2019-09-28 Black Mountain, Rain, and Mud

Today’s expedition takes me to Black Mountain, located near Ramona, California.  I’ve recently acquired an Elecraft KX2, a 10 watt very small high quality HF ham radio and I’m itching to test it out.  I picked it up used from a ham in northern California which saved me a bundle.  I really want to lighten my load and by my calculations, switching to the KX2 will save me 7 lbs of weight!!! 

Another incentive is the “ARIZONA S2S 10-POINT MADNESS” that is hapening this weekend.  That “madness” means that a lot of hams will be on summits in Arizona, giving me plenty of opportunity to get some more summit to summit points, something I enjoy doing.  I was going to join Adam on a summit today but I had already done the planned peak.  By choosing this drive up location, I get some points and figured I would haul some extra equipment and try some high power VHF.  My 3-element yagi 2m isn’t going to be nearly as good as Adams custom 6 element but I thought it would be fun to try since today’s mission didn’t require me to backpack it in. 

2019-09-22 Morena Butte

On Sunday, 22-Sep, I headed out to Morena Butte with some fellow hams to do some Summits On The Air (SOTA).  Adam (K6ARK), and Jake (W6RWS) met at my house and we were wheels up by 0600.  Morena Butte is east of my house near the Laguna Mountains, with a summit at 4,000 feet.  Because of the early start, it was a nice semi-cool hike up to the peak.  As we turned and headed up the final ascent we also caught a slight breeze, but it was starting to warm.  There were some pretty vistas on the way up and the crew was in high spirits.

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Here is a link to the slides I used for the presentation I will give on Summits On The Air (SOTA) at the the San Diego DX Club on September 25th, 2019 in San Diego, CA.

I'm looking forward to presenting to this hard core set of ham who are always working to push the limits of their rig system to maximize distance and have fun.

Sept. 11th 2019 Presentation to LARC

Here is a link to the slides I used for the presentation I gave on Summits On The Air (SOTA) at the the Lakeside  Amateur Radio Club on September 11th, 2019 in Santee, CA.  This is a great bunch of hams that are driving the only "Ham Fest" in the area and give free classes to get a ham radio license.  They will also have a walk-up license testing available at Ham Fest so for a small team, they really punch above their weight.

Thanks to the other SOTA operators that contributed to this presentation, (KE6MT, K6ARK are a couple that come to mind).  I always enjoy sharing what little I know as well as my enthusiasm for SOTA.  I had a lot of great questions from the group and the presentation was well received.  I hope to hear some of the members on the air as "activators' or "chasers" the next time I'm on the summit.

Thanks and 73,
N1CLC
Christian Claborne
(aka chris claborne)

September 4th SOTA Presentation to PARC

Here is a link to the slides I used for the presentation I gave on Summits On The Air (SOTA) at the the Palomar  Amateur Radio Club on September 4th, 2019 in San Diego, CA.  Thanks to the other SOTA operators that contributed to this presentation, (KE6MT, K6ARK are a couple that come to mind).  I always enjoy sharing what little I know as well as my enthusiasm for SOTA.  I had a lot of great questions from the group and the presentation was well received.  I hope to hear some of the members on the air as "activators' or "chasers" the next time I'm on the summit.

Thanks and 73,
N1CLC
Christian Claborne
(aka chris claborne)

2019-09-02 Pole Knoll via Elk Trail

The last peak on my punch list for Arizona this year was Pole Knoll, W7A/AP-003.  It is the fourth and final peak during my Labor Day stay.  I was saving the best for last on this trip.  It was a gorgeous day.  I did this hike last year about this time and it was really beautiful.  Green, lush, and devoid of other people.  I was waiting for a day when Jeanette and her friend could join but they were planning to attend a mushroom class near the summit in Grear, AZ.  This may be the last chance to hike Pole Knoll this year unless we come up here on Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately, instead of attending the class, they were both sick from what they think was a mushroom they consumed yesterday.  They are getting better, Jeanette got the worst of it.
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2019-09-01 Red Butte First Activation

My original plan for today was to not hike, kick around the cabin, meditate, and then watch the rain come down... Then I started thinking about how I might be able to do both.   At about 9 I decided to jump over to New Mexico to activate a summit that had never been activated, Red Butte (W5N/AP-035). 

The drive over to the planned trailhead took about 45 minutes from the SOC (Sota Operations Center, AKA my cabin), and it was a beautiful drive through the national forest.   The initial route up is charted HERE and the IAF (turn onto a road) at 33.92855, -108.9152.  There is a jeep trail that actually took me up past half way to the summit.  The truck has four-wheel-drive which was needed only in one spot.  It ends at a large clearing.  I passed some guys on the way down.  I think they were target practicing up against the hillside there.  It’s actually a good place to do that. 
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