 1.5 mile trail that leads to the summit, which provides spectacular views of the city valley.  The hill is apparently controlled by the University of Arizona and is closed to the public on weekdays during the day, so the availability for a decent SOTA activation is somewhat constrained.

Thanksgiving weekend was coming to a close and my YL had a friend over on Sunday afternoon, so I decided it would be a nice opportunity to take a walk up and activate the peak (W7A/AW-057).  I parked on the side of Anklam Road, along with plenty of other vehicles.  At the base of the hill was a sign and the peak was already looming close.

The road quickly got steep, and the pavement felt odd under my hiking boots.  Carrying my heavy pack full of radio gear made me stand out from the crowd - the many other people I saw were just out for a stroll and had no gear at all.

It didn't take long to climb high enough to enjoy some spectacular city views.

At the top, there were a couple of signs which both welcomed me and informed me that I was not welcome to go any further.

There were some commercial radio antennae, and a bit further was the true summit, with an astronomical observatory.  (When I was a student at the U of A, I was allowed to use this observatory and we worked on a project to renovate it, but alas those days are long gone).  Although the true summit was off limits, the final public area was very close and easily within the minimum elevation to qualify for a valid SOTA setup in the Activation Zone.

I began to set up, but it was quite windy, which also added a serious chill to the air.  It took me around 30 minnutes to get everything going.

I was a little concerned about being so close to the commercial equipment.  I've learned from other activations in high-RF environments that SSB mode will usually be overwhelmed by noise but CW, with a narrow bandwidth, is very possible.

My first QSO was at 23:17, or 4:17 pm local time.  I decided to start on 30 meters, which seemed to have the least noise.  Other visitors to the peak seemed curious about what I was up to.  One thing that was a problem was that the wind was blowing so strong, it created a high background noise level, making it difficult for me to even hear the signals despite using earphones.

After about 15 minutes of operating, I took a short break to have a snack and try to warm up.  When I started up again, I switched over to 40 meters.  It was already after 5:00 pm local, but more importantly it was a new day in Universal Coordinated Time!  Although I didn't realize it until later, when the day switches, SOTA technically considers it to be a new activation.  While I won't get any points (the rules award points only once per year per summit), the chasers were able to work me a second time and get another 4 points.  As it turned out, I didn't make a ton of QSO's anyway, and the only station who took advantage of this was WB0KIU, Bill from Iowa.  I really desire to make as many QSO's as possible on every SOTA activation, even though the rules only require 4.  But I'm learning that there are often many factors that keep activations short.  On this blustery day, which began close to sunset, I only logged 16 QSO's total, but it was still a great experience.

As I packed up, darkness was rapidly falling.  A guy came up and handed me his business card - apparently he is the Site Director and at first, he questioned my presence in a somewhat unfriendly-sounding tone.  I explained about amateur radio and he became a bit nicer, saying it was fine for me to be there.  However, he did ask me to set up on the pavement next time.

This was a short activation and certainly not the most pleasant.  The environment is one that almost makes you want to just get in and get out, with regards to setting up a radio.  But the views of the city are nice, and the walk down in the dark is safe and peaceful as you can watch the city lights brighten as the night life awakens.

Thankful for Amateur Radio

Lately I've been on a streak with doing SOTA activations on Fridays.  This week I was in Phoenix, because my YL and I ran a Turkey Day 10k race to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, so I wasn't able to plan a local hike in Tucson.  But, thanks to the SOTA Mapping Project, I was easily able to search for summits closer to Phoenix.  My search criteria also included finding a peak that was easily accessible, preferably a drive-up.  It didn't take long to discover that the South Mountain range was my best bet.  Suappoa Mountain, W7A/MS-048, was only about 20 miles away from our downtown hotel, and there is a paved road all the way to the top.  It's only a 2-pointer, but it would easily provide my SOTA fix.

I left around 9:00 am, and I only had a few hours maximum because I had to get back to my YL and check out of our hotel.  The drive up was uneventful, other than dodging numerous bicyclists who were out enjoying some fresh air on a post-holiday Friday.

Mt. Suappoa is perfectly located to provide wide-range broadcast coverage to the Phoenix metro area, so not surprisingly, it is absolutely covered with commercial antennas.  As I drew nearer to the peak, these antennas dominated the view.

The actual summit is closed to the public.  Apparently the FCC requires registration of any antennas on this site!

However, right next to the summit is a nice large parking area called the Gila Valley Lookout.  The elevation of this area is only about 35 feet below the true summit, so it's within the SOTA Rules Activation Zone.  It was only when I reached the Lookout that I realized I had forgotten to bring along my push-up mast!  I panicked for a few minutes until I realized that in my car's trunk, I had an old 20 meter vertical portable antenna that I had purchased at the local hamfest for $10.  The reason I bought it was that it used a fiberglass push-up pole to support the antenna wire...so bingo, I had a mast available by pure luck!  I set up as quickly as possible, knowing that my YL was waiting for me and time was of the essence.

