Activated on April 28th, 2024
There was no Albert today. Instead, today found me in Big Bear on the third day of the 1st Annual Big Bear Mini-Hamcation. I was waiting outside of the testing area waiting for my new friend, Deric, to finish his test. Of course, he passed it and his callsign is KO6EJV. Congratulations, Deric! By the way, Deric gave me the honor of being his first contact as a ham a day later. That happens to be the third honor of that type. The rest of the time I meandered around what was left of the Hamcation. I checked out the small swap meet and once again thanked Tracy WM6T for the gift he gave me the day prior; a lap shade meant to cover laptops in the field from the sun’s light making reading the screen easier.
The schedule for the day said POTA activations started at 1000, but on your own. There were a few people who indeed set out to do that. I was still hesitant because of the previous days’ atrocious propagation. A little later I heard some good news in that regard and changed my mind. So, I set out to a trailhead above the Bear Mountain ski slopes. I am so glad I did!
Getting up there was not what I expected. I went through a street with beautiful homes on either side until I hit what almost looked like a dead end, then onto a dirt trail which brought me to a trailhead. Boom, just like that. And that’s where I met Bob KK6BXY setting up his mast to test out his HF J-Pole someone gave him. I explored the area and decided to set up on a knoll about 30 meters to the south and maybe 5 meters higher in elevation, with no trees around me except for a single Charlie Brown-looking Christmas tree, in direct sunlight. My excuse was that I wanted the elevation.
The set up went smoothly and premiered the use of Tracy’s gift, my lap shade, protecting my Surface Go 2 and the Bioenno battery. Having learned from the earlier activation, I placed my antenna case and backpack over the legs of the camera pole to keep it from falling over if winds decided to visit me. I kept the KX3 in its case where the top of the case shielded the radio from the sun. I now have a heat sink for the radio which will come in handy in hot weather.
On that knoll, the weather was wonderful with bright sunshine, little if any wind, and a great view. I did have a mountain to my south and seemed to be clear to the north, east, and west. Things were looking up for the activation. My setup was done by 1200, followed by a walk around with my butt in the chair calling CQ on 14.063 at 1225.
The 20-meter band let me to make four contacts. Among those contacts were two fellow Long Island CW Club members, Adan KF0DST and one of our instructors, Jim N0IPA, a nice guy who likes to brew beer, so the call fits! Half an hour after getting on the band the pickin’s went from slim to none and decided to bolt. The fifteen-meter band was my next target.
While making all the changes for the new band, HAMRS, POTA spotting page, radio, and updating my friends on Discord, I could not help but to take in the beauty around me. The sky was a beautiful medium blue with only a few tufts of cotton-white clouds, and not even a whisper of a breeze. The birds provided a wonderful aural backdrop to the scene. Yeah, it was a nice day.
My new frequency, 21.064 MHz, produced seven contacts for me. I was on the band for about 25 minutes until things petered out again. These 15-meter contacts all came up in middle America from Minnesota and Illinois, down to Texas and Louisiana. My count was growing as I now had eleven contacts. This was indeed an activation, but I was shooting for a minimum of thirteen contacts for safety. By the way, I am owning the number 13 as my lucky number! You see, that number includes the number ten for the activation, and the good number three for safety. I QSYed to more fertile pastures.
This last band switch put me on the 10-meter band, where I finished out my activation. In the hour and 12 minutes on 28.063 MHz I got my last eight contacts at an average pace of one contact every 8 minutes, 45 seconds. I tend to not want to move from the band I’m on saying to myself, “another 5 minutes”. However, this band produced three DX contacts for me!
My first contact on the 10-meter band was with another of our LICW instructors, Eric K9VIC. The following contact was with a Japanese hunter, JJ1IZY. I seem to always miss catching the call on the first time using the repeat mode on the radio. I might catch the first letter or two but then must send an interrogative to get the rest. I might just make single calls on the radio and maybe that will give me better first-time catches. The convenience though…
One more U.S. contact is followed by a Canadian contact, VA3UZ, and then my second Japanese contact, this time with Hiroaki “Waka” Wakaomi JG0AWE. However, I refrained from sending his name and completed the QSO normally. A third Japanese station contacted me, however, QSB did not let us close the deal. Bummer.
Then came my stupid human trick. I received a callsign which was similar to another friend’s callsign from LICW. I could not understand why the name did not come up as I expected. The callsign was sus (Gen Z for suspect) and I could not let it go. Yes, I know, copy what you hear. But this LID was bound and determined to get my friend’s info. Besides, the call does not come from Minnesota! The call I received was W5ZDW from Louisiana and my friend’s call is KC0DWZ. Do you see what I mean, just look at the suffix! Wait…I was tired and in the sun a lot. Be kind…
My last two contacts came back-to-back. In fact, the log shows them logged at 20:25:15 Zulu. With my speed I don’t know how that happened. Being the contact-greedy person I am, I will take the contacts and ask no questions.
This was a good activation, especially with three DX contacts. The view was beautiful, it was warm with barely a breeze. As I started packing up, I noticed the temperature begin to dip. My four days at 6,700 feet took a toll as I am not used to this altitude. But it was most enjoyable. The next time I will have some sunscreen, and make sure to have my speaker charged. Except for my non-calamitous callsign confusion, there were LID mistakes. So, am I learning?
Cia for niao…
Activation Statistics
| Activation Number | 57 |
| Date | 28 April, 2024 |
| Park | US-4463 San Bernardino National Forest |
| Number of Contacts | 19 |
| DX Contacts | 3 |
| Park Activated? | Yes |
| Previous Attempts | 3 |
| Park to Park Contacts | None |
| Mode | CW |
| Radio | Elecraft KX3 |
| Antenna | MPAS 2.0 in vertical configuration |
| Tuner | Internal |
| Power | 5W using a 3Ah Bioenno battery |
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