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*                  ATGP 2017 Report for GD Hill                          75
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SNAFU says it all.

All packed and ready to go, set GPS for Mt Aetna in PA just so I could get 
an ETA and then headed out.  Got within repeater range of GDHILL 90 minutes 
later and heard Andy calling me on the agreed 145.39 repeater.  But neither 
the APRS object, nor the repeater itself, nor Andy ever told me the PL.  
So, no contact.

Meanwhile roads were looking less familiar.  As I approached Lebanon PA, 
I realized that has nothing to do with GD Hill so I pulled over and just 
started randomly zooming around on my teenee-weensie GPS screen to see if 
I could find anything familiar.  Finally found Mt GRETNA (not Aetna).  
And had to backtrack, losing probably a half hour.  Yep, got lost on the 
way to my site that I have done 9 years in  a row!

Got to parking lot, didn't see Andy but raised him weakly on 445.  I asked 
if he had already gone up to the tower and he said yes, so l got everything 
out and put it all on my backpack.  Huffed and puffed up to the tower and 
then from the base, called Andy again to send down a rope.  Turns out, 
he was not on the tower, in fact, he was just now arriving down in the 
parking lot!  So I pulled out a spare battery and solar panel and left 
them with a lady sitting on a bench to give Andy when he came up. (less 
load for me).  Turns our Andy had a lot of gear and so he brought up the 
solar panel and spare battery and left his down at the bottom too.

Proceeded to climb the tower along with the usual moms and dads and screaming 
kids.  As usual, one kid was stuck half way white knuckled on the ladder and 
so I went up the other ladder.  Eleven ladders only 8 feet tall each to get to top.

Got to top and began setting up at 1110 and Andy had already caught up 
and was there already.  Extended antenna on push up mast through the iron 
bar Faraday cage and hookup was quick.  Then began programming the new D710G.  
Wow, what a lot of settings.  Was not getting digipeated.  Finally re-found 
the * to mark the path *OTHER. Andy was giving guidance, and local tours 
to the kids and parents on the crowded tower.(of which all my stuff was 
taking up 1/3rd of the platform).

Dick at MD7 was there from the getgo on UHF but we were not hearing 
anything from Camelback.  I tried digipeating to confirm my station was 
digipeating using an HT and no-joy.  Finally figured again, I had fumbled 
the *OTHER path in it too.  FIxed that and finally around 1125 we were 
good on all counts.
  
Eventually Cameblack came up at 9600 at around 1315 and the north started 
coming through (after a lot of hand wringing over digi settings at Camelback).  
Then Dick at MD7 was hard at work getting everyone down south coordinated 
through a lot of backchannel work.  My  first 4 AH NiCd battery failed at 
about 1330, so swapped in the second and moved it over closer to the solar
panel so they could be connected.

Next, I pulled out the VCH1 (not used in a decade) and prepared to put fresh 
AA batteries in it... only to find old alkalines still in it and all corroded!  
Cleaned all the contacts; still no joy.  But since our digi station was going 
great at 9600, I climbed down the tower, hiked down the hill (in sandals, 
on rocks!) a half mile back to the car to get a spare VCH1, put batteries in 
it THERE and tested and then went back up the hill through the greenbriars 
and reclimbed the tower.  Meanwhile I could hear on the HT I had with me that 
everyone was switching to 1200 at around 1350.

Fortunately, Andy had experience with the D710 and so he changed the radio 
and I could hear and see packets on my HT as I climbed back up.  Talk about 
crazy, fumbling with an HT, sending messages, and changing baud all on a 
steep trail of rocks in sandals with overgrown greenbriars tugging at my 
arms the whole way.  (Later after it was over I came down the hill on the 
public gravel road (twice as long) path comfortably)...

Back up on the tower, packets were flying at 1200 baud and around 1415 we 
got the word that 1-15 had communicated. I took two pictures with the handheld 
VCH1 SSTV unit attached to a D72 with a rubber duck.  I held it through he 
bars outside the Faraday cage and sent two pictures to MD7 and he sent back 
two as well.

By 1540 we sent out the QRT message and were sorry to shut down.  But it 
was a total success. APRS and SSTV. The Laser test was abandoned as the 
trees are now so high, there are only a few directions where we can see 
the horizon and we did not recognize anything we could see that would give 
us confidence that Andy could find it, so we put off the laser test till 
next year.  THough we could see the tall rides at Hershey Park!

Weather was absolutely beautiful, cool, breezy, no rain, clouds at times.  
And for the first time, I forgot my tarp, and so did not have a sun shade...  
Got pretty burned but picked up a jar of vinegar on the way home and that 
cures it beautifully.  I hope to write up again for QST and by adding SSTV 
and 9600 maybe get their interest.

Thank you all SO MUCH for the effort, I know it sure takes a lot!  And a 
Village!

Bob, WB4APR