February 15, 2012
10:03 am
by: KD0BIK

HamLog App Upgrades–WOW!!!

I’ve blogged about iOS apps before, but I can’t remember if I’ve previously mentioned anything about HamLog.  I’ve owned HamLog for a few years now.  I’ll honestly say for the record I don’t currently use it, but feel that will soon change.

HamLog is an iOS and Android application developed by Nick Garner, N3WG.  Nick has developed over a dozen different apps.  One I mentioned briefly in another blog post is his Pocket SOTA app.  You can view Nick’s listing of Apps from his website. 

As I mentioned, I’ve owned HamLog for a few years.  I believe Nick developed and released it in 2009.  I’ve watched Nick make many changes to the HamLog app over the years.  While I’ve tried using it to log contacts, I found I could log via pen and paper much faster.  Especially with operating SOTA, you can easily find yourself generating a large pileup.  The extra time it takes to manually key in all the info was just something I wasn’t interested in for my own operational setup.  Until now…

Please take a few minutes to watch this video.  Nick introduces some new enhancements to the HamLog App as well as a new piece of hardware called Pigtail Air.  Pigtail air will allow for true rig control through the HamLog app and of course will speed up the logging process. 

I believe the Pigtail Air device, coupled with my new KX3 (when it arrives) and my iPad will make a fantastic SOTA or portable logging setup.  I’ll now have an excuse to buy that Otterbox Defender iPad case.

Until next time…

73 de KD0BIK

Posted in How To, Other Stuff Tagged , , , ,

January 29, 2012
1:00 pm
by: KD0BIK

Self-Spotting via Amateur Radio

While I’ve used my iPhone to send a tweet to Twitter to alert my followers I’m active on a SOTA summit, I know there may be times this just won’t be possible.  Then there is the other side of me that would like to think I could pull off a successful SOTA activation without the help of a mountaintop internet connection.  Now I can and so can you.

A fellow ham who I’m honored to call a friend, Chris Matthieu, N7ICE and owner/developer of the amateur radio social networking site 73s.com has developed a process for helping to bridge the APRS to Twitter gap.  This process essentially enables anyone with an APRS enabled device (like the Yaesu VX-8 model) to send an APRS message via ham radio which the 73s.com website will retrieve and post it on your behalf to the social networking site Twitter. 

In a nutshell, here’s how it works. 

1.  Sign up for a free Twitter account.
2.  Register for a free account at 73s.com
3.  Link your Twitter account to 73s.com via your 73s.com profile page.
4.  Test by sending an APRS text message to 73s from your APRS enabled transceiver.
5.  Watch for that tweet to get posted to Twitter. 

It really is this simple.  With the VX-8’s ability to store up to five messages, you could easily setup in advance the messages you would want to send out to Twitter, then pull them up and send away.  Or you could always just manually do it from your mobile web-enabled device.  But that isn’t near as cool as doing via amateur radio.

Please watch Chris’ how-to video below and consider giving this a try for your next SOTA activation.

Until next time…

73 de KD0BIK

Posted in How To Tagged ,

January 26, 2012
8:13 am
by: KD0BIK

Chase or Activate?

I recently received an email from a listener of my amateur radio podcast, the Practical Amateur Radio Podcast who had listened to episode 50.  Episode 50 was all about Summits on the Air or SOTA.  The listener asked a very good question, and that question was whether he should get started in SOTA as a chaser or an activator.  Of course, my short answer was why not consider both? 

A little more detail about my listener.  He’s a relatively new ham.  He earned his ticket back in late 2010 and upgraded to general in August of last year.  He has a modest HF setup and has enjoyed working HF portable.  He has most everything he would need to conduct a successful SOTA activation and is planning to acquire the other parts soon.  He also lives in the pacific northwest. 

The important take-away from this is the SOTA program offers something for everyone.  Even for the non-licensed, SWL enthusiasts can log and earn points just like chasers and activators.  Another important fact to remember is for the SOTA program to be successful, it takes both chasers and activators.  Additionally, you don’t necessarily have to be a mountaineer or even a fan of the great outdoors to have an interest in SOTA.

