Don and Steve's Story
The weather man said look for rain. When I got out to the T-Hunt
mobile, the sun was shining, there were few clouds. As we approched the
start point the sky became more overcast, looks like it could rain. At
10:00am we could hear a T Iding as WA6RJN N? Doug called and
asked how we where hearing the T, and telling us the T wasn't running
100% reliable, also it was 5Khz high in frequency. It didn't matter,
the T was half scale and could be copied on 146.565 or 146.570. Until
we got off the hill, then it was on sideband with pre-amp. When we got
to Muholland Dr. we got off right after Dave IDF and Maline, saw XFC
& AIN go by at speed limit + 20mph. We got a bearing of 335 same as
it was at the start. So up the 5 frwy we went. When we got to the top
of the pass we actually hear more than one T, so we knew that most
likely the T's were not 100's of miles away. Took some bearings just
before Castic Lake, because we wern't sure if we didn't want to go over
to Burnt Peak. The bearings indicated we wanted to stay on the 5 frwy.
So up the 5 we continued. We had a choice get off at Tremplin hwy or
continue. The bearings we now where getting said somewhere up by Liebre
Mt. Go the old Ridge route it would be shorter. We continued up the 5.
At about Smokey Bear exit we got passed by N6IDF, interestedly they
didn't get off at the 138, I wonder what they heard that we didn't,
better stop and listen carefully. Hey! we can hear several T's from
here. Let's go east on the 138 and see what happen's. By the time we
get to the old Ridge Route turn off we can hear several T's to the
east. Up on the road to Liebre Mt. we can hear T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and
T'N" (T0) is looking more like it's up on Liebre Mt. We get some
bearings on the other T's before going up. We are now on the old Ridge
Route, this is the fourth time in the last six months I've been up
here. Once to check out my hiding place for my last all-day hide and
once to set up the T's, then once more to take them down, so I knew the
terrain well. But all the way up to the turn off to Liebre Mt. we were
not getting anything that said for sure the T was up there. Also, why
would Doug place a T up where I hid less than six months ago! I was
telling Steve (LAJ) that we needed a sign to continue to go up that
long road, something like a signal or such. As we approched the turn
off, here comes XFC & AIN going about sixty miles an hour, not even
slowing to make the turn off coming up from the south on the Ridge
Route. I guess that was the sign that I was looking for! So up we went
following some distance behind Steve & Deryl. As we approched the
top the signal pointed off on the left instead of straight ahead as it
would if the T had been hidden where I had hid my T's. Any way after a
short sniff, going away from the T, XFC & AIN got to the T0 before
us. We signed in and talked with Steve & Deryl for a few minutes.
Off Steve & Deryl went futher up the road to the east. Why would
anybody go that way? Any one knows the rest of the T's are down in the
desert. Wait! That's right they came up the front side, they don't know
the T's are back the way we came in, too bad. On the way down we met
another ham on his way up, but wasn't hunting, just going for a ride.
We told him what we where doing and he told us about two fish &
game cars he saw on the way up, who had antennas on their vehicles as
we did. We thanked him for this information and continued down. We then
met IDF & SNE on their way up, (the two fish & game cars). We
gave them lies and continued down. When we finally got back to 138, we
could still hear several T's and went looking for them. When we got to
the first road that would take us north towards T3, we lost all signals
except T1! Boy they must be over the Tehachapi Mts. We went for T2. It
took us a better part of an hour to get close to T1. The place is
surounded with many tree farms with no trespassing signs & such. We
drove to the east of the T and to the west of the T, but couldn't get
close. We finally saw a road that had signs, but the no tresspassing
sign had been covered, so we went in that way. We followed one of the
underground aqueducts access roads, until we came to the back side of a
locked gate. We knew that we were within 500' of the T, so we decided
to get out and walk to the T site. But before we could, a truck pulled
up behind us and asked what we thought we where doing on private
property? So we gave them our story, and they escorted us off of their
land, and told us not to come back ever! Ok, how to get over to the
other side? On the way over to where we thought was a possable way in,
we came across a stuck car, with a guy and his wife in it. We stopped
and asked if we could help in any way. He was employed by a local
rancher. Just as we got his vechile started, a truck pulled up and it
was this guys boss. So I asked him how to get to the hidden T, well I
didn't tell him what we where doing, but since I was so nice to his
worker, that he might help and tell me a way in. He did, but he told me
to just go right through this ranch that was in the way, I told him
that we can't go on private property that is posted. He then told me to
go up a dirt road until we met the aqueduct then go right on it, and it
should take us in. We finally found T1, a 3 element tape measure beam,
pointing NW. Well that was fun! now let's see if we can find any other
T's. We headed directly north towards T2. We finally found it in some
bushes in the middle of nowhere. Now we could hear T5 which was really
T6, it was still more north. When we got into the area, we found it
near a desert junk yard. Oh by the way, T1, T2, and T5(6), we where the
first to check in. We couldn't identify any other T's from here, so we
decided to go west and try and locate T3, which we now could't hear. On
the way over on Gaskell Rd. we spotted XFC & AIN stopped at a
interesting house, this house had walls of hay bales. XFC & AIN had
no useful information, and neither did we to them. I was wondering what
they where doing at this location, but they refused to tell me. Steve
(LAJ) went out and took several pictures of the house. XFC & AIN
left in a huff. We took off and continued west till we could hear T3.
It was as far north as you could drive, against a wire fence. This was
the last T we found. It was getting dark, but we decided to go look for
T4, which we had heard on various occasions, but hadn't heard for the
last several hours. We never heard T4 again, maybe it went belly up. We
quit and headed home. Got there after having dinner in Palmdale and
geting gas at about 7:45pm. Not a bad day, actually a good day.
Don & Steve KF6GQ
& KD6LAJ