Tonight I downloaded my certificate for the 2017 CQ World Wide DX Contest. I came first in Australia and 3rd in Oceania, in the Single Operator Low Power All Bands section, with a total score of 198,850 points.
More information on my involvement and stats in the Contest can be found on my previous post at……
During 2015 I conducted 97 activations for the VK5 Parks Award. This included one of my favourite parks, the Talisker Conservation Park which I activated on Australia Day, along with the Mount George Conservation Park. I used the special AX prefix for Australia Day. The Summer Friday afternoon/evening activation events for the VK5 Parks Award proved to be very popular with lots of South Australian amateurs taking part.
In 2015 I undertook a total of 30 SOTA activations. The year commenced with an activation of Mount Bryan VK5/ SE-001 for what has become the regular VK New Years Day SOTA event. In around 2 & 1/2 hours on the summit I made a total of 146 contacts including 23 unique summits across Australia. On Australia Day I activated Black Bullock Hill VK5/ SE-016 using the special AX prefix making a total of 74 contacts. Tom VK5FTRG accompanied me during one of my SOTA activations. And in June I received my 250 points SOTA Activator certificate.
During 2015 I undertook 83 WWFF activations. A number of these were interstate in New South Wales and Victoria.
Each year the WWFF program issued the Top 44 certificates. I received two this year. The first is for placing number 40 in the Top 44 Activators in the world (based on the number of QSOs). The second is for placing number 21 in the Top 44 Activators in the world.
During 2015 I conducted a handful of park activations with other amateurs. This included Andy VK4TH who was down from Queensland. Andy and I enjoyed a very enjoyable dinner together and then headed to the Mount George Conservation Park where we joined the 7130 DX Net whilst enjoying a few reds. I also activated Clements Gap Conservation Park and was joined by Peter VK5KPR, Les VK5KLV, John VK5FMJC, and Nev VK5WG. Les VK5KLV and I also activated the Winninowie Conservation Park together.
On the weekend of Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th March, a special activation weekend was held to celebrate the 2nd birthday of the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award. Marija and I headed over to the Yorke Peninsula where I activated 6 different parks making a total of 346 QSOs. This was a really successful weekend, with 41 amateurs taking part as activators, with 111 activations, and over 3,000 QSOs made over the weekend. It was a testament to the VK5 Parks program more and more popular. Whilst on Yorke Peninsula I caught up with regular park hunter & activator Adrian VK5FANA.
During the weekend I also met up with Richard VK5ZRY who lives on the Yorke Peninsula and we did a couple of park activations together.
Above:- On air with Richard VK5ZRY in the Warrenben Conservation Park on the Yorke Peninsula
Each amateur who took part in the 2nd anniversary as an activator received a participation certificate.
In March I took part in the Jock White Memorial Field Day, a New Zealand contest which is aimed at portable operation, and is named in honour of Jock White, ZL2GX. This was a later afternoon/evening activation of the Porter Scrub Conservation Park. I made a total of 81 contacts, including 45 during the contest.
Also in March I took part in the John Moyle Memorial Field Day, activating the Coorong National Park. I came first in the 6 hour portable section, making a total of 238 contacts.
In April 2015 Marija and I attended the inaugural BRL Gathering at historic Overland Corner Hotel. This event is now held annually at the hotel by the Riverland Radio Club. Whilst in the Riverland we activated a number of parks.
During my visit to the Riverland I crossed over the border and activated the Murray Sunset National Park. Amongst my contacts was Andrew VK1DA who was portable on SOTA summit Mount Majura, VK1/ AC-034. As a result of Andrew working me, Andrew qualified for the Merit Award for the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award (KRMNPA), by working all 45 Victorian National Parks. I sent out a special certificate to Andrew congratulating him on his achievement.
On ANZAC Day I activated the Monarto Conservation Park using the special call of AX5PAS. I logged a total of 84 stations including 42 DX contacts
Above:- my special ANZAC Day QSL card
Also in late April I was asked by members of the Amateur Radio Experimenters Group to help them activate the Morialta Conservation Park using the special call of VI5ANZAC. We made around 73 contacts in around 3 hours in the park.
Above:- On air with Andy VK5AKH at the Morialta Conservation Park as VI5ANZAC.
In May I travelled to the Riverland to get my Codan 9350 antenna fitted to my Toyota Hi Lux by Ivan VK5HS. Whilst there I conducted a number of park activations, including an activation of the Murray River National Park with Ivan, Peter VK5FLEX, and Larry VK5LY. This was Larry’s first park activation after a long stretch in hospital and rehab.
Later that month I travelled to Canberra for the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the Wireless Institute of Australia. I was one of the guest speakers on the Saturday and delivered a presentation on the World Wide Flora Fauna program. It was great catching up with a number of hams, including many park & SOTA activators/chasers/hunters.
Much to my surprise I was awarded a Presidents Commendation for ‘outstanding achievement in the World Wide Flora & Fauna amateur radio program, nationally and internationally”.
Whilst in Canberra John VK5BJE, David VK5KC, Trevor Vk5ATQ, and I were taken out a number of times to activate SOTA peaks and parks by Andrew VK1DA, and Andrew VK1AD (formerly VK1NAM).
At the May meeting of the Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society I delivered a presentation on the WWFF program and the VK5 Parks Award to around 50 interested hams. The following weekend with the assistance of Chris VK5FR, I delivered a presentation at the AHARS shack on ‘portable operation tips’.
At the May AHARS meeting I was issued with the inaugural WWFF Certificate of Excellence, which had been forwarded to the club through Pit YO3JW in Romania. This came as a great surprise.
