w6csn’s outdoor amateur radio

Christmas Eve-eve 2022 brought a combo of free time, good weather, and motivation to get out for a much needed POTA activation. After three long months W6CSN returned to the airwaves for a QRP CW activation, this time at K-1196 San Bruno Mountain State Park.

After paying the $6 day use fee we found that the park was well suited to RF emissions with some elevated ridges and an aptly designated “Radio Road.”

At first we came upon the picnic area, which was deserted because everybody was sitting in lowland traffic trying to get to the shopping centers for last minute Christmas buying, perfect! There were plenty of picnic tables available near the parking lot, but my assistant suggested we do a little hike to get a better view.

After walking a third of a mile I espied from the road a short pole or post sticking up from the scrubby bushes just up the hill. Thinking this would make a convenient support for the Spiderbeam mast, we left the trail for a few hundred feet and found a spot to get set up. The object seen from the dirt road turned out to be a very rusty and rather flimsy old T-post, but there was essentially no wind so it kept the mast upright with no problem.

The 20 meter EFHW with the Sparkplug Gear 64:1 un-un was deployed in a sloping configuration favoring stations to the east, which is where I expected most my hunters to be located.

This activation was undertaken with only the QCX-Mini so if for whatever reason I couldn’t get it on the air or the band was dead then that was it, no backup. Turns out I was a bit unprepared for a CW activation, or I was just out of practice, but my fist was terrible. I struggled sending morse while holding the paddles in hand and really appreciate the hunters that put up with my many mistakes.

I didn’t have any cell service on my phone, but thankfully, my assistant had two bars of LTE so I was able to spot myself with her phone. Some of the activations I’ve done have been a real challenge to complete with the 10 QSOs needed, but today I had 17 contacts in the log in just over a half an hour. Very little calling was needed today and the QCX-Mini did a great job reaching all over the U.S.

One item of note about this park is that is right underneath a southwest departure route from SFO, so audio QRM from climbing aircraft can be a bit of a problem. Headphones recommended.

All in all San Bruno Mountain makes for a great POTA site featuring easy walking with splendid views of San Francisco, Brisbane and the Bay. I certainly intend to return in the future for more POTA activities.