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Quick thought. I know most people use the SOTAwatch3 site, the SOTA Goat app or otherwise to add alerts, but does anyone have any interest in, or utter objections to, pinning a thread on this page for upcoming activation plans? Many might be lone wolfs, or only like to hike with a select crew, etc. Understood. However, for those that are looking to just let everyone know they planning to activate within W0C soon (or elsewhere) this thread could act as an alert alternative or supplement to Sotawatch3/other applications. For those looking for a hiking partner in crime (or misery), I figured this might be a good, permanent thread option for the page. It's just another way to dial in and distill the local activations from the widespread noise via the other alert options. If someone has broadband service while hiking/nearing the summit, it can also be used as a last minute alter/spot. Yes, one can filter the existing tools for W0C alerts but I think this also adds an opportunity for last minute beta, suggestions, warnings, etc. Sure, the thread might generate many emails, and some that are salty might not like the barrage of emails, but then again, if you joined an .io group, you probably don't have too much of an aversion to emails ;) Plus, it's easy to hit delete. My 2 cents. Thanks - Mike.
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Mike W1NV
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Welcome to Colorado Summits on the Air
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We are are tight community activators and chasers that is passionate about ham radio and the outdoors. Please feel free to use this forum to announce and recap activations, ask questions, coordinate` group outings and meetings, and discuss techniques and equipment. Let's share our experiences, communicate and coordinate our activities and have more fun! 73, Walt W0CP
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Walt W0CP
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Congratulations Szymon!! 4X SOTA-Goat is quite an accomplishment... but to do so in 3 years, 3 months is extraordinary/amazing/unheard of!! I've enjoyed our many S2S contacts... especially our First Activation to First Activation (W0C/SL-024 - to - W0C/LG-009) last October. It's no surprise you are the #1 W0C ranked operator for 2024 (500+ pts already), and also ranked #1 in W0C for the current 10m Challenge (765 contacts!). You inspire greatness!! Thanks for all you do to make SOTA great! Ray / KD8EQA
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Ray KD8EQA
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N1SMB is now our next Mtn Goat
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Al.....N1SMB... just became our next Colorado Mtn Goat. I didn't see an alert for his Goat peak so I had no idea!! I would have liked to work him....apparently he must be shy and didn't announce his plans...;-). Congrats to Al! Nicely done OM. 73, Brad WA6MM
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Brad WA6MM
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N1SMB/Mtn Goat/THANKS
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TO ALL! Thanks so much for all the heads up on "MG" status - I view it as a great honor as an accomplishment but I wouldn't have made it without everyone's support, knowledge, and contacts. I espically want to thank , KXOR/Carey, K0MOS/Matt ++ others for all the really good trip descriptions and advice, K0NR/Bob for his contributions for this site plus 14'er event. Also thank N0MTN/Mark who got me excited about this activity and WU0A/John who dared to hike with me as I hiked solo for the first 3 years. I must apologize for the very short unannounced last activation from W0C/FR-004, Pikes Peak - It was a spur of the moment decision to go with family, then after setting up could not spot myself, only to need to stop due to an electrial storm, all in a SOTA activation. Best regards to all and thanks for everyones support, Al Stewart - N1SMB -- AL N1SMB N1SMB@...
