Presentation on Navigation for Summits On The Air

In addition, here are some other personal best records in 2023 for me:

• Most radiation absorbed, 200 centigray. 
• Least blood spilled doing SOTA (so I must be figuring this out.  )
• Most summits in a single UTC day, 5
• Most bands used during an activation, 10
• Most associations activated, 6
• Most summit-to-summits, 560 for 2,731 pts
• Most completes, 68
• Most chasing, 839 for 3,243 pts
• Broke through 3,000 activator points, making me 3x mountain goat.

None of this would have been possible without help from the SOTA community and the overlanding vehicle belonging to W6TED. 

 I'm looking forward to presenting to the Palomar Amateur Radio Club on August 2nd.

If you'd like to look at the presentation directly, go HERE.

If interested, you can open the presentation HERE.

By the numbers:

Some great SOTA adventures:

One of my most memorable hikes in CA (W6) in ‘22 was Grapevine Mtn.  It was tough only in that it was a bit of a long bushwhack, I’d never done it, and I bonked a bit on the way up due to not eating like I should have.  It was Type 2 fun, and it was relaxing on the summit once I got there and had something to eat.  Not sure I’ll do that by myself again though. 🙂  See the video of that one HERE.

I nailed an easy first activation in New Mexico, W5N/AP-042 (Tejana Mesa), it was practically a drive-up.  I think after hiking 100 yds from the car, I was in the activation zone.  

 

I did a few more “uniques” or “new to me” summits in CA as well.  Grapevine, a no-name near Lake Ramona, a small one in Otay mesa are just a few fun new ones that I added to my list.

I've done a lot of summits with Jacob, who not only came up to my place in Arizona, but he puts up with some really bad jokes.

Antenna builds:

Lastly, I went on a road trip with Jacob and Levi (Jacob’s son) to San Ramone for the annual ham geek fest that they have.  We had fun but I was expecting a little bigger turnout and there was very little in the way of portable operating vendors.  I gave one of the two SOTA presentations there and I watched a very interesting on on the history of Enigma cypher machines and how a few of them ended up in private hands.  Being a cypherpunk, it was cool to see one up close and personal.  One the way back, we drove up to Frazier Mountain for a quick activation.  It was a fun trip.

The People

As I went back through the pictures on my phone for 2022, I was blown away.  WOW, I hiked with a lot of fun people.  A lot of times I forget to take a picture but I have a bunch of pics hiking with friends that I’ve made over the short time that I’ve been doing this. Also, don’t forget the videos.  Hiking with friends really stands out.  .  I started the year and did a hike with Adam (K6ARK) and from there, Jacob (W6RWS) a bunch of times, Jacob’s son Levi (KM6UIB),  Chris (N3XUL), Charlie (NJ7V), Ted (W6TED), Jeanette, Dale (AA7OY) a bunch of hikes in AZ and NM, Greg Rodgers.  I also attended a SoCal campout to hang out with some other SOTA dudes and hiked with David, (N6AN) and a few others during the Big Bear camp out.  I hiked with Bryan (W6CMS) while he was visiting.   I’m sure there are a few more that I’m forgetting.  I can’t forget my one of my favorite hiking buddies that always has fun, Rey, who is one heck of a trail dog.  

In 2023, I’m planning on making some new friends to hike with and of course, hike with all my solid SOTA buds.  

  

2022 & 2023 Goals

In 2021 I activated a bunch of SOTA summits in the Yosemite national park and planned to return in 2022.  I didn’t make it back to Yosemite in 2022 but I’m leaving that on the table for ‘23.  I planned to improve my CW skills which I did, but not by much, so I’ll keep working on that.  I planned to hit some Colorado summits in ‘22 that didn’t work out, but I hope to in 2023.  I did some customized radio projects in ‘22, but I didn’t build that QCX radio so that’s still on the bench.  I’ll see what other custom projects I can do in ‘23.  As planned, I built a bunch of antennas and will probably build a few more this year.

 

Lots of Contacts

I hit 10,000 total amateur radio contacts in my master log  which includes about a thousand non-SOTA contacts.  In 2023 I plan on passing the 10,000 contacts from a mountain top mark.  

I’ve recently been laid off from my job and I may take a break from work for a while.  This would afford enough time for me to rack up some more points and get to Colorado.  I’m not setting out to beat my annual points total in 2023 but it could happen organically.  Who knows what 2023 will bring but I’m looking forward to it.

I hope to catch you on the air in 2023,

73

Chris Claborne, N1CLC

(aka christian claborne)

I also did a more detailed writeup at HamNinja.com/logging if you are interested. 

Presentation Slides HERE

We covered what SOTA is, how to do SOTA, my "loadout" and more.

Introduction

UPDATE:  On 10/20/2022 I tried to use Winlink over VARA HF on my 891.  I could not get rig control to work, even though I implemented the same config.  However, I plugged into the IC-7300 and had it working in minutes.  Arrrrg.  All that work on the 891 and now it will be a long debug session.  Although I started with the FT-991, I've documented the 7300 config below (easy)

I wanted to run a Winlink Express app (email application) and use HF radio to send and receive email messages.  The Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) team that I’m on uses Winlink along with its built in standard FEMA forms.  It helps ARES accomplish their mission to support local hospitals, clinics and associated agencies during an emergency.  Using HF setup for sending email during an emergency is appropriate if the affected area is large (no internet for 100 miles).  This is because you can move messages into and out of the affected area using relay stations that have internet service that are 100s or over 1,000 miles away.  For instance, if there was an earthquake in my area, I’m better off trying to get a message to a hub station that is outside of the affected area which could be all of Southern California.  Because of it’s range, HF is perfect for this scenario.  Station to station transmission could be achieved using the lower HF bands as well, or using VHF modes like VARA FM or packet.  I’ve been successful using packet radio from my 5w FT-817 but packet stations are slowly disappearing. 
(click on images for larger)

It should be noted that I have no idea what I’m doing.  I’ve learned quite a bit more during this exercise and am providing this to remind myself how I set this up and possibly help others through their setup.  If you don’t use my radio or sound-card, hopefully a few things in here will help you sort out how to configure your station.

This posting is to document my configuration that will use  Winlink Express with the Yaesu FT-891 via VARA HF for data exchange.  I’m doing this to help others as well as remind myself how to brew up the special concoction to work.

Exec Summary

I downloaded the VARA virtual TNC modem that runs on the PC, purchased a Yaesu SCU-17 soundcard and then hooked this up to my radio and my laptop running VARA for digital communications.  This configuration works for sending email from my windows laptop running Winlink Express to other stations using the VARA virtual modem software.  I spent a long time playing around with different settings trying to get all of this to work together and have settled on the configuration below that is currently working. I still have a few questions about this configuration that I hope to answer.  I’ll be updating this post as new information becomes available.  

VARA

What is it?

