N7UN Adventures and Ham Radio Activities

2012-01-24T19:40:00.000-05:00

Buddipole Invasion of Grenada (J3) Feb 1-9th 2012

Hard to believe another year of adventure has gone by and now, Feb 1-9th, the Buddipole Adventure Team #1 will be in J3/Grenada for a mini-DXpedition including a number of daytrip, backpack, battery-only portable "eco-operations" to scenic mountain tops or beaches. Each February, the Buddipole Adventure Team #1 travels to a new Caribbean island as part of a 100 lbs or less, "suitcase DXpedition" and run HF 100-watt stations from a northerly-facing, hilltop Villa. Each day the more adventurous team members head out to explore the scenic vistas of the island and to operate portable with backpackable radios and the Buddipole antenna system. The team members are: Chris/W6HFP, Budd/W3FF, Steve/wG0AT, Paul/KB9AVO, Mike/KC4VG, Wey-Bob/K8EAB, Bill/W7ZT, and Guy/N7UN. We expect to have J38xx callsigns. Follow us on the DX Cluster or for up-to-the-hour posts at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BuddipoleLIVE/. Hope to work you from J3!

2011-12-14T18:11:00.001-05:00

Another J6/St Lucia trip completed!

What a wonderful and scenic island. Each time I return with the Buddipole in the Carribean group, I discover more I like. I highly recommend this island to visit, either for a sightseeing vacation or ham radio activities. See our J6 website

With a "new" group of Buddipole users, we were operational from the "Chateau Devaux" in a matter of hours starting Monday morning, 5 Dec. And the 15m-10m bands were just plain "HOT"! 10m opened early (about 2 hrs after sunrise) into Europe and was going strong into the USA until an hour after sunset. Same for 15m and 12m. 20m and 17m seemed "dead" but were probably open but everyone was on the higher bands.

I entered into the ARRL 10m Contest on Sat/Sun. Really only operated about 12 hrs but had tremendous runs into Europe and the US. Wish I had operated more CW to boost my multiplier count but I'm sure that I was the only operater from J6....hence a First Place! Here's my clubLog totals:

2011-12-03T16:13:00.001-05:00

Back to St Lucia as J68UN

The "Buddies in the Caribbean" mini- DXpedition group which specializes in 100 watt or less low power radios and Buddipole portable antenna systems is back again to St Lucia (J6) on Dec 4 – 12, 2011. The north shore Villa location was magnificent on our first visit in Feb 2010 and we want to demonstrate "ultralite" dxpeditioning into magnificent "vista" locations, operating a field portable battery-only radio with backpackable, lightweight antennas and most of all "having fun" with a new group of operators.

The eight operators are: Budd/W3FF, Guy/N7UN, Bill/AA4OC, Barclay/WU1B, Tom/K9CJM, Steve/WF2S, Joe/N7BF, and David/WD9CMD. There will be 3 villa stations in operation on 160-10m using CW, SSB, and RTTY. At the same time, several teams will be battery-only, field portable either from St Lucia beaches or scenic mountain tops. They group is applying for a unique J68UN callsign for the ARRL 10m contest on Dec 10-11th. QSL via LoTW, eQSL, or mail to the operator’s home callsign (SASE required). For more current information, see our J6 website. Hope to work you!

2011-11-16T10:40:00.002-05:00

SOTA RadioAdventure to the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area, NE Oregon

Eagle Cap Peak (SOTA W7/NE-008) is one of the predominate landmarks in the Wallowa Mountains in northeast Oregon. Popular as a premier trout fishing and backpacking area, the wilderness area encompasses over 50 SOTA-qualified Peaks, many over 9,000 ft. The backcountry is characterized by deep river valleys with soaring summit ridges, often 4,000 ft above the valley floors. Most mountain ridges are characterized by significant glacier carving with spectacular cirques and headwalls, numerous high mountain lakes, and big moraines that formed Wallowa Lake, the central tourist and camping destination for this area. The area is bordered on the east by the Hells Canyon Wilderness Area and the Snake River.

Historically it was home to the Nez Perce Indians from the early 1400's and their descendants still occupy this region adding a cultural dimension to the cities and small towns. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nez_Perce for more of the despicable history of broken Treaties and massacres by the US Military in the late 1800's.

From the city of Lostine, we drove up the Lostine Creek Corridor, a deep mountain valley which follows the Lostine Creek to the Two Pan Trailhead and campground. There are several trails into the "high lakes" area which includes Minam and Mirror Lakes. We hiked up the East Lostine Creek trail for about 7 miles gaining over 2,000 ft. The majority of the elevation gain is in the first 2.5 miles then plateaus out to a more gentle high valley area flanked by huge mountain ridges either side of Lostine Creek.

The Eagle Cap summit trail branches off from the Mirror-Minam Lake trail and is a fairly steep 2.7 mile hike. Elevation gain is about 2,000 ft from the Mirror Lake (7,600 ft). The top is spectacular with vistas in all directions. The north and east sides of the summit are steep dropoffs of 2,000 ft or more. The east side is an open cirque and "looks" invitingly easy as a return trail past Glacier Lake. Don\\\'t be deceived (as we were). There is no trail down and you will be "bouldering" for most of your descent. Granite rocks are very slippery when wet.

Ham Radio Setup: This is an open and exposed summit. High winds should be expected and be especially careful near the north and east sides of the summit. It would be very easy to "slip" on the loose rock and plummet over a 2,000 ft drop to become a SK!

There is a very good local 2m repeater (KB7DZR, 147.000+, 103.5T) with Echolink and APRS nodes and excellent backcountry coverage, at least from the mountain tops. It is monitored by a number of friendly locals and is owned/maintained by Scott Hampton. See his webpage for more information and weather-reporting capabilities. Make sure you contact Tim/KB7RVL, Lorna/KB7RVI, or Larry/K7BUY if you are in the area.

Eagle Cap Peak would be a difficult day hike. Plan at least to camp overnight at Mirror Lake. In the summer months, especially on weekends, this campground can get "crowded" so plan your trip accordingly. Also expect horses or llamas on these trails.

2011-08-14T17:39:00.003-04:00

Coloradio nS0TA in Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park Radio Adventures
For three days I hiked 3 different peaks in Rocky Mtn National Park (RMNP) the first week of August. I had never visited the Park before and now understand why it was preserved as a national resource in 1915. Nearly 1/3 of the Park is above treeline, 11,400 ft. A number of its Peaks are SOTA-qualified, an Activators paradise!

Early Tuesday, Aug 2, I was up early, eager to get into the Park and the Bear Lake Trailhead for Hallett Pk/W0/FR-019. I didn't know what to expect logistically but with some advanced help from Rich/W0LI, a local residing in Estes Park, I found my way to the Park & Ride to Bear Lake. The Park is crowded with visitors, especially those from the midwest trying to escape the August heat. Parking is limited and the easiest/fastest way to get around the Park is by the frequent shuttle buses.

See my pictures for this trip. The Flattop trail is well-traveled and maintained. The challenge is the 3,400 ft elevation gain from 9,300 to 12,700 ft, not an easy task for a flatlander! The Flattop Trail is one of the more popular hikes, characterized by many vista overlooks and a lot of people hiking the trail. The top of Flattop is non-descript. Follow the signs and rock cairns to Hallett Peak. Be sure to look "into" the Tyndall Glacier at the sign. Just spectacular! Hallet is a rock/boulder climb in many places and certainly wind exposed. Follow the rock cairns to the peak. See this link for more climbing information.

For Day 2 of my 3 day odyssey in RMNP, I chose to hike Ypsilon Peak (W0/FR-009-13,414') in the Mummy Range just east of the Alpine Center. Access to the Chapin Trailhead is up the ONE WAY Old Trail Head Road which just opened days before my arrival due to excessive snow depths. If the road is closed, it is possible to hike down the 1 mile to Chapin Trailhead from the Alpine Center. I had a Nat'l Geographic Map #200 which has sufficient detail and includes most trails. Stop at any of the Visitor's Centers for trailmap pamphlets.

These Mummy Range trails are not part of the "official" trail system in RMNP and, as a result, will not appear on maps. Don't know why but I suspect the Forest Service doesn't want to encourage hiking in this area. But the Chapin Trail is hiked often to be easily navigable although trail head parking is very limited...maybe 10 cars or so. Get there early for a parking spot. Access to the Old Trail Head Road is off Hyw 34 and is a narrow gravel/dirt road. See this link for more information. See some pictures at this link.

For Day 3 of my 3 day odessey in RMNP, I chose to hike Sundance Peak (W0/FR-019-12,416') in the Mummy Range just east of the Alpine Center. The goal was to meet up with 3 of the "locals" to demo a SOTA Activation at or near sunrise! W0LI/Rich, NQ4O/Dan, and KD4PDW/David. Rich is retired in Estes Park, Dan is a Park Ranger and David is 2-week old ham but works in Estes Park.

Take Hwy 34 west and about 3-1/2 miles past the Rainbow Curves vista pullout, you will find an unmarked pullout on the downhill side of the road. I had a Nat'l Geographic Map #200 which has sufficient road detail and includes most trails and vista locations. See these linksfor more information and my pictures ,

2011-07-30T11:03:00.002-04:00

Coloradio nS0TA and N0B qrp Radio Adventures

I have planned another nS0TA adventure extravaganza for August, this time to Coloradio for two adventures: 1) the annual Colo-14er N0B event ( see http://n0b-14er.blogspot.com/ for detail information) and 2) three days in Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park. I've never spent any time in ROMO (see http://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm for info) and am looking forward to exploring this magnificent NP. A local ham (W0LI) who also is a volunteer at the Park has assisted me in logistics planning: Aug 2/Tue: SOTA activate Hallett Peak (W0/FR-018), an iconic ROMO landmark. More info and pictures at http://www.summitpost.org/hallett-peak/151577. On Aug 3/Wed: activate Yipsilon Peak (W0/FR-009), another beautiful peak in the Mummy Range NW of Estes Park. See http://www.summitpost.org/ypsilon-mountain/151685 for some great pictures. Then on Aug 4/Thurs: W0LI/Rich has organized a "sunrise" local club hike and "demo" activation of Sundance Peak (W0/FR-019). The 3 or 4 am departure may be the biggest challenge! More info and pictures at http://www.summitpost.org/sundance-mountain/152726.

Then a drive south to Steve's/wG0AT place near Colo Springs to prep for our three day adventure into the San Juan Range in south central Colo for our "big 14-er event" for N0B and participation in the annual Colo-14er ham radio special event on Aug 7th. This year KT5X/Fred will join us. The plan is to drive into the trailhead on Friday, camp and hike locally, then on Saturday move up to a higher base camp (around 12,000 ft) in preparation for an early, before dawn departure on Sunday. Our faithful sherpas, Rooster and Peanut will help us "ol' goats" with the logistics! You can see some great pictures of Handies at http://www.summitpost.org/handies-peak/150302.

Handies Peak 14,060 ft on right

In all cases, we plan to operate at least one station on 14.061-CW. Watch qrpspots.com for more information each day for these trips. Follow us at http://aprs.fi/?call=Wg0at-7. We look forward to working you!

2011-07-17T11:57:00.001-04:00

nS0TA to the White Mtns of New Hampshire

I'm planning a 5-day hike and camping trip thru the White Mtns of NH which will include a 6 peak SOTA extravaganza thru some of the most scenic and physically demanding mountains in the NE USA. And the week will end with a "benefit" climb (for the summit observatory, see http://www.seekthepeak.org/ for more detailed information) of Mt. Washington 6,288ft/1,917m, which has the distinction as the "Home of the world's Worst Weather". Read about the 200+ mph winds at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_(New_Hampshire)

Since I've not spent anytime in these mountains, my times are approximate and I won't activate (or climb) in rainy or dangerous weather. I'll SMS post via Twitter/cellphone my current summit status. Here's my daily planned iteniary:

Monday/18 Jul: 7 hr driveup from NJ to the Whites. Camp at Layfayette Campground.

Tuesday/19 Jul: Hike the Franconia Ridge Loop with a stop at Mt. Layfayette (W1/HA-002). See http://www.summitpost.org/mount-lafayette/150537 for some nice pictures and detailed info.

Wed/20 Jul: Hike the Hancock Loop Trail with a stop at Mt. Hancock (W1/HA-046). See http://www.summitpost.org/hancock-north-peak-and-south-peak/153470 for some nice pictures of the "Hancocks".

Thurs/21 Jul: If the wx cooperates, this will be a "double" attempt as Mt Jefferson (W1/HA-120) and Mt Adams (W1/HA--093) are within 2.5 miles of each other. See http://www.summitpost.org/where-s-the-snow-a-late-november-romp-in-the-presis/254436 for some info. Also http://www.summitpost.org/adams-and-madison-adventure/232724.

Fri/22 Jul: This will be a quick one if the wx is cooperating to Wildcat Mtn (W1/HA060).

Sat/23 Jul: This is the BIG one, a benefit climb for the wx observatory at the summit. See http://www.summitpost.org/mount-washington/150248. Much has been written about Mt Washington. I look forward to the visit and, wx and wind cooperating, the SOTA activation. The "Seek the Peak" organizers are planning somewhat of a big festival/party with some 500 folks planned to attend. Just more really good stories!

Hope to work you during this nS0TA week! Regards, Guy/N7UN with the club call nS0TA.

2011-07-01T19:46:00.001-04:00

nS0TA to the Green Mtns of Vermont

I will activate 4 peaks in VT from July 4th-6th on a 3 day camping/hiking trip. The wx looks favorable right now.

July 4th: Mt Stratton (W1/GM-007) at 3,940ft (1201m). This will be a 9.3 mi loop hike. Planned summit time of 1800 utc with my K1 on 14.061-cw. Overnight camp at Grout Pond.

July 5th: Pico Peak (W1/GM-183) at 3,957 ft (1206m) will be first. With a 2.9 mi hike to the summit and a planned activation at 1500 utc with my K1 on 14.061-cw. Then around 1700 utc or so, I'll hike 3 mi south along the Appalachian Trail to Killington (W1/GM-002). Killington is the site of a famous NE ski resort. Elevation is 4,235 ft (1291m). Planned activation time is around 1900 utc. I will then hike the return route for a total hike of about 12 mi.

July 6th: I'll drive north to Mount Mansfield, VT's tallest mtn at 4,393 ft (1,339m). This will be a 7.9 mi loop hike. Planned summit time of 1600 utc.

I've never hiked in the Green Mtns before so changes in the plans can occur. I will announce via Twitter to qrpspots.com my status and any changes in these plans.

2011-06-20T21:36:00.006-04:00

Club Call nS0TA Received!

Based on Fred's/KT5X effort in attaining a club call, wS0TA, I formed a Club with Steve/wG0AT under the FCC rules. With the appropriate paperwork signed and submitted with the ARRL at Dayton, we received our initial club callsign of KD2AGC within an hour! Three days later, I applied for a Vanity callsign of nS0TA after paying the $13 for a 10-yr license. Then the 18 day waiting period began but by June 19th, I received confirmation of the issuance of nS0TA! Yahoo! See qrz.com for more information.

Now a whole other dimension of SOTA fun! And with "some help from our friends", nS0TA Club was nicknamed, the "SOTAmigos"!

On 30 June I will "christen" the new call by a local SOTA opeation to High Point, NJ W2/NJ-001. I will start out on 14.061-cw and if band condx are good, I will try 18.096-cw. Hope to work you!

2011-04-23T15:54:00.001-04:00

April 2011 News Update for upcoming N7UN Adventures

W1W Special Event July 21-23rd, Mt Washington, NH Observatory Benefit. Concurrently a SOTA Activation. See http://www.seekthepeak.org/ for more detailed information.

N0B Colorado 14-er Climb Special Event on Aug. 6-7th wG0AT/Steve, AC7MA/Rich, and N7UN/Guy will SOTA activate another 14,000+ ft Colorado peak. See http://n0b-14er.blogspot.com/ for the latest information.

N7UN/p A mid-Sept week long backpacking and SOTA activation trip into the Eagle Cap Wilderness area of NE Oregon. wG0AT/Steve, W6HFP/Chris, and maybe KE7RVL/Tim.

J68UN A Dec 4-12th mini-DXpedition trip back to St. Lucia (J6) with the Buddipole folks and a bunch of "new" dxpeditioners. Always a welcome break from winter with a bunch of fun-loving folks. Planned /p operations from the beaches and mountaintops.

