Radios on Eagle Mountain

It was a lovely fall day to be outside enjoying the fresh air. The day was cloudy but calm and quite warm. It would be ideal for setting up a radio on a summit and operating for a while. Ralph agreed and so we set out from my place around 10:45 and made for a small summit in Abbotsford – Eagle Mountain. It was a 50-minute drive and soon we were making our way up the slope past all the new homes that were clinging to the cliff face some which seemed quite precariously.

We have made this trip annually for the last number of years and have been watching the slow encroachment of the summit area by new homes. This time the two homes closest to the summit area were finally complete and blocking much of the view from the summit area. There was still a bit of view in a few directions but the best was gone. Progress, I guess. The upper homes seemed to be crowded in up there.

By mountain size and challenge, this was a very easy drive-up activation. It offers an easy one-point activation for when you want to get out but not do any strenuous work – my type of mountain. We arrived at the end of the road in a cul-de-sac and found one last spot where we could park – right next to the short driveway up to the operating area. We parked and walked around the area taking a few photos. The summit is endowed with a big water reservoir and tall cell tower. We selected places in the open area next to the fenced area of our neighbour.

Ralph attached his mast to the fence for support I set up my normal tripod and raised my 2m yagi. For today’s activity I would be doing 2m calls only. This works well in the Fraser Valley area when on a summit. I soon had my first responses in my log including one station from Sooke! We were both surprised at being able to make contact. Soon I could hear club member Ken who was over on Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver. I turned my yagi toward him and his signal picked up from unusable to completely clear. The directional mode was working well in the yagi. Some days I wonder if it really works at all but today it was evident that it does make a big difference on weaker signals.

After Ken, I managed Don another club member who was at home in Ocen Park. Another member of the club – Jim could hear my signal but he wasn’t getting back to me at all. So unfortunately, he did not get in my log as texting doesn’t count. Meanwhile Ralph was doing very well on 20m CW. He made around 20 contacts across the continent and felt responses were coming in well. I finished with 14 contacts in my log a good number for 2m on a lower summit. The cell tower RF interference and the Wi-Fi from the now close by homes didn’t give me much problem but Ralph noticed a much higher noise floor than on previous activations. The hidden pollution of modern life had reached the summit! I am fortunate to have a good band-pass filter for my radio which blocks the cell tower noise for my radio but Ralph didn’t have one.

Done with radios, we set out for the coffee shop of choice. We settled into a nice chair with hot drugs in hand and enjoyed a chat about our day’s success. It had been a pleasant time on the summit this year – warm and calm. A lovely day in the fresh air even if the views were reduced, but now it was time to drive home and return to the ordinary and hopefully finishing our day with flair. Plans for our next adventure already in our minds.