Home Ground

We're almost in the driveway after a 10 week jaunt around Saskatchewan, Montana and Wyoming. I put 21 grids on from a variety of interesting and high places. Es season on 6 Meters was kind of punk, but when it did double-hop I tried to be there. It was fun to develop an effective 2 Meter station to take out in the field with the truck for some 1200 - 1300 miles meteor scatter contacts. Two EME contacts were made also.

Thanks to all for the many fine contacts! LoTW is up to date.
Gene, KB7Q

Heading home to familiar mountain ranges under summer skies.

DN54fw - redux and EME #2

I ran back up to DN54 on te Beartooth Plateau last evening for several hours. I had a few sprinkles and some lightning setting up, but then it cleared off nicely. I was able to add ND0B, W7XU, KF7CQ, WA5TKU, KS7S, and N0LWF to the 2M meteor scatter log.

During a lull in my skeds the rising moon was just too tempting a target - so I dipped down to 144.140 MHz aimed at the moon as it was 10 degrees above the horizon and immediately heard a JT65b signal in the speaker. I figured it was someone fairly neary by doing EME. When it decoded it turned out to be I2FAK with a huge moonbounce signal. Realize I'm just using a 9 element Yagi, 200 watts, 50 feet of LMR400, and the just the pre-amp in the TE brick when you look at this:

Mama Mia! Nothing like a random 2 meter EME contact to finish off the DN54 visit.

DN54fw - Beartooth Plateau, Wyoming - A great outing

I worked 11 stations last night on 2M: W7MEM, K6EME, NQ7R, WQ5S, W9JN, WB0ULX, N6ENU, W8BYA, AA7A, K7MAC, and WA7GSK. There were some monster blasts that made me turn the AGC back on in the K3 to keep from killing the speaker. This is a dandy location - a negative horizon in most directions and so quiet.

Tonight I'll go back up for a short session i.e. 8/13 0330z to 0700z, and call CQ on 144.144 MHz anytime I'm between skeds.

Pointed south toward AA7A at sunrise. Lots of rolled over rocks from bears hunting for grubs, so refueling the generator at 3 AM was a "keep looking around" job.

Pilot and Index Peaks out toward K7MAC's way, and Beartooth Butte catching the morning sun to the northwest.

Wow!

DN54fw - The Perseids Plan

Ah, DN54fw -- we stopped by on the way to the motel to check out the very best place to set up.

I'll be QRV from 11,000 feet on the Beartooth Plateau in Wyoming from 0600z to 1300z August 12 and again on August 13. No Internet up there, so contact me for a sked time slot if you like. I'll post my skeds here when I get a few more lined up.

Random Operation - I'll call "CQ U 4" on 144.140 MHz meaning I expect to hear you on 144.144 MHz. When I do I'll start calling you there so we can move off the calling frequency quickly. If I sense company on 144.144 MHz I'll not use ST, rather your suffix and R26, RRR, and 73.

I'll have Internet back at the motel in Red Lodge, MT and be up on Ping Jockey.

DN46fj - Canyon Ferry Lake

We're on our way to the RV dealership in Helena to get some work done on the trailer. So we overnighted on the shores of Canyon Ferry Reservior. The Perseids made 2M operation go quite well. KB7ME, ND0B, KA9CFD (1165 miles), K0SIX, N0LWF, WB0ULX, and W9JN (1062 miles) were logged.

No pictures! There is so much forest fire smoke there is literally nothing to see, the mountains just across the lake even disappeared, but not before I noted the azimuth of the notch to shoot thru for eastern contacts. The compass built into my hand-held GPS is one of the most important tools on these outings. The meteors were quite good both last night and this morning - I had to quit early so I could get to the repair shop on time.

DN45ts - Sheep Mountain, MT

Later then I had hoped, that's the 2m beam still on the ground. Looking east of course, Indiana is out there somewhere.

Crazy Mountains to the north, I counted nine mountain ranges.

Not much room to turn the truck around - Yellowstone River glinting on the right.

Enough to say W8BYA has a great signal, even 1308 miles out. I was still setting levels.

An interesting morning - I used Google Earth to find my way to the top of Sheep Mountain in the dark. The trail I took up was more of a cow path then a county right of way, 4x4 prevailed. On the way down I missed the turn and drove down the very nice access road use by commercial users of the site on around the other side of the mountain to within 50 feet of a county road - oops a locked gate blocked the way. I back tracked 4 miles and finally found my way out. I need to bring a bag of bread crumbs next time.

Anyhow it was a fun morning and a spectacular sunrise. 2 Meter stations worked: W8BYA (1308 miles), W9JN (1010 miles), WA7HQD, KF7CQ, KS7S (982 miles), K6EME, N6ENU, and N7EA.