2011-02-17T20:10:00.000-05:00

What a great 10 days in J7-land Dominica
Wow! What a great time due in part by my escape from weeks of sub-freezing temperatures in NJ! Certainly the 80's in Dominica were a welcome treat. The north shore of Dominica is beautiful. Actually the whole island is a recreational playground with many beautiful beaches and an abundance of hiking trails. Economically, however, Dominica is much more impoverished than other Caribbean islands with greater than 60% of its estimated 70k population chronically unemployed. Tourism plays a major economic role and there are many, many roadside stands selling local fruits, vegetables, and handmade crafts. And the island has launched one of the first national hiking trails that goes from the north to the south through two of its national parks. The Wai'tuKubuli National Trail is 174km long, divided into 14 segments, is destined to be a major Caribbean eco-destination for hikers. The trail passes from the southern beaches through two National Heritage protected Parks north to the very scenic north shore ending in history-rich Portsmouth.

The intriped Buddipole team of Chris/W6HFP, Steve/wG0AT, and myself spent nearly each day of our week long dxpedition hiking and field activating remote beach or mountain sites in this very scenic island. See some of the pictures of the many days hiking and some of the beautiful beaches we had some QRP fun, often between frequent rain showers! But the rain squalls were short lived and more importantly, they were warm!

Steve/wG0AT is creating one of his famous videos of our fun. Stay tuned for more action!

2011-01-14T09:28:00.002-05:00

Feb 2011 News Release:

The "Buddies in the Caribbean" DXpedition (Team #1) which specializes in 100 watt or less low power radios and the Buddipole portable antenna systems are going to Dominica (J7) on February 1-9th, 2011. Yes, a very welcome change in weather from the cold and snow of north NJ! Part of the "fun" is the hiking into scenic locations and operating QRP portable! My Dominica callsign is J79UN.

We plan to stay at the Calibashie Cove hotel ( http://www.calibishiecove.com/ ) on the north shore of Dominica. After two very successful mini-DXpeditions to St Lucia in 2010, we look forward to demonstrating our capabilities for "ultralite" DXpeditioning into magnificent vista locations, operating a field portable, battery-only radio with backpackable, lightweight antennas and most of all having fun. The entire mini-DXpedition is limited to equipment that can fit in your airline suitcase. QSL to N7UN or LoTW. SASE required. NO IRC's or eQSL.

2010-11-27T15:55:00.001-05:00

Back to J6/St Lucia Dec 5-13th

The "Buddies in the Caribbean" DXpedition group which specializes in 100 watt or less low power radios and the Buddipole portable antenna systems is back again to St Lucia (J6) on Dec 5 – 13, 2010. The north shore Villa location was magnificent on our first visit in Feb 2010 and we want to demonstrate "ultralite" dxpeditioning into magnificent "vista" locations, operating a field portable battery-only radio with backpackable, lightweight antennas and most of all "having fun" with a new group of operators.

The eight operators are: Budd/W3FF, Guy/N7UN, Wey/K8EAB, Bill/W7ZT, Todd/N4LA, Kent/K4MK, Gary/NX8L, and Tom/W4OKW. There will be 3 villa stations in operation on 160-10m using CW, SSB, and RTTY. At the same time, several teams will be battery-only, field portable either from St Lucia beaches or scenic mountain tops. They group is applying for a unique J6BP callsign for the ARRL 10m contest on Dec 11-12th. QSL via LoTW, eQSL, or mail to the operator’s home callsign (SASE required). For more current information, see our J6 website. Hope to work you!

2010-06-17T09:53:00.001-04:00

News Release June, 2010:

The Old Goats DXpedition team (wG0AT, N7UN and including Rooster and Peanut!) are planning our 3rd Colo 14er "special event" activation of of a Colorado 14er this August 8th, 2010 using our 2009 callsign of N0B. After setting a "first" for a QRP HF out-of-state, 14er-to-14er qso in 2008 (Mt. Whitney, CA to Uncompaghre, CO), this time we hope to make a 3-way, summit QSOs between two California peaks and our yet-to-be-selected Colorado peak. The Colorado team will hike into a high base camp on Friday and setup QRP antennas for Friday and Saturday radio fun. Then at 4 am, Sunday, we will start the summit climb with a goal of an 8 am summit activation using special event callsign N0B. At the same time, several operators (Brian/N6IZ for sure) will be climbing Mt. Shasta and several others are looking at Mt. Whitney. Anybody that might be interested in participating even if its basecamp activities in support of the climbing teams, please contact Guy/N7UN. You can get updated information at http://n0b-14er.blogspot.com Hope to work you!

2010-04-09T13:07:00.004-04:00

What started out to be a simple beach activation of this historic Marconi site turned into a great adventure. A group of QRPers including Pi/K1RV, Steve/wG0AT, Chris/W6HFP, and Guy/N7UN activated this site on March 11 pm and March 12 am. Operation included 160m QRP, and 80m through 17m QRO on March 12th using the historic early Marconi callsign, W1M. Because of some fortuitous circumstances, we are staying overnight at the USCG Station at Marconi Beach and will have access to a wire dipole hung from a 90' site tower.

We had a blast and it was great to learn the history of Marconi's efforts from Whitey/K1VV and Ranger Barbara/N1NS and a visit to the National Park Headquarters to see an original spark gap transmitter and reciever. This is an original site picture in the 1910's. The beach "dropoff", due to beach erosion, is now back to the rear tower footings which is all that remains of the original installation. By the way, those towers were made of wood and were 200 ft tall!

Thanks to all we worked as W1M. See http://www.qrz.com/db/W1M for QSL and more information. See Steve's/wG0AT great video of this operation, original site pictures and a "demo" of a spark gap transmitter!

2010-04-01T16:05:00.000-04:00

St Lucia (J6) and the Climb of Pitit Piton

Wow! What a great week in the Caribbean paradise of St Lucia. Chris/W6HFP, Steve/wG0AT, and myself "left the villa everyday" for beach, vista locations, or mountain-topping field HF portable operations. We rented some mountain bikes which let us explore nearby local beaches but one day we drove the 60km south to Soufriere to climb Pitit Piton, the classic photographer's icon of St Lucia. WHY you ask? The bottom line: I'm an adventure junkie...coupled with the desire to HF activate "memorable" locations! Crazy? Yes, but it was "more than fun!" See the wG0AT video of this "extreme QRP adventure!" The weather was perfect up top since the wind was blowing over the top of us. We spent two hours making contacts primarily with Eu and the US. Memorable...you bet! See our mini-dxpedition website for more information about St Lucia, our villa, and obtaining ham radio licenses.

2010-01-02T11:59:00.000-05:00

Feb 2010 to St Lucia (J6)

How lucky can a guy get? I'm off to St Lucia with the BuddiPole Dxpedition team Feb 2-11th. The goal is the same as last years FS/PJ7/PJ6 effort, that is, to "operate battery field QRP portable from beaches, mountain tops, and other vista locations". After a lengthy license application process, we all received authorizations to operate under the ITU designator J6/homecall. See our website for more detailed information or our blogsite for day-by-day detail. This is gonna be another great hamradio adventure!

2009-08-20T11:45:00.000-04:00

WE MADE IT!!

Yahoo! The climb and assault on Mt Humboldt was successful for the Old Goats Dxpedition team of wG0AT, sherpas Rooster and Peanut, and myself. The wx was clear but the wind was persistent for the three days we were in base camps or on the mountain top. For a more in depth story, go to our dedicated blogsite for this Colo-14er ham radio event and follow the links to the videos of our base camps and HF and VHF operation from the 14,064' mountain top, in spite of the 40+ mph gusty winds!

2009-08-01T07:50:00.000-04:00

News Release #2: 2009 Colorado 14er Event

In one week, the Old Goats DXpedition team (including Rooster and Peanut!) is off to participate in the 2009 Colo 14er "special event" hamradio (see http://www.14er.org/ ) activation of Humboldt Peak (14,064') this August 9th using our 2008 callsign of N0B. After setting a "first" for a QRP HF out-of-state, 14er-to-14er qso in 2008 (Mt. Whitney, CA to Uncompaghre, CO), this time we hope to make a 3-way, summit QSOs between Mt. Shasta, Mt. Langley (both in CA) and Humboldt Peak in CO. The Colorado team of Steve/wG0AT and Guy/N7UN will hike into a 11,000’ base camp on Friday and setup QRP antennas for Friday and Saturday radio fun.
Then at 4 am MDT on Sunday we will start the summit climb of Humboldt with a goal of an 8 am MDT summit activation using the special event callsign N0B. At the same time, Brian/N6IZ will climb Mt. Shasta (14,162') and Mark/AF6AX will be climbing Mt Langley (14,062'). Guy/N7UN will be carrying a portable APRS unit (see http://aprs.fi and use N7UN-9 for the SSID) for near realtime route tracking. Anybody that might be interested in participating even if its basecamp activities in support of the climbing teams, please contact Guy/N7UN. Look forward to working you from the summit on 14.060, 14.342.5, and near the 2m/440 calling frequencies.

2009-07-20T09:16:00.001-04:00

News Release:

The Old Goats DXpedition team (including Rooster and Peanut!) is planning another Colo 14er "special event" activation of Humboldt Peak (14,064') this August 9th using our 2008 callsign of N0B. After setting a "first" for a QRP HF out-of-state, 14er-to-14er qso in 2008 (Mt. Whitney, CA to Uncompaghre, CO), this time we hope to make a 3-way, summit QSOs between Mt. Shasta, Mt. Langley (both in CA) and Humboldt Peak in CO. The Colorado team will hike into the 11,000’ base camp on Friday and setup QRP antennas for Friday and Saturday radio fun. Then at 4 am, Sunday, we will start the summit climb of Humboldt with a goal of an 8 am summit activation using special event callsign N0B. At the same time, Brian/N6IZ and Mark/AF6AX will be climbing Mt. Shasta and Mt Langley. Anybody that might be interested in participating even if its basecamp activities in support of the climbing teams, please contact Guy/N7UN. You can get updated information at http://n0b-14er.blogspot.com Hope to work you!

2008-12-25T08:13:00.000-05:00

December 2008 Polar Bear QRP Event

Wow!! What a contrast to the October Polar Bear outing! Just about a 50-deg f. temperature swing! Just what Polar Bears like! This Saturday was two days after a sleet/ice storm in our area and the ice was everywhere, especially on my favorite antenna support structure, the BearFort Firetower.

You can get more information about the Polar Bears at the Yahoo Group: PolarBearsQrp_Ops. It seemed that 20m was pretty hot given the current solar conditions. Worked a number of Polar Bears on the west coast including K6BBQ and KE7LKW, a new Polar Bear in Wash. Hope to work you on our January 2009 outing!

2008-12-02T22:03:00.000-05:00

October 2008 Polar Bear "Season Opening" at the BearFort Firetower

Here's the latest video of a recent "Open Den" at my nearby antenna support structure for field QRP activities. Several local "polar bears" joined my on this not-so-winter day for some QRP fun in the sun.

Although the temperatures were in the mid-70's during the day, it was a great "first of the 2008-2009 Polar Bear QRP" events and got us all excited about our monthly Saturday QRP events during the winter time. I'm sure it will be colder/snower/windy than we want all too soon! You can get more information about the Polar Bears at the Yahoo Group: PolarBearsQrp_Ops. Hope to work you on one of these outings!

2008-08-17T20:44:00.000-04:00

N0B & N6IZ have First HF qrp 14er-to-14er QSO (state-to-state)

Video #2 "Gaining Altitude" is an account of N0B's journey into thin air with Rooster and Peanut is now online! You can view the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug2sQj908go&eurl=http://n0b-14er.blogspot.com/

On August 10 2008 N0B (operators Guy/N7UN and Steve/N0TU) along with their faithful Sherpa/goats (Rooster and Peanut) set out to climb Uncompahgre Peak, CO (14,309') from the Nellie Creek Trailhead (11,400'). Meanwhile in CA, Brian/N6IZ was climbing Mt Whitney (14,498' highest peak in lower 48) had 8 miles and 6200' between him and the summit, almost double the effort of N0B! The Ham 14er Event (http://www.14er.org/) provided a perfect venue for our Old Goats QRPexpedition adventure. The video tells the rest of the story.

BTW this adventure was so inspiring Guy and Steve are already making plans for next years Ham 14er Event! Meanwhile Rooster and Peanut suggest we stick to lower elevations for our QRP/goat hikes.

So here's the N0B list of productions by Steve/N0TU:
Video # 1 "Getting Attitude"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCYROUAefsU
Video # 2 "Gaining Altitude"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug2sQj908go
Video # 3 "Altitude with Attitude"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV_0eaTX_R0
Related links:
http://n0tu.blogspot.com/
http://n7un.blogspot.com/
http://www.14er.org/

2008-08-13T19:00:00.000-04:00

We Made It!!! A Successful climb of 14,309' Uncompaghre Mtn in Colorado for the Coloradio 14er Event!

Wow!! What a trip! We made it to the top of 14,309’ Uncompaghre, spent several hours on HF and VHF making numerous contacts before our descent. In spite of early clouds and 30 mph winds, we braved the harsh mountain top conditions until the sun broke through and warmed our bodies and spirits. The next 2 hours was “fun on HF CW and SSB” as we made contacts around the country. Our most notable contact was with Brian, N6IZ, on 14,497’ Mt. Whitney in California! We had coordinated our mountaintop schedule to align with Brian's in an attempt to be the FIRST to have a Colorado 14er contact with an out-of-Colorado 14er. Brian had a KX1 at 3w and a vertical and we had a K2 at 5w to an inverted Vee dipole on a Jackite 28’ mast. And Steve’s “mountain” pack goats were our invaluable sherpas! More information, writeups, and videos will follow as we craft our stories! Steve/N0TU has posted a few pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/n0tu.qrp/14er/photo#5234032384522587906 .

2008-06-13T07:17:00.000-04:00

National Trail Day QRP Adventure

It was a hot, humid and windless day for QRP adventure to a nearby "antenna support structure", BearFort Firetower just south of West Milford NJ. I have been to this site numerous times in the winter but wanted to get some video in order to use Microsoft's Movie Maker 2 software....which is free for Windows XP and Vista users. Nice package with some enhanced features and the price is right! I'm experimenting with packing my K2 since I'll be using it for CW and SSB for the upcoming Coloradio 14er adventure in August. This video also includes some footage of my multi-band dipole that I use for backpacking.

2008-05-12T10:37:00.000-04:00

Colorado August 12th 14er Activation:

Steve/N0TU, Guy/N7UN, and Dan/K0UIF, all part of the Old Goats QRPexpedition Team, are planning a summit activation of one of the 54 Colorado "14ers", mountains over 14,000' ASL. This effort will be during the Colorado 14ers Special Event where radio amateurs activate a peak to communicate with other amateurs. Primary activity will take place between 1500 and 1800 UTC on HF/VHF/UHF frequencies. See http://www.14er.org and http://n0b-14er.blogspot.com/ for more information. The Old Goats team effort will primarily be QRP HF on 40/30/20m but will have 144/440 SSB capability also.

2008-04-25T17:25:00.000-04:00

Old Goats QRPedition Team in Canyonlands NP, Utah

An avid participant in a number of the PolarBear winter QRP activities, Steve, N0TU, has gained quite a following for his videos documenting his QRP activities in the field particularily with his pack goats, Rooster and Peanut. So when I had a business trip to Las Vegas, I contacted Steve for a possible joint outing somewhere in south Utah. We quickly settled in on the Canyonlands Needles District (http://www.nps.gov/cany) for a 3-day, 2 night backcountry hiking trip and, of course, some QRP fun on April 11-14th.

The weather couldn’t have been better with cool mid-thirties at night, and the 70’s during the day. And the stars….amazing to see the Milky Way again! We had a great adventure, saw some fantastic topography where eons of wind and sand have sculpted rock monoliths and canyons of incredible color and shapes. Words, or even pictures, really don’t capture the magnitude of the place. You really have to visit the area yourself to gain a sense of the majesty. And we had a lot of fun with our QRP rigs…especially the 2nd and 3rd days.

I’ve created a small slide show of some still photographs:

or you can see the large screen show with captions at http://tinyurl.com/4dgwwf .

