OMAK MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT(5738 ft) DNO8 near Omak, Wa

Omak Mountain Lookout in DN08 is east of Omak Wa on Hwy 155 approx 24 miles.At 13 miles out turn up Omak lo road and follow it to the top. There is a manned forestry lookout as well as communications equipment and towers at the top.It has been used by a number of ham radio operators over the years as an operating site for vhf contests due to its good road access and reasonable height for good propagation angles.I have worked a number of hams at Omak mountain as VE7NUT/7 from Apex mtn (DN09) and from Promontory(CO90) So go Rover or portable next contest the mountains are waiting....Best of 73s.

MOUNT BONAPARTE LOOKOUT (7257ft) DN08 TONASKET ,WA

Mount Bonaparte in ( DN08 )Washington State is north east of Tonasket and is the tallest mountain in the area. There is an old forestry lookout on top and numerous ATV and hiking trails to get there.NO ROAD ACCESS. The view is great in all directions.There is a couple of campsites at the base if you want to stay over at a lower altitude and day hike up. The mountain is a good choice for a portable radio operation from north central Washington. For more details go to: http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=154095#chapter_4

MOUNT BALDY (7400ft) DN09 Near Osoyoos BC

Mount Baldy near Osoyoos, BC is easily accessable from Hwy 3 at 30 km east of Osoyoos.The road turns off to the north at a bridge crossing a canyon.Follow the good paved and gravel road to the parking lot at the ski resort near the top.The parking lot is approx 6200 ft and has a great view to the south,east and west for radio operation.There is also a very difficult 4x4 only road to the top of the mountain where there is a forestry look out as well as communications equipment.On the top of the mountain you can see in every direction for miles with no obstruction.Best dx and 73s

APEX MOUNTAIN(7300 ft) DN09 Near Penticton

Apex mountain is the sister peak to Beaconsfield mountain and is reached by crossing a small valley in between the two peaks.The road through the valley can be quite muddy during the late spring.The road to the top of Apex mountain is 4x 4 type and not suitable for a car.It is quite rough and rocky near the top and branches off the main road to beaconsfield and is not gated.It is open to the public including hunters,bicycles,4x4s,atvs,etc. So beware on weekends during the summer the road can get a fair mount of traffic.The top has some communications silos and a solar ham repeater (penticton radio club) and there used to be a real nice Forestry Lookout until it was removed in the 90s.All that is left now is the foundation.Some of us used to operate from the look out during sept vhf contest from here with amazing good results as there are no obstructions in any direction.The top has room for about 8 trucks comfortably so a group effort is possible and still have room lots of room left over.Be careful when driving on top as there is a 300 ft drop off to the east which you do not want to back over when turning around!Best dx and 73s

OLD GLORY MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT IN DN19 near Rossland,BC

Old Glory Mountain(7795 ft) is the Highest peak in the Rossland mountain range.At 2378 m it towers over all others in the area.There is a Forestry Lookout that was active in the 1930s that still stands on the edge of the north side cliff right at the top of the mountain.You can see it from the Nancy Green lake pull out on Hwy 3 with a pair of good binoculars.There is a mountain bike/ hiking trail to the top.As far as I know this mountain top has never been activated as a radio site due to its remote location.Portable operation would be possible for some determined operator.Is that you?Oh and by the way....it can snow in July up there.Best dx and 73s

BEACONSFIELD MOUNTAIN IN DN09 near PENTICTON,BC

Beaconsfield Mountain(7187 ft) in DN09bj is located at -119.91563 degrees west by 49.381 degrees north.This is the top of the Apex mountain ski resort.There is a number of buildings at the top including equipment sheds and a small warming hut.The mountain is made up of a long ridge with numerous good operating sites all over 7000 ft!The VE7NUT/7 group has operated from this site and it has a 360 degree panoramic view with only one obstruction to the south which is the actual peak of Apex mountain a few miles away.There is also a Scout cabin below the top of the mountain which is at 6800 ft at -119.9217 degrees west and 49.38102 North that is Huge and sleeps 12!The group operated from the top and also from the cabin on different vhf contests with excellent results.The cabin site is blocked to the east and north east but has excellent views in all other directions.Access is from the upper ski hill parking lot and the power line road.You will have to ask locals at the resort for permission to access the top as it is a controlled access road.best dx and 73s

