Lost Log W0/FR-094 Dec 1, 2013 KX0R

Old Reflector
1

The Devil on Greyrock:

Last Sunday, 01 Dec 2013, I had a challenging and successful activation of North Greyrock Mountain, W0/FR-094, northwest of Fort Collins, CO. Despite winds gusting over 50 mph on the summit, too windy to stand safely, I managed to find and climb the actual summit. After setting up my station in a sheltered spot about 40 feet below the rocky top, I worked about 35 stations on 20M CW, packed up, and headed over to Greyrock, W0/FR-095.

Grayrock is a huge prominent rock, and the wind was even stronger up there than on North Greyrock. It was about 35 degrees F in the late afternoon, and so gusty that climbing and crawling to the exposed summit was scary. I found a somewhat sheltered spot in an alcove with a small tree about 50 feet below the summit, pulled out my gear, erected my pole and EFHW with difficulty, pulled out the log sheet rubber-banded to my clipboard, and immediately put my entire pack squarely top of it. Of course I also put rocks on my hat, gloves, etc., so they wouldn’t be ripped away.

Within one minute there was a huge roar, and a rogue gust of violent wind came in sideways. In one second my radio gear was scattered across the rocks, the pack rolled uphill, the clipboard flew into the air, and the log sheet for W0/FR-094 was plucked away by the Devil himself. The cliff about 300 feet high and immediately downwind made sure that there was no chance of finding the log. It was “gone with the wind”. Two pieces of paper remained on the clipboard….the Devil only wanted the log.

In spite of the wind on Greyrock, my activation went well, and I was proud of the difficult activation despite the lost log from North Greyrock.

If you chased and contacted me on W0/FR-094 on Dec 01, 2013, between about 1915Z and 1955Z, on 20M CW, please send me your call and the time of our QSO. I just need the calls and times. I want you to get your points. That log was a who’s who of NA chasers!

I regret what happened, and will learn from this bittersweet adventure! The best idea I have is to take a digital image of each log after the activation – however, getting a photo risks losing the log when winds roar!

I know for sure the calls of about 20 of you, because you also worked me on W0/FR-095 after 2200Z. That log is fine and has already been submitted to the database.

Please respond here, or better, by email to mycall@arrl.net .

72/73 George KX0R

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01/Dec/2013 19:20 W4DOW KX0R/P W0/FR-094 North Greyrock 14MHz CW

01/Dec/2013 22:11 W4DOW KX0R/P W0/FR-095 Greyrock Mountain 14MHz CW

From My SoTA Log:
(W4DOW)

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In reply to KX0R:
1/DEC/2013 14.0628 1931Z KG3W/ KX0R sent559 rcv 439 W0/FR-094

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In reply to KX0R:

12/1/2013 , 19:23 , N4EX , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:28 , N4MJ , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:50 , W9FHA , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:48 , K7JFD , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:38 , W6UB , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 20:50 , N6JZT , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:39 , AA4AI , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:30 , W5ODS , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:25 , ND0C , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:22 , W0MNA , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:31 , KG3W , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:33 , N0TU , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:29 , W0ERI , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:44 , K0NO , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:43 , N7AMA , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:23 , N0EVH , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:33 , W4AMW , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:26 , NS7P , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:33 , AA5CK , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:36 , NE4TN , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:46 , W4IHI , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:22 , W7RV , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:32 , K5WI , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:39 , KO1U , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:20 , W4DOW , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:25 , K4YA , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:26 , KF4MH , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:28 , AE4FZ , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:36 , K6EL , KX0R , 14MHz , CW , W0/FR-094
12/1/2013 , 19:48 , K7ATN , KX0R , 4MHz , CW , W0/FR-094

Andy
MM0FMF

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In reply to KX0R:

N0EVH 12/01/2013 19:23 sent 599 got 559 14.063

and thanks. GL

John N0EVH

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In reply to KX0R:
Very good drama George read after lasing only my hat this am on ap033 in az. Cap w0cca

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Oops! Time was 1950, typed in the wrong time!

73
Hal

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In reply to MM0FMF:

Andy,

I am totally stunned and delighted for this data you pulled out and shared! This is most of the activation of W0/FR-094, and we are all grateful. Of course a few more chasers may submit their logs, and I’ll update the log that I submit, if I learn that someone is missing.

