updated 10/09/2024
Below are the stories and the updates of the Rover Stations we have for 2024. We will be posting pictures and additional information about each of the Rovers as we receive it.
W6V – CALIFORNIA ROVER… traveling the entire route
W6V will be “start to finish” Rover in 2024 on “the Mother Road”. A few years back, our partner in crime with Cal QSO Party activations, Dan KB6UNC, Annie N6ACL and I started talking about the idea of doing a “start-to-finish” RT66 rover from one end to the other. This was in 2019. Dan and I had done multiple Cal QSO Party activations from Glenn County, to Mariposa, Merced and San Benito during Parks on the Air in 2016. We penciled it out and created an antenna design that would allow us to work from my F350 Truck mobile and quickly change to multi-op, multi radio when stopped for the night. Dan was a force to be worked on SSB when contesting CQP. Dan was also born blind, and it was inspiring to watch him – run – log – repeat. Sadly, Dan passed away suddenly in 2019 right before Route 66 20th running – he was 53. And, for a few years, so did the idea of doing a RT66 rover.
So, for the 25th running of RT66 ON-THE-AIR, Annie N6ACL and I will be on the road as W6V, on APRS, on the AIR and taking the route from Santa Monica to Chicago from September 7th 0000Z through September 15th 2359Z. We will be on SSB, FT8 and CW while on the road from stop to stop, multi-op single transmitter and then both on the air when we stop for the night. We will be activating historic sites, points of interest and blogging the adventure !
Come join us as we take to the airwaves from Santa Monica to Chicago in memory of our friend and fellow adventurer Dan KB6UNC. Listen for “Whiskey Six Victor” on the Mother Road. Work us once, work us in every state, work us in every mode – we want to share our adventure with you!
73,
Annie N6ACL and John NZ6Q
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W6S – ARIZONA (Rover # 1)
The current W6S AZ Rover One (East AZ) started out in 2011 when I participated in the event as a “m66” station. Back then there was a certificate endorsement for a Rover station on the event certificate and a contact with any mobile station on 66 counted (including the ‘official’ Rovers).
My call sign that year was NJ0W/m66. Starting 2012 I took over the W6S Rover call sign and operated from my F-150 pickup mobile (with an HF screwdriver antenna) and portable (wire inverted-V antenna) from various locations along AZ Route 66.
In the years since (with a family hiatus in 2022 & 2023) NJ0W has operated W6S each year from 5 or 6 different locations East of Flagstaff as far as the Petrified Forest National Park (Route 66 actually transits the park). This year’s planned locations include ‘40s 66 North of Walnut Canyon National Monument, ’20s & ’30s 66 four miles East of (Don’t Forget) Winona, ‘40s 66 Southeast of Buffalo Range Road I-40 exit, ‘30s 66 in the Ghost Town of Two Guns, and ‘40s 66 Northwest of Meteor City. Other locations that may be used include the ‘20s 66 1918 Padre Canyon Bridge, the ‘40s Twin Arrows Trading Post, ‘40s 66 in East Winslow, and the ‘20s 66 on the West side of Petrified Forest National Park. This is monsoon season in Arizona so each daily location and operating hours vary depending on the lightning/rain forecast. I generally operate SSB phone on 40m in the morning and 20m mid-morning through evening every day running around 300w.
David Schaubert, NJ0W – Flagstaff
Operating from the Conoco Gas Station Ruins on ‘20s Route 66 in the AZ Ghost Town of Two Guns.
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9/7/2024 Four miles East of “Don’t Forget” Winona.
_9/7/2024 Afternoon: Meteor city trading post geo dome is on the horizon. Route 66 is road to left of pickup heading towards the dome
9/12:
Took some time off today to recharge my voice. I dropped by the W6T trailer to drop off their QSL cards (finally arrived from the printer) and the bands were dead (CME event early today apparently) so I guess I didn’t miss anything. I’m sitting at 1000 contacts right now so I figure I’ll make to around 1300 at the end. that is well below the ‘normal’ count. The bands have been open but the depth of the chasers is kind of ‘soft’ this year. No big pileups but rather steady with lengthy dry spells almost like we work everyone that is on and then have to wait for more people to tune in. Weird.
