Tag: 17M
-
Ski Shelters on the Air – #1 Nordeen
The past couple of months have not been very radioactive. The weather in the Pacific Northwest has been … unusual this winter. We had an unseasonably dry and warm early winter followed by a vicious cold snap and a heck of a snow storm making getting outside difficult. However, this week the temperatures rose into…
-
First Activation: W7O/CE-317 – East Butte, OR
First used for fire detection in 1932 with a 30′ pole L-4, a replica of this original tower was constructed in 1995. Staffed in the summer, it is listed on the National Historic Lookout Register. East Butte is approximately 45 SE of Bend, OR and is easily accessible by any passenger car via FS-23/25 (paved)…
-
Activation Report: W7O/CE-091 – Fox Butte, OR | August 2023
“This 80′ steel Aermotor tower, built in 1933, also had cabin living quarters. An L-4 ground house was moved to the summit from Sixteen Butte in 1948. Although the lookout is on emergency standby status, it was staffed full-time during the reconstruction of East Butte Lookout in 1995. The tower is on the National Historic Lookout Register.”…
-
Activation Report: W7O/CM-152 First Activation of “7032” | August 2023
“Originally, Todd Lake was called “Lost Lake” because it was difficult for people to find. In the early 20th century, citizens of Bend, Oregon, asked that the name of the lake be changed to avoid confusion with several other Oregon lakes with the same name. In 1922, the name of the lake was officially changed to Todd…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Activation Report: W7O/CN-074 – Round Butte, OR | January 2023
W7MTB on Round Butte This SOTA summit is a paved drive up. Access is quite easy from Madras, to the East or Culver to the South. Madras to Round Butte Hwy 97/Culver Junction to Round Butte There is a large open area on the top of the butte to setup your gear. On the Saturday…
-
Penntek TR-35 4 Band CW Transceiver – First Transceiver Build
WA3RNC Penntek TR-35 4 Band, 5 Watt Transceiver One of the things that drew me to amateur radio is the kit building aspect. Only weeks into the hobby, and before I had my hands on an HF rig I was ordering parts for an End fed random wire build I found on the AARL site. The…
-
K6ARK End Fed Half Wave (EFHW) build and test
I watched a video on the Ham Radio Crash Course about this very tiny and relatively easy-to-build antenna a few months ago and bought one right away from Amazon. It only took about 30 minutes start to finish, the hardest part being attaching the surface mount capacitor as the video describes. I have since use…
W7MTB: Amateur Radio Notes 