The Spot
Address:
23222 W. Valencia Blvd. Valencia, CA. 93555
Coordinates:
34.422696
-118.542749
Grid Square:
DM04RK
Details:
The K-Mart Shopping Center parking lot on the southwest corner of the junction where Valencia Blvd, Soledad Canyon Rd. and Bouquet Canyon Rd. meet is an ideal site for mobile and portable radio operators to work from. Despite sitting in an industrial area with processing and chemical plants less than a half mile away, the north-central section of the lot between the K-Mart and McDonalds driveways is electronically sound, providing almost no RFI down to at least 60 meters. From this location I have been able to work Kentucky and Ohio on 10 meters using only 2.5 watts from an FT-817 and a mag-mount CB antenna.
This site also provides immediate access to must have amenities including three gas stations, at least five restaurants with restrooms, a donut shop and a bar. Less than 10 minutes away you will find a Wal-Mart SuperCenter that is open 24-hours, the Westfield-Valencia Town Center Mall with more than 40 retail outlets, 20 sit down restaurants, an Edwards Cinemas movie theater with ampitheater style reclining seats, sleeping accommodations from low budget motels to the Hyatt Suites and two amusement parks including the world famous Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor. If that isn’t enough – this lot also sits under one of the busiest flight training areas in Southern California and less than 1000 feet away are railroad tracks used heavily by Union Pacific and Metrolink, you can plane and train spot without having to move your car.
As you can see from the Google Maps image, even during a busy weekday the lot is still surprisingly empty. I have sat in the lot for hours during the day searching for new frequencies on my scanner and not once have I been harassed or asked to leave. At night when the town and traffic begins the wind down, youll notice you’re still not alone. The Valencia Newsstand is open 24 hours. Here you can stop in, get something to snack on, something to drink, even pick up the latest issue of CQ, PopComm or Monitoring Times. Valencia Newsstand carries over 100 different magazines, 20 different newspapers from around the world and even has a walk in humidor for you cigar aficionados.
