I was already running behind schedule for my second park of the day and it wasn’t going to get any better.  Access to the Nepean Bay Conservation Park 5CP-159 and VKFF-1067 proved a little trickier than originally planned.  So if I sounded a little flustered or grumpy during this action, you’re about to read why.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Nepean Bay Conservation Park on Kangaroo Island.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

After leaving Cygnet Estuary with wet feet I headed south east along the Hog Bay Road and into the little settlement of Nepean Bay.  My plans were to travel along Sea Vista Road.  But what appeared on the maps as a road, is little more than a very neglected 4WD track.  And many sections were impassable (see below).  So this park required a bit of walking and carrying of gear to get into as well.

The only pleasing thing was that the view of Nepean Bay was truly beautiful.  And the weather on Kangaroo Island, despite it being August, was mild and slightly overcast, with plenty of blue sky.

Nepean Bay was named by Captain Matthew Flinders (1774-1814) on 21st March 1802 after Sir Evan Nepean.  Sir Evan was a British politician and colonial administrator.

Above:- Captain Matthew Flinders (left) and Sir Evan Nepean (right.  Images courtesy of Wikipedia.

Nepean Bay Conservation Park comprises 32 hectares (79 acres) and was proclaimed on 11th July 1974.  It was dedicated for the protection of flora and fauna, and is the only reserved area of coastal sandplain on Kangaroo Island.  The park lies on the southern shoreline of Western Cove in Nepean Bay, about 1.5 kilometres to the east of the Nepean Bay settlement, and about 9 km south of Kingscote.

The park’s vegetation is mostly an open scrub of Eucalyptus diversifolia and Callitris preissii with areas of low shrubland, tussock sedgeland and Allocasuarina verticillata low open forest.  Other significant plant species include Melaleuca halmaturorum, Acacia sophorae and Leucopogon parviflorus.  There is a nesting colony of fairy terns on the coast adjacent to the  park and Tammar wallabies are common, as I found.

I set up in a clearing amongst the scrub and was all set and ready to go by 1.00 p.m. SA local time (a long way behind schedule).  My first contact on 40m was with Geoff VK3SQ, followed by Mick VK3GGG, and then Jonathan VK6JON/7.

Above:- Aerial shot showing the Nepean Bay Conservation Park, about 1.5 km east of the Nepean Bay settlement.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

It was very pleasing to see the 40m band open locally with a number of South Australian stations logged including Tom VK5EE, Col VK5HCF, Brian VK5FMID, John VK5DJ & Greg VK5ZGY mobile all in the South East, John VK5EMI in the Adelaide Hills, Adrian VK5FANA & Bevan VK5APV on the Yorke Peninsula, Michael VK5FMLO in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, David VK5PL in the Barossa Valley, Les VK5KLV at Port Augusta, Jeff VK5JK at Victor Harbour and Gary VK5ZK at Goolwa south of Adelaide.  All from very diverse locations around the State, and all with great signals.  This certainly has not been the case in recent months, with close in propagation on 40m at times being non existant.

The little guy (or girl?) below, a Tammar wallaby, kept a close on me for around 15 minutes of my activation.  I was very surprised.  I thought that with the noise associated with setting up, and talking on the radio, he/she would have scampered off into the scrub.  But no, they hung around for quite some time watching proceedings.

I worked a total of 29 stations on 40m.  Contact number 44 was Cliff VK2NP, and this was 40 minutes into the activation.  A total of 44 QSOs are required to qualify the park for the global section of the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  Here in Australia, park activators and hunters tend to talk a lot more and exchange information, compared to European park activators where it is pretty much ‘5/9 thanks…..73 and 44’, and then on to the next contact.  So to qualify the park in just 40 minutes was very pleasing, especially considering I was behind schedule and had 2 parks to activate that day.

