ALL NIGHT T-HUNT

JULY 24, 2009

Bob, WB6JPI

It was a hot and somewhat humid day. The 4Runner was in good shape, But I wasn’t so hot. I went to the TRW swap meet and bought a few things. I did remember to bring along the long lost trophy but forgot to show anyone but I did go on the hunt. Sorta…  I went on the hunt but didn’t go on the find. But, I have never been so close.

At the start my bearing was 85 degrees which is not really Big Bear but more like San Gorgonio and stuff in the pass. I mentally opted for Banning as I did have some business there and could try to do it on my way through. So I went home from PV to get the papers I needed for my Banning trip. I had a nice lunch with Marlene, eating half of the sandwich she had prepared for herself. Signal was weak but still pointed mostly east so I went mostly east.

I arrived in Banning and did my business and the signal was now north as it should be as that is where the mountains are. It was not ever off of San Jacinto which was a great clue that it was not in the pass or on toward Palm Springs. So I went north. Up in to Cherry Valley and around all of the apple pie places. It wasn’t there. I then went up Bryant street to hwy 38, arriving at the Forestry station just as they were closing HWY 38 South of me due to a little lightning caused forest fire.

Now here is where it gets interesting. I had a good north bearing from Cherry Valley but as I started up the city creek part of 38 I had no signal. I went up past the Forest Falls turnoff and still no signal. It cannot be up at Big Bear or Onyx or anywhere up here without a signal on 38. I turned around and went back down. Big, very big mistake.

I jumped off of 38 at the road closure and went back through Wildwood canyon on down to HWY 10 and more east. The signal went away, but that didn’t deter me, it had to be in Pioneer Town or Johnson Valley or somewhere out here. It wasn’t. I went to HWY 62 and up into Yucca Valley and visited my book selling friend there and on to Old Woman Road and past Johnson Valley to HWY 18. I had a weak signal here and it pointed up the mountains to the south so I headed up to Big Bear from this side.

How exciting it is driving all over southern California on a nice hot day. Once I got to Big Bear I had all three transmitters all coming from either here or there depending on where I was when I took a bearing. I chose to go around the lake on the south side and of course every signal came from the North side. I then went over the dam and on to Fawnskin on the north side and all of the signals were coming from the south side.

Back around to the south side and carefully took bearings and signal strength readings. It was definitely stronger from the north side so I took precision bearings  from the north side and plotted them up to the rim on the south side. My map still shows a marker on 2N17 where this bearing crossed the road. I also mapped how to get to 2N17 using Mill Creek and 2N10 and went as far as the junction of 2N10/2N17 before I decided that it wasn’t there. So close but no banana, I had around 270 miles at that point, it was 7:00 PM and I was pooped. I went home.

Bob WB6JPI