In June I travelled to Mount Gambier in the South East of South Australia to attend the South East Radio Group’s Annual Convention. I set up a display table at the convention which comprised transceivers, power sources, antennas, certificates, and various other equipment.
Above:- my display table at the SERG convention
This is a great social event which features a Sunday evening dinner.
Whilst in the South East I activated a total of 17 parks, with 11 of those being unique VK5 parks for me, while 8 were unique WWFF parks for me. I made a total of 751 contacts, with countries worked including VK, ZL, USA, Belgium, Italy, Germany, France, Poland, Spain, Israel, Hungary, England, Belarus, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Canada. I travelled a total of 1700 km over the 6 days I was away. I also took part in the VK Shires Contest over that weekend
A little later that month, John VK5BJE and his wife Jenny, David VK5KC and his wife Joy, Marija and I headed to the north of South Australia. Marija and I travelled nearly 2,500 km in 11 days. We activated 4 Conservation Parks, 3 SOTA summits, and 3 National Parks. This included a number of rare summits and parks. I made a total of 501 contacts.
We also operated as VK100ANZAC at the historic ghost town of Farina in the Far North. I made a total of 165 QSO’s with the special call. Channel Seven were in attendance and took some vision of me operating. It was a great opportunity to promote this great hobby.
During our visit to Farina a special commemorative service was held at the Farina War Memorial, with many people in attendance including members of the Royal Australian Air Force. The service was to remember Flight Lieutenant John Bell (of Farina) who was killed in Action over France in June 1940.
We had a special VK100ANZAC card for our activation at Farina, which is still available if anyone is interested in that may have worked us.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip, with lots of laughs, war stories, activations, and great scenery in the South Australian outback. Whilst at Quorn we caught up with nearby Port Augusta hams Les VK5KLV & Peter VK5KPR. And on the way up Marija and I stopped off to saw g’day to Bill VK5MBD and John VK5FMJC at Red Hill.
On 31st July 2015 I activated the Cromer Conservation Park as part of World Ranger Day, which is observed annually on the 31st of July. It commemorates rangers killed or injured in the line of duty, and celebrates the work rangers do to protect the world’s natural and cultural treasures. I made a total of 51 contacts and had a special QSL card on offer.
During 2015 I operated a number of times as VI5ANZAC. This included an activation of the Belair National Park at the start of the RSL Walk.
In October I travelled to Wagga Wagga in New South Wales for the 2015 SOTA & Parks Seminar held at the Wagga Wagga Amateur Radio Club clubrooms. A number of presentations were delivered. I presented a talk on ‘Portable DX for WWFF & SOTA’. Whilst away I put about 2,500 km on the clock on the Toyota Hi Lux and activated 2 x Victorian National Parks, 4 x NSW National Parks, 2 x NSW SOTA peaks, and 1 x SA Conservation Park, with a total of 484 contacts.
In November Marija and I had a sensational 2 week trip along the Great Ocean Road. Whilst away I activated 2 x South Australian Conservation Parks, 3 x Victorian Coastal Parks, 3 x Victorian Marine National Parks, 1 x Victorian State Park, 3 x Victorian National Parks, & 10 x Victorian SOTA summits. I made a total of 899 contacts during those activations. Marija and I covered a distance of around 3,084 km.
Our trip conincided with the annual activation weekend for the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award. I received the certificate below for taking part as an activator. Many thanks to Tony VK3XV, the KRMNPA Awards Manager.
During our trip away I caught up with my good mate Ivan VK5HS in Renmark. We also bumped into, unexpectedly two amateurs during two of our park activations in Victoria. The first being Bill VK3LY, and then Nick VK3ANL.
In late November the inaugural VKFF Activation Weekend was held. I activated the Mount Magnificent Conservation Park, Scott Conservation Park, & Bullock Hill Conservation Park on Saturday, and then Stipiturus Conservation Park & Nixon Skinner Conservation Park on Sunday.
Each activator in the VKFF Activation Weekend received a special participation certificate. This was a very successful weekend, with 51 different amateurs taking part as activators. It was a testament to the ever growing popularity of the WWFF program in Australia.
One of the low points of 2015 was that I learnt of the illness of Larry VK5LY. Larry had been diagnosed with cancer. During the year myself and other VK5 hams headed out to the Hampstead Rehab Centre and took along some radio gear, allowing Larry to get on air. As was mentioned a little earlier Ivan VK5HS, Peter VK5FLEX & I also took Larry out to activate the Murray River National Park. Sadly Larry passed away on 30th November 2015. Larry was not only a big loss to his family and friends, but he was also a big loss to amateur radio.
In April 2015 much to my surprise I featured on QRZ.com.
During 2015 I delivered a number of presentations on portable operation to various clubs including the North East Radio Club, . In February I travelled to the Mid North and met up with 8 of the guys from the area and delivered a presentation on the various parks awards. Attendees were John VK5FMJC, Les VK5KLV, Peter VK5KPR, Nev VK5WG, Ian VK5CZ, Roger VK5NWE, Bill VK5MBD, and Ian VK5IS.
During 2015 Marija and I hosted Ted VK6NTE and his wife Jen for a few days at our house. I was also visited by Steve VK4KUS. And during my trip to NSW I met up with Peter VK2NEO.
In 2015 I designed and had printed up my VK5PAS portable QSL cards. As I have done with previous QSL cards, I used UX5UO Print.
I was awarded with a number of awards during 2015. They included:-
Keith VK2PKT kindly sent me the certificate below.