VARA is a High Speed software based HF modem based on orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation that is capable of 42 bps Symbol Rate with 59 carriers.  OFDM is a frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) scheme used as a digital multi-carrier modulation method using a large number of closely-spaced orthogonal sub-carriers to carry the data.  The data is divided into several parallel data streams or channels, one for each sub-carrier.  Each sub-carrier is modulated with a conventional modulation scheme (such as QAM or PSK) at a low symbol rate, maintaining total data rates similar to conventional single-carrier modulation schemes in the same bandwidth and is used in applications such as digital video and audio broadcasting, wireless networking and WiMAX.

VARA is designed for operation within a SSB Bandwidth of 2400 Hz using most standard ham radio equipment with a sound-card interface.  VARA provides uncompressed user data rates to 8489 bps at a low  (S/N 16 dB @ 4kHz) and has 17 fast adaptive speed levels.  It’s capable of 8489 bps in “Tactical” mode and 7050 bps in standard mode.  The data link survives the extremes of HF conditions using fixed 42 bps symbol rate per carrier and the FCC single carrier 300 bps cymbal rates are negated by OFDM.  It’s robust and reliable link is maintained under varying propagation conditions, QRM (man made interference) and transmit power fluctuations.

Advantages of OFDM

●     Multipath delay spread tolerance

●     Immunity to frequency selective fading channels

●     Efficient modulation and demodulation

●     High transmission bitrates

●     Flexibility

●     Easy equalization

●     High spectral efficiency

●     Resiliency to RF interference

●     Lower multi-path distortion

●     This VARA implementation is integrated with the Winlink Express client.

●     The VARA virtual TNC modem is free, and only $69 for full tilt performance.

Assumptions

●     Assume Winlink is already installed and working using the internet as a message transfer conduit. 

●     Assumes you have the Ingredients below and know how to configure them.

Ingredients

●     Windows 10 laptop.  I have a inexpensive small Toshiba laptop that I use.

●     Winlink express 1.6.5.0

●     VARA 4.6.2 (virtual TNC software)

●     Yaesu FT-891 HF radio, the perfect 100 portable rig.

●     MFJ-939 Automatic antenna tuner.  This is the perfect match for the FT 891 because it’s powered and controlled by the radio.

●     Yaesu USB interface unit SCU-17 (for some reason Yaesu doesn’t call it a sound card).  This is the smallest sound card that I’ve found and you save $$$ because it comes with the custom cable needed to feed the FT-891. 

●     Antenna for your band (my station was using a Cushcraft R8 vertical)

●     USB cable from PC to SCU-17 (comes with the SCU-17)

●     USB cable from PC to Yaesu FT-891 (used for rig control), provided by you.

●     Do not buy the Yaesu cable CT-62.  It’s not needed.  You’ll use the USB direct to radio for CAT control and you need the tuner port for the ATU if you have one.

Installation and Configuration

USB driver for the SCU-17

1. You will need to install the USB drivers for the SCU-17.  It’s possible that  the correct drivers would be installed on Windows 10 by just plugging in the unit but they recommend downloading and installing the drivers first from Yaesu HERE.  This enables a couple of comm ports to be used for mic and speaker to the radio from the laptop.
   
   
2. Attached the USB cable from the SCU-17 to the PC
   
   
3. Open the “Device Manager” application on the PC
   
   
4. Scroll down to the “Ports (Com & LPT) and expand it.
   It should show a minimum of two additional comm ports:
   One labeled “Silicon Labs Dual CP2105 USB to UART Bridge: Enhanced COM Port (Comx)  [where x is the com port number]
   
   One labeled “Silicon Labs Dual CP2105 USB to UART Bridge: Standard COM Port (Comx)  [where x is the com port number]

Install & Config of  VARA

Download and install VARA modem HF software from HERE.  The installation is pretty easy, just run the installer, use the defaults.

The config is the same for the FT-891 and the IC-7300 except for possibly the sound card drive level.

Configure VARA app

1. Start the Vara HF app
2. Choose Settings, then VARA Setup
3. Enter your callsign
4. Close that config
5. Choose Settings then SoundCard
6. Use the pull-down for the selection of “Device Input” and select “Microphone (USB Audio CODEC)”.  NOTE: If all you see are Comm ports then the sound card drivers are not installed.
7. Use the pull-down for the selection of “Device Output” and select “Speakers (USB Audio CODEC).  NOTE: If all you see are Comm ports then the sound card drivers are not installed.

You should now see the VARA app waterfall show that it’s receiving from the radio and the “audio Input” needle should be in the green.  If it’s not, try adjusting the RX level on the sound card.  If it’s still not receiving, the drivers didn’t get installed correctly for the sound card or you didn’t select the correct Device Input.  If this is not working, no digital mode will work.

Configure Winlink to use VARA on FT-891

It’s assumed that you have Winlink installed and that you can send and receive messages via “Telnet” (internet connection).  You’ll need to have created an account on Winlink and tested that it works.  The team scrubs old accounts off the servers after a certain amount of time.  (as me how I know).

1. Open Winlink Express
2. On the right hand side of of the screen, use the pull-down and select “Vara HF Winlink”
3. Click Open session.
4. If you’ve selected Vara HF Winlink it should fire up the Vara app (unless it’s already running).
   
   

In the “Vara HF Winlink Session window”

5. Choose “Settings” then “VARA TNC setup”
1. Use the default for the TNC host
2. The “Virtual TNC Command Port: defaults to 8300.  This should match the port in the vara app if you look in the settings VARA setup.
3. “VARA Modem location:” should match the drive path and executable that the app is installed to.  The default is “C:\VARA\Vara.exe”
4. Click Update button at the bottom if you made changes.
   
   
6. 
   
   Choose “Settings” then “Radio Setup”
   NOTE:  You may have to play with these settings a bit depending on the nuances on how the COM port drivers loaded up on your PC.
1. Select Radio Model “Yaesu FT-891” or IC-7399
   
   
2. Select USB (not USB digital)  (not sure why)
   
   
3. Radio Control port should be one of the higher number COM ports.  For me it’s COM4 (an “enhanced” port.)
   
   
4. Set the “Baud” rate to the rate setup on the radio in “Configure the FT-891” below.  For me, I set the max on the radio to 38400 and the same goes here.
   
   
5. Check “Enable RTS”  Not doing this won’t kick off the transmit adding to your frustrations :)
   
   
6. For PTT Port (Optional) select “Serial Port to Use “FT-891”. 
   Yes, I know this isn’t a serial port but just roll with it. 
   
   
7. Choose “Update” button.  This will cause the window to reload.

Configure the Yaesu FT-891 Radio

The following settings were made on the Yaesu FT-891. 

I was told to use SSB, not DATA for Winlink and to force the radio to USB so one of the things you do in the settings is force upper side band all the time, even for 40m and below (default is auto).

NOTE:  Some of these settings will make the radio unable to use SSB mode unless it’s undone.  I’ll note that below.  Also, the menu settings below are accessed by using a long-press of the “F” button on the front panel.

1. Menu 05-06 CAT RATE (set to same as winlink VARA setup 6d above.  I chose 38400, max speed.
   
   
2. Menu 05-07 CAT TOT to 1000msec
   
   
3. Menu 08-01 DATA MODE PSK (I don’t think this makes a difference since we aren’t using DATA mode.)
   
   
4. Menu 11-05 MIC SELECT: set to “REAR”
   NOTE:  This disables voice input using the standard mic and uses the data input on the 6 pin round plug that you have from the sound-card to the radio.
   Change this back to “MIC” for normal voice operation.
   
