WA6RJN Doug's Story
of the November 26th 2016
Mini All Day Transmitter Hunt


I loaded up the vehicle Friday evening to get an early start on the start anywhere, anytime hunt hidden by N6MI and K6VCR. I hit the road at 5:30 AM. The only information I had was two readings posted on the group email. They were 10 and 60 degrees in the LA area.

By 6:30 I was in Azusa. I could here two Ts but was having a hard time getting a direction and I had a very high noise level. I stopped at a gas station on Irwindale Ave at the 210 and discovered that the coax shield had broken off in the connector. I had my soldering gun with me so I fixed it. Oddly, I could now hear a talking MI T with a direction of 0 degrees.

That reading coupled with other reading of 60 and 10 made me think the Ts were along Hwy 2. I discovered that was not the case after I arrive at Mount Wilson. OK, back to Azusa. On the way I could now hear two Ts at about 140 degrees. I estimated the Ts were in the Yorba Linda/Anaheim area. I did not hear the talking T this time.

I decided to take the 57 into the area. It was odd when I passed through Brea Canyon that there were good signals. I stopped at the Lambert exit and took readings. I had two at about 340 and a couple at 45 (wrong directions).

I decided to go to the Pathfinder starting point as it was close by. There were bearing for T1 and T22 (or one of them) that pointed to Azusa (these were both wrong of course). There was also one for T1 at about 235 (also wrong).

I wanted a second opinion so I went to Diamond Bar and took some readings at a high point in a housing tract. I had one at about 45 degrees, one toward Azusa, and one toward Sierra Madre (actually correct but I just didn’t believe anything by this point). I also had T1 at 235 (again, wrong). I proceeded west in the housing tract and found a great view to the west. I had a good bearing to the repeating T.

I followed this reading and found the MI truck. It was repeating T1 and T22. Finally found a T. I thought it was very odd that the repeating T could hear T1 and I couldn’t (more technical problems to work out). While I was there N6AIN and N6EKS drove up. It started to rain.  I got a good bearing on T22 (the real one) toward San Dimas.

I stopped off Via Verde and the 57 to confirm my reading. I also had a reading for T1 in the same direction.

T22 was found up San Dimas Canyon Rd along with the voice T2. T1 had pointed this direction also.

I could hear T1 but it was weak and had no real definitive direction, just generally east. As I continued east on Foothill Blvd the signal improved and pointed south. Looks like I had been following a bounce off the hills all this time. I took Euclid Ave south to the 71 and on into Corona. The signal became very strong. In Corona, just south of the freeway I had a bearing at about 310. Voice T10 could also be heard. The Green River off ramp sounded like a good choice but no T. I finally had a reading to the north of the freeway at Serfas Club Dr. On the north side I found T1 and the voice T10. It was raining again.

The count was now 5 Ts out of 7. After an out-of-the-car experience with a pizza, I decided to head home but listen for the other two Ts. On the way I remembered the talking T at the 210 and Irwindale Ave and heard it from the freeway. I tracked it down to Encarto Pwky off of Huntington Dr. N6AIN / K6EKS had only found 5 Ts and their calls were not on this T’s sign-in sheet. That makes 6 Ts for me – oops, guess I just won.

After informing the hiding team, they gave a clue the final T (cw N6MI) was up San Gabriel Canyon. I traveled up the canyon 13 miles before hearing the T. The signal picked and became very strong. I suspect it was hidden in one of the switchbacks but it was dark, late (11:45 PM), and I was tired and returned home.

This was a very well thought out hunt (except maybe for the cw MI T). The Ts were scattered over a wide area (almost a circle) with the repeating T in the middle. T1 in Corona was bouncing off the hills near T22. T22, cw MI, and the talking MI T were all up canyons. Overall this was a very challenging hunt. It would have been even better had it not been for the technical problems with the radios and antenna coax. Congratulations to the hiding team for a fine hunt.

WA6RJN