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AL N1SMB
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I've camped in bear country for most of my life but sometimes I relearn how to deal with them! I spent the last week camping out on my daughters property in Angel Fire, NM, helping her build a shed. On my last night there we were woken up at 12:30am to lot's of noise by our trucks. She called my phone and said it looked like our truck doors were open. I quickly got up and walked over there from my tent site. It then became obvious a bear had got into both of our trucks and pulled out my trash bag, cooler, and crates with dry food. These things were scattered on the ground by the open doors. A single door on my daughters truck was also open with just one crate of non-food items on the ground. We could see a single paw print on my open door. It's hard to make out clearly in the picture below but you can see the claw marks and toe pads below them. The root cause of this encounter was that we both forgot to lock our vehicle doors. Bears have been trained for decades on how to open doors, trash containers, and can recognize coolers, food crates, trash cans, etc. Here's a video of how easily a bear opens a car door: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TvVqJvOnPFM I was lucky that this was my last night and the bear left me a cup of oatmeal and some energy bars for my trip home ;-). 73, Brad WA6MM
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Brad WA6MM
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Donate button working on w0cla.org
The Donate button (via PayPal) is working on w0cla.org now. You can transfer from your PayPal account or just use a credit or debit card. Recall that the club does not charge dues but we encourage a voluntary donation of any amount you think is appropriate (maybe $20 per year?) If you enjoyed the breakfasts or dinner at Field Day, you can use this button to contribute to those expenses. (There is a drop down selection on the donation page.) PayPal does charge us a few percent per transaction, so paying in person to our Treasurer Jim KD0MRC avoids that cost. You can also check the box on the PayPal page that adds the fee into your donation. 73 Bob K0NR -- Bob Witte, K0NR bob@... CLARA Vice President
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Bob K0NR
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Colorado 14er Event - one month away
Hey, the 14er Event is coming up fast, about one month from now. It is time to get your plans together and post them on the ham14er database. Bob K0NR Amateur Radio Fun in the Colorado Mountains August 2 through 5, 2024 www.ham14er.org Amateur Radio operators from around Colorado will be climbing Colorado Summits On The Air (SOTA) peaks and communicating with other radio amateurs across the state and around the world. Join in on the fun during the annual event by activating a summit or contacting (chasing) the mountaintop stations. Be aware that many mountaintop activators will hit the trail early with the goal of being off the summits by (1800 UTC) noon due to lightning safety concerns. This event is normally held the first full weekend in August. Again this year, we will add two bonus days to the Colorado 14er Event. The main two days remain Saturday and Sunday (Aug 3 & 4), while the bonus days are Friday Aug 2 and Monday Aug 5, for those SOTA enthusiasts that need more than two days of SOTA fun! The 14er event includes Summits On the Air (SOTA) peaks, which provide over 1700 summits to activate. (See the W0C SOTA web page or browse the SOTA Atlas.) The Colorado 14er Event was started in 1991, about 19 years before the SOTA program was set up in Colorado. As SOTA grew in popularity, this event expanded from just the 14,000-foot mountains (14ers) to include all of the SOTA summits in the state. We still call it the Colorado 14er Event because, well, that's where it all started and the 14ers are the iconic summits in the state. Important: The recommended 2m FM frequencies have been changed to 146.58, 146.55, and 146.49 MHz, to align with the use of the North America Adventure Frequency for SOTA (146.58). The National Simplex Calling Frequency (146.52) may be used as appropriate. There will be plenty of action on the other ham bands, for more information see the operating frequencies page. First-time activators should read our Beginner Guide. See the very cool Colorado 14er Event gear available at https://www.cafepress.com/mtngoatwear Radio operators who plan to activate a summit should post their intent to this ham14er group by adding it to the database. It is also a great idea to post an ALERT on the SOTAwatch website. Warning: Climbing mountains is inherently a dangerous activity. Do not attempt this without proper training, equipment and preparation Follow us on twitter: @ham14er Email us at info@... -- Bob Witte, K0NR bob@... Have fun with amateur radio and tell people about it. My blog: www.k0nr.com My book: VHF, Summits and More: Having Fun With Ham Radio
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Bob K0NR
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Bill N0IET mentioned to me that Colorado Search and Rescue is promoting FRS Channel 3 as the default FRS channel for use during a rescue. A potential scenario is when a hiker in distress has an FRS radio, SAR may instruct them to be on Channel 3 for local coordination communications. GMRS and FRS share many of the same channels, both referring to 462.6125 MHz as Channel 3. To keep it simple, no CTCSS tone is used, carrier squelch only. This is something worth knowing about if you are exploring the Colorado backcountry. More info here: https://coloradosar.org/frs-radio-use-for-backcountry-sar-position-paper-04-10-23/ 73 Bob -- Bob Witte, K0NR bob@... Have fun with amateur radio and tell people about it. My blog: www.k0nr.com My book: VHF, Summits and More: Having Fun With Ham Radio _._,_._,_