   
5. Menu 11-07 SSB BFO: set to USB.  Default is auto.
   NOTE: This forces all SSB modes to use upper sideband (even on 40m), which I’m told to we need to use.
   Change this back to “AUTO” for normal voice usage.
   
   
6. Menu 11-08 SSB PTT SELECT Set to “RTS”, but “DAKY” also works.  Not sure why.
   
   
7. Menu 16-03 HF PWR (set to the power output you need).  If in the field, power to 100 and then test by backing off to 50 or less and see if you can still connect to the winlink station.  This can be a high duty cycle mode which could toast the finals :)
   
   
8. Menu 16-07 SSB MIC Gain should be set to 50 by default. 

Configure Winlink to use VARA on IC-7300

I pulled the following images from Yacht Zen Again article.  The 7300 setup took about 5 minutes and just worked.  The only thing that is different is the config for the radio config on the Winlink Vara screen.

1. Install Winlink (The config is very basic and there are lots of references on how to do that.)
   
   
2. Install Vara (see above)
   
   
3. Install the 7300 USB driver (located HERE on the iCom support page)
   
   
4. Configure 7300 but you don't have to.  The 7300 has a built-in sound card and the  winlink software does it for you. :)
   
   
5. Configure the Vara application just like the 891 (above) using defaults
   
   
6. Open Winlink Express
   
   
7. On the right hand side of of the screen, use the pull-down and select “Vara HF Winlink”
   
   
8. Choose "Vara HF Winlink, next to "Open Session" button.
   
   
9. In Winlink, click Open session.
   
   
10. If you’ve selected Vara HF Winlink it should fire up the Vara app (unless it’s already running).
    
1. NOTE:  You may have to play with these settings a bit depending on the nuances on how the COM port drivers loaded up on your PC.
   
   
   
11. In the “Vara HF Winlink Session window” - Choose “Settings” then “Radio Setup”
    
1. Select Radio Model “Icom 7300"
2. Icom Address 94
3. Select USB digital
4. Radio Control port should be one of the higher number COM ports.  For me it’s COM4 (an “enhanced” port.)
5. Set the “Baud” rate to the rate to 9600.
6. Leave “Enable RTS”  and Enable DTR unchecked.
7. For PTT Port (Optional) select “CI-V”.
8. Choose “Update” button.  This will cause the window to reload.

Operation

1. Put an email in the outbox.
   
   
2. Ensure the USB cable from the PC to the radio USB connection is plugged in.
   This is used for CAT control.
   
   
3. Ensure that the USB cable from the laptop is plugged into the SCU-17
   (If the laptop is powered on, you should the “Power” light on the front of the SCU-17 should be lit red.
   
   
4. Ensure that data cable from SCU-17 to radio is plugged in.
   If this is working, then the audio input meter on the VARA app should be moving.  Verify that when you turn off the radio or adjust the volume control down on the SCU-17 that the needle drops to the left peg.
   
   
5. Ensure the radio is tuned for the antenna.  This is important to reduce the SWR on the transmission.  The better the match, the lower the heat on the finals.  You can verify SWR by observinig the radio SWR meter (when set to SWR) and sending a CW tone out or SSB voice (if you put setting 11-05 back to “MIC”.  I suggest leaving the radio meter in SWR mode during normal operation as you change frequencies to ensure nominal operation.  The radio will protect itself and shutdown if SWR gets too high.
   
   
6. Open Winlink Express
   
   
7. Choose “Vara HF winlink” from the list of options on the upper right.
   
   
8. Click the “Open Session” menu item
   
   
9. Click the “Channel Selection” menu item.  This will bring up a list of channels that you could use.  Double click on an appropriate station / band / channel. 
   If CAT control is working correctly, the frequency set on the radio should match the “Dial Freq” displayed on the session dialog.
   
   
10. Listen for traffic.  If the frequency is not busy, run your antenna tuner to ensure a best match.
    
    
11. Click the “Start” menu item.
1. This should kick the PTT on the radio and start transmitting. 
   It’s helpful to have the meter set to “PO” the first time to verify that the radio is actually sending at the desired power level.  Set it back to “SWR” to monitor SWR for normal operation.
   
   
2. The first time you do this, look at the power meter on the radio and adjust the tx volume on the sound card so that you see the power bar moving  a bit on the top end of the display.  If it’s just pegged on the display then it’s probably overdriving the output.

If everything worked correctly, you should have sent or received email.  If it didn’t go correctly you aren’t the first person to have an issue.  I dorked with the radio for over 8 hours trying to tease apart the right settings.  If you are running with my configuration, double check your settings.

a)    If the PTT isn’t working (radio is not going into transmit mode), check the CAT setting for the COM port you selected in Winlink Session dialog, Settings, Radio Settings.  Try a different COM port.

b)    Assuming the radio is clicking into transmit mode, (red light on the display is clicking on) look at the power output.  Ensure you are getting RF out.  If the bar isn’t moving, check that menu 11-05 is set to “REAR”. 

c)    If the PTT is tripping, check the SWR.  If it’s too high, the radio RF will back off to protect the radio and also give you a warning.  Use an antenna tuner to improve your SWR situation.

Test Results on 891

In summary, once I got my configuration working it worked well and was reliable.  I sent several email messages to my home account, sent a message back and used two different bands. (test message is below).  I’ll continue to test, but this is what I have so far.  Messages were sent using 20m and 40m bands, with the 20m test having the worst signal to noise ratio of the tests and it still worked.

●     XE2HS Node in La Paz - 100 watts  free version
I used a station in XE2HS La Paz Mexico on 30m (~1,100 miles from my station) at night and got a data rate of 180 bits per second send and received using the unlicensed version of VARA.  The report basically said 420 bytes/minute. 

●     KO0OOO station located in Las Vegas 100 watts,  40m at night  free version
I netted a data rate of about 180 bits per second up and down  (unlicensed VARA), with 488 bytes/minute.

●     KO0OOO station located in Las Vegas 50 watts,  40m at night free version
Performed the same as 100w test.

●     KO0OOO station located in Las Vegas 50 watts,  40m at day PAID version
Transmit of almost 600 bps, and showed 982 bytes/minute on a message send.
RX peak of almost 450 bps, and indicated 683 bytes/minute on message received.

●     EM1OCJ station, 1,800 miles away, 50 watts, 20m during day on PAID version
Transmit and receive of around 150 to 800 bps and throughput of 821 bytes/minute.

●     W5WK station, 1,800 miles away, 50 watts 20m during day on PAID version
Had a low to medium signal to noise ratio (sometimes -16 db) and was difficult to hear by ear compared to thers. Up to 180 bps receive

The net/net is that this is a viable method to send email over a long distance to get message traffic out of your area.  The message payload was pretty small (the log file for one of the transfers) but more than usable (see below)

Questions

1. Do digital modes like VARA and fldigi need SSB to work?  I ask because I tried the “Data USB mode” and it didn’t work?  I’m assuming they needs the wider bandwidth???
   
