Black Point (W6/NC-323) SOTA Activation

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On December 5, 2015, we went to Diablo State Park to try this excellent little hike. Point Black (1791′) is far less popular than its taller neighbor Mount Diablo (3848′), so very few people appear to use the trail. We only passed one other hiker the entire ~5 mile loop.

The trailhead.

Starting down the trail.

Near the summit!

The north face switchbacks.

View from the summit

We parked at the Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center close to the Black Point trailhead. The park guide on duty recommended that we take the loop in the clockwise direction (most first-time hikers go counterclockwise) so that we would tackle the steepest straight portions during the ascent. This saved the north face’s winding switchbacks to the descent, which was a lot of fun!

Activation was easy this time: seven QSOs in under 20 minutes, all on 2m. As usual, I brought my Yasesu FT-60R with a 3-element handheld Yagi.

2m QSOs: KQ6DI, KE6DLT, N6OJ, NO6PS, KG6N, W6XZZ, AF6RL.

Mount Davidson (W6/NC-423) SOTA Activation

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On October 31, 2015, I visited Mount Davidson in San Francisco. This is the highest natural point in the city and it is the home of a giant concrete cross famously featured in the film Dirty Harry. The summit is at an elevation of 928′ and is worth one SOTA point.

Getting set up!

The cross was built in 1933 to honor the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Beautiful day in San Francisco!

After parking in the surrounding neighborhood, it was a very short hike (less than one mile) to the peak. Again, I used a Yaesu FT-60R with a handheld 3-element 2m Yagi to make these contacts. Many curious dog walkers, bikers, and joggers asked questions about my very conspicuous Yagi! All in all, it was a nice, quick trip to the city.

2m QSOs: K6BMC, W4NJK, AF6JP, KJ6OG.

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Fremont Peak (W6/CC-055) SOTA Activation

For this SOTA activation (summited April 4, 2015), we went to the tiny (156-acre) Fremont Peak State Park near San Juan Bautista to climb Fremont Peak. The road to the park entrance wound through the Gabilan mountains and offered scenic views of the surrounding valleys and oak groves. Once we finally made it to the park entrance, we were a half-mile hike from the summit with 300 feet to climb. The summit is at an elevation of 3173′ and is worth two points upon successful activation.

There were many lizards on the hike, including the famous five-lined skink. It’s a good trail for lizard watching, but unfortunately I did not get any good wildlife pictures with my crummy smartphone camera. Just imagine the above scene with dozens of lizards running around.

We reached the summit after a very short hike.

This flagpole evidently commemorates the first time the United States flag was flown over California, here on Fremont Peak (named for the US general who raised the flag).

Again, I used my Yaesu FT-60R with a handheld 3-element 2m Yagi. This was a quiet activation, but I managed to make the four required QSOs with some more time for ragchew than usual.

2m QSOs: WD6DWP, KK6IQY, W6IIQ, KM6IKE.

Mount Wittenberg (W6/NC-378) SOTA Activation

On March 22, I went for a hike to Mount Wittenberg, which is the highest peak in Point Reyes at 1407′. I brought my Yaesu FT-60R and a portable 2m Yagi-Uda to activate the peak for Summits on the Air (SOTA). This peak was my second SOTA activation and it was a success, despite a bumpy (and foggy) start. This time, Stefanie (KK6STE) came along with me for the hike.

We used the trailhead at the Bear Valley Visistor Center and started the hike around 10 am. From this point, the summit was about two miles and a 1300′ climb away.

Soon into the hike, we entered the forest. There are beautiful Douglas fir and oak trees all along the path. The fog started to wrap around us as we climbed.

Eventually, we came to a small clearing a short distance from the summit. The Z Ranch Trail meets at this fork, along with another path that continues into the Sky Trail.

It took a little hunting to find the medallion that marked the actual summit, which is just off the path. The entire ridge is surrounded by trees so it’s difficult to get a good view. After calling CQ for 15 minutes, I was finally answered by KM6G all the way in Gualala! KE6WC soon followed, also in Gualala. We had trouble making contacts for a while, so we took a rest while the fog cleared away. In the meantime, we found a stick lying on the ground that worked beautifully as an antenna mount.

This stick was just what we needed to get the rest of the QSOs! This augmentation got us to Clear Lake, Half Moon Bay, and a trio of hams hiking around Mount Saint Helena. Another successful trip!

2m QSOs: KM6G, KE6WC, AG6DM, N1PPP, N0EDS, KG6NUB, KK6SNM, KK6SLO.

Vollmer Peak (W6/NC-298) SOTA Activation

On March 14 (Pi day!) I went up to Vollmer Peak in Berkeley (named for the city’s first police chief), which is its tallest point at 1905′. This was my first attempt at a summit activation for Summits on the Air, an amateur radio activity that consists of hiking up the top of a peak and setting up a mobile station to make contacts with other amateurs.

This was a clear Saturday morning so there were some spectacular views of the bay. I started in Tilden Park, near the steam trains.

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I look the Seaview Trail, a paved trail that winds around some phenomenal views before a short climb (1000′ climb over 0.2 miles) to the peak. The hike was about 0.7 miles in total.

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The summit is well-developed with plenty of radio equipment taking advantage of the peak’s prominence.

Briones Reservoir off to the northeast.

Mount Diablo looming over in the east.

After enjoying the view, I grabbed my 2m Yagi-Uda and called CQ with a Yaesu FT-60R on 5W. I got an immediate reply from K6EL in San Francisco and the rest followed quickly. Despite my shaky arms (I really need to get a mount!) I was able to make 11 contacts before stopping.

2m QSOs: K6EL, AI6BH, N6HBJ, WA6UHA, KA4VBF, KO6PS, KE5RS, N6NCX, KG6CSE, KI6SZK, KR6BB.