N1CLC: 2020-05-03 Jamul Mountain

I couldn’t wait to hit the mountains today. I headed over to Jamul Mountain with the radios and antennas to get some amateur radio contacts. The mountain is local to the area and it’s another K6MXA special. John turned me on to this and mentioned that it’s a pretty hike. I got up early today to avoid the heat (last week was still in the back of my mind). Today was forecast to be a lot cooler than last weekend, 76 at the house. I was at the trailhead by 7AM and it was cool and moist. The marine layer was backed up against the mountains and hung in the valleys, making for a picturesque launch. As I hiked, the marine layer slowly burned off but it never got real uncomfortable.

The route is very pretty, made up of high grass that’s been fed by the rains we had and it was still green. In addition, there was no bushwhacking through chaparral, the path was well worn and an easy follow. If I can stay on the trail, anyone can.

There are two little ascents on this route, both straight up but not real difficult. Total elevation gain was 1,225, mostly on the way to the peak and it stretched over 2.35 miles. Once on top, I was in the sun but there was a slight breeze from the ocean, keeping the temps under control. There is a cattle yard in the valley below. I couldn’t see the cows through the clouds below me but were they mooing up a storm. It was pretty funny and something that I’ll always remember about this peak.

Setup was quick and easy, using the K6ARK spider thread antenna. I made 36 contacts while I was on the mountain, most CW and I had a few on my HT. For a while, my CW sucked and I just couldn’t send my own callsign. I’m not sure what it was. Part of it was that the key was moving a bit on my leg (it worked better when I just held it), and the other part was maybe too much coffee. Also, I'm always adjusting the gaps on the darn thing so that throws me off a tad. After I got my contacts on 20m and 40m, I started chasing on 15, 17, 20, and 40 meter bands netting 7 summit-to-summits for the day. That’s the nice thing about the multi-band antenna, I can work from 10 to 80 meters on it (80 when ground conditions are just right). I probably spent a couple of hours on the summit working stations and waiting my turn when chasing other summits. It was fun.

The hike down was a pleasure and I got my small fix of hiking before starting back to work tomorrow.

Contacts

Date:03/05/2020 | Summit:W6/SC-282 (Jamul Mountains (HP)) | Call Used:N1CLC | Points: 1

Time	Callsign	Band	Mode	Notes
15:35	KD7WPJ	7MHz	CW
15:41	N6AA	14MHz	CW
15:45	WW7D	14MHz	CW
15:45	N4EX	14MHz	CW
15:47	W0MNA	14MHz	CW
15:48	N6AN	14MHz	CW
15:49	W0ERI	14MHz	CW
15:50	NW7E	14MHz	CW
15:50	KT5X	14MHz	CW
15:51	WU7H	14MHz	CW
15:52	N7SP	14MHz	CW
15:53	K4MF	14MHz	CW
15:54	N5ZC	14MHz	CW
15:56	W5ODS	14MHz	CW
15:57	NG6R	14MHz	CW
15:58	KI4SVM	14MHz	CW
16:00	K0BWR	14MHz	CW
16:00	W7RV	7MHz	CW
16:10	K6ARK	7MHz	CW
16:10	NH7C	7MHz	CW
16:12	K7MK	7MHz	CW
16:12	K7DJL	7MHz	CW
16:16	K6HPX	7MHz	CW
16:17	K1LB	7MHz	CW
16:19	N6WT	7MHz	CW
16:19	WA6MTZ	7MHz	CW
16:28	K6MXA	144MHz	FM
16:29	KN6AFO	144MHz	FM
16:32	KI6SVI	144MHz	FM
16:40	NE2P	14MHz	CW
17:01	KT0A	14MHz	CW
17:10	N6AN	14MHz	CW
17:11	K5DEZ	14MHz	CW
17:18	VE7EA	14MHz	CW
17:24	KX0R	14MHz	CW