SOTA outings by KØMOS and contributors

Author: k0mos

  • WØ/FR-Ø88 (Mt. McConnel) – 8020 ft / 2444 m – 3rd activation

    Just a few comments and pictures about today’s (May 7th, 2013) activation of Mount McConnel (WØC/FR-Ø88).

    It was a gloomy day in northern Colorado. Cloudy and rain throughout the day, windy and chilly at the summit (9:00 AM). It looked like it was snowing at Camron Pass.

    The campground where the trail-head is located is closed. According to the sign, due to spraying activities (Pine Beetle).  Parking along CO14 on a gravel strip is possible.

    The hike up to Mc Connel is about 95% through burned area from last years Highpark fire which destroyed over 68’000 acres (>275 square kilometers), 190+ structures and unfortunately one fatality.

    I still had to cross a few snow-fields on the east side of the mountain… unusual for (almost) mid May at only 8000 ft.

    Signals on 20m were fading in and out like the rain and I had a hard time getting my four contacts.

    A few pictures:

    Looking for a complete trip report with pictures/video taken in sunny conditions? Check out http://wp.me/p1XRZT-3P

    73, Matt/KØMOS

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • Activation Alert: K0MOS on W0/FR-088 and W0/FR-205 – 5/7 ~1600 UTC

    Still tons of snow in higher elevations. Trying to activate:

     Date: 7 May 2013
 Time: Approx.: 1600 UTC 
 Summit: Mount McConnel (W0C/FR-088)
 Location: N-Colorado / DN70gq
 Elevation: 2440 m / 8020 ft – 2 Point(s)
 Call Sign: KØMOS
 Frequencies: 14.3425-ssb, 18.1420-ssb
              +/- QRM

    If conditions are right, I will move on to:

     Date: 7 May 2013
 Time: Approx.: 1900 UTC 
 Summit: 7612 (W0C/FR-205)
 Location: N-Colorado / DN70gq
 Elevation: 2316 m / 7612 ft – 1 Point(s)
 Call Sign: KØMOS
 Frequencies: 14.3425-ssb 7.200-ssb
              +/- QRM

    I doubt that I will have APRS coverage, but you never know. Here the link:

    http://aprs.fi/#!call=K0MOS-7

    Keep your ears/antennas pointed towards Colorado.

    73, Matt/KØMOS

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • WØC/FR-Ø36 (Bighorn Mountain) – 3487 m / 11463 ft – Activation attempt

    Bryan/NØBCB and I attempted to activate Bighorn Mountain for the TTF/SOTA event on Saturday. The summit (3487 M / 11463 ft) is in beautiful Rocky Mountain N.P., the weather forecast was excellent with temperatures in the 70s (~20 C) and the amount of ALERTS posted on SOTAwach promised a very busy activation with tons of S2S possibilities.

    Bighorn Mtn. - ElevationProfile
    Bighorn Mtn. – ElevationProfile
    Bryan/NØBCBat the Trailhead of Bighorn Mtn.
    Bryan/NØBCB at the Trailhead of Bighorn Mtn.

    We started early at the Lawn Lake trail-head to have enough time available on the summit. We headed up at 7:00 AM with temperatures around 30F (~0 C). The snow on the ground was hard and crunchy. The first three miles of the trip climbs rather steadily along the banks of Roaring River on an established trail. Thanks to the fresh snow we received last week, the trail was snow covered and soon became a major obstacle on our way up. Snow-depth was around 2-3+ feet and we had to take turns to break the trail. It got increasingly difficult and we made very little progress, on occasions sinking in all the way to out belly-buttons.

    Bryan/NØBC breaking trail
    Bryan/NØBC breaking trail

    Upon reaching the point where we would have to turn SE, leaving the trail and bushwhack our way up the steep slopes, we assessed our situation and options. So far we had only covered 3 miles in 2.5h and we estimated at least another 2h of ascent in deep snow. That would have put us on the summit at least 2h late of our plans and therefor we opted to head back to the TH, and to setup our radios to at least participate in  the TTF event.

