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(nothing to do with SOTA) Worked this station yesterday evening on 17M. It is now QRT. Sigs were S-7, and was able to make contact QRP when no others calling. This is an ice runway used by commercial tourist jets operated by a British tour company. Have no idea what tourists do there after landing. Doesn¡¯t seem to even be a smoking lounge ? Vy cool website: https://white-desert.com/about-us/wolfsfang-runway-logistics/ fred kt5x
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Today John and I ascended Glorieta Mesa. Of interest to others, at this time there is essentially no snow there at 8,000 ft elev. Condx were fine, EU was worked by one of us on each of the higher bands. I have been using an endfed HALFwave wire since 2012. My reasons include that it does not require a radial on the ground as does a random wire which is lossy, and that I can use the last several feet of the wire as a feedline, no coax. Coax adds weight, loss, and several connectors which in frequent use can fail. Matching a halfwave at the end is challenging. There must be a very high transformation. In 2012 I found the web pages of AA5TB where he explained how he was dealing with an endfed halfwave. I copied his circuit exactly, but used smaller components since I am running QRP. After a few tries, I was able to make this so small that it fits in a dental floss case. I even made one with a built-in SWR indicator, the ¡°tinySWR¡± by Martin Hepp, DK3IT. Today, I believe, for the first time, ¡ AA5TB chased me on a SOTA peak !!! I emailed him to thank him for both the posting of his EFHW tuning experiments 20 years ago which inspired my miniaturized version of his conclusions, and the chase. 73, fred kt5x
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Cerro Rendija W5N/CO-013 was a real joy of an activation, easy hike with great views just bring something to sit on as there are no comfortable rocks on this one! If you are up to a bit more hiking this is an impressive side trip just a mile or so further down the road. ¡°Caterpillar Collapse¡± a giant collapsed lava tube. Beautiful winter hiking, hope you can get out on a hill soon. Dale, AA7OY
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SOTA Activation
Action Plan: Saturday February 8, 2025 W5N/GW-008 Corner Peak This a new summit for us so no tracks or pictures. Dale, AA7OY, will be meeting us. We will depart my QTH by 0700, with luck, and arrive at Michellels Store around 1030 to 1100. From Reserve we will proceed south and east to the summit. QRV by 2000 UTC. Com will be 146.58 or 146.52 Here is a list of some coordinates on our route. Left 33.561930, -108.711847 Straight 33.544446, -108.685107 Right 33.538628, -108.662560 Left 33.508849, -108.667170 Park some where around 33.483058, -108.642849 Packing extra water and food as it will be a long day but fun. 73 all WB5USB Geo
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February 1, 2025 W5N/CO-004 Mount Powell Depart my QTH by 0800 local. I have been tracking the weather out by Thoreau and it looks good. Roads up to the summit should in excellent shape. SUBARU capable. Temps in the high 40's under partly cloudy skies and winds in the 16 mph range. We will park at the com site and walk down the ridge to get away from any noise. Normally if you drive the speed limit it takes about 2hrs and 10 min to make the trip, but if Don takes Squirrel One then we may have to add a few min to the travel time. QRV around 1800 UTC. 73 all WB5USB Geo.. see previous pics for fun
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W0M Association Anniversary this weekend
From KK0U via Reddit: "This Saturday, February 1st, is the 12th anniversary of the W0M Association in the SOTA program. The last couple of years we have tried to activate as many peaks as weather would allow. This year is no different, and it's on a Saturday! Several local hams in the MO area are going to activate peaks. Most likely:Bell Moutain (W0M/SF-005) -- Yours trulyTaum Sauk (W0M/SF-001)Buford (W0M/SF-002)Johnson (W0M/SF-006)Knob Lick (W0M/SF-030)among others. Note that the 6-pointers qualify for the 3-point winter bonus! I know there's alot of activity on the bands this weekend (MNQP, VTQP, FYBO), but keep an ear out for us in W0M! Most likely times will be 1600-2200Z 73, Jim KK0U"
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On a sota peak last week when he and Josh worked John and I on Tetilla¡ fd Here is DJ on the summit with Mt. Rainier in the background (spotting and awesome lenticular cloud) -Josh
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Don and I decided to try out Don's Land Rover so we went up to the Crest. W5N/SI-001. Departing my QTH around 10 thirty we took the scenic drive up. Roads were in good shape, dry, no snow. Expecting it to be cold we over dressed. Turned out with sunshine and light winds we were quite toasty. Set up ops just south of the summit along the ridge. Had trouble with cell service until I stared down La Luz trail to shield my cell phone from the towers. Spotted Don on 18 MHz and 20 min later Don had 16 contacts or so. One from France and one from Spain. We chose 18 megs due to its lower noise level and it really paid off. Land Rover seems to be working well. 73 all enjoy the pics WB5USB Geo...
