My wife and I were in the bigsky area for a conference and took some time just the two of us. Because I am not much of a formal person and prefer to be out walking I decided to head out and do a little hiking. One thing I learned about this area is that it is remote. There is very little APRS signal or cell signal...or people.
Date: 22 August 2019
Summit Name: Standard Peak
Summit Coordinates: 48.5419 N 114.2471 W
SOTA summit designator: W7M/FN-153. Grid Square: DN28vn.
Elevation: 7,196 ft. Prominence: 1,476 ft.
Distance: 6.2 miles round trip
Cell Signal: Had signal for most of the trip and was able to send spots at summit using SOTA Goat (Verizon).
APRS Signal: I was hitting digipeaters after making the ridge. Definitely would be able to use APRS to SOTA for spots and send messages from the summit.
Trail Conditions: Well maintained. 2 other parties encountered during the trip. There were plenty of Huckleberries along the trail. Bring a Container.
Equipment Used: Kenwood TM-D72 for APRS and FM contacts. Elecraft KX2 for HF. Homebrew dipole antenna (20m).
Radio Log:
Elevation - 9,231 ft.
Prominence - 1,431 ft.
Cell Signal (Verizon): There was no signal on the hike up. As soon as I got to the summit I had signal but this is not something that I would count on. I would have LTE, then 3G, then nothing all in a few seconds. I was able to use SOTA Goat to get my spots out but I don't know if I would rely on this being a sure possibility.
Trail Conditions: Great!
