A quick and easy activation of the Big Hill aka W6/NS-290 in the Eldorado National forest.
Nice forest and lake vistas with a simple access. Not that far from the world famous Rubicon Trail, Jeep Rubicon is named after.
Getting here
The summit is here.
Just drive down hwy 50, turn to the Ice House Road here and then turn left to the Big Hill Lookout Road here.
The road is plowed in winter all the way up to the lookout. While I would definitely recommend a 4wd vehicle for any trip in winter Sierras I was really surprised how well the road is maintained.
Road state in winter
Big Hill aka W6/NS-290 SOTA activation
There is a heliport and a fire lookout on the summit. There is even a publicly accessible restroom! No wonder this summit was activated over 120 times already - the antenna farm allows you to get online and self spot. Lots of folks with radios pass by via hwy 50 between the Lake Tahoe and Sacramento areas meaning VHF activation should be a breather. Decent elevation and prominence make it a great HF activation spot as well. The easiest 6 points I ever got. No regrets though - the views are lovely and I had a chance to touch the snow.
Fire lookout and antenna farm Heliport plaque North-Eastern panorama, Lake Tahoe is right behind this range
Stations worked from Big Hill
Many thanks to all the chasers, glad to hear a lot of you folks again! Nice propagation, heard Lee K2LT all the way from New York state!
| Time UTC | Call sign | RST sent | RST received | Frequency | Mode | Maidenhead grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21:10 | KD7DTS | 449 | 559 | 14.061 | CW | s2s W6/CT-098 |
| 21:18 | W4RA | 559 | 559 | 14.061 | CW | EM92 |
| 21:20 | N1CLC | 559 | 559 | 14.061 | CW | DM12 |
| 21:22 | WW7D | 599 | 589 | 14.061 | CW | CN87 |
| 21:24 | WB6POT | 599 | 599 | 14.061 | CW | CM99 |
| 21:26 | WB8BHN | 559 | 489 | 14.061 | CW | EN52 |
| 21:28 | N7CNH | 599 | 579 | 14.061 | CW | CN84 |
| 21:30 | K6HPX | 559 | 559 | 14.061 | CW | DM42 |
| 21:32 | WB5BKL | 339 | 559 | 14.061 | CW | EM00 |
| 21:32 | NT6E | 599 | 559 | 14.061 | CW | DM03 |
| 21:34 | W4ZXT | 449 | 559 | 14.061 | CW | EM77 |
| 21:36 | K7WT | 449 | 439 | 14.061 | CW | DM25 |
| 21:38 | K2LT | 449 | 559 | 14.061 | CW | FN24 |
| 21:40 | NU7A | 449 | 559 | 14.061 | CW | CN97 |
| 21:42 | KN6DMO | 559 | 599 | 14.061 | CW | DM04 |
This is all for now, K0SSK out, 73.