Our recent multi-activator outing was another successful event. Attendees included myself, KI6CR, Mark K3MGM, Alexis WZ1EEE, and Edward KO6DVZ. We gathered at my QTH for coffee and pastries before heading to the summit. Special thanks to Mark K3MGM for bringing the treats! The coffee was from our local favorite, Moby’s, in North Hollywood. I recently connected with Edward on 2m simplex and discovered he’s a relatively new ham with a keen interest in the hobby. Alexis and I met this fall at a PAPA SYSTEMS Antenna show-and-tell in Burbank. I’ve known Mark for a couple of years from 2m simplex interactions, and our friendship has grown since then. I believe the more, the merrier for these activations. I truly enjoy the camaraderie as much as the activity itself.

I’m not usually a fan of Drive-Up activations, but when we found out that another ham, Kevin W6KCO, would be on this summit serving as the net control operator for a PAPA Systems simplex net, our interest piqued. Armed with a carafe of coffee and some pastries, we decided to drive Mark’s truck up to the peak.

The primary equipment for the day included the Elecraft KX2 and my homemade End Fed Half Wave wire antenna. This activation was special for me as I exclusively made contacts on the 10m band. The conditions were excellent, offering a clear path to Europe, which we fully utilized. Edward, who holds a Technician class license, had never operated SSB voice before. This was a perfect chance to have his first HF QSO. We quickly heard OT4A in Belgium and let Edward make his first HF sideband contact. Starting with a DX station while running QRP was quite an impressive way to start. I’m eager to head out with this group again soon!

I asked an artificial intelligence to make an image of this event, and this is what I got back. LOL