I managed to accrue a further two Park to Park (P2P) contacts from Nepean Bay.  They were with VK4AAC/3 in the Point Addis Marine National Park VKFF-0952 on the Great Ocean Road, and Neil VK4HNS/p who was in the Koreelah National Park VKFF-0268.  I activated Point Addis myself back in November 2015 and have a clear memory of the activation as the Paramedics were called during the activation, as somebody (not me) had fallen down a nearby cliff face.  For more information on that activation, please have a look at……

https://vk5pas.org/2015/12/10/point-addis-marine-national-park-vkff-0952/

After things slowed down on 40m I headed over to 20m where I worked Cliff Vk2NP, WIlliam VK2NWB, Mike VK6MB, and Colin VK3NCC/4.   It was still a little too early for any DX on 20m.  I did not bother trying 80m during this activation due to time constraints and also because 40m was open to VK5.

Another successful activation, with a total of 54 contacts in the log.  And again many thanks to those who posted me, including Jonathan VK6JON.  It certainly does help fill up the logbook.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3SQ
2. VK3GGG
3. VK3PMG
4. VK6JON/7
5. VK2PDW
6. VK3BBB
7. VK3UH
8. VK3MRH
9. VK3MCK
10. VK3TKK
11. VK5EE
12. VK2IO
13. VK5HCF
14. VK3NXT
15. VK5EMI
16. VK2HHA
17. VK5ZGY/m
18. VK5FANA
19. VK5FMLO
20. VK2NWB
21. VK4RF
22. VK4HA
23. VK3PAT
24. VK5GJ
25. VK4AAC/3 (Point Addis Marine National Park VKFF-0952)
26. VK4ARW
27. VK5ZK
28. VK4HNS/p (Koreelah National Park VKFF-0952)
29. VK4RZ
30. VK3FINE
31. VK5FMID
32. VK5DJ
33. VK5JK
34. VK5PL
35. VK5HS/2
36. Vk5FLEX/2
37. VK2KYO
38. VK5KLV
39. VK2JAZ
40. VK3SFG
41. VK3FRAB
42. VK5ZGG
43. VK6MB
44. VK2NP
45. VK3FARO
46. VK5APV
47. VK3FABE
48. VK2FMJW
49. VK7CW
50. VK3NCC/4

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. VK2NP
2. VK2NWB
3. VK6MB
4. VK3NCC/4

 

 

References.

Wikipedia, 2016, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepean_Bay_Conservation_Park&gt;, viewed 17th August 2016

My first planned park activation for Tuesday 23rd August 206 was the Cygnet Estuary Conservation Park 5CP-273 and VKFF-1130.  This was to be the first of four scheduled park activations for Tuesday, and all unique parks towards my activator tally for both the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award, and the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Cygnet Estuary Conservation Park on Kangaroo Island.  Map courtesy of Protected Planet.

I had a bit of a sleep in on Tuesday morning, rising from my slumber at around 8.00 a.m. SA local time.  The coffee pot was the first point of call for the morning, followed by breakfast on the porch of the cabin.  As I had arrived at Waves & Wildlife on Monday night whilst it was dark, this was the first opportunity I had to see my surrounds during daylight.  The cabins are set on the top of a hill on acreage overlooking Stokes Bay.

There were a large number of Western grey kangaroos grazing in front of the cabins and also enjoying the beautiful morning sunlight.  I suspect waiting for a possible breakfast from some of the tourists.  Alongside of my cabin a number of Crimson Rosellas were also busy feeding on the seeds from some of the native plants.

After breakfast I headed down to Stokes Bay itself where I sat for a while enjoying the morning and taking a few photographs of the plethora of seabirds.  It is believed that Stokes Bay was named after the first mate of the Hartley which arrived in South Australia in October 1837.

I then commenced heading south on the Stokes Bay Road towards Parndana.  There were some nice views of Stokes Bay in the rear vision mirror as I reached the high point of the road.  A short photo stopped ensued.

Mobile telephone reception on Kangaroo Island, depending on your carrier, can be very patchy.  And that’s certainly what I experienced with Optus.  There was no mobile phone reception at Stokes Bay, so once I got to Parndana, I stopped to view the best route into the Cygnet Estuary Conservation Park.  It appeared that I might be able to get into the park via Estuary Road, off the Playford Highway, but I was wrong.  I drove down a dirt track off Estuary Road but reached a sign saying no entry.  So it was back to Playford Highway and a review of the map on the phone.

