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CW and QRP, Featured, General, Newsletter, On The Air

SOTA Activation of Mount Monadnock

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We activated Mount Monadnock (W1/HA-009) on Saturday, May 25th.  Myself, Brian (W1BP), Brian’s son Nick, John (KB1EEU), Mike (AB1YK) and Randall (KC1KSY) all started out from the parking lot of the park headquarters around 8:45 in the morning on a beautiful day.

KC1KSY, KB1EEU, Nick, W1BP, and AB1YK eager and ready!

We hiked the White Dot trail on the way up. This was the shortest route up, which also meant the steepest. The advantage of the steepness was that we had beautiful views most of the way up.

A quick break before it gets really steep
Fantastic views

Once we arrived at the top we took a quick breather and had a bite to eat before setting up our stations. Brian used a KX3 with his Buddipole mast, tripod and shock-corded whip.  I used my new Buddipole shock corded mast that I got from Hamvention. John used a Xiegu 5105, which is similar to the KX2 on a crappy pole with an end-fed antenna. Mike, who is a homebrew guru came out with the Yaesu FT-817 and his home-made 6m yagi that he repurposed from his old 6m home-brew he brought to Mount Pack Monadnock.

Mike, AB1YK with the home-brew 6m yagi
Love the Buddipole! No tuner needed for AC1DC

None of us created any pile-ups while on the peak, but we all had a great time. I did make one dx call to Italy which gave me enough QSOs for a successful SOTA activation.

On the hike down we traveled the White Cross trail which was less steep and still offered some beautiful views. We were all tired by the end, but looking forward to our next SOTA event!

AB1YK and W1BP descending after a wonderful afternoon

The club will be going up Mount Kearsarge for a SOTA/POTA activation during the ARRL’s VHF/UHF contest on Saturday, June 8th. Members can hike up the mountain or drive up and there should be plenty of activity on 6m and up!

Jamey, AC1DC

Activities, Education and Training, Featured, General, Newsletter, On The Air

N1FD Wins 2019 ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB!

The results are in – the N1FD multi-op entry came in 1st place in the Multi-Op Area 1 Category in the 2019 ARRL Rookie Roundup SSB.   Not only did we win our category, but our score of 12,900 was also higher than any other entry.  The next closest was KD9IPO, single op entry from Michigan.

Rookie Roundup Operators W1KRK, KC1JDX and KA1KAT learn from AB1OC at Bootcamp
Rookie Roundup Operators W1KRK, KC1JDX, and KA1KAT learn from AB1OC at Bootcamp

Congratulations to the Rookie Roundup Operators:

The team operated from AB1QB’s and AB1OC’s QTH.

The Complete contest results can be found on the ARRL website  http://contests.arrl.org/rrscores.php?iid=625

Activities, Featured, General, Newsletter, On The Air

SOTA/POTA Activation of Miller State Park/Mount Pack Monadnock

The Nashua Area Radio Society will have our first Summits on the Air (SOTA)/Parks on the Air (POTA) activation of the year on Saturday, April 13th. This is great timing as it occurs just a few days after our Tech Night build of the Tape Measure Yagis!

6m Portable Antenna
AB1OC’s 6m Portable Antenna on Mount Pack Monadnock

Miller State Park is located at  13 Miller Park Road in Peterborough and is designated as K-2662 for POTA and W1/HA-041 (Pack Mount Monadnock) for SOTA. The park is open from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. There is a fee of $4/adult and $2/child (6-11 years old).

Al, KC1FOZ and Tom, KC1GGP Operating VHF-UHF Portable
Al, KC1FOZ and Tom, KC1GGP Operating VHF-UHF Portable on Mount Pack Monadnock

This is a great opportunity for an introduction to both the SOTA and POTA program. Miller State Park is the oldest state park in New Hampshire and has a 1.3-mile paved road leading to the 2,290′ summit of Mount Pack Monadnock. There are two hiking trails from the parking area to the summit as well. The Wapack Trail and the Marion Davis Trail, both are 1.4 miles long. I would expect the trails to be wet and slightly muddy, but mainly clear of snow. Those that would like to hike up should meet in the parking lot around 10:00 am and dress for the weather and trail conditions.

Abby’s, AB1BY 1st SOTA on Mt. Pack Monadnock

Those that are driving up should plan on being at the top by 11:00 am. If you have a portable radio please bring it. If you only have an HT you will be surprised by how many contacts you can make up on the summit. I will have at least two radios as well as an HT and I am happy to share!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions at [email protected].

Jamey, AC1DC

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