Steve has wielded his video magic and created a four part series on YouTube! Steve is a master at capturing the action! Here's the whole Needles series:

DX on the Mesa with a Buddistick http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aorRonrs3J0
Backpacking in the Needles (part I) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgvyovWRd-o
Backpacking in the Needles (part II) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wovL8D63REc
...and the latest BIG one:
Backpacking in the Needles (part III) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1oOU0eL24w

Out of this hike came some new plans for upcoming adventures for the Old Goats QRPexpedition Team including a HF QRP activation of the summit of one of the Colorado 14ers during the annual August Coloradio 14er event. Info on this primarily VHF/UHF special event can be found at http://www.14er.org/ . Our goal is a QRP HF activation with a big effort! Certainly we will keep everyone posted of our plans for this QRP special event!

2008-03-16T11:34:00.000-04:00

The Blue Mountain Adirondacks Adventure!

My winter hiking friend, Joel Miller (W2TQ) and I have hiked into several "vista" locations, primarily firetower sites, in the Adirondacks these past few months. Part of the "fun" is to get out in the winter and experience popular summer hiking sites during snowy winter conditions. Secondly, it is an opportunity to improve cold, winter camping skills and test equipment in harsh or challenging weather. Blue Mtn at 3,760' and located in the central Adirondacks and the firetower atop the peak provided for great vistas in all directions. Blue Mtn receives around 15,000 visitors in the summer months and is a popular snowshoe site in the winter. Part of my fun is to hang a dipole off the Firetower and operate QRP with my trusty K1. And to make our campout even more interesting, a large Nor'easter was headed our way so we were expecting some "challenging" weather!

We started the 1500' elevation gain climb Friday about 12:30. The sun was out and the temps were in the low 30's. Nice! The Nor'easter was already raging through the Ohio valley with record snowfalls and temps in the single digits. We were on the "warm" side of the low pressure but the A'dacks create their own weather. So we were anticipating snow, sleet, freezing rain and maybe even high winds. I had my trusty N7UN sled with the new brackets for using my ski poles as "arms" to steer, lift, and guide the sled particularily on downhills. Joel, W2TQ, was using his new sled for the first time.

The climb to the top was uneventful. If we stayed on the snowshoe-packed trail, the two feet of snow was not problematic. If you stepped off the trail, you postholed a couple of feet. It's a 2 mile climb to the top of Blue Mtn and the Blue Mtn Firetower. The top area had a couple of feet of crusty snow, was fairly open, and the firetower somewhat ice-crusted over. And it was just in time 'cause you could see the dark clouds out of the south heading our way! With tents up, my multiband antenna up, we battened down the hatches as it began to snow. I had hoped to be on 20m for an hour or so to make a contact with N0TU. I made two contacts on 20m before a heavy pulse-noise interference overloaded the K1 AGC and drove me to 40m. But this required a very quick change of the multiband dipole in the now heavier snow storm. A few minutes later, I was tuning on 40 which was challenging since a 1/4 of the dipole was laying across nearby trees about 15' off the ground. But the K1 tuned up with a 1.6 swr and 4 watts out. 40 mtrs was hot! I had a nice chat with Ken WA8REI who had a strong signal with me. I was on 40m from 6pm to 7pm and worked a lot of folks but no other Polar Bears.
It was snowing hard now and in an hour or so we had 2"...looked like a foot or more by morning if this snowfall rate kept up. But around midnight it started to sleet followed by freezing rain for a while then quiet and calm from 2am on. By morning, we had about 6" of new snow and an inch of ice on my dipole and temps around the high 20's! I shook the coax and knocked some ice off but not much. Fortunately the trusty K1 tuned up ok which amazed me with the inch of ice on the dipole wires. I made some fun contacts in the midwest with folks getting a lot of snow and bitterly cold temps, e.g. -5 f. in Wisconsin! The Nor'easter was heading our way but not forecasted to hit until later that Saturday nite. Fortunately we were hiking down that day and would miss the worst of the weather and the forecasted 50-60 mph winds, heavy icing and then a significant snowfall.
We had breakfast (love my gourmet roasted oats, christened with sweet spices...ok, ok, oatmeal!) and then started to pack up. The forecast was for freezing rain or just rain until a change over to all snow later Sat. evening as this fairly powerful Nor'easter moved up the Ohio valley. And just in time because it started to rain! With temps now in the low 30's the rain was cold but our activity kept us warm.

We got back down the mountain quickly, loaded up the gear in the pickup, had a great lunch at a local resturant and then started our 4 hr trip back to NJ. Wow, did it ever rain hard almost the whole trip back. Flooding for sure for northern NJ and SE NY. So it was a grand adventure not only to QRP operate from a new location but to experience some "challenging" weather. And it proves that with relatively simple QRP equipment and an antenna "in the trees" you can effectively communicate, even in the worst of conditions.

Guy, N7UN/2
RainMan, PB#15

2008-03-15T21:42:00.000-04:00

Improvements to the N7UN Sled:

A number of folks have inquired about the N7UN sled that I’ve been using for carrying my backpack on snow during winter hikes. The use of a sled significantly reduces the amount of work during the hike since the backpack is carried in the sled which slides almost effortlessly on snow. Added benefits are the reduction of “wear-and-tear” on the body due to carrying a 35-45 lb pack on your back over 3-5 miles and climbing or gaining a lot of elevation.

Coming down hills is more challenging although. The sled “nips” at your heels since it's sliding down hill. I was holding my ski poles behind me against my pack to control it. I later added some aluminum brackets to the sled and drilled a hole in each bracket just larger than my ski pole tip. The idea was to put my ski pole tips in the bracket holes thereby providing a tighter connection with increased positive control of the sled during the downhills.

This worked great on the trip to Blue Mtn recently. In fact my ski poles would “wedge” themselves in the bracket holes thereby allowing me to lift the front of the sled which is very helpful in crossing creeks or trail obstacles. The problem however is the wear-and-tear on the ski pole tip due to being wedged in the bracket hole. During the Blue Mtn trip, after several hours of downhill control of the sled by use of the ski poles, the tips broke off. It seems on my Black Diamond poles, the tip is connected to the aluminum shaft by a hard plastic shell which becomes the weak point and eventually cracks and then breaks off.

Joel Miller, W2TQ, my winter hiking friend, suggested that I might adapt some sort of ball joint to connect the ski pole to the bracket. Good idea! So a google search later for “small ball joints” I found a potential solution at Small Parts, Inc. in a ¼” thread swivel ball joint with an overall length of 1-13/16”. I then threaded the ski pole shaft end to fit the ¼” thread, bolted the ball joint to the bracket and screwed in the ski pole shaft and “eureka!” a positive control to the sled with a swivel joint. The sled front end can now be lifted to clear terrain obstacles and the ski poles act like arms to the sled for very positive control during steep downhill sections of a descent.

Although I haven’t tested this improvement yet in actual snow/hiking conditions, it should work great. Now I can control the sled during the downhills, and still have the rope-to-waist belt for pulling the sled during the uphill sections of the hike and my poles free from the sled to assist in the uphill climb.

Until you try a sled to haul your gear, I can’t tell you how much less work is required which in turn results in a much more enjoyable winter hike over longer distances.

The Small Parts, Inc. part number for the swivel ball joint I used is: BJS-06-01 and costs $4.75 each. An engineering drawing of the part can be seen at: http://tinyurl.com/3bcryp Hopefully these ideas can make your winter hiking more enjoyable!

2008-02-24T20:42:00.000-05:00

Feb 2008 Polar Bear Madness

After a 12" snowfall the day before, I elected to throw my multiband dipole up in some of my backyard trees and operate the Polar Bear event from the comfort of my picnic table. Although the temperature was in the high 20's and we had some very light snow flurries, I was very comfortable and warm. This was also another opportunity to "practice my video filming techniques", hopefully with lessons learned from the previous video efforts! Another goal was to try to work Steve, N0TU who was going up to Mt Herman near Monument CO with his packgoats and to use the Polar Bear Club callsign, W3PBC. Here's a video from my backyard "On the Ice Shelf" production:

So it was a lot of fun, I made a number of great contacts including Ken, WA8REI, whose "fist" is sounding as good as ever, and I did make contact with Steve, W3PBC/N0TU. That was real fun as his signal was loud and a good copy. With all the new snow, the backyard "ice shelf" was a great operating location. Hope to work you on my next winter outing sometime in March.

You can get more information about the Polar Bear QRP Club at: http://www.polarbearqrp.org/

Thanks for the contacts,

Guy, N7UN/2, Polar Bear #15, aka "RainMan"

2008-02-10T19:17:00.000-05:00

N7UN Climb of Black Mtn, Adirondacks, NY

My winter hiking friend Joel W2TQ and I went up to near Lake George, NY and climbed up to the firetower on top of Black Mtn in the Adirondacks, NY. This site is about 15 miles NW of Rutland, VT and overlooks Lake George in NY.

This is my first attempt at using my digital camera to video some of my hiking experiences. So I apologize in advance for the "roughness" of this production...on some of these video excerpts you will need to turn your head 90-degs to the left to adequately view. Too many years as a still photographer....I learned you can't turn the camera 90-degs to get a wider perspective! Next time we'll do better....I promise.

So all-in-all this was a "10" for a winter camping experience. There was enough snow to make it fun, the scenery was beautiful, and the N7UN Winter Sled made the hike very enjoyable. I'm already planning the next winter hike into the Red Hill Firetower in the southern Catskills, maybe sometime in March!

Guy, N7UN/2, Polar Bear #15, aka "RainMan"

2008-01-20T12:10:00.000-05:00

Jan 2008 Overlook Mtn Firetower

I had visited this site back in June, 2007 and catalogued it as a winter camping possibility based on several camping areas, ease of access, and a superior ham radio location because of the “antenna support structure”, errr…. Firetower on the edge of an 1000’ escarpment facing southwest and overlooking the Woodstock Catskills valleys. You can see some site pictures at: http://www.firelookout.net/Individ_Lookouts/US223_Overlook_Mtn.htm .

The trip goals were to do some more winter camping, hopefully this time with snow since my previous trip to Catfish Firetower on January 4th was without snow. Also I wanted to evaluate a new winter tent, the Hilleberg Soulo. The Hilleberg tents are a bit more expensive but the tent is a true above-treeline winter capable tent used by mountaineers and is renowned for its high wind survivability design. Winter camping, especially in sub-freezing temperatures, requires a much more stringent set of skills and equipment than summer, warm temperature hiking and camping. Hypothermia is an ever-present danger and winter campers must develop and test their skills and equipment to cope and survive in harsh winter conditions. Personal heat management processes of minimizing perspiration due to overexertion or staying dry in wet, snowy conditions are critical survival skills. In winter, once you get wet there often is no opportunity to dry out and that can be fatal. And once you become cold in sub freezing temperatures you often can not get warm again. Furthermore any clothes that become wet become unusable because they freeze! You can see the pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Hamblen9/OverlookMtnCampOut

So my winter hiking friend, Joel W2TQ and I set out from the Overlook Mtn parking area around noon, Jan. 18th. Although sunny and blue-sky clear, the temps were in the low 20’s with forecasted near O f. overnight temps. The last snowfall was a week or so ago and the trail was snow packed and icy in spots. I had my Kahtoolas but did not bring the snowshoes.

The 2.5 mile hike and 1,500 foot elevation gain to the top was beautiful, passing the skeleton of the Old Overlook Mountain House (http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/yasinsac/overlook/overlook.html) at the two mile mark. This link has some great pictures of this magnificent hotel. A short time later, we were at the Overlook Firetower, a 60’ Aeromoter steel cabin structure. The winds were out of the northwest at 10-15 mph but harsh on any exposed skin. We set up camp about 200 yds east of the tower near the Overlook escarpment to the east that provided great vistas of Kingston NY and the Hudson River valley. After getting my tent up in the 6” of snow, I went up to the tower to hang my multiband dipole from the 60’ level to the 20’ top of a nearby tree. The dipole center was at about 35’ and oriented southwest-northeast. The tower is perched on an escarpment that drops 750 to 1000 feet to the south and overlooks the nearby town of Woodstock, NY. So the HAAT couldn’t be better for my QRP K1 signal to the southwest.

However by 4 pm the temps were in the teens and the wind was still gusting to 20 mph, making the windchills “challenging!” I was setup on a picnic table and bundled up with all my clothes to stay warm. Operating my HandiKey with gloves on is a skill I haven’t quite mastered yet, but I mustered several good qsos and always to the amazement of those in 70-deg shacks. “You’re doing what?” “You must be crazy!” are typical comments but always offering encouragement of “keep warm” and thanks for the field efforts.

Sunset was near and I packed up the K1 but left the antenna in place as I wanted to operate again in the morning. Without any protection from the now-steady 20 mph winds and temps dropping into the mid-teens, it was just too difficult to stay warm and continue to operate. I went back to camp and took a number of pictures of the sunset. Joel is a much more dedicated photographer and had his Canon Digital SLR setup on a tripod to record the sunset panorama unfolding to the west. By 5:30 it was dark and dinner preparation began. Heat! And my cold hands enjoyed the trace warmth from my MSR gas stove. Freeze-dried Turkey Tettracini was on the evening menu…yuummmm! I recently discovered the value of heating your extra water, storing it in your cozie-wrapped water bottle and putting it at the bottom of your sleeping bag as a footwarmer. What joy! And it stays warm all night long. It’s surprising what an impact warm feet can have on your overall camping experience!

One other challenge with winter camping is that it is dark by 5pm, dinner by 6pm and then what? So you stand around in the cold talking until 8 pm then out of boredom you crawl into the bag for warmth. It’s probably the only time I get 10 hrs of sleep! Overnite temps were down to nearly 5f. So it was cold but the tent stayed much warmer than I expected…in the high teens!

I was up at 7 am to see the sunrise but unfortunately low-level clouds obscured the eastern light show this morning. With occasional snow flakes, we cooked breakfast. My breakfast menu choices were gourmet oatmeal seasoned with brown sugar and hot tea. Can it get any better than oatmeal and tea?

I packed up everything and then went up to the firetower to operate Saturday morning. Fast moving clouds occasionally obscured the sun coupled with the single-digit temps and the 10 mph winds that cut into any exposed skin. I pulled the K1 out for duty (always amazed how well it operates in these temperatures!) and made a few qsos with folks in the midwest and southeast. After an hour I was too cold to continue so packed up the antenna and gear to start the trip back to the pickup. It was Saturday morning so we were seeing a number of folks on the trail who were out for a quick morning dayhike.

What fun! And we were already planning our next winter camping trip in mid February. Hopefully it will snow this time! And I already have ideas for adapting a winter sled (“pulk”) to take the winter pack off my back! So the adventures and of course the stories continue….

2008-01-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

2008 Camp Run-A-MOC, a QRP Adventure

It was about noon on Friday, Jan 4th when my new Garmin Nuvi GPS flawlessly guided me into the Appalachian Mohican Outdoor Center (MOC) (http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/lodges/mohican/index.cfm ) in west New Jersey. The Appalachian Trail crosses about 1/4-mile from the MOC lodge, a very busy place during the summer hiking season both with local day hikers as well as the AT thru-hikers. Joel, W2TQ and I met up with Ed, WA3WSJ, Glen, NK1N, and the other early arrivals at our cabin "Blueberry Hill" for our 3rd annual January Polar Bear outing. The weather was uneventful (as opposed to previous years) with warm temperatures and clear skies forecasted for this weekend.

Joel and I intended to hike up to Catfish FireTower ( http://www.thebackpacker.com/pictures/album/ryebhgg0.php ) on the Kittatinny ridge about 500 elevation feet above the MOC and spend the night as part of a winter camping shakedown of tents and equipment. Although not as cold as our previous Mt. Everett, MA effort the first of December (http://n7un.blogspot.com ), overnight temps were in the low 20’s but generally clear skies and the afternoon breezes died down after sunset.

I additionally intended to hang my multi-band dipole (40, 30, 20 ) off the 60’ antenna support structure, errr.. firetower for some 40m QRP fun with my Elecraft K1. My goal was to operate Friday evening and Saturday morning. The AT follows the Kittatinny Ridge in west New Jersey for about 40 miles. And Catfish is one of two 60' firetowers in this section. This is a great location because the terrain both east and west drops off over 500' very rapidly thereby significantly enhancing any RF QRP signal.

