Monthly Archives: December 2014

Bumbunga Hill, VK5/ SE-015

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On Sunday morning (28th December 2014), Marija and I had intended on activating Mount Remarkable, VK5/ NE-010.  But to be honest, we were quite exhausted from the 10 km walk the day earlier, when we had activated The Battery, VK5/ NE-055.  So we chose an easier option.  We were heading south back home, which would take us passed Illawarra Hill, Bumbunga Hill and South Hummocks.  I tried calling the owner of the land that Illawarra Hill is located on, but could not get through.  So I tried the land owner for the next summit south, Bumbunga Hill.  John agreed there was no problem.  So after packing our gear, that is where Marija and I headed…..Bumbunga Hill, VK5/ SE-015.

Bumbunga Hill is located near the town of Lochiel, in the Mid North of South Australia, about 130 km north of Adelaide, on the Augusta Highway.  Bumbunga Hill is 413 metres ASL and is worth 1 SOTA point.

Screenshot 2014-12-29 22.41.45

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

The summit is located on private property, so PLEASE obtain permission before entering onto the summit.  Details of the owner can be located on http://www.sota.org.uk.  Access is via Landslide Road, which runs off Smith Street.  Smith Street is located on the western side of the Augusta Highway.  I can never miss that street because on the corner is a business sharing my sirname….

IMG_0197

The land owner, John was kind enough to unlock the main gate for us.  At this entrance point you will see a shed and an old house ruin set back in the paddock.  If you see them, you are at the right gate.  However, access is not possible unless you contact John first.  In any event, the gate is normally locked.  We continued along the dirt track leading to the summit, passing throug a few more gates in the paddocks.  The track becomes progressively more rocky and rough, with lots of washaways.  I would not attempt this is in a conventional vehicle, but it is easily passable in a 4WD.  Once we got close to the summit, we parked the car and walked the remainder of the way.

Screenshot 2014-12-29 22.41.33

map courtesy of mapcarta.com

I last activated this summit in April, 2013.  More information on that activation can be found at…..

https://vk5pas.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/bumbunga-hill/

I noted this time that the old trig point had been removed.  All that is now left of where it once stood, are three blue painted upright poles.  Just ideal to attach the squid pole to, with the assistance of some octopus straps.  And for this activation I had a few of the creature comforts, including a fold up chair, courtesy of Marija.

I managed to set up by 2353 UTC (10.23 a.m.) with only a few minutes to spare before the UTC ollover.  In that short window, I managed to work 13 stations in VK1, VK3, & VK5.  The first four contacts were with Larry VK5LY in The Riverland, Nev VK5WG in the Mid North, Matt VK1MA/3, and Col VK5HCF in Mount Gambier.  I was also called by Andrew VK1NAM who was portable on Mount Stromlo, VK1/ AC-043.  I was very pleased, my first summit to summit contact for the weekend.  My final contact before the UTC rollover was Tom VK5FTRG who was portable in the Canunda National Park, in the South East of South Australia.  This park qualifies for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program and the VK5 Parks Award.

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After the UTC rollover I worked a further 34 stations on 40m ssb in VK1, VK2, VK3, VK5, & VK7.  This included a few more summit to summit contacts, including Peter VK3PF portable on VK3/ VE-154; and Andrew VK1NAM on Mt Stromlo VK1/ AC-043.  I was also fortunate enough to work Julie VK3FOWL portable in the Mount Buffalo National Park, which qualifies for the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award (KRMNPA) and the World Wide Flora Fauna program (WWFF).

I then slipped up to 20m and worked a further 6 stations in VK2 and VK3.  Conditions on 20m were not great, with lots of QSB present.  But I did manage to sneak in another summit to summit.  This time with Glenn VK3YY who was portable on SOTA peak Mount Tamboritha, VK3/ VT-011, which is also located in the Alpine National Park.  So another KRMNPA and WWFF contact as well.

So after a little over an hour on the top of the hill, I had a total of 53 contacts in the log.  It was getting hot, Marija was getting a little impatient (had read all her magazines), and I was getting hungry.  So it was off to Port Wakefield for some lunch at the bakery.

Although Bumbunga Hill is only worth 1 point, the views from the top are spectacular.  It has great take off in all directions.  And access is easy.  All in all a great summit.  And again thanks to John, the land owner, who kindly allowed us access.  We touched base with him again as we left the property, and he was very pleased we enjoyed the trip to the top.

The following stations were worked:-

Screenshot 2014-12-29 22.12.24

The Battery VK5/ NE-055 and Mt Remarkable National Park

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Following our activation of the Whyalla Conservation Park, Marija and I continued on to the little town of Melrose, which is nestled below the impressive Mount Remarkable summit, in the southern Flinders Ranges.  From Whyalla we travelled north to Port Augusta and then travelled south along Highway A1 (Augusta Highway).  We then turned left onto Horrocks Pass Road/Main North Road, and travelled towards Wilmington.

IMG_0147

On the way to Wilmington we passed through Horrocks Pass, and we stopped off at the monument for John Horrocks, after which the pass was named.  This is well worth a look.  The story of Horrocks is a very interesting one.  John Ainsworth Horrocks (1818-1846) was a pastoralist and explorer.  In 1846, Horrocks led an expedition of 6, for a planned 4 month expedition to search for new agricultural lands near Lake Torrens.  Between the 16th-19th August 1846, the expedition crossed the Flinders Ranges via Horrocks Pass.  Horrocks and his team travelled with a camel, two carts, six horses, and twelve goats.  Horrocks noted that the camel was very temperamental, often biting the humans and goats.

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Image courtesy of images.slsa.sa.gov.au

However, the camel was able to carry up to 350 pounds (158.7 kg), which was vital for the anticipated trek across some very arid land.  On September 1st, Horrocks was preparing to shoot a bird on the shores of Lake Dutton.  While Horrocks was reloading his gun, the kneeling camel moved, which resulted in Horrocks catching the cock of the gun.  The gun discharged, resulting in Horrocks loosing the middle fingers of his right hand and a row of teeth.  Horrocks subsequently died of his wounds , about 3 weeks later, on September 23rd.  And what of the naughty camel?  Horrocks had ordered that it be shot.

After leaving the Horrocks monument, we continued east and detoured to Hancock’s lookout.  This is well worth taking the 7 km drive on the dirt road from the bitumen.  On the way we saw numerous emus feeding in the farmer’s paddocks.  Fortunately, none of them ventured out in front of the vehicle.  Hancock’s lookout offers spectacular views of Spencer Gulf and the Port Augusta area.