   
2. I’m still a little confused about 11-08 (PTT Select) setting means.  RTS and DTS seem to both work.
   
   
3. Why does everything digital (fldigi and VARA) both require USB.  This introduced a kink that required me to figure out how to force USB all the time for SSB mode.

Notes & Errata for FT-891 config

There are a few oddities about my config.

1. The Yaesu SCU-17 is supposed to connect to the rig for rig control.  What’s odd is that it would plug into the same port as the antenna auto-tunner.  If it did work, you’d have to run the ATU manually.
   
   
2. The FSK and PTT lights on the SCU-17 don’t do anything.
   
   
3. I noticed that if I unplug the USB connect while the radio is on, it kicks on transmit and stays that way!  It also puts the radio into some odd error mode because when I powered off and back on the red transmit light blinks.  To fix that, remove the power connect from the back of the radio.
   
   
4. I noticed that when starting winlink on the PC with the radio on, it kicks in transmit and it stays that way, and I have to power off.  See issue above to fix if blinking red transmit light on FT-891 comes on when you turn the radio on.  :(

Reference, Acknowledgements, Attributions

●     Thanks to Bill, K1CT for helping with some key points that I needed to figure this out.

●     VARA description and OFDM spectre image via slides from Jose Alberto Nieto Ros, EA5HVK

●     Additional documentation can be found HERE.

●     Winlink In A Backpack article shows another way to do Winlink via packet and explains a little more about how Winlink works.

●     The configuration images came directly from Yacht Zen Again article.  After trying to get the 891 to work (rig control wouldn't work), I switch to my 7300 and because he did such a good job documenting, I was up and running in 5 min.  Uggg.  7300 rules.

Sample Message

this is just a test

The below is the log from the XE staton

*** Winlink Vara Connection to XE2HS @ 2022/06/20 05:22:08  USB Dial: 10127.700

*** Station Bearing: 144,  Range: 1186 km

RMS Trimode 1.3.45.0 La Paz MX

N1CLC has 1438 daily minutes remaining with XE2HS (DL44UD)

Sessions for users running unregistered versions of Vara are limited to 10 minutes.

[WL2K-5.0-B2FWIHJM$]

;PQ: 79680820

CMS via XE2HS >

   ;FW: N1CLC

   [RMS Express-1.6.5.0-B2FHM$]

   ;PR: 18495858

   ; XE2HS DE N1CLC (DM12KX)

   FC EM TDQM08HP90Y9 1013 629 0

   F> 71

FS Y

*** Sending TDQM08HP90Y9.

FF

*** Completed send of message TDQM08HP90Y9

*** Sent 1 message.  Bytes: 648,  Time: 00:47,  bytes/minute: 826

   FQ

*** --- End of session with XE2HS at 2022/06/20 05:23:40 ---

*** Messages sent: 1.  Total bytes sent: 648,  Time: 01:32,  bytes/minute: 420

*** Messages Received: 0.  Total bytes received: 0,  Total session time: 01:32,  bytes/minute: 0

*** Disconnecting

*** Disconnected from Winlink RMS: XE2HS @ 2022/06/20 05:23:47

*** Session: 1.7 min;  Avg Throughput: 462 Bytes/min;   1 Min Peak Throughput: 462 Bytes/min

I'm mainly a road worrier (commuting on roads on this bike for over 8,000 miles) and I have been all my life but I've done a little MTB.  The problem is, I don't have a lot of MTB technical skills so rocky single tracks have me walking a bit.  I load the bike on the car for specific SOTA missions when I know the terrain will work out for me (mainly an old road that is closed).  At other times, I'll take it when going into an area that I'm not sure about, in case the road is blocked or ends sooner than expected.  The Forest Service does this at times but still allows bike travel (I don't use it to get into closed areas).  

The e-bike is a lot of fun!  My custom setup has more than enough power for any situation.  What I've discovered though is that a lot of power doesn't solve everything.  I use a bottom-bracket or "mid-drive" mounted motor.  It provides a LOT of torque and allows me to use all of the gears in the rear cassette.  What I've found, is that when on very steep inclines, more power doesn't help me, in-fact, I'll still have to walk.  This is because more power to the rear wheel causes less traction on the front, becoming so light it's ineffective or you just do a wheelie.  Part of this is because I also have a backpack on.  I could put some weight on the front wheel via a front saddle bag but that's just going to create other issues.  I'm happy to push up some hills (with a tiny power assist) so I can ride down, which can save a lot of time and is a lot of fun as long as it's not too terrifying.  

This video is a perfect example of what not to do in a funny sort of way.  I had just upgraded the bike to  play a bigger MTB role for SOTA but I still had my peddle clips installed like an idiot.  Needless to say, hilarity ensued.   I have flats installed now so my feet don't get stuck.

The BOM

If you do a build, Lunacycle.com has high quality batteries and unsurpassed customer service.

• Bafang BBSHD Mid Drive Ebike Kit
  You have to pick your bottom bracket size.  Normally it’s the 73 - 100 unless you have a larger frame.
  
  
• Add a 52V battery (in the kit form) for max capacity (the BBSHD will accept 48 or 52 but the 52v unit provides more ah.
  
  
• Buy the upgraded charger, not the basic.  It lets you charge up to 80, 90, or 100%.  Charging up to 80% at slow speed will make the batteries last longer.
  
  
• Get a Luna wrench to save headaches.  After assembly, check the nut and tighten.  Do this again after about 1,000 miles, It tends to work loose in the beginning.
  
  
• I have the programming cable but never needed it. 
  
  
• I updated the max speed but you can do that from the front panel.
  
  
• I have a gear Sensor but I don’t use it so don’t buy it, buy mine 😊
  
  
• A Luna chain ring is a must have (pictured below).  It completely eliminates chain slip that you get from the factory chain ring.  I love mine.
  (UPDATE: It looks like their kit might contain their cool chainrings as options now.)
  
  
• I purchased the 48T unit because I ride on the road, so I didn't need the smaller one for commuting but but changed my mind and use the smaller one for MTB right now.  If you want to do that one, call them and see if they will give you a deal on it when you buy the other stuff because it’s not listed as an option in the kit but that could change.

Install & Build

Use

The battery will get me 30 miles set at “2” for peddle assist when the battery was new over the small hills on my commute.  You can roll at “1” which gives you peddle assist over what the drag and weight induced by the system and it gives you a great workout.  Power setting of 2 is a lot more fun but a setting of  “9” is awesome  but is way tooo much powaah 😊.   The throttle override is fantastic for getting you going when going up hill or drag-racing a car from the stop light.  I've never run out of power on a SOTA mission, mainly because the rides aren't that long and, normally, it's mainly down hill back to the car.

Conclusion And Final Thoughts

For commuting, I've really enjoyed it:

• I don't care how much components weigh and the trunk has a heavy chain lock in it.
• It gets me to work faster and almost as much of a workout.  In fact, commuting via bike is only 5 minutes longer than driving and I don't have to look for parking.
• Faster speeds mean better cooling, and who doesn't want that.
• When I get to work and shower, I can turn up the power to commute to another building and not arrive all sweaty (actually faster than driving).
• I take a longer way home, turn the power to 1, and get a great workout.
• If at the end of a long day I have a headache and don't feel like driving, I turn the power up, put on some music and take it easy.  It's always been enjoyable.
• It's still a great workout and delivers more utility.

