My second attempt at this activation was a success. With the exception of a minor, last-minute antenna repair at home, there were no technical difficulties. Access to the summit was not a problem, either.
Sulphur Springs Mountain is 1,112 feet (339 meters) high; it is located on a ridge immediately east of the city of Vallejo, California. It is within the boundaries of what is known as the Hiddenbrooke Open Space. I hiked the Hiddenbrooke Trail, the trailhead of which is located along Hiddenbrooke Parkway, approximately 1/2-mile south of Interstate 80. A map from the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council indicates that there is parking at the intersection of McGary Road (parallel to I-80) and Hiddenbrooke Parkway; however, the small park-and-ride lot at that location was full. I was able to find a roadside parking space on the parkway, approximately 1/4-mile beyond the trailhead.
With the exception of two or three short steep sections, the trail was really not too difficult. The trail is easy to discern, with direction signs located at trail junctions.
From the top of the mountain, there are some great views of the north end of the San Francisco Bay and the cities of Vallejo and American Canyon to the north/northwest; to the south, Mt. Diablo (SOTA W6/CC-045) is quite prominent, along with the oil refineries in Benicia and Martinez. A couple of miles to the north can be seen Pt. 990 (W6/NC-422--formerly known as Pt. 970), a target of mine for the near future.
After a quick water break, I set up my 6-meter rig: a Wouxun KG-UV5D handheld (4 watts on 52.525 MHz) with a 45.5-inch base-loaded telescopic antenna. Within minutes, I was rewarded with my first-ever 6-meter FM contact: Jay, KE6GLA, in El Dorado Hills, 73.7 miles (118.61 km) away. Although it ended up being the only 6-meter contact that I logged on this day, I was pleased about it. I had no luck on 70 centimeters, one of my other goals for the day, though. I used my Yaesu VX-6R with a Maldol MH-510 20-inch whip for that attempt.
Next, I switched over to the old reliable: 2-meters (146.520 MHz). I connected my new homebrew portable 2-meter vertical antenna to my 5-watt Yaesu VX-6R and logged seven contacts in just over 30 minutes. Larry, KA6GND, was my most distant at 122.32 miles (196.8 km) away in Forest Ranch. My other six contacts ranged from 83.52 miles/134.41 km (Greg, KJ6KO, in Diamond Springs) down to 11.22 miles/18.05 km (Ron, KE6RS, in Pinole). Ron was one of two Bay Area contacts with whom I had virtual line-of-sight from my position.
Below are my call log and some photos.
With the exception of two or three short steep sections, the trail was really not too difficult. The trail is easy to discern, with direction signs located at trail junctions.
From the top of the mountain, there are some great views of the north end of the San Francisco Bay and the cities of Vallejo and American Canyon to the north/northwest; to the south, Mt. Diablo (SOTA W6/CC-045) is quite prominent, along with the oil refineries in Benicia and Martinez. A couple of miles to the north can be seen Pt. 990 (W6/NC-422--formerly known as Pt. 970), a target of mine for the near future.
After a quick water break, I set up my 6-meter rig: a Wouxun KG-UV5D handheld (4 watts on 52.525 MHz) with a 45.5-inch base-loaded telescopic antenna. Within minutes, I was rewarded with my first-ever 6-meter FM contact: Jay, KE6GLA, in El Dorado Hills, 73.7 miles (118.61 km) away. Although it ended up being the only 6-meter contact that I logged on this day, I was pleased about it. I had no luck on 70 centimeters, one of my other goals for the day, though. I used my Yaesu VX-6R with a Maldol MH-510 20-inch whip for that attempt.
Next, I switched over to the old reliable: 2-meters (146.520 MHz). I connected my new homebrew portable 2-meter vertical antenna to my 5-watt Yaesu VX-6R and logged seven contacts in just over 30 minutes. Larry, KA6GND, was my most distant at 122.32 miles (196.8 km) away in Forest Ranch. My other six contacts ranged from 83.52 miles/134.41 km (Greg, KJ6KO, in Diamond Springs) down to 11.22 miles/18.05 km (Ron, KE6RS, in Pinole). Ron was one of two Bay Area contacts with whom I had virtual line-of-sight from my position.
Below are my call log and some photos.
A view of Sulphur Springs Mountain from a point near the trailhead.
Another view of Sulphur Springs Mountain.
A view of the trail toward the summit, with one of the steeper sections ahead.
Looking south toward Mt. Diablo (W6/CC-045), with Suisun Bay and the refineries at Benicia and Martinez.
Pt. 990 (W6/NC-422), a couple of miles to the north.
The Hiddenbrook Subdivision, below to the east.
Portable station KK6ZLX, with my Wouxun KG-UV5D connected to my homebrew antenna. As you can see from the angle of the grass, it was quite windy.
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