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Not exactly PNW...

KX7L's picture
Summit: 
W8O/NE-007
Voice Cellular Coverage: 
Good, very usable
Data Cellular Coverage: 
Decent, workable
Cellular Provider: 
T-Mobile
APRS Coverage: 
Don't know

Ohio isn't exactly PNW, but I though I'd put it here anyway - It'll give you a flavor of what it's like in other parts of the country

I find myself working just outside of Cleveland Ohio this summer, and having brought my new KX3 with me, and with lots of free time on the weekends, the prospect of "summit" activations seemed too good to pass up.  The closest summit to my hotel is W8O/NE-007 "Summit County Highpoint".  The actual "peak" is in someone's backyard, but the activation zone here is at least a mile long, parallelling SR176 just NW of Richfield, OH.  This summit has never been activated before, so my challenge was to find a place to operate, and also meet the "hike into the activation zone" criteria.  After a bit of exploring around, here's what I came up with:

Drive to the Richfield Woods Park, just north of town on SR176 and park in the 2nd parking lot.  Hike north from the lot and around the pond, and head west on a gated park service road until you get to Ridgeview Drive.  This will drop you down below 1245 ft (according to my topo) and out of the activation zone.  Then hike east, out of the park to SR176, and then N to the cemetary across from the Sikh temple (first one in Ohio!), where there's a wooded area behind.  I managed to toss my EFHW about 15 feet up into a tree, and (surprisingly) made 10 contacts in about 1/2 hour.  In retrospect, I probably could have found a spot in Richfield Woods Park to operate from as well.  It's a bit of a ways from the "summit" but still within the AZ.  Still, had a nice time walking around this quaint, historic town.