N1CLC: 2019-03-03 Big DX

“DX” is term used by ham operators to mean a contact made outside of one's own country and today I got quite a few DX contacts. I was itching to get out and do a little hiking. It rained all day yesterday and although it threatened to rain today, I thought I’d hike up to San Marcos Mountain, W6/SC-331. There was a world-wide contest going on today so it allowed me to contact a lot of long distance stations that may not normally be up. That’s because contester’s have some really nice directional antennas with tons of power. The large antennas allow them to hear me and the power definitely helps me hear them, and the contest keeps them up and on the air all day.

The Hike up and back is fairly easy 3.9 miles. With just a 768 foot climb. The trail was pretty damp but in excellent condition. The last .1 miles is pretty steep but I’d grade it medium. There was just one part where you need to climb up on a rock and over due to a large step.

I watched a small set of showers come in off the coast and move inland but they looked like they would stay to the south of me, and for the most part, they did. At one point it started getting windy with a bit of rain so I popped on my rain jacket and and the rain cover for my pack. I used my small HT on the mountain top to make a few contacts while I waited to make sure the rain would miss my position. I just don’t think using my 100 watt radio in the rain is a good idea.

The contest was roaring along when I fired up my HF rig. I tuned around for a while contacting some contesters and then found an open frequency that I could use to spot myself. I got one contact and he was about 30 miles away. I guess all the chasers take a break when there is a big contest going on. I went back to tuning around and got plenty of contacts.

I’ve been re visiting some of my previous hikes and I thought they might be a little less exciting but it’s interesting how the drive and the hike up the hill sparks memories from the previous expeditions. I did this hike last February. I saved all my hiking routes on Alltrails.com and it provides me with some nice references, making the planning phase easier. You’ll find today’s route HERE.

It’s always fun to get some long distance contacts when out doing this hobby. Japan and Russia were the big ones for me today. Although it was under 5 miles, only a single SOTA point, this particular hike is a pretty one and it was great to get out of the house.

Contacts

Own Callsign	Date	Time	Summit	Mode	Station Worked	Notes
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	22:37	W6/SC-331	FM	KJ6SJY	San Diego
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	22:48	W6/SC-331	DV	KK6I	Escondido, CA
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	22:55	W6/SC-331	SSB	KH6J	Hawaii
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:17	W6/SC-331	SSB	YV1KK	Trujillo, Venezuela
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:20	W6/SC-331	SSB	RT0F	Asiatic Russia
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:29	W6/SC-331	SSB	KH6J	Hawaii
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:31	W6/SC-331	SSB	K6MXA	La Mesa, CA
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:34	W6/SC-331	SSB	NS7P	OR
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:36	W6/SC-331	SSB	KL7RA	AK
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:38	W6/SC-331	SSB	JJ2YRE	Japan
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:40	W6/SC-331	SSB	ZF9CW	AR
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:44	W6/SC-331	SSB	JH8YOH	Japan
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:45	W6/SC-331	SSB	P49Y	Aruba
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:47	W6/SC-331	SSB	JA7QVI	Japan
N1CLC	03/Mar/2019	23:48	W6/SC-331	SSB	JH4UYB	Japan