The year 2015 saw some quite good band conditions which resulted in me chasing a number of overseas SOTA & Parks activators including Pablo EA1QL, Franck F4DTO/p, Mike 2E0YYY/p, Herbert HB0/OE9HRV/p, SP9YFF, Antonio EC2AG/p, Zvone S57PZ/p, Henryk SP30OPZ/p, Enrico IZ3GOS/p, Jarek SP9MA/p, Phil, OK/ G4OBK/p, & Ingo DH0KAA/p.
My most exotic DX contact whilst I was out portable was with Bruce ZD7VC on St Helena Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, between Africa and South America. This is very rare DX and I was really pleased to get through running just 40 watts and my linked dipole.
And the most interesting QSO whilst portable was with Jerry PH9HB who was aeronautical mobile in a Boeing 737 over Portugal.
Also in 2015, the audible tones of the kookaburra and goat, that we are now accustomed to, were integrated into the parksnpeaks website.
During 2014 I conducted a total of 18 SOTA activations. These were all in South Australia, except for 2 special activations in Germany and Belgium during our trip to Europe.
Some of the highlights on 2013 for SOTA were receiving the following certificates:-
During 2014 I conducted a total of 65 park activations for the VK5 Parks Award and a total of 18 park activations for the WWFF program. I undertook a number park activations with other amateurs during 2014 including Larry VK5LY, David VK5PL, Greg VK5LG, John VK5BJE, Mark VK5QI and Gary VK5FGRY.
Above:- with Larry VK5LY (now SK) in the Belair National Park.
In March 2013 I ran the VK5 SOTA & Parks symposium which was held at the Guides Hall at Blackwood adjacent to the AHARS Shack. A total of 32 amateurs attended and listened in to some interesting presentations including the following:-
In March I took part in the John Moyle Memorial Field Day, from the top of Mount Barker summit. I made a total of 155 contacts in the 6 hour portable section and came in 1st place.
Early April 2014 saw the 1st year anniversary activation weekend for the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award. A total of 29 hams participated in a total of 98 park activations. Of those, 84 were unique parks. Over 2,300 QSO’s were made, and this included over 750 park to park contacts. I headed to the Fleurieu Peninsula and activated the following parks:-
Above:- On the beach at Waitpinga in the Newland Head Conservation Park.
Also in April was the PR4Amateur radio event. Myself and a number of amateurs from the Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society set up a display at the Belair National Park.
During 2014 I received a number of global WWFF certificates which included the following:-
In June 2014 John VK5BJE and I held an introduction day to SOTA & the Parks awards, with a planned SOTA activation at Mount Lofty, followed by a parks activation at Belair National Park. A total of 13 amateurs took part. For many, it was their first portable outing.
A few weeks later I travelled down to Mount Gambier for the South East Radio Group’s annual convention. Whilst there I activated a number of parks, 14 in fact, and also Mount Burr summit, making a total of 472 QSOs. On the Sunday evening I delivered a presentation on the VK5 Parks Award to around 80 people at the convention, and then enjoyed the annual Sunday night dinner. A great event.
In July Marija and I flew to Paris and spend around 2 months in Europe. This included some time in Belgium where my very good mate Marnix OP7M and his lovely wife Martine and son Goan, were kind enough to allow us to stay and thoroughly looked after us. I have also become good mates with Marnix’ good buddy, Eddy ON6ZV. Whilst staying with Marnix we did a SOTA/Parks activation in Belgium, and a SOTA/Parks activation in Germany, using the special call sign of ON4IPA (International Police Association). Because of reciprocal licensing issues, I was not able to operate under my own call sign.
In November I organised the ‘Welcome to amateur Radio’ symposium which was held at Blackwood. A total of 80 amateurs attended the symposium which featured 16 presentations.
Topics included:
Also in November, was the annual KRMNPA Activation Weekend. This year the KRMNPA weekend also conincided with the 2014 Summits on the Air (SOTA) Spring Activation weekend. I again travelled over the border and activated 6 Victorian National Parks, and 4 SOTA peaks. I made a total of 473 contacts.
Later in the year I received the KRMNPA Merit Award and plaque, which is issued for having worked all 45 Victorian National Parks.
During 2014 I continued to deliver presentations on operating portable. Some of the venues where I presented these were the Whyalla Amateur Radio Club, the South Coast Amateur Radio Club, the Elizabeth Amateur Radio Club. Ian VK5CZ, Hugh VK5NHG and I set up a display table again at the AHARS Buy and Sell, promoting the Parks programs and SOTA.
Above:- at the display table, with a visitor Rob VK5RG
The year 2014 continued to be a great year chasing overseas SOTA & Parks activators, with some terrific openings on 20m on both the long and short paths.
Other awards chased during the year included the German Mountain Activity Award, UK & Ireland WWFF, & Poland (SPFF) and many more.
I also received a special certificate in the mail from Andrew VK1AD (formerly VK1NAM).
In November 2014 I commenced the Out and About in VK5 newsletter, which focussed on portable activities in VK5. Sadly due to a lack of VK5 contributors, the newsletter ceased in early 2018, despite having many interstate and overseas readers.
My first ever SOTA activation took place in 2013. I activated Black Bullock Hill VK5/ SE-016 south of Adelaide in March 2013 and logged 7 stations running QRP 5 watts from the Yaesu FT-817nd. My antenna was a Chinese version of the Buddistick, which didn’t last long. It was soon discarded for a linked dipole.
Above:- my first ever SOTA activation at VK5/ SE-016 on the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide.
