ACØPR, ham radio blog: SOTA ATNO W7U/IR-012 "Rocky Tower" testing new QCX and linked dipole

I was excited to get out to this new one and test out some new equipment. I don't normally test more than one thing at a time, but decided to just go for it with the new QCX Mini on 40m, a new linked dipole specifically made for the two minis (20/40m) with 30 gauge wire, and I received the UMPP-1 key from GM0EUL in Scotland.

In the area:

I had done another summit in this forest a few years back in 2018, but haven't been back. I knew I would park close to Hwy. 20. It's pretty direct to get there. I-15 north between Parowan and Beaver to go east on Hwy. 20. Then after the first mountain pass, there's a road that heads due south right to the base. The road is dirt, so-so as far as quality, but I was planning on riding the ATV in anyway. It was supposed to get up into the 80's still, but it's fall, so early morning was very cool. I wore a hoodie as I drove the dirt road. This is a popular hunting area--I saw a beautiful buck (at least 6-pointer) on the way in.

As I took the turnoff road, much less traveled and narrow, I knew this was going to be a beautiful hike.

The sage was high, trees were turning color, and the sun was just coming up, although in the deep canyon it wouldn't reach me until I had gained some elevation. My plan from studying topo maps and Google Earth changed as soon as I got off the ATV. The route I was going to go, that looked fairly clear, was actually completely covered in thick foliage. OK, guess I'll go the harder, rocky route, but that doesn't have quite as much bushwhacking. Trying to break through thickets is more time consuming and draining that navigating rocky areas. So, I followed the draw which was as close to a trail as there was. Some greats views heading up. As I got closer to the base I was looking for the best time to veer off and head up gaining elevation. No matter what, there would be some bushwhacking involved.

There was a very obvious aspen grove with a rocky area behind it. I went along it's far eastern edge. The beautiful pic with many colorful leaves was on my "route". I got pretty scraped up and spent a lot of energy going uphill and fighting the scrub oak. I finally made it to the rocks and also peaked out into the sun. I made my way carefully up the rocky area, it was steep and lots of loose little rock, but doable with care. I made it to the upper lip of a large flat area on top, which also meant I had completed most of the elevation. The major climb is 800 feet up the rocky face. From there there it was open and the top was only about 150' more. Brushy up there, but not bad reaching the top. I actually got there right at the time planned.

Once on top, the views were "wow" and I looked down on I-15 on the other side. There was just enough

space to setup with a wire antenna. I sat in the shade (I had been getting hot once on the rock) and got out all the equipment. Setup took a little longer because of the new antenna. 30 gauge wire acts very similarly to fishing line--it can get twisted and caught. It was bushy so I was worried about getting it back down again. But all was set, took some pictures, and got on the air about 10am (16:00 UTC).

On the air:

I started on 20m (already proven QCX mini) and after spotting and calling CQ, my first qso was a summit to summit with N4LAG in Alabama. Very cool. I made several contacts in a row and had officially activated the summit with four contacts in three minutes. I got a few more, and then as happens often with QRP, my frequency got taken by someone with a stronger signal who couldn't hear me. I could have moved to another frequency on 20m, but decided to try out the new radio on 40m and not spend too much time on top.

I switched everything and got on the air. I had trouble switching the menu from straight key (default) to my paddle. It would start to be fine and then nothing. I tried a few times. People started calling because they knew I was there, but didn't know I was having trouble. I switched keys (I had my normal Pico Paddle). It did the same thing. OK, not the paddle, it was the radio. I was close to giving up on 40m, which would have been sad, but tried to switch the menu to straight key. It was working ok, so I used the paddle as a straight key and started calling. However, I had taken so long that the chasers were no longer listening. I re-spotted myself and told them to try again. I got eight more contacts on 40m in about ten minutes including another summit to summit.

With that, I decided to be done. As I often do, I was thinking ahead about my hike down. The bushwhacking was bad enough going up that I was mentally planning a new way back down. That often overrides my desire to get more contacts, especially when I have plenty (I had a total of 15 at this point). I took a few more pics and started the take down. The worst was the antenna and that super-thin wire. It just took quite a bit longer than my larger ones. It wasn't so bad that I won't use it again--it worked great actually, it's just a pain to wind up.

I found what I thought would be the best place to come down off the rocky face and get through the brush. There's still plenty of bushwhacking, but it wasn't as long, not as thick and coming downhill is way easier than fighting gravity going up. It was a nice hike, I made it back just fine and in good time. I was getting hot and sure way happy to see the ATV in the brush. Driving back I let out a big sigh as the air cooled me down without the pack on and the wind blowing. Great hike, good trip, successful with the equipment (even with the problems), a brand-new summit activated, and just a beautiful area. That's a good day!

Video of the activation

Time	Callsign	Band	Mode	Notes
16:00	N4LAG	14MHz	CW	S2S W5A/PT-013
16:01	K0LAF	14MHz	CW
16:02	W9MRH	14MHz	CW
16:03	W0MNA	14MHz	CW
16:03	W0ERI	14MHz	CW
16:04	K3TCU	14MHz	CW
16:05	VA2EO	14MHz	CW
16:21	NG6R	7MHz	CW
16:25	K6YK	7MHz	CW
16:25	K6QCB	7MHz	CW
16:27	WC6J	7MHz	CW	S2S W6/NS-251
16:28	WB6POT	7MHz	CW
16:29	WB5USB	7MHz	CW
16:29	KT5X	7MHz	CW
16:30	K6TUY	7MHz	CW