I was reading your rover page and remembered that I have a 360-degree panorama of the inside of my rover in 2016 during RT66OTA.
<https://worldwidepanorama.org/wwp916/DavidSchaubert-9052.html>
I thought that might be a good add-on to my part of the story. I have a newer F-150 now but the cabin is still pretty much set up the same.
David, NJ0W
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W6W -ARIZONA (Rover # 3)
They are off to a slow start but on the road.
They are saying … Our Big Bertha Rover station W6W is on the move to Oatman today! We will be working 20-10 and expect them to be spotted on DX Summit so you can easily find them
9/12/24
Below picture 1-Kenny Silverman, K2KW and Tom Schiller, N6BT and creator of the Rover equipment and antenna
Picture 2 and 3-Headed up the mountain to Oatman, a very rugged drive with steep drop offs and a small narrow road especially with a large vehicle. No truck and trailers allowed on this road. Oatman is known for their donkeys that roam the streets.
Picture 4, 5 and 6-Big Bertha as we call the rover at a pull off at the city limits of Oatman and Tom Schiller, N6BT with a Power Energy drink for the next pile up!
Photos are from our third team member, Rick Cooper, K7CNT and the person manhandling the equipment and worked half of the Q’s too!
On any roving activity there is always preparation. This year Tom Schiller, N6BT was lining things up and “BAM” landed in the hospital unexpectedly and had an emergency gallbladder operation! Well we had not expected that nor planned for it. We had operators coming to our home for this event from California and Virginia who wanted to be a part of our Route 66 event. What now? Six days of hospital stay and we were back in business. Tom immediately started getting busy and building this Rover set up. He built the Bravo series vertical antenna from his Next Generation business location and fixed an actuator on it so at a push of a button the antenna will go up and down. It covers 20-10. Cabling, generator, radio, and operators were procured and pressure was mounting to get on the road from our ham community. First Stop Oatman, where it was 97 degrees and extremely windy. No headset and the amplifier keying system needed repair. The radio used was a Yaesu FT900 with a 600 watt amplifier. Although this was the best location because Oatman is in a hole, there were multiple power lines near by. The challenges today of being a roving operator. Today Seligman and who knows what the remaining days will be……
I’ve been juggling operating W6F, training and mentoring new hams working our station, guests and helping Tom. W6F from our home station has made over 1300 contacts. I estimate so far our club including the 1300 has made over 2500 contacts and we are all still going strong!
88, Vicki, N6KLS
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MORE PICTURES of W6W FROM THE ROAD
9/12: cont…Rover 3, W6W had a great run yesterday out of Seligman, AZ, home of the Road Kill Cafe! They parked right outside the cemetery, a quiet location, and set up operations. As soon as they hit the air waves the pile up began as if it was a DXpedition! Wow the afternoon registered 239 contacts in the log, all on 20 SSB using the Bravo Series Vertical that Tom, N6BT built. They sat in the back seat of Big Bertha to operate as you can see in the photo of Rick, K7CNT below. Always mindful of safety you can see the generator sat across the road from their operating position. It was a hot, dusty, desolate afternoon. The headwind was high, and the temperature around 90 degrees.
As you can see by the solar activity summary below they should have had a terrible operating day! To the contrary the pile up’s never stopped and I had to call them home for dinner. They finally packed up at 5:30 PM and took the 1 hour drive back to Kingman. Sorry they had to go radio silent, however they will be back at it today and operating from Cool Springs, AZ. A very historical place and they are looking forward to a shorter drive! If you operate W6F I’m giving frequency spots as well as being spotted on DX Summit.
W6T – ARIZONA (Rover # 2)
We invited the Route 66 Car Club of Flagstaff to stop by during the OTA event and had a number of them show upwith their classic cars.
We cooked up some hamburgers and hot dogs andwhile they ate, I told them about our event and how the whole world was chasing us on RT 66. Before they left, I taught them a little Morse code they could tap out with their horns when they pass each other or one of us, that is dit dit dit dit dit dit = Hi LOL
There are more photos on our club website at https://www.nadxa.com/
or check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/nadxa
73… Bob, NF7E
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