I was bitten by the SOTA bug and went on to activate 53 summits in 2013. Most of these were in the Mid North and West Coast regions of South Australia, but I also activated 13 summits in Victoria. A number of these summits were joint activations with Ian VK5CZ.
In April 2013 I undertook my first ever park activation, at the Belair National Park, for the World Wide Flora Fauna program. I had kicked off the VKFF program in Australia the month before in March. I had also initiated the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award. These were early days of the parks award, and knowledge and popularity of the programs was far less than it is today. My first every park, Belair, resulted in 11 contacts in the log after some time in the park. Nowadays I am normally reaching at least 44 contacts, even in the middle of the week, and in a very short period of time.
In June 2013 I became a Shack Sloth in the SOTA program, reaching 1,000 points as a SOTA chaser. My Shack Sloth certificate and glass plaque feature on the wall of my shack.
Later that year in August I received my SOTA activator certificate, having reached 100 activator points. And all of those contacts were made QRP 5 watts with the Yaesu FT-817nd. My 100 points came during an activation of Hogshead Hill VK5/ NE-051, and a QSO with Ron VK3AFW.
A little later in the year I reached 250 Summit to Summit points. I was operating from Mount Rouse VK3/ VS-048 and made contact with Glenn VK3YY/p who was activating Federation Range VK3/ VN-003.
In October of 2013, the SOTA program in VK5 celebrated its 1st birthday. I headed down to Black Bullock Hill VK5/ SE-016 where I made 49 contacts.
A few weeks later I attended the SOA VK5 First year anniversary lunch, which I had arranged at a hotel at Gawler. There were 8 attendees: Ian VK5CZ, John Vk5BJE, Larry VK5LY, Andy VK5LA, Andy VK5AKH, Keith VK5OQ, Mike VK5MCB, and myself.
In December 2013 I reached 2,500 points as a SOTA chaser. Thanks to Peter VK3PF/p who was activating VK3/ VE-159.
During 2013 I conducted 78 activations for the VK5 Parks Award and 14 for WWFF. One of the highlights of the year was to activate Bulyong Island in the Murray River National Park with my 2 good mates Larry VK5LY (now silent key) and Ivan VK5HS. To get there we had to travel via boat. In 2013 I also activated my first park for the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award, that being the Grampians National Park in western Victoria.
Above:- Activation of the Murray River National Park with Larry VK5LY (SK) and Ivan VK5HS in September 2013.
For the 6 month anniversary of the VK5 Parks Award, Marija and I travelled to the Yorke Peninsula where a number of parks were activated.
In November 2013 the KRMNPA Activation Weekend took place. I travelled to Victoria with Marija where we activated the Murray Sunset National Park and the Wyperfeld National Park. I made a total of 63 contacts and worked a total of 16 different Victorian National Parks over the duration of the weekend. Marija and I also caught up with Larry VK5LY (now a silent key) and his wife Di, as they were activating nearby parks.
During 2013 I also activated Granite Island for the Islands on the Air (IOTA) program. Unlike the serious IOTA activators, this was a very laid back and simple activation, running just 5 watts from the Yaesu FT-817nd.
Above:- My activating spot on Granite Island OC-228
In August 2013 I travelled to Kangaroo Island with a group of amateurs from the Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society. We activated the Cape Willoughby lighthouse which is located within the Cape Willoughby Conservation Park.
During 2013 I delivered a number of presentations on operating portable including at the Adelaide Tech meet, the North East Radio Club, the Riverland Radio Club, the South Coast Amateur Radio Society, the South East Radio Group and Adelaide Bushwalkers.
Above:- Socialising with hams in the Riverland, where I had delivered a presentation in September on the parks awards.
As well as the presentations I also set up a number of amateur radio displays during the year. This included a SOTA & Parks display at the AHARS Buy and Sell, and amateur radio displays at the Port Elliot show and the Strathalbyn Show.
I was fortunate in 2013 to make numerous contacts with SOTA & Parks activators from overseas. Band conditions were much better than they are today. I also chased a few other portable awards including the Summitsbase awards.
Somebody asked me the other day “how many parks have you activated?” I really didn’t know the answer, so over the past few week I have sat down and tallied up my stats for my park activations for the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award, World Wide Flora & Fauna (WWFF), and the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award (KRMNPA). And also the number of summits I have activated for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program.
Below are the number of activations I have undertaken (since March 2013)…..
Many parks and summits I have activated 5 or 6 times over.
In the following posts I will record some statistics and highlights for each year since I started operating portable in March 2013.
Today (Sunday 20th May 2018) Marija and I headed out north to visit my dad and stepmum. Sadly Dad has not been in good health of late, so it was nice to catch up for lunch and a chat. Dad and I enjoyed sitting back watching a DVD of the Avalon airshow. Dad has always been keen on aviation.
We left at around 2.30 p.m. and decided to do a quick activation on the way home at the Cobbler Creek Recreation Park VKFF-1699. This is just a short drive from my dad’s home. The park is around 25 km north east of the city of Adelaide.
This was to be a unique park for both Marija and I as activators in the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Cobbler Creek Recreation Park, north east of Adelaide. Map courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.
The Cobbler Creek Recreation Park is 266-hectare (657-acre) in size and was declared a recreation park in 1989. The park provides an open space barrier between the suburb of Golden Grove and the suburb of Salisbury. The park is bounded by a number of main roads and is bisected by the four laned The Grove Way. It is surrounded by housing. There is a pedestrian underpass under The Grove Way which connects the two sections of the park. The park was named after the watercouse ‘Cobbler Creek’ which crossed the northern part of the park. The creek was named after the occupation of one of the early settlers of the area. You can read about this a little later in this post.