There appeared to be a track running off Hog Bay Road, so I travelled back in that direction, but sadly that was a no go as well.  So it was back into Bronwlow for me and with the assistance of some of the friendly locals, I drove along the beach at Brownlow.

I reached a point where I couldn’t go any further so it was out on foot for the rest of the way.

As I was near the mouth of the Cygnet, the area was alive with birdlife, including Pied Oystercatchers, pelicans, cormorants, and Black swans.

Cygnet Estuary Conservation Park is located on the west coast of Nepean Bay on Kangaroo Island, about 5 kilometres west southwest of Kingscote.  It was proclaimed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 in 2014 on the basis that some existing crown land ‘should be protected and preserved for the purpose of conserving any wildlife and the natural features of the land’.  The Cygnet Estuary which is considered to be a significant wetland is located within the boundaries of the conservation park.

The Cygnet River took its name from the Cygnet, which was the second ship to arrive in the colony of South Australia.  She sailed from England under the command of Captain John Rolls, and arrived in Nepean Bay on Kangaroo Island on 11th September 1836.  The Cygnet which had been built of teak in India in 1827 had been chartered by the Colonisation Commissioners to sail for South Australia in 1836, carrying many or the survey staff, along with a number of emigrants.

Above:- Sketch of the Cygnet at anchorage at Port Augusta, 1833.  Image courtesy of State Libarary of Western Australia.

However the river has not always been known as the Cygnet.  It was originally known as the Three Wells River, and also the Morgan River after Captain R.G. Morgan of the Duke of York, the first vessel to bring immigrants.  The first reference of the Cygnet (or Three Wells River) can be found in a letter which Colon William Light wrote to the Colonial Storekeeper on 6th September 1836, in which Light recommended him to land stores on Kangaroo Island from the Cygnet at the mouth of the freshwater river.

After some negotiation of the estuary, and a few trips back to the 4WD, I found an operating spot.  This definitely wellington boots territory!  I ran the Yaesu FT-857d, 40 watts and the 20/40/80m linked dipole for this activation.

Above:- Aerial shot showing my operating spot.  Courtesy of Protected Planet

I was set up and ready to go a little later than planned, just after 10.00 a.m. South Australian local time.  I was very pleased to have Rob VK4AAC/3 as number one in the log at Cygnet Estuary.  Rob was portable in the Great Otway National Park VKFF-0405 and had a beautiful 5/9 signal.  Not a bad way to start the activation….a Park to Park (P2P).  The frustration of getting lost and the backwards and forwards travel to get into the park, was tethered a little by the P2P contact with Rob.  This was followed by the ever reliable Mick VK3GGG/VK3PMG, Peter VK3TKK, and then Peter VK3PF.

The 40m band was behaving itself, with some great signals from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6 and VK7.  A number of mobile stations were logged including Greg VK5ZGY mobile in the South East, Peter VK5FLEX/2 and VK5HS/2 at Byrock in New South Wales, and John VK2YW mobile near Hay.  Jarrad VK6FFAR/p who was alongside the ocean running his 10 watts was a very nice 5/5 signal to Cygnet River.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Western Australian stations were coming in on 40m considering the time of the day.  Mike VK6MB was a good 5/7 (5/5 received), whilst Don VK6EY at Busselton in the South West was a strong 5/8 (5/8 received).

Neil VK4HNS portable in the Koreelah National Park VKFF-0268 called in and was a 5/3 signal at Cygnet Estuary (5/3 received).  Another P2P contact for the log.

