Trips like this are why I bought the Elecraft KH1

With good snow conditions from a recent storm, I set out with a few friends from the Mountain Rescue Team to climb and ski Mt. Baden Powell in March 2024. I capped it off with a quickie Summits On the Air (SOTA) activation using the KH1 and a new prototype KH1 pressure paddle I've been designing (more to come on that). So check out the video and join us for the adventure.
www.k6ark.com

[@wmb2292]

If Elecraft ever needed a promo video for the KH1, this is it .... Fantastic !

[@nickkendall3764]

Adam is the kind of guy I wish I was. were lucky to have people like him in the community . Good on ya Adam your an inspiration to a lot of people I would assume. you certainly are to me

[@K6ARK]

Awe, thanks brother. My goal is certainly to inspire, and I truly believe that those who have the access to places like this and the interest in learning and putting in the effort to build the skills can achieve the same levels of fun and adventure.

[@RadioRunner]

You can be an Adam in your own way champ don't put yourself down - I 100% believe in you.

[@digital.rancher]

Breathtaking views! Thanks for taking us along! 73!

[@HamRadioDX]

Absolutely stunning scenery Adam. It's an absolutely amazing place to play radio!

[@David-N7NRE]

What a five star day. Combining the skiing/and S2S into a combined adventure video should make it popular among the ham community. Lot of fun! Great video, Adam. Keep the adventure videos coming.73. N7NRE Dave Prescott Valley, Az.

[@joyahamradio]

The air in the mountains listened to on this transceiver is INCREDIBLY clear.

[@dpetervan]

My favorite activity of all time....back country tele skiing while playing radio!!...Out here I am restricted to the Adirondacks. Awesome Adam! Pete, KD2OMV

[@Bill-HRT]

Adam! "Play a little radio . . ." Pun sooooo intended, lol. I'm pretty fond of that radio; have done several activations with it, and found them very easy. The first one was with you bnc efhw I made before the kits. Worked out very well. I'm convinced they both work, lol. See you out there. 73 de Bill K0WHW

[@ko5pr]

Baden Powell. BE PREPARED! Takes me back to my days as a Boy Scout

[@Ammed_KN6STX]

That looked like you guys had a blast Adam!!!

[@LouiseBrooksBob]

James Bond style SOTA.

[@petrok1rp254]

Amazing trip Adam. I really like your vids like this. Hope to work you from EU…;)

[@KG6NLWMotoRadio]

I wish I could ski, let alone ski the way Adam does!! I’m reserved to UTV’s!

[@DK5ONV]

Wohooo Adam...OMG what a Dream Location to practice any kinds of outdoor Activities. Good Job...have a good new Week. 73 de Uncle Günter 💯💥👊👍

[@K6ARK]

Yes! The mountains that bound the LA basin have some incredible terrain.

[@TravelinHam]

What an awesome adventure! Looked like a blast!

[@CdnRockiesRadio]

Makes me want to learn to ski hihi, That was a awesome vid Adam.

[@K6ARK]

Do it! It's really fun and way better than snowshoes.

[@JonFlyTV]

Great perfect use case for the KH1 - really enjoyed this vid. 73 de Jon K7CO

[@randalltom9750]

Great Video Adam! I used to swish down the slopes, usually aided via a lift to the top. No crowds, no lines... I get it. It looked like everyone had fun. 72 de W7UDT

[@k9kj]

It's cool to watch you work all of your buddies! That's awesome!

[@K6ARK]

It's cool to get to work all my buddies 😎

[@drewbuller7680]

I am really looking forward to the release of that paddle! It looks so good!

[@K6ARK]

It has some quirks but works fairly well. I have a small batch of additional boards arriving tomorrow, so expect more info soon

[@kendebusk2540]

Thanks for the beautiful scenery. I will never see it in person because any slope over about 5 degrees, or any edge gives me vertigo-go-go :)

[@davidw3gzs55]

K6ARK is channeling Warren Miller in this vid. Great stuff!

[@HikinnHammin]

Having had the opportunity to play with it some, I can say it's a pretty slick paddle.

[@KN4OKadventures]

Very cool Adam and great job with the KH1. I haven't bought yet lol

[@N4AAJ]

Awesome video, Adam. Thanks for taking us along for the ride. 73 de N4AAJ

[@K6ARK]

Thanks for coming along!

[@royramdeen8864]

Man that radio is the neatest ever.. just got mine from elecraft. Enjoy.

[@DXJungle]

Beautiful location. Awesome video Adam. Thank you.