    It took us almost 2.5h to reach the TH and we logged our first QSO around 18:15 (UTC). Band conditions and our location (surrounded by mountains) were less than ideal. All bands we tried (10/15/20/40) were pretty quiet, even Megawatt stations barely copyable.  The only SOTA/TTF station I was able to contact was Jeremy/NH6Z in Oregon and a few stations in Florida.

    Overall a disappointing SOTA/TTF day for us but a nice outing in the RMNP. More snow is in the forecast for tomorrow, looks like the snowshoes have to stick around for a little while longer.

    Since we had no chance to take pictures on the summit, check out last years trip-report with video footage.

    73, Matt/KØMOS

     

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • On 40m at last… (Part I)

    Using a Buddipole antenna (BP) for my SOTA activations leaves me high and dry when it comes to the 40 m band. I was never able to build an efficient BP for these frequencies and received many ‘complaints’ that I never activate on 40m, thereby leaving out the ‘local’ chasers. This is going to change now…

    RG174 based double Bazzoka
    RG174 based double Bazooka

    Yesterday I received a package from my buddy and SOTA Mountain Goat Herbert/OE9HRV, containing a home brew double Bazooka for 7 MHz based on RG174 coax. Herbert is my go-to guy when it comes to antennas. On our joint SOTA activations in OE he always carries an  impressive assortment of home brew antennas to the summits, and due to this weight I  would NOT want to carry his backpack – seriously. To see some examples of his creations, check out his FLICKR stream and/or QRZ page.

    I had not known about double Bazookas before being educated by Herbert. It’s an efficient and quiet single band antenna based on 50 ohm coax cable, with the shield split at the center and feed line attache to it.  It can be used in a flat top or inverted vee configuration – the latter more suitable for SOTA. To save on weight, Herbert made it out of RG174 with a BNC connector, and used a wire-winder to create a small and easy to manage package. The final antenna is around 310 g (~ 11 ounces) and about 25 cm x 8 cm (~ 9.5″ x 3″ ).

    Here are some pictures taken during the building process (click onto the picture for a larger version and slideshow):

    Building process: Slide-1
    Building process: Slide-1

     

    Building process: Slide-2
    Building process: Slide-2

     

     

     

     

     

    Building process: Slide-3
    Building process: Slide-3

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Building process = Slide-4
    Building process = Slide-4
    The final product
    The final product
    Tuning the antenna: Feedpoint at 3m (9ft)
    Tuning the antenna: Feed-point at 3m (9ft)
    Tuning the antenna: Feedpoint at 6m (18 ft)
    Tuning the antenna: Feedpoint at 6m (18 ft)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Can’t wait to try it out and see how it performs in action. The fresh snow (~45 cm or 1.5 ft) over the last three days cut me off from most SOTA summits right now. Stay tuned…

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • Activation Alert: K0MOS on W0/FR-037 (Twin Sisters Peak East) on 03/28 – ~1800 UTC

    I am trying to activate W0C/FR-037 (Twin Sisters Peak East).

     Date:             28 March 2013
 Time: Approx.:    1800 UTC – 1900 UTC
 Name/Reference:   Twin Sisters Peak East / WØC/FR-Ø37
 Location:         N-Colorado / DN70fg
 Elevation:        3476 M / 11428 ft - 6 (+3) Point(s)
 Call Sign:        KØMOS
 Frequencies:      14.3400-ssb +/- QRM 
                   21.3500-ssb +/- QRM
                   146.520-fm

    I will start on 20 m and if conditions are decent I am gonna try 15 m for a change.

    QRP (5W) only.
    Equip.: FT-817 and vertical Buddipole

    Keep your ears/antennas pointed towards Colorado.