After working a total of 48 stations on 40m I headed over to 14.310 on 80m where I worked Rick VK4RF/VK4HA, John VK5EMI, Mike VK6MB and Brooke VK4RZ.  I was very surprised to work John VK5EMI on 20m.  John lives in the Adelaide Hills and although not strong, was very readable in Cygnet Estuary (5/2 sent and 4/3 received).  I would have loved to try 80m, but it was a bit tricky with the length of the antenna, and my feet were already sopping wet, and I was way behind schedule.  So it was time to pack up, with a total of 53 contacts in the log.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK4AAC/3 (Great Otway National Park VKFF-0405)
2. VK3GGG
3. VK3PMG
4. VK3TKK
5. VK3PF
6. VK3BBB
7. VK2IO
8. VK2KYO
9. VK6FFAR/p
10. VK2NP
11. VK3PAT
12. VK5HCF
13. VK5EE
14. VK5ZGY/m
15. VK3SQ
16. VK3SFG
17. VK4RF
18. VK4HA
19. VK6MB
20. VK5FVSV
21. VK5FANA
22. VK2XXM
23. VK5PL
24. VK3MCK
25. VK5MRT
26. VK5FLEX/2
27. VK5HS/2
28. VK5KLV
29. VK3NXT
30. VK2YW/m
31. VK2NWB
32. VK4FFAB
33. VK4NBX
34. VK3MRH
35. VK6ET
36. VK3ANP
37. VK4HNS/p (Koreelah National Park VKFF-0268)
38. VK4RZ
39. VK3CM
40. VK5EMI
41. VK5FMID
42. VK5DJ
43. VK2HHA
44. VK2MOR
45. VK7WN
46. VK7FPRN
47. VK5BJE
48. VK3UH

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4RF
2. VK4HA
3. VK5EMI
4. VK6MB
5. VK4RZ

Again, thanks to all those that took the time to spot me, including Gerard VK2IO.

 

References.

Bound for South Australia, 206, <http://boundforsouthaustralia.com.au/journey-content/cygnet.html&gt;, viewed 5th September 2016.

Cockburn; R, 2002, South Australia Whats in a name?,

Wikipedia, 2016, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnet_Estuary_Conservation_Park&gt;, viewed 17th August 2016

My final park for Monday 22nd August 2016 on Kangaroo Island was the Parndana Conservation Park 5CP-171 and VKFF-0925.  The park is around 73 km (1 hour drive) from the Dudley Conservation Park, and about 30 km from my accomodation for the night at Stokes Bay.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Parndana Conservation Park on Kangaroo Island.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

After leaving Dudley I headed into the little settlement of Baudin Beach.  It was named to honour the French navigator, Nicolas Baudin and his exploration of Kangaroo Island way back in 1802.   I stopped to have a look at the Baudin monument and also admire the view of Nepean Bay.

I then headed west along Hog Bay Road, stopping briefly to admire Pelican Lagoon and the adjacent Prospect Hill.  I had plans to activate Pelican Lagoon Conservation Park on Wednesday.  The explorer Matthew Flinders named Prospect Hill on 4th April 1802 and also named Pelican Lagoon, on account of the large number of pelicans sighted.

I continued along Hog Bay Road and then onto the Playford Highway.  There were numerous canola crops in flower, with their yellow flower making a great contrast to the now rather grey and bleak skies.

After a number of km along the Playford Highway, I turned off onto Yacca Jacks Road.  Only in Australia could you have a road named like that!  The park was named after a local, Jack Charles ‘Yacca Jack’ Austin.  I soon found the south western corner of the park.  There was a track here (Stringybark Track) following the southern boundary of the park, but the gate to the track was well and truly locked.

I continued along Yacca Jacks Road, dodging the fallen trees and the rather boggy patches on the road.  There had been a lot of rain and strong winds so there was quite a bit of water and debris on the road.

I soon came to the northern boundary of the park and Boundary Track which was accessible.  I set up in amongst the scrub on the northern side of the park.

Above:- Aerial shot showing the location of the park and my operating spot, and the nearby town of Parndana.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

Parndana Conservation Park is 625 hectares (1,540 acres) n size and was established on the 1st January 1968 for the protection of remnant native vegetation.  The park is located in the locality of Cassini about 7 kilometres north-east of the town of Parndana in the central part of the island, about 30 kilometres west of Kingscote.

