Hi!
After the Prescott Hamfest wraps up on Saturday, I plan on heading to Flagstaff in northern Arizona. This was my plan for last weekend, which I had to cancel abruptly. I won't be able to make it over to the Petrified Forest National Park along I-40 in eastern Arizona this weekend, but I do plan on visiting at least 2 sites for the ARRL's National Parks on the Air activity and a grid boundary in northern Arizona.
After the hamfest, I am looking to work at least one, and *maybe* two, SO-50 passes from the DM34/DM35 grid boundary near Ash Fork in northern Arizona on Saturday evening. I have operated from this location in the past, along a county road running parallel to AZ-89 south of Ash Fork. The first of the two SO-50 passes Saturday evening is just before 0200 UTC, and there should still be daylight up there at that time. The later pass will probably be dark, except for any lighting I have on and around my car. After the DM34/DM35 stop, I may operate from other locations in grid DM35 and/or DM45 as I drive to Flagstaff for the night.
On Sunday (12 June) morning, I plan on going north of Flagstaff to operate from the Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments north of Flagstaff near US-89. Both monuments are in grid DM45, and are located next to each other. If time permits, I might try to stop at another NPOTA site like the Walnut Canyon National Monument east of Flagstaff, or the Montezuma Castle National Monument along I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff.
At each NPOTA site, I would like to make contacts with at least 10 different stations to make my stop an "official" activation under ARRL's NPOTA rules. I am planning to start Sunday morning at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, hoping to work at least 10 different stations. Then I hope to repeat that at Wupatki, before heading back to Flagstaff and deciding on where I will go next.
I will use my @WD9EWK Twitter feed to send out updates on my travels and operating Saturday evening and Sunday. If you don't use Twitter, you can see my tweets - some of which will have photos - in a web browser at:
My travels should also appear on APRS, using the call sign WD9EWK-9. There is good APRS coverage throughout most of northern Arizona, including where I plan on traveling. Among other web sites, my travels should be visible at:
I will upload my QSOs to Logbook of the World after this weekend. If you would like a QSL card for any QSOs made this weekend, please e-mail me with the QSO details. No need to first send me a QSL card or SASE. If you are in my log, I will gladly send you a QSL card.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK