Hiders: Don KF6GQ and Steve KD6LAJ

March 2014 T-Hide (Month of Pi) 3.14

Luckily for us this was a Meathead hunt, we could work several circle type things into the hide.

Starting at the top of Cajon Pass gives us the possibility of creating interesting effects with the signal. Several of our options didn't workout as expected, so it was plan "C" that finally came together. We had token snow, and hunters had to cross the PCT at lease once.

If you remember last months hide, we set a weak T within about a mile from the start, then having all the hunters passing by it. This time we did something similar. We had a close in T and a far away T (100+ miles). The close in T was to get the hunters into the mountains, to chase all the mountain top reflections. If the hunters realized the far away T was in fact far away, they would get away from the mountains and get some direct bearings. I believe Table Mountain, which was just to the east of T2 (Steve's T), was a good spot to get an accurate bearing. The bearing should be close to 290-300 degrees. In talking to several of the hunters, they got caught up in the bounces coming from all the hill tops. Our placement of the second T was to send a signal across the backs of the San Gabriels, causing all kinds of grief. Oh! Getting back to the circle stuff, just east of T2, was a mountain called Circle Mt. Most of the hunters did have to go around this Mt. at lease once. The other circle things were the circles that many of the hunters found themselves in. If a hunter was in the mountains, all peaks seemed to be the source of the signal (what a headache).

T2 (the close in one) was about 16 miles from the start. I believe most hunters went by it, and had to come back to find it. The second (3rd. 4th, and 5th) T's where about 101 miles from the start. They where located on Pinos Mt. This wasn't our first choice, but conditions made the hide there necessary. T3 the main T at Pinos, was running 20 watts into an Elk log periodic beam vertical polarized. We had T14, a 50mw squab, a 5mw "Snake" T, and a 3 watt T9 running into a 1/4 vertical (which was heard by two hunters at T2 location). By the way the main T was at about 8000'! It was cold; there was token snow (for those who hadn't seen snow since last year). When I went to retrieve the T's Sunday morning at 9; 30am, all but the T14 was still transmitting. T14 was running at 7:30pm the night before, because Jippy was able to hear it.

KF6GQ working on T3

 It looks like from prelim results that Paul WB6HPW and his son Peter (Grand FAT), where the only ones to find all transmitters. Jippy managed to find three T's all with the mileage of 90.5! And Doug was the last in with 3 T's found and a time of 9:30pm. I haven't talked with Tom, who came all the way up here from San Diego to hunt, but in earlier talks, I felt that he got himself stuck, really thinking the T's where not too far from the Wrightwood area. He only found T2. Now Deryl and Ray, what happened to you? They kept going west (south) on route 2 through the Angeles National Forest! And the last time I talked with them, they where down in La Canada, with signals from all quarters of the compass!

Well it looks like we did what we intended, and that was to confuse the hunters into believing that the rest of the T's where somewhat close by T2 in the Wrightwood area. Only Bob JPI and Paul HPW got far enough north of the mountains to get a decent bearing to the rest of the T's. Thanks to all that came out to the hunt.

 T#     Calls               Time in        Miles     Comments
 2      WB6HPW/Peter       12:22 PM        56.3      Cool!
 2      N6AIN/N6EKS         1:33 PM       111.5
 2      WA6RJN              1:33 PM        32.6
 2      K6VCR               1:58 PM        65.3
 2      WB6JPI              2:00 PM        90.5

14      WB6HPW/Peter        3:57 PM       162.0      Nice Pi

 3      WB6HPW/Peter        4:20 PM       169.6 
 3      WB6JPI              7:11 PM        90.5
 3      WA6RJN              9:45 PM       180.5

Snake   WB6HPW/Peter        5:00 PM       169.7
Snake   WB6JPI              7:20 PM        90.5
Snake   WA6RJN              9:30 PM       179.8

 9      WB6HPW/Peter        6:06 PM       170.9      Freezing

      Based on the results here, Peter & his dad WB6HPW
      Will hide The next MEATHEAD hide

  Order of finish
 1. WB6HPW/Peter
 2. WA6RJN
 3. WB6JPI
 4. K6VCR
 5. N6AIN/N6EKS

The winners!!!

Jippy's Story

Doug's Story