My answer to anyone trying to decide whether to chase or activate is….Do Both if you can!  Activate when you feel you are ready, but keep your eyes open for upcoming activations and reported spots and then turn on your transceiver and listen.

As many can attest, both the chasing and activation aspects of the Summits on the Air program can be highly addictive.  With band conditions as they are, now is a great time to get started collecting points regardless of the method you choose. 

Until next time…

73 de KDØBIK

Posted in How To Tagged , ,

January 19, 2012
9:33 am
by: KD0BIK

Success is spelled F U N

I was having dinner the other night with Steve, wGØAT.  We were talking about SOTA and discussing the various methods of participating in the program.  The Summits on the Air program is not just for mountaineers.  It truly has something to offer all levels of amateurs and even SWL enthusiasts can chase ongoing QSO’s between activators and chasers and earn points.

The SWL enthusiast

As previously mentioned, SOTA can be enjoyed by those who enjoy listening to the amateur bands on a shortwave receiver.  All they need to do is hear both sides of the QSO consisting of both call signs, signal report and SOTA reference number and log the information into the database.  Of course, licensed amateurs may even take advantage and log these QSO’s as well. 

The Chaser

There may be many reasons why someone decides to only chase SOTA activations and not actually participate as an activator.  One of the more obvious reasons is ones proximity to designated SOTA summits.  Regardless of the reason for not activating, the chaser serves an extremely important role in the SOTA program.   Yes, I know one can argue and say without activators, there also would be no SOTA program.  This of course is a valid argument (and true).  But until you’ve spent several hours hiking to the top of a summit and not knowing if you’ll work your minimum four QSO’s for credit.  You can easily see why I view the SOTA Chaser as a hero in this program. 

The Activator

The list for why someone becomes an activator is perhaps just as long (if not longer) than why the chaser only chases.  Some activators will get to the top as quickly as possible, setup their station, get on the air, work their QSO’s, pack up and retreat.  Others enjoy the hike up, take a moment to absorb all the beauty around, get their station setup, get on the air and work QSO’s for as long as they can and still leave time to lose themselves in natures beauty while standing on top of the world. 

What Really Matters

In my mind what matters to me is the personal satisfaction gained from either chasing or activating.  I can feel just as excited after logging a hard to get activation from the comfort of my basement ham shack compared to working DX from a mountaintop running 5 watts.  I can also hike to the summit, fail to work a single QSO and still be pleased with the results.   Results are only as you define them.  This is why I subscribe to the idea of Success is spelled F U N. 

I hope you’re having FUN chasing, activating or both.  I know I am. 

Until next time…

73 de KDØBIK

Posted in How To Tagged

January 18, 2012
10:12 am
by: KD0BIK

I’m Shocked and Disappointed…

Let me first start off and say that I believe something should be done to protect against piracy and to protect intellectual property (IP).  However, like many of you, I feel the current legislation of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) are the wrong way to go about it.  Actually, these are both very dangerous pieces of proposed legislation.  I encourage everyone to take action.

Websites like Google decided to place a black box over their Google Logo to show support against the SOPA and PIPA legislation.  Other sites like Wikipedia have decided to black out their entire site again as protest.    In both of these examples, Google and Wiki have posted links where visitors can read more and do more to stop this legislation.

I announced yesterday on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ (the three social media platforms I use) that while I agree something should be done to protect IP, I felt SOPA and PIPA in their current form was not the answer.  I then stated my three amateur radio websites, http://myamateurradio.com, http://kd0bik.com/blog and http://kd0bik.com/sota would remain open to share the free flow of information to the amateur radio community. 

I began hearing last night of several popular amateur radio websites would follow the trend Wikipedia has done and black out their websites for 24 hours.  This is what has shocked and disappointed me.  Please allow me to explain why.

Amateur radio is both a hobby and it is a service.   Actually in times of need, the service amateur radio can provide is very important.  But amateur radio is also more.  It’s a community of like-minded individuals who come together to share the magic of radio in all its forms.  While not all amateur operators practice this, for the most part we don’t let social, political, religious type issues prevent the free flow of information and enjoyment for the hobby.  We prove this each and every day.

