I am planning on backpacking next week in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Along the hike, I will be activating 6x 10 point summits as follows:
28 April
W4C/WM-001 Clingmans Dome / Kuwohi
W4T/SU-006 Mount Kephart
29 April
W4T/SU-007 Laurel Top
W4T/SU-004 Mount Chapman
30 April
W4T/SU-002 Mount Guyot
1 May
W4T/SU-012 Cammerer Ridge
During this trip, I will have limited cell service and will only be able to utilize what I bring in the pack with me. As a result, I will be predominantly attempting activations on 15m and 17m due to wire length. A couple of the activations may be early in the morning, so I will also have the 40m whip extension for the KH-1.
The jury is out on whether or not I will bring a dual band HT, as weight is a chief concern.
Keep an eye out for me, as activations may be brief if weather turns. If WX cooperates, I will linger awhile at each summit. This time of year is very unpredictable in terms of storms/rain. I know with the help of this community it will be a great and successful trip.
I’ve done Clingman’s (now called Kuwohi by the way) 2 times, Kephart 3 times, and Le Conte 1 time.
The lack of cell service is never an issue if you use SOTAMAT.
Joe, if you might not be able to spot, it’s important to alert exact frequencies so folks like me can loiter there, work you and spot you. In each of your existing alerts, K9IR is just above you, using exact frequencies for that reason. If one of those is occupied, she will go slightly up or down.
Hi Joe, that is one of my favorite stretches of the AT and I hope you have a great trip. I highly recommend the short side-trips to the Jumpoff on Kephart (where you will get an overview of most of your route), the (tourist) Charlies Bunion and the fire tower on Mt Cammerer. You may be able to get a contact or two on 2m but I wouldn’t count on it unless you also bring a better 2m antenna. You shouldn’t have issues with wire antennas on any of those summits, but space, weight and time often play a bigger part on trips like this. I still need completes on several of those summits so here’s hoping that timing and condx are favorable.
73, pat - ww4d
p.s. I would put in a plug for @AB6D’s SOTAMAT but I don’t think it will work with a KH1!
A modified version of a SOTACAT would allow the Elecraft KH1 to spot via SOTAMAT the same way it does direct FSK FT8 Synthesis for the KX2 and KX3. Such a modified SOTACAT module has not been built yet, but there is no reason it couldn’t work if someone wants to build one that uses the KH1 interface rather than a KX2/KX3 interface. SOTACAT – SOTAmāt
Thanks for the well wishes, Pat. Hope to make those completes happen for you. The whole thing was on ice for awhile due to injury so I didn’t want to advertise it until the doc felt a compromise of half the Smokies would be viable for me.
The spruce-fir forests above 5k’ are my favorite places in all of the south. Combine it with a little radio and it’s sure to be a great time, rain or shine.
