Wildrose Peak in Death Valley National Park 06/23-25/2010

[DennisDawg]

Here are the pictures and all from my trip to Death Valley last week. As some of you know, I was laid off from my job of 17 years back in November. The same company had laid off my wife 10 months earlier. She found a new job about seven months after, and this trip was to celebrate me having done the same!

Pictures and all that are here: http://www.tacodawg.net/images/Trips/20 ... index.html

It was a nice trip, good weather and all, but camping at the top might not have been necessary or all that much fun with the wind. But, I did (barely) check into the Adventure Net from there, 143 miles to Keller!

Glad I went!

Plus, just for information, I am no longer KJ6FQW, but K6DOB! I changed it and it went through this week.

Woo hoo!

[cruiserlarry]

Great pics, DennisDawg...

glad to hear you've joined the ranks of the employed again

I corrected your call sign on the OAUSA Amateur Radio Operator Roster...

[DennisDawg]

Thanks! I just snap things with a cheap camera for the memories. Being there was way good.

Unemployment was fun, I cannot lie, but it wasn’t fun either, if you know what I mean. It will be good to get back to work and do new great things!

The adventures will be different, shorter and weekend only for a while, no big deal.

Thank you for updating my call sign on the roaster.

I hope to make it out with you folks soon! I would have made Field Day, at least a little of it, but we got tied up doing things and, bla, excuses, I know. . . .

[DaveK]

But, I did (barely) check into the Adventure Net from there, 143 miles to Keller!

DD:

So that was you! That was one of the greatest distance check-ins that we have had ("non-echolink".) Very nice.

What were you running.

[Chazz Layne]

So that was you! That was one of the greatest distance check-ins that we have had ("non-echolink".) Very nice.

Hmm... sounds like a good summer contest.

[DennisDawg]

So that was you! That was one of the greatest distance check-ins that we have had ("non-echolink".) Very nice.

What were you running.

That was with my FT250 HT on 5 Watts, connected to my homebrew PVC and steel rod prototype yagi that was mounted using string and some flat rocks wedged in some branches (to keep it from sliding down) to a little tree aimed south toward Keller and Big Bear from about 100 feet or so from the summit of Wildrose Peak. The cable ran from the antenna to the HT in my backpacking tent that was in a little groove near a tree to block the wind.

A shoulder of Rodger’s Peak just gets in the way, just enough to make it not work as I wanted but that it did work is very encouraging. I could hear everything on the Net well, though as the wind really picked up and night fell, that got a little scratchy and eventually I could no longer break squelch on the repeater. That meant I missed talking with my wife that evening after the Net.

I need to perfect the backpacking Yagi for me, making it shorter for transport. On the way down a guy asked me if that was a fishing rod. I told him the Panamint Tuna were great this time of year! Ha ha ha.

Also, it needs to be lighter – aluminum for the whole thing. The weight of it caused me to need to not carry my stove and fuel so as to keep it light.

Someone suggested I try adding directors as well, and I might do that with new math if I can get the disassembled length short enough.

A tinkering project . . .

All that said, I had Wildrose to myself for a day! It was really great but not hard. However at one point with nothing to distract my busy little head, there was a moment in the morning where I as eating an orange, sitting on a rock, covered in dirt from the hike, from camping and having to fix the truck in the desert before the climb, I was alone, sun rising, looking across Death Valley far below without anything to think about . . . but for that orange.

That orange was so good!

Great moment . . . and the whole reason to go.

[DennisDawg]

So that was you! That was one of the greatest distance check-ins that we have had ("non-echolink".) Very nice.

Hmm... sounds like a good summer contest.

So long as there is a 5 Watt rule, I'd love to play!!!! I know just where I would go!

[Chazz Layne]

So that was you! That was one of the greatest distance check-ins that we have had ("non-echolink".) Very nice.

Hmm... sounds like a good summer contest.

So long as there is a 5 Watt rule, I'd love to play!!!! I know just where I would go!

I'm thinking there would have to be, as I'd have to hike in to reach the only peaks high enough.

I might have a try from Hualapai this weekend.

[Chazz Layne]

Hi Dennis,

If it's all-right with you I'd like to have this picture included in our June PotM competition. If that sounds good, do you have a higher-res copy we could use?

[DennisDawg]

Sure, yes, I'd be honored, I have the full size version locally. Just let me know what you want me to do with it. Thanks!!!

That was my sunrise! All mine! It was wonderful!