MOUNT RODERICK DHU DN09 Nr GRAND FORKS, BC

Mount Roderick Dhu 1838 m (6030ft)is situated 22 km north west of Grand Forks,BC in dN09qe at -118.61355 degrees west and 49.19291 degrees north.It has an active forestry lookout as well as numerous communication repeaters including ham radio repeaters at the top.There is an old log building at the foot of the forestry look out tower that we used during the late 90s for vhf contesting.There is lots of room on the top of the mountain for multiple operating tents and for vehicles.The road is passable with a good truck,cars not recommended but some drive there car up anyways.Access is from Hwy 3 , 5 km east of Greenwood or 28 km west of Grand Forks. Turn north up Boundary Creek Road then turn right onto Jewel lake rd.Then once your close to the lake head turn left up the Roderick dhu forestry road.It is a little steep in places but it will take you to the top of Roderick Dhu.Best dx and 73s

MOUNT BEGBIE LOOKOUT CO91 100 MILE HOUSE

The Mount Begbie forestry lookout site south of 100 mile house,BC is probably one of the easiest to get to lookouts in BC.Its sits on top of a small hill at 1276 m high in CO91hl at -121.36673 degrees west and 51.47598 degrees north.It has a great 360 degree view of the cariboo country area with its lakes and mountain ranges way in the distance.This site is easily accessed from highway 97 just north of 83 mile on the right.Look for the point of interest sign and turn into the parking lot.It is a short 10 min walk to the 2 story lookout.Take a lunch and a radio and have a blast!For an overnight stay ther are plenty of resorts in the area as well as 100 mile house is just 20 km away.I worked some dx from this site in the 80s before they put in a parking lot.You used to be able to drive up to the look out.73s and best dx

CRATER MOUNTAIN CN99 ASHNOLA AREA

CRATER MOUNTAIN CN99xe :2293 m (7523ft)is located near the divide line between CN99 and DN09 at -120.08121 degrees west by 49.17913 degrees north.It is a remote, challenging and difficult location to get to by truck or suv.Crater mountain is located south west of Keremeos 19 km in the Paysaten wilderness area.You can google satellite map the above coordinates and can see the upper part of the road to the top of the mountain and the lake. Access is over the Red Covered Bridge off hwy 3 at Keremeos,BC, from there you proceed right on the Ashnola river road approx 5 km to the ashnola river canyon look for a clearing and the forestry service road going off to the right on an angle.If you are not familiar with off roading in mountainous regions I would not bother trying to get up to this site.The road to the top is not well marked and there are other roads that you will encounter.Stay left at both road junctions.This will keep you on the right road.If you come across some one on the road, ask for directions so you do not get lost.Once on the forestry road you will notice that it is quite steep and the road is covered with loose rock and sometimes trees block the road and have to be removed.There is a small clearing at one of the hairpin corners where you will have to back up a couples of times to make the corner.A good view of the top and where you are going is available from here.From this point on the road gets much worse.The trees narrow in on the road which is now two goat tracks in the rock and dirt.Scratches from the trees make a mess of your vehicles paint job and the rocks and bumps play havoc with your suspension.The road progresses through a narrow draw where the road has been washed out at one time.There is just enough room to fit a 4x4 truck down into the wash out and back up the other side upon which there is a hard left turn that is sloped and requires all your attention so you do not fall back into the wash out.If you make a mistake there is a good chance you will need a winch to get out!After getting by this road obstruction the road proceeds up into the lower alpine and grass lands.The road again becomes quite rocky at this point ,note:you may run into motorcycles or atvs at this point as this area is popular with the ATV crowd.Proceeding west up the south side of the mountain the grade is quite steep up and goes across a shale scree for about 200 meters.You will have to use the side of the mountain for the passenger wheel as the shale has fallen down on the road narrowing its width to about 5 feet.The road drops off on the other side sharply about 6 ft so you will need to proceed across the scree with extreme caution and in 4 wheel drive.At the other side the road continues up hill at a steep rate and winds up through the grass lands to the top.The views of the Cascade and Coastal mountain ranges as well as the Cathedrals make it all worth the difficult drive.The mountain has a small lake on top and large grassy parking area.There is no look out but there are the remains of old shacks that had stood at the top in the past.Crater mountain is very remote, you will need to take food,water and survival gear.ALLOW A FULL 10 HOUR DAY to get to the top and back out to Keremeos.Your vehicle will HAVE TO BE 4X4. YOU MUST have good off road or at least mud/snow tires.Along with that it is advisable to have a winch,chainsaw,shovels,wood support beam,wood stop block and rope,chains and good spare tires.IT CAN SNOW any time of year on this mountain.The road is only snow free during July and August.Yes I have been up there to the top and operated radios for a while one late afternoon.More pictures to follow..73s

