Olympic Peninsula — Obstruction Point
Two-day activation from Obstruction Point in the Olympics. 40m SSB in the morning, FT8 all afternoon. 47 contacts. One antenna failure, one field repair.
Setup
Arrived at the Obstruction Point trailhead at 06:45. Elevation: 6,150 ft. Wind from the southwest at 15 mph, gusting to 25. Temperature at setup: 48°F.
Deployed the 40m EFHW between two aluminum tent poles. Feedpoint roughly 8 ft off the ground, wire running NE at about 20 degrees elevation. Ground radials were not practical — rocky terrain — so relied on the counterpoise wire.
Radio mounted to a small folding table. Bioenno battery zip-tied underneath. Keyer and logging tablet on a separate clipboard. Full setup time: 22 minutes.
Bands and Modes
40m SSB — 07:15 to 10:30
Started on 7.200, moved to 7.285 after QRM. Called CQ POTA every 3–4 minutes. Strong pile-up from 08:00 to 09:30. Signals into the southeast were notably strong — W5, W4 contacts at 59+.
Total 40m SSB contacts: 31
20m FT8 — 11:00 to 15:30
Switched to FT8 for the afternoon. Used laptop running WSJT-X, interfaced to the FT-891 via a Signalink USB. Band was open to Europe from 12:30 to 14:00 — made 9 DX contacts: F, DL, PA, G, SP.
Total 20m FT8 contacts: 16
Total contacts: 47
Notes
The antenna failed at 13:45. The feedline connector pulled from the 9:1 UNUN — a clean failure at the solder joint. Field repaired with a spare connector and 15 minutes of work. The backup Chameleon MPAS was not needed, but was staged and ready.
Band noise on 40m increased significantly after 10:00, consistent with solar flux and high sun angle. This is expected. Next activation at this site should plan SSB operations before 09:30 local.
Lessons
- Strain relief is not optional. The EFHW feedpoint needs a rubber boot and a secondary clamp before the next deployment.
- FT8 at elevation performs well. The lower noise floor at altitude made FT8 contacts noticeably easier than typical flatland operations.
- 22-minute setup is the benchmark. This was a clean deployment. The goal is to hold this or improve it at future activations.
- Bioenno 20Ah is sufficient for a full day. Battery sat at 12.1V at pack-up after 8 hours of mixed SSB/FT8. No concerns.