Ham on the summit?

vftt.org

Help Support vftt.org:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Hams (amateur radio operators) on summits? Sure, why not?

Hams hold a yearly contest (electronic gathering, in VFTT terms) in late June called Field Day. The goal is to take a portable radio station out somewhere (such as a mountain top) and see how many contacts one can make. It also serves as a test of and preparation for providing communications during emergencies (eg hurricanes, other natural disasters). http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/ Mount Washington and a number of other NE summits generally have Field Day stations.

I've done it. A friend and I took 2-meter SSB rigs, batteries and antennas up Big Squaw Mtn (by the S end of Moosehead Lake, ME) and set up on the helicopter pad near the summit.

Sometimes hams carry a rig up some random summit on a random day to see how many contacts they can make. (One guy used to climb Moosilauke every now and then for the purpose, stay and play for a few hours, and head down.)

FWIW, there are a number of hams on this BBS. Some of them/us sometimes/often carry HTs (HandiTalkie=WalkieTalkie) when hiking. 2M (2 meters, a ham frequency band) HTs are often a better bet for emergency communications in the backwood Whites than cellphones.

Doug
WB2QJE
 
Last edited:
Hilltopping is fun. You take your radio up to a peak and see who you can talk to. The best for me so far was to talk to commuters on Rt 495 in Mass from the top of Chocorua using the repeater in Chester, NH. My handheld transceiver (HT) uses 5 watts which isn't much power at all. The downside was that after I disassembled the radio I forgot the antenna on top. In a reverse move I carried on a conversation with another ham in Bridgeton ME via the repeater on Mt Washington. I was in Epping, NH at the time. (Different radio, more power)
I always take my handheld hiking. It doesn't weigh much and would be useful in an emergency. I try not to be too obvious in my hilltopping because I don't want to be intrusive to folks enjoying the peace and quiet.
Bob
 
Below are the goat hikers on top of Humbolt Peak, CO for the 8/9/09 Radio Event.

2556797030097082051S600x600Q85.jpg


2806633350097082051S600x600Q85.jpg
 
Personally, I have a pretty high tolerance level of others wants, needs and desires understanding the multitude of religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds of the folks that use our public lands.

After all, our National Forests are the “Land of Many Uses”

Just don't put no stink'n wind turbines on em. ;)
 
dentonfabrics said:
Respectfully, isn't a ham on a summit a little obtrusive?
Click to expand...
They've got goats up there; the ham radio is a bit of an afterthought, don't you think?

:)

Seriously, you could say the same thing about Flags on the 48 (and maybe you do). It's a temporary thing, it's fun, and it's just another way to enjoy the outdoors.
 
DougPaul said:
Hams (amateur radio operators) on summits? Sure, why not?

Hams hold a yearly contest (electronic gathering, in VFTT terms) in late June called Field Day. The goal is to take a portable radio station out somewhere (such as a mountain top) and see how many contacts one can make. It also serves as a test of and preparation for providing communications during emergencies (eg hurricanes, other natural disasters). http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/ Mount Washington and a number of other NE summits generally have Field Day stations.

I've done it. A friend and I took 2-meter SSB rigs, batteries and antennas up Big Squaw Mtn (by the S end of Moosehead Lake, ME) and set up on the helicopter pad near the summit.

Sometimes hams carry a rig up some random summit on a random day to see how many contacts they can make. (One guy used to climb Moosilauke every now and then for the purpose, stay and play for a few hours, and head down.)

FWIW, there are a number of hams on this BBS. Some of them/us sometimes/often carry HTs (HandiTalkie=WalkieTalkie) when hiking. 2M (2 meters, a ham frequency band) HTs are often a better bet for emergency communications in the backwood Whites than cellphones.

Doug
WB2QJE
Click to expand...

Thanks for this post, Doug. I'm K3GHH. So far, anyway, I've chosen to keep my amateur radio and hiking hobbies separate... but, who knows... one of these days I'll pick up a little low-powered short-wave (HF) morse-code (CW) transceiver, toss a wire over a tree branch, and see what I can do from (near) a summit...
 
I did a handful of Field Days back in high-school when I was a much more active ham. Nowadays, I usually only take my HT with me when winter hiking (when benighting/accidents can be a bit more serious). Thinking about getting a new, smaller one, though. Mine is an old ICOM dual-bander that is pretty heavy for its size. So much so that I'm scared to weigh it! :rolleyes:

If you're into the QRP (i.e., low-power) thing, do a Google search for "Altoid box transceiver" to see some pretty cool small, lightweight, DIY opportunities which wouldn't take up much room/weight in a pack...

73,

K2RE
 
J.Dub said:
I did a handful of Field Days back in high-school when I was a much more active ham. Nowadays, I usually only take my HT with me when winter hiking (when benighting/accidents can be a bit more serious). Thinking about getting a new, smaller one, though. Mine is an old ICOM dual-bander that is pretty heavy for its size. So much so that I'm scared to weigh it! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
You might take a look at the Kenwood TH-F6A, 144/222/430 MHz FM, 5W, general coverage receiver (.1-1300 MHz), WX presets, weather resistant, 8.8oz. I have one, and IMO it is a good rig for the purpose. http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Communications/Amateur_Radio/Portables/TH-F6A
(You can download the manual and brochure from the link.)

There are about 5 repeaters in/near the Whites.

I also carry a 2M twinlead J-pole antenna for weak signal areas. SAR-EMT40 has more experience than I using the above in the Whites and will probably chime in...

Here are some past threads that have some relevant info:
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5937
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17789
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5937

#include <std caveat>
I have no connection with Kenwood--just an owner and user of a TH-F6A.

Doug
 
Awhile back there was a thread on whiteblaze about a thru hiker that had a ultralight rig that he was going to carry use the length of the trail. I think it was strictly a morse code rig.
 
peakbagger said:
Awhile back there was a thread on whiteblaze about a thru hiker that had a ultralight rig that he was going to carry use the length of the trail. I think it was strictly a morse code rig.
Click to expand...

That's not surprising, as a CW xceiver would be much smaller/lighter/simpler than one for SSB. Having passed the 20wpm test for my Extra ticket, I was disappointed to learn that the FCC waived the code requirement for amateur licenses recently. :(

Thanks for the Kenwood rec, Doug. Will check it out.
 
A couple of years ago I saw a guy on the summit of Monadnock with a ham radio. I don't know what he was doing with it, but he was nice enough to get us the score of the Patriots game.
 
My call sign is N1ESE and I've operated in the woods in the past. CW-only rigs can be built to weigh almost nothing these days, even with a battery, and, as others have stated, an HT is much more effective in the woods and on a peak than a cell phone for emergency contacts.

It's great fun operating CW from your tent at night on 80 or 40 meters with nothing more than a wire tossed into a tree.
 
When I saw the title Ham on the summit I thought you might be talking about this...

Ham on the trail

Ahhh... to be young and foolish and willing to carry another pound of weight, again!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

skiguy
Ham Radio assisted Rescue
Replies
19
Views
2K
skiguy
skiguy
B the Hiker
Re-waterproofing a tent
Replies
7
Views
910
Bergamo
B
Grey J
Back in NH
Replies
2
Views
703
Grey J
Grey J
P
State Looking for Proposals to Assess the Mt Washington Summit
Replies
0
Views
333
peakbagger
P
Ear Drum
Greetings
Replies
0
Views
445
Ear Drum
Ear Drum

Latest posts

Top