Above:- Aerial shot of the Cobbler Creek Recreation Park, looking south back towards the city of Adelaide. Image courtesy of google maps
In a 1962 State Government report, the park’s area was identified for use as future open space. It was proposed that a golf course would be established along with other sporting facilities. In 1970 the land was purchased by the South Australian State Government was part of the metropolitan open space (MOSS) network. The park’s location was chosen to provide a development-free buffer between the existing suburbs of Salisbury and the proposed Golden Grove development.
Much of the land was a farming property known as Kelway Park, the western, cleared portion of which had been cropped. The park was owned and managed by the State Planning Authority until 1982 when control passed to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Cobbler Creek was declared a recreation park on the 26th October 1989.
Cobbler Creek Recreation Park is administered and maintained jointly by the City of Salisbury, and the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. A volunteer group, Friends of Cobbler Creek, was formed in 1990 and works with rangers to improve and maintain the park.
Cobbler Creek Recreation Park sits in the traditional lands of the Kaurna aboriginal people. One of the first European settlers in the area was William Pedler III (b. 1804. d. 1874) who emigrated to Australia in 1838 aboard the Royal Admiral from Cornwall in England with his wife Elizabeth Pedler nee Nicholls. The couple and their children initially lived in Carrington Street in the city of Adelaide.
In 1850 Pedler purchased 135 acres of land in the Hundred of Yatala in the vicinity of the Old Spot Hotel on the Little Para River. He later sold the majority of this land an purchased adjoining land comprising around 269 acres east of Bridge Road near Cobblers Creek. He established his farm ‘Trevolsa‘ of around 279 acres. Pedler was a shoe maker (cobbler) by profession. He made and sold shoes to teamsters passing through the Salisbury area who were carting ore to Burra in the Mid North of South Australia. It is his profession that gave both the creek that passes through the northern part of the park, and the park their names.
Above:- Memorial plaque in the park at the site of the old Trevalsa homestead.
Pedler subsequently passed the land on to his oldest son, William IV Pedler (b. 1829. d. 1909), who farmed the land for many years with his wife Martha and their family. In 1852 he travelled to the Victorian goldfields and returned home after some success. But he soon headed back to the goldfields where after working the Eaglehawk area, he returned home at the end of 1852 to work on the family farm Trevolsa.
Also located in the park are Teakle Ruins which sit on the top of Cobbler Hill. The property is named after its former occupants who vacated the farmhouse around 1900.
Above:- Teakle Ruins. Courtesy of wikipedia.
In the 19th century, Salisbury residents used this area for Sunday school picnics. Swings were temporarily built, water and food brought to the site and games and bands provided for entertainment.
Many sections of Cobbler Creek have been cleared of native vegetation due to previous land use. However other sections of the park feature grassland, river red gum, and mallee box. The park contains some of the last remaining mallee box grassy woodland in Adelaide. Amongst the woodlands, plants like the blue-flowering flax lily are common.
Native fauna species found in the park include Western Grey Kangaroos and Brush tailed possums. Reptile inhabitants of the park include Eastern bearded dragons, White’s skink, eastern brown snake, and sleepy lizard. The park is home to a small population of the worm-like and vulnerable Flinders Ranges worm-lizard.
Birds SA have recorded a total of 105 native bird in the park including Crested Pigeon, Australian Magpie, Little Raven, Noisy Miner, White-plumed Honeyeater, Tawny Frogmouth, Peaceful Dove, Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo, and White-winged Triller.
There are several walking trails through the park, along with dedicated mountain bike areas, BBQ areas and playground.
The Cobbler Creek Recreation Park, showing the parks boundaries and the various walking trails.
Marija and I entered the park via Smith Road off Bridge Road. There is a large amount of carparking here. We parked the vehicle and walked a short distance and set up. We ran the Yaesu FT-897 for this activation, along with the 20/40/80m linked dipole, inverted vee, supported on the 7m telescopic squid pole.
Above:- Aerial shot of the park showing our operating spot in the western section of the park. Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.
After setting up I turned on the Yaesu FT-897 which was already sitting on 14.310 on the 20m band. And our worse fears were realised, with strength 8 noise due to all of the surrounding houses. Mark VK4SMA/p was calling CQ on 14.310 from the Venman Bushland National Park VKFF-0507. Fortunately Mark was above the noise floor, and was my first contact from Cobbler Creek.
Marija and I then lowered the squid pole and inserted the links on the 20/40/80m linked dipole so we could operated on the 40m band. We found 7.144 and I started calling CQ while Marija spotted me on parksnpeaks and Facebook. First in the log following my CQ call was Brett VK2VW, followed by Geoff VK3SQ, and then Cliff VK2NP. Sadly we were experiencing strength 8 noise on 40m as well.
Within 10 minutes I had contact number ten in the log, thus qualifying the park for the VKFF program. Contact number 10 was Andrew VK5MR at Roxby Downs in the north of South Australia.
Above:- the shack for the afternoon
I perservered under some pretty trying and frustrating conditions. It was extremely difficult to pull out anybody below strength 7-8. And we knew there were a lot of stations calling us that fell into that category. We were also right under the flight path of the light aircraft using the nearby Parafield Airport, and we had the occasional loud V8 car on the nearby Main North Road. Sadly I missed out on a contact with Ron VK3AFW/p who was on Lord Howe Island. People told me Ron was calling, but I just wasn’t able to hear Ron well enough to exchange signal reports with him.
