ATGP 2013 - Roan Mountain - 22 July 2013

Operators: K4KWL Dave and N4AZR Glenn

Photos of the setup are uploaded in the Photos area of the Yahoo Group.

Upon setup around 11am we were immediately able to hear Clingman’s Dome and Comers Rock on both APRS and on Voice. Comers Rock was a very strong signal and Clingmans was a bit weaker but was very readable.

Primary Radio (ROAN-3) was: TM-D710 running on a 9ah sealed lead acid battery with a Diamond x50 antenna on a telescoping mast around 36 feet high. This radio was set on high power the whole time and did not deplete the battery throughout the event.

Secondary Radio (ROAN) was: a Yaesu radio attached to a netbook running Linux and Xastir, Antenna was a Diamond x30 at 15-20 feet. This was very valuable because we were able to see all of the stations as they came online and were able to see all of the packets digipeated, etc.

N4AZR Glenn ran this station and had previous experience at Roan as well as Comers Rock.

Aux Radio was: a TH-D72 with a slim jim antenna. We were on 144.39 and were unable to establish 2-way communication with the ANSRVR. After the event we discovered that our packets were in fact getting out but we just weren’t getting anything back. There was a lot of traffic on 144.39 up there so not totally surprising. We were able to talk with Comers Rock on voice but were not able to reach Clingman’s Dome with the HT.

Operating Position: We set up in the parking lot up toward the former location of the Cloudland Hotel and adjacent to the restrooms. Since we didn’t have any shelter to speak of, this came in handy when it started raining. We were able to put the radios inside our vehicles and continue to operate.

Cell Coverage: For all intents and purposes there was no cell coverage on AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint. N4AZR Glenn was able to get some occasional data coverage on the Sprint network but nothing dependable or lasting longer than a minute or two.

Local Repeater: We were able to get into the Mt. Mitchell 145.19 repeater with no problem from Roan Mountain and much of the journey in from the NC side. We were also able to get into several D-Star repeaters from our position with just an HT. We didn’t try anything with EchoLink.

Weather: Dense fog for the most part with occasional clearing and short periods of light to moderate rain throughout the test. (somehow K4KWL managed to get a sunburn despite N4AZR warning us about the damaging effects of the sun and offering to share his sunscreen on at least three occasions).

Overall we had a great time participating in the test. It was great to get out of the shack and set up a portable station and hear others on the air doing the same. Many thanks to Glenn N4AZR for his kindness and taking time to time to teach me things during the event. His knowledge and experience were invaluable. We look forward to getting back out to Roan next year!