2. Ham Radio

Tinker Knob (W6/NS-121) SOTA Activation 9/18/2013

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Solar-terrestrial data screen captured not long after I got home in the afternoon.
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Solar-terrestrial data screen captured not long after I got home in the afternoon.

Propagation

  • After you cross through that section of rocks, use trails heading up to the top become visible.
  • I ended up scrambling up this section of rocks to reach the top at the north end of the knob.
  • A Google Earth view of Tinker Knob looking SSE. The brown line is my track up from PCT (pink line) and the blue line is my estimate of the activation zone. If you don't feel comfortable climbing up through the rocks to the top, there is ample room for an activation down below them.
  • Up on top. People have been having fun with the rocks, note the short walls in the form of a rectangle behind me. I'm guessing that you are supposed to setup your tent within the rectangle so that the rocks help break the wind. There were some other rock structures scattered about in the area.
  • My operating position near the jagged east edge. I brought my Alexloop for this activation because I expected the top to all be jagged. It was actually broad and flat, but it would still have been difficult to support the Jackite pole I use for my doublet. The bush you see is the only vegetation on the summit and it isn't placed in a very good spot for lashing a mast. Guying a larger mast would likely be the only way to go. For the small Buddipole shock cord mast that I use with the Alexloop, cramming it into a gap between the rocks worked fine.
  • Looking northeast. Many other SOTA summits are visible, too many to attempt to list here.
  • Looking southeast towards Lake Tahoe. The mountains on the skyline are on the other side of the lake, along the south end. The highest one is Monument Peak (W6/NS-061) at 10,067 feet and within the Heavenly Valley ski resort. I <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-Activation-Monument-Peak">activated that one on skis last winter</a>.
  • To the west is Royal Gorge with gigantic Snow Mountain (W6/NS-171) along it's north side.
  • Looking south towards the Squaw Valley ski resort. The peak to the right is Granite Chief (W6/NS-115) and the one to the left is Squaw Peak. The one in the middle is Pt. 8797.
  • Castle Peak (W6/SN-038) to the north-northwest, on the other side of Interstate 80. Pacific Crest trail runs past it.
  • To the west-northwest is Devil's Peak (W6/NS-197).
  • Looking down towards Donner Lake (hidden behind <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-Activation-W6NS213-2013">Schallenberger Ridge W6/NS-213</a>) with I-80 visible on the other side. The peak on the skyline near the left edge of the photo is <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-CarpenterRidge-NS123-2013">Carpenter Ridge (W6/NS-123)</a>.
  • Looking north-northwest along the ridgeline towards Anderson Peak, Mt. Lincoln W6/NS-149 <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-Activation-MtLincoln-0313">that I activated on skis</a>, etc. Sierra Buttes (W6/NS-139) is visible on the distant skyline just to the left of center. For more info on that one see <a href="http://www.grizzlyguy.com/HamRadio/SOTA-Activation-9202012-Sierra">this activation album</a>
  • My spots from Reverse Beacon Network. I started the activation by calling CQ on 12m, but no skimmers heard me.
  • SOTAWatch spots page 1.
  • SOTAWatch spots page 1. I spotted myself on 12m, but my cell phone's browser kept spinning as if my submission never got through. I retried a few more times, and it looks like all of them got through, even though a response page never came back. Sorry for all the duplicate spots!
  • Logbook page 1. Even with all of my self-spots I didn't make any contacts on 12m. I moved to 20m, and Rich N4EX said that he couldn't hear me on 12m. I heard no other signals there, not even the usual DX signals from South America, I guess the band was dead for us out west.
  • Logbook page 2. I called Frandy NE1SJ for my first summit-to-summit QSO of the day, and Jim KK1W called me from the same summit as soon as we finished. Barry N1EU called me a few minutes later for my 3rd and final summit-to-summit contact.
  • Logbook page 3. The Alexloop isn't very efficient on 40m, but it worked well enough for three more QSOs. I made 24 QSOs overall. Thanks to everyone who gave me a call!
  • Solar-terrestrial data screen captured not long after I got home in the afternoon.
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