Quick thought. I know most people use the SOTAwatch3 site, the SOTA Goat app or otherwise to add alerts, but does anyone have any interest in, or utter objections to, pinning a thread on this page for upcoming activation plans? Many might be lone wolfs, or only like to hike with a select crew, etc. Understood. However, for those that are looking to just let everyone know they planning to activate within W0C soon (or elsewhere) this thread could act as an alert alternative or supplement to Sotawatch3/other applications. For those looking for a hiking partner in crime (or misery), I figured this might be a good, permanent thread option for the page. It's just another way to dial in and distill the local activations from the widespread noise via the other alert options. If someone has broadband service while hiking/nearing the summit, it can also be used as a last minute alter/spot. Yes, one can filter the existing tools for W0C alerts but I think this also adds an opportunity for last minute beta, suggestions, warnings, etc. Sure, the thread might generate many emails, and some that are salty might not like the barrage of emails, but then again, if you joined an .io group, you probably don't have too much of an aversion to emails ;) Plus, it's easy to hit delete. My 2 cents. Thanks - Mike.

The trip up Sniktau on Sunday was exactly as I expected. Cold and windy! There was almost no snow on the ridgeline all the way from the parking area at Loveland Pass to the summit. We didn't have to use spikes or snowshoes. I am sure that this ridge is bare most of the time due to the wind, but we sure could use more snow... Once at the top, I set up for 2m activation using my TIDRadio TD-H3 with a telescoping antenna. I called CQ a few times on 146.58, and I got two contacts: N1SMB on Keystone, and Bob K0NR from Trout Creek Pass. Then I went to 52 and got a few more, including N0DET on his way to Mt. Pence. I brought my KX2 with me, but it was so cold and the wind was howling, so we decided to call it after I got four contacts. Just as I was about to wrap up, Ray KD8EQA came through from Castle Rock with a fifth contact. We decided to head back down and get a beer. I couldn't describe it as "fun", but It was a great experience to be up there. I'm happy I did it. Now that I've activated once a month the whole year, I have to figure out a new goal for next year! Torreys Peak from the Summit of Sniktau Me, Nick KC3DNF and Sarah at the top, post activation. Eisenhower Tunnel and Loveland From the top. Lots of dirt along the ridge. 73, Terry WB0RBA

Check out the current solar report! 73, Brad WA6MM

Maybe this explains the poor HF condx yesterday morning as we were getting on the air around 1600 for the W0C Campout/SOTA palooza: As it seems to be with these events, if you are willing to wait it out a bit, things often improve. I didn't have a stellar log on Tremont Mtn in the morning (~1600z), but a few hours later on Dakota Hill things were crankin'! Thanks again to James and xyl Jamie for hosting the evening get-together at their campsite, and the SOTA activators who participated - it was great to see you all in person! I know there were others who just couldn't make it - we missed you all - but hope to see you all next year. The wx was great, and the evening was warm and clear - we could hardly have asked for a better day! 73, Dave, N0DET

Hi All In June, a message was posted about a proposed 2024 W0C SOTA Campout. It’s been a while since there has been an update, so I figured I’d take a quick moment to offer some ideas and request additional feedback. I apologize for the length of this message but I wanted to make sure I covered the key discussion points. A few months ago, a few of us got together to toss around some ideas. Ultimately, we landed on some suggested changes to what was initially proposed. We discussed that it would likely be best to keep the CO 14er Event and the W0C SOTA Campout as separate and distinct events, as opposed to combining them, which was the idea that was initially floated. We noted how this would likely offer the following benefits: · We’d have two (2) separate activation-focused W0C SOTA Association events for the year. More is better. · We knew that a number of folks like to operate remote peaks during the 14er event and didn’t want to interfere with existing plans. · By not combining the two events it maintains the tradition of the CO 14er Event and doesn’t muddy the waters in terms of planning, etc. · The suggested 2024 W0C SOTA Campout weekend we are proposing is September 13th-15th. This provides a great fall event for our CO Mountains and it would coincide with the ARRL September VHF Contest (Sept. 14-16), affording activators the opportunity to participate in the VHF contest from a summit while simultaneously participating in Campout /activation activities. Again, we are offering the suggested weekend for the Campout as September 13th-15th, 2024. We also discussed locations that would be beneficial for the vast majority of the W0C Association members. Discussions centered on the proximity to SOTA summits, convenience, and the likelihood of participation based on location. We felt that if a location was too remote, it might possibly deter some from attending. Thus, we noted that the Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a solid candidate. It’s just to the West of the Denver Metropolitan area while being somewhat equidistant from those living in large communities to the North and South of Denver. https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/GoldenGateCanyon There are a few options for accommodations at Golden Gate Canyon State Park. There are two areas that offer individual campsites at the park, namely “Reverand’s Ridge” and “Aspen Meadows.” There’s also a group site (Rifleman Phillips Group Campground) that offers yet another option. Reverand’s Ridge has both electric hookups for those with RV’s, trailers etc. in addition to a number of tent sites and cabins for rent. There’s also showers and flush toilets here. Aspen Meadows is more “austere” in that it’s simply tent sites and vault toilets. The Rifleman Phillips group site has vault toilets and tent sites only but can accommodate up to 75 people and 15 cars. Essentially, for any of the above, there’s obviously camping fees. The sites and associated fees can be viewed at the below link. https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/GoldenGateCanyon/Pages/Camping.aspx If people are interested in doing the Group Campground, there is going to be the need to book and pay for the group site in advance. Thus, folks that are interested will have to pay a designated person in advance so that the site can be booked. Or, the individual that books the site can be later reimbursed. This can be coordinated at another time, but it’s something to note. If folks are interested in doing either Reverand’s Ridge or Aspen Meadows, then it will be incumbent upon everyone to book their sites as soon as the opportunity (booking window) opens. Sites can be booked no more than 6 months in advance. Thus, the booking window for September 13th and 14th will open up on March 13th and 14th. More details on this can be provided later. Again, we just wanted to give everyone a heads up. This method is how other Associations have been successfully operating their annual Campouts (W1, W4, and W7O, etc.) FYI, this is a VERY popular time to camp in CO, so sites will go quickly if people aren’t willing to book immediately when the window opens. Also, Golden Gate Canyon State Park is not the only option. There are others. But if people prefer to go elsewhere, please offer suggestions so the planning can begin! In terms of the planned Campout Activities, this is up for discussion. However, in general, for those interested, there will be two days of activating summits (14th and 15th) and two nights of gatherings around designated sites (13th and 14th). For those that want to hang out at the campground and chase the activators (or not chase), that’s also an option. TBD! If people want to camp yet another evening after getting down from the summit (15th), that’s also an option. I’m sure some would be interested in that. What are we requesting? 1) Do you like the proposed dates? 2) Is Golden Gate Canyon an acceptable location? If not, please offer alternatives. 3) Do you prefer the individual camp site option(s) or the Group site? 4) MOST IMPORTANTLY, Are you interested in attending in general? There wasn’t a ton of responses to the proposal back in June, but I know that was more than a year in advance. However, those of us that have been discussing this idea would truly appreciate responses noting whether or not they’d be willing to attend. Ultimately, if there’s not much interest, there’s no need to continue to market the idea and fill up everyone’s email inbox. If it’s a small number of folks, we can just plan things on the side privately. Not a worry at all. However, this is a great opportunity to get folks together and could be a great event to continue annually. I’m positive I forgot to discuss a few topics, but the post was already long enough. Everything else can get ironed out, but we wanted to put something out sooner rather than later and get the ball rolling. Thanks in advance!