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After Hancock’s lookout, we continued on to Wilmington and then travelled south on Horrocks Highway/Main North Road to Melrose.  We had booked in to stay for one night at the Melrose cabins which are run by the Melrose Hotel.  This is the second time we have stayed here, and we highly recommend the cabins.  They are well priced, clean and comfortable.

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After lunch at the cabin, which consisted of schnitzel, roast potatoes, pumpkin, roast carrots, and salad, courtesy of my loving mother in law, we headed back out for our second activation for Saturday 27th December, 2014, which was The Battery, VK5/ NE-055, which is located within the Mount Remarkable National Park.  So a triple whammy.  A SOTA summit, a WWFF (VKFF) park, and a VK5 Parks award park.

Screenshot 2014-12-29 20.18.39

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

Marija and I travelled north along Horrocks Highway/Main North Road and then turned left onto Alligator Gorge Road and travelled south west until we reached the entrance to the Mount Remarkable National Park.  We continued south west through the park until we reached Alligator Lodge which was on our left.  Directly opposite is a campground, which is blocked off for vehicles.  Look for Gate 5.  There is also a sign here indicating that The Battery is 4.5 km away (the summit is a bit further).  We parked the car on the south eastern side of the road and commenced the walk down the 4WD track towards the summit.

Screenshot 2014-12-29 20.18.29

map courtesy of mapcarta.com

I would describe the walk as moderate but still quite taxing.  The first 4 km involves a few inclines.  However it is the last 1 km that is the hardest.  There are some steep inclines and lots of rocks.  The ground is very unsteady under foot.  In many parts, the authorities have placed mesh to prevent slipping.  But there are some spectacular views along the way, and once you reach the top, you are rewarded with a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside and Spencer Gulf.   The track is quite well signposted.

Mount Remarkable National Park is located about 45 km north of Port Pirie.  Access to the park is either via the Augusta Highway via Mambray Creek, via Melrose, or via Alligator Gorge (our route).  A fee of $10.00 is charged for vehicular entry, which we paid the night before online.  Please note, that park entry fees now need to be paid online prior to visiting the park.  Cash payments are no longer an option in this park.

The park is 16,000 hectares in size and stretches from the coastal plain adjacent to Spencer Gulf, across the ranges, to Mount Remarkable on the edge of the Willochra Plain in the east.  The park is full of kangaroos, Euros, Emus, and other wildlife.

The summit, Mount Remarkable, was named by explorer, Edward John Eyre in June 1840.  The local aboriginal Nukunu people, refer to it was ‘Wangyarra’.  The word ‘aara’ meaning running water.  Alligator Groge and Mambray Creek were dedicated as National Pleasure Resports in 1952.  These areas were added to and became managed by the National Parks Commission during the 1960’s.  Following the enactment of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1972, Alligator Gorge, Mambray Creek and Mount Remarkable were proclaimed as the Mount Remarkable National Park.  Additional portions of land have been added to the park since that time.

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The Battery is 765 metres above sea level and is worth 4 points.  This was the first time I had activated this summit.  It had only been activated previously by Ian VK5CZ in June 2013 and April 2014.

For this activation I ran my little Yaesu FT-817nd, 5 watts and my 40m/20m linked dipole, supported on a 7 metre squid pole.  Marija and I improvised and used a fallen tree branch to secure the squid pole to, with the assistance of some octopus straps.

My first contact was with Greg VK5GJ who responded to my ‘is the frequency in use’ call on 7.095.  Greg was running QRP 5 watts but was a lovely 5/9 to the Flinders Ranges.  In the shack with Greg was Norm VK5GI, also running QRP.  This was followed by Amanda VK3FQSO, and then Joe VK3YSP and wife Julie VK3FOWL who were portable in the Burrowa Pine Mountain National Park.  I always get a bit of a kick when I work a National Park activator, so it was great to get Joe and Julie in the log.

A steady flow of callers then followed from Vk2, VK3, & VK5.  Conditions appeared to be reasonable, however there was a little bit of QSB on the 40m band.  After working a total of 31 stations on 40m, I lowered the squid pole and removed the links for operation on the 20m band.  My first contact on 20m ssb was with Gerard VK2IO who was portable at Gosford, running 12 watts from his Elecraft KX3.  This was followed by Peter VK5KLV at nearby Port Augusta and then Cliff VK2CCJ.  Cliff was pleased to get me in the log, as he told me that he was unable to hear me on 40m.

After a little over an hour on the summit, I had a total of 39 contacts in the log from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, & VK7 on both 40m ssb and 20m ssb.

The following stations were worked:-

Screenshot 2014-12-28 21.20.44

Below is a quick video of the activation…..

References.

Australian Dictionary of Biography, <http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/horrocks-john-ainsworth-12989&gt;, viewed 29th December 2014

Mount Remarkable National Park brochure, Department for Environment and Heritage, 2006.

Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Remarkable_National_Park&gt;, viewed 29th December 2014

Whyalla Conservation Park

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Our first activation for Saturday, 27th December, 2014, was the Whyalla Conservation Park.  We had bid farewell to Marija’s mum, brother and family, and were enroute to Melrose in the southern Flinders Ranges, for a one night stay.  The Whyalla Conservation Park is located 10 km north of Whyalla off the Lincoln Highway, just passed the Port Bonython turn off.

Screenshot 2014-12-28 20.30.42

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

The last time (July 2013) I activated this park, we set up just inside the eastern boundary off the Lincoln Highway.

https://vk5pas.wordpress.com/2013/06/16/whyalla-conservation-park/

So, this time, Marija and I decided to enter the park off Lincoln Highway, but travel along Wild Dog Hill Road for a distance of about 8 km, until we reached the impressive Wild Dog Hill.  It was here that we set up the gear, using the already provided concrete table and bench as the ‘shack’.

Screenshot 2014-12-28 20.30.57

map courtesy of mapcarta

I had only just started working stations when Mark VK5QI arrived.  Mark and I had corresponded via email and on air, about catching up in the park.  The band conditions on 40m were very poor, with lots of QSB.  The normal hoards of park hunters were not there on this occasion.  My first contact was with Les VK5KLV in nearby Port Augusta with a very strong 5/9 signal.  This was followed by Larry VK5LY in The Riverland, and then Amanda VK3FQSO.

Mark and I alternated on the radio.  Whilst Mark was making contacts, I was admiring the view.  Although Wild Dog Hill does not qualify for SOTA, as it does not have the required prominence, it is still very impressive and offers spectacular views of the surrounding outback countryside.

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Mark and I were lucky enough to be called by Ben VK5TX, just as we were about to pack up.  Ben was on the top of Mount Gawler, VK5/ SE-013 (5/7 both ways).

