2. Ham Radio

Pt. 6815 (W6/NS-262) SOTA Activation 6/17/2013

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My operating position. I don't know if the tree burned in the Cottonwood Fire or was later struck by lightning.
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My operating position. I don't know if the tree burned in the Cottonwood Fire or was later struck by lightning.

  • The SOTA Northern Sierra region logo. This logo is available on Northern Sierra T-shirts, sweatshirts, beer steins, mouse pads, etc. for SOTA participants who qualify for the Northern Sierra Award (offered by yours truly KU6J). The award rules are linked to from my page on QRZ.com.
  • Pt. 6815 is in Tahoe National Forest, south of Highway 49 between Sierraville and Loyalton. To get there from Sierraville, take Hwy 49 east and turn right onto Antelope Valley Road (easy 2WD dirt road shown in purple above). Follow this road until you are almost due south of the summit at 39.61949N, 120.26171W. Hike up the rather steep 4x4 road that is shown in blue. When you reach the ridge top, bushwhack your way eastward up to the summit.<br /> <br /> From Loyalton, you can instead take the paved Smithneck Road southward toward Stampede Reservoir, turn onto Antelope Valley Road (it is paved for a short distance on this end), and proceed to the 4x4 road that way. The maps and aerial photos show the 4x4 road continuing northward past the summit and down to Hwy 49, but I haven't been on it.
  • To make the day more interesting, I unloaded my ATV at Little Truckee Summit on Highway 89 and rode to Antelope Valley Road from there. This gave me a chance to head up Dark Canyon and climb up and over the ridge through what I like to call "Bonanza Country" because of how it looks.
  • This route doesn't get much traffic as you can probably tell. Yes, that's actually the road. Dave K6MTT and I rode through here a month ago and there were no other tracks on top of ours. We didn't activate anything we were just out for the ride.
  • Up in Bonanza Country I keep thinking I'll see Ben, Hoss and Little Joe coming down the ridge on horseback with a cattle rustler hog-tied and strapped to a mule behind them. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you're probably either young or have a callsign that doesn't begin with K, W, N or A. ;-)
  • BEARS!! Just kidding, only cattle. I spotted no rustlers in pursuit, and still no sign of Ben, Hoss or Little Joe.
  • Pt. 6815 as seen from the top of the ridge in Bonanza Country.
  • Pt. 6815 was along the edge of the Cottonwood Fire which burned 46,800 acres in this area back in 1994. This sign is at Bear Valley Campground and I took this photo last summer when I was activating nearby Pt. 7282 (W6/NS-226). See <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-Activation10142012-Pt">my activation report </a> and especially <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-Pt7282-W6NS226-2013"> this report from a later activation (includes maps) </a> for more info on that one.
  • Zoomed in shot of Pt. 6815 from a different spot in Bonanza Country. Evidence of the Cottonwood Fire is still present and plainly visible on the slope.
  • Once you leave the 4x4 road, it's a cross-country hike up to the top.
  • There were still plenty of spring wildflowers up near the summit.
  • Standing on the summit rock.
  • Uh-oh, somebody forgot their dog's water bowl and water. Hopefully Fido made it back down safely before dehydration set in.
  • I decided to operate about 50 feet east of the summit rock, maybe 5 vertical feet below it. The pine tree in this shot would have made a fine antenna support, as would some of the others, but using my Jackite pole (in the foreground) to hold up the center of my 88' doublet allowed me to plop down right in the midst of some dense shade. I love shade. Shade is good. Did I tell you I love shade? Yeah, I guess I did just tell you that I love shade. Shade baby, shade! ;-)
  • I bungeed the pole to a dead and burned limb of a downed tree.
  • My operating position. I don't know if the tree burned in the Cottonwood Fire or was later struck by lightning.
  • Happy camper. CW in my ears, Palm Paddles in my hand, logbook with plenty of contacts. Oh, and all this while being in THE SHADE!
  • My first set of spots from Reverse Beacon Network (I couldn't screen capture them all in one image).
  • The remainder of my RBN spots. I was again heard on 12m by VE6AO but I had no takers on that band. I heard CO8LY calling CQ, answered him, but he was weak and never heard me (with only 5W I was probably a lot weaker down in Cuba).
  • My SOTAWatch spots.
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