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Activation Report: W7O/CM-011 – Tumalo Mtn | July 2023
Tumalo Mountain is a shield volcano in the Cascade Range of central Oregon, located just northeast of Mount Bachelor across the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway.1 The Tumalo Mountain trail is accessed from the Dutchman Sno-park, 20 miles from Bend, OR. The 2 mile trail climbs 1400 vertical ft, it is steep but has a fair amount of shade on the lower section but is…
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Activation Report: W7O/CM-033 [Black Butte, OR] | July 2023
Black Butte is an extinct stratovolcano in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located in Jefferson County, it is part of Deschutes National Forest. Black Butte forms part of the Cascade volcanic arc. The butte lies just south of the Metolius Springs, which merge to form the headwaters of the Metolius River. The Metolius River’s basin sustains a wide array of plant life, large and small mammals, and more than…
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Activation Report: W7O/CE-300 [4420], OR | July 2023
I have been wanting to do this summit since I first studied the Crooked River National Grassland just to the north of Smith Rock State Park. I have been riding mountain bikes in the area for over 25 years and until SOTA, never been to the top of most of the lookout points. 4260 (W7o/CE-303),…
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Activation Report: W7O/CE-028 – Hager Mountain, OR – Field Day 2023 | June 2023
Every day is Field Day when you’re a SOTA Op, but once again this year, KK7HJL and our SOTA pack wanted to get out and do a hike/activation. It also being our wedding anniversary, we decided to take BGNOUT south to the Fremont National Forest, a small but gorgeous forest in South Central Oregon. We…
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Activation Report: W6/NW-388 – No Name 2197 -Whiskeytown NRA | June 2023
After a long and tiring weekend of offroad motorcycle training SE of Sacramento, I decided to overnight at Whiskeytown NRA just west of Redding, CA. I like the Peltier Bridge Campground down by the river. Its a dry/tent only campground, though we have stayed there in BGNOUT a couple of other times in the past.…
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Activation Report: W7O/CE-180 -Gray Butte & W7O/CE-303 – Sisters View | March 2023
These two summits are very close and located in the Crooked River National Grassland northeast of Terrebonne, OR and adjacent to Smith Rock State Park. They are easily accessible most of the year via Skull Hollow Road, which is a well maintained gravel road up to the parking area. If the road is muddy, it…
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Activation Report: W7O/CM-091 – Pistol Butte in the snow
Last June I activated Pistol Butte for my first CW only activation using my newly built Penntek TR-35. During my walk down I thought it would be a great winter activation because the view is phenomenal and the roads getting in are pretty easy to follow. As we approach the end of winter bonus season…
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Activation Report: W7O/CE-219 – Cline Buttes, OR | February 2023
This was my first mountain bike activation of the year. Tim [N7KOM] and another friend joined me for a ride/joint activation of Cline Butte after my last failed attempt in November of 2022. I wanted to do some exploring of a new trail system based out of the Cascade View Trail head that opened in…
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Activation Report: W7O/CE-213 – Awbrey Butte,OR | February 2023
Awbrey Butte SummitGreen: AX, Magenta: Trail, Blue: Fence line After a little encouragement from Tim, N7KOM, I decide to try Awbrey Butte, which is arguably the easiest SOTA in the Bend Area. The AZ is only 3.1 miles from my QTH and is accessible from 2 Bend City Parks, Sylvan and Summit. The is notoriously…
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Activation Report: W7O/CE-188 – Lava Butte, OR | January 2023
Lava Butte Summit For the February Polar Bear / FYOB combined event, Tim N7KOM, and I wanted to get out and do another joint activation. Since we both had limited time a quick approach summit would give us the best opportunity to make the most of the day so we choose to return to Lava…
W7MTB: Amateur Radio Notes
Notes on operating Summits on the Air
W7MTB: Amateur Radio Notes 