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Saturday, January 25,2025 W5N/SE-039 Mesa Portales QRV 1800 UTC While Fred (KT5X) and John (K1JD) will be on Caja del Rio our little group will be on Mesa Portales. With luck a S-2-S with those guys on 40 Meters might be possible. We will depart my QTH by 0800. Weather will be cloudy with temps in the high 40's to low 50's and light winds. see previous pics 73 WB5USB Geo
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Interesting piece of lightweight gear that may be of use. Dale AA7OY Why This Is Always On My Pack - RECCO Backpack Rescue Reflector youtu.be
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W5N/SE-043 Ortiz Mtn
John and I, anxious to get out, braved warnings of high winds, and went up Ortiz. All roads leading to it were bone dry but deeply rutted. Don¡¯t go in there in a ¡°street¡± vehicle. Vy pleasant walk up the hill. Lots of wild horse sign, but not much else. Of course we didn¡¯t see them. Turned out not windy while we were there, down by 11:30, and 35 degrees in the sun without wind is quite pleasant. 20M condx were short strong skip, no DX, but most of the country was LOUD. John had good luck on ten with some DX, I worked some DX on 15. We both use EFHW¡¯s, he uses a KX2, and I a KH1. Supposed to get very cold next few days, will see what actually occurs. 73, fred
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What a fun SOTA summit! Weather conditions were ideal. We (Matt/KF0RIG, Steve/WG0AT, and myself/KD8EQA) had a beautiful, sunny, crisp, winter day with clear skies and impressive views. All the roads to the National Monument, and up to the parking area were paved, clear, and dry. The paved trail to the summit had a few patches of snow that were packed down by visitors. We didn't need any traction. We were the only vehicle in the parking lot when we arrived, and we only encountered 2 other people during the day. RF noise was nil, and we easily filled up our logs with contacts, including a couple to Europe, and a S2S with Carey/KX0R in Colorado. Fred/KT5X... you were right... nothing on 2m. We also enjoyed a contact with Nick/KI5MFF, and the Valencia County Middle School ARC/KJ5DZQ, south of Albuquerque. It seems this SOTA peak is a good choice for winter activations... easy access, easy hike, no crowds, and bonus point eligible. It think it would also be a good peak for a first-time SOTA activator (as long as they can activate on HF bands). The picture is the view from the parking lot of the summit above and the caldera below. 73, Ray / KD8EQA
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Roads up to W5N/MG-033, Gray Hill, were in good shape. Subaru friendly. Very little snow. This was a noisy summit for the lower bands but fairly quite on the higher ones. No problem making a lot of contacts. The Boothy Tim let me use kept me quite warm despite the cold temps. see pics for fun Nice drive up summit but not to many trees to support a mast. Great views. 73 all WB5USB Geo..
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W5N Alert for Capulin Mountain
2
Hi All, Matt/KF0RIG, Steve/WG0AT, and I are planning to activate Capulin Mountain, W5N/SG-009, tomorrow, Wednesday, the 15th. It's supposed to be sunny with a light breeze. We don't anticipate any serious issues with snow getting to the trailhead or summit. We expect to arrive at the trailhead/parking about 10:30am local. We'll be on 2m and 40m during part of our activation, and hope to work as many of you as possible... and look forward to a possible S2S with K5DEZ, KG5ISG, and WB5USB. 73, Ray / KD8EQA
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Alert for Capulin Mountain
Have a great time! You may not be able to reach anyone on 2M. If you do, please report such contact(s) here after you get back! (I have a dentist app¡¯t Wednesday, so will probably miss you) Best to Ole Buddy, Steve! 73 fred kt5x <<< 73, Ray / KD8EQA _._,_._,_
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Action Plan: Wednesday January 15, 2025 W5N/MG-033 Gray Hill We will depart my QTH by 0800 en-route to summit parking. QRV should be by 1800 UTC. Drive time about 2 hrs 11 min Weather will be sunny with temps around 40 degrees and light wind (4 mph) Nice summit with great views of the VLA. RF wise it is a little noisy right on top next to the com towers but, if you walk just over the ridge to the north east, conditions are not to bad. Road up to com site is SUBARU capable but the last .5 mile where I intend to park is not. 4WD and high clearance along with low range and lockers helpful. 73 all enjoy the previous pics WB5USB Geo...
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cell-phone gloves
The cell-phone gloves arrived today. I chose the cheapest I could find, $6.29. The sizing chart was exact, select a size that proves to be snug, and that is good. Two fingers and thumb use conductive thread. Works perfectly with capacitive touch paddles in my MTR3 and MTR5. The palm has silicon nubs that help holding the radio with the left hand secure. I can also hold the writing pen well enough to log. The snug fitting gloves go inside my wind-proof lightly insulated mittens making this warm combination. I will report if the conductivity disappears as Alan has experienced, but I don¡¯t plan to use them for anything but a mid-winter SOTA activation so they likely will persevere. 73, fred
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Cold day as Don, Tim and I headed down to W5N/BA-008 La Cebolla. Roads were in good shape snow wise with little or no accumulation. However, the last few miles is rocky, steep, and rutted in a few places. Nice to have high clearance. Once on top Tim and I set up ops with Boothy's which kept up nice and toasty. see pics As usual I made a nice contact with Fred on 30 meters along with some nice DX. Weather was sunny, cold, and windy. Stopped by the Owl Cafe on the way back for lunch. Nice summit with some good views. 73 all enjoy the pics WB5USB Geo..