Much to my surprise I reached 44 contacts within 45 minutes, qualifying the park for the global WWFF program. Contacts were made into VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK7 and New Zealand. This including a Park to Park with Neil VK4HNS/p who was activating the Homevale National Park VKFF-0237. It was also nice to log Andre ZL1TM who has become a regular park hunter.
Whilst on air I had a number of interested onlookers, and Marija took the time to explain to them the hobby of amateur radio and what we were doing.
Above:- light aircraft flying above us from the nearby Parafield Airport.
I now had 47 contacts in the log on 40m. So we lowered the squid pole and inserted the links for the 80m section of the antenna and headed to 3.610 where I called CQ. This was answered by Adrian VK5FANA on the Yorke Peninsula with a booming signal. As I had qualified the park, it was now Marija’s turn to jump into the operators chair. Marija logged Adrian after we had lowered the power down from 40 watts to 10 watts PEP for Marija’s Foundation class licence.
Following her contact with Adrian, Marija logged a further 8 stations on 80m from VK3 and VK5. Sadly our noise floor on 80m was also strength 8. Marija then headed back to 40m and worked Gerard VK2IO for her 10th contact, qualifying the park for VKFF. Gerard had tried calling us on 80m but he was below our noise floor.
Marija had a steady flow of callers and ended up with a total of 22 QSOs on 40m from VK2, VK3, and VK4. This included Park to Park contacts with Mark VK4SMA/p in the Venman Bushland National Park VKFF-0507, and Neil VK4HNS/p in the Homevale National Park VKFF-0237.
Above:- Marija VK5FMAZ on air, battling the strength 8 noise floor.
So after about 90 minutes in the park, Marija and I had a total of 80 contacts in the log between us, including 5 Park to Park contacts. Unfortunately we had missed out on the contact with Ron on Lord Howe Island, and a number of other stations that were below our noise floor. I think the next activation of this park will be a hike in by a few km to get away from the nearby houses.
Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
Marija worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
I worked the following station on 20m SSB:-
I worked the following station on 80m SSB:-
References.
Birds SA, 2018, <https://birdssa.asn.au/location/cobbler-creek-recreation-park/>, viewed 20th May 2018
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 2010, ‘Cobbler Creek Recreation Park’ brouchure
Department of Environment and Heritage, 2003, Cobbler Creek Recreation Park Management Plan.
Friends of Parks, 2018, <http://www.friendsofparkssa.org.au/members-directory/friends-of-cobbler-creek>, viewed 20th May 2018
Salisbury and District Historical Society, 2018, <http://www.salisburyhistory.com.au/history/the-pedlars>, viewed 20th May 2018
Wikipedia, 2018, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobbler_Creek_Recreation_Park>, viewed 20th May 2018
In the mail in the past few days was my activator certificate for the 2017 Activation Weekend for the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award (KRMNPA).
Thanks to Tony VK3XV the KRMNPA Awards Manager.
A few weeks ago I received my latest global certificate in the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. It was issued for having worked a total of 1,244 different WWFF reference areas around the world.
Thankyou to all of the activators and thankyou to the awards Manager Karl DL1JKK.
Of those 1,244 references, I have worked a total of 42 different DXCC entities as can be seen below.
The largest number of references of course coming from Australia (977 different references), followed by Belgium with 65, Poland with 46, Italy with 33, and then Germany & France both with 18.
The weekend just gone (Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th May 2018) was the annual Mills on the Air Weekend. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (S.P.A.B.) in the United Kingdom runs the National Mills Weekend each year in May, and as part of the event the Denby Dale Radio Society co-ordinate the amateur radio side of this event, the Mills on the Air Weekend.
Last year was the first year I had taken part in the event. On the Saturday I activated Nixons Mills at Hahndorf, and then on Sunday I activated the old Laucke Flour Mill at Strathalbyn. Both times I used the VK5WOW callsign to celebrate the upcoming AGM for the WIA.
Unfortunately this year I was on Afternoon shift, so I limited to just a few hours at the historic Nixons Mill at Hahndorf.
My post re last years activation has a huge amount of information on this, South Australia’s oldest surviving windmill tower which was built in 1842. You can read about the mill’s interesting history and view some historic photos at…….
https://vk5pas.org/2017/05/14/nixons-mill-and-mills-on-the-air/comment-page-1/
Nixons Mill is located on the eastern outskirts of the historic town of Hahndorf, just a short drive from home.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Mill, just a short distance from my home.
The mill was restored many years ago, including the fitting of blades to the mill. But sadly vandals got to the mill. In recent years some restoration of the mill has taken place and there are a number of interpretive signs detailing the history of the mill.
It is just a short walk up a flight of stairs to the mill. I made a few trips carrying the radio equipment up to a cleared area alongside the mill structure.
The mill is located alongside the Hahndorf Farm Barn, so I had a few interested onlookers, both human and animal.
I found 7.150 on the 40m band and started calling CQ. First in the log was Stef VK5HSX/3 in the Cape Patterson Nature Conservation Reserve VKFF-2063. Next up was Gerard VK2IO, followed by Andrew VK7DW/p operating portable in the Narawntapu National Park as part of the VK7 WWFF day organised by Jonathan VK7JON.
It was quite a slow morning, with band conditions being quite average. I had a steady trickle of callers but it was clear that there was again no close in propagation on 40m. Contact number 17 was David VK3CMZ activating the Andersons Mill at Smeaton in Victoria. My first Mill to Mill contact for the day. A few QSOs later I was called by Ivan VK5HS/p in the Cooltong Conservation Park 5CP-046 & VKFF-0923. Ivan was very low down but we successfully exchanged signal reports (3/2 sent and 3/3 received).