The thing about building your own e-bike is that you get exactly what you want for half the price.  It’s rare to see an over the counter bike with a BBSHD.  Normally off-the-shelf is a de-rated 500w motor with half the battery for a minimum of double the cost.  If you don't have a frame, pickup one used.

There is another possible cost savings here.  When you go to an e-bike, you can stop obsessing about bike weight and the Gucci expensive components.  With an e-bike, weight doesn't really matter, so buy a frame that is strong and will last, not the super cool AND EXPENSIVE carbon fiber rigs.

Some people feel like they are cheating.  If having more fun, getting more use out of the bike and still getting a great workout (you still have to peddle) is cheating, then fine, whatever.  I probably wouldn't have commuted via bike to work because I needed to travel between buildings a couple miles or farther away.  I probably lost 10 to 20 lbs the first year and I feel great when I get to work.  

Have fun, hike, ride, or drive up a mountain and play ham radio.

73,
N1CLC

Chris Claborne
aka Christian Claborne

 2021 was a busy year for me, “hike mountain, work radio”, also known as Summit On The Air (SOTA).  I generally start out the year with some goals in mind.  For 2021, my goal was to NOT exceed my 2020 stats for summits and points.  I felt trying to do that would take some of the joy out of the SOTA for me since 2020 was a huge year.  In 2020 I was working to get to 1,000 points and the associated mountain goat award, so I had “goat fever”.  This year I just wanted to stay above the 2019 stats for summits, points, miles, elevation gain and first activations.  I also wanted to build at-least one radio and an antenna, play with JS8call and improve my CW copy speed.  So how did I do? 

(Click on images for larger)

Let’s start with the stats:

I didn’t blog here as much, but rather focused my time on creating videos that are published on my Youtube channel, check them out.  As you can see, I stayed above the 2019 stats and stayed below the 2020 stats and I had a LOT OF FUN.  My first summit of the 2021 UTC year was from a small hill called Mt. Helix near my house.  I got up there at 23:30 UTC on 12/31/20.  I received the points for activating in 2020, and as soon as the time flipped over to midnight (UTC), I activated that little hill again.  It was a lot of fun contacting friends from up there doing the same thing as me.  It’s a geeky once in a year shot since mountains can only be activated once per calendar UTC year for points, so if you stay up there for the UTC year roll over, you get points twice.  In this case it was only one point but still fun to be out there talking with friends.

Lots Of Hiking And Playing Radio

I’ll definitely remember the hike up Pole Knoll, one of my favorites in the area in Arizona.  When I got back to the car, I found that my keys had fallen out of my pocket through a hole.  I’m always careful to put my keys in a zippered pocket but that doesn’t help you if it has a hole in it.  Got some water from some people in the parking lot, hid my gear, then headed up the mountain.  I had called my friend in Alpine on the radio and he jumped in his pickup and headed over in case I couldn’t find my keys.  As luck would have it, I found them just a few feet from where I was sitting on the summit!  Fade to a huge smile.

Another notable experience was my trip to Yosemite Valley with the Ham Youtubers bunch.  Initially I thought our plans would be completely squashed by the fires.  Although most forests were close, the national park was open, as well as the Toiyabe National Forest.  I arrived before everyone else so my first two hikes were by myself. 

The hike to Indian rock in the Yosemite National Park was fantastic.  I was the first one on the trail at dawn.  It was cool, quiet, and just a joy to be out.  I went by Indian Arch on the way to the summit which was awesome.  The trail was lined with thick forest all the way and was a pretty easy class 1 hike to the activation zone.  I wanted to work the radio from the rock at the top which involved a tad of class 2 scrambling.  I’m not sure getting up there was worth it but you don’t know unless you try.  After this hike, I visited the Yosemite valley for the usual views of Half Dome and some other epic landscapes in the area.

The next day I summited Mount Dana, my first summit at 13,000 feet.  I was wondering how I would perform at this altitude and was quite surprised.  It’s a steep hike, with 1,000 feet of gain per mile. I slowed my pace to match my oxygenation abilities at altitude and powered up the trail like a boss, passing quite a few people on the way up.  The view from the summit was epic.  I laughed when I realized I had forgotten to detach my chair from the pack to reduce my load before I left. This guy saw me relaxing on the summit in my chair with the radio, commenting “You are my hero!”.  How many people haul a chair up to 13,000 feet?  I worked quite a few stations on the radio and then headed down.  I had visions of getting a double summit that day by hiking over to Mount Gibbs, which is just across from there but I bailed on that idea.  The top third of Dana is covered in large talus, all of it loose.  So traversing that was mentaly exhausting.   I didn’t want to twist an ankle or something worse, so every single step has to be calculated with a backup plan in case the rock moves and then each step is tested before you fully commit.  It became automatic after a while but gets old.  The hike was worth the views and sense of accomplishment for sure.

The Youtubers bunch showed up on Thursday and we did some parks on the air in the Yosemite  National Park and then on Saturday, a few of us hiked up Gaylor Peak just inside the park, just across the highway from Mt. Dana.  I was joined by Charlie, NJ7V, and Javier, K6TNT.  We had an absolute ball.  The hike is short but 1,000 feet of elevation gain per mile and the views were epic.  After that adventure, we headed over to Masonic Mtn in the Toiyabe National Forest which turned out to be a “drive up”.  We then headed to the ghost town of Bode and kicked around there.  I was more interested in checking out the town rather than getting some POTA (parks on the air) points and found it very interesting.  The trip included relaxing with the guys in Bridgeport with some beer and something to eat and I saw my first wild bear as she sauntered over to my hotel to dumpster dive.  It was an epic trip!

The last memorable trip of 2021 was up to Big Bear for the SoCal SOTAFest.  There were at-least 12 other hams there.  It was fun trading stories, tips, tricks and hiking to various summits in the area, trading summit-to-summit points.  It was a fun two night camping trip that included some mountain biking with a harry descent, which, amazingly, didn’t involve spilling any blood on the trail.

I closed out the year by taking my ebike up to Cowles Mtn on December 31st and activated through to the new year (UTC).  It was a bit misty and cold but a lot of fun.

 

Built A Radio

I managed to build my first radio last summer, a QCX Mini single band radio for CW.  It’s ultra light and a LOT of fun.  I had a great time building it as well.  I will say the instructions for the build are fantastic.  It’s basically “paint by numbers” but with a soldering iron.  I was actually surprised it booted up when I hit it with power.  I did have to go back and boil the magnet wire a bit, as I don’t think it was stripped well enough.  I plugged it into a multi-band wire antenna that I had set up at my summer home and made my first contact to a friend in Seattle. 

I took the radio on it’s first activation to Coyote Peak near Springerville AZ and it worked like a charm.  It does have a tendency to get RF back into the radio and screw up the electronic keyer but, I’ve solved that with the ulta-portable paddles from N6ARA.  On one of my outings I worked Canada and France with that little radio.