What disappoints me is when I’ve learned of certain amateur radio related websites have shut down in protest of the SOPA and PIPA legislation.   I’m not talking about just displaying a banner…I’m talking about a full blackout with no access to the information.  Again, I understand this is what “could” happen.  However, the important thing to remember is…IT HASN’T HAPPENED!!!

Now…let me state I fully understand these websites have the freedom of speech to stay open or to shut down.  In addition, I’m really not addressing the individual amateur radio operator who has a personal blog site and blogs about his activities in the hobby.  If he or she chooses to shut their site down for 24 hours, this is of course his or her right.  What I’m talking about are those sites which are built around supporting the community of amateur radio.

But don’t they too have the right to do as they please?  Yes…of course.  However, while these sites may be owned by a single individual…their existence is to support the amateur radio community.  In many cases, these sites accept donations to help offset their operational costs (yes it does cost real money to host websites).  These donations come from the community which uses the sites.  Finally, much of the content created on some of these websites has been done so by….YEP, THE COMMUNITY.  Therefore the way I look at it is the site just doesn’t belong to a single individual.  It belongs to the community.   More specifically it belongs to the amateur radio community.

Now I have thought long and hard about if I would actually mention by name some of the amateur radio sites I’ve discovered who chose to shut down in protest to SOPA and PIPA.  I’ve decided I would.  After all, in both of these examples the site owners/admins made public announcements so they certainly aren’t trying to hide. 

The first site might actually surprise you.  It did me.  APRS.fi, this is the popular Automatic Packet Reporting System map site which many APRS enthusiasts use to track their mobile position.  This site is also used by those participating in SOTA or Summits on the Air.  In the example of APRS.fi, I find their decision to shut down the most troubling.  Simple because many EMCOMM (Emergency Communications) groups utilize this website system and back to SOTA (as this is near and dear to me), many who participate in SOTA do so alone.  They are on the trail alone and use APRS to beacon their trail position.  While alternative sites exist, APRS.fi has somewhat become the most popular. 

The second site fits the “belonging to community” example.  HFPack has also blacked out their website in protest of SOPA and PIPA.  The somewhat ironic thing I find disturbing about HFPack and their decision to black out the site is unlike every other example I’ve seen, they failed to provide links for visitors to contact their local representatives and links to help a visitor understand why they are protesting.  

A friend of mine said it best, “The Interwebz community pokes itself in the eye to protest SOPA…” 

In closing, I’ve worked very hard to eliminate certain topics of discussion from my podcast and blogs…especially political commentary.  Yes I have opinions.  I have ideas.  Yes I VOTE.   But I keep these things to myself as they don’t directly relate to what amateur radio is about.  I will continue to use both APRS.fi and HFPack when the sites return.  I’m not boycotting them and I’m not asking you to boycott them.  I’m simply stating my opinion and my opinion is these sites should be open to share their services and content with all of us, the amateur radio community. 

That is all…Thank you for your time.

73 de KDØBIK

Posted in Other Stuff

January 12, 2012
10:13 am
by: KD0BIK

Introduction–SOTA “How To”

I’m going to periodically write various “how to” related articles which I will flag with the category of “How To” so they are easy to locate.  An excellent primer to help get you grounded in all things Summits On The Air is to listen to episode 50 of the practical amateur radio podcast.

In this episode I provide a practical look into getting started in SOTA from both a chaser perspective as well as an activator.   You can listen to episode 50 via the player below.

  

Posted in How To Tagged

January 11, 2012
3:07 pm
by: KD0BIK

Daydreaming about SOTA

We’re all human and if you’re like me, you find yourself daydreaming about other things.  As I write this blog post, it is Wednesday, 11 January 2012.  The weather outside is frightful.  The snow is falling in the city and it’s cold.  I can’t see the mountains, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking about them.