It was quite a brisk morning with the temperature being about 11 deg C, so I was rugged up in my thick jacket which I bought in New Zealand a number of years ago. A few QSOs after Ivan I logged some more Tasmanian park activators, Angela VK7FAMP/p and Tony VK7LTD/p in the Ida Bay State Reserve VKFF-1807. And a few QSOs later Mick (VK3GGG) VK3BI/p gave me a shout from the Maryborough Flour & Chaff Mill in Victoria.
Unfortunately shortly thereafter I had some VK6 guys come up on the frequency, clearly for a sked, and without asking if the frequency was in use. I did hear them mention that they thought the frequency was being used, but despite that they continued their chat. As a result it made it quite difficult to log some of the lower down stations that were calling me.
After logging a total of 41 stations on 40m I moved down to 3.610 on the 80m band wgere I logged 4 stations, including Ivan VK5HS/p in the Cooltong Conservation Park. Sadly I had a strength 8-9 noise floor on this band.
To complete the activation I headed back to 7.150 and called CQ which was answered by Frank VK7DX. I logged a further 8 stations including Colin VK3NCC/2 in the Dthinna Dthinnawan National Park VKFF-0587.
Time was marching on, and I needed to pack up and head home for some lunch, a shower, and then off to work. So In around 2 hours at the mill I had a total of 54 stations in the log. Unfortunately I had no visitors to the mill during my activation, no doubt due to the very chilly weather conditions. This is a fun event and I would encourage everyone to get involved in next years event.
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-
References
Denby Dale Amateur Radio Society, 2018, <http://www.mills-on-the-air.net/>, viewed 14th May 2018.
Over the weekend (Saturday 5th May 2018) I headed out to my local park, the Totness Recreation Park VKFF-1754, for the 2018 Harry Angel Memorial 80m Sprint.
Above:- Map showing the location of the Totness Recreation Park. Map courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.
I have activated Totness many times in the past as it is in very close proximity to my home. In fact its just a short 6-7 minute drive.
Above:- Aerial shot showing the park and my operating spot, and m home a few km away. Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.
Totness Recreation Park is 41 hectares in size and on the 15th January 1970 was proclaimed as Totness National Parks Reserve. On the 22nd January 1976 it was reproclaimed as Totness Recreation Park. Prior to 1970 the land that is now Totness was the property of the South Australian Railways and the Department of Transport.
The park terrain is hilly, with the park being split into a northern and southern section by the South Eastern Freeway. The northern section of the park includes messmate stringybark woodland over kangaroo thorn, sweet bursaria and twiggy daisy-bush; South Australian blue gum/manna gum woodland; river red gum over swamp wattle and narrow leaf cumbungi sedge land around the lake which was previously a railway dam. The southern section of the park has messmate stringybark open forest and South Australian blue gum woodland.
Plant species of conservation significance recorded within the park include the state rare Manna Gum and the regionally rare Spider Orchid.
The southern section of the park was completely burnt out during the devastating 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires.
Above:- Aerial shot of the Totness Recreation Park. Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.
Birds SA have recorded a total of 57 native birds in the park including Superb Fairywren, Striated Thornbill, Brown Thornbill, Buff-rumped Thornbill, Grey Shrikethrush, Australian Golden Whistler, White-throated Treecreeper, Eastern Spinebill, Yellow-rumped Thornbill, & Red-browed Finch.
Native bird species of conservation significance recorded within the park include the Bassian Thrush and Shining Bronze-cuckoo.
Various native animals can be found in the park including Western Grey kangaroo, Common ringtail possum, Koala, Short-beaked echidna, and various bat species are known to inhabit the park. Wild deer can also be found in the park.
Above:- Aerial shot showing the Totness Recreation Park in the foreground, looking west back towards Adelaide. Image courtesy of google maps
In the northern section of the park you will find a large dam which was constructed in 1884 to supply the steam locomotives travelling to and from Victor Harbour until 1944. The water was piped around 5 km to the Mount Barker Railway Station. The dam also served as a water source for the township of Mount Barker, until replaced by water from the River Murray via the Adelaide-Mannum pipeline in 1955.
Totness Recreation Park also has historic associations with the wattle bark industry that flourished in the Mount Barker district during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The nearby Mount Barker Tannery sourced wattle bark from the area around the railway dam, for tanning leather. Stringybark trees were also cut for use as firewoord in the steam boilers and brick kilns.
Above:- A view of the Mount Barker Tannery from Paddys Hill. Image courtesy of Mount Barker District Council.
A significant portion of the southern section of the park was land originally granted to John Dunne (1802-1894) who was a significant figure in Mount Barker’s early history. Dunne emigrated to Australia in 1840, having been born in Devon, England in 1802. His first steam mill, in Mount Barker, began working in 1844, the second steam mill in Australia at a time when South Australia was the only wheat producing colony in Australia.
Above:- John Dunne Snr. Image courtesy of wikipedia
The Harry Angel Sprint is an annual 80m contest event, first established in 1999, to commemorate the life of Harry Angel VK4HA who at the time of his becoming a Silent Key was the oldest licensed amateur in Australia.
The duration of the contest is 106 minutes one minute for each year of Harry’s life. The aim of the competition is to make as many contacts as possible in the allotted time. Each station may be worked on one occasion only per mode.
