KX6A - Page 3 of 5 - Michael's amateur radio and SOTA site.

SOTA with Paul W6PNG

7/21/2016 by Michael — 1 Comment

2016-07-19_activation

Earlier this week Paul W6PNG and I spent a day activating three local peaks: Throop Peak W6/CT-005, Mt. Baden-Powell W6/CT-004 and Table Mountain W6/CT-067. It was a beautiful day in the mountains and we had a great time.

Of note for me is I activated all three using only CW on the HF bands. After months of practice using Morse code I have finally graduated to the rank of a SOTA CW Activator.

Paul put together a nice write up on the first two summits that I thought I’d pass along.

W6PNG Post: A Pipeline to Washington

Shack Sloth Award

6/21/2016 by Michael — Leave a Comment

KX6A Shack Sloth Given that SOTA was the reason I got into radio last Fall, it is only fitting that my first radio award achieved is the Shack Sloth for having earned 1000 points chasing Summits on the Air. Now to focus on the Mountain Goat…

CW Academy Level 1 Complete

6/19/2016 by Michael — Leave a Comment

CW Academy Level 1 - KX6A My big goal for 2016 is to learn to copy and send CW at 20 WPM. After months of self study on my own, I completed Level 1 of the CW Academy and that finally did the trick. It brought everything together and gave me the confidence to get on the air using Morse code.

The CW Academy is a great resource for someone who wants to learn Morse code. The Academy is free and taught by instructors who are passionate about helping people learn to operate using CW. Classes were held twice a week online with the instructor and a small group of students. There are three levels in the program with the ultimate goal of 25 wpm head copy. I’m not there yet but I am well on my way. Level 2 starts in the Fall. Thanks to my Instructor Ed K6HP who did a great job!

If you want to get started using CW or improve your skills check out the CW Academy.

Reverse Beacon Network Callsign Spots

6/12/2016 by Michael — Leave a Comment

If you are new the chasing SOTA using CW like me, then you know there is a lot to learn. Here is a quick tip that I found helpful. In addition to using SOTAwatch, pull up a Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) spot report for the callsign you are chasing. These two tools together will help in making the contact.

SOTA W6/CT-013, Keller Peak

6/5/2016 by Michael — Leave a Comment

SOTA Summit: W6/CT-013, Keller Peak

Trail: Trail and road.

Hike: ~12 miles round trip.

Elevation gain: 2200 feet

Self Spot: AT&T, SOTA Goat

2-meter FM: Yes (see 2-meter note)

Files: GPX & KML

W6/CT-013, Keller Peak is a very popular drive up SOTA summit for activation. Here are details on how to hike it. [Read more…] about SOTA W6/CT-013, Keller Peak

SOTA W6/CT-246, Mount Lewis

5/31/2016 by Michael — 2 Comments

SOTA Summit: W6/CT-246, Mount Lewis

Trail: Short steep use trail.

Hike: 0.9 miles round trip.

Elevation gain: ~500 feet

Self Spot: APRS (AT&T maybe)

2-meter FM: Yes (see 2-meter note)

Files: GPX

W6/CT-246, Mount Lewis is another of the recently added peaks in the W6 region and makes a great add-on when activating peaks along the Angeles Crest Highway. My son and I combined it with W6/CT-012, Waterman Mountain and W6/CT-014, Kratka Ridge for a SOTA Saturday. [Read more…] about SOTA W6/CT-246, Mount Lewis

Main navigation