Yesterday, two of my fellow SOTA pals were out activating summits.  Steve, wG0AT was activating Mt. Herman (his backyard mountain) and Matt, K0MOS actually completed two successful SOTA activations.  The first being Eagle Cliff Mountain (W0/FR-06Smilie: 8) and Emerald Mountain (W0/FR-05Smilie: 8).  What did I do yesterday?  I worked.

Anyway, just because I haven’t recently blogged about Summits On The Air doesn’t mean I’ve stopped.  I actually had every intention of making at least one SOTA trip the week between Christmas and New Years.  The weather was B E A U T I F U L.  There was just one problem.  I couldn’t walk more than about 3 steps without coughing.  Both my wife and I came down with a cold or flu just before Christmas.  We actually spent most of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in bed.

I actually took a glance at the 10 day weather forecast today.  Yes, I realize it’s a struggle for the local weather forecasters to predict the next 10 minutes…but the 10 day does look good showing this system moving out and clearing the way for some mild temperature days with no forecasted moisture. 

This may mean a SOTA adventure could find its way onto my schedule for either this upcoming weekend or the one after.  But for now, I must go back to my server builds and daydreaming about beautiful blue skies, warm sunshine while standing on top of a summit working a large pileup.  Oh…make that a large pileup of DX stations ha ha.

Until next time…

73 de KD0BIK

Posted in Other Stuff Tagged , , , , ,

November 29, 2011
2:21 pm
by: KD0BIK

W0/FR-107 (Green Mountain) 2085m / 6841ft

To say I’m hooked on SOTA might be an understatement.  My second SOTA activation was completed on 27 November, just eight days after my first.  Yes, I’m hooked. 

As mentioned in recent blog updates, I had ordered a few items from Buddipole which didn’t arrive in time for my first activation of Mt. Herman (W0/FR-063).  Let me be clear that this was no fault of Buddipole.  I just simply didn’t order the items early enough for them to arrive in time. 

So with my new items including the Buddipole shockcord whip, the Buddipole A123 nanophosphate battery pack and the Buddipole mini-coil and the lessons learned from activation #1, I set out for Green Mountain.  Before I continue any further.  I just want to say that of the list of things I just identified.  The “lessons learned” were truly the most important.  But new toys are always fun to have and certainly fun to play with.

As I mentioned in my activation alert blog post I chose Green Mountain due to its proximity to my home QTH and very honestly its relatively easy climb.  The elevation gain is approx. 1000’ over about 1.9 miles.  I was still a little sore from the Mt. Herman trip the weekend before, but couldn’t pass up the great weather which was forecasted for the area.   Plus I had some turkey and dressing to work off.  Smile

green_mtn

I arrived at the Green Mountain trailhead just before 8 AM (1500z).  This would allow me plenty of time to hike to the summit and get everything setup to start calling CQ at 1700z.  There are several trails leading to the top of Green Mountain.  I had my APRS beacon on and this is how my trek looked as I hiked to the top. 

 

Green Mountain Trail sign post

The Green Mountain trail is a well maintained and an easy to follow trail.  As a matter of fact, if you live in the Greater Denver area, I would highly recommend Green Mountain as a good starter SOTA summit.   It’s close to Denver and the metro area and like I said it is both an easy trail to follow and not difficult either.   As I stated previously, there are several trails that make up the Green Mountain Park area.  All are clearly marked as shown to the right.

 

photo (2)

  Like many of the foothills that dot the landscape around the Denver metro area, Green Mountain does have a transmitter site and tower.  The transmitter site and tower is not the summit.  But as I approached the trail that passes near the site, I saw what I thought was a little boy or girl sitting on a rock.  It was still early and there was no one else around.  This little boy or girl continued to just sit there on the rock.  I began looking around to see if anyone else was around and once I got within about 25 yards I realized was just a rock with a pipe sticking out.  Other hikers had placed a sweater, scarf, gloves and a cap.  It sure fooled me.