[@KE2BXZ]

As always awesome content! Keep the good stuff coming! Your CW Work has been my primary inspiration to learn code, and I have been able to hear you multiple times all the way from New York State I hope to work you when I get proficient enough to send. All the best and 73

[@K6ARK]

If I'm on the KH1, KX2, or another rig that's easy to adjust speed, I slow down to match the sender. If you let the pileup die down and send at whatever speed and spacing is good for you to copy. So long as im on a rig that allows, I'll adjust to match and we'll get the contact done 🤘😁👍. Please don't hesitate to work me when you're up for it. It doesn't have to be perfect to get a message across.

[@HAMRADIODUDE]

That looks like a beautiful trip.

[@K6ARK]

It was indeed. It's not often you get a combination of relatively good snow conditions AND a beautiful, wind-free day.

[@KG6YJ]

Very nice video showing SOTA + KH1 + skiing! If your action camera has Horizontal Balancing/Stabilization function, turn it on, you'll see your down hill skiing video awesome. :) And I will learn how to use ski skin as you showed. TU es 73.

[@K6ARK]

Thanks! Unfortunately It doesn't... Older GoPro (Hero 7 Black). Some day I'll upgrade...

[@45auto]

What a fun day!

[@DonDegidio]

Hi Adam, Kudos on a nice activation from a snow capped summit. It was fun watching you all ski back down the mountain. Hope you do it again. 🙂 73 WJ3U

[@K6ARK]

Thanks Don, the season is coming to an end, but I think we will still have some opportunities later this spring for some skiing on San Gorgonio and in the Sierra. 😁👍

[@gsansoucie]

Excellent. My KH1 is sitting in Little Rock general delivery waiting for us to roll in for pickup. Interesting paddle. Ive been looking for a mono paddle solution for the KH1 and may have to fire up OnShape and get to work. This looks like a lot of fun and fits into the use case Wayne had for the radio, something small and self contained that doesn’t get into the way of enjoying the outdoors. W1ND

[@VeteransHamShack]

Wow how cool is that! Looked beautiful up there, you made me nervous up on the ridgeline heading towards the summit ha. I'm not much on heights but glad to see you got some contacts while you were up there! 73 ~ Jeremy KF4CHW

[@elradiohead]

nice 73!

[@lauriepalmeira7519]

I love this. :)

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Got to say.. Fabulous thumbnail!

[@Utahforrest]

I think I found the coolest KZbinr ever

[@K6ARK]

If you're in the "nerds are cool" camp, then... Maybe. 😆

[@N7KOM]

Hell yeah

[@QRPCW]

Bonito juguete, un capricho 👏🏻 72

[@ralphnunn3]

I know this sounds weird, but thanks for putting your mistakes into the rolling text. I think it's important for people to realize that CW ops make mistakes, too.

[@K6ARK]

Absolutely! I obviously edited some of this down, but I do think it's important to understand that we all screw up sending, and nobody cares. The goal is to get the message across efficiently. If you try to run at a speed that has so many mistakes that it is less efficient or effective, you should certainly slow down, but occasional mistakes? No biggie.

[@phildurall7466]

Home run! Sliding into home with style! 72 - KF6IF

[@BobBroeking]

Nice video...couple of questions. How were you logging (via video playback?) ... or just not on camera with your phone? Second, how did you know that slope (s) were stable you skied down; did you dig an aval. test pit?

[@K6ARK]

Great questions. Yes, I was just using the video playback for logging. I made sure to say each call sign in case I couldn't hear the Morse on the video. Avalanches are definitely possible in SoCal snowpack, but the conditions were fairly low risk that day. We monitored the snowpack on our way up which was the same aspect and elevation as our skiing. We found a small amount of wind loaded snow near the summit on the leeward side, but not enough accumulation to create any slab hazard. We didn't bother digging a pit. The Mediterranean snowpack in SoCal metamorphoses FAST and hazards don't persist for more than a few days, typically. I have seen slab hazard in our local mountains, but not this day. Our biggest concern was being out too late in the day and having wet loose hazards in the gulley. We managed that by being off the mountain a little after noon. Also worth noting - everyone in the group is a member of a local SAR team with me, and all have taken avalanche courses. We all also wore beacons and carried shovels and probes. Had there been ANY notable risk, we would have applied more risk management in terrain selection and travel method, skiing one at a time from safe zone to safe zone and avoiding terrain traps.