I've done many first activations in Colorado when I started SOTA nine years ago. Many have not had repeats for some reason. Perhaps it's because I don't publish detailed info on the routes I took. But that's starting to change slowly. My good friend Dennis (WA2USA) and I did Sheep Mtn (W0C/SP-041) at the end of last month. He became the second activator to do that peak -- and he's from Indiana! In fact, he's been among the top second, third or forth activators on several of our peaks. For those with capable offroad vehicals, the easiest way to summit is from Browns Pass on the south side of the mountain. You park at the start of the Sheep Mountain trailhead which takes you to the final section of the ridgeline to Sheep Mtn. The trail at that point takes you down to the Horseshoe Campground thousands of feet below. You can start this climb at the Horseshoe campground but it's a much longer hike with much more vertical feet from there. Late breaking news: Jim (N0IPA) did the third activation of Sheep Mtn shortly after we did it. I now have a SOTA complete -- thanks Jim! There are a lot of quality peaks out there to activate....go get 'um! 73, Brad WA6MM

I have been thinking about Medicine Bow Peak, W7Y/EW-001 for a few months. I drove up there Friday after work. After I crossed into WY I heard a 146.520 QSO breaking squelch. I few minutes later the signal got better and I chased KD0YOB on Muddy Mtn, W7Y/EW-005. I got to the Medicine Bow Peak area found a place to pitch a tent. I started hiking the Medicine Bow Peak trail a few minutes after 7am on Saturday morning. Hike took me a bit over two hours. There were not many people early, but by the time I got back to the 4Runner, I had seen hundreds of people. It is a very popular area for hiking and fishing. The main part of this post was after setting up the HF antenna, I tried the Yaesu FT-60 with the flexible 17" antenna, and got Dave, N0DET. A few minutes later he made the summit of Parnassus, and we had a VHF S2S. I just looked on Google Maps, and see it was 116 miles between the summits. I know there have been longer VHF contacts, but this was the longest for me. I took a longer route down Medicine Bow and I saw a lot of neat country. Mark N0MTN

Good evening, everyone! My name is Jared, and I’m approaching my one-year anniversary of earning my general license. I initially got into ham radio specifically for SOTA. After a year and 10 activations, I’m becoming more familiar and confident in navigating this amazing hobby. Recently, I attempted to summit McReynolds Peak (W0C/FR-120). However, the route I had planned and researched led me to private property with “No Trespassing” signs. I was eager to attempt an activation, but the last thing I wanted was to put my wife and myself in danger. So, we made the best of the situation, drove back along Old Stage Road into Colorado Springs, and decided it was still a nice way to spend Labor Day. Since returning home, I’ve been determined to see how others have activated this peak in the past. After further research, I believe I’ve found an alternative, legal route for my next attempt. Building on this, I've found several other locations in the area that I would like to activate, but they also seem to be situated on or near dense private property. I’m not sure if this is part of the challenge of SOTA, but as a new activator, I'm very curious about how often the SOTA database gets updated, what the requirements are for adding a location to the database, who the W0C SOTA database administrator is, and whether we can assist them in updating the database. This would help make the hobby safer for both newcomers and experienced activators, ensuring we maintain a legal, enjoyable, and safe environment for everyone. To give a specific example, Cow Mountain (W0C/FR-129) appears to be entirely on private property. I use Gaia maps with the private land overlay, and it shows that this area is owned by Terri L. Hoffman. The last activation of this location was on February 4, 2018. I’m curious whether the person who activated it knew the landowner or if it was public land at that time. I’m eager to hear others' thoughts on this topic—whether I’m being overly cautious or if other activators share my frustration when trying to earn some points. Thank you all for your knowledge and the fun stories you share. 73, Jared KF0NRX

Severe geomag storm today! I hope our activators mades some contacts. 73, Brad WA6MM