Cannon Mountain
July 2015

Dick N1LT and I made a quick run up Cannon Mountain this afternoon.
The day was perfect. The bands were awful, but I worked a station in
Pennsylvania on 40 meters.



We took the tramway up and snuck around to the north facing slope. I chucked a 28 foot wire into a
hemlock tree. It was only up 15 feet or so... set up as a sloper, and I used the KX3 tuner to make everything
nice. Dick and I sat on a wide rock because the ground was still wet from last night's storm.

20 meters was dead... plain dead. A few faint stations... nothing I could work. 17 meters had a handful of
stations in a pileup calling a DX station that was down a few kHz. I couldn't hear the DX. I couldn't
hear anything on 15 meters. There was a very strong station on 30 meters... but he was transmitting a novel
at 10 WPM, and he was only on the first chapter. Not a chance of working him.

"Call CQ," Dick advised. I tried on 17 meters. It was good advice, but had lousy results. "I can't come all the
way up here and not work anybody, " I told Dick. I was prepared to stay until dark. Dick got bored and
hiked across the mountain top to the observation platform. "I'll meet you there," he said.



Out of desperation I went to 40 meters. There... right on 7040 were two stations finishing up a QSO. One of them
was strong, but sending: "XYL is calling. I better run." Oh no," I thought. "He'll be outta here as soon as he signs."
I called anyway... JOY! WA3MIX, Lou in Pennsylvania saved me from total humiliation... We had a quick
QSO and he gave me a 579. When I told him I was running 5 watts, he sent, "UR SOLID 579." We said 73 and
closed.

I packed up and headed to the observation platform. Dick was waiting patiently and enjoying the beautiful view.