We left Blueberry Hill cabin about 1:30 pm and the 1.5 mile hike up to Catfish was easy in spite of our heavy packs, full of cold weather gear, extra water, stoves, and large tents. With only a breeze up top, tent setup was uneventful. Joel wasn't going to operate so I garnered the best tent location near the tower. I climbed the 60' tower and hung one end of my 40m dipole at the 60' level and the other end over the top of some 20' elm trees with the 35' of coax directly over my tent. The dipole broadside was NW-SE, optimum for any midwest contacts. We were ready to go and I quickly setup the K1. It's always a rush when you first power up the rig and hear the band hopping with activity. It was going to be really fun operating from such a great location and the winter weather couldn't be more cooperative.

Sunset was at 5 pm and the temperature was dropping fast. Forecasted overnight lows were in the mid-teens although current readings were in the high 20's. I was on the air at 5:15 and had a number of quick qso's before striking Polar Bear gold with a fun QSO with Steve, N0TU, in Coloradio. Always a treat to share a GRRRRRRRR with our Bears out west! I worked a few more folks that evening before taking a break to fix dinner. It wasn't until after 8 pm that I got back to 40m but the band was really long and the QRN challenging.

Sunrise was around 7 am and I awoke to a brilliant cherry red sky to the east. Temperatures were in the low 20s with no wind so the morning looked very promising. A quick CQ bagged NK1N who was up a bit early in order to start breakfast for the in-the-lodge-den Bears and then a surprise with a long 57N qso with CM2AF in Havana who gave me a 55N...not a bad way to start the QRP morning! After a quick gourmet oatmeal breakfast, I was back on the radio for a bunch of QSOs including a number of Polar Bears. Over all I had 28 QSOs including 7 Polar Bears (N0TU, WA3WSJ, NK1N, WB3AAL, WA8REI, AB4PP, and AB0SR). More information about the Polar Bear Club can be found at (http://www.polarbearqrp.org ). Thanks to all the Polar Bear's who were out on the hunt. It's always fun to share a few GRRRRRs!

It was now around 10 am and we had a few visitors hiking into the area. Temperatures were climbing fast into the low 40's and now sunny. Almost T-shirt weather!

Four of the MOC Bears hiked up to the Firetower around 11am to visit and also operated QRP portable on the ridge adjacent to the Firetower for a couple of hours. Joel and I broke camp about 1 pm and met the rest of the guys on our way back down to the lodge. We had a fun but uneventful overnight on the Ridge but the prospect of a warm shower and the comfort of the lodge was very appealing, like the reward of an ice cream cone after a hard day's work in the summer.

So the stories were fairly mundane but sometimes that's just the way it is. There will be many more opportunities for Mother Nature to balance the scorecard. Thanks to everyone who gave us a Polar Bear contact!

Guy, N7UN/2
Rainman
Polar Bear #15

2007-12-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

Mt. Everett, MA

Joel, W2TQ, and myself arrived at the Mt. Everett, MA Ranger Station about 11am, Dec 1st. About an inch of light snow had fallen that morning creating some slippery roads but coating everything with a creamy-white finish. The blue clouds were cruising fast across the sky creating dashing pockets of sunlight on the new snow. We started our hike from the parking lot, our car safely protected by the proximity to the Ranger Station. It was becoming noticeably colder after the frontal passage with temperatures around 20 f. and very windy. You could hear the wind in the tree tops higher up the mountain as we turned onto the now-closed and gated road to the top of Mt. Everett. This is a very scenic hike and a very crowded area in the summer due to its accessibility.

After a mile we came to Guilder Pond, frozen over but pretty with its deep winter coat of ice and snow. Midway up the summit road we spot some curious paw tracks in the snow heading in our same direction. They were too big for a coyote or even a wild dog and had the tell-tale large palm pad, finger pads, and the give-away claw marks in the white snow. It was a small black bear with the palm pad only about 3 inches across. It was late in the season and I’m sure the bear was looking for its winter hibernation nest.

After a climb of about 1000’ we get to the top. The temperature was now near 10 f. and the wind ferocious at speeds around 40 mph, biting at our exposed skin with every gust. It was now clear and sunny and we hike the final 500’ of the icy trail to the summit, billowed by the gusty winds. We take some pictures of the 360-deg view of the southern Adirondacks to the north, the Catskills to the west and the beautiful valleys of the Berkshires to the east. No need to linger here; much too cold for any ones comfort.

The Appalachian Trail crosses over the top of Mt. Everett and there is a small, stone shelter at what was once a vista parking lot years ago when cars were allowed up the access road. In the late 1990’s, the 2nd steel firetower was removed but the cement footings are still embedded. The footing remains of the 1st firetower constructed in the early 1900’s are still visible if you wander around a bit. The first picture was of the original Park sign from the early 1900’s captured when I was here in the summer of 2005. That sign has now been replaced by a sign antiseptic in comparison. We huddled inside the stone shelter to escape the wind and silently marveled at the vista to the east and the 1,500 foot dropoff to the Berkshire valley below. The adventurer in me was thinking this would be a great place to view the morning sunrise….but then another wind gust rocked me to reality. Joel consulted his maps and we wisely hiked north to a lower elevation on the AT to several shelters. The first was one of the best shelters I’ve seen on the AT with water nearby, a fire pit, privy, bunk beds, a loft, everything but a heater! We dropped our packs, quickly scouted the other nearby shelter and readily agreed we wouldn’t find anything better than this 5-star wilderness hotel!

The temperature was now 10 f. The wind is still howling up above but we were somewhat protected in the forest below. We scavenged for firewood and I quickly got a small fire going. The world (well, the camp) seems a much better place with the crackling fire fending off the worst deep chills. We could tell it was to be really cold overnight; the forecasts were for the low single digits.

What about my planned QRP operation with my Elecraft K1 and my trusty dipole to string in the trees? It seemed like an extravaganza….we were cold, it was supposed to get colder, the fire’s heat sucked up the wind and I wanted to put up a dipole in the trees? My coax was frozen stiff, the 50-lb nylon fishing line I use to anchor the dipole ends was brittle, every effort demanded twice the concentration. But I got the antenna up with Joel’s help, I plug my lithium Ion battery pack in, connect the coax and now for the moment of truth….does a K1 work at single digit temperatures? I tentatively push the on button….YES! I hear 40 cw! It was around 4 pm, getting colder as dusk settles into our camp area. I called CQ for about 30 minutes but no answers. Was something wrong? Maybe I’m too early on the band? I check the system and decide that it is just too cold….maybe the RF is freezing I laughingly rationalize.

I abandon my ham radio efforts to focus on getting warm, preparing for dinner of some freeze dried Jamaican Chicken, and then into the down sleeping bag. Dinner was wonderful! And in spite of an occasionally snow flurry, by 7 pm or so the numbing coldness drives us into our sleeping bags for warmth. Surprisingly we fall asleep quickly and I vow I’m not getting out of my warm bag to visit the privy during the night.

We’re nearing the winter solstice so it didn’t get light until around 7 am. I wanted to try to operate on my favorite 40m band but I didn’t want to get out of the warm sleeping bag. I squirmed around to get the K1 set up so I can kind of operate from the bag. I connect with W9ZN who has a really loud signal into New England. My second contact was with WB2YRL in Virginia who reminds me that a snow storm is forecasted for our area later that day. The temperature is now 5 f. and I’m surprised my K1 works at this temperature.

We eat a great breakfast (ok…as “great” as oatmeal can be!) and it starts to lightly snow. We think we should get on the road back to NNJ before the weather snarls traffic. So we quickly pack up and hike back to the car, and start our 2-1/2 hour drive back.

It was a great winter camping trip but temperatures in the low single digits make everything much harder. It’s surprising how cold your bare hands can get in just a few minutes and how challenging it is to stay warm. Therein lies both the beauty and beast!

Thanks to my Polar Bear friends who were dutifully listening for my wilderness signal. And I can hardly wait to the next winter outing…. Of course that’s easy to say now in the comfort of my easy chair and 70 f. shack temperatures!

Guy, N7UN/2

Rainman
Polar Bear #15

2007-10-15T21:45:00.000-04:00

Zion National Park

My work-related conference in Las Vagas was over about 2pm on Friday, Oct 12th. I took a quick shuttle ride to the airport to pick up a rental car then head NE on I-15 out of Vegas. With the speed limits at 75 mph (and nearly all traffic moving at 85 mph), in two hours I quickly reached St. George, UT, my planned overnight stop.

Early Saturday, I drove the next hour into Zion National Park. After parking at the South Entrance, I jumped on the Park Shuttle for a ride to the starting point for the 4 mile, 2000’ climb to Observation Point at an elevation of 6,800’. Observation Point is considered by the locals to be the one of the premier vistas in the Park. The other is Angel’s Landing.

Zion Park is an unbelievable place. The Red Rock walls jut straight up for 2000 feet or more. And unlike the Grand Canyon where you view everything down from the rim, in Zion you are at the bottom looking up…constantly. And the rock cliffs are varied in colors from a pure white to a dark red. And some are horizontally striated with the different colored rock layers deposited eons ago.

My climb began about 8:30am. It was 40’s cool and the morning sun had not hit the climb path which is carved out of the rock walls in many places. The views were absolutely breathtaking (literally) as the constant climb to the rim top began. For the most part, the climb path was smooth and very easy to negotiate. The park maps say there are 27 switch backs on the way up as you meandered through canyons then up along the canyon wall to another switch back. And the view….words can’t describe and the attached pictures tell only part of the emotion as you walk up through the eons of sedimentary rock laid down 80-100 million years ago then uplifting began by the Pacific tectonic plate which started some 40 million years ago. The Virgin River created the canyons and continues to slowly carve out new landscapes.

At about the 3 mile mark, you get to the canyon rim but Observation Point is still another easy hiking mile along the rim. The point is actually a narrow, finger “outcropping” about 50’ wide at the narrowest. But it looks over some of the most scenic 3000’ of canyon cliffs, the river far below, some of the other hiker destination sites including Angel’s Landing about 800’ lower in elevation but across the canyon. I talked with a number of folks including a bunch of 70-yr olds from Phoenix and some older ladies from Las Vegas. Everyone just wanted to sit and be mesmerized by the beauty of the canyon and the vistas. Of course the low-70’s temperatures were equally helpful. In the summer, this place “cooks” with average daytime temps in the 100-110 f. range! ( See my public album of pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Hamblen9 )

I hiked in with my K1 and dipole antenna. I was looking for the “just right” tree to string an antenna and make a few 20m contacts from the “top of Zion park!” Unfortunately, I had to hike a bit off the main trail on the canyon rim at 7,000’ to find a Ponderosa tree that would work. Twenty minutes later with the dipole up about 20’, I leaned up against the tree and tuned in 14.060 only to find the PA QSO Party and the FISTS guys going gang-busters! I made a few PA QP contacts then went down to 14.030 to call CQ. I got KF5LC from Texas and we had a long chat. It’s always great fun to tell people where you are and listen to their amazement! It was starting to get hot and I wanted to get back so I could drive the 3 hours to a town near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, my Sunday planned area to visit. I quickly hiked out to the shuttle then to my parked car and then the drive out through the East entrance of the Park. What an amazing drive and spectacular views including the half-mile tunnel climb up to the rim and then east.

I drove the 160 miles into Jacobs Lake in northern Arizona, arriving about 8 pm. Fortunately I got the last room at the Lodge, had dinner, and then crashed for the night. I wanted to get up early and catch the 6:15 am sunrise at the Point Imperial Overlook of the canyon. This is a drive up to an overlook at 8,900’ with vistas south and east of the Grand Canyon from the north rim. I left at 5 am for the 45 minute night drive. It was in the low 30’s and there was a 20 mph north wind. Cold but crystal clear and the sunrise on the canyon walls was spectacular as the different colored rocks lit up like fireworks as the first light hit them. This would be a great site to have some QRP fun but I was 5 hrs from Las Vegas. Since my planned departure was 3:30pm, I left the North Rim about 8:30 am after a few short hikes in the area.

Every little town is a speed trap and I had a few close calls but got back to Vegas in plenty of time. I’d certainly recommend this area regardless of your hiking ability. Zion is incredible and I go back there in a minute particularly at this time of the year when it’s not too hot. Also many folks I spoke with also recommended highly Bryce Canyon Park as having some great hiking with incredible beauty. Another day…..

2007-09-29T11:47:00.000-04:00

Adirondacks Mt. Marcy Climb (Sept 28, 2007)

I made it back after a 5 hr traffic-congested drive home from the High Peaks area of the Adirondacks in upstate NY. Overall, what a great trip! My friend and hiking buddy, Ed, WA3WSJ, met me in Keene, NY which is the jump off for the Johns Brook hike-in Lodge and trail to Mt Marcy.

It rained heavily Thursday and later that evening. I met Ed about 11 am Friday at the Trails Inn B&B and we had our "last lunch" in the local village. By 1 am we were on the trail up to the hike-in Johns Brook Lodge. What a great place! There were several family groups there (one of about 8 or 9 guys) who come up every year to hike. I was able to get a dipole in the trees and made several contacts on 20m with my Elecraft K1...one with an 88 yr old in Fl (KJ4DU) who grew up in this area! We had a long qso...he had hiked "many times" the area we were in! I tried 30m but then the evening rain showers started up and really didn't quit until the next morning.

Around 7am on Saturday I tried 30m but the band was dead. I called CQ for about 15 mins but the band was really dead. So Ed and I left around 8 am and started the 3000' and 5.4 mile climb to Mt Marcy. After two miles you start "The Ascent" which is like climbing up a creek bed....all wet boulders and like a stream because of the recent heavy rains. We intended to stay at a lean-to just before The Ascent but it was torn down. The plan was to leave a bunch of gear at the lean-to but we had to forge on with full packs. The sun was peaking in-and-out of the morning clouds but the wind was howling higher up on the mountain. After 4 hours, we got to the trailhead for the remaining 0.6 miles to the top. Ed was behind me a bit, negotiating the rock climb much more carefully than I. Water everywhere. It had really rained hard the last few days and deep puddles made hiking the trail difficult. The last 0.6 miles to the top is above tree line...just rock and very exposed. The wind was steady at 30 mph and gusting much higher. And cold since theclouds kept the top socked in. Occasionally the clouds would part and you would get a great view of the mountainous area. Really magnificient vistas. The temp was in the 40's but the wind chill made it miserable. I was in gloves and hooded jacket. I still entertained using the Jackite fibreglass pole and stringing up my dipole but when I got to the top the wind was way too much and by then I was really cold. So I snapped a few pictures when the clouds parted then headed back down the exposed rock mountain top to find Ed. I met him about half-way up and when I told him the conditions, he wisely turned around. Now it was around 3 pm and we hadn't seen any possible camping spots. So the only alternative was a 3.4 mi hike down to a shelter we had passed on the way up. Rocks, rocks, and more slippery rocks. Ed now hates rocks, especially slippery rocks! Did I say that Edhates rocks?

We got to the shelter around 5:30 and were really tired. I was going to throw the dipole in the trees but 3 really friendly Canadian guys from the Ontario area showed up and we got talking and before long it was dark. We ate and were in the sleeping bags by 8 pm. Overnight temps were in the 30's...but everyone was toasty. Bears are a real problem up there so you must have a "bear cannister" to protect your food, garbage, toothpaste, etc. Anything that would attract a bear goes in the bear cannister can. We didn't have one but the Canadian guys had space in theirs so it all worked out. Apparently the Rangers will fine you if you don't have one in your camp.
The next morning (Sunday) around 8 am I strung up a 30m dipole in the trees but the bands were really dead. I didn't hear anything, even on 40m. So not much of a dx-pedition. I think to work the close in Polar Bears, I'm gonna have to try a NVIS type antenna. The previous night there was a pipeline into Fl, Al, Tx and the other southern states and while driving up early Fri am, I worked a bunch of guys in Mi, Wi, and Illinois with the IC706 and a screwdriver vertical off the pickup.

So that's the short story. A great adventure and I really enjoyed the country. Lots of Canadians come down for the mountain hikes and vistas.

