On March 27th, 2021 starting at 1700 zulu, i had my first SOTA activation. It was on Deem Hill. Between 1700 and 1800, i had six contacts on 146.460. It was very windy at the top, but started to slow by 1900. The wind did keep the bees at bay on the south/sw of the summit that was protected from the wind. N4LAG went up with me until he found the bees. I stayed well clear of those bees, i have been stung by a few and didn’t like it.
I was using a dual band diamond mobile antenna mounted on a six foot mast and a kenwood tm g707. This summit seemed a lot less crowded than the trails I usually use.
I will be out again on April 10th from 1600-1645 on 146.460. I am activating in conjunction/just before the Radios in the Park event between 1700-2100 zulu.
Doug