Late October at the Knox Mtn Cabin
October 2021
Judy and I hiked up to the cabin at Knox Mountain this
afternoon. It was the last hurrah of the fall season. The
color was gorgeous and it was about 52F outside.
I brought the MTR-3B and worked New Mexico and Spain.
![](trees.jpg)
Along the trail, the sunlight shone through the remaining beech
leaves, turning
them to gold. We crunched over a blanket of fallen dried leaves,
reminding
us that winter is soon to follow.
![](cabin.jpg)
The cabins sit on a grassy knoll overlooking an old pond. It's been
drained for fear that
the dam will fail, flooding the road farther down the brook.
![](jim.jpg)
I threw my wire into a cherry tree and sat down on the cabin steps
with the MTR-3B in my lap. I am using a small solar panel and an
18650 battery. The rig is set to 20 meters. I don't hear a lot of
activity
this afternoon, but KW7D Paul in New Mexico is calling CQ. I answer
and he gives me a 569. I'm glad for the contact.
Up the band Manuel EA4AZT is calling CQ. At first he doesn't hear
me.
My antenna is 5 degrees off vertical. I move it so it drops straight
down
from the branch as a vertical. Now Manuel can hear me and gives me a
559. Amazing. We complete the exchange.
The sun is falling and I feel a chill. We start back up the trail.
We
probably won't be back this year. It's supposed to rain heavily in
the next
few days.
![](color.jpg)