Hider: Steve KD6LAJ


My goal was to stay fairly close to save fuel and time. I had to be at work at 5am so I left home at just after 4 am. I left work at 6:30am or so, and headed up Angeles Crest Highway to my planned hiding spot. I noticed in passing that the sign said the road was closed 40 miles in. I didn't think that this was likely, since the snow had been gone for some time. Someone must have messed with the sign. At the Angeles Forest Highway turnoff, another sign said I was on a closed road. This was a little more worrisome. I continued on to Red Box, and another sign saying, more convincingly, that this road does not make it through to Wrightwood. Well, I thought, too late to go anywhere else, so on I went. I still had over an hour to find a spot and hide the transmitter. I hoped I could at least make it past the tunnels, so that I could lure some hunters up Highway 39, which also does not quite make it all the way through to Hwy2. (Later, a couple of teams did try Hwy39. Better to eliminate it early, than have to come back later. Hwy 39 was closed at a lower gate, so it saved these hunters time and mileage.) Hwy2 was close at the parking lot for the Pacific Crest Trail crossing. Since I could go no farther, and I was at the gate for closed Hwy39, this seemed like a good spot for the hidden transmitter. I found a good spot for it between the PCT and another trail, on the north side of the parking lot. I set up the Boomer beam (15 elements) and my 2 watt ammo box. I was shielded fro the start point, I thought, so I aimed the beam at a nearby peak just east of my location. I had to adjust its aim a little to get good signal to the hunters at the start.

Nothing to do now but get out the food and drinks and wait in the shade for someone to find me. Bored, I hiked up the PCT a ways and took some photos. Came back just before Deryl (N6AIN) showed up, just after 11 am. Rats, I did not make the 3 hour minimum! AIN had no interest in sniffing it, but found it without too much trouble. Deryl and I ate sandwiches and shot the breeze for a couple of hours, moving our chairs as necessary to stay in the shade. Jippy (WB6JPI) and Mike (K6SNE) arrived at the same time, after some interference from an unrelated transmitter. Mike went 4-wheeling over the curb twice, once with the Jeep and once with the chair, so that he could direct WB6JPI to the hidden transmitter. Food and drinks and snacks were dispensed, and discussions ensued, while we waited a half hour or so for the final team. DWL and MJU had made a nice tour of the mountains, before deciding to find the transmitter.

A good time was had by all. Sandwiches, snacks, and drinks were appreciated by the hunters, who left me 2 nice Australian sniffers in return-so I came out ahead!
Steve KD6LAJ

Results:
Calls            Miles   Time    Ranking
N6AIN            76.5    11:23   1  Winner!
K6SNE            88.8    14:00   2
WB6JPI          119.0    14:00   3
WA6DWL/K6MJU    168.6    14:40   4