Summits on the Air Activation – San Marcos High Point (W6/SC-331) with QRP SSB & CW on QMX
Had an incredible Summits on the Air (SOTA) day hike to San Marcos High Point – W6/SC-331, combining scenic views with some solid ham radio contacts. This was a special outing as it marked my first SSB operations using the QRP Labs QMX transceiver on 20M , alongside my usual CW portable operations.
CW Highlights:
On CW, the bands were alive! Managed to log multiple U.S. chasers, as well as DX contacts from France and the Netherlands. The QMX performed flawlessly, and it was rewarding to get such reach with minimal power.
First SSB Ops on the QMX:
Running just 3.5 watts, I was stoked to complete my first voice contacts (SSB). Connected with a Parks on the Air (POTA) activator and another chaser in Washington, plus a solid contact from Colorado. The audio quality and stability of the QMX on SSB really impressed me.
📻 Rig: QRP Labs QMX
📡 Operating Bands: 20M & 15M
🎙️ Modes: CW and SSB
⚡ Power: 3.5W QRP
📍 Location: San Marcos High Point – W6/SC-331 (California)
Not a bad activation at all — beautiful hike, great weather, and some memorable contacts. It’s always satisfying when low-power gear punches well above its weight!
And if you're experimenting with the QMX for SSB, it's absolutely worth it!
🔔 Subscribe for more Summits on the Air activations, portable ham radio content, and gear reviews!
👍 Like, share, and comment to support the channel — 73 and see you on the next summit!
#hamradio #SOTA #QRP #SummitsOnTheAir #qrplabs #QMX #CW #SSB #POTA #AmateurRadio #FieldRadio
🔥 Support My Adventures! 🔥
☕ Buy Me a Jolt: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/leftcoasthr
🐦 Follow Me on X: https://x.com/leftcoasthr
Subscribe & Join the Journey! 🏔️🌍 #hamradio #bikepacking #qrp #cw
Gear
USMC Assault Pack
QRP-LAB QMX QRP Radio 60-15M and 20-15M
Antenna: 10-40M EFHW with 17 and 30M links
RG-316 25'
Pico Palm Green Grasshopper
iFTx IOS APP
K6ARK Microphone
7M carbon Fiber Mast
00:00 - CQ CQ
00:09 - Antenna Setup
00:41 - QMX SSS/CW Setup
02:09 - CW OPS Part 1
06:50 - Green Grasshopper Pico Paddle
07:45 - CW OPS Part 2
10:46 - Antenna Falls Down
11:06 - CW Ops Part 3
13:46 - SSB
18:05 - SSB 20M RX
19:33 - Final Thoughts
There is no way I would have the confidence and or the skill be a CW operator on the air without the fantastic instructors from both CWOPS and LICW. Do not hesitate one minute to join this fabulous clubs to learn morse code.
https://cwops.org
https://longislandcwclub.org
iFTx Details
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/iftx/id...
https://www.hb9zhk.ch/iftx.html
YT channels I like:
www.youtube.com/@w4arb
http://www.youtube.com/@vk3ye
http://www.youtube.com/@aussiesotaops
https://www.youtube.com/@CanoeTheNorth
https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisN8PEM
https://www.youtube.com/@TheHamNinja
https://www.youtube.com/@CoaxAndCampstools
https://www.youtube.com/@W4EMB
https://www.youtube.com/@elradiohead
http://www.youtube.com/@HamRadioDuo
https://www.youtube.com/@EvanK2EJT
https://www.youtube.com/@Utahforrest
https://www.youtube.com/@K6ARK
https://www.youtube.com/@k9eihamradio
https://www.youtube.com/@KG6NLWMotoRadio
http://www.youtube.com/@HikinnHammin
https://www.youtube.com/@KYFriedHam
https://www.youtube.com/@KQ3Q
https://www.youtube.com/@AA0Z
https://www.youtube.com/@KurtZoglmann
https://www.youtube.com/@LB4FH
https://www.youtube.com/@longislandcwclub
https://www.youtube.com/@N4AAJ
https://www.youtube.com/@n4hnhradio
https://www.youtube.com/@n4jaw
https://www.youtube.com/@N7KOM
https://www.youtube.com/@QRPCW
https://www.youtube.com/@QRPMonkey
https://www.youtube.com/@RadioRunner
https://www.youtube.com/@RedSummitRF
https://www.youtube.com/@Scout75PortableRadio
https://www.youtube.com/@SOTA-plus
https://www.youtube.com/@SWIZZRADIOS
https://www.youtube.com/@TheTechPrepper
https://www.youtube.com/@ThomasK4SWL
https://www.youtube.com/@twooldmeninthewoods
https://www.youtube.com/@VE6LK
https://www.youtube.com/@vk2ter
https://www.youtube.com/@W6IWN_Radio
www.youtube.com/@Utahforrest
#cw #pota #parksontheair #summitsontheair #sota #QRP #hamradio #amateurradio #qrpportable #morsecode #bamatech #americanmorse #mcHF #N0SASPX #QRPLabs #MTBR #bioenno #DJI #LICW #dipole #efhw #Chelegance #mc750 #endfedhalfwave #hamradioantenna #adventure #landcruiser #fj60 #toyota #ft8 #qmx #qrplabs #iftx #mountainbiking #mountains #hikingadventures #hiking #singlespeed #29er