My little OCF dipole looked a bit out of place amongs the giants in the background.  But it performed nicely for me.  I operated mostly CW, as the heavy RF overpowered the wider bandwidth on phone.  I did, however, make a couple of SSB contact on 10 meters, when I realized that the timing of my operation coincided with the daily 10-10 International Net on 28.380 MHz.  I was able to work my friend, 10-10 Director Bob N6OPR, and another local Phoenix op.  Other QSO's included CW on 10 and 20 meters.  I only made 18 contacts total, once again I would have loved to continue operating for hours but was on-air for only about 30 minutes.  This time it wasn't the pending hike, rather I needed to get back to check-out from our hotel before the deadline.  But I did have fun while there.

As I was packing up, a local law enforcement officer stopped by to make sure I wasn't doing anything illegal, and I had yet another chance to share the hobby with the police.  Another guy stopped by and introduced himself as a fellow SOTA enthusiast; NJ7V wasn't there to activate that day, but it was nice to meet him in person as he has been recorded in my log a few times.

On my way down, I stopped to snap a pic of this interesting structure which is at the base of the mountain.  This certainly is a low desert environment, so I suspect there are plenty of scorpions, as well as snakes and other scaly, spiky creatures, but fortunately I didn't make any contacts with them on this day!

Window Rock Peak - A Tough Hike and a Fun Activation

November in Arizona is an excellent time of year for hiking.  I've been craving a serious hike and decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and slightly less stressful work schedule and take a hike up to Window Rock.  I've hiked there before, but it was over 20 years ago.  My main memory was that it was a rather steep, challenging hike.  This time around, I wanted to take my portable amateur radio setup for a Summits On The Air (SOTA) activation.  My target destination would be Window Rock Peak, W7A/AW-018.  An added bonus for me was that this would be a "First Activation" of this summit, meaning I would be the first amateur operator to activate this 8-pointer peak.

I set out on the Ventana Canyon Trail around 8 am, which was a bit later than ideal.  The hike up took about 5 hours, with plenty of stops for photos.  This trail is very scenic with a good variety of desert landscape and some amazing views.

As I began the hike, the "Super Moon" was setting (actually it was a couple of days prior but still almost full).

The trail in the early stages of the hike was easy to follow.  At one point it went directly beneath an old Saguaro cactus.  A few miles later, I passed the Maiden Pools, and noticed an interesting rock.  Supposedly this rock was a Matate used by native Americans for grinding grains.

As I climbed higher, the expansive views down Ventana Canyon were quite spectacular.

After around 5 miles, the trail had become much less clear, and it connected to the Esperero Trail ,which in some places was almost invisible.  But my confidence that I would reach the summit began to grow, as I saw the jagged peaks off in the distance.  On the other hand, I began to wonder how I would ever be able to reach the top!

Along the ridge is the geological feature that gives this range its name.  Window Rock is a natural "window", and apparently there are places in the city of Tucson where you can actually see the Window if you look carefully.  For purposes of SOTA, Window Rock was not my destination as it lies too far below the summit.  But since the trail passes so close to the Window, I felt compelled to stop to enjoy a few minutes exploring the Window and it's incredible views.

Pushing onward, I found the trail was significantly less obvious, and significantly more challenging, once I had passed the Window.  I suppose most people probably don't hike past this point, which is already a fairly solid day's hike.  But I was determined to reach the summit and get on the air!

Unfortunately, I reached a point where it seemed that it would be impossible to go any higher.  SOTA rules allow you to set up within 25 meters of the peak's highest elevation, and I was just at the edge of this limit, but I was also was surrounded by pillars of rock...setting up an antenna in this area was not an option.  I tried calling my buddy Quinton, NU7Y, on a repeater, and the rocks made that virtually impossible too.

I was discouraged, but then I realized...I had just hiked for almost 5 hours, climbed over 4,500 feet, and I came here to operate my radio!  I was not going to give up.  There were some trees, and I realized that with some creative scrambling/tree climbing, I might be able to get higher.

It worked!  I found my way to the top, and was rewarded with a nice rock summit!

The views were absolutely amazing up there.  I quickly set up and got on the air.  It was already past 1:30pm and I knew time was going to be short if I was to make it back down before sunset.

I would have loved to just sit up there and run the rig, but sadly I only made 17 QSO's before I decided it was time to pack up.  I'm learning that while operating from summits is supremely fun, my time up there always seems to be quite limited.

Here's a 360 degree video view from the summit.  I had my HT on a local repeater and there were a few locals planning the next day's public service ops for El Tour de Tucson, a big bike race.

I really had to hurry on the hike down.  The views of the mountains were quite stunning as the sun set, with hills taking on a golden hue and shadows growing longer.

I finally made it back to the car just about 10 minutes after sunset, tired but happy.  The total hike distance was 13.2 miles, according to my GPS, with 4,779 feet of elevation gain.  This was a beautiful hike and a successful SOTA activation, and I'm looking forward to doing it again!