Bald Mountain (elevation 2387') is located in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Click here for an aerial image showing the location of Bald Mountain relative to the South Bay. Click here to see the location on a topographic map. This was my first hilltopping excursion with my new vanity callsign of N6TOP.
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The view of Bald Mountain from Mt. Umunhum road near the trailhead next to the locked gated parking area. |
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The sign at the trailhead to Bald Mountain. I'm not sure why no dogs are allowed, but there is lots of poison oak around so it might be best not to pet Fido after a romp through them thar hills. |
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The other sign on the other side of the locked gate next to the parking area is a little less clear about the status of dogs. I think Curtis (N6UMQ) described it as a "stealth mode" sign. I get the impression that someone thinks dogs should be allowed on the trails because the red line is scratched out. |
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After a short half mile hike, we made it to Bald Mountain. Here's the marker on Bald Mountain. |
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Because it wasn't very windy, I elected not to bring the camping tent stakes to secure the base of the tripod mount. When we arrived at the top of Bald Mountain there was a slight breeze blowing, so I decided to anchor the base of the mount with a few rocks found nearby. |
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I first set up the antenna for 2m sideband operation. I only made two contacts: one to Steve (W6SSW) and another to a ham in Willow Glen. Not too many folks on 2m sideband today. |
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After not much luck on 2m sideband, I decided to try 146.520 FM simplex. Unfortunately, the RF conditions were poor on Bald Mountain. I had trouble hearing remote stations due to receiver overloading. I assume this was due to the close proximity to Loma Prieta. The farthest contact I had was to a mobile in San Francisco. |
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What is that guy doing anyway? It's a mystery. |
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Now it's time for some views from Bald Mountain. Here's a view of Mt. Umunhum from Bald Mountain. [Click on image for a larger version] |
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Here's a view of the valley. Downtown San Jose can be seen in the center of the picture. |
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Here's a shot of Almaden Reservoir to the East. |
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Coyote Peak can be seen to the Northeast beyond the first ridge, which is Alamaden Quicksilver County Park. |
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That's Loma Prieta to the South. |
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Here's a shot of me ready to head back down the trail to the car. Maybe I should've applied for a vanity call of N6ERD instead. |
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Here's the view of Mt. Umunhum from the parking area. |