Despite the conditions being rather average, we also managed to work a couple of mobile stations.  The first being Tim VK3AV who was mobile at Portland in western Victoria (5/8 sent and 5/6 received), and Matt Vk5ZM who was mobile at Tintinarra in south eastern South Australia (5/7 sent and 5/3 received).

So after one hour in the park, I had a total of about 20 QSO’s in the log from VK3 & VK5, whilst Mark had about the same number of QSOs.

The following stations were worked:-

  1. Les VK5KLV
  2. Larry VK5LY
  3. Amanda VK3FQSO
  4. Arnie VK5NEX
  5. Peter VK3PF/m
  6. Arno VK5ZAR
  7. Peter Vk5NAQ
  8. Ian VK5CZ
  9. David VK5NQP
  10. Andy VK5AKH
  11. Nev VK5WG
  12. John VK5FTCT
  13. Col VK5HCF
  14. Darrell VK5JDS/p
  15. Tim VK5AV/3
  16. Ian VK5IS
  17. Greg VK5GJ
  18. Matt VK5ZM/p
  19. Ben VK5TX/p (SOTA-Mount Gawler)
  20. Peter VK3TKK

 

Munyaroo Conservation Park

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On Christmas morning, my wife Marija and I travelled to Whyalla in the ‘Iron Triangle’ north of Adelaide, to spend Christmas with family and friends.  And on Friday afternoon, 26th December 2014, with the formal Christmas festivities over, and an additional 5 kg added to my waistline, Marija and I went for a drive south of Whyalla to the Munyaroo Conservation Park (CP).

Firstly, where is Whyalla?  Well, Whyalla is located about 385 km north of Adelaide, via Port Augusta.  It is located on the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula, with its shores on the Spencer Gulf.  It was first founded in 1901 and was known as Hummock’s Hill.  Then in April 1920, it was proclaimed as Whyalla.  The town is known as the ‘Steel City’ due to its integrated steel works and ship building heritage.  The Munyaroo Conservation Park is situated about 45 km south of Whyalla, on the way to the seaside town of Cowell.

Screenshot 2014-12-28 19.05.33

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

Munyaroo Conservation Park is 123 km2 and was proclaimed in 1977 with the purpose of conserving mallee and saltbush between agricultural and pastoral properties, and mangrove and samphire communities along the coastal fringe.  Being being gazetted as a park, the area was used for grazing, and a small coastal strip was cropped.  The ruins of farm dwellings and implements can be found in the park.

Now, don’t be put off.  It isn’t easy to find roads on many maps which show access to this park.  But, access is gained via Moonabie Station.  Again, don’t be put off by the ‘Private property’ signs.  You can access the park via Moonabie.  But, PLEASE, shut all the gates that you pass through.  The road takes you all the way down to the park and Muminnie Beach, where there are a number of shacks.

Vegetation in the park includes low open woodland of western myall and false sandalwood, over a shrubland of bluebush and bladder saltbush.  Other vegetation includes an open scrubland of gilja, yorrell and red mallee over bluebush, dryland tea tree porcupine grass, candlebush and twin leaf on the dunes.  In the northern area of the park grow native peach trees, native cypress pines, weeping pittosporum and western myall.

The park is home to a large variety of birdlife including Emus, Malleefowl, Stubble Quail, Wedge Tailed eagles, Cormorants, Oystercatchers, and Rainbow Bee eaters.  A large variety of native animals are also found in the park including Red Kangaroos, and Sandhill Dunnarts.

After travelling south along the Lincoln Highway towards Cowell for about 45 km, we turned left onto a dirt track.  There is a sign here indicating ‘Moonabie Station’.  You will shortly thereafter come to an open gate at this location, with a cattle gird.  The fence has a sign on it stating ‘Moonabie Private Property’.  Follow this road to the east, towards the ocean.  You will travel through a couple of closed, but iunlocked gates.  You will then reach another gate which has a sign for ‘Mullaquana Station’.  A number of km down this dirt track you will reach Muminnie Beach.  On your way, you will clearly see the scrub of Munyaroo CP on your right.

Screenshot 2014-12-28 19.04.59

map courtesy of mapcarta.com

Marija and I found a nice quiet little spot, on a 4WD track amongst the scrub and set up the gear.  I ran my new Yaesu FT-857d at 40 watts for this activation.  Prior to calling CQ, I had a quick look around the 40m band and found Joe VK3YSP in conversation with Tim VK3MTB.  Joe was on his Christmas/New Year road trip, and was portable in the Warby Ovens National Park, north west of Wangaratta.  I waited until Joe had finished his QSO and gave him a call.  Joe had a beautiful 5/9 signal coming into Munyaroo.  I also spoke with Joe’s wife, Julie VK3FOWL.  Joe and Julie are regular park activators and hunters.  Joe was kind enough to allow me to have a chat with Tim VK3MTB, who although a little weaker, was still a good 5/7 signal all the way to the Eyre Peninsula.

I then QSY’d up to 7.105 and called CQ.  My first taker was Mark VK5QI who was portable in Whyalla, on holidays with family for Christmas.  As expected, Mark was making the radio jump off the table.  This was followed by park regulars, Greg VK5GJ at Meadows in the Adelaide Hills, and Nev VK5WG at Crystal Brook in the Mid North of South Australia.  This was followed by a call from Bob VK5FO who was portable in the Morgan Conservation Park in The Riverland.  Again, Bob was a terrific 5/9 to the west coast.  I know that Bob specifically stuck around so that we could get a park to park contact.  Thanks a lot Bob.

About half a dozen contacts later, I spoke with Peter VK3YE who was portable at Chelsae Beach, near the Pier.  Peter was running QRP, just 5 watts, but was a very nice strong 5/8 signal.  My only other QRP contacts were with Hans VK5YX in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, running QRP from his MFJ transceiver (5/9 both ways), and Wolf VK5WF running 4 watts from his home brew QRP transciver (5/9 both ways)

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I went on to work a further 11 VK5 stations, and then to my surprise, I received a call from Rob VK4FFAB, who was portable in the Glass House Mountains National Park, between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.  And wow, did Rob have a great signal, 5/6 to Munyaroo.  Rob is newly licenced and has really embraced the parks activities and the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program.  He is a regular VKFF Activator and Hunter.

After a little over an hour in Munyaroo CP, I had a total of 29 contacts in the log from VK3, VK4, & VK5.