CASCADE LOOKOUT BLACKWALL MOUNTAIN CN99

The Cascade lookout on Blackwall mountain CN99oc(6768 ft)is located at -120.7581 degrees west and 49.10038 degrees west.in Manning park off Hwy3 east of Vancouver.It has easy 2 wheel drive road access with a large parking lot at the top;The top is shared with microwave and communications towers.The views of manning park are spectacular.To get there from Vancouver,BC Go east to Hope on Hwy 1,stay on main hwy( do not exit at Hope )which turns into hwy 5 ,just east of Hope take the Hwy3 exit to the right and follow the highway to the manning park lodge.to the north of th lodge is the cascade look out road (left) follow the road to the top.By June 15 the road is usually clear of snow.I operated from this site during one of the VHF June contests in the early 90s.You can google map the coordinates and clearly see the road and parking lot next to the top.73s

KOBAU MOUNTAIN IN DN09

KOBAU MOUNTAIN IN DN09 is an excellent location for mountaintop operation.With a clear panoramic view to the south of Washington state,and 2 wheel drive access on good gravel road,makes this location a favorite for many locals.Cars have no problem accessing the top of the mountain.There is a 6000 ft long ridge road that goes north to a communications tower from the top parking lot that allows for many good operating sites.Access:turn north at the top of Richter pass on to good gravel road from Hwy 3 between Keremeos and Osoyoos,BC.Follow the road to the top parking lot.There was a wonderful Forestry Lookout on the top of the one peak next to the parking lot until it was removed in 2007 .There is also a 4x4 road access from the old Cawston Fairview wagon road which is accessable from Oliver or Keremeos.This is for you out there that like a challenge.To get there take the Cawston Fairview road (it is on the local road map or google map)to the pass summit.At the summit take the road to the south.Stay on the main road as there are lots of small side roads that can get you lost.Go over cattle guard and keep going , the road gets narrow and steep and has mud pits on some corners and is rocky on others.It is a winding tight forest covered road for 2 km.Eventually you get on top of the ridge line where it turns into sage brush and you can see the radio towers on top of the mountain.From the top you can see the lookout on Mt Baldy to the east and the town of Osoyoos,BC and Oroville, Wash and Osoyoos lake to the south.To the west you can view the beautiful Similkameen valley and Keremeos,BC and to the north the view is up The Okanagan valley towards Kelowna,BC. Well worth the drive which ever route you take. 73s

TUKTAKAMIN (TUK) MOUNTAIN LOOK OUT in DO00

The TUK MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT south of Falkland BC in DO00 Grid has been used by Different groups for radio mountain top operations.The view from the top is fantastic with vistas of the Okanagan and Thompson valleys.Road access is via Forestry road from Falkland ,BC.Current status of this lookout is unknown.Information on this site is limited.Updates will be added as available.

