Since it had been a long time since I did a SOTA activation, I did a low-key hike to try out an Elk log periodic antenna, going to Richardson East Benchmark near Sausalito. I parked at the Park & Ride on Spencer Avenue to get to the Morning Sun Trailhead and got going up 0.3 miles of a switchbacking staircase until I got to the Alta Trail, where I took it south. After making it to Wolfback Ridge Road (there’s a sign telling hikers to stay away from the homes that way), I followed a chained service road the rest of the way up while rain showers and wind started to pick up.
Once I saw the radio towers, I knew I had made it. It continued to rain and breeze while I got set up, but about twenty minutes after getting set up, the weather cleared up a bit and I was able to get some pictures of the spectacular views. Even with the Elk antenna, I had a good deal of noise on 2m (often S9) from the tower, which made it very hard for me to hear some chasers. I’m thankful for their patience!
Tom Zajdel 