The following stations were worked:-

  1. Joe VK3YSP/p (Warby Ovens NP)
  2. Julie VK3FOWL/p (Warby Ovens NP)
  3. Tim VK3MTB
  4. Mark VK5QI/p
  5. Greg VK5GJ
  6. Nev VK5WG
  7. Bob VK5FO/p (Morgan CP)
  8. Amanda VK3FQSO
  9. John VK5FTCT
  10. Bernard VK3AV
  11. David VK5NQP
  12. Les VK5KLV
  13. Peter VK3YE/p (qrp)
  14. Allan VK5ZLT/p
  15. Peter Vk5KPR
  16. Hans VK5YX (qrp)
  17. Tom VK5EE
  18. Richard VK5ZRY
  19. Arno VK5ZAR
  20. Peter VK5NAQ
  21. Michael VK5ZEA
  22. Jeff VK5JK
  23. Keith VK5ND
  24. Wolf VK5WF
  25. Roy VK5NRG
  26. David VK5HYZ
  27. Steve VK5SFA
  28. Rob VK4FFAB/p (Glass House Mountains NP)
  29. Mick VK3FAFK.

 

References.

Scientific Expedition Group, Expedition Munyaroo Eyre Peninsula, Expedition Handbook, 2002.

Mount Magnificent Conservation Park

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This afternoon I travelled to the Mount Magnificent Conservation Park (CP), which is about 8km north east of the town of Mount Compass, on the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula, about 58 km south of Adelaide.  This is a veery scenic drive from my home qth at Mount Barker, through the towns of Echunga, Meadows, and then on to Prospect Hill.

Screenshot 2014-12-21 21.49.26

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

I last activated this park in July, 2013, so today’s activation was another 1 point for me for the VK5 National and Conservation Parks Award.  Here is a link to a post re my previous activation…..

https://vk5pas.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/mount-magnificent-conservation-park/

Mount Magnificent CP was established in 1972, and is about 90 hectares in size.  It protects a small area of remnant bushland.  The major feature of the park is the 380 metre high Mount Magnificent, which sadly does not qualify for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program), as it does not have the required ‘prominence’.  Despite this, there are excellent views from the top.  The famous Heysen trail passes through this park and links the nearby Finnis Conservation Park and the Kyeema Conservation Park to the north west.

The park is full of a variety of native wildlfie, including Western Grey kangaroos.  And there were plenty of these to be seen.

I set up on the  eastern side of the park, on the western side of Mount Magnificent Road.  I was not all that far from the south eastern corner of the park.  Part of the fenceline here had collapsed from the weight of falling branches from the gum trees, so access to the park was very easy.  I set up my fold up table and deck chair, about 5 metres in from the boundary fence.

Screenshot 2014-12-21 21.49.58

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

Prior to calling CQ I had a quick tune around the 40m band and I found Paul VK1ATP portable on SOTA peak Mount Majura, VK1/ AC-034, calling CQ on his own on 7.090 (5/7 both ways).  That was a nice way to start the activation for me.

I then went up to 7.095 and starting calling CQ and this was immediately responded to by Arno VK5ZAR, and then Les VK5KLV in Port Augusta.  Les is becoming a real regular park hunter now, which is great to see.  I was then called by Stuart VK5STU who was portable in the Sandy Creek Conservation Park.  Stuart had a very strong 5/9 signal, and it was great to be able to get a ‘park to park’ contact.  Mick VK3FAFK from Stawell then called in and he was kind enough to place me on the parksnpeaks site.

A few QSOs later I was called by Andrew VK1NAM/3 who was portable on Arthurs Seat, VK3/ VC-031.  And then a little further down the log I was called by John VK5BJE who was portable in the Greater Bendigo National Park, which qualifies for the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award (KRMNPA) and also qualifies for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  Greater Bendigo NP is VKFF-623.

After working a total of 22 stations on 40m SSB, I lowered the squid pole and removed the links and headed up to 20m.  I called CQ on 14.205 and this was answered by Jeremy VK4EVE, with a strong 5/9 signal.  Sadly, a Japanese station moved in on 14.206 and that was the end of that.  I tuned across the band and found Juha EA8/OH1LEG who was calling CQ.  I gave Juha a call, and to my surprise, he responded.  I only received a 5/3 signal report from Juha, but I was very pleased that I was able to make it to the Canary Islands.  I kept tuning across the band and then worked Lauro IK4GRO (5/8 sent and 5/5 received).

I headed back to 40m and tuned across the band and found W1AW/KH6 calling CQ on 7.183.  He was not busy so I gave him a call.  After a number of attempts with my call sign, we made a valid contact.  The SOTA Goat app on my iphone bleated and I saw that there was a spot for Andrew VK3JBL/6.  SO I headed back up to 20m, and although it was a bit of a struggle, I was able to make contact with Andrew (3/4 sent due to the static crashed and 4/5 received).  I haven’t worked that many VK6 summits, so I was very pleased to make contact with Andrew.

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I went on to work Orlando, EA8CCQ, in the Canary Islands.  orlando was using a rotary dipole, and we were able to have a comfortable QSO (5/9 sent and 5/5 received).

It was starting to get a bit cool and the local time was just after 7.00 p.m. so I decided to pack up and head home.  As it was, it was a very slow drive, as the roads were covered in kangaroos.

After 2 hours in the park I had a total of 28 QSO’s in the log.

The following stations were worked:-

  1. Paul VK1ATP/p (SOTA)
  2. Arno VK5ZAR
  3. Les VK5KLV
  4. Stuart VK5STU/p (park to park)
  5. Mick VK3FAFK
  6. Nev VK5WG
  7. Peter VK3TKK
  8. Andrew VK1NAM/3 (SOTA)
  9. Matt VK1MA
  10. Hans VK5YX
  11. Tom VK5EE
  12. Nick VK3ANL
  13. Andrew VK3ARR
  14. Grant VK2LX
  15. Brian VK5FMID
  16. John VK5DJ
  17. John VK5BKE/3 (KRMNPA & WWFF)
  18. Robin VK5TN
  19. John VK5FTCT
  20. Peter VK5NAQ
  21. Richard VK5ZRY
  22. David VK5HYZ
  23. W1AW/KH6

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

  1. Jeremy VK4EVE
  2. Juha EA8/OH1LEG
  3. Lauro IK4GRO
  4. VK3JBL/6 (SOTA)
  5. Orlando EA8CCQ

 

References.

Department of Water, Environment and Natural Resources, ‘Parks of the Fleurieu Peninusla’, 2011.

Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Magnificent_Conservation_Park>viewed 21st Dec 2014

Don’t become a ‘black hole’

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This morning, I received an SMS message from John VK5BJE advising me that he was on air in the Little Desert National Park.  So in the throws of making my coffee, I headed to the radio shack and there was John on 7.095 with a great 5/9 signal from western Victoria.