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TNX warning, Alan. The back-up would be to take the gloves off, hi hi. In fact, since I don¡¯t have gloves yet, did you try yours with a capacitive touch paddle??? When mine arrive will test with the capacitive paddles. I noticed in the ad for them, they said, the amount of conductive yarn had been doubled from previously, so the experience you had, Alan, may well have caused that change. Guess we shall see, will report. Meanwhile, KH1 paddles adjusted after placing in the freezer, working fine in the cold. K6ARK pressure paddle work fine in the cold. And speaking of those pressure paddles, I took the pressure plates off then returned them tilted. I was able to use them with gloves just fine. First photo, as they were made, second photo, after I put a tilt to them, then used successfully with gloves. fred From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Alan Shapiro via groups.io Sent: Friday, January 10, 2025 5:11 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [W5N-SOTA] who knew? Hi Fred! Be warned that those "cell-phone gloves" will indeed work, but only for a very short time. I've purchased 2 different pairs and the material or coating on the fingertips wears off quite quickly. It doesn't visually appear to wear off, but it stops working. Alan On 1/10/2025 2:03 PM, Fred Maas via groups.io wrote: Perhaps some of you, like me, have capacitive touch paddles. I have such on my MTR3 and MTR5 XCVR¡¯s. Obviously, this is not the best in winter, as in frostbite fingers. I used my MTR3 yesterday because it is so small I could simply put the radio in my pocket, no pack, short hike. The metal touch posts were, shall we say, chilly, at fifteen degrees. But wait! I had no idea, but my wonderful wife, sitting in the sun, knitting, says, ¡°quit complaining and look up cell-phone gloves.¡± With that she goes back to knitting. What will ¡°they¡± think of next? Winter gloves made to operate touch screens. The finger tips have conductive yarn! Here is just one of many: https://www.amazon.com/Achiou-Winter-Touchscreen-Gloves-Texting/dp/B077MLRYNN/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OpCcrmFmtzVI3q0_8nlXLVE7wT60T9vMlCxLN51ugLHaEkZo9mtAyHv8UB8_F9LauAo6jEhoTfzmSM9WOzn7PrTGCQweXPKCwPykSxEpRQgDgT5OeD7aqPfk2uG0gRFTZQznvDolNNibUBfTDEXe1IxmKmHsdvxojBqmpNRpxZflEt1zkRq1bnFhJiqJ1PKPPbriPLeg5D0z4RP_orNEgK_2YoKJNYkq8IDnZkvjOdr3xd8-hOFwZpTSuAgnnhz0e_n35tsNC3BJL5rqZJEnL67B3EsPO52l6fRpZTKaIzI.xc0_7LoDWlBXVRywEQCaWDB0g-kRd_2AithVSzEj0Ms&dib_tag=se&keywords=cellphone+gloves&qid=1736541949&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1 fred
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who knew?
2
Perhaps some of you, like me, have capacitive touch paddles. I have such on my MTR3 and MTR5 XCVR¡¯s. Obviously, this is not the best in winter, as in frostbite fingers. I used my MTR3 yesterday because it is so small I could simply put the radio in my pocket, no pack, short hike. The metal touch posts were, shall we say, chilly, at fifteen degrees. But wait! I had no idea, but my wonderful wife, sitting in the sun, knitting, says, ¡°quit complaining and look up cell-phone gloves.¡± With that she goes back to knitting. What will ¡°they¡± think of next? Winter gloves made to operate touch screens. The finger tips have conductive yarn! Here is just one of many: https://www.amazon.com/Achiou-Winter-Touchscreen-Gloves-Texting/dp/B077MLRYNN/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OpCcrmFmtzVI3q0_8nlXLVE7wT60T9vMlCxLN51ugLHaEkZo9mtAyHv8UB8_F9LauAo6jEhoTfzmSM9WOzn7PrTGCQweXPKCwPykSxEpRQgDgT5OeD7aqPfk2uG0gRFTZQznvDolNNibUBfTDEXe1IxmKmHsdvxojBqmpNRpxZflEt1zkRq1bnFhJiqJ1PKPPbriPLeg5D0z4RP_orNEgK_2YoKJNYkq8IDnZkvjOdr3xd8-hOFwZpTSuAgnnhz0e_n35tsNC3BJL5rqZJEnL67B3EsPO52l6fRpZTKaIzI.xc0_7LoDWlBXVRywEQCaWDB0g-kRd_2AithVSzEj0Ms&dib_tag=se&keywords=cellphone+gloves&qid=1736541949&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1 fred
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Image Name
Sat 8:39am
Sat 8:39am