Hider: Scott N6MI
QST.

On Friday May 25, 2018, N6MI hid five transmitters for the Southern California all-day transmitter hunt. This was a start anywhere, start anytime hunt. Hunters were asked to share their bearings. (K6VCR stayed home with his new pack of dogs.)

The first transmitter was hidden in Monrovia, a few blocks from KF6GQ and WB6HPW. This was a 15 milliwatt voice transmitter ("WB6HPW this is N6MI with your special transmitter"). The transmitter was stuck in the nook of a tree in a park, about four feet about the ground, with a two meter wire dipole pressed against the tree.

The second transmitter (T22) was hidden about one mile south on Seymour Creek Road, just off the road heading up Mt. Pinos. "Mt. Pinos is located in the Los Padres National Forest and is the ... highest point in Ventura County at 8,831 feet." See, http://www.pinemountainclubrealestate.com/Local-Area/MT-PINOS/mt-pinos-california.html.  This transmitter ("N6MI T22" in code) ran 28 watts into a horizontally polarized quad about three feet off the ground. The quad was aimed at 130 degrees. This transmitter could be heard throughout the Los Angeles basin and in parts of Orange County.

The third transmitter (T3) was a KF6GQ classic (50 milliwatts of "de N6MI T3" in code), about 1.3 miles north of the intersection of the Cuddy Valley Road and Seymour Canyon. The transmitter was 40 yards up a dead end spur (starting on the north side of Cuddy Valley Road), and tied to a four foot sapling. I used a 5/8 whip vertical antenna.

The fourth transmitter ("N6MI T9" in code) was a 15 milliwatt transmitter attached to a four element yagi. I placed the yagi horizontally on a big pine tree limb about four feet above the ground, pointing roughly east, a 1/4 mile down the road from the high point (dead end) of Mt. Pinos Road (also known as Cuddy Valley Road). This transmitter was very weak.

The fifth transmitter ("N6MI") was running about two watts to a four element, vertically polarized, log periodic antenna (pointed about 150 degrees). This transmitter was placed a few yards to the south of an unnamed road leading to Cuddy Peak and Tecuya Mountain (about a mile north of Lake of the Woods). The N6MI transmitter was at a fork in the road. One fork (to the right) was marked no trespassing. A very small sign on the other fork showed that the forest road continued left. You could see the white antenna mast (tied to a tree) from the road.

Hunters shared bearings, as I requested.

Scot Barth (KA6UDZ) reported a "horizontally polarized" bearing of 309 degrees from Anaheim. This bearing was dead on.

WA6RJN reported a bearing of 340 degrees from his location. This was pretty close.

KF6GQ reported a bearing of 295 degrees from Arrow Highway and the 605 freeway. I am reporting this bearing for comedic relief.

N6AIN had no bearing from his house in Mar Vista.

Late on Friday night, I took a bearing of 310 degrees from a location near the Pathfinder staring point.

On Saturday, the weather was cloudy and foggy, with occasional ice showers. Perfect!

WB6HPW never got out of the starting blocks. Zero transmitters. DNF.

KA6UDZ did not go mobile, but gets credit for his fine bearing.

N6AIN/N6EKS found three transmitters. They sent in a photograph as a sign in for the fifth N6MI transmitter. I could not see the white stick on the pole of the N6MI transmitter, so they are awarded three transmitters.

KF6GQ/KD6LAJ found four transmitters, including the WB6HPW transmitter. They were talked into T3, which did not survive the ice storm. T3 began transmitting again, but only after drying out in the back of the KF6GQ heated vehicle. (I thank them for bringing back the transmitters and antennas to the city.)

WA6RJN signed into three transmitters. He sent in a photograph as a sign in for the fifth N6MI transmitter. This photograph was pretty close to the actual transmitter, so I will award a fourth transmitter to WA6RJN.

I reported that the initial bearing would determine the winner, in case of a tie. I did not say that the winner would need to find any transmitters on the ground. So KA6UDZ is the winner of the hunt. He will hide the all-day hunt on October 27. If KA6UDZ is not able to hide the transmitter hunt, WA6RJN will hide in October (since WA6RJN found his four transmitters in less time than KF6GQ/KD6LAJ found their four transmitters).

 

73,

N6MI