John was keen to get as many contacts as possible for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program, so I set about trying to alert as many other amateurs as I could to John’s presence on the band.  I kept listening, and it was really pleasing to hear John end up with a large pile up, with many of the stations I had alerted either via SMS, email, etc, giving him a call.

I have mentioned it before here on my WordPress site,

https://vk5pas.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/how-to-attract-chasers-and-hunters/

and during various presentations I’ve delivered, but I thought I would mention this again.

PLEASE, don’t become a black hole, and keep the contact to yourself.

Remember, that many of the National Park activators are seeking the required 44 QSOs for the WWFF global award program.  So the more calls they get, the better.

There are currently no phone apps similar to SOTA Goat or Rucksack radio, for park activations.  So park activators are relying on the goodwill of park hunters to let other amateurs know that they are in a park.

So, what can you do to let others know that a park activator is on a particular frequency?  The answer is quite a bit.

SMS message.

Consider setting up an SMS group on your mobile telephone.  A few amateurs are doing this, and it works extremely well.  If you work a park activator, send an SMS to your group, advising your mates of your contact, so that they too, can hopefully make contact with the park activator.

DX cluster

A DX Cluster is in essence a “chatroom” or node into which amateur DX hunters can post information about DX either worked or heard.  Physically, it is a central computer that collects, stores and disseminates information that hams send to it.  There are thousands of nodes around the world, connected together via the internet or radio.

Personally, I use dxwatch.com…..

http://www.dxwatch.com/

Screenshot 2014-12-21 10.48.46

Here is a link to the recent presentation given by Brian VK5BC at the Welcome to amateur radio symposium…..

parksnpeaks

The parksnpeaks site is a terrific spotting and alert facility created by Allen VK3HRA.  The parksnpeaks site is FREE to join.  Just simply register a new account.

http://www.parksnpeaks.org/

screenshot-2014-07-18-15-24-54

 

The parksnpeaks site has some excellent features.  It can be used to add VK activity including QRP operation, National Parks, Conservation Parks, or portable operation in general, whilst SOTA spots are added directly via SOTAWatch.

The parksnpeaks site offers:-

  • ‘spotting’ facilities

and

  • ‘alert’ facilities.

‘Spotting’ is where you can add details of stations you have worked or heard.  This allows you to share information with other amateurs.

‘Alerting’ is where you can add details of your proposed activations, so people can see what your future plans are.

email

Send an email to your mates.  Creating an email group is easy.

If you are using Gmail…..

  1. To create a contact group:
    1. Click Gmail at the top-left corner of your Gmail page, then choose Contacts.
    2. Select contacts that you want to add to a group, click the Groups button. , then Create new.
    3. Enter the name of the group.
    4. Click OK.

If you use another email platform, there are plenty of tips on the internet regarding creating groups.

Yahoo groups

Place a post on the World Wide Flora Fauna or VK5 Parks Yahoo groups.

Screenshot 2014-12-21 10.53.47

http://au.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/sanpcpa/info

http://au.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wwffaustralia/info

2m repeater

Send a message out to other amateurs on your local repeater.  I know that many of the amateurs in the South East of South Australia, are doing this, and it works well.

WWFF Forum

The World Wide Flora & Fauna program (WWFF) does not have a spotting & alert facility like SOTAwatch.  But Activators are encouraged to place their intended activations on the WWFF Forum.  A huge number of European amateurs read the Forum and will be able to see your intentions.

http://forum.wwff.co

 

So, as you can see there is a lot you can do.  So please, after working a park activator, don’t just sit back and do nothing.  Consider sharing your contact with other like minded amateurs.  You are not only benefiting the other park hunters, but also the activator themselves.

Belair National Park, VKFF-022

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Yesterday (Saturday 20th December, 2014) I activated the Belair National Park (NP), VKFF-022, in the Mount Lofty Ranges ‘Adelaide Hills’.  I had already activated Belair NP earlier in the year, so there were no VK5 Park Award points up for grabs.  And I had already passed the 44 QSO threshold for Belair NP in the World Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF) program.  But my real motivation, was to try out my new radio.  My beautiful wife Marija (and yes I am constantly reminded I am ‘boxing above my weight’) and my lovely daughter Olivia, purchased a Yaesu FT-857d for me, and gave it to me as an early Christmas present and early 50th birthday present.  I turn 50 on the 5th January.  So it was off to Belair for me, just a 15 minute drive to the west from home.

I set up just inside Gate 1 off Sheaok Road, at Crafers.  This is on the northern side of the park.  This gate was locked, however there is no restriction to access to the park at this point.  There is a walking track here, Wilyawa Track.  But to gain access to it, you need to either jump the fence, which has barbed wire, or jump the padlocked gate.  Why DEWNR do not have a pedestrian access point here I do not know?  Anyway, I got all the gear from the 4WD and then jumped the fence and walked a short distance down the track, where I set up my station, under the shade of some gum trees, as it was a warm 30 deg C day.

Screenshot 2014-12-20 22.16.38

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

I started off on my nominated frequency of 7.095.  I had posted on the VK5 Parks Yahoo group and the WWFF Australia Yahoo group that I would be on air at 0600 UTC on 7.095.  I was about 15 minutes late, but still did not have to call CQ.  I asked if the frequency was in use and this was responded to by Les VK5KLV at Port Augusta with a beautiful 5/9 signal.  Les gave me a 5/9 in return, and it seemed the band was in very good shape.  It was certainly very quiet.  There was no man made noise on the band due to the remote location of the park, and the QRN (static crashes) that have been present over the past few weeks were noticably absent.  My second caller of the day was Adam VK2YK who was a good 5/8.  Adam was struggling with me a little bit due to QSB, but gave me a 5/4 signal report.  This was followed by Mal VK5MJ in The Riverland in South Australia, who was 5/9 plus.  David VK5KC then called me, using just 1 watt, and was a very nice 5/8 signal.  I had already caught up with David earlier in the day for a coffee.

I went on to work a further 20 stations in VK1, VK3, and VK5.  A few of those stations were operating QRP.  The first QRP caller was Peter VK3TKK who was running just 5 watts.  Peter’s signal was only signal strength 3, but due to the low noise floor, I was able to receive him perfectly.  This was followed by Andrew VK1NAM mobile in VK3, in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne.  Andrew was running just 2.5 watts from his FT-817 in the car, but nether less had a great 5/7 signal.  Tom VK5FTRG then called in from the South East of South Australia, running just 5 watts, with a nice 5/9 signal.  My final QRP caller was regular QRP operator, Ian VK5IS, again running 5 watts.  Ian had a beautiful 5/9 signal coming in from the Mid North of South Australia.