The name Parndana means ‘The place of the little gums’.  The nearby town of Parndana was established after World War Two to support the Soldier Settlement Scheme on Kangaroo Island.

Most of the park carries low open forest and shrubland featuring Eucalyptus baxteri and E. cosmophylla over Allocasuarina muelleriana, Banksia marginata, B. ornata, Xanthorrhoea tateana, Leptospermum myrsinoides and Hakea sp. The park provides feeding and nesting habitat for Glossy Black Cockatoos.

As is normal for me for my park activations I started off on 40m first on 7.144.  First taker for Parndana was the ever reliable Rick VK4RF/VK4HA, followed by Ken VK2KYO and then Geoff VK3SQ.  My fourth contact was a Park to Park (P2P) contact with Rob VK4AAC/3 who was in the Port Phillip Heads Marine Park VKFF-0954.  I was cognisant of the time.  It was marching on to being after 4.30 p.m. SA local time (0700 UTC), and I wanted t0 try 20m from this park, so after working a total of 15 stations I headed for 14.310 on 20m.

My first caller there was Mike VK6MB, followed by David VK4ABH.  And then a little run of DX commenced, with Enzo IU8ACV from Italy being the first caller.  I went on to work a total of 23 stations on 20m from VK4, VK6, Italy, Slovenia, Belgium, France, Spain, and Japan.

When things slowed down I moved back to 7.144 where I worked another 13 stations from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK6, and VK7.  This included a Park to Park contact with Neil VK4HNS who was portable in the Bald Rock National Park VKFF-0011.  This was my second P2P contact for Parndana.  I started to get hammered by a K1 station from the USA on 7.142 so I decided it was time to try 80m before packing up and heading off to my accomodation at Stokes Bay.

The sun was setting and it was quite enjoyable sitting back in the deck chair admiring the view.  On 80m I was very pleased to log a total of 9 stations from VK2, VK3, VK5, and VK7.  The VK5’s included Adrian VK5FANA, John VK5BJE, Nev VK5WG, and Phil VK5RM.  Propagation locally was not working on 40m, and 80m proved very reliable with 5/9 plus signals around the State.  I was also pleased to speak with Alvin VK7FLI on Flinders Island, OC-195 for the Islands on the Air (IOTA) program.

After logging a total of 60 stations on 20, 40, and 80m,  it was time to pack up and make the 30km journey down the road to Stokes Bay.  It was now almost dark, being nearly 6.00 p.m. SA local time, and I was cognisant it would be a slow trip due to the large number of kangaroos and wallabies.  Night time driving on Kangaroo Island can be a real challenge, as two thirds of the island are in their native state, so there is a lot of wildlife.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK4RF
2. VK4HA
3. VK2KYO
4. VK3SQ
5. VK4AAC/3 (Port Phillip Heads Marine Park VKFF-0954)
6. VK3BBB
7. VK1DI
8. VK5KLV
9. VK2IO
10. VK2NP
11. VK3GGG
12. VK3PMG
13. VK6MB
14. VK5BJE
15. VK3FSPG
16. VK3ELH
17. VK2MZ
18. VK2VOO
19. VK6FAAD/m
20. VK3PF
21. VK4FFAB
22. VK1HW
23. VK4HNS/p (Bald Rock National Park VKFF-0011)
24. VK3SIM
25. VK6NU
26. VK6JON/7
27. VK3KRH
28. VK3CM/p

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. VK6MB
2. VK4ABH
3. IU8ACV
4. IZ8EFD
5. IK2ZJN
6. S50A
7. ON4ON
8. F1BLL
9. EA7TR
10. I1HYW
11. IW5DOK
12. I5JRR
13. EA4DTV
14. I0SYQ
15. IK8FIQ
16. I5JRR
17. EA3MP
18. IV3YIB
19. EA4MY
20. F4FEP
21. I5FLN
22. JH3GFA
23. IK2RZQ

The following stations were worked on 80m SSB:-

1. VK5FANA
2. VK5BJE
3. VK3GGG
4. VK3PMG
5. VK2SK
6. VK3KRH
7. VK5WG
8. VK5RM
9. VK7FLI (Flinders Island OC-195)

Thanks to everyone who took the time to spot me, including Mike VK6MB.