Guy, N7UN/2

2007-06-09T09:15:00.000-04:00

Overlook Mountain, Catskills

Overlook Mountain is just north of the famous Woodstock, NY. Take a look at some great pictures and an excellent map at http://www.lookouts.us/Individ_Lookouts/US223_Overlook_Mtn.htm This is one of the remaining five firetowers in the Catskills. These firetowers are publicly maintained by volunteer groups and each present great vistas of the nearby area. In addition, they are great antenna support structures!

The weather was clear at my house so I was hoping for one of those “perfect” days…low humidity and temperatures and vistas in all directions. Wrong! A blocking low pressure system was causing a persistent marine air wx disturbance with a low cloud layer in the NE and the Catskills. It was overcast at the hike start and then into the clouds as the old carriage road climbed to the tower site. It is an easy hike at 2.5 miles and a 1400’ elevation gain. At 1-1/2 miles you arrive at the remaining walls of the old Overlook Mountain Hotel first built in 1833, rebuilt in 1878 and then fire decimated in 1924 and never really restored since. In the late 1800’s it was a “grand ol’ hotel” and, I imagine, quite an adventure to get to by horsedrawn carriage.

About a mile past the Hotel, you arrive at the top, a small Forest Service cabin, picnic benches and the 70’ restored firetower. Forest Service volunteers are there on weekend summer days to answer questions of the numerous visitors. During my 5 hr stay, there were two large groups of 20+ folks and many 2 to 6 person dayhikers. The volunteers said during sunny weather, they often get more than 100 visitors per weekend day.…the place is a popular hike because of it’s ease of access, the Overlook view of the Hudson River valley to the east and the local “residents”, two 4’-plus Eastern rattlesnakes, both named “Rocky”. One Rocky is nearly black with the underlying variegated rattlesnake markings. The other Rocky is lighter-colored and of the more typical coloration for a rattlesnake. This rocky had 10 rings on his rattle and was about 3 inches thick!
It’s easy to hang a dipole off the firetower at 60’ and to a nearby 20’ tree and I set up in about 30 minutes. One picnic table is situated for operation with the dipole oriented NE/SW…perfect! But everything was in the clouds! It was 60-degs warm but for the first hour the mountain top was in the clouds! A consolation was that it keeps the bugs at bay! Later in the day the overcast burned off and the nearby mountains were visible but clouds would blow through occasionally.

I operated for about 2-hrs and talked with the numerous visitors for about 2 hrs before packing up around 4 pm. It’s almost as much fun demonstrating ham radio to folks who are always “wowed” by the Morse code operation, the “tiny radio”, and that you can talk “really far away like Texas”. I first setup on 20m and the conditions were ok given the sunspot numbers and the low part of the Sunspot Cycle. I had about 16 qsos from FL, LA, TX, WI, MO, OK and ME. Later in the afternoon, I setup for 40m but the QRN was painful so didn’t spend much time on 40m. It’s always fun to explain to your contacts what your doing…adds a little bit of excitement to a qso discussion.

So it was a good day overall and a very nice place to visit. This would be an ideal winter site to hike into and operate, weather permitting of course!

2007-03-26T06:34:00.000-04:00

What a SOTA Adventure!

What was supposed to be a 6 mile roundtrip hike up South Beacon Mtn near Newberg, NY and overlooking the Hudson River, turned into a 12 mile hike! The goal was to activate this site for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program. ( see http://www.sota.org.uk/ for more information)

I started out around 1 pm, a little late, but given the estimated 2.8 miles into the site, I thought I could make it in time for at least 3 hours of operating. But.....the trail started on the northside of a hill, shadowed from any warming sun. Within a 1/4 mile I had a foot of slushy snow, slipping and slideing with every step. There's got to be a better trail I thought.....which I found after I backtracked but the new trail added a lot more to my trek.... like another 6 miles I figured out later.

I made it to the abandoned Fire Tower atop South Beacon Mtn at 1600' ASL. The view was amazing of Hudson both North and South. You could even see the distant outline of NYC buildings. But it was 4 pm. It would take me about 30 to 45 mins to set up my rig and hang an antenna off the Fire Tower. I was concerned about the trail back in the snow since I now had no time to go back the long way. Common sense being the better part of bravery, I choose not to set up and activate this site, being concerned about getting back to the parking lot before dark. I'll save South Beacon Mtn for another day when I can get there in plenty of time and spend at least 3 or 4 hours operating. So I'll chalk this one up to a "conditioning hike."

2007-02-09T21:17:00.000-05:00

FYBO and PB Feb 2007

Before leaving the home QTH, I was hoping to catch Steve, G4GXL, who had posted his operating schedule earlier in the week. When I saw the solar flux numbers in the low 90’s, I figured there might be a chance on 20m for a QRP QSO around 1600z. I was casually listening for stations when about 16:30z , I heard Steve CQ’ing on 14060. I called him and we made a quick QSO despite the QSB and some QRM on his side. In the clear, Steve was 539 and good copy. It was fun to give our most distant Polar Bear a QSO so now he’s an official part of the Polar Bear “den.”

Friday night we had about 2 to 3” of snow and Saturday started with temps in the low 20’s. Temps dropped during the daytime and the wind picked up from the northwest. The weather report was calling for temps in the teens, and wind gusts of 15 to 25 mph. I was planning to go up to my nearby BearFort firetower which is on a ridgetop and very exposed and therefore windy. I was planning to take a tent for protection from the wind.

The one-lane road into the Firetower parking area was snow covered thereby requiring 4-WD. I parked at the gate and started the 30-min and 400’ elevation climb into site. It was very pretty with the trees snow covered but you could hear the wind in the tree tops so it was “going to be fun” at the top! Fortunately the sun was shining which took the chill off the skin, at least for now. I last was here for the Flight of the Bumblebees QRP contest in July when the temps were in the high 90’s! What a contrast!

In the past, I’ve hung my multi-band dipole off this tower numerous times; in fact, I have a plastic pulley tied to one of the yardarms so I can install one end of the dipole rope once and not have to climb the tower after dark to un-install….I just pull the rope thru the pulley from the ground. The tower climb was very challenging…the wind was gusting to at least 25 mph or higher. The cold temps made each “artic” blast very painful on exposed skin. I finally got the rope installed only to watch my tent start “rolling” down the ridge to a cliff during one of the larger gusts! Oh man!! Here I was at the top of the tower watching this happen in slow motion and helpless to stop it. All I could do was laugh…the timing couldn’t have been better!

So I carefully climb down the tower, walk over to the icy rock cliff edge, apprehensively peer over the cliff.... Yes, there’s my tent, far, far below, somewhat in a tree top! Ok, how am I going to retrieve it? Well, I ended up hiking down the trail and crossing over to the bottom of the cliff and then hiking back to where my tent is about 10’ off the ground in this “kite eating tree” ala the Charlie Brown cartoons. I find a stick and dislocate it, semi-pack it up, head back to the top and start reassembling. The ground is so frozen that tent stakes won’t work; I end up using big rocks to anchor the windward edges.

Now it’s about 3 pm and the temp is around 15-degs as the sun is setting lower. I get the dipole up in the air, connect the coax which creaks with every movement, crawl into the tent, and connect everything up to the K1. My lithium battery is inside my coat to keep it happy. But 40m, my favorite QRP band, is wall-to-wall RTTY stations. I make a quick contact with the Hell guys, N8H, listen a bit for WA8REI who always seems to be everywhere but don’t hear Polar Bear Ken. I tune down to 7020 but it’s jammed with 40-over-9 FOC stations. I tune back and hear Ken! I give him a call, we commiserate on how miserably cold it is before the RTTY guys beat us up. Good contact again with Polar Bear Ken. Ok, now what? I have to get back outside to lower my dipole to switch it over to 30m. Now it’s 4 pm and the temp is now around 12-degs, the winds blowing harder. I make a contact on 30m but the “thrill is gone.” It’s too cold.

Around 5 pm the sunset and the temps seemed to plummet. It was certainly under 10-degs and the wind was still blowing steadily at 15 to 20 mph with gusts much higher. I figure I better get out of here before I lose all light. I quickly packup, stuffing everything into the backpack. Fortunately I’m dressed warmly so any activity kept me very warm. As soon as I got off the ridge, the wind died down and it was kind of pleasant…..for temps around 10-degs!

2007-01-06T11:25:00.000-05:00

Camp Run-A-MOC 2007
January 5-7th

The weather was quite warm, almost balmy, for early January with temps in the mid-60’s. The forecast was for partly cloudy skies on Saturday with temps again in the 60’s. Much too warm for a bunch of Polar Bears!!

We started our hike up to the Catfish Fire Tower around 10 am on Saturday. It was about 1-1/2 miles with about a 300-400 ft elevation gain from the Mohican Outdoor Center (MOC) and our large, very comfortable “in-da-den” cabin. There were about 8 of us that hiked, spread out into two groups. The bottom portion of the trail was water-sogged due to recent rains and we navigated from rock stepping stone to the next for 200 yds or so. Before long we were at the top of the ridge overlooking the valley to the east. We were with Glen, NK1N, who was periodically videotaping this trip and later would produce a DVD of this Polar Bear outing.

We hiked north for another mile to the Catfish Firetower. It’s at a grand location with views east and west and 360-deg vistas from the cabin of the firetower located about 60’ above ground. I quickly assembled the W7EL FD two-element 20m phased beam made of ladderline amidst a lot of discussion among other Polar Bears. It’s a gain antenna, transforming my 5 watts to a radiated power pointing west of about 30 watts (8 dbi of gain). One end was tied to the tower at 50’ and the other to a distant tree at 30’. The wind was increasing so the climb up the tower was “invigorating” to say the least. The weather was improving with temps nearing the high 60’s. If you were out of the westerly wind, it was almost hot!

There were about four radio operations so everyone spread out along the ridge so as to not interfere with each other. At the Catfish site, there was a throng of day hikers constantly asking “what’s going on?” It’s always fun to talk about “Morse code and small radios” and generally people are always amazed and somewhat enthusiastic but it always takes away from actual operating time. However, I made a number of contacts with the best being AZ, CA, and Oregon. I even had a long QSO with an acquaintance in Oregon and it was fun to bring him up to date with my east coast activities. I broke from the activities and gave Glen a chance to plug in his KX1 and have some fun with the phased array.

We had planned to hike down the ridge before the 4:30 sunset for safety reasons so I started disassembling the phased array about 3 pm. In 30 minutes I was packed up and ready to go. We were to pickup John, NU3E, on the way back since he was operating south of us a quarter-mile or so. But John was nowhere to be seen as we hiked thru that area. The consensus was that “he must have started down the hill.” Later, we would find out that we left him up there when John walked out about 45 minutes later.

All in all, it was like a warm Spring day, not anything like a “normal” January outing! And a good time was had by all the Camp-Run-a-MOC attendees!

2006-07-31T20:19:00.000-04:00

Flight of the BumbleBees (FOBB)
July 30, 2006

It was a dark, rainy, and stormy night…..oh, no…wrong time of the year!!

Glen, NK1N, and I hiked the half-mile up to my local haunt, the BearFort Firetower in northern NJ, for this years FOBB. The weather was uncharacteristic clear, sunny, and unfortunately really HOT! In fact “it was at least a million degrees” with humidity not far behind. Actually the temps were in the mid-90’s but very humid. We got to the site about 11:30 am to scramble to get our antennas up in time for the contest start. Glen was going to try a longwire with an appropriate band-specific counterpoise. I was going to try out my recently built W7EL Field Day Special (http://www.eznec.com/miscpage.htm), a two-element phased beam made of 300-ohm ladderline with significant gain. The plan was to hang one end of the W7EL antenna off the firetower at 50’ or so and the other end connected to a distant tree at the 30’ level. We then could hang Glen’s longwire off my antenna support rope. (Double click the picture and see Glen at the 50' level waving....)

Glen quickly set up a “sun shade” from the rainfly of his tent. I assembled the W7EL and hoisted it up the tower and connected the opposite end to a tree about 150’ away. We later got Glen’s antenna hoisted to this connecting line. I was sweating profusely by now….only a brief very-welcome wind on this ridge but we both hunkered down for the start of the FOBB “contest.”

Twenty meters was hopping and there were some strong stations and I quickly got them in the log. And then the DISRUPTION…..a young couple hiked into the tower site for the scenic views….unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your “viewpoint”) she was clad in a tight-fitted, sweat-soaked, T-shirt. Pamela Anderson, eat your heart out! My CQ’s became unintelligible…I was only sending gibberish. I had to stop…to get my bearings…..and breath again. I ripped my earphones off, jumped up, and explained to the inquisitive young lady (and her boyfriend…was he there?) what we were doing, putting on my “best” ham radio ambassador hat! After the short discussion, they left and I sat down to a cool Pepsi drink and to let my blood pressure come down. Where am I? What was I doing? Oh, yeah…the contest!

We both ground out a number of contacts on 20m and 40m. The bands seemed “reasonable” and I worked a number of west coast stations which were surprised at my “NJ” state but they were copiable and we got through the exchange. We switched antennas about 2-1/2 hours into the FOBB just so Glen could experience the phased-beam. Near the end of the FOBB, we were both “cooked” and more than ready to get out of the sun. It didn’t take long to disassemble, pack up, and hike down to the pickup. Already we have plans for next year’s FOBB…what great stories will emerge?

2006-07-10T11:32:00.000-04:00

Indian Fire Lookout in Central Oregon
July 6, 2006

While out in Oregon visiting family, I occasionally break away to explore some central Oregon Cascade Mountain “vista” areas that are also ideal locations for QRP radio! Most firetower locations are chosen for their 360-degree commanding view for obvious reasons. Indian Fire Tower has been decommissioned from active use during the fire danger months and the Forest Service makes it available for “rent” at $40 per night. This tower is about 50 miles east of Eugene at 5,400’ and on a “pinnacle” overlooking terrain that is west of the Three Sisters Mountains (each over 10,000') in central Oregon

I arrived about 8am and quickly set up a dipole center supported from the 30’ high firetower and the ends supported by nearby trees. Unfortunately, the weather was warm (low 50’s) but the mountain was encased in clouds. The light mist wasn’t heavy enough to “rain” but certainly the humidity was 100 percent! To the east there is a 500-800 foot drop off (according to the topo maps!) so my 5w Elecraft K1 signal was enhanced! My first 20m qso was with a “local” in Salem. I had a previous qso with Vern, AA7VW, from the AT in NJ so it was a small world. This time my signal was a good 579 and we had an enjoyable qso. The previous AT qso was a real challenge for Vern due to my weak signal and QRN.

This was a great location! I worked a number of guys in Nevada, Colorado, and Missouri before having to pack up and get back to Eugene. Everyone complimented the “strong” QRP signal! Just what every QRP operator wants to hear!! I plan to revisit this site in August, perhaps for a campover and more QRP field operating. And certainly I had thoughts that this would be an IDEAL Field Day site!! Hhmmmm….more planning and opportunites!!

2006-06-17T17:02:00.000-04:00

Hunter Mountain Fire Tower, Catskills, NY
June 17, 2006

John NU3E and I planned to hike into a fire tower located on Hunter Mtn about one mile south of the Hunter Ski Area in the Catskills of NY. The mountain is 4060’ and commands a 360-deg view of that area. The hike has about a 2200’ elevation gain over 2 miles so it’s a fairly “rigorous” hike. On the Friday before, the weatherman was predicting severe clear and temps in the mid-80s. Consequently we were expecting a good hike and an exemplary day for QRP radio operating, especially by using the 50’ tower for at least one end of the antenna! Of course, this outing like all the previous ones, will generate a lot of new stories! And we weren’t disappointed!!

John met me at my house where we parked his vehicle and carpooled the 90 miles north to the trailhead in the Catskills. John later described what happened first: “As we approached the NY Catskills the skies grew darker and darker. Then rain commenced and grew heavier and heavier. Hams on the local 2m repeaters began discussing the verystrange, unexpected weather. On the trail, hikers who had prepared for a hot, sunny day were soaking wet.” We couldn’t believe it! And of course I’ve been shrugging off my new moniker of “rain man” based on a similar occurrence a couple of weeks earlier on the AT in New Jersey!

Well, the climb up to the Fire Tower was really a nice hike. The trail was good although somewhat steep and there were only a “few showers” on the way up. By the time we reached the top, the rain showers were replaced by the sun and gusty wind but the temps were in the 70’s. What we didn’t bargain for was the insects! Thousands, it seemed, of swarming little gnats, impervious to 100% DEET, and hungry for human flesh. Nasty little biting buggers that draw little whelts and seemed to crawl up shirt sleeves…. But that was not the worst, however, since we were also plagued by big, HUGE, flies that swarmed around any food, sugar, sweat, anything!!