I also worked a few mobile stations.  Other than Andrew mentioned above, I also spoke with Greg VK5ZGY who was mobile in the South East of South Australia, with a good strong 5/7 signal.  Greg had co pilot and wife, Gabbie, alongside of him.  I then spoke with Ian VK6PXF who was mobile in VK5 at Lonsdale, south of Adelaide.  Ian has started activating National Parks, and has sent me quite a few of his logs for upload to the WWFF Log Search facility.  And lastly I was called by Robin VK5TN who was mobile at Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills.

But to make my day, I was called by Richard VK5ZRY, who had decided to head out to the Ramsay Way Conservation Park.  The park is/was located on Richard’s property on the Yorke Peninsula.  Richard was trying out his new Yaesu FT-817 and had a magnificent 5/9 signal coming across the Gulf St Vincent to Belair.

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I left the frequency to Richard, and lowered the squid pole and removed the links in the dipole, so I could operate on 20m.  However, I was disapointed when I tuned across 20m, to hear only very weak signals coming in from Europe.  I found that my nominated frequency of 14.244 was clear, so I put out about 8 CQ calls but had no takers.  Rather disapointed, I tuned across the 20m band and could hear three stations coming in from Spain.  However, their signals were well down compared to normal conditions.  I also heard Jason ZL3JAS, working long path into Europe.  However, all the European stations he was making contact with, were very weak to me.

So I headed back to 40m.  Prior to calling CQ again, I tuned across the 40m band and I could hear quite a few Europeans & stations from the United Kingdom coming through, including Javier, EA7GAK on 7.178 who was working into the USA.  I gave Javier a few calls, but sadly he could not hear me.  I also heard W1AW/3 on 7.161 working into Europe.  I also called him, but again my 40 watts just wasn’t making the grade.   So I went back to 7.095 and called CQ again, and this was responded to by Nic VK5ZAT who was portable at Carrackalinga on the Fleurieu Peninsula.  I had worked Nic a little earlier, prior to QSYing to 20m.  He had been having problems with a high VSWR on his dipole.  And this time, his signal had dropped down a good 2 S points.  I was then called by Mick VK3FAFK in Stawell in western Victoria, with a beautiful 5/9 signal.  And this was followed by Andrew VK5UR mobile in VK2, about 100 km south of Parkes.  I had a lengthy chat with Andrew and his signal always remained around the S9.  Andrew was running an IC7100 and a roof mounted whip antenna.  My last contact on 40m was with Adam VK2YK who had called in again, as conditions had improved.  I was now 5/9 with Adam, and he was 5/9 plus.  I worked a further 13 stations from VK2, VK3, VK4, & VK5.

My curiosity had got the better of me, so I again lowered the squid pole and removed the links in the dipole, and again tuned to 20m.  I was hoping that the band had improved.  But it was getting a little late, approaching 8.00 p.m.  Again, I could hear some weak Europeans, who were certainly not strong enough for me to try to make contact with.  I managed just 1 DX contact and that was with Michio, 7L4LKK, who was a strong 5/9 to Belair.

So after a number of hours in the park, I had a total of 41 contacts in the log.

The following stations were worked:-

  1.  Les VK5KLV
  2. Adam VK2YK
  3. Mal VK5MJ
  4. David VK5KC/qrp
  5. David VK5HYZ
  6. Peter VK3TKK/qrp
  7. Nev VK5WG
  8. Ian VK5KKT
  9. Matt VK1MA
  10. Andrew VK1NAM mobile VK3/qrp
  11. Tom VK5FTRG/qrp
  12. Greg VK5ZGY/m
  13. Ian VK6PXF mobile VK5
  14.  Amanda VK3FQSO
  15. Marshall VK3MRG
  16. Ian VK5IS/qrp
  17. Stuart VK5STU
  18. Peter VK5KPR
  19. Keith VK5FEKH
  20. Steve VK3MEG
  21. Nic VK5ZAT/p
  22. Tom VK5EE
  23. Richard VK5ZRY/p (park to park contact)
  24. Robin VKTN/p
  25. Nic VK5ZRY/p
  26. Mick VK3FAFK
  27. Andrew VK5UR mobile VK2
  28. Gary VK4MDZ
  29. Ian VK3VIN
  30. Rob VK4FFAB
  31. Bruce VK3FBNG
  32. Darren VK2NNN
  33. Kevin VK2VKB
  34. Peter VK3ZPF
  35. Andrew VK2UH
  36. Jim VK5JW
  37. Tony VK3AN
  38. Nick VK3ANL/qrp
  39. Tom VK5FTRG
  40. Adam VK2YK
  41. Michio 7L4LKK

Keith Roget Merit Award

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This afternoon after work, I went to the Post Office and was pleasantly surprised to find a parcel waiting there for me to collect.  It was my Merit certificate and Merit plaque for the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award (KRMNPA).

IMGA0001

The Merit Award is issued for either Activating all 45 Victorian National Parks, or Working all 45 Victorian National Parks.  My awards were for Working all 45 parks, which sounds easy, but is a real challenge.

Many thanks to Tony VK3VTH, who is the KRMNPA Awards Manager.

Scan

 

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Onkaparinga River National Park, VKFF-402

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Yesterday afternoon (Monday 15th December 2014) I headed over to the Onkaparinga River National Park (NP), VKFF-402, which qualifies for the VK5 National and Conservation Parks Award, and the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  I have activated the park a number of times previously, and it is a nice 40 minute drive from my home via Echunga, Meadows, and Kangarilla, through the southern Adelaide Hills.

Onkaparinga River NP is located about 35 km south of Adelaide, and is about 1,544 hectares in size.  It is a magnificent park in close proximity to Adelaide.  The park is disected by the Onkaparinga River, which is South Australia’s second longest river after the mighty Murray.  The river enters the park in a steep sided valley and flows into a spectacular gorge with cliffs up to 50 metres in height, with large permanent rock pools.

Screenshot 2014-12-16 17.50.27

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

I set up on Chapel Hill Track which runs off the northern side of Chapel Hill Road.  I parked my vehicle at gate 21 and walked about 50 metres down the track.  This location is situated on the southern side of the park.  On the southern side of Chapel Hill Road was the beautiful valley containing the vineyards of McLaren Vale and McLaren Flat, and to the north was the park, leading down to the Onkaparinga River cutting its way through the gorge.

It was quite a warm day (about 28 deg C), so I found some nice shade under some large gum trees.  I kept an ever vigilent watch for some of the crawly inhabitants of the park, and fortunately did not encounter any.

