On 31 July 2019 W1EJ and I are going to Robb’s Peak W6/NS-266 and Big Hill W6/NS-290. We expect to operate from Robb’s Peak beginning at 1630Z and we both plan HF operations.
After Robb’s Peak we will move on to Big Hill W6/NS-290. Since I have already activated this summit this year I have the opportunity to experiment with VHF/UHF frequencies and modes.
My plan for Big Hill is to use my KX3 to operate 50.05 CW, 50.125 SSB, 52.525 FM, 144.10 CW, 144.200 SSB. Then I will switch to my Kenwood TH-D74A and operate on 446.0 FM, 223.5 FM, and finally 146.52 FM. For 6M I will have a roll up J-Pole, for 2M and 70CM I will have a J-Pole and an Arrow dual band Yagi, and for 1.25M I will be using an extended duckie.
That is a lot of equipment and antenna switching for the activation so I probably will not spend very much time on each segment.
I have posted an alert for my estimated activation time however we all know that alerts are often imprecise regarding time.
If my telephone service is good enough I will post spots as I change frequencies.
The SOTA database shows 117 contacts on 2M but no contacts on 6M or 70CM. Look forward to hearing you on the air!
I have activated on Big Hill before using only 2m, but it was before actually joining SOTA, so no activation points. Used a 5 watt HT with a very tight front end and a 3-element Arrow beam. Had excellent results. That peak easily sees the greater Sacramento area and the thousands of hams within it. 146.520 is very active around here, so you should have no trouble.
Agree with you about use of 146.52 FM from Big Hill. The real test will be the other bands and modes.
There are a few chasers down in Sac Valley/Central Valley that have some good ears. Stockton has at least 2-3 chasers I know of for 2m etc…you should be good with 2m only, not to mention you can probably get some 4x4 folks off the Rubicon (try the .805 repeater if you need to scare up some folks)
You can try 6m FM, but no one is ever on there. And in my experience, there’s more CW between 50.090 and 50.100 than lower down the band.
Consider putting a spot out on here, you might have better luck with the weak signal modes.
Jeff - Thanks for the suggestion on the 6M cw frequency. I will take your advice.
I agree that self spotting is the tool most likely to generate contacts and I plan to do that if cell service allows.
I posted the preplanning reflector message to engage the widest possible group of chasers; I believe a lot of chasers have access to 6M and 70CM equipment and perhaps some of them will be interested.
As a very young ham I was active with an HW-29 (sixer) from Baltimore and worked AM contacts with a dipole in my third floor bedroom. The magic band has continued to remain interesting - it is unlikely that I will make a lot of contacts (except on 146.52) but I remain hopeful!
I hope you will find the time to chase this crazy activation.
Thanks again for the suggestion for CW on 6M.
I have to be at work tomorrow, or I’d go try and work you on all those band/modes. The September VHF contest is coming up soon, though…
Many thanks to all the chasers today who helped me have a successful VHF/UHF activation of Big Hill W6/NS-290.
50.05 CW 2 contacts - K6EL, K6YK
50.125 SSB 2 contacts - K6EL, AJ6CY
52.525 FM 1 contact - AA6KA
144.1 CW 0 contacts - —
144.2 SSB 1 contact - K6YK
223.5 FM 2 contacts - K6YK, WA6KTK
446 FM 2 contacts - K6YK, KK6EWS
146.52 FM 2 contacts - K6EL, W6PMR
12 Contacts on 7 Modes on 4 Bands
7 chasers including multiple contacts with John K6YK in Stockton and Elliot K6EL in San Francisco.
As an added bonus I used 50.05 to complete my activation of Robb’s Peak W6/NS-266 with contacts with K6EL and WC6J. (K6EL also chased me on 10.112 CW on Robb’s Peak.
My goal was to practice with rigs KX3 and TH-D74A and antennas - 6M J-Pole, 2M/440 Arrow Yagi, and the Diamond tri-band duckie on my TH-D74A. Lots of moving parts and quick changes but all the bits and pieces worked!
On Robb’s Peak W6/NS-266 I operated using my KX3 with a 33’ wire using an unun. When I completed the HF contacts I tuned to 50.05 and the KX3 tuner allowed me to work 6M with the push of a button.
Today started at 4:30 AM Local and ended with my return home at 5:00PM Local - a long day, a long drive but a wonderful SOTA day.
Many, many thanks to all the activators today!!!