DSC_0012

I made it to the summit from the trailhead in just a little over 45 minutes and began setting up the Buddipole Versatee vertical.  I used an older hiking staff which has a removable knob handle.  Under this knob is a 1/4 stud for mounting a camera.  Buddipole provides a machined brass connector which is 1/4” threads inside, with 5/8” threads outside.  This allows you to stand the Buddipole Versatee on one end and easily connect it to the monopod or hiking staff.  I then guyed it from just below the Versatee and used large rocks to secure it all in place.  If you remember from my first activation, the wind really caused problems with the way I setup the vertical.  Thanks to Steve wG0AT for this idea.

DSC_0011

If you’re not familiar with the Buddipole versatee vertical setup, all it consists of is the Buddipole versatee adapter, Buddipole coil and either the arms and whip from the dipole kit or the new Buddipole shockcord whip.  I’m using the mini-coil and the shockcord whip.  The final important element to the vertical setup is a single, elevated wire counterpoise.  Buddipole sells an inexpensive lightweight counterpoise kit that works great.  One end of the wire counterpoise attaches to the versatee adapter and the other I keep elevated off the ground with my other hiking pole. 

DSC_0010

The other main addition to my SOTA setup is the fantastic Buddipole A123 nanophosphate battery packs.  I decided to go large and I purchased the largest pack they offer.  This is the 4S4P and is rated at 13.2 volts/9.2Ah and weighs just over 3 lbs.  The SLA I packed up to Mt. Herman weighed over 5.5 lbs and was only 7.5Ah.  This little battery pack is truly amazing and I’m 100% comfortable with the investment I made.

Weather conditions were early fall like.  When I left home the temperature was around 30 F and just in the short 30 minute drive, the temperature at the trailhead was around 38 F.  The sun was shining bright and summit temperatures during my two hour stay were in the 50’s with a very light breeze.

But how did it all perform?  Well…I began calling CQ at just before 1700z and logged my first contact on 20m at 16:58z.  I worked 21 contacts on 20m (including a summit to summit contact with wG0AT) and finished up with another 18 QSO’s on 17m for a total of 49 QSO’s in just under two hours.  While band conditions weren’t as good as last weekend, I still had a lot of fun and truly look forward to activation number three.

Speaking of my next activation.  It may actually be a few weeks (or longer) before I have the opportunity to do another SOTA activation.  My wife and I are planning to travel to Texas in about 10 days and then the Christmas holidays are just around the corner.   Also, winter weather will surely arrive at some point and bring snow covered trails and much, much colder temperatures.  I’ve said several times that I don’t consider myself to only be a fair weather SOTA activator, but I also like playing it safe. 

Regarding my possible next activation.  The Colorado Front Range weather can be cold and snowy one day and a few days later all visible signs of snow have melted away.  With that said, there are dozens of SOTA summits just in my backyard ranging in elevation from 6,800 – 9,500 feet with good, solid trails.  I plan to just start at the bottom of the list and work my way up (at least during winter).  This is sure to keep me busy for a while. 

Until next time….

73 de KD0BIK (Jerry)

Posted in SOTA Expedition Reports, WØ Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

November 26, 2011
9:51 am
by: KD0BIK

Activation Alert: W0/FR-107 (Green Mtn.) –2085m / 6841ft

Date:            27 November 2011
Time:           Approx.    1700 UTC – 2000 UTC
Region:        CO-Front Range
Elevation:    2085 m / 6841 ft – 1 Points
Call Sign:     KD0BIK
Frequencies:     14.342.5-ssb, 18.157.5-ssb, 21.437.5-ssb,  +/-  146.52-fm

Equipment: FT-817ND / Buddipole versatee vertical

APRS Track: On Road / On Trail

You might say I was planning my second SOTA activation before the ink was dry on the first.   I know I had mentioned in a previous post that I would pace myself on activations and expected I would keep to a once a month activation schedule.  While my first activation occurred last weekend, the weather this weekend is supposed to be gorgeous (especially Sunday) and winter weather will soon settle in.  Again, I’m not opposed to winter activations…but I figure while I’m still learning and figuring our my complete setup…..a warm class room is better than a cold one.   Plus it won’t hurt to burn off those Thanksgiving calories.