Thank you for all your work for this incredible project!

73,

KX0R George

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In reply to KX0R:

Log has been uploaded to the database. Thanks to all!

George
KX0R

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In reply to KX0R:
hi George. how about reading each log entry into a recorder/mobile phone after each contact then delete them back at base when evwrythibgb is safe…

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In reply to GW0TQM:
It’s sometimes difficult to operate the station at the summit under rain, hail, snow or high winds while having to write times, callsigns and reports down on a paper log.
I’ve been thinking, but have never tested yet, about what you mentionned in your post: recording with a digital recorder or a mobile phone the whole activity at the summit and then writing all logs down with calm, comfort and safety once at home or down the hill.
I hope I’ll be trying it one day, but, let’s know it, please, in case any of you have already done it.
Best 73 & HNY.

Guru - EA2IF

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In reply to EA2IF:

I have used a mobile phone camera on a couple of activations when writing has been difficult or impossible due to the weather. I have also utilized the audio recording function on a small MP3 player to record my activations.

In the video below I used the video camera in my mobile phone to record the QSO’s which I transcribed later at home. My logsheets had become saturated & disintegrated when I tried to write on them, despite being inside a light tent. This was an activation of G/SP-008 Boulsworth Hill lad law in January 2011 with Tony G1JPV (formerly 2E0LAE). We had planned this activation months in advance & on the day the weather was very poor. Rain, Hail & very strong wind gusting to well over 70MPH at the summit made activating awkward, but fun :slight_smile:

I guess we should have known it was going to be wild as most other G activators were leaving their summits as we were ascending Hi!

Thanks & Best 73,

Mark G0VOF

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In reply to G0VOF:
Thank you, Mark, for the video.
Since I usually work CW, what I’m thinking about is using a cable from the rig to the mobile phone instead of recording the radio speaker sound, with the heavy wind and possible people talking around and making qrm.
All callsings of the stations I’ll make QSO with will be repeated by me and so they will be clearly recorded from the rig monitor output through the cable to the mobile phone recorder without any qrm.
Unfortunately this won’t work for phone activities unless the used rig has the possibility to monitor the own transmission, which I don’t think it’s the case of the popular FT-817 and most of the qrp rigs.
With this described method, QSO times don’t need to be recorded, just the recording start time, as we’ll be able to write down times looking at a stopwatch which we would start just when we would start playing the full record at home.
I’ll try it one day…
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF

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In reply to EA2IF:

…or buy a waterproof log book. Perhaps that is too easy? :wink:

Andy
MM0FMF

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In reply to MM0FMF:

Helpful as always Andy ?!?

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In reply to G1INK:

Less is more Steve. I’m lucky in that I enjoy technology and I work at the sharp end helping to get new processors and systems into existence. I get to play with all sorts of cool new stuff and get paid to play with them. Technological solutions to real world problems can be very satisfying. But the engineer in me likes simple solutions. Nothing much simpler than a pencil sharpened both ends and some waterproof paper. Works in all weathers. Doesn’t need batteries. Pencil has built in redundancy. Should a double fault event occur, you can sharpen the pencil with penknife, or a car key or even a bit of sharp rock. Works for me.

Less is more. You should try it sometime.

Andy
MM0FMF

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In reply to MM0FMF:
Good advise, Andy.
I’ve never tried waterproof paper and I probably should before getting into the more complicated process I’ve been thinking about.
I’ll look for it on the web to see how much that costs.
However, the clean (through cable) recording of the whole CW activity must be something nice to post here in order to let everyone listen to the pile-up and particularly their signals getting to the activator rx at the summit.

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I am a true believer in Rite in the Rain paper (www.riteintherain.com). I always carry some with me just in case. Works great. They seem to have UK distributors.
73
Paul AA1MI / HB9DST

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In reply to HB9DST:
Thank you, Paul.
73,

Guru - EA2IF

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In reply to HB9DST:Me too. I’ve tried the plastic writing sheet notebook but it welded together after a soaking! My local Go Outdoors has the birdwatching notebooks from Rite in the Rain in the sale - I don’t think they know what to do with them. £4 for the best little logbook.

73

David M0YDH