Bob Cunnings NW8L

This year - to the desert for FOBB. The location was up on a mesa
overlooking the Arroyo Bernalillito area of the Ojito Wilderness 
northwest of Albuquerque, NM.  A narrow promontory juts out northwa
from the main body of the mesa, with its head standing about 300 fe
above the surrounding terrain at an elevation of 6100 feet. This is
great spot for a QRP station and provides a clear shot for signals 
the west, north, and east.

Getting up there isn't too difficult if you take your time. The 
lower portion consists of steep debris slopes, and the uppermost po
a sheer sandstone vertical wall. Fortunately a cleft in the sandsto
is located near the operating spot, marked by a gnarly old pinon tr
growing out of the rock. A faint, intermittent trail provides a rat
tortuous path from the base up to the cleft, and from there a littl
rockslide on the unstable slope of decomposed mudstone leading to t
caprock.

Once on top I set up the antenna. It is made from 64 feet of 450 
ohm balanced line. One conductor is opened at the center and connec
to the 300 ohm feedline, and serves as directly driven 40 meter dip
The other conductor is notched out 15 feet in from each end to form
meter dipole centered at the feedpoint, but not connected (the "cou
resonator"). The feedline is 40 feet long and connected directly to
KX1, which finds a good match on 30 meters as well as 20 and 40. Th
feed point was supported by a 32 ft. telescoping fiberglass windsoc
pole, tied to a juniper tree. Orientation was North/South.

The rig is my trusty Elecraft KX1, with a small self-powered speake
Power is about 3W on 20 m, 4W on 40 m.

Power was supplied by a 10W solar panel charging a 2AH gel cel.

Near the edge the caprock is broken up, and I set up the shack in
this cleft under the juniper tree holding up the antenna mast, with
"Noah's Tarp" for shade.

The view to the West, with Cabezon, a volcanic plug, on the horizon

To the North, the mesa overlooks the area in the Ojito 
Wilderness where the dinosaur "Seismosaurus" was excavated. Less th
half a mile in are some nice petroglyphs.

To the East is seen White Mesa, where gypsum is imined to make wall
The clouds were building as the day went on, as remnants of Hurrica
were drifting in from the southeast.

Looking Southeast the main body of the mesa can be seen, and Sandia
near Albuquerque is off in the distance.

Ready to go. Conditions were a little better this year, it 
seemed. I made 46 QSOs, 42 on 20 meters and 4 on 40 meters. 29 were
fellow BBs, and 17 with home stations. It was great to hear more ho
stations this year, thanks! 20 was the hot band, with some great si
all were easy however, and I had to really strain to hear those whi
were fading in and out. I switched to 40 only at the tail end, even
signals were quite weak here. 21 states were worked: MI, TX, IL, MN
AL, CA, AR, MO, OR, OH, CO, WY, NM, FL, ID, KY, WA, WI, MS, VA, and
It was nice to work into the South, but I couldn't raise any statio
New England, although I did hear a few, very faintly.

Once FOBB was done, I packed up and headed down since I wanted to d
a little sightseeing in the area and take some pictures before driv

At the bottom there is a tiny relic population of Ponderosa Pines,
left over from better (wetter) times. They seem really out of place

I hiked in about a half mile to the North, near the Seismosaurus si
where there are some old ruins.

Nearby are some petroglyphs, on horizontal rock at the edge of 
the Seismosaurus mesa, overlooking the Arroyo Bernalillito area. Hu
arm, turtle, snake, sun, crescent moon, north star - it's the full 

Here is an action scene, the Hunter and Prey...