Lots of Antenna Building

Well, I accomplished my goal and then some to build some antennas.  The first one was a barbed wire antenna to see if I could make it work.  I’d been picking up barbed wire that was left in the forest behind my house for the past 40+ years.  The fence was taken down years ago but they left wire all over the place and  I’m sure it ensnared wildlife and cows that graze up there.  It was meant to be a simple and fun exercise of “will it antenna?”.  It turned out to be a pain in the ass.  It’s super springy and because of the weight, it fought my attempts to put it on a pole.  I did finally get it hooked up and worked stations coast to coast with it on side-band (voice).

I built a K6ARK 20m end-fed antenna to go with my QCX mini.  It’s a match made in radio heaven.  My first time out with the setup netted quite a few contacts and I think the radio was probably putting out about 4 watts.  I now have a tiny go anywhere station that even Rey can carry in her pack!

A new ham that lives in the LA area needed help with an antenna build.  He is new to the hobby and didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a light antenna for SOTA and I’ve learned that all you need are some wires, connectors and pieces of plastic to make some awesome antennas.  He came down and we built a 20 / 40m linked dipole antenna.  It came out great and we had fun building it. 

CW and JS8

My morse code (hams call it CW)  copy speed has improved a little bit but I didn’t invest the time to get good at head copy.  The only thing that’s going to help me improve is to spend more time training and running CW from home.  My biggest issue is that after working all day, I don’t have much gas left in the tank to practice and right now, I’m walking the dogs in the morning and evening, so there’s that.  I do chase SOTA from home but that’s the extent of it.

 

I still haven’t played with the digital mode, JS8 so we’ll see what life brings in 2022.

 

Bigger DX

Part of the fun in this hobby is seeing how far you can go at 100 watts or 5 watts.  Working stations in another country is called “DX”.  I put a few more new countries in the log book.  Most of them came from my home station which is a little 100w Icom 7300 radio going into a vertical antenna in my back yard.  I enjoy trying to work stations during the voice (we call it SSB) contest.  I worked stations in the Galapagos Islands, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Chile, Japan, Bonaire, US Virgin islands, Poland, Asiatic Russia Canada, Western Sahara, Sweden, Uruguay, and two different stations in China.  I think China is probably the biggest DX I’ve made.  That was a fun time.  It was right after a solar storm and for some reason 17 meters was on fire. 

From a mountain top, I’ve worked a station in Slovenia using 10 watts into a wire antenna.  I exchanged email with the operator just to make sure.  I’ve also worked stations in the United Arab Emirates, Guinea-Bissau, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, and Guam all from a mountain top with my little 10w radio.

When I started this hobby, the sun was at the bottom of it’s 11 year cycle, the worst. The sun is waking up again.  We’ll be getting more solar storms that produce some very bad conditions but I’m looking forward to days where the solar flux is up around 200.  We are currently at around 100 so I expect my DXability is going to go way up.  I’m hope that working Spain and other European countries will become a regular part of my SOTA outings in the future.  

Goals for 2022

My goals haven’t really changed for 2022.  I want to beat my 2019 stats, build another radio and some antennas, and have fun.  Hopefully I’ll get back to the JS8 Call this year.  I’d really like to get back to Yosemite and possibly go on an adventure in Colorado.  Jeanette has the boot off and is slowly bringing the leg back online, so hopefully she can join me on a few summits as well.    I still want to improve my CW skills so I’m going to try to do more from home.  One of my long term goals is to eventually work 100 countries, all from a mountain top.  I probably have 15 countries in the logbook so far, but as the solar conditions improve, I might be able to do it.  This cumulative goal may take a few more years however.

As always, the real and only goal should be “have fun”.  If you’re a ham, on a mountaintop, look for my spot and reach out.

73,
N1CLC

 

 

A spot tells people that you have been “spotted on a summit”, and are on a frequency NOW. Chasers load either sotawatch or sotl.as in their browser and wait for activators to show up.  Some, like me, also put your call-sign or region into Hamalert so they are notified as soon as they see their favorite activators appear on sotawatch or RBN. Do you have me on your Hamalert list?  More on that later.

When I started SOTA, I didn't know what a spot was and I had the same problem as some of you out there.  When I learned about spotting from another Youtuber, KG6HQD, my problems of not being able to activate with points were solved. Sure, there are times when, say, on a Sunday afternoon, after a SSB contest, I wasn't able to get enough contacts.

Alert:

 A spot is different from an "alert".  Let me explain. You post an "alert" on SotaWatch for some future time and guess at a frequency.  You can go far into the future. It tells people that you are going to be on a designated summit around a particular time and to look for you.  Chasers can hunt around that frequency at the designated time.  If you are running SSB, that's all you get.  If you are running CW, there is a HUGE bonus.

If you run CW and create an alert, when you start sending "CQ de <your_call_sign>" within one hour before or three hours after your alert time, automated listeners attached to computers on the internet, RBN, detects that you are calling out and put you on RBN spot page.  A second program, RBNhole, watches that RBN list very closely AND, if you have an alert within the window described above, it creates a spot for you on sotawatch on that summit on the frequency that you are currently using.  This is super handy but only if you run CW.  If a CW operator is going into the back country and knows that they won't have cell phone access, they will create an alert and let the magic of the RBNhole computer do it's thing.  Guaranteed pileup on 20 and 40 during the day on a weekend.

There are multiple strategies you can use to create an alert.

How to create an alert:

1.    Alerts can be created by going to https://sotawatch.sota.org.uk/

2.    You can also create one at https://sotl.as/alerts

3.    You can use an app on your phone.  If you have an iPhone for example, you can use sotagoat. 

4.    A friend can also create one for you if they have an account.

5.  And why not let friends know you are headed and give a listen.

Spot:

A spot is the lifeblood of a QRP SOTA operator.  It tells others that you are on a summit right now.  You can do it yourself (called self-spotting) or others can do it for you, sometimes you don’t even have to ask.

Anyone can go to https://sotawatch.sota.org.uk/  or https://sotl.as/spots/sotawatch,  or via phone apps and look for stations to chase (all the data is from the same source).  If the spot is fairly new, (like created just a few minutes ago) the activator is probably out there on that exact frequency.  The chaser listens for your CQ or you talking to others.  If they can here you, they can probably work you. 

Because many SOTA operators run low power this REALLY helps.  As I mentioned, I didn't know any of this when I started out, failed a couple of times and then started taking a 100 watt rig to summits for a while (heavy and not needed).  I will say though, bringing a 100w rig can be a lot of fun during a contest or just to see how far you can reach with a little more punch.

How to create a spot for yourself:

1.    Spots can be created by going to https://sotawatch.sota.org.uk/

2.    You can also create one on https://sotl.as/spots/sotawatch

3.    Sometimes when someone hears you out there doing SOTA, they will create a spot for you without you asking.  This is super cool.  I've had this happen and have done it for friends.

4.    You can use an app on your phone.  If you have an iPhone for example, you can use “SotaGoat”.  My logging program Outd also has that ability and there are other phone apps that do it as well.