Since this is  a holiday weekend, and I had just completed my first a week ago.  I thought I would plan an easy and close activation to my QTH.  Green Mountain is the closest SOTA peak to my QTH and will be a much easier hike than Mt. Herman.  I should be able to get to the summit, enjoy some operating time and then back home early enough to get some things done before going back to work on Monday. 

With the lessons learned from my first activation, I have a few new additions in my pack.  I also packed a lot of things that I never used on my first and those items will stay home. 

The first new item actually replaces another and will free up about 3 lbs. of weight.  Yes, I’m talking about the Buddipole Nanophosphate A123 battery pack.  I’m really looking forward to what this pack can do for me and the reduced weight. 

The wind issues I experienced last weekend and the breaking zip ties have also been eliminated.  I will be taking one from the wG0AT playbook and mounting my Buddipole versatee adapter directly to my hiking staff.  My hiking staff has a removable knob handle with a standard tripod screw mount on top.  I have an adapter that will adapt the 1/4” thread to 5′/8”.  The versatee will screw down onto that adapter and create a much more secure connection.  Finally, I also ordered the new Buddipole adjustable shockcord whip which can be seen in action in this youtube video. 

Until next time….

73 de KD0BIK (Jerry)

Posted in SOTA Activation Alert Tagged , ,

November 21, 2011
12:57 pm
by: KD0BIK

My First SOTA Activation–Success

Mt. Herman is in the books as my first SOTA (Summits On The Air) activation.  I’ll get to all the particulars in just a minute.  First, I want to thank a few individuals who truly made a difference in helping me make this activation a success.

Steve Galchutt, wG0AT.  If you’re the least bit interested in SOTA and/or any type of portable operations, you’re probably already familiar with his YouTube videos.  If not, please take a look.  Steve answered my many questions about the SOTA program and activating Mt. Herman.   Thanks Steve.

Budd Drummond, W3FF.  Budd is the Budd in Buddipole.  Without his fantastic products, all I’ll describe later would not be possible.  In addition, Budd helped spot me and cheered me on as the pileup started.  I was told he would probably show up and help stir up contacts for QRP stations.  Show up he did.  Thanks Budd.

As I described in my activation alert and the update released a few days later.  I’ve done backcountry hiking, backpacking, camping and have climbed a few 14’ers here in Colorado.  I’ve also operated portable HF before but have never combined the two in any way before today.  I had some (OK…a lot) of concerns and probably over prepared for this and also brought along a lot more gear than I truly needed.  More about this in a minute.

A major concern I had going into this activation centered around powering my station.  I have been researching the Buddipole nanophosphate A123 battery packs and decided to bite the bullet and purchase one.  Unfortunately, it didn’t arrive in time (no fault of Buddipole Company) and I had to go to “Plan B”.  This “Plan B” ended up being my old stand by which is a sealed lead acid 7.5 Ah battery weighing in around 6 lbs.  The battery is a couple of years old but I’ve maintained it the best I could.  I tested it prior to the trip by running the FT-817 on WSPR.  My station transmitted every 6 minutes or so for a transmit duration of almost 2 minutes each cycle.  It powered the 817 in this condition for nearly 3 hours before beginning to fall off.   

As a precaution I carried along a rollup solar panel which I’ve had a few years.  I was concerned  the battery wouldn’t hold out and figured if it was a sunny day, the solar panel would help supplement the battery.  The solar panel and solar charge controller weighs in about 2 lbs. 

My antenna setup for this activation was probably the one area I felt fairly confident with.  I’ve owned my Buddipole for several years and have used it in portable operations and even set it up at home a few times.  I’ve used it in the dipole configuration as well as vertical.  The Buddipole setup is a highly versatile system and of course very portable. 

For portability I went with the vertical versatee setup.  Which consists of a mast, the buddipole versatee adapter, coil, two mast sections and standard whip with one wire counterpoise.   The challenge I experienced was with the mast.  I had also ordered the new Buddipole shock cord mast and like the battery it didn’t arrive in time.  I wasn’t looking forward to carrying the extended mast I have for the buddipole tripod.  With the help of Steve, wG0AT he shared with me some pictures of using a hiking pole to support the vertical.   This will work….but did it really?