I started off with the little Yaseu FT-817nd and just 5 watts.  I powered the radio with a 12 volt 4 ah sealed lead acid battery (SLAB).  My antenna was a 40m/20m linked dipole, supported on a 7 metre squid pole.

I had nominated 7.095 as my calling frequency, but the Kandos Net was still running on 7.093, so I held off for a little while until that finished, and I then called CQ on 7.095.  My CQ call was immediately responded to by Peter VK5NAQ in the Mid North of South Australia with a beautiful 5/9 signal.  This was followed by Les VK5KLV at Port Augusta who was also 5/9.  Park Hunter reliables John VK5BJE and Greg VK5GJ then called in.

After working 11 stations on 7.095, my SOTA Goat application on the i-phone bleated, so I tuned down to 7.090 where I worked Andrew VK1DA/2 who was portable on the top of Livingstone Hill VK2/ SM-093, for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program.  Andrew was a good solid 5/6 and he gave me a 5/7 signal report.  Livingstone Hill is 932 m above seal level (asl) and is located near the New South Wales and ACT border.

I then returned to 7.095 where I spoke with Amanda VK3FQSO and Ivan VK5HS in the Riverland.  But things slowed down from that point on, and despite a few more CQ calls, I had no takers.  The static crashes were also starting to pick up on 40m.  So I lowered the squid pole and removed the links in the dipole, so that I could operate on 20m.  I was to be disapointed on 20m, as there was no long path propagation into Europe and the United Kingdom.  I could hear John EA7BA on 14.156 but John was very weak.  I could not hear the G stations at all, that he was speaking to.  John was the only European signal I could hear.  The only other activity on 20m that I could hear were some weak Japanese signals.  The band was also covered in the Over the Horizon radar.

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So I returned back to 40m and due to the noise on the band, I started running 40 watts from the Yaesu FT-450.  I spoke with Andrew VK1NAM who was portable on SOTA peak, Mount Taylor, VK1/ AC-037 (5/7 both ways).  I then went back to 7.095 and started calling CQ but the static crashes had become louder making it difficult to pick up a couple of weak stations that were calling me.  However, I did manage to speak with George VK4GSF near Toowoomba in Queensland, Matt VK1MA, and Lee VK2LEE.  I put a few more CQ calls out but had no takers, so I tuned across the band and found Simon VK1FAAS calling CQ from SOTA peak, Mount Ainslee VK1/ AC-040 (5/6 sent and 5/8 received).

I then started calling CQ on 7.090 and worked a further 14 stations from VK1, VK3, VK4, VK6, and VK7.  My first taker here was Peter VK6YV in Perth (5/9 sent and 5/7 received).  This was followed by Wayne VK4XG, south west of Brisbane (5/9 sent and 5/4 received).  I went on to work a further 2 stations in Western Australia.  They being Mark VK6BSA mobile, on his way home from work.  And Alek VK6APK in Perth, who is on the WIA Awards Committee with me.  From past experience and confirmation during this activation, this time of the evening is very good for propagation on 40m into Western Australia.  Adelaide to Perth is a distance of about 2,500 km.  A local QSO we call that here in Australia.  In other parts of the world, it is a DX contact, working across multiple countries.

Sadly, there was a display of poor operating practice again during this activation.  I won’t mention his call sign here, but I had a VK3 come up straight over the top of Alek VK6APK, without asking if the frequency was in use, and start calling one of his mates in VK3.  He did this a number of times until he was sternly told off by a number of stations listening on the side.  No apologies, he just quietly slipped away off the frequency.

Before packing up I decided to book into the 7.130 DX Net.  And I am very pleased I did.  I went on to work William FO5JV in French Polynesia in the Pacific, Joe CU2CE in the Azores Islands off the coast of Portugal and north western Africa, Bill W1OW in Massachusetts in the USA, and four stations in New Zealand.  This included Noel ZL1DAI who was running just 5 watts from his Elecraft KX3 (4/6 sent and 5/6 received).

As the sun was setting, the kangaroos in the park had become very active.  Despite the noise from the radio, many of them came up quite close to my operating position.  The park was also alive with birds during my stay, including Yellow tailed Black Cockatoos, Blue Wrens, Eastern Rosellas, and Rainbow lorikeets.

So after a number of hours in the park, I had a total of 42 contacts in the log, to add to my other tally of contacts from previous activations from Onkaparinga River NP.  This is a great park to operate from.

For more information on the park, please have a look at…..

DEWNR website:

http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/Fleurieu_Peninsula/Onkaparinga_River_National_Park_and_Recreation_Park

Friends of the Onkaparinga Park:

http://www.communitywebs.org/onkaparingaparks/

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

  1. Peter VK5NAQ (qrp)
  2. Les VK5KLV
  3. John VK5BJE
  4. Greg VK5GJ
  5. Tony VK5FTVR
  6. Nev VK5WG
  7. Peter VK3PF
  8. Brian VK5FMID
  9. Trevor VK5ATQ
  10. Larry VK5LY
  11. Nick VK3ANL
  12. Andrew VK1DA/p (SOTA)
  13. Amanda VK3FQSO
  14. Ivan VK5HS
  15. Andrew VK1NAM/p (SOTA)
  16. George VK4GSF
  17. Matt VK1MA
  18. Lee VK2LEE
  19. Simon VK1FAAS/p (SOTA)
  20. Peter VK6YV
  21. Wayne VK4XG
  22. Ian VK1DI
  23. Paul VK3KLE
  24. Graham VK7ZGK
  25. Ian VK3VIN
  26. Rob VK4FFAB
  27. Mark VK6BSA/m
  28. Jim VK5JW
  29. Alek VK6APK
  30. Ron VK3JP
  31. Peter VK5FLEX
  32. Kevin VK2VKB
  33. Daniel VK3FACC
  34. William FO5JV
  35. Joe CU2CE
  36. Brian ZL2ASH
  37. Lamont ZL2ALK
  38. Noel ZL1DAI (qrp)
  39. Bill W1OW
  40. Ray ZL4WRC
  41. Mike VK3GYH (qrp)
  42. Frank VK2HFS

The history of WWFF and some stats

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Recently I was queried if it was possible to have the 4 missing Victorian National Parks placed on the list for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  Missing parks you say?  What am I referring to?

Well, first I need to fill you in on a bit of history on the WWFF program.  The following is direct from the WWFF global website…..