THYNNE MOUNTAIN FORESTRY LOOKOUT CN99

The forestry lookout at Thynne Mountain is an excellent location for portable mountaintop operation.VE7NUT/7 operated from here during one June vhf contest.After digging through 6 large snow drifts to get to the lookout and set up friday evening, we woke up to snow and ice coating everything on Saturday morning!Located south of Merrit ,BC off HWY 5 Coquihalla highway,this mountain top is accessable from a good dirt and gravel 4x4 road from Brookmere.It should be noted that snow drifts remain on the road near the top late into June and the road to the actual lookout sometimes is not snow free till July.However there are lots of suitable sites on the ridge close to the top where one can park or camp and still have a great overnight stay.The views are spectacular from this site in all directions.You can even see Mount Baker in Washington state on a clear day.The Look out still is in reasonable shape and has enough room to fit 4 for an overnight stay in.PLEASE NOTE:That due to the location and the height of this mountain it can FREEZE AND SNOW anytime of the year.Yes even in July.(I have seen it)So be prepared as the nearest help is 40 km away.73s and best dx

PHOENIX MTN DN09 LOOKOUT SITE

In the early 90s the VE7NUT mountain top contest station operated from Phoenix mountain in DN09.Located south of the smallest city in BC ,Greenwood,Phoenix is an easy 1 hr drive up the old Phoenix mine site road to the top.To get there drive to Greenwood,BC along Hwy 3 turn south on Phoenix rd up past the old cemetary.It is a good dirt road to the top but you may run into clearance problems with a car so a truck or suv is recommended.The road is shown on a google map so finding the top is not a problem.Past the cemetary you will come across the old mine site and Ghost town of Phoenix.Go past the mine site and stay on the main road.The main road will take you to the top.As there are lots of old mine shafts and roads in the area,it is easy to take the wrong road coming out of the mine site.You will find yourself circling the mountain to the west and then north and back east and then south with the final last steep approach almost west again.When you arrive on top you will notice there is very little room for parking and turning arround.The old lookout is no longer used and is storage for some of the communications equipment that is also present on the mountain top.The views to the south towards Spokane and west towards Seattle and Vancouver are quite spectacular.The East has a wonderful view of old glory mountain(later blog)and the Monashee mountains.No facilities of any sort exist at this site so you will need to be self contained if you are going to spend the night.

IDAHO PEAK LOOKOUT DN19

IDAHO PEAK ,New Denver area ,DN19
No this is not in idaho...but if you have never been there you do not know what you are missing.The views are spectacular in all directions.I worked 6 meters mobile from the upper parking lot (VERY SMALL LOT!) in the 1990s and then hiked the last 500 m up hill to the actual look out.This lookout is still manned and active with lots of day hikers and tourists during the summer.There is a real good video on YOUTUBE about this lookout.This is a great site for portable operation with a height of 2277 meters.PLEASE NOTE the road is very poor,steep and narrow!4 wheel drive is recommended.If it rains you are better off not going..To get there travel to the old town of Sandon outside of New Denver ,BC and look for the signs or ask the locals to point you the way.It is also good to ask a local in Sandon what the condition of the road is.Or ask some one that just came down it.It is best to travel up the road early in the morning as vehicles coming down the road later in the day make 2 way traffic passing VERY DIFFICULT with one vehicle having to back up to a pull out or put their vehicle up on the steep embankment just to pass with an inch to spare!The wild goose basin area can be very bad as well as the final steep approach to the small parking lot at the col (use low gear if you have auto).The government funding to keep this road in reasonable condition has been withdrawn ,so the condition of this road changes weekly.Make sure your vehicle is in good condition as this road can over heat vehicles.
73s and best dx

GRID SQUARE C090 PROMONTORY HILL MOUNTAIN TOP

So you decide one weekend that you want to go check out a new grid site in BC.Try a trip to Promontory Hill in CO90.This is an excellent Mountain top location in that grid and is just west of Merrit BC .There is a 2 story forestry lookout on top of the mountain with great views and vistas in every direction.To get to the top,take hwy 97c to hwy 8 west of Merrit towards Spences bridge.Stay on hwy 8 to Spences bridge as hwy 97c branches off to Logan lake.A little farther down the highway you will see a sign for the local garbage dump disposal area off to the right.Turn right up to the disposal area and then take the NEXT ROAD TO THE LEFT.You are then on the forestry access road to Promontory mtn.It is a nice leisurely winding narrow dirt road that is 2 wheel drive accessable.(no motor homes please)You really do not gain much altitude at first but after a couple of km the trees start to open up and you get some beautiful views to the south and east.The road continues to wind its way up the hill past a small lake and communications towers to the top.There is a small campsite area on top with picnic tables for an overnight stay but no water.Be prepared for local visitors as the area is used by locals for camping and atving. There is even a primitive outhouse facility on the west side of the forestry lookout down between the rocks.This is the site that VE7NUT/7 used during the 1990s during VHF CONTEST WEEKENDS. This site is worth the drive just for the views.Access to the site is from June 1 st to Oct 1 st or until the snow flies.Best dx and 73s

