Barry K7BWH and Rod WE7X activated five grids in the 2015 ARRL September VHF Contest. We traveled to Oregon's most southeast corner, which is also known as the "Oregon Outback" and for good reason. Here is a PDF file with a slideshow from our trip. We presented this in the Oct 2015 club meeting.

Here's the photo story of our club while we safely remove the equipment.

On June 28-29, 2014, we enjoyed our annual Field Day at Sunny Hills Elementary School.

On November 15, 2012, the Issaquah ARC club held a work party to take down an unused tower and antenna system from an aging local ham. Here is a slideshow of our activity.

Are you interested in buying this very nice tri-band beam or vertical? Or buying a used 60-foot winch-driven tilt-over tower? Please contact Rod WE7X!
Do YOU have unused radios, towers or antennas that you would like to donate to a good cause? Call us, we can help!

Saturday - Sunday, June 23rd - 24th, 2012

• 8 am Begin setup
• 11 am Begin operating Saturday
• 2 pm End operating Sunday

Class 2A:

• HF station #1: TS-850, vee beam
• HF station #2: TS-850, inverted vee
• VHF station: FT-897, 6m and 2m beams
• Digital: (not this year)
• GOTA: (not this year)

Logistics:

• Food (meals provided)
• No alcohol on school grounds
• Bring your own chairs
• All battery powered stations
• Power mains for fridge, lights, other
• Club meeting at 7:15 pm Saturday, all invited
• Everyone welcome to operate or hang around
• Everyone help set up and tear down
• Everyone to recruit visitors, youth U19
  

Location Map of Sunny Hills:

Barn Layout Map of Sunny Hills:

Bonus Points Plan:

1. 100% emergency power     (100 pts per xmtr)  
   
2. Media publicity     (100 pts)     Resp: John KA7TTY
3. Public location     (100 pts)    Resp: (done)
4. Public information table     (100 pts)     Resp: John
5. Message to Section Manager (100 pts)     Resp: John
6. Message handling     (100 pts)     Resp: John
7. Satellite QSO     (100 pts)     Resp: 
8. Alternate power, non mains, non generator (100 pts)
9. W1AW bulletin     (100 pts)     Resp: John
10. Educational activity     (100 pts)     Resp: 
11. Site visitation by elected official (100 pts)     Resp: Bruce
12. Site visitation by served agency (100 pts)     Resp: Bruce
13. GOTA station     (10 – 500 pts)     (not this year)
14. Web entry     (50 pts)     Resp: Barry
15. Youth participation U19     (20 – 100 pts)     Resp: Everyone to recruit youth
    

Rod WE7X and Barry WA7KVC went roving around Olympic Peninsula coastline on January 21-22 during the ARRL January 2012 VHF Contest.

Our goal was to activate the remote lowland coastal grids in the state during the VHF contest. This is the dead of winter so other possible destinations that involve actual hilltops or mountainous inland grids were not considered, especially in light of our recent weather. The Seattle area was still digging out from snowfall, ice storms, downed trees, mudslides, widespread power outages and closures. To set the stage, you should realize that Rod’s home had been without power for two days before, and their neighborhood was still dark when we returned. Barry’s house had power restored just before we left.

Our plan to target the “warmer” ocean coast turned out to be mostly successful – at least it didn’t rain all the time during our trip. Sometimes it snowed for awhile instead.

During the 650-mile drive, our constant companions were rain, cold, wind, squalls, snow and fog. But it was fabulously scenic. Thankfully the 4Runner’s broad liftgate provided shelter from the worst elements when we stopped and put up the 2-meter beam at the back of the truck. All we had to do is remember to park pointing into the wind.


Route
We drove clockwise around the Olympic Peninsula, thinking that we should activate the single most difficult grid square (CN78 at Sekiu) on Sunday morning during the VHF weak-signal net. This turned out to be a Good Idea because it gave us a better chance of reaching the most capable VHF stations. It was difficult to make any contacts but we achieved a few by bouncing signals from Mt Baker.

Rover Highlights
We scouted the route to North Point (Kloshe Nanitch Lookout), a nice high 3,000’ ridge in the closer part of CN78. The road was totally blocked by recent snow to the extent that its forest path was unfindable.


Instead of North Point, we went to a spot near the Sekiu airport, a distant second choice in altitude and desirability, but it's the best we could do in an area simply chock full of poor choices.


I love the banter you can use when calling from CN78: "CQ CQ, CQ from Sekiu, CQ to Sekiu, and CQ everywhere else". I think that all active hams should have a chance to visit a place that can help spread so much mind-boggling confusion.

Crossing grid lines is always exciting. Just when you think the bands died or the antenna fell off, you cross a grid line and suddenly become extremely popular again. All grid line crossings were like this, but when we entered CN97 above Issaquah Highlands on the plateau at 1,001-foot elevation, we enjoyed a real pile-up. Rod made 15 contacts in 10 minutes.