Henry Benjamin ‘Harry’ Angel was born on 14th December 1891 at Manor House, Essex, England. His parents were Henry Samuel Martin Angel (1867-1911) and Elizabeth Jesse Angel nee Eyre (1871-1962). In 1919 he married Rebecca Andrews (1891-1973). They had 3 children: Lillian May Angel, Harold Vincent Angel, and Ronald Henry Angel. Harry died in August 1998 at Brisbane, Queensland, aged 106 years.
Harry Angel. Image courtesy of ancestry.com.au
The State Library of Queensland holds an extensive collection of QSL cards, previously belonging to Harry Angel.
A selection of JA cards in the Harry Angel QSL card collection. Image courtesy of State Library of QLD
I arrived at the park at around 5.50 p.m. and it was starting to get dark. I had around 10 minutes of light to set up. I used the Yaesu FT-897 and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation. I was all set up and ready to go by around 6.00 p.m. local time (0830 UTC). I tuned across the 40m band which was quite busy with South East Asian stations and a few low down North American signals. I found 7.175 clear and commenced calling CQ, which was answered by Andy VK5LA in the Riverland region of South Australia. Andy was quite low down, as I was to him, but we made it. Rod VK7FRJG then called in from Tasmania with a very big signal, followed by my wife Marija VK5FMAZ.
I logged a total of 10 contacts, including Peter VK3ZPF/p who was activating the Churchill Island Marine National Park VKFF-0947, and Andrei ZL1TM in New Zealand. Again, Peter was quite a low signal, but as we both had no man made noise, we were able to exchange signal reports quite easily. But that was it, with the 40m band being in quite poor condition. It was apparent that propagation around VK2, VK3 & VK5 was very poor.
It was now approaching 0900 UTC and I still had one hour to go before the contest. I tuned across the 40m band but didn’t find a signal VK station, except for Peter VK3ZPF/p who was calling CQ on 7.155. The American net which is held each evening on 7.163 revealed only moderately strong signals. Certainly not strong enough for me to call in and make contact with any of the USA stations. So I took the opportunity of ensuring my logging software was up to date on my laptop, and set the time on my clock (to what I thought was accurate – it wasn’t. Mentioned later). I headed back to 7.175 and called CQ again, and again, and again, with no takers. Eventually, Steve VK4QQ came back to my call, but he was the sole responder.
At around 0950 UTC I moved down to the 80m band hoping to find myself a clear frequency before everyone starting calling CQ contest. The 80m band was already quite full of stations and the Over The Horizon Radar (OTHR) was present across most of the band and was getting up around the strength 8.
I found 3.640 clear and started calling CQ which was answered by Chris VK6LOL with a 5/9 signal. This was followed by Marija VK5FMAZ, Ken VK6AKT, and then Merv VK4EM.
I relogged Merv VK4EM and he became my first contact in the log for the Harry Angel Sprint. Peter VK3PF was second in the log, followed by Ian VK2IAN, Bill VK3CWF and then Chris VK6NC. Sadly it was very slow going, and after 20 minutes I had just 14 contacts in the log, including Peter VK3ZPF/p who had called back in for the Sprint. So with things being very quiet, I tuned across the band and logged a number of stations.
I spent the remainder of the Sprint, calling CQ and hunting across the band for new callers. Unfortunately I was having a nice little run of callers, when I much higher powered VK2 moved in just 2 kc away from me, and that was the end of the that. The OTHR was also making it very difficult to pick up stations below strength 8.
I was pleased to pick up another Park to Park contact, with Marcus VK5WTF/p who was in the Sandy Creek Conservation Park VKFF-0933. And also a call from Bill ZL3VZ in Christchurch, New Zealand.
I ended up logging a total of 51 stations on 80m during the contest. This was down by 12 compared to last year when I logged a total of 63 stations during the contest.
Above:- Map showing my contacts during the Sprint (VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, VK7, & New Zealand). Map courtesy of qsomap.org
Most of my contacts were into Victoria and New South Wales. Conditions into the eastern States were pretty good, but there were some stations who were suffering with noise and struggled a bit with my signal. Fortunately I had no man made noise in the park, except for the Over the Horizon Radar. The map below shows my contacts into the eastern States.
Above:- Map showing my contacts into the eastern States. Map courtesy of qsomap.org
I was very pleased to be able to work some Western Australian stations about 2,500 km away. The map below shows my contacts into Western Australia.
Above:- Above:- Map showing my contacts into Western Australia. Map courtesy of qsomap.org
The graph below shows my contacts during the Sprint. I worked thirteen (13) Victorian (VK3) stations, followed by twelve (12) from New South Wales (VK2), and nine (9) each from Queensland (VK4) and South Australia (VK5).
Above:- Graph showing my contacts per State/Territory/Country during the Sprint.
I was a little disappointed in the outcome. Unfortunately there were not a huge number of participants in the Sprint, and my little portable signal wasn’t quite making the grade into certain stations. This together with the very annoying OTHR.
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB before the Sprint commenced:-
I worked the following stations on 80m before the Sprint:-
I worked the following stations on 80m SSB during the Sprint:-
I worked the following stations on 80m after the Sprint:-
References.
Birds SA, 2018, <https://birdssa.asn.au/location/totness-recreation-park/>, viewed 6th May 2018
Department for Environment and Heritage, 2007, Totness Recreation Park Management Plan
Wikipedia, 2018, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totness_Recreation_Park>, viewed 6th May 2018
Wikipedia, 2018, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dunn_(miller)>, viewed 6th May 2018
Wireless Institute of Australia, 2018, <http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/harryangel/>, viewed 6th May 2018
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