I think I finally fell asleep on Friday night just before midnight.  I was excited and I was mentally going through my pack (which I had packed a few hours before).  I finally convinced myself I had everything and fell asleep.  I was awake before my alarm sounded at 5 AM.  The plan was to have breakfast somewhere between Denver and Monument, Colorado and arrive at the trailhead by 8 AM local time (1500z).  This would allow me two hours to make it to the summit of Mt. Herman and setup to start calling CQ around 10 AM local (1700z).

I arrived at the Mt. Herman trailhead right on schedule and began the hike.  I’ll admit I’m not in shape…..far from it.  But I allowed enough time to do 1 mile hike (about 1000’ of elevation gain) and was on the summit with about 45 minutes to spare.  I started setting up the antenna first.  The wind was rough…really rough on the summit.  While I setup guy ropes, the wind was really punishing my antenna. 

As I previously stated, I was planning to lash the versatee to one of my hiking poles.  I brought along about a half dozen tie-wraps or zip ties.  I use these things all around the house and office.  I’ve always considered them the next best thing to duct-tape and bailing wire.  I’ve never had a tie-wrap break on me and figured this would be a better solution to bungee cords.  Unfortunately within 15 minutes the first two zip ties had been broken and the antenna crashed to the ground.  I had four more and decided to go for broke and use all four.  Success???

I had watched several of the Buddipole Youtube videos on setting up the versatee vertical.  The recommended setup was two antenna accessory arms, red coil: tap 5, standard 5.5 foot whip with all 6 extensions out.  The counterpoise 14.25 feet.  I managed to fight the wind, the vertical was standing straight and I quickly checked using my iP-30 antenna analyzer.  Just a few tweaks to the counterpoise and I had an SWR reading of 1.5.  This was good enough for me.

I quickly got my Yaesu FT-817ND setup and was in business.  I dialed up the HF Pack 17m frequency of 18.157.50, listened for a few minutes (heard nothing) then asked if the frequency was in use (heard nothing) asked again and after hearing nothing I began calling CQ.  At 17:15z the first station answering my CQ was just a few miles below me down in the town of Monument, Colorado.  wG0AT had been listening for me. Steve posted my callsign on the SOTAWatch website which alerted  all the other SOTA Chasers to my activation.  Let the fun begin.

The pileup was simply amazing and contacts flew into my paper logbook (just a Rite in the Rain journal).  From 17:15z through 17:49z I worked 28 stations consisting of 22 US, 2 Canada, 2 Germany, 1 Spain and 1 Czech Republic.  All on 5w.  I truly didn’t count on working DX and certainly didn’t count on adding to my DXCC count.  But the Czech Republic was a new DX entity for me and I’m truly pleased to have worked  him.  Thanks again to Steve, wG0AT who sent me the picture below showing my APRS route up to the summit and three of the DX stations QSL cards.

image

My plan was to spend about an hour working 17 meters and then try 12 meters.  However, just after wrapping up with W7RJC at 17:49z the vertical came crashing down to the ground.   The temperature on the summit was below freezing and I guess that made the plastic zip ties brittle and they just couldn’t handle what mother nature was dishing out.  I was out of options and decided to pack up. 

Besides the high wind, I could not have asked for a better day for my first SOTA activation.  The picture (below) was taken with my iPhone and shows the view from the summit towards the northeast.  Once I got everything packed away I took some time to enjoy a sandwich my wonderful wife made for me the night before and take in the beautiful sights around me. 

image

Just before strapping the pack on for the descent back to the car I took this photo (below) to capture just how pleased I was with the events of the day.  I had finally combined a couple of my favorite hobbies together into one activity and can honestly say, I can’t wait for the next SOTA activation.

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This experience has helped me to also better understand I need to do more to get back in better physical shape.  As I’ve always said, amateur radio is different things to different people.  The best part about the SOTA program is it can be enjoyed both from a mountain top or from the comfort of your ham shack.  I’ve done both and will continue to chase and activate every chance I get.  I hope you’ll join me.

Until next time….

73 de KD0BIK

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