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NS7P activation of King Mountain in southern OR on October 6, 2017

Submitted by NS7P on
APRS Coverage
Don't know
Cellular Provider
Verizon
Voice Cellular Coverage
Don't know
Data Cellular Coverage
Decent, workable

On a beautiful early October day, my XYL and I headed south to check out a W7O/SC-xxx summit. We chose King Mountain, a 5264 ft, four point peak with RF facilities on top. To get there get off of I-5 at Exit 78 and head east onto Speaker Rd. This road merges onto 33-5-10 which continues on past Azalea, OR. We used Google Maps directions which got us into the vicinity, but the road names become derivatives of 33-5-xx-xx and there are discrepancies in maps of the area. It is probably best to use a GPS and maps to find the route that ultimately gets you to the summit. That's what we did, and we got there.

 

The road to the summit passes through a rock circled campground that is a good place to park, avoiding the increasingly rough uphill road. The campground is about 3/4 mile from the summit. There is a gate about halfway up this final section, but it was open and not signed when we went up.

 

The road passes a broadcast tower that is 100 to 150 feet in elevation below the summit on the way up to the actual summit, which has a more extensive RF facility. We skirted around the summit in the activation zone, staying away from the noise makers on top. There are a number of shrubs and small pine trees to attach an antenna mast to, which I did.  It was a nice afternoon to operate SOTA.