Since there was a decent wind, I climbed the tower and set up the K1 at the 20’ level or so. This tactic seemed to work for a couple of hours until the wind died down. John setup over near the edge of the heavy woods in the shade which seemed to work for a similar period. We persevered like real Polar Bears! We each struggled for QRP contacts….it seemed that the band conditions weren’t even cooperating!

John later wrote, “By about 4 PM the QRN was starting to become a factor. Also, the wind was subsiding, which increased the aggressiveness of the insects even more, so we decided to pack up and hike out. The descent, on a different trail, was even more "rigorous" than the ascent. It was a memorable adventure!”

Yes, that’s an understatement. I think the site would be a great October or November location but it is not really that accessible without some driving effort and considerable elevation gain but certainly a “vista” location. And at that time of the year, there wouldn’t be any predatory insects!! (That's my official forecast and I'm sticking to it!!!)

2006-06-02T11:25:00.000-04:00

The June 2006 AT Hike

We previously had this hike scheduled for May but weather the Thursday before was rainy and the predictions were for more of the same for the weekend. None of us really wanted to get drenched so we choose to cancel and reschedule for June. As it turned out, the weatherman was wrong and that May weekend turned out to be quite nice. Oh, well we thought, so much for the weather predictions!

The Thursday before our planned June trip, the weather was equally harsh with heavy rains and blustery winds but the weatherman this time was predicting clearing and cooler temperatures….so it was a “go” and we made logistic arrangements for Ed WA3WSJ, John Harper AE5X, and myself to do the three day, 29 mile portion of the Delaware Water Gap continuing on where we had left off at the Catfish Fire Tower in March. We were scheduled to meet Glen NK1N at the Mishapahcong Shelter 5 miles south of High Point. Overall this trip would take us to High Point, NJ and the High Point State Park at www.njskylands.com/pkhighpt.htm
John and I shuttled a vehicle to the end of the hike and then drove back to Catfish Fire Tower to meet Ed and begin our hike. We left about 11 am under partly cloudy skies, moderate humidity and temps in the low 70s. Our goal that day was to hike about 10 miles to either Rattlesnake Ridge or the Brinks Road shelter. If the weather looked promising, we were going to camp out on the ridge since it would be a better location for radio propagation and certainly less humid than down at the heavily-treed shelter location. But…..we were watching small thunderstorms build all afternoon and the weather forecast now was for “occasional showers” during the evening.

We got to Rattlesnake about 5 pm and the steady rain started. We had several small rain showers earlier in the day but they always quickly blew through. Not with this shower…we could see it to the west and the clouds looked ominous. We were tired and were looking forward to getting into camp and our packs off. “Just a half mile or so,” I assured Ed and John. Shortly we pulled into the heavily-wooded Brinks Shelter, unloaded our packs, and scouted the area for “air hooks” to hang our antennas. Priorities first! What we noticed first was the generally soggy ground conditions due to days of rainy weather and the current showers only added to the muddiness. The mosquitoes were congregating in the shelter so we elected to pitch our tents for protection. Dinner followed shortly thereafter and the rain continued steadily, buffered somewhat by the heavy foliage from maple, oak, and other deciduous trees. Ed’s feet and shoes were soaked and John’s knee was bothering him. Hopefully a good nights rest will help.

We retired to the tents about 8 pm to work some radio on 20, 30, and 40m. I was making contacts on 20m and John on 30m and 40m. Little did I know the important qso John was making with K0RU for a wife-rescue the next morning. You can read John’s story at http://ae5x.com/at2.htm for details and how Morse code and a good ham operator certainly saved John’s day!

It rained all night! At times the heavy rain pounding on my tent woke me in the night. I was dry but I wondered how the other guys were doing? Morning came and the rain stopped for now. We ate quickly and John told us that he arranged for his wife to pick him up in Culvers Gap which was 3 miles north on the trail. Ed’s feet, socks, boots, tent and sleeping bag were soaked and he also joined John. We got to the Gyps Tavern about 11:30am or so with the last mile in another rain shower. A quick cheeseburger and fries made a big attitude adjustment for me. It was still about 10 or 11 miles more to the Mishapahcong Shelter where we were going to meet Glen N1KN who was going to hike in about a mile from a nearby parking area and then hike north the 5 miles to High Point on Sunday.

I left Ed and John about 12:30, feeling fine and focused on the mileage ahead and “just getting there!” I climbed the 800 or so feet to the ridge where Culvers Lake Fire Tower was located. Unfortunately I mis-read a trail blaze and took a right on the old trail withthe relocated AT trail going left. After following white blazes, 800’ of elevation drop, and a mile later I realized my mistake and turned around to make the climb back to my “last good location” on the AT. Many miles on the AT have been relocated over the years and the “old trails” still exist, white blazes and all. It was surprisingly easy to make this mistake! Now I was at least an hour behind my schedule. I redoubled my efforts on the relatively flat ridge and increased my pace to better than 3 mph.

I arrived at the Mishapahcong Shelter at 4:30 pm. Glen was there, having just arrived about 45 minutes earlier after hiking the 5 miles south from High Point. He was unable to overnight park his car nearby so made the trek south to the shelter. I quickly brought Glen up to date with the “news” of Ed and John’s situation. We stayed in the Shelter as the rain showers were still continuing but got our antennas up, then had dinner. As I watched John unload his pack it became apparent that John is a very organized person….everything had a bag and the bags were color-coded for quick access. Now this is in comparison to my “one bag”, my backpack! Everything I have goes in with some semblance of priority but inevitably what I need is always at the bottom. Not so with John…everything has its place. I was amazed and amused. Surely there was a trailname here…yes, BAGMAN! Glen good naturedly laughed at himself and quickly adopted the moniker!

We both operated our K1’s. I was on 30m and John tried 40m. Band conditions were terrible and we struggled for a few qsos. No fun! It continued to rain occasionally, dark set, and we both crawled into our sleeping bags. The stalled weather front responsible for the incessant rains finally moved east, dropping overnight temps into the 40’s. I had my “lightweight” sleeping bag and was cold during the night….I finally covered up with my poncho and then stayed warm.

Morning came early and we both got up around 6 am or so. The rain stopped and the skys were partly cloudy. We quickly ate, packed up our antennas and camping gear and hit the trail about 8 am or so. I walked at Glen’s pace and we had a good time talking with day hikers and section hikers on the AT. We met “Hansel and Gretel”, trailnames for an elderly (late-60’s or so) German couple who had flown over just to section hike the AT for a couple of weeks! Their English was very good and we had an enjoyable conversation for 10 minutes or so.

We got into High Point about 12:30pm and unloaded our stuff into Glen’s car. We then drove into the Park to find John who was up at the High Point Monument working CW on the bands. We traded stories for 20 minutes or so then John gave me a ride back to my pickup at Catfish Fire Tower. Another hike completed, more stories, pictures, and memorable field radio times! QRP operating from the AT makes the hike more enjoyable especially for the wonderful qsos with folks who invariably exclaim “YOUR DOING WHAT!!” and then spend the next 20 mins or so telling us their story of operating from the field!!

2006-04-15T12:32:00.000-04:00

Delaware Water Gap on the AT!

To keep the hiking/camping/QRP activities foremost, I’ve been trying to schedule monthly treks to not only activate AT segments but to enjoy the outdoors in different seasons and combine that with Elecraft QRP operating. In the past six months or so there has been a lot of good fun, stories, and great HF in the field operating from a lot of very scenic areas along the AT in PA, NJ, and MA.

For the month of April, WA3WSJ, NU3E, and N7UN started at the Delaware Water Gap April 15 for a two day, one way hike and campout going north on the AT. After shuttling cars, we hiked the first day about 3.5 miles with an elevation gain about 1000 ft to a “backpacker campsite” in the Worthington State Forrest on the AT. It was a large campsite, certainly able to handle 50 or more campers, albeit a bit crowded. Fortunately, we’re still early in the season, so the “hoards of Boy Scouts” we all chided each other didn’t materialize. We started hiking about 9am and the weather was clear and in the mid-60’s, perfect for the climb the lay ahead of us. Earlier in the morning we all experienced very heavy fog on the roadways so it took much longer to get to the starting point than planned. Ed, WA3WSJ, had it most difficult due to heavy fog in PA. John, NU3E, and I arrived first and shuttled vehicles while Ed was still on his way. By the time we got back the sun was out, we donned our packs and started on the trail north. Except the bridge crossing the Dunnfield Creek was washed out so we found a crossing requiring “a small jump” to get across. The adventure was beginning! About a mile into the hike, some hikers told us about a black bear just ahead. We saw him maundering about 100’ off the trail and oblivious to us. I tried to get a camera shot but the bear got in heavy brush before I could get a shot off. I had my new Garmin eTrex GPS unit with the route and waypoints programmed in so it was fun to track our progress as we labored up the trail. Soon we got away from the Dunnfield Creek and were heading up a ridge towards the campsite. Conversation was light and we all enjoyed some light, but well intended, verbal harassment, especially for John, NU3E, our “Rookie” and his efforts to reduce the weight in his pack. Still a “lot of room for improvement” John!!!

The temperature was now in the 70’s, clear and with a light wind. You couldn’t ask for much better hiking weather and before we knew it we were coming into camp. We looked around and quickly set up tents and antennas after a short rest. There was a Forest Service wooden deck tent platform with a great view to the west overlooking the Delaware River. The sun was shining brightly, it was warm, and it was enjoyable. (Notice how Ed succumbed to band QSB!) The weather forecast predicted a cold front to pass near midnight so we knew it would be chilly by morning. What we didn‘t anticipate was the heavy wind! Here we go again, everyone was thinking after our February “hurricane” at the Catfish Fire Tower! I decided “it couldn’t be that bad” so elected to campout on the tent platform “to see the heavens” and the full moon rise around 10pm. We all operated occasionally on various bands for several hours then Ed and I took a short hike to Sunfish Pond while the “Rookie” succumbed to a short nap. Sunfish, a clear water pond and about ¾ of a mile from camp, is one of the day-hiker destinations along the AT because of its scenic beauty. The trees were just coming out of their winter hibernation so it was quite pretty to see the newly minted green colors on the trees.

It didn‘t take Ed or I much time to take our boots off and soak “those hot puppies” in the winter-cold lake water. We hiked back to the campsite, played QRP radio for a while although the bands were in terrible condition and contacts few, then cooked dinner. The wind was increasing but it was still very warm and pleasant. Sunset was around 7:30 pm so we got our tents and sleeping bags ready. I pitched my tent in a grassy area in away from the ridge and tent platform “just in case.” The wind was now picking up, accelerating up the ridge and then overtop of the camp area but the tent platform was directly in its path. I used my rainfly to cover my sleeping bag, tied the bottom of the rainfly to the tent platform and anchored the edges with 10 or 15 pound rocks to hold it down as the wind was now picking up. I was still holding to my conviction of “sleeping under the stars” but carefully eyeing my tent that was out of the wind. Well……the wind was now “substantial”, probably 20 mph with gusts in the 30’s! I hunkered down in the bag about 9pm and was drifting off to sleep when John was coming around to tell of his contact with a mutual hiking friend, Glen, NK1N. “Ok, great, thanks John. See you in the morning,” I sleepily replied!

The wind was picking up but the stars were out in full brightness and the full moon was peeking through the trees. Far off city lights were visible on this crystal clear night. You could hear the wind gusts in the trees coming up the valley then accelerating up the ridge then to blast across the tent platform. Each gust lifted the rainfly and the anchor rocks were rattling like a marimba rhythm shaker. I was sleeping between major “gusts”. It was about 1 pm or so that the cold front came through. The wind was now gusting to 40 mph or more. My anchor rocks were in constant motion sounding like a 3rd grade drumming squad. Sleep was impossible so I moved into the shelter of my tent set up earlier “just in case.” I quickly crashed and woke up around 7am to a clear day with temps in the 40’s. Not too bad.

A quick breakfast, some hot tea and a return to the tent platform for some 40m activity and a couple of quick QSO’s with folks in the Midwest. The bands had returned and there was a lot of activity. We had to pack up for we had about a 8-1/2 hiking mile day ahead of us. We cleared the campsite and heading to Sunfish Pond to filter some water and soak our feet. We hiked on and stopped at a few vista spots but the most scenic was called Mohican Mtn which had unimpeded views in all directions and especially scenic views of the Delaware River in the valley below. We met a Detroit husband and wife hike team that came out to section hike the AT for a few days. They were fun to talk with and we ran into them several times until we got to Camp-Run-a-MOC about 4 more miles north. Ed rates Mohican Mtn as a “9 on a scale of 0-10” in terms of vistas on the AT. We pushed on with several stops to talk with day-hikers. We got to our previous February hike-in spot, Catfish Fire Tower, about 1pm or so and rested and chatted with several folks while there.

You can always tell the state of a good hike by the food dreams you have…..and we started talking about what we were hungry for! I couldn’t get “DQ banana splits” out of my mind and my comments must have been infectious since the other guys quickly agreed to stopping at the first DQ we saw for refreshments! From the Fire Tower, we only had about 1 mile left and our feet were ready! All of us were tired and the downhill to the parked shuttle car was welcome relief. We grinded on, got to the pickup, threw our packs in the back, and headed down from the AT towards our starting point. It wasn‘t far before we spied a DQ. I can’t even begin to tell you how good that banana split tasted as we all three basked in the afternoon sun quietly enjoying our feast and thinking we had made it through another adventure! And we were already talking about next month and continuing where we left off at Catfish and continuing north High Point State Park….maybe a three day hike this time! What adventures lay ahead? Come back next month for the update to the next chapter!!

2006-03-17T17:06:00.000-05:00

“A Lot of Opportunity for Improvement”
March 11, 2006

This outing was the “last of the season Polar Bear Full Moon Madness Outings.” Ed Breneiser, WA3WSJ, and I had talked about going up to Mt. Everett for a “true winter camping experience.” But Mt. Everett is about 2-1/2 hours north of me, and about 4-1/2 hours for Ed. Consequently, we postponed that trip in favor of a hike to Round Head just north of Bethel on Rte 501, about a 2 hr trip for me and 1 hr for Ed.

Round Head, a promontory in the Blue Mountains, is about a 400’ elevation gain from the road to a vista point overlooking the Schulkill River valley. The AT traverses the area and heads NE along the Blue Mountain ridge. One of the strong points of this area, besides the views, is the camp has a rock fire pit which makes overnight camping very enjoyable because you can have a fire.

It was a hot March Saturday for this time of the year. Daytime temps were in the low 70’s which was almost uncomfortable. We congregated at Cabela’s for breakfast at 9am. Ron, WB3AAL; Ed, K3YTR; Ed, WA3WSJ; John, NU3E, and myself all ate heartily then spent an hour shopping. Ed, John, and I then headed for Round Head about 20 minutes west of Hamburg and Cabela’s. The other guys went to a drive-to location on the AT to participate in the Polar Bear event.

We got our hiking gear together as we were “cautioned” by John that he “hadn’t been hiking in 20 years and brought along his old HW-8 and an 7 amp-hr gel-cell battery and an assortment of ni-cads. Ed and I were thinking “heavy!” but when he took his 30 yr-old external-frame backpack, it didn’t look THAT heavy and I said so. John immediately replied “that this was only half.” Hmmm, both Ed and I thought. As John pulled out his 16” by 30” sleeping bag I was getting concerned. Then the 12x12x16 Tupperware container containing all the radios, batteries, and other stuff added to our mild alarm. Hmmm, we wondered, how heavy was this gonna be? John “roped” everything onto the frame backpack. I test lifted the final pack….wow, it was HEAVY!! Ed asked me “how heavy was it?” I replied, “Well, let’s put it this way, there’s a lot of opportunity for improvement!!” John's backpack was definitely QRO! As you can imagine, this started off our weekend with a great deal of levity!! We were going to have some fun.

We hiked onto the access trail and started up the mountainside. About a ½-mile in we got to the infamous “500 stairs” dedicated to an early 1920’s hiking group in central Pa. The “stairs” were really famous AT rocks generally arranged in a stair-step fashion to go up a ½-mile rock scramble to the top of Round Head. It was fun but challenging, especially for John with his later-weighed 50 pound QRO pack.

