Hiders: N6MI Scott and K6VCR Tom.

We decided to pull out the old-repeater-on-a-local-hill trick.

Our half-watt simplex repeater was installed in N6MI's cellular on wheels (COW) and connected to a 5/8 whip on the roof. The COW was parked on a hill in Rowland Heights. This signal could be heard throughout the San Gabriel Valley. N6AIN/N6EKS, WA6RJN, and KF6GQ/KA6TAS found this transmitter.

Then three major transmitters were placed so that their signals would be repeated from the COW. At times, the repeater created an illusion that each major transmitter had an evil twin (in a different direction).

A one watt transmitter ("N6MI" in Morse Code) was placed a half-mile north of Coldbrook Campground on Highway 39 in the Angeles National Forest. The transmitter fed a four element yagi (horizontally polarized, aimed southwest) sitting on top of a three foot cactus. No one found this transmitter, but WA6RJN was very close when he was driven off the mountain on Saturday night by heavy rain and exhaustion.

The N6MI transmitter was accompanied by a KF6GQ design voice transmitter ("N6MI hidden t" in a robot voice) in a bush near the intersection of Van Tassel Motorway and Fish Canyon Road in Azusa. This transmitter could be heard weakly from high spots in Rowland Heights, but was not usually repeated by the COW. Only WA6RJN found this transmitter.

A second one watt transmitter ("N6MI T22" in Morse Code) was placed in an oak meadow near the San Dimas Reservoir in San Dimas. The Byonics Micro-Trak AIO transmitter fed a four element log periodic (horizontally polarized, tied to a skinny tree, aimed southwest). The antenna was four feet off the ground. This transmitter was found by N6AIN/N6EKS and WA6RJN.

The N6MI 22 transmitter was accompanied by a weak Byonics Micro-Fox transmitter (diving sounds and "K6VCR T2" in Tom's voice) loading a dipole. This transmitter was sitting on a small dirt berm near the northern edge of a golf course, less than a mile south of N6MI T22. N6AIN/N6EKS and WA6RJN found this transmitter.

A 30-watt transmitter (tones then "K6VCR T1" in fast Morse Code) was hidden on the fringe of an industrial park in Corona. The antenna was a long whip. This transmitter was heard throughout the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire. There was a lovely bounce off of Mt. Baldy. N6AIN/N6EKS, WB6JPI, N6ZHZ, and WA6RJN found this transmitter.

The K6VCR T1 transmitter was accompanied by a Byonics Micro-Fox transmitter with K6VCR's voice (alarm sounds then "K6VCR T10") running into a dipole. This transmitter was tightly attached to a bush behind a 91 freeway wall (north of the 91), just east of the 91 and 71 freeway merge. N6EKS/N6AIN, N6ZHZ, WB6JPI, and WA6RJN found this transmitter.

The Micro-Fox transmitters could only be heard in the local area and were not repeated by the COW.

10,000 foot views of the transmitters are mapped on the attached PDF. (Thanks, Tom.) Mount Gleason or AF6O's house are shown for reference; there were no transmitters at either location.

The first transmitters (N6MI and N6MI T22) were on the air on Thanksgiving. N6MJN was the first to identify the repeater (in a conversation with N6AIN on 146.565 MHz). On Saturday night, we turned off the repeater. By Sunday morning, the Micro-Trak transmitters were off the air. However, the remaining transmitters were still on the air when we picked them up on Sunday afternoon.

WA6RJN is the winner, with six of seven transmitters.

Thanks for coming out.

73,

N6MI and K6VCR

Map and pictures of Ts of November 2016 Mini All Day

Cow T
N6AIN/N6EKS
WA6RJN
KF6GQ/KA6TAS

N6MI Morse Code
No one found

N6MI Voice T
WA6RJN

N6MI T22
N6AIN/N6EKS
WA6RJN

K6VCR T2 Voice
N6AIN/N6EKS
WA6RJN

K6VCR T1
N6AIN/N6EKS
WB6JPI
N6ZHZ
WA6RJN

K6VCR T10
N6EKS/N6AIN
N6ZHZ
WB6JPI
WA6RJN

The winner is Doug WA6RJN with 6 Ts

Doug's Story