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Texas Steve (K5SJC) and I hit Volz Benchmark today (SP-046, 12,589 ft.). Weather reports looked "ok" through about 1:00 p.m-ish. For anyone interested, there were sections of snow still up top in the talus fields but they are easily avoided. We were socked in visibility-wise at the summit, unfortunately. It was definitely a little windy and cold with a nice wet mist to top it off ;) We lucked out as we both had our own wind breaks up top from which to operate. After going QRT we had a good laugh when breaking down our stations, as both of our wires were encased in ice. Gotta love the 2nd half of June in CO! Here are a few pics:
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Mike W1NV
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I did my last SOTA peak in the Mount Blue Sky area today (four summits total). I did Rogers Peak (W0C/PR-025). I should have done it after doing Rosalie but I needed to get home and didn't have the time that day. As some of you know, the road up to this area will be closed starting in Sept through most of maybe all of next year. Rogers Peak is a fairly easy summit to do -- only a 0.8 mile hike with 800 feet of vertical gain. I like doing it with snow as it's more fun ;-). However, it's now late in the snow season so I only had one snowfield to climb at the very top going to the ridge. The snow was rock hard for the 100 feet I climbed except for the last 10 feet. That's the only time I started postholing to my knees. Of course I carried my snowshoes on my pack ... apparently to just have a good workout ;-). Here's a picture looking down from that final snow field. On the way back to the TH I butt-glissaded down two snow slopes. Here's a picture at the bottom of my last glissade. It's so much easier doing this than trying to avoid snow! OK, that's all from me from the Mount Blue Ski area. I'm going to move farther west now. 73, Brad WA6MM
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Brad WA6MM
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Here's a quick update for Rosalie Peak (W0C/FR-007). The snow has been melting fast in the Mount Blue Sky area. Last week I wore my snowshoes for most of the trip to Graywolf. However, yesterday I carried my snowshoes but never used them...I did gain more strength carrying them for hours though ;-). I passed the local kids close to the Rogers trailhead around 6:30am. The first snowfield I crossed was after ascending and starting the decent at the first bump to Rosalie. The snow was not to bad and I didn't posthole here. This is a short section. Going up Epaulet Mtn was snowfree. Here's what the decent side looked like. Here's a closeup of that descent on the eastside of Epaulet. This shows the snowfree band of rocks that gets you down on the eastside (extreme right of picture). Here's what the final section looked like going to the summit. Go get it before more crowds come to this area! 73, Brad WA6MM
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Brad WA6MM
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Field Day SOTA
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Hey y'all, I'm meeting up with my buddy KD5ZZK on top of Brazos Ridge just south of the CO border for Field Day (our 2nd time activating this summit). We'll be doing SOTA, FD, and 2 POTA sites all from our location. He's driving up from his QTH in Baton Rouge and activating along the way so keep an ear out for him. I'm bringing a 13 element 2m yagi and he's bringing a huge loop antenna so we should have quite the signal from almost 11,000' We'll be doing almost all modes, I won't guarantee I'll do CW but who knows what the thin air will do to me hihi. 2m, 70cm SSB and FM HF all bands will be tried 1.2GHz Alinco radio will be on We had cell service last time so email me your contact info if you want to schedule a contact. Thanks, Curtis kc5cw
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Curtis KC5CW
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I want to welcome ND9Q to Colorado and to the group. Doug recently moved to Colorado from Wisconsin and achieved MG yesterday with an activation of Mt Blue Sky. We're glad to welcome a new member to the herd and looking forward to many more activations by Doug from Colorado. Congratulations Doug.
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Walt W0CP
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New Warning from the CAIC
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center just posted this special advisory: Special Avalanche Advisory A Special Avalanche Advisory is in effect for Colorado’s high country through Sunday, June 9. Several large and destructive wet avalanches occurred on Wednesday. With near-record temperatures on Thursday, June 6, and Friday, June 7, more large wet avalanches are expected. Change your travel plans to avoid steep slopes if surface crusts become unsupportable and you sink into wet, unconsolidated snow or you hear collapsing sounds. These are not normal conditions for early June. Adjust your objectives accordingly. https://avalanche.state.co.us/?lat=39.75859085267678&lng=-105.9503501953125 Apparently, we still don't have "summer" snow conditions yet. I can't remember the last time I had to be concerned about snow slopes in June! 73, Brad WA6MM
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Brad WA6MM
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Road closure schedule for Mount Blue Sky area
