So, knowing the demographic of most of my fellow hams, I'm sure Weezer isn't at the top of many of your playlists, but when they declare "Beverly Hills, that's where I want to be" they're only one of many groups in the entertainment world that make reference to the area I traveled to for work last week. Sherryl Crow claims that when she's there she just wants to "...have some fun, till the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard" (which happens about 3 hours after this East Coaster's body clock gets him out of bed...)
Not to be left out, the TV producers have based a ridiculous number of storylines in the area - The Beverly Hillbillies, Melrose Place, The O.C., and some of The Real Housewives all happened in the area, along with a LOT of other shows (just check the Google machine and you can see how long the list is). Lastly, there are just as many movies that took place in the area - Blade Runner, the Terminator Series, Demolition Man, Blue Streak, Crank, and Hancock are just some of the ones that are set in and around LA.
Not to be left out, the TV producers have based a ridiculous number of storylines in the area - The Beverly Hillbillies, Melrose Place, The O.C., and some of The Real Housewives all happened in the area, along with a LOT of other shows (just check the Google machine and you can see how long the list is). Lastly, there are just as many movies that took place in the area - Blade Runner, the Terminator Series, Demolition Man, Blue Streak, Crank, and Hancock are just some of the ones that are set in and around LA.
If you're like me however, you're in LA for business. This means that the majority of your time is spent on less glamorous things, in less glamorous places, like these:
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Luckily, I came prepared, and I did find time to sneak off one evening and get in about an hour of radio time in the Santa Monica Mountains, otherwise known as NPOTA unit RC17!
For this trip, I had packed along my standard HF gear. While in the park I used the rental car and it's battery as my power supply, using this fancy arrangement that travels with me:
For this trip, I had packed along my standard HF gear. While in the park I used the rental car and it's battery as my power supply, using this fancy arrangement that travels with me:
I also have several short lengths of extension cable made up so that I have some flexibility where I set my equipment. In this case that ended up being on the ground in front of my parked car.
The rental car also provided me with something else - a counterweight to anchor my Buddipole antenna. Thank you un-named rental company, for so kindly letting me use the spare tire in your car in this manner:
As I mentioned, I was on a short timeframe for this activation. I only had about an hour between the time I arrived and sunset, when the park closed. This meant that between setup and teardown, I only had about 20 minutes of actual on-air time, but I managed to hand out this park to 21 chasers in that window! Also, because of the short time I had, I didn't get many pictures other than the ones above. I did manage 2 quick shots from the parking area around the visitors center, and one GPS screenshot to prove I was actually there however!
Oh, and I might have fibbed about only getting to see the less glamorous places - I also got to poke around a place that many folks visit with their little ones because they are a customer of ours. Unfortunately, that visit was for work so I couldn't put that park on the air....
Oh, and I might have fibbed about only getting to see the less glamorous places - I also got to poke around a place that many folks visit with their little ones because they are a customer of ours. Unfortunately, that visit was for work so I couldn't put that park on the air....
73 till next around!
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