ACØPR, ham radio blog: February 2020

Saturday, February 29, 2020

1st Activation of "Bulldog Pass" W7U/WS-112 (5284), Leap Day!

View while approaching the mountain

This is the second of a new "round" of finding never-before-activated summits. This one I've seen a few times, did some map recon, and decided it was time it was activated. It's just a one-pointer in Utah, but I was familiar with the area with a few other summits. First activations are always the most exciting.

Monday, February 17, 2020

1st Activation of Bull Mountain W7U/WS-095

Bull Mountain from the base

This is a never-before-activated summit that looks at me every time I go by it. It's a "real" mountain, not just a hill. No trail of any kind. It's a two-pointer, which is probably why I haven't taken the time to tackle it. But at this point, I'm looking to activate those elusive summits in my area that still need activating. The allure of a first activation is strong for me, so it's time to get this in the books.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

West Mountain Peak W7U/SU-045, Tower Interference

(Previous activation photo)

This is a very fast activation, so much so I didn't even take photos like I normally do. I had other plans later, but I was itching to go out. There was still snow on the upper road and on the top when not in direct sunlight. The ATV ride was a big challenging at times, but still fun.

Saturday, February 1, 2020

"Cartmill Point" W7U/WS-066 (6835)

View once part-way up

This peak can be seen from my back porch, although it takes about an hour to get to the base. It's a good hike, and I've done it a number of times now. When there's snow and ice it is a little more hairy since the first section is pretty steep. Luckily it also helps keep the rocks in place.

Trail report:
Access is gained from Old Hwy. 91 near Shivwits reservation, then by a road on BLM land which goes all the way to the top of West Mountain Peak and passes near a good place to start the hike. There is even a leveled-off area and a place to park by the fenceline. The road up near the end is definitely for 4-wheel drive, however. The first section is the steepest and care should be taken with the loose rock. There is no trail, but a number of game trails do help the ascent. Scared up some mule deer. Quite rocky. Beautiful view on top!

The experience:
Thus far I've been the only activator at this summit. It's a four-pointer with a six-pointer nearby with a road that goes to the top, so people passing by or on vacation tend to choose the other summit. That's ok, I kind of like that it's "mine", at least for now. Even with some snow and ice, the top is usually clear since the sun hits it and the rocks on top warm up. It is also winter bonus season for the 4+ summits in Utah.

There was some kind of military exercise going on and I had an F-35 fly over very low, too bad I didn't get video of it, but it was pretty cool.

On the air the action was ok, not great, but I did chase a couple of S2S contacts at the end so that was a good way to finish up.

Date:01/02/2020 | Summit:W7U/WS-066 (6835) | Call Used:AC0PR | Points: 4 | Bonus: 3

Time	Callsign	Band	Mode	Notes
18:59	ND6P	7MHz	CW
18:59	KE6MT	7MHz	CW
19:00	NG6R	7MHz	CW
19:00	KD6KC	7MHz	CW
19:01	NW7E	7MHz	CW
19:02	NS7P	7MHz	CW
19:02	K7PD	7MHz	CW
19:03	K6YK	7MHz	CW
19:03	K5DEZ	7MHz	CW
19:04	N7MQ	7MHz	CW
19:04	N6PKT	7MHz	CW
19:11	K7PD	14MHz	CW
19:15	AC7P	14MHz	CW
19:16	AB4PP	14MHz	CW
19:16	NR0R	14MHz	CW	100mw
19:19	W4KRN	14MHz	CW
19:20	K4MF	14MHz	CW
19:21	K0LAF	14MHz	CW
19:29	WD6TED	7MHz	CW	s2s w6/sc-454
19:36	K7FOP	7MHz	CW	s2s w7o/cn-078