[@BobBroeking]

@@K6ARK yes I figured you all had beacons if you were skiing there. I have zero experience with Sierra snow vice Rockies snow…. Almost looked like spring snow conditions… that radio certainly opens up unlimited easy mobile opportunities if you know CW. I am considering learning in my old age… ha. Bob. KU3C

[@K6ARK]

@@BobBroeking yes, basically spring conditions... Temps were in the mid to upper 40s!

[@brianfields4479]

Great video, but I would be on all fours at the top hi. 73 zl3xdj.

[@KD2YDN]

You were there for a sec. I could hear you in NY intermittently. That paddle looks 👌. Thanks for entertainment!

[@K6ARK]

Yours arrives tomorrow, brother 🤘😁

[@m7trsradio]

Great video Adam. It must be really horrible doing a SOTA like that. 😂

[@K6ARK]

Absolutely terrible. Terribly good fun 🤘😆👍

[@alainzen7262]

I think shall buy one even possible in France for à cw opération it seems idéal for backpacking

[@K6ARK]

They are expensive, but the capability of operating hand-held is very fun!

[@ThomasHart59]

Really cool video. Thanks. I worked a SOTA activation on Baden-Powell this weekend (VHF FM), I wonder if that was your group?

[@Klaatu-ij9uz]

Adam -- I Recently viewed a KZbin episode concerning shortening a dipole antenna for a better SWR reading. You mentioned the fact that just bending & twisting a portion of the wire back on itself is sufficient. Do you stand-firm on that idea? Thank you.

[@K6ARK]

Yes, you can electrically shorten any wire (even insulated) by simply folding it back on itself. It doesn't have quite as much effect as cutting the wire, but it's very close. Great way to tune an antenna in the field, or tune it so that you can undo the wire shortening later if you want.

[@itrstt66]

Can you understand that listen speed? Or does the radio translates it?

[@K6ARK]

The radio does not decode, I have practiced a lot to be able to understand what is being sent as I hear it.

[@itrstt66]

@@K6ARK good job, and thank you

[@makskk6spm275]

what does mean 5HN? what paddle you are using for KH1? seem something not original

[@K6ARK]

5HN is a direct translation of a mistake trying to send 5NN, short for 599. The key is a pressure sensitive paddle I designed. I'll be selling them soon...

[@makskk6spm275]

@@K6ARK Yeah. Thanks! I saw this key on the K4SWL channel as well. Can't wait! Great idea.

[@paulmitchell4421]

how is it that icom with their 705 can go 90% there and than FAIL at the last step before making a useble handheld radio to be held vertically in one hand by not including a vertical (portrait) display mode and enforcing a horizontal only topoly. all the major youtubers specially the nocode ones have violently shunned the idea as well proclaiming it impossible. ALL the lemmings have subsequently just accepted the idea and are unable to imagine using the 705 vertically.

[@K6ARK]

I don't really like the IC-705. It's way too big for the kind of portable operation I like to do, and has all the wrong bells and whistles. The KX2 is a far better option if SSB is needed. 2m/70cm on the 705 would be useful if it were capable of full duplex for satellite operations, but without, it's just a brick of an HF rig with basically the same functionality as my HT on VHF and UHF.

[@paulmitchell4421]

@@K6ARK you are spot on about full duplex. none of the modern HT's offer it ever since the advent of horriffically nauseating sounding digital voice modes. In fact John Krook [sic] from Yaesu in a video with k6uda said that Vocoders take so much room inside the HT's there is NO More physical space left for a diplexer. (never mind that a 200w diplexer takes 6 caps and 7 coils and fits in area of 2 thumbnails).......... well, the 705 has vhf uhf ssb which for reasons unknown does not exist in HT realm but the no vertical display irks me to no end.

[@K6ARK]

@@paulmitchell4421 I'd buy one if it had full duplex for SSB/CW linear sats - that doesn't exist in a portable system. I'd even be happy with an external duplexer and 2x BNCs.

[@paulmitchell4421]

@@K6ARK as for the KH1 the lack of 12 and 10 meters is also very disappointing especially that portable whips get more efficient there.

[@K6ARK]

@@paulmitchell4421 absolutely. And 10m is so much fun right now. 😢

[@JonathanKayne]

We worked each other with our KH1s on this activation! -Jonathan KM4CFT

[@jbloodwo]

So sota and I am guessing some black diamond (or un rated) ⛷️ sounds like fun.

[@K6ARK]

Yep! Not a ski resort, so there's no rating of the ski run. It's about 3,000 ft of descent with the steepest sections around 40 degrees. The majority is in the 20-30 deg range down that gulley.