Jupiter Mountain

Well if you read my last post you would know that I had already tried to activate Jupiter Mtn.(W6/CT-140). It was a failure on my part due to taking the wrong trail and running out of energy trying to climb the steeper portion.

On the way up

Not to be out done by a summit I woke up early this morning around 4am. I live in Stevenson Ranch so the summit is only about a half an hour from me. But I wanted to give myself enough time to be there at first light. One, because I was determined to summit, and two, I was amped up to do another Summits on the Air Activation.

The hike started good. I  was well rested, had plenty of gatorade and water plus snacks. I didn’t know how far this was going to be so I wanted to be prepared. All together my pack weighed in at about 25lbs. Yeah it’s heavy but using a Buddhistic means having extra crap. My goal is to get a 31′ pole and a half wave end fed antenna. That would eliminate a good amount of weight and might get me more contact. I’m not complaining about my Buddistick, it works great.

I will say the final portion of this 1.11 mile hike is the last section before you reach the summit. Don’t let it deter you as the view is totally worth it. Also as a side note there is Verizon coverage on the summit so you can spot yourself.

Looking West

A Bench to keep away from the ants

The Activation

The setup before I moved the radio away from the ant hill

Looking West

Working 20 meters

Reelin’ them in… I wish

Triple Ratio Switch Balun

I only worked 20 meters as 40 was full of broadcast stations from overseas. I only manage 4 contacts, which is good enough. Thank you chasers, you made my day. K4MF, W0ERI, W0MNA, N4EMG.