Got to the trailhead at about 7am and started the hike. Took about 45-50 minutes to the top. Fairly easy hike up. A bit steep near the summit but nothing too crazy.
My goal with this activation was to use the “FT8 Radio” android app for all my QSOs. I briefly tried it out in the backyard the other night. It does have a few quirks but it gets the job done. Overall I’d much rather use my laptop when available but it’s a bit big and bulky so for a hike like this it’s a lot easier to take the phone (which I’d be taking anyway).
I tried calling CQ on 2M 146.520 but didn’t get any replies. I did hear someone chatting but it was not directed to me. I have a Baofeng HT which is what I was using and I’ve never had any luck with it. I have been thinking about getting a Signal Stick antenna for it but it’s not a big deal. I just try 2M every time in case I can make a few quick easy QSOs.
Setup my mast and did a vertical L dipole configuration for 20M. Got the FT8 Radio app going and right away started decoding stations.
In total made 8 QSOs in about 30 minutes. The app is a little awkward to use so I probably could have made more if I was using WSJT-X and a laptop but that’s the trade off.
