W6/CT-118 – Mount McDill

This was my second summit of the day, having just come from Sierra Pelona. You can read about that summit here. I’m kinda glad I didn’t ride a mountain bike over to this summit like I had original planned, as there is some steep elevation to tackle on the way out. That being said, I think there are a few other ways up here that might be a bit easier on a bike than the was I took the moto. The top was easy to find, I looked around for a benchmark, but couldn’t find one. I did find a register going back to 2008 which I didn’t expect to see. I used the pile of rocks to support my antenna mast. I worked 40M, 30M ,and 20M with 4 S2S. Thanks! While I didn’t really notice at the time, where I was setup was almost directly on a moto trail. A group of bikers stopped for a minute to take in the great views, and luckily my antenna didn’t get snagged on anything. Wanting to explore the area bit more, I packed up and headed out after working all the chasers.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-118

Date:28/01/2023 | Summit:W6/CT-118 (Mount McDill)

TimeCallsignBandModeNotes
21:06KN6OMR7MHzCWS57N R599
21:08KX0R7MHzCWS31N R33N S2S W0C/FR-102
21:10N6AN7MHzCWS58N R57N S2S W6/CT-225
21:10WU7H7MHzCWS559 R339
21:11K6EL7MHzCWS56N R52N S2S W6/CC-072
21:13NT6E7MHzCWS58N R559
21:14N6GO7MHzCWS55N R599
21:15KE6MT7MHzCWS57N R55N
21:18AD6VT7MHzCWS57N R599
21:19KT5X7MHzCWS57N R33N
21:31NW7E10MHzCWS519 R55N
21:32N7EDK10MHzCWS44N R55N
21:33N4LAG10MHzCWS56N R56N
21:34KF6HI10MHzCWS57N R58N
21:35NU7A10MHzCWS44N R32N
21:38KF9D10MHzCWS53N R33N
21:39W0MCB10MHzCWS44N R33N
21:40WB5USB10MHzCWS51N R55N
21:53W9MRH14MHzCWS52N R55N
21:55WW7D14MHzCWS57N R54N
21:55NE4TN14MHzCWS51N R44N
21:57KD8DEU14MHzCWS52N R22N
21:58VE7HI14MHzCWS51N R33N
21:58AC7P14MHzCWS44N R55N
22:02N6WT14MHzCWS21N R33N S2S W6/SC-171
22:03KX0Y14MHzCWS51N R44N
View of Mt. McDill from Sierra Pelona
Register, wasn’t expecting to find one here.
Placed in 2008
Antenna setup
Moto and the Antelope Valley

W6/CT-116 – Sierra Pelona

Last summer I installed a new rear tire on my dual sport moto, rode it around the block once, parked it in the back yard, then promptly forgot about it over the wet winter. I’ve wanted to visit Sierra Pelona and Mt. McDill for some time, with the idea to take the mountain bike up there on a cool winter day. Well, the moto was in the back yard all sad, full of spiders, chain rusted, and had a dead battery. What better way to wake the bike up for the next season than a 100 mile round trip SOTA activation? After hosing the bike off, evicting the spiders, installing a new battery and applying copious amounts of gear oil on the chain, the ole’ DRZ was ready to go. I left my house in Echo Park and headed up Hwy 2, made a left on Angeles Forest Highway, over to Acton and up the road to Sierra Pelona. The road up was somewhat steep, but paved, which caught me by surprise. I was under the impression you needed a truck or something to get up there. At the top there is a radio installation, including a AT&T long lines tower. This isn’t where the summit is though, it’s further along the ridge, and the road isn’t paved at this point. I think a regular car would still be fine. At the summit, I looked around for a benchmark, but couldn’t find one. I setup my EFHW antenna and started working the bands, 40M, 30M, and 20M + 5 S2S. After exhausting the chasers, I packed up my gear and headed over to Mt. McDill a few miles away.

https://sotl.as/summits/W6/CT-116

Date:27/01/2023 | Summit:W6/CT-116 (Sierra Pelona)

TimeCallsignBandModeNotes
19:03N6AN7MHzCWS58N R57N S2S W6/CT-225
19:03KF7HP7MHzCWS55N R33N
19:04NT6E7MHzCWS56N R55N
19:05K6TUY7MHzCWS599 R599
19:06K6KY7MHzCWS57N R55N
19:07NJ6Q7MHzCWS56N R599
19:09K6KMH7MHzCWS56N R559 S2S W6/SC-456
19:10K6CPR7MHzCWS57N R55N
19:11KR7RK7MHzCWS52N R55N
19:12K6CWC7MHzCWS57N R599
19:12N4LAG7MHzCWS559 R559
19:14WU7H7MHzCWS44N R52N
19:16WC6KD7MHzCWS52N R55N
19:31K6EL10MHzCWS52N R55N S2S W6/CC-072
19:33KX0R10MHzCWS32N R53N S2S W0C/FR-102
19:34NU7A10MHzCWS51N R31N
19:35N6PKT10MHzCWS51N R55N
19:36AI6XG10MHzCWS51N R57N
19:37NU7Y10MHzCWS559 R579
19:39N0DET10MHzCWS42N R53N S2S W0C/SP-117
19:56W0JSL14MHzCWS56N R54N
19:56W0MNA14MHzCWS56N R55N
19:57KT5X14MHzCWS55N R55N
19:57W0ERI14MHzCWS56N R55N
19:58N7WM14MHzCWS52N R599
19:59N7EDK14MHzCWS55N R55N
20:00F4WBN14MHzCWS55N R599
20:02W5ODS14MHzCWS56N R56N
20:03WW7D14MHzCWS56N R56N
An old Long Lines station
Mount McDill