But we made it without much challenge. The campground was as it was last November when Ed and I were at this site. We quickly set up our antennas (I used my tri-band dipole for the first time in a heavily wooded area) and then our tents. We all got on the air before getting ready for dinner and nightfall. The bands were in pretty good shape and I made a number of 20m QSO’s, especially with the Elecraft QSO Party going on. It was fun to make a number of QRP contacts but no real opportunity to talk about our portable location on the AT. I did mix in a number of contacts where we could talk about “hiking on the AT and having some QRP fun!”

Dinner (a can of beef stew heated in the fire) went quick and we all had a lot of fun talking and giving John, NU3E, a hard time about being “a rookie” with all of his 20-30 yr old camping gear.

We quickly retired to our tents and some QRP activity. Light rain was forecast after midnight so we were all prepared for some rain. It was a brief shower that momentarily woke me at some indeterminate dark hour but I quickly went back to sleep. I awoke at my customary time of around 5:30 or so. I changed my dipole over to 40m (which was a pain because of all the tree limbs, etc….gotta be a better way) and crawled back into the tent and worked a bunch of Elecraft QSOp stations and a number of non-contest QSO’s with folks mostly in the south. I then got up and started a fire in our pit, gathered some more wood, and chiding our “rookie” for not keeping a “firewatch” all night and letting the fire go out. Then it started to rain again. This time it was not a shower but a heavy rain. We all persevered in our tents but wondered if/when it was going to stop. Finally after about an hour we decided to pack up and leave anyway….it didn’t look like we would get a respite from the rain.

I was in my rain gear and comfortable as was Ed. The “rookie” however was not really prepared for the rain. An occasional "drip bucket of water” would come out of his tent….John had several leaks but got his gear together and we all started down the mountain, now more cautious because of the rain-slicked rocks. As Mr. Murphy would expect, it stopped raining.

Ed got some good videos of the overall weekend which I’m sure will appear in the upcoming “Polar Bears Gone Wild” DVD!! We got back to the vehicles, loaded up our stuff and then drove up to Dunkin Donuts for some late breakfast and coffee and to start talking about our April “full moon” outing into the Delaware Water Gap, to a site that I had day-hiked into last fall. We reiterated an earlier discussion that “these events are all about the stories”, had a laugh about our numerous fun moments then head back to our familiar home haunts with thoughts about what will our next trip bring…..????

2006-01-17T12:18:00.000-05:00

January 2006 PB Adventure: “The Ghost”

I was planning another camping overnight to the Catfish Fire Tower on the AT in western NJ for the Jan PB Madness event. In an email to Ed, PB #2 and WA3WSJ, on December 22, 2005, I described the site as:

“There is plenty of flat area around the tower for camping. The only challenges might be wind as the site is very exposed. The only constraints for me would be extreme cold, i.e. 0-degs or less, a heavy rain storm, or an icing event. I'm prepared for a snow event.”

Little did we know that we’d get to experience all THREE “challenges”!!!!

It started out as a unusually warm for this time of the year (in the mid-50’s) but foggy day. Visibility was about 100 yds or so due to the heavy fog and slight misty rain. We four, Ed (WA3WSJ), Glenn (NK1N), John (NU2E), and myself started our hike into the Catfish Fire Tower about noon Saturday after parking at the gated access area at the bottom of the hill. It took us about 30 min or so to hike the 1+ mile into the tower site since each of us were carrying a full backpack load. It was still misting as we set up our tents to operate the January PB Madness event starting at 3 pm locally and lasting 4 hours. Most folks set up quickly; I setup up on top of the hill and hung my multi-band dipole off of the 65’ firetower….really an ideal antenna location for QRP activities since the average antenna height exceeds 35’.

The weather forecast was for a cold front to pass in the late afternoon with the temperature to drop into the high 20’s overnight. I was planning to spend the night on the ridgetop; the other guys were going back to the cabin at 6 or 7pm or so. So I was hunkered down for somewhat of a storm but not like anything that actually occurred…..

The bands were in good shape. I was making a number of Q’s on 40m and having a good time in spite of an increasing wind and now a moderate rain. I peeked out of the tent to see how the other guys were doing; the sky was very dark to the west and the clouds looked menacing, similar to those violent thunderstorms of the Midwest. The wind was picking up and I re-anchored my tent pegs; I also tied the tent to several large 100-lb rocks as added assurance. Then the gust front of the weather front hit! I sounded like an on-coming freight train….to say “all hell broke loose” is an understatement. My four-season, mountaineering tent was bending in half and “thumping” loudly as it recovered between gusts. The wind was whistling through the steel framework of the firetower about 40’ away from tent site. Then the rain started, driven by the 60+ mph winds. It pounded my tent; the noise was unbelievable. I set aside my radio efforts…no way I could operate in these conditions. My concern turned to protection and survival. I pulled on my heavy raingear and went outside to find more 100-lb rocks to anchor my tent pegs and to check on the other guys. You could hear the heavy wind gusts coming up the ridgeside from the west as they tore through the trees lower down. And then I watched the fire tower swaying with each gust….

Ed, WA3WSJ and John, NU3E were on the leeward wind shadow of the ridge; the heavy wind was going over top of them as they huddled in Ed’s tent. It was still raining hard but nothing like on top of the ridge. Glenn, NK1N, was up top on the ridge next to me. I went to check on him and found him a bit shaken but persevering. This was Glenn’s first trip with the Polar Bears….surely he was wondering if it’s always like this!! Or correspondingly, what have we got him into??

We got a break in the rain storm so Ed, John, and Glenn packed up quickly to get off the mountain. I had earlier communicated that “I was going to spend the night” so I stubbornly held to that conviction notwithstanding the gazillion mile-per-hour winds and heavy rain. The guys were quickly gone and the wind showed no signs of abatement. My dipole was still swaying heavily, the winds still gusting well over 60 mph, and now the rain turned to sleet and was pounding my tent. Soon there was ice covering everything and it had become nightfall or at least dark an hour before scheduled sunset due to the black, roiling clouds from the storm. My tent was under constant attack, rolling to-and-fro as the wind collapsed the windward side and the loud “thump” as it recovered. By now I had 6 large, 50 to 100 lb rocks holding each tent peg down. The ice pellets on the tent was like the sound of a huge hail storm on your car.

Ok. Let’s see who’s on the bands. The radio still worked and I was searching the 40m for a QRL frequency when the radio went dead….it was still on so it wasn’t the batteries. A few minutes of sleuthing narrowed to the antenna….I got my flashlight out and peered outside but really couldn’t see anything so I reluctantly went outside. It was sleeting heavily now and the ice pellets hurt as they pummeled my face and hands. Where’s my dipole? Well, the worst has happened. The dipole iced up and the heavy winds broke it loose from the fire tower connection at 60 feet. No way was I going to put it up, especially since you could HEAR the tower groaning and squealing as the winds buffeted the riveted steel structure. With no antenna, why I am I here? The answer was easy….let’s pack up and get out of here! First I tried to let the guy’s in the cabin know that “I was cumin’ in!!” but no answer to my FM call. Interesting, the link was a 59 copy before, why not now? Notwithstanding that “small problem”, I crawled back into the tent and stuffed everything into the backpack. The tent was gonna be another problem….it was covered with ice and no way was it even going to roll up! The temps were now in the high 20’s, the wind still howling, and the sleet seemingly heavier than before! So I just “folded” the tent into this big box-size, cradled it under my arm and headed down the mountain. I’ll hike in tomorrow to get the dipole and coax!

As soon as I got below the leeward side of the ridge line, the wind was going over the top and it was another world, albeit somewhat eerie because the trees were groaning, branches falling, the sleet still sideways, and the trail icy. Most would say this “isn’t in the fun category” but I was really enjoying it. What a great story this was. I got back to the pickup, threw the tent in the back, and started back to the cabin. I tried raising the guys again on FM….where were they? They’re supposed to be monitoring this frequency? After a bit, I pulled into the Camp-Run-A-MOC area and gave them a call again….this time they came back on FM….apparently they didn’t change modes to FM after working some 2M SSB folks…so I wasn’t even breaking squelch! Ha! So much for emergency preparedness!! I told them “I was coming in….the storm got the best of me.”

When I walked in there was a “big welcome” and Ed related that “they really didn’t expect to see me alive again. They were planning to retrieve my remains in morning!!!” “He’s gone for sure,” said Ed! After warming up and getting some of Ed’s, K3YTR, beef stew I was feeling much better. In table chatter, Ed told the story of how “he had tried to work me when we were on the hill.” He could hear my CW signal great and kept calling, and calling on 20m but with no response from me. How was this possible? Then a few minutes later it dawned on him that he was trying to work my 2nd harmonic since I was on 40m at the time. And later, since they had jokingly given me up for “gone on the mountain”, when I walked into the cabin, it was as if a “ghost” had appeared. And that became the basis for my new, AT nickname, “the Ghost.” Anybody want to go on another N7UN-arranged hike? The weather will be great….”I promise!”

2005-12-22T13:47:00.000-05:00

BearFort Fire Tower for December Polar Bear Outing

The December QRP outing was planned for Dec. 17th, a Saturday. I wanted to test my "fortitude" for snow camping with an overnight at the BearFort Fire Tower site. See some of my previous posts to this site. It is close, about 15 mins from my house, and therefore very convenient. I retrieved my 4-season Jansport Mountain tent and heavy down sleeping bag and was planning for a cold night at the tower. The overnight temps were in the single digits recently but the weather has been clear. Fortunately, the forecast was for temps in the mid-teens, no wind, and clear skies. Sounded about as good as it was going to get for this time of the year! So the go-forward, green light was still on!

It had snowed about a foot a week earlier and much of this snow was still present. So for sure it would be an overnight in the snow and with a full moon expected, the "ambiance" should be spectacular! I parked at the fireroad gate about 2pm or so, loaded my 45# pack and started the trek up to the tower. The road was snow covered but the hike in was easy. It took about 30 mins due to my heavier pack (normally with my daypack it takes about 15 mins) and my desire not to overheat/sweat up and create an over chilling problem. I quickly set up the tent in a nice level spot. (See picture) then put up my multi-band dipole with one end hanging of the fire tower and the other in a tree 200' away. The average antenna heigth was about 35' or so.

With the sun setting at 4:30, it was starting to get cold with temps around freezing. I started out on 40m but due to RTTY and the RAC contests, the cw portion of the band was a nightmare. Out into the cold to switch the dipole over to 30m. Brrrr! It was cold outside. My thermometer was showing about 25-degs. I had 3 candles going inside the tent which kept the temp inside around 35-degs or so. I had plenty of clothes on, hats, gloves, etc. so I wasn't really cold but had to frequently warm my hands over the candles to keep them reasonably warm! I made a number of cw contacts on 30m before the band started getting very long around 9 pm. Temps were in the low 20's by now. It was time to hibernate into the sleeping bag. The only problem was I had to go to the bathroom. So I crawl out of the tent, admire the full moon, and back into the tent. When the temps are in the low 20's, this whole process is a challenge to say the least. Mental note to self: minimize liquid intake in the afternoon to minimize the output in the evening! Unfortunately, this process had to be repeated several more times during the night, the last a about 3am when the temp was in the mid-teens. COLD!!!! Fortunately there was no wind!

The next morning was overcast. The inside of the tent was filled with condensation ice crystals from my breath. Jarring the tent caused a snow storm! Really cool. There was no morning sun to warm the tent! I turned on the K1, made 3 cw contacts, and then it was time to pack up and get some coffee and get warm!! Overall, I was dressed warm enough and stayed plenty warm in the sleeping bag. Next time, I will bring the white gas stove and have more heat for the tent and some tea water for a morning warm up cup.

2005-11-20T13:55:00.000-05:00

High Knob, PA Hike

I had a three day weekend and therefore took advantage of the unseasonably warm (mid-50's) and sunny skies to visit a fire tower lookout in the north Poconos of Pennsylvania. The drive was about 65 miles and took about 2 hrs the first time. It was a beautiful day and I arrived about 3 pm. The access road was gated so I parked and set off with my daypack of my the K1 and my multiband dipole, extra windproof clothes, etc.

It was a beautiful fall afternoon for the hike into the tower site. I could see that there were some commercial communication systems also at the site as evidenced by the at least 3 tall towers. I arrived about 35 mins later and the view was good in nearly 360-degrees but there were a number of commercial installations and there gated towers and service buildings. The fire tower itself was small incomparison at only about 25' tall.

I set up on the grass next to a fenced area, threw a rock and line through one of the tower legs, pulled one end of the dipole up and, using the same rock and line over a telephone pole line for the other end. In all, I estimate the dipole at 20' to 25' above ground. I had much more coax then I needed. I set up the K1, batteries, pulled on the extra windpants and sat down to call CQ. Where's my logbook? Oh, great! I left it home! The best I could do was write on the back of a 3 x 5 card! On my first CQ I got a W8 from Illinois but now my pen won't write because it's too cold! The ink won't flow! Great!

The temp was now into the 30's as the sun was setting. The sunset was beautiful and very colorful but I learned that I need to bring a pencil because ink doesn 't flow at near freezing temps! Oh well....experience is a powerful teacher. Now I was copying in my head and trying to remember calls and names....so far so good. Time out to stretch, warm up a bit, try to get my hands warm again. The polypro gloves are not adequate to be effective especially if there is any wind blowing. My fingers were really cold and that was impacting my cw keying abilities. I need to find some additional gloves that won't impact my keying requirements.

The sunset was great and I stayed until about a half-hour after it set. The temp was plummeting and the wind still at 15 mph or so but really getting to my cold hands. Although I was looking forward to a night hike out, I decided to pack up early and walk out when there was still some light. A half-hour later I was on the road out and back to the pickup where the temp was reading about 28-degrees. No wonder I was cold. It was probably 25 or so on the top!

Anyway it was a beautiful afternoon and another fun area to scout and consider as a future operating site or campover site.

2005-11-14T21:09:00.000-05:00

Bearfort Fire Tower, NJ for the Polar Bear Outing:

This was the initial message from Ron Polityka announcing a Polar Bear "outing" on Sunday, Nov. 13th.

Hello, This Sunday, Nov. 13th we plan on having another Polar Bear Moonlight Madness Run. The actual full moon is on Nov. 15th but we are going to do it on the weekend.November is the Full Beaver Moon.Please send me an e-mail if you plan on going out that evening and I will place you on the list.So far we have the following:WB3AAL 40, 30 or 20 CW
WA3WSJ 40 or 20 PSKNK8Q 40, 30 or 20 CWK3YTR 75 SSBKB3JNE VHFKB3JND VHFVE3WMB 40 & 20 CWVA3SIE 40 &amp;amp;amp; 20 CWWA8REI 40 & 20 CWN7UN/2 40 & 20

CWAll frequencies will be around the QRP Freq. + or - due to QRM

72 and Thanks,
Ron Polityka, WB3AALPolar Bear #2 (www.wb3aal.com)

I went up to the BearFort Fire Tower which is about 10 mins from my house but is on the BearFort Mtns, actually a ridge, that runs north and south in north New Jersey. It has a great overlook west and east and is about 400' or so HAAT. So the RF takeoff angles are great. It was warm with temps in the mid-50s but a 15 -20 mph south wind will keep it chilly as nightfall approaches. It was clouding up since a weather front was approaching from the west with expected rain after midnight.