CO80 GRID EXPEDITION UPDATE

The CO80 Grid will be activated this year by a mountain top expedition in the whisler/ pemberton area.The group will ONLY be operating for a SINGLE DAY from the mountaintop site as it is very remote and access is limited to a narrow goat trail.They will be crossing Thru CO90 as well on the way to the site.Equipment will be 6 and 2 m with 5 el on 6 and 12 el on 2 with 100 watts on both bands.Operation Dates will be posted here on the vhfww blog.73s and best dx

HUGE OPENING IN NORTHWEST TO MIDWEST AND SOUTH

6 meter band always surprises me. After terrible lightning and heavy rains earlier today,the storm moves on and presto! The magic band opens up and we are talking all over the midwest from Iowa down to New orleans and Mexico from this grid DN09. Signals were very strong and stable for over 2 hours. The MUF was high enough for contacts from ve6 to calif. and colo to ve7 on 2 meters as well. Another interesting evening on 6 meters.The picture is of my 2 nd 6 meter antena a 9 el m2 at VE7BEE pointed at Japan.

KE7V in CN78 thursday and friday?

It is understood that KE7V will be in Grid CN78 on an island for the next couple of days....look for his posts and spot on dx summit for frequencies....best DX...

Its been a stormy day in DN09

Today in DN09 we have extreme electrical thunder storms passing through the area.After being 102 degrees the other day(yes it does get hot even in Canada)I guess we were over due for some cooler weather.Rain and lots of lightning.....No Ham radio of course......until these storms blow over...give me time to develop this blog today.Checking Grid expedition info will keep the updates posted here as I receive them.Picture is of my 6 and 2 meter stack.73s and best dx

AURORA ON SIX !

Yes....arrived home day before yesterday after work just in time to find a large aurora opening in progress on 6 and 2 meters,numerous stations worked in BC and Washington State with Ve6s and ve8s also heard.Mainly cw mode being used.Just shows that morse code will never die...just slowly fade away.See you on 6...CQ Au

VHF GRID SQUARE CM79 EXPEDITION?

For those of you familiar with VHF Ham radio and collect grid squares ,there has been a lot of discussion as of late on DX Summit Chat site about a possible portable operation on the 6 meter band to CM79 grid square.The amount of land to find a suitable location,set up and operate a radio station from CM79 is less than one square mile.This small piece of real estate is remote and rugged mountainside right on the coast of Northern California.There is no direct road access.You have to hike in a good 1200 + yards from the nearest dirt road to even reach the edge of the grid square.This is one of the most remote, rarest and most sought after grids in the USA by VHF operators today.It is because of this and the fact that one radio operator ONLY needs this grid square to complete the W5ff award #2 ,a discussion about this Grid location emerged. There was a lot of interested VHF operators in the subject and the chat carried on and on until nothing else was being discussed or reported...so here is the question of the day....would you help support this Grid expedition?Financially and or otherwise?I myself volunteered to go on the expedition as well as help with the logistics.So if you support this Grid dx expedition idea please post a reply.There are also other VHF Grid expeditions being proposed in the fall including one mountaintop expedition to CO80 in BC.I will keep details posted on the Blog....73s and best dx

A new beginning in Ham radio

After Talking with a lot of amateur radio operators over the past 18 months about how to share current information about VHF communications,I decided to develop this blog to share some of my past experiences in Ham Radio as well as what myself and others are currently developing in the radio hobby.I hope that you the readers find this Blog interesting as well as useful in its scope.I dedicate this blog to my father Rupert Beebe the inventor from Vancouver and other old time Ham radio operators in the Vancouver,BC area.For thanks to them,I have been able to enjoy this great hobby of Ham Radio and communicating wirelessly to others around the globe for many years.Welcome to the VHF World Wide blog