W5RJD Summit on the Air (SOTA) Activations

I was heading up to Black Mountain to install a point to point link for a local radio station, and got to drive all the way to the top.  So I threw my SOTA bag in the car hoping I'd have a few minutes to activate.  We drove up Page Mill Rd and took a left into the combination-locked gate, went through a padlocked one, and then ended up at site 5 to do our work. The tower we were working on was outside the activation zone, but that wasn't anything a 5 minute hike couldn't fix.  SOTAGoat to the rescue, and I found a nice tree just inside the activation zone to throw my wire into.  Tuned up on 18 Mhz and got about 7 contacts, then had a couple of minutes to move over to 40 meters for another 2. It was a quick one and sorry I didn't try any other bands, but I had people waiting to drive back down. It sure beat the 3 hour hike the last time I did this peak!

  I did this one after activating Ben Lomond Mountain.  It was maybe an hour away down some fairly windy one lane paved roads. But it was midnight GMT so technically a different day. This summit is literally along the road to Cutter Scout Reservation, where've I've been to a number of times before it was burned to the ground in the fires a few years ago.  There is a locked gate just a few hundred feet past the summit, but it's accessible.  A parking turn out was maybe 80 feet down the road. The summit itself towers about 50 feet above the road, and there's some deer trails that seem to go to the top, but when I pulled my phone out and noticed the AZ extended to the road, plus it was going to be dark in an hour, I decided not to hike up.  There was a very nice rock right at the gate that made a perfect chair, so I decided to set up just inside the gate. There were a couple of tall emergency cones on either side of the gate, one of which made a perfect place to st...

  On may way home from a client call in Santa Cruz I took a last minute unplanned detour up to Ben Lomond Mountain.  The area was extremely fire damaged a few years ago, and while a lot of that damage still remains it no longer looks like a total war zone, and is open for normal traffic.  I've gotten into the habit of throwing my SOTA go bag in the car whenever I leave San Jose, just in case. The AZ is a very long path along the road, maybe even a mile, so you can setup on the side of the road just about anywhere.  The actual summit is inside a government training facility that is right next to a county incarceration center of some sort. I've seen past posts that indicate it is a CalFire station but I didn't see any indication that was so. Due to the barb wire fence and keep out signs, I decided not to set up in the parking lot like previous posts mentioned.  I drove down the road just a bit and found a large turn out right next to some antennas, checked SOTAGoa...

  I decided to go for a hike at lunch today, and the trailhead for Coyote Peak is a few blocks from my office, so I grabbed my SOTA kit and took off.  I've done this peak already a couple of times, the last time being just after I recovered from Covid and I remember it wasn't very fun, with all the respiratory issues I was having at the time.  I was hoping today would be easier. Just after entering the park, there is a kiosk to pay the $6 day use fee.  The automation station only takes credit cards and not cash. There's no permit required, but if you don't have the parking ticket on your dashboard you'll get an expensive ticket. I know they weren't charging during the pandemic, but that's over now. I parked in the main lot.  The trailhead here heads up to the Bay Area Ridge Trail.  Right at the start is a supply of paper maps. I'd suggest taking one if you've never been on these trails before, and then returning it when you're done with it.  They...

  I went on a family trip to the Point Reyes area and was able to get away for a couple of hours to activate what looked like a drive up summit, or close to it.  Our cottages were a couple of miles from Mount Vision Road, which starts the drive up on a single lane well paved road.  There are a few switchbacks but in general the road is a very easy drive and just about any type of vehicle could make it, including a bicycle. At the top is a dirt parking area that's about 1700 ft away from the summit, with about 95 ft of elevation gain.  An easy hike from the lot.  I parked alongside a few other vehicles. The trail was wide and well maintained.  It was a very gradual upward slope.  A wheel chair probably could make it most of the way up, except the last hundred feet or so to the very top. It could certainly get into the activation zone. Along the way there's one spot that is within the activation zone with a tree you could use to hold your antenna. You co...

  I did this as part of a two week trip to Tennessee.  It's right on the TN/NC border and technically in North Carolina I think. Park in the parking lot (which is also a place to do POTA), and walk up toward the visitor center. Then keep going to the dome, a walk of roughly 1/2 mile.  It was a little misty the day I was there. It was not cold, however, just wet. If you have a disabled plate you can drive to the top I think.  There are a few places to set up off the trail, and lots of trees you can throw a wire into. One thing I read was that the rangers can get nasty and tell you that you need a permit.  I didn't encounter any on this activation, but the top was very crowded with people. So you have to be a little selective where you set up.  I chose to be bold and set up right in the crowd, with my antenna hanging in trees behind me. This allowed me to have some good conversations with people about what I was doing, at the risk of being scolded by rangers....