5.    Use your HT on VHF to contact any ham that can create the spot for you.  You can use a repeater in the area or simplex on 146.52.  I've done this and hams are always super helpful, especially up in areas where you can almost always raise someone on the HT simplex or repeater.  I've done this multiple times.  In the LA area, there are operators listening out for SOTA operators on 146.52 all the time.  It's no guarantee though.

6.    If you run CW and create an alert, when you start sending "CQ de <your_call_sign>", automated listeners attached to computers on the internet, (called reverse beacon network,RBN), detects that you are calling out and put you on RBN spot page. 
A second program, RBNhole, watches that RBN list very closely AND if you have an alert set for one hour before or three hours after your you are noticed by RBN, it creates a spot for you on sotawatch on that summit on the frequency that you are currently using.  This is fully automated, and is super handy but only if you run CW.  Note, it only creates a spot if one hasn’t been created already, or you changed frequencies.  If you are on the same frequency within the 4 hour window, it will create a new spot every 10 minutes unless someone else creates one then the clock is reset.

If a CW operator is going into the back country and knows that they won't have cell phone access, they will create an alert and let the magic of the RBNhole computer do it's thing.  Guaranteed pileup on 20 and 40 during the day on a weekend.

7.    Send an APRS text message from your APRS capable HT radio.  I've done this, but I don't do it anymore since it's useless in many of the back country Arizona summits I operate within.  In California near metro areas, it works pretty well.  I think you have to be setup in smsmgate prior to using.  To keep spammers out they create a white list of numbers they trust.  Do a quick search to get more info on setting this up.

8.    SMS message to a special address and  format with your cell phone.  This has to be setup in advance by an opp to allow your number to text the machine.  (see note above).  There are times when you don't have data service in the back country, but you can send an SMS.

9.    You can use a Garmin Inreach satellite communicator to send a SMS text to the spotting network.  You'll have to be setup to do this.  To keep spammers out they create a white list of numbers they trust.
(I've done this and it's super cool)  Plus, that Inreach device serves as a risk mitigation option for rescue if needed.
You can learn how to use SMS messages for spotting HERE.

10.  A friend can also create a spot for you if they have an account, you just have to contact that friend by radio, text, phone, satellite call, or whatever other method you have.  I’ve used social media accounts to let my ham buddies know I’m looking for a contact too.  They just need an account on sotawatch to spot you.

11. BONUS: Send a DMR message from your HT. 

      All you need to do is Send an SMS to the private DMR ID 214996 following the format below. Use SPACE character only to separate fields or in the comments:

SOTA_REF FREQ_MHz MODE CALLSIGN Optional_comments
(CALLSIGN and Optional_comments fields are not mandatory)

Example: EA2/BI-001 14.063 CW EA2CQ/P NOW QRV
After sending, you will receive a succesful or fail SMS depending on Sotawatch answer.
(More info can be found on EA2CQ's page HERE.

12. A New Way is Coming 

      Brian, AB6D, is working on a way to use FT8 from your phone to spot yourself.  Brian has built a suite of tools under the moniker "SOTAmāt.  Brian has built a web app that, after properly configuring your account, will monitor PSK Reporter for your callsign/<suffix>. 

A user logs into SOTAmāt, and then prepares the system by supplying a list of frequency ranges you might use, then telling it the list of association / regions (not actual summits) that you might possibly want a spot for.  SOTAmāt then calculates every permutation of of frequency to summit and creates a table of callsign suffixes.  Brian then has a way of moving your configuration to a phone app.  When you are on a summit with no cell service, you start the app, choose the summit association and region, and then enter the summit ID number.  The phone app then returns your callsign /xxxx (where xxxx is few digit code.  For example, when I chose  W6/SC-338 the app displayed the FT8 message "SM N1CLC/139B".  Using my iPhone, I simply pressed the "Launch HotPaw FT8 app" button and then use  that to send FT8.  In my testing, simply playing the FT8 message at the right time into the mic on the radio on a FT8 frequency causes my spot to got out.  I generally only need to do it twice at most so far.  If you are an operator without any of the other means mentioned above, this ingenious approach can save your activation.

I may be missing a method on how to create a spot but as you can see, there are multiple ways to do it.  If you spot, other hams will most likely chase. If it's before 1pm on a weekend, you're gold.

If you don’t get spotted, all is not lost.  

1. Try answering CQ of other stations. I got lucky one day and heard a JA station calling CQ on sideband and he came back to me.  He couldn't believe I was only running 5w.
   
   
2. If there is a rag chew in progress, wait for them to wrap it up and then call one or both when they are done. 
   
   
3. Call CQ like you would any other time.  Be agressive, don't call once and quit.  Think of it like fishing.
   
   
4. Check into a simplex net if you think it's OK.  You may need to hang out for a while for when they ask for visitors.  

Bonus answer for the question you didn't even ask :)

--------------------------

I hope this helped at-least one person out there.  If so, feel free to leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you.

73,

N1CLC

Chris Claborne

(aks christian claborne)

Mt. Helix is a drive up, about 20 minutes from my house.  I loaded up my KX2 and also decided to bring a high power VHF setup in case I needed to hit some summits north of LA (spoiler, I didn’t).  The summit was pretty busy with people enjoying the views of the city, with some hanging out for what would be an epic sunset.  I made sure to setup on the edge of the park, away from any foot traffic.  My station consisted of my K6ARK end-fend antenna, the KX2, a 50w mobile VHF radio, and a ground plane antenna for for VHF contacts. 

It took a little longer than planned to setup my station as I had to run back to the car for a connector.  Once I was up and running, I was really pressed for time.  I think I only had 20 to 30 minutes before the UTC day changed so I was making as many contacts as I could with other operators on summits via HF and VHF.  I also spotted myself and was sending really good rapid fire CW in an attempt to bag as many contacts as I could before 4PM local time.  Also, by spotting myself, I would attract some other summit operators that were only chasing. One of my fellow operators here in San Diego was just to the south of me and another was still hiking to a summit about 20 miles north of me.  He was really cutting it close and I think he was having to sprint to the summit with his gear.

I had a lot of fun contacting friends on the radio on other summits and a few were at home chasing.  I bagged 11 contacts on December 31st, 2020, and 32 contacts on January 1st, 2021.  I also bumped up my count of summit-to-summit contacts, with a total of 10 summit-to-summit contacts.  As I packed up, the sun was setting and proving an epic show.  I look forward to doing this again at the end of 2021, but I’ll be sure to get an earlier start. 

Epilog
When I got home, I realized I left my GoPro camera on the summit attached to my hiking pole in the bushes.  I drove back up to Helix to retrieve it after the park was closed and it was still there.  That was an adventure points bonus. :)

Happy New Year!