    Thanks

    Matt / KØMOS

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • Activation Alert: K0MOS on W0/FR-058 and W0/FR-150 – 3/13 ~1700 UTC

    After getting some unexpected snow today, I am going and try to activate one or two summits tomorrow. Here the details:

     Date: 13 March 2013
 Time: Approx.: 1700 UTC 
 Summit: Thunder Peak (W0C/FR-150)
 Location: N-Colorado / DN70fh
 Elevation: 3083 m / 10134 ft – 4 (+3) Point(s)
 Call Sign: KØMOS
 Frequencies: 14.3425-ssb / alt.freq.: 14.285-ssb
              +/- QRM

    If conditions are right, I will move on to:

     Date: 13 March 2013
 Time: Approx.: 1930 UTC 
 Summit: Emerald Mountain (W0C/FR-058)
 Location: N-Colorado / DN70eh
 Elevation: 2810 m / 9237 ft – 4 (+3) Point(s)
 Call Sign: KØMOS
 Frequencies: 14.3425-ssb / alt.freq.: 14.285-ssb
              +/- QRM

    Keep your ears/antennas pointed towards Colorado.

    73, Matt/KØMOS

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • Activation Alert: K0MOS on W0/FR-064 (West Crosier) on 1/18 – ~1900 UTC

    Trying to take advantage of the nice weather in N-Colorado

     Date: 18 January 2013
 Time: Approx.: 1900 UTC – 20:00 UTC
 Location: N-Colorado / DN70gk
 Elevation: 2744 M / 9020 ft – 4 (+3) Point(s)
 Call Sign: KØMOS
 Frequencies: 14.3425-ssb +/- QRM / alt. freq.: 14.285-ssb

    QRP (5W) only.
    Equip.: FT-817 and vertical Buddipole

    Keep your ears/antennas pointed towards Colorado.

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • Activation Alert: K0MOS on W0/FR-152 (The Needles) – 10/8/12 ~20:00

    Planning an activation after a meeting in Estes Park. Time is a rough estimate since I cannot say when the meetings ends.

     Summit:        WØC/FR-156 (The Needles – CO)
 Date:          8 November 2012
 Time: Approx.: 20:00 UTC – 21:00 UTC
 Location:      N-Colorado / DM70fj
 Elevation:     3063 M / 10068 ft – 4 Point(s)
 Call Sign:     KØMOS
 Frequencies:   14.3400-ssb // 14.285-ssb +/- QRM
                146.52-fm

    If I have coverage, you can follow my progress and status via APRS:

    QRP (5W) only. Equip.: FT-817 and vertical Buddipole

    Keep your ears/antennas pointed towards Colorado.

    Thanks

    Matt / KØMOS

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • Activation Alert: K0MOS on HB0/LI-004 (Lichtenstein) – 10/18/12

    The warm winds reduced the snow quite a bit. Trying to get to higher elevations tomorrow for an activation with OE9HRV. Here the details:

     Summit:        HB0/LI-004 - Augstenberg
 Date:          18 October 2012
 Time: Approx.: 11:30 UTC – 12:30 UTC
 Location:      JN47TB (Lichtenstein)
 Elevation:     2359 m / 7740 ft - 10 Points
 Call Sign:     HBØ/KØMOS/p
 Frequencies:   14.285-ssb +/- QRM
                21.285-ssb +/- QRM
                145.500-fm

    If I have coverage, you can follow my progress and status via APRS:

    Hope to talk to you soon…

    73, Matt/K0MOS

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • Activation Alert: K0MOS on OE/VB-467 & DL/AL-132 – 10/17/12

    Still quite a bit of snow in the mountains around here. Hope it’s gonna be a little warmer for tomorrows activation. OE9HRV/Herbert will be my guide again. Here the details:

     Summit:        OE/VB-467(Vorarlberg)
 Date:          17 October 2012
 Time: Approx.: 09:00 UTC – 10:00 UTC
 Location:      Voarlberg 
 Elevation:     1639 M – 6 Point(s)
 Call Sign:     OE/KØMOS/p
 Frequencies:   14.285-ssb +/- QRM
                145.500-fm
     Summit:        DL/AL-132 (Germany)
 Date:          17 October 2012
 Time: Approx.: 12:00 UTC – 13:00 UTC
 Location:      Voarlberg / JN47xj 
 Elevation:     1711 M / 5613 ft – 6 Point(s)
 Call Sign:     DL/KØMOS/p
 Frequencies:   14.285-ssb +/- QRM
                21.285-ssb +/- QRM
                145.500-fm

    If I have coverage, you can follow my progress and status via APRS:

    Hope to talk to you soon…

    73, Matt/K0MOS

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!