Sunday, September 5, 2021
TENNEssee QSO Party with Bill perkins, kb4kft
WORK BILL ON HF OR JOIN HIM IN TENNESSEE
Bill Perkins, KB4KFT, is a Lifetime member of the Atlanta Radio Club and an active LXer. Bill coined the term LX to refer to radio expeditions that are local as compared with DX, DXpeditions, which occur in remote places outside the U.S.
This Sunday, Bill will be at Buck Bald Mountain in Tennessee making contacts with everyone that he can. The Tennessee QSO party is Sunday so there will be lots of activity by hams in the contest.
Everyone is invited to try to contact Bill from their own radios, to try to listen to Bill using the free HF receivers accessible on the internet (e.g., http://www.websdr.org/), or to drive up to Tennessee and operate with Bill from a mountaintop. You can bring your own radio and antenna or you can share Bill's radio with him.
If you're into the Parks on the Air (POTA) contest, your trip to Buck Bald with qualify for points. It's in the Cherokee National Forest, POTA entity K-4525.
Here's Bill invitation:
Sunday 5 September 2021 from 2pm till 11pm eastern time.
Tennessee QSO Party 2021
https://tnqp.org/rules/
also be activating POTA K-4525 - Cherokee National Forest
https://www.visitmonroetn.com/buck-bald
https://www.ocoeeadventurecenter.com/buckbald/
You don’t have to go anywhere to participate in the QSO party.
I am planning on being on the ground at Buck Bald noon-ish and
will be operating by the start of the QSO party at 2pm – probably
well before. I’ll be doing 40, 20 and 10 meter – might add 80m
later in the day. My operating pattern is find a quiet place to call
CQ and stay right there as long as possible. But I will bounced
Between bands as conditions change.
If you want to come join me you are welcome to come. It is a pretty good trip – visiting the bald is almost alone worth the drive.
No cell phone coverage, at least not Verizon last year, but I will have simplex up on the 2m calling channel. No coverage also
means I cannot self-spot but I will see if I can get someone working me to spot me – I suspect POTA people will for sure.
The basic route is get to Copper Hill, TN, and head north on TN-68 past Farner, TN, to the road up to the bald.
Directions from Atlanta area.
If you want to bring a radio and power – do. There is no AC there, all battery all the time. No trees either (hello! a “bald”) so antennas need to be vertical or some sort or supports provided. There are places, side roads, with trees down from the bald itself to operate.
This is a wilderness area, no buildings, no power lines, great view. Bring water, snacks, something to sit on. I will have cover if needed.
This Sunday, Bill will be at Buck Bald Mountain in Tennessee making contacts with everyone that he can. The Tennessee QSO party is Sunday so there will be lots of activity by hams in the contest.
Everyone is invited to try to contact Bill from their own radios, to try to listen to Bill using the free HF receivers accessible on the internet (e.g., http://www.websdr.org/), or to drive up to Tennessee and operate with Bill from a mountaintop. You can bring your own radio and antenna or you can share Bill's radio with him.
If you're into the Parks on the Air (POTA) contest, your trip to Buck Bald with qualify for points. It's in the Cherokee National Forest, POTA entity K-4525.
Here's Bill invitation:
Sunday 5 September 2021 from 2pm till 11pm eastern time.
Tennessee QSO Party 2021
https://tnqp.org/rules/
also be activating POTA K-4525 - Cherokee National Forest
https://www.visitmonroetn.com/buck-bald
https://www.ocoeeadventurecenter.com/buckbald/
You don’t have to go anywhere to participate in the QSO party.
I am planning on being on the ground at Buck Bald noon-ish and
will be operating by the start of the QSO party at 2pm – probably
well before. I’ll be doing 40, 20 and 10 meter – might add 80m
later in the day. My operating pattern is find a quiet place to call
CQ and stay right there as long as possible. But I will bounced
Between bands as conditions change.
If you want to come join me you are welcome to come. It is a pretty good trip – visiting the bald is almost alone worth the drive.
No cell phone coverage, at least not Verizon last year, but I will have simplex up on the 2m calling channel. No coverage also
means I cannot self-spot but I will see if I can get someone working me to spot me – I suspect POTA people will for sure.
The basic route is get to Copper Hill, TN, and head north on TN-68 past Farner, TN, to the road up to the bald.
Directions from Atlanta area.
- I-75 North to I-575 towards Blue Ridge, GA
- I-575 becomes GA 515 up there somewhere, then GA 5 – no worries – Jasper, Ellijay, Blue Ridge, GA.
- Follow the road around Blue Ridge till you come to US-76/GA 5. There is Burger King, Home Depot, other chains stores around the intersection – turn left on to GA-5 towards Mineral Springs and McCaysville, GA / Copper Hill, TN – the state line runs down the middle of McCaysville/Copper Hill
- Stay on the road through M & CH till you come to the intersection of highways 5, 60, and 68, (you are on 5) turn left onto Highway 68 (Main Street) towards Ducktown and Farner, TN.
- Go through Ducktown, then Turtletown stay on 68, you don’t need to change roads. When you get to Farner you bear left (still staying on 68). Straight takes you to Hiwassee dam – clearly marked – that way is not going to get you to the bald.
- Stay on 68 till you see the signs, on the right for Buck Bald. From Copper Hill about sixteen miles. The turnoff is on a slight rise and slight right bend and can be easy to miss.
- Just past the turn off, maybe three hundred feet the land to the right opens up into a large green pasture field. If you see a church on the left near the road, you went too far, by about half a mile. The turn off might be easier to see coming from that direction.
- It is about three miles to the top of the mountain, not a bad drive though some of the switch backs are badly banked and sharp. When you cannot go any further you are at the top – there is a parking area of sorts there. There is an access path at the end of the parking – follow it around to avoid walking up to the top.
If you want to bring a radio and power – do. There is no AC there, all battery all the time. No trees either (hello! a “bald”) so antennas need to be vertical or some sort or supports provided. There are places, side roads, with trees down from the bald itself to operate.
This is a wilderness area, no buildings, no power lines, great view. Bring water, snacks, something to sit on. I will have cover if needed.