A blizzard at night driving from Forks to Port Angeles caused almost white-out conditions. Indeed, there was snow alongside the road on the entire route and snowplows were few and far between.


It was a new experience to send CW in conditions so cold that it required two-finger gloves.

January is so far off the tourist season in Port Angeles that one of their best Fish-n-Chips restaurants closed early: 7pm Saturday!

A golden sun spurting crepuscular rays across the heavens while it sets behind a cloud bank over the crashing surf is always a huge inspirational thrill, even in near-freezing temperatures.


We pulled into a Super-8 hotel in Port Angeles, and their entry overhang looked quite high. Imagine our surprise when we step out to discover the loops had just cleared it by an inch. If we’d parked a little to the left then it would’ve had a nasty dispute with a light fixture.


Testing New Gear
A large part of this trip's purpose was to try out a wide variety of new equipment:

1. New Toyota 4Runner – a very capable truck that makes some unthinkable spots possible and some difficult conditions become easy. It has lots of storage room and good road manners at all speeds in all conditions.
   Biggest problem: while operating at the back end, the rainwater pools in the liftgate and later, when you pull down the hatch, makes itself known. The icy water takes a diabolically unavoidable path down your arm and into your neck and armpit.
   Second biggest problem: In spite of its advanced hill-climbing features, a new 4Runner still won’t let you climb a forest trail up to a 3,000’ ridge on a road that is so buried under snow that it’s unfindable.
    
2. New trailer hitch T-adapter – this allows two versatile side mounting positions, where we could have two masts while not blocking the rear hatch access.
   Biggest problem: Rod is keeping it for himself. So, just because he provided the entire idea, design, parts, labor, construction, painting, installation and testing, why does he think he can keep this dandy device?
   
    
3. New TM-D710 dual band mobile radio – integrates with Avmap G5 and supports APRS and displays your six-digit grid square with a handy continuous dashboard display.
   Biggest problem: there were no APRS receiving stations around most of the Olympic Peninsula to bridge our position to the Internet.
   
    
4. M2 seven-element 2-meter beam on a 15’ mast – terrific gain, f/b ratio, low SWR, portability and light weight. This let us bounce a signal from CN78 (Sekiu) off of Mt Baker and work a few stations in Seattle.
   Biggest problem: you just don’t need these features for the other 90% of the contacts around the greater Seattle area.
   
    
5. New deep-cycle storage battery – its huge 134 amp-hour capacity could probably have powered both VHF radios for the entire weekend.
   Biggest problem: the battery went untested and unused since it I forgot to connect it.

Results
The overall contest activity was very light. The recent ice and snow storms probably reduced the participation from everyone across the Pacific NW. We had no good 6-meter or 2-meter openings during the trip and we only made three Canadian contacts.

Band	From CN76	From CN77	From CN78	From CN87	From CN88	From CN97	Total
50 MHz	2	4	–	14	10	14	47
144 MHz	4	4	9	17	4	12	50
432 MHz	–	–	–	–	–	6	6
Total	6	8	9	31	14	35	103

This was my first two-person rover contest operation. It was highly enjoyable and a rather successful trip, activating six grids resulting in 103 contacts for an estimated score of 2,398 points.

Barry WA7KVC

The W7BI club station operated from Mount Rainier in the ARRL VHF Contest on September 11th, 2011. Here are some photographs contributed by Rod WE7X. Click on the thumbnail image to see it at regular size.

Early morning sunrise with Suntop Lookout in the distance

Papa, Momma and wee baby Honda bears (near Suntop Lookout)

Lots of antennas for four bands!

W7BI VHF  field station setup and ready on 2011-09-11

At the October 5th, 2011 meeting our program was a fascinating presentation about Software Defined Radios (SDR) by member Howard W1HMB and guest John W7FU. Click here to read the program material. You can follow its links to much more information.

Many thanks to Howard and John!

Update: Here is the latest High-Performance Software-Defined Radio article from CQ Magazine, Nov 2011, by PNW ham Jeremy McDermond NH6Z. He is the author of the Mac SDR software and is often seen at technical gatherings around the Pacific Northwest area.

Some of our IARC members participated in the Washington State QSO Party (aka Salmon Run) on Sept 17 - 18.

Barry WA7KVC drove to the Umatilla Natonal Forest and activated the mostly-empty Garfield County.
For his full photo story, see his writeup at www.wa7kvc.com.


Rod WE7X made contacts from the Suntop Lookout station in Pierce County overlooking the northwest flank of Mt Rainier.
For his full story, see the Oct 2011 SquakBox.

(Did any other members participate in the Salmon Run? Add your comment below or email it to the webmaster!)