Expedition Summary

SOTA summits:W6/SC-352 (Mt Helix)
Points: 1, 1 point on the second UTC Day
Activation Date: 2020-12-29, 2021-01-01 (UTC)
Unique: Yes
Activation No: 230, 231
Call sign used: N1CLC
Radios: KX2
Antennas: LNR 10, 20, 40, MFJ Whip
Band/Modes used: 17m 20m, 100m, 40m, CW (morse) SSB (voice), 2m FM
Cell Data: AT&T
Miles Hiked: 1.48 mi
Hiked Elevation Gain: 364

Contacts

Date:31/12/2020 | Summit:W6/SC-352 (Mount Helix) | Call Used:N1CLC | Points: 1

Date:01/01/2021 | Summit:W6/SC-352 (Mount Helix) | Call Used:N1CLC | Points: 1 | Bonus: 0 | Delete

Loadout:

●      GoPro Hero8

●      Gregory Zulu 40 backpack

●      First aid kit.  Make sure it’s a good one... like ability to patch up an impalement wound. 

●      Elecraft KX2 10 watt HF Radio

●      The K6ARK Spider Thread Antenna

●   30’ of coax feed line (not needed

●      Slim Jim dual band antenna for my HT.

●      3 L of water (8 lb)

●      iPhone with All Trails, MotionX GPS and sota goat

●      Trekking poles (not today)

●     LNR End Fed multi-band antenna

●   SOTAbeams Tactical 7000hds Compact Heavy-Duty Telescopic Mast TAC7000HDS

●    MFJ MFJ-1714 144 MHz 1/2 Wavelength Antenna for my HT

●   AnyTone AT-868UV DMR radio for testing.

●   Custom wine bottle cork paddles for CW (crafted by K6ARK)

●   American Morse Ultra Porta Paddle for CW

●   Delorme Inreach satellite tracker and communicator.

●      Jetboil MicroMo cooking system (left at the car this trip)

●      Yaesu FT-2DR HT (backup left in the car)

●     Packtenna. (did not take)

●     CHA MPAS with spike and additional MIL mast (and version 2 of the top section) (left in car)

●      Yaesu FT-891D HF Radio at 100 watts  (left this in the car :) )

●    Extra LiFePO Battery (not needed)

●     Helinox Chair Zero Ultralight Compact Camping Chair.

73,

N1CLC

Christian Claborne

(aka chris claborne)

Once on the summit, Jacob used his HT and quickly bagged 4 contacts.  I setup my HF end-fed antenna and fired up the KX2 and landed 15 contacts and one with my HT.  It was late in the afternoon so I didn’t get any summit-to-summit contacts but I still had a good time.

That’s it, nothing else to report.

Expedition Summary

SOTA summits:W6/SC-454 (Owens Peak)
Points: 1
Activation Date: 2020-12-29 (UTC)
Unique: Yes
Activation No: 229
Call sign used: N1CLC
Radios: KX2
Antennas: LNR 10, 20, 40, MFJ Whip
Band/Modes used: 17m 20m, 100m, 40m, CW (morse) SSB (voice), 2m FM
Cell Data: AT&T
Miles Hiked: 1.48 mi
Hiked Elevation Gain: 364

Contacts

Date:29/12/2020 | Summit:W6/SC-454 (1302) | Call Used:N1CLC | Points: 1

Loadout:

●      GoPro Hero8

●      Gregory Zulu 40 backpack

●      First aid kit.  Make sure it’s a good one... like ability to patch up an impalement wound. 

●      Elecraft KX2 10 watt HF Radio

●      The K6ARK Spider Thread Antenna

●   30’ of coax feed line (not needed

●      Slim Jim dual band antenna for my HT.

●      3 L of water (8 lb)

●      iPhone with All Trails, MotionX GPS and sota goat

●      Trekking poles (not today)

●     LNR End Fed multi-band antenna

●   SOTAbeams Tactical 7000hds Compact Heavy-Duty Telescopic Mast TAC7000HDS

●    MFJ MFJ-1714 144 MHz 1/2 Wavelength Antenna for my HT

●   AnyTone AT-868UV DMR radio for testing.

●   Custom wine bottle cork paddles for CW (crafted by K6ARK)

●   American Morse Ultra Porta Paddle for CW

●   Delorme Inreach satellite tracker and communicator.

●      Jetboil MicroMo cooking system (left at the car this trip)

●      Yaesu FT-2DR HT (backup left in the car)

●     Packtenna. (did not take)

●     CHA MPAS with spike and additional MIL mast (and version 2 of the top section) (left in car)

●      Yaesu FT-891D HF Radio at 100 watts  (left this in the car :) )

●    Extra LiFePO Battery (not needed)

●     Helinox Chair Zero Ultralight Compact Camping Chair.

73,

N1CLC

Christian Claborne

(aka chris claborne)

It was perfect weather for the hike.  Once on top, we scouted around for a way to make it to the very top.  It would have been a pretty tight bushwhack with very little reward.  Given that we were only about 50 feet from the top, we were still in the activation zone.  We both fired up our HF radios and easily landed some contacts.  I made a few FM contacts and we headed back.  On the way down, we did see a few hikers.  Given our early arrival, we had had the mountain to ourselves. 

I’m going to try to cut the video that I shot and post below. 

Expedition Summary

SOTA summits:W6/CT-102 (Gordon Point)
Points: 6
Activation Date: 2020-12-26 (UTC)
Unique: Yes
Activation No: 228
Call sign used: N1CLC
Radios: KX2
Antennas: LNR 10, 20, 40, MFJ Whip
Band/Modes used: 17m 20m, 100m, 40m, CW (morse) SSB (voice), 2m FM
Cell Data: AT&T
Miles Hiked: 7.75 mi
Hiked Elevation Gain: 1,301

Contacts

Date:26/12/2020 | Summit:W6/CT-102 (Gordon Point) | Call Used:N1CLC | Points: 6

Loadout:

●      GoPro Hero8

●      Gregory Zulu 40 backpack

●      First aid kit.  Make sure it’s a good one... like ability to patch up an impalement wound. 

●      Elecraft KX2 10 watt HF Radio

●      The K6ARK Spider Thread Antenna

●   30’ of coax feed line (not needed

●      Slim Jim dual band antenna for my HT.

●      3 L of water (8 lb)

●      iPhone with All Trails, MotionX GPS and sota goat

●      Trekking poles (not today)

●     LNR End Fed multi-band antenna

●   SOTAbeams Tactical 7000hds Compact Heavy-Duty Telescopic Mast TAC7000HDS

●    MFJ MFJ-1714 144 MHz 1/2 Wavelength Antenna for my HT

●   AnyTone AT-868UV DMR radio for testing.

●   Custom wine bottle cork paddles for CW (crafted by K6ARK)

●   American Morse Ultra Porta Paddle for CW

●   Delorme Inreach satellite tracker and communicator.

●      Jetboil MicroMo cooking system (left at the car this trip)

●      Yaesu FT-2DR HT (backup left in the car)

●     Packtenna. (did not take)

●     CHA MPAS with spike and additional MIL mast (and version 2 of the top section) (left in car)

●      Yaesu FT-891D HF Radio at 100 watts  (left this in the car :) )

●    Extra LiFePO Battery (not needed)

●     Helinox Chair Zero Ultralight Compact Camping Chair.

73,

N1CLC

Christian Claborne

(aka chris claborne)

You can access the slides ---> HERE <---.

 I'm pleased to present to the San Diego Ham Forum.

You can access the slides ---> HERE <---.