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NS7P activation of Badger Mountain on 27 May 2016

NS7P's picture
Summit: 
W7O/CC-057
Cellular Provider: 
N/A

Badger Mountain, W7O/CC-057, is a one point summit that is a repeater/cell tower complex at the end of a 2.2 mile logging road. It isn't particlarly atteractive, unless you like to look at towers.  Access can be a bit tricky.  See below.

 

Take Hwy 126 to milepost 36 at the sign for Couger Pass.  Across the road from this “pass” sign, take the gravel road to the south. You will immediately come to a gate across the road. Crews are often logging up the mountain.  If they are working, the gate will be open.  It often is in the morning. You may be able to catch a log truck driver who can tell you when the gate will get closed that day. Don’t get caught inside behind the gate. I flagged down a driver who said they would be working till 2:30 or so.  He got on his CB radio and told the head logger that I was headed up the mountain and would be out well before 2 PM.

 

With that assurance, I set my odometer to 0.0 at the gate and headed up. Watch out for log trucks. Follow the road uphill. At 1.0 miles, there is a branch downhill to the left.  Don’t take it.  Stay straight up on the main road.  At 1.5 miles, stay to the left. At 2.0 miles, take the center fork. At 2.2 miles, you reach the top which has several RF installations.

 

There are plenty of trees for hanging an antenna.  The corner of one of the perimeter fences also makes a good tether point for a push up mast. You can park just down the hill before reaching the top and hike the rest of the way (assuming you drove up).  Otherwise, hike the whole road 2.2 miles to the top.  The road gains a little over 1000’ of elevation during those 2.2 miles.

 

The site was reasonably RF quiet on 30 and 20 meters, but it was very noisy on 40 meters.