“The Flora and Fauna movement within ham radio was initiated in 2008 by the Russian Robinson Club (RRC) as World Flora and Fauna (WFF) program.  In 2012 the program relaunched as WWFF: WorldWide Flora and Fauna with a different organization using the strengths of the existing national programs that were already important pillars in WFF. WWFF uses the activity databases of the participating members (containing activities from as early as 1995) as collected in the WWFF logsearch and builds upon the rules and references of the previous program.  Note that WWFF has no ties to RW3GW who controlled the WFF organization” 

If you would like to read a full history on WFF and WWFF you can read more on the WWFF Australia website at…..

http://www.wwffaustralia.com/wff–wwff-history.html

4312296

Only parks established before 2008 are on the WWFF list throughout the world (they can be found in the WWFF Directory).

http://www.wwff.co/p/wwff-downloads.html

I became involved in WWFF in March 2013 and I established the Australian WWFF program (which is referred to as VKFF).  At that time I found that there were numerous Australian National Parks that were established and gazetted prior to 2008, which did not appear in the WWFF Directory.  I spent a number of months confirming details surrounding those parks, and I am pleased to say that in January, 2014, after extensive consultation with the WWFF Committee, I was successful in having over 100 Australian National Parks added to the WWFF Directory.

8048595

However, that left many Australian National Parks that were established and gazetted after 2008.

Section 5.2.1 of the WWFF global rules state that consideration of expanding the national list of references will be considered by the WWFF Council, only if the following conditions exist:

  • 50%, 75% , 90% activated rule

a)  When 50% of National WWFF areas have been activated, it is possible to assign up to a maximum of 50 new FF references.

b)  When 75% of National WWFF areas have been activated, it is possible to assign up to a maximum of 75 new FF references.

c)  When 90% of National WWFF areas have been activated, it is possible to assign up to a maximum of 90 new FF references.

In other words, for me to get permission to have additional National Parks added to the WWFF Directory (those parks created after 2008), we as Australian amateurs need to fulfil the activation rules mentioned above.  Not an easy task I know, considering the vast size of Australia and the number of amateurs we have down here.

But WWFF is not the only program which faces adversity for Australian hams.  The SOTA program also has its inequities.  We have to remember that these programs were created in European countries, primarily (or at least at the beginning), aimed at Europeans and based on European conditions.  But we as Aussies are all up for the challenge, aren’t we?

This is where it is extremely important that if you activate an Australian National Park, that you send me your activator log, as either an ADIF file, or by using the cvs file which you can find in the Files section of the WWFF Australia Yahoo group.

https://au.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wwffaustralia/info

Why send me your log?  Because 1/ as you can see, I, as the Australian WWFF co-ordinator need to prove to the WWFF Committee that we are active to get new parks added; 2/ as an activator you can apply for awards on line and follow your progress; and 3/ park hunters are attributed with working you whilst you were in a National Park.

I have posted previously about the WWFF program, and discussed LogSearch.  Here is a link to that post with a lot of information…..

https://vk5pas.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/3912/

The WWFF LogSearch now has 4,625,333 QSOs in the database, from 6,891 different references, in 92 DXCC entities.

http://logsearch.wwff.co/index.php

Out of interest, I checked the WWFF LogSearch facility tonight and found that 134 different VKFF references have been activated around Australia as follows…..

New South Wales – 55

Queensland – 7

Northern Territory – 1

Western Australia – 4

Tasmania – 3

South Australia – 15

Victoria – 40

Australian Territories – 8

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graph courtesy of http://www.onlinecharttool.com

As you would expect, with the largest number of parks, New South Wales is out in front, as far as the number of different VKFF references worked.  This is followed by Victoria on 41, and then South Australia on 15.  Of note for Victoria, is that 41 of their existing 45 National Parks qualify for WWFF, and all 41 have been activated.  I think this is a good indication of the very strong following of the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks program in Victoria.  And South Australia needs to be mentioned as well.  South Australia only has 21 National Parks, and yet 15 of those have been activated.  And some of those are in very remote locations, thousands of km away from a major capital city.

Due to the high park activity in Victoria I am going to attempt to have the other 4 Victorian National Parks added to the list.  One of my arguments is going to be focussed on the size of Australia…..

201101310820494d46c5413d107

image courtesy of http://www.celsius1414.com

The most activated VKFF references were as follows…..

Willis Island

  • 17 activations
  • Total QSOs 95,171

Norfolk Island

  • 21 activations
  • Total QSOs 61,928

Christmas Island

  • 24 activations,
  • Total QSOs 41, 958

Willis, Norfolk and Christmas Islands are rare DXCC entities and IOTA’s as well as being VKFF reference areas, so it is not surprising that they lead the way.  However, it should be noted, that the DX pedition operators did submit their logs for upload to the WWFF LogSearch, and they are to be applauded for that.

The other popular parks around Australia are as follows…..

In the Australian Capital Territory:

Namadgi National Park

  • 42 activations
  • 1,145 QSOs

In Queensland:

Magnetic Island

  • 6 activations
  • Total QSO’s 2,657

Turtle Group

  • 2 activations
  • Total QSOs 1,158

Great Barrier Reef

  • 4 activations
  • Total QSOs 1,480.

Great Sandy National Park

  • 21 activations
  • Total QSOs 1,650.

In Victoria:

Alpine National Park

  • 29 activations
  • Total QSOs 1,054

Yarra Ranges National Park

  • 32 activations
  • Total QSOs 708

Grampians

  • 43 activations
  • Total QSOs 570

In South Australia:

Canunda National Park

  • 7 activations
  • Total QSOs 408

Coorong National Park

  • 4 activations
  • Total QSOs 403.

Onkaparinga River National Park

  • 3 activations
  • Total QSOs 256

And here is a list of the top activators in the VKFF program.  Tony VK3VTH is the top activator with 44 different VKFF references, closely followed by Peter VK3PF on 43, and then Peter VK3ZPF on 41.

Screenshot 2014-12-09 21.27.59

And a list of the top park hunters in the VKFF program.  Yours truly is at the top on 83 different VKFF references, but being closely followed by Peter VK3PF on 80, and then Ron VK3AFW on 68.

Screenshot 2014-12-09 21.28.04

And finally, here are the top activators in the VKFF program (with reference to the number of QSOs)…..

Screenshot 2014-12-09 21.34.36

Many park activators are sending me their logs.  Sadly, many are not.

So, PLEASE, if you have activated an Australian National Park, send me your log.  Even if you are not chasing the WWFF awards, your log will benefit other amateurs.

And despite my best efforts to promote WWFF around Australia, it seems that the only active States are New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia (the same three active States in SOTA).  So, if you are reading this from outside of those three States, why not give a park activation a go.  It is a lot of fun and very addictive, and yes, you escape from that terrible noise floor at home.  You can hear a pin drop.