Even the best of plans may need to change on the fly
I had a plans for this specific SOTA activation. Big YouTube plans. I was going trying out a nex N9SAB antenna that I purchased for the first time. Tim's 15 meter dipole. I was also going to tryout the Ham2k Portable Logger (PoLo) logging app for the first time in the field. While I did use the antenna and logging app, vision of running a modest pileup and giving the logging app a good workout was squashed when I tried to find an open spot on 15 meters. Turns out there was a DX contest in full swing.
Now my plan quickly shifted to "get 4 contacts and get home as fast as I can." I'm just not a contest kind of guy. With the possible exception of SOTA and POTA. I can see the argument of how those activities could be considered contests. But I digress...
Any portable activation is a fun time, just some are more fun
I made to attempts to find an open spot on 15 meters, but before I could start calling CQ, you guessed it. I probably should have took down the N9SAB dipole and put up my PackTenna EFHW that has a link for 17 meters, but I wanted to use the new dipole. So I became a QRP contest hunters.
Not the best of times, but still got out and enjoyed the outdoors while playing radio. Playing very frustrating radio, but radio nonetheless.
The new N9SAB antenna. Like the rest of the antennas I've purchased from Tim N9SAB, this thing is built like a tank. Worked great and I'm sure I'll get many, many years out of it.
Activation zone is an easy hike up a well maintained trail. During the summer you can drive up to a few hundred yards away. During the winter it's a short hike up the one lane road that goes through the county park Timms Hills is located.
There is a nice observation tower you can climb at the summit. There is also an abandoned fire tower that has been repurposed as a repeater tower. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stopped using manned fire towers decades ago. Under the old fire tower you can find the summit's benchmark.