People who wish to receive the PNW SOTA Newsletter
Licensed in 2017 (Tech) and 2018 (General), I began hearing SOTA stations calling for contacts on 2M. After learning more, I activated two summits in 2018, and have been enjoying activating and chasing since. Appreciate all the friendly folks who activate and chase!
Enjoy activating and currently use both Yaesu FT-70DR and Elecraft KX2. Usually the Elk antenna is used for 2M/70cm, but have also used rollup j-pole, Arrow yagi, or Diamond HT whip. HF antenna is the PackTenna mini end-fed cut for 20m, and recently tried a random wire with 9:1 unun.
Project Manager in Healthcare; Wine grape grower, newly licensed in Feb 2019.
Activator; bicycle to top if possible! Day tripper for now, not hike in and camp; newbie, starting with smaller peaks. Travel between Portland and Tri-Cities WA often.
Although I've had my license for forty years, I had not been active for thirty-five - until I learned about SOTA. As an active hiker/climber/skier, more opportunities to take me to places I would never think of going has made combining two favorite things into a fantastically fun activity. Any 'home' station I have is just about as temporary as the ones I set up on a peak. And a final word - Chasers Rock!
Boy Scout, long-time hiker and recent ham radio enthusiast, first activator of Oregon's Peak 2905, almost-activator of Barlow Ridge.
First activator of Peak 2905
Failed activator of Barlow Ridge
Mostly activated on 2m FM with a VX-5R and an Arrow antenna, but I'm trying out 20m CW with a Hilltopper 20 and I'm interested in building low-weight FSK decoders for the same.
Father of 2 teenaged sons and very active in Boy Scouts. Avid backpacker, QRP CW OP, restorer of ancient Volkswagens, dirt bike rider, computer nerd, and all around nice guy =) PNWSOTA admin and host.
I went on my first SOTA activation with Rich (AC7MA) and Bill (WA7NCL) in July 2017. I was hooked! I now have a KX2 and have been going on as many activations as my schedule will allow. I mainly do CW and sometimes 2m FM.
New ham, new to SOTA, but hooked already.
Learning ham radio through SOTA. Picked up a second hand FT-817ND that is my main rig at home and summit. Looking forward to a summer of SOTA.
New ham (March, 2019). I've lived in WA since 2000. Grew up mostly in CO. Served in Army Reserve and went to Afghanistan in 2004. Married with 4 kids. 2 boys have Technician class. SOTA will be a great way to have fun with 2 great hobbies.
getting started
Licensed 2017. Enjoy portable activations. Just learning cw.
Interested in activating.
New ham (March, 2019). I've lived in WA since 2000. Grew up mostly in CO. Served in Army Reserve and went to Afghanistan in 2004. Married with 4 kids. 2 boys have Technician class. SOTA will be a great way to have fun with 2 great hobbies.
My 2 boys and I are new hams. Both boys are Scouts and love to hike and camp. We want to activate together and work towards the mountain goat award. So far we only have HT sets, but we're looking at HF gear; leaning towards an FT-891.
If you know where Austin, Texas is, I grew up just north of there in what we now call a little ex-urban town Leander. I couldn’t get out of high school fast enough and essentially moved to Austin when I started at the University of Texas as a Liberal Arts major in 1990. I took the slow route to graduation and got out in 5 years with a great education but no idea of what I wanted to do professionally.
Through a friend, I got in with Apple Computer doing technical support on the phone. I made decent money for not a lot of effort and sort of coasted in life for a while. I moved to California as part of the new Apple Retail Store roll out in 2001. I had a great experience. I met my now wife Devon at a karaoke bar on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica two days before the grand opening on the first Apple Retail Stores. Shortly after meeting Devon I moved south from the San Francisco bay area and lived in Los Angeles with her for a couple of years.
In 2004, we moved to verdant Portland, Oregon and bought a house. I worked for a local Macintosh repair shop for a few years. After my 35th(-ish) round of professional burn out, I got inspired to go back to school and become a nurse. I graduated from the University of Portland in the summer of 2012 with my BSN (which makes me dual degreed in the worst way possible - 2 bachelors degrees). I worked at a hospital for 6 years and moved into Home Health Nursing in December of 2018.
Our daughter came into our life in 2009. Our son followed just a few years later in 2013. He still follows her around.
I’ve had too many hobbies. I had tabletop roleplaying games as my dearest hobby through high school. Then I switched to LARPing for a while. I was very into LARPing. I spent enough time that I learned how to sew (serviceably) and even earned a knight-hood. Yeah, I was *that* guy for a while.
Motorcycles found me soon after college. They stayed with me on and off until December 2017, when I caught a cable to the throat on the way to work one morning (that’s a whole ‘other story that I’m happy to tell over beers.) I have sold my motorcycle and gear. I miss it, but not enough to start riding again.
I began hiking and bicycling more seriously while I lived in Los Angeles and after I stopped smoking. When I moved to the Pacific Northwest, my hiking blossomed into some light mountaineering and backpacking. I began commuting by bike roughly 16 miles each day in 2005 and only stopped in 2012 because I need to drive to do my job as a home health nurse (though I’m scheming to change that). I also got into overnight bike camping in last three years and I’ve had almost a dozen trips, including one out to the coast.