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It appears one should aim to do any of the four SOTA summits off Mount Blue Sky road before late July this year. And starting in September through all of 2025, it appears the road will be closed to all motor and non-motorized traffic! In that case, perhaps start at Guanella Pass or at the Deercreek Trailhead on the southeast side of Rosalie. Those starting points are much longer and harder and require earlier start times. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/recarea/?recid=28508 "Improvements to a section of Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway (Colo. Highway 5) will impact visitors in 2024 and 2025. Construction will begin in late July or early August 2024 with a temporary lane closure in the project area near Summit Lake. Visitors may experience traffic delays. Starting Sept. 3, 2024, through all of 2025, Mount Blue Sky Highway will be closed to motorized and non-motorized travel (foot, bike, etc.). A public closure area will span from the CDOT gate on Colo. Highway 5 through the project area, above Summit Lake. Access to the Mount Blue Sky summit will only be available from various hiking trails. The area will reopen, as conditions allow, on Memorial Day weekend 2026." 73, Brad WA6MM
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Brad WA6MM
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[W0TLM] [w0c-sota] W0Q Queens of the Mountains SOTA Event
Worked W6Q on 20m CW! Tks, W6LOR “Lor”. 73, Steve/wGØAT
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Steve wGøAT
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W0Q Queens of the Mountains SOTA Event
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Hi Folks, I have been invited to participate in the Queens of the Mountain event for YLs involved in SOTA. The event starts today but I will be on the air Sunday and Monday only. Sunday will be Aspen Ridge (W0C/084) and Monday will be Hidden Gem (W0C/SP-076), starting around 1700 UTC. I'll be on 2m FM, 70 cm FM, 20m and 15m SSB, monitor SOTAwatch for specific frequencies. I will be using the Special Event callsign: W0Q Zero Call Area Queen !!! Please get on the air and work the SOTA YLs! 73 & 88, Joyce K0JJW 1st Annual Queens of the Mountains June 1-3, 2024 A YL SOTA Event!! Encouraging and inspiring YLs to get on the air and on a mountain for Summits On The Air-SOTA We will have multiple Special Events Stations (SES) across the states for this fun weekend of sisterhood on the summits. Special certificates to come for YLs activating and chasing. Look for the SES calls below or #QOM #YLSOTA on SOTAWATCH3: W0Q, W1Q, W3Q, W4Q, W5Q, W6Q, W7Q, W8Q, W9Q We hope to have certificates to offer for various participation including: "33" Award- YL to YL S2S Double Trouble Award- Joint YL activation YL participation-Activating or Chasing WWW-World Wide Women-YL DX qso First SOTA Activation for YLsWorking 5 or more YLs during the event
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Joyce K0JJW
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Yesterday I activated Coon Hill (W0C/PR-044) one of my favorite Colorado snow climbs! The snow was in perfect condition -- probably the best I've experienced on this summit. It was consolidated and hard and my snowshoes worked perfectly from TH to summit. My snowshoes have heel lifts which I used all the way up this steep climb which involves climbing snow for 1.3 miles with 1571 feet vertical. May is the best month to climb this peak as it does cross some avalanche slopes. As I approached the final 500 feet, I could see spindrift blowing off the summit ridge. I was hoping the wind would be reasonable but no dice! There was no place in the AZ zone that I could escape the wind as it's coming from the west (as usual!) and the eastside is completely corniced and steep. I quickly realized that there was no way I was going to be able to set up my antenna pole. So, I just laid the antenna wire directly on the snow with both ends attached to my snowshoes to keep the wire in place. I wondered if this would work well enough to make some contacts! I also needed to get inside my bothy bag with the rest of my gear as the wind and blowing spindrift would make it impossible to activate. BTW, after using my bothy bag for many trips now I've made sure I can tie off everything to my pack so stuff doesn't blow away in the process of getting set up and then packing up after I'm done. Once inside my bothy, life was good again -- although really noisy! I posted a link to a video (see below) that I took inside to give you an idea what I'm talking about. My KX2 ATU was able to tune up the antenna for the bands I planned on using. Now for the moment of truth, will the antenna work well enough to make some contacts? Well, it did and I made 12 contacts including one S2S with W7UM. I made contacts on 30,20,17 and 15 meters. Somehow, F4WBN worked me as well. No big pileups but good enough! Our good friend WA2USA also worked me on three bands -- thanks Dennis. I operated for 45 minutes and then decided to pack up and descend. It's not fun getting out of my warm bag and back into the wind ;-). I was able to butt-glissade down a few slopes but I got pretty wet in the process. So, Colorado snow climbers get out and do this summit now! Conditions will degrade quickly in the coming weeks. 73, Brad WA6MM Clouds stayed just above me Operating position with antenna laying on the snow! Bothy bag time! Link to video taken inside bothy bag: https://share.icloud.com/photos/06dLB634XTqkNSd9HHghgNvew
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Brad WA6MM
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It seems like our Memorial, 4th of July and other holidays don't mean so much to people here anymore. I guess I'm getting old because both sides of my family served in the military during the Korean war. My father and my xyl's always put up flags during these holidays. I have also for all my life. In my area now there might by 20 flags out in the 2000 homes here. It wasn't like that years ago. Times are changing I guess...sad. Anyway, I pay tribute to those who served in our military. Freedom isn't free to get. There would be no USA as we know it today without these people. This shouldn't be political for those who live in this great country. And if you're offended by the American flag I don't care.....I display it proudly at my house. Thank you to all the military vets and those currently serving. 73, Brad WA6MM
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Brad WA6MM
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