It's about a 15 min hike up the fire access road to the fire tower. It was really pretty since about 80% of the leaves have fallen but some leaves on the more hardy trees were still hanging on. The road itself was completely leaf covered. Surprisingly the Fire Tower was manned as there was motorcycle at its base. This was a first for me and kind of surprising for this late in the year. I climbed the tower stairs and connected my dipole rope thru a pulley that I left in place from my last visit. The other dipole end is strung through a tree about 150' away...this is a nice setup which results in my multiband dipole having an average heigth of about 35' or so. Excellent! Sunset was at 5pm and I took about 45 mins to get everything installed. It was starting to get cooler and the wind was steady out of the south. The almost full moon was rising behind the thin overcast in the east. I got on the air on 40m but was inundated with eu RTTY contesters....they occupied frequencies down to 7020. I made a couple of QSO's but was fighting the RTTY guys. No fun. So I lowered the dipole and switched over to 30m. My first with this antenna and at this site. Boy did it work great! I had a number of good QSO's and everyone was surprised at my QRP signal strengths. I was getting colder....I really needed another layer of windbreakers, especially for my legs. I had my gloves on and sending CW was a bit of challenge. It was real dark now; the overcast clouds were blocking most of the full moon light. My "red" LED headlight was doing a great job...no excessive "white" lights to night blind me. I was getting cold and made some mental notes to bring more layers on my next polar bear outing. The wind chill was the challenge and my hands were cold in spite of some poly gloves I had on. I know I would have been warmer if I had a windbreaker layer on top of what I was wearing. The problem is that you are stationary and not moving when operating and consequently getting cold. The highlight of the evening was a call by a previous contact from the same site, CU2JT, Gary, who heard me calling CQ and answered. We had a good QSO for nearly 45 mins or so. It was now about 6:45pm, cloudy, dark, and cold with temps around 45-deg f. The wind was still at 15-20 mph from the south. I was cold so I packed up and hiked out. To disassemble takes about 30 mins total. Not bad at all.
Here's the original call for the Polar Bear outing:

2005-11-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

Pulpit Rock on the AT in PA with WA3WSJ:

I have been corresponding with Ed Breneiser, WA3WSJ, via email for several weeks concerning "scenic vistas on the AT in PA." Ed indicated that one of their local spots, Pulpit Rock, was "just about as good as it gets for the AT in PA." That was good enough for me so I took a vacation day from work, got up at 4 am on Friday the 4th of Nov. and drove the 120 miles to Hamburg, PA. We met at 8 am and drove out to the parking area and began our hike into the site. The fall colors were spectacular, the temps in the mid 50's, sunny and windless. It doesn't get much better than this. The 2.5 mile hike in was painless due to the non-stop conversation and the breathtaking weather and scenic fall colors. The site at the top is part of the LeHigh Valley Astronomy club and consists of a cleared mountain top area for their 4 observatories. The "Rock" itself is a overlook of the Reading valley area. Very scenic and the views south were great.

I set my 20m vertical up in a grassy area near one of the observatories. Ed was nearby on 40m. We made a number of contacts, my best into Europe (Budapest Hungary). After an hour of operating in the HOT sun, we packed up and walked back to the vehicles. Temps were now in the low 70's. Outstanding for this time of the year.

We drove over for lunch at Cabela's who claim to be the "world's largest outfitters". Their PA store is HUGE and an outdoor enthusiasts dream world! Lunch was great and filling. We were then off for the 30 min drive to Round Rock, our overnight destination and a 3.5 mile hike in over "typically rocky" AT trail terrain. We were with full packs now: mine at an overweight, carry everything-you-might-ever-need 45# and Ed's a more seasoned veterans weight of 30-35#. After a mile or so, the rock "scramble" began over challengingly difficult, very rocky and very leaf-covered trail terrain. The heavy leaf cover made travel slow because you were never sure of your footing! We got to the ridge campsite about an hour before sunset (5pm EST), quickly put up antennas and tents. I tried 30m for the first time with my vertical. I was not pleased. I need to check continuity of my elements. I should have brought my new, multi-band dipole instead. Conditions were only "ok" and I had to really work for contacts.

There was a firepit at the site so we made a very nice campfire. I think I enjoyed the campfire as much as the remote, field operating. The temps were still mild and there was very little wind. We both retired to our tents about 8pm. I was tired because of my long day and only operated for about an hour.

The next morning I converted the vertical to 20m and was making a number of contacts with several into Europe. Always enjoyable to work EU on 5 watts! The K1 has such a great receiver! We hung around until about 11:30, then packed up and hiked out. Ed had his daughter's 30th birthday party that afternoon so we had to get him out and I had the 2-1/2 drive back to NJ. All in all it was great overnight and a pleasure to meet Ed and see some great hiking and vista areas on the AT.
Ed's Comments on the Elecraft Reflector were:

"Well I met Guy, N7UN, for the first time on Friday morning. We drove to the Hamburg Reservoir Parking Lot and then hiked the 2.5 miles up to Pulpit Rock. I used my K1 with my VBWFPA. Guy used a vertical too. Guy worked 20m while I worked 40m. Thanks to all who called us. I must apologize. I was using my Palm PDA to log and I just can't get used to it. I will use a paper log and my AT Paddle only for all future trips. We hiked 5 miles Friday morning then drove to Cabela's for lunch. We then drove west to Rt.501 and started the next hike about 2:30pm. Guyand I hiked another 3.5 miles out to Round Head and set up camp there-it was great! Warm sunny weather with a big blue sky. We set up camp just as darkness fell on us. I then started a nice campfire and we just sat there gazing at the fire under a starlight sky. Guys, it doesn't get any better than that! On Saturday morning I made contact with a K8 in MI, but my palm froze up. It gave me some funny memory error that I couldn't clear? So I took the batteries out and reinstalled them. To mysurprise it cleared the error, but also cleared all my apps on the Palm too! I had no way to send cw as I forgot my AT Paddle when I changed packs! The lookout near the camp has a killer view to the west and all the trees look like they're on fire! We could see the entire mountain we hiked out to get to Round Head. We both had a great time, but my feet are feeling the 12 miles we hiked! Guy is looking into a hike this year yet to the top of a 3K+ mountain in NJ or NY. I have decided to upgrade my K1 by putting 4-band board, backlight and tuner into my K1. Guy's K1 backlight was so cool! So that's the rest of the story! More to come later from the Nomad.....72, Ed, WA3WSJ"

2005-10-30T17:15:00.000-05:00

Catfish Fire Tower, NJ on the AT:

I have been developing a lightweight, multi-band, dipole antenna for backpacking. Although most vista or overlook locations along the AT have no trees that could effectively accommodate a dipole (which is why I have built the N2XE multi-band vertical), I have designed a simple, connect-and-play dipole for 20m, and 40m. So this past Saturday (10/29) was the target for hiking into Catfish Fire Tower on the AT ( link to web pages) to test the dipole strung off the Fire Tower. A secondary goal was to camp overnight at the site and have some QRP fun on 40m after dark.

I arrived at the Tower about noon after a 2 mile hike in with my 45-lb pack. The weather was mostly cloudy, winds out of the NW at 15 to 20 mph with higher gusts. The temperature was in the low 40’s, making for a chilly day at the relatively exposed Tower location. What I didn’t expect was the numerous “tour groups” of 10 to 15 people who were guided in to “view the fall colors.” Apparently this is a common “activity” for this time of the year. Even the Forest Service was on site provided tours into the “cabin” of the fire tower. Now the steel-structured Catfish Tower is 65’ tall and was noticeably swaying due to the gusty winds. Only a handful of folks were braving the winds and climbing the stairways to the top.

I met Bob Wolf, the local Forest Ranger, who was very intrigued with what I was doing and more than accommodating. We spent about 40 minutes talking about Morse Code, the changes in the industry, and radio communications in general. When I tied one end of the dipole at the 65’ level on the Tower, he invited me into the “cabin” of the Tower and we talked another 20 minutes or so. I threw a rock over a tree limb for the other end of the dipole, pulled everything taunt, connected the K1 and tuned in a loud CW station to let everyone nearby hear “ham radio.” I spent the next 45 minutes in a “show-and-tell” mode for curiosity seekers. At the same time I setup my Sierra Design 3-season backpack tent so I could get out of the wind and cold temperatures.

The tour groups left about 3 pm and I spent most of the next three hours on 20m with about 10 contacts around the east coast. The dipole with one end at 60’ and the other at 40’ played really well, especially since this site has a HAAT of about 450’ or so and sharp drop offs to the east and west. So the K1 was humming along. My plan was to switch to 40m near sundown. I let the dipole down, connected the jumper over to the 40m segments, raised the dipole up again, crawled into the tent, quickly changed bands on the K1 only to get a blast of European SSB stations! I forgot! This is the CQWW SSB weekend and ITU Region 1 and 3 allow SSB down to 7.000! Needless to say, the QRM was miserable and only a few QRO CW stations were on. My 5-watts wasn’t getting anywhere. Now the temps were in the low 30’s, the wind gusts still as strong, and the 40m band a mess. I’m not going to have any fun here. And I was in my 3-season lightweight tent....the wind was buffeting the "house" terribly. Time to reconsider.

So about 8:30 pm I packed everything up, disassembled the antenna system, put my LED headlamp on and started the hike out. Fortunately the clouds had given away to a beautiful clear sky. Mars and Venus were both very bright in the sky and the stars were magnificent. The view of the night sky alone was almost worth the trip. Now I need to add the 30m segment to the dipole for times precisely like this!

2005-09-24T12:22:00.000-04:00

Mt. Everett, Mass.

Part of my longer term goal is to hike a majority of the "highest locations" on the AT, particularily in the NE. I had been to Mt. Everett about 5 years ago when I was a VHF Rover contester. At that time you were able to drive almost to the top and the Fire Lookout tower was still in place. Mt. Everett is located in the SW corner of Mass on the border with NY. You can drive to within a mile or so and then the access road is gated and you must hike the remaining way. The road is level and smooth so the hike is easy and fast. There's a good campground about a 1/2-mile in with a porta-potty and fire pits. A good future camp site but would have to be in the fall after the mosquitoes have died since there is a lot of standing water. An early spring camp would also be fun.

The drive is about 2-1/2 hrs and is especially beautiful in the fall with the trees turning all colors. This was going to be a day trip for me, so I left early in the morning and arrived mid-morning at the entry sign which dates from the 20's or 30's. I parked at the gate and started the hike into the site. You can see the road in is well maintained. Camping is allowed if you are on the AT. I had my vertical with me since there were no tall trees to hang a dipole. The day was beautiful; clear, sunny, and warm with virtually no wind and view in all directions.

Apparently there have been two fire towers here. One in the early teen's and a second in the 40's. In talking with several local hikers, this last tower was removed about 3 years ago. I set up at the last tower site. You can still see the tower footings. It was a great site and I had a number of great QSO's around the NE on 20m. Nothing into Europe. There were a lot of day hikers so I was

busy talking with those folks which is about as much fun as CW QSO's on the K1. About 3pm the local hiker visitors dropped off and I was able to concentrate on QRP QSO's. It's always fun to tell folks where you are, especially portable on the AT, and get their reactions. Almost all folks wish they could be there! I tell them to get out of the house...go to a park or anyplace and set up on a picnic table and have some fun! Of course CW makes it easier to be portable, but a good location and 10w or so of SSB can be equally stimulating. I packed up around 6pm for the hike out and the longer drive back. It was a great day and fun to get "up north." Now I have to start planning for a Mt. Graylock QRP Dxpedition!

2005-09-15T13:41:00.000-04:00

Mt. Tammany

Located at the southern most end of the AT in New Jersey, Mt Tammany "looked" interesting based on reviewing a topo map of the Delaware Gap area. Shown as a high point with a "vista star", I planned on an QRP activation from the area. Parking at the picnic area on the Jersey side of I80, I climbed the steep Mt. Tammany Trail going east out of the parking lot. It was seemingly going straight up! There were a number of other folks, families, groups, etc. climbing in the same direction. Something had to be spectacular for all these folks to climb this relatively arduous trail. After about 45 minutes I got to a very rocky overlook of the Delaware River and the "gap" between NJ and PA. The corresponding viewpoint on the PA side is called Mt. Minsi and it looks like there is some sort of monument over there. A future trip opportunity.

The view was spectacular; seemingly a straight down look at the river from about 700' or so above it. There were a ton of people here. Mt Tammany is about another 1/2 mile up the trail. I was hoping to breakout of the trees for that "vista" promised on my trail map. Unfortunately a 1/4 mile later, I was still socked in the trees; perhaps 20 years ago when the map was first made there was a view but not today. Hmmm, what to do now? A careful look at the map showed some more "vista stars" a bit north on the trail. Oh well, let's go. Trails criss-cross this area and it would be easy to make a loop hike. A few miles north, I came out on a clearing used by the Forest Service for helicopter landing for either supplies or people. Nothing really great here also. Let's go a few more miles and do the loop and pass by Upper Yards Creek Reservoir.
It was bushwacking a bit on the trail as it was not recently maintained but I got to the fenced in reservoir and hiked along the fence until I got to the Sunfish Pond Fire Road which took me to Sunfish Pond, a popular day-hike area in the summer for picnics and swimming. Now I was back on the AT, about 7 or 8 miles into my loop and still looking for a suitable site to be QRP portable. Heading south now on the AT, after a mile or so, I came to "Backpacker Site #2", a camping area for folks on the AT. It had a nice view to the west so I set up here. It was pretty in the woods but there was still a lot of day-hiker traffic.
After 3 or 4 hours of operating with the verticle, it was time to pack up and head back to the parking lot. I still had about 4 miles ahead of me and I wanted to get back before dark as I didn't have any flashlights with me. The hike is near the Dunnfield Creek which looks like it can be spectacular after heavy rains since for the last mile or so, the trail is in a canyon and fallen or washed down trees are rather high along the creek. I'll have to come up here when we've had some extended rains to see the swollen creek. All in all it was a long about 10 or 11 mile hike.

2005-09-04T13:57:00.000-04:00

Bear Mtn, NY
Sept 4, 2005

This was an outing to Bear Mtn which is the highest point on the AT in NY and part of the extensive Harrimann Park system. Access is easy and I parked at a public picnic area below the Harriman Lodge at the bottom of the hill. Since it was a holiday weekend, they were charging $10 per car for parking. Being relatively cheap, I elected to walk about 1/4-mile from the public area.

It was going to be a warm day. The climb up was hot and there were a number of day-hikers on the AT from the Lodge up to the Lookout Monument at the top of the mountain. About an hour later, I got to the top via the Trail. This area is accessible by car and there were many people wandering around. I took some pictures and then headed east looking for another "star vista" as shown on my Harriman Park hiking map. On the way I ran into the "QSY Ham Radio Club" operating the ARRL VHF contest from atop Bear Mtn. What a great location for the contest. There's no higher location in this area and they had a 30' Rohn tower setup with a 6m and 2m beams on rotors. Outstanding! They even got permits for overnight camping! I t was a bunch of real friendly guys and I talked with them, sharing stories, doing an Elecraft show-and-tell, etc. There were some HF guys so we had a good time.

I then hiked about 1/4-mile east of there site, setup the vertical and K1, and started to have some QRP fun. It was hot and this site overlooked the Hudson River to the east. I made a number of QSOs, packed up about 6pm and hiked down the very steep "alternative" trail to the lodge area. All in all, it was a fun but hot day!!

2005-08-28T14:07:00.000-04:00

Mary's Peak, Oregon

Mary's Peak at about 4,097' is the highest point in the Oregon Coast Range of mountains. It is near Corvallis, Oregon and is quite prominent, rising up from the valley floor of about 500' or so. It has clear vistas in all directions; it is possible to see the Pacific Ocean about 30 miles away, as far north as Mt. Rainier near Seattle and I've heard from some folks that on a really clear day, Mt. Shasta in northern California. Of course, most of Oregon's Cascade Mountains are readily visible. The access road takes you to within 3/4-mile of the top and from there it is an easy hike up to the top.

I was fortunate because it was beautifully clear, no wind, and temps in the 60's to low 70's. The top is a grassy knob with ample room to set up a verticle antenna. I've seen pictures from the 50's and 60's when there was a Fire Lookout Tower here and the local hams would come up here for Field Day. That must have been a spectacular outing!! I was up here on a weekday so there were not many people which cut down on the curiosity discussions. I set up my vertical and began to have some QRP fun! I had to be back in the early evening for some family events otherwise I would have stayed well past nightfall. This is a great operating site, especially weekdays and of course when the weather is clear and the temps and winds cooperating.

2005-08-26T14:20:00.000-04:00

Huckleberry Mtn Fire Lookout

At 5,549' this is a spectacular site for both 360-deg vistas of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, but a great QRP operating site. This Fire Lookout is located north of Oak Ridge and most of the road is paved then well graded gravel for the remainder. The directions can be obtuse and the signage not easy. It is best to get a copy of printed directions from the Forest Service office about 1 mile west of Oak Ridge proper. If the tower is manned, the gate will be open to the top parking area; otherwise it's about 3/4-mile hike into the site. On a clear day, the views are spectacular in all directions. It is one of the highest sites in this general area.