Most recently, I got bitten by the amateur radio bug. I’ve earned my Amateur Extra license and I favor the idea of QRP operation for a couple of reasons; I’m cheap and the radios are more portable so I can combine radios with my other interests (bikes and backpacking). I have no idea where it will take me.
Current toys of note:
Surly Big Dummy long tail bike with Big Dummy bags
Surly Disc Trucker with 700c wheels
Yaesu FT 60R HT radio
Just starting. Interested in activating more than chasing. Learning CW. Want to leverage lightweight/ultralight strategies from backpacking for ham radio in the field.
First licensed in 2013, initially just to pick up my dad's old call (W6PZA), but soon developed my own interests in the hobby. Love outdoor recreation, hiking and backpacking, so SOTA quickly became my focus. Also enjoy casual contesting and going out on county expeditions for the 7QP and CalQSO.
Semi-retired, still do some occasional consulting work. Work life was in local government, City and County land use planner in California. Now living in central Oregon and loving it!
I've been active in SOTA beginning in May 2014 with my first activation of Buckhorn Bally (W6/NW-222) near Redding, CA. Main focus is activating summits, but also chase whenever I can. While I now live in Oregon, I still serve as W6-SOTA RM for three northern regions.
I operate mainly HF-ssb mixed with some 2m-FM and digital. Hoping to learn CW - that's the plan anyway.
Radios include FT-857D, KX3 & KX2. What I take depends on the type of trip, hike, radio conditions, etc. Have an assortment of LiFePO4 batteries for power. I mostly use a Buddistick for HF antenna, but will play around with other types. Do APRS route tracking using a Yeasu FT1DX, but not every trip as it's just another thing to manage.
see qrz.com
Just starting now (June 2019). Elecraft KX-3, te-ne-ke dual lever paddle, wire antennas, bioenno batteries. Learning CW.
Fairly new to Ameture Radio. Climbing and backpacking in the Northwest for over 40 years... Interested in combining the two activities / hobbies. Live on Whidbey with line of site to Cascades and Olympics for receiving checkins from other SOTA participants.
Just getting started. Activating and some chase. Yaesu FT2D for packing, FTM400xdr mobile.
After working a couple of decades as a computer technical support guy I figured it was time to enjoy a few of the things I had to put on hold. One of those things was getting back into Amateur Radio.
I passed my first hurdle by getting my Tech license in January 2017 and I passed my General Class examination 6 May 2017 and am actively working on gaining my Extra Class license.,
At home I have a Yaesu 7900 for VHF/UHF use. For HF I have a Icom IC-737, a Icom IC-7300 and a Yaesu 857D. I have several antennas such as a Hustler 6BVT, a fan dipole for 40 and 20 meter work and several vertical ones along with a Diamond X50A Dual Band antenna on a 30 foot mast.
I am a member of the ARRL,the Inland Empire VHF Radio Amateurs Club (IE VHF) and the Washington Digital Radio Enthusiasts amateur radio club where I enjoy both DStar and DMR radio communications with both a Icom ID-31A, a Icom ID-51A and a TYT 2017.
None to date but I like the idea and have a Toyota Tundra, Yaesu 857D, Deployment Antennas and significant battery power. I would probably start with chase activities (I have some SOTA QSO/QSL in my book).
Occasional chaser, all CW
I chase, occasionally, and would like to log contacts for the activators. I have a KX3 for portable use and may activate in the future.
Washington native, new to amateur radio, but love to hike the PNW.
Just getting started
New HAM and love the outdoors. Hiking and camping in the Mt Hood National Forest.
Looking to activate new summits in my area. UV-50 and a J-pole on 2m/70cm to start.
Over 40 years designing and manufacturing fine jewelry with office in downtown Eugene for client consultations. I'm also an accredited trainer for McNeel's Rhinoceros 3D CAD application. I provide private instruction and scheduled on-line webinar classes.
Yaesu FT-2900 Baofeng BF-F8HP Currently Tech privileges. This seems like a great way to combine two fun activities.
Licensed in about 1977. Passed Extra exam in 1988 with 21 WPM CW. Main interest QRP CW. Best; Japan on 15M CW with 1/2 watt. Hobbies amateur radio, astronomy (Celestron 9.25" SCT and Celestron NexStar5SE), hiking, camping. Home Station; Kenwood TS590SG, MFJ-949 Tuner, 160m dipole, 80M OCFD, 30M OCFD, Kenwood TMV71 with Diamond 510 vertical. SOTA / Portable; Yaesu FT817ND, Hendricks PFR3B Kit (I built it in 2017) MFJ16010 Tuner, LDG Z817 Tuner, 58 foot wire. SKCC # 7735
Mostly chasing, Some activating. Have gotten over 1000 chaser points now so starting to do more activating. I have a Yaesu FT817nD, but most activations have been done with a Hendricks PFR3B that I built a little over a year ago. HF antenna is a 35 foot random wire for the PFR, which it tunes on all bands. With the 817 I use a MFJ 16010 tuner and a 58 foot wire. That works on everything from 160 through 6 meters even though the tuner isnt meant for 6. For 2 meters I either use the 817 or a FT60 and the antenna is a dipole that can go horizontal or vertical. Ive done a half a dozen activations, mostly one pointers, but I think Im happy with my equipment list finally. Takes a while to whittle away at it and figure out what you like and what works for you.