I pulled in to my accomodation for the next 2 nights, the Waves an Wildlife cottages at Stokes Bay.  The land surrounding the cabins was absolutely alive with Tamar wallabies.

I can highly recommend Waves & Wildlife.  There is a choice of 1 and 3 bedroom cottages. Each contains a kitchen, dining room, TV, DVD, CD, and all of your kitchen utensils.

Whilst cooking tea, which consisted of a typical bachelors evening meal of sausages, patties and salad, I booked in to the 7.130 DX Net.  I had set up the Yaesu FT-450 and the linked dipole.  I worked a total of 14 stations on the net from VK2, VK4, VK7, French Polynesia, USA, and New Zealand.  It was then off to bed, with a planned four park activations for Tuesday.

 

References.

Wikipedia, 2016, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parndana_Conservation_Park&gt;, viewed 17th August 2016

Wikipedia, 2016, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parndana,_South_Australia&gt;, viewed 4th September 2016

My second park for the day (Monday 22nd August 2016) was the Dudley Conservation Park 5CP-058 and VKFF-0809, which is about 30 minute drive from the Simpson Conservation Park.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Dudley Conservation Park on the Dudley Peninsula, Kangaroo Island.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

Dudley Conservation Park was established on the 1st January 1970 and is 1,768 hectares (4,370 acres) in size.  It was dedicated in 1970 to conserve Kangaroo Island Narrow-leaved Mallee.  The conservation park lies on the Dudley Peninsula on the eastern end of Kangaroo Island, about 10 km south-east of American River and 12 km south-west of Penneshaw.

The Dudley Peninsula was originally known as Presquila Gallissoniere and also as the MacDonnell Peninsula from 1857 to 1986.  The first reported European name for the Dudley Peninsula is “Presquila Gallissoniere” which was given by the Baudin expedition.  In 1857 it was named  the “MacDonnell Peninsula” by William Bloomfield Douglas after Richard Graves MacDonnell, the sixth governor or South Australia.  In 1986, the peninsula was  renamed as the Dudley Peninsula.  The Hundred of Dudley had been proclaimed on 13th August 1874 by Governor Anthony Musgrave.  The hundred is reported as being named by Governor Musgrave after his father-in-law,  Sir David Dudley Field, who was an American jurist.  Musgrave had married Field’s daughter, Jeannie Lucinda Field.

Above:- Governor & Lady Musgrave.  Images courtesy of Bonzle and Wikipedia

The conservation park’s vegetation is mostly an open scrub of Eucalyptus diversifolia and E. rugosa, with E. cneorifolia, the Kangaroo Island Narrow-leaved Mallee for which the park was dedicated.

Sadly, the weather had turned, and the sunshine had disappeared and had been replaced by quite heavy showers.  I was hoping it was going to clear by the time I reached Dudley, but it hadn’t so I sat in the 4WD for a few minutes until the shower activity had cleared.  I turned off the Hog Bay Road and then travelled south along Sandhurst Road until I found a clearing in the scrub and this is where I set up.  Fortunately the blue sky made a welcome re-appearance.

Above:- Aerial shot of the Dudley Conservation Park, showing my operating spot.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

My first contact in Dudley was with Mick VK3GGG on 7.144, followed by Tom VK5EE in the south east of SA, and then David VK5PL in the Barossa Valley.  Despite it being a weekday, there was a steady flow of park hunters from VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, and VK7.  Greg VK5GJ at Meadows in the Adelaide Hills running his usual 4 watts called in with a beautiful strong 5/8 signal.  I was very surprised to work Craig VK6VCK on 40m at this time of the day with such a strong signal from his mobile.  Craig was 5/5 to me and he reciprocated with a 5/3 signal for me over in Western Australia.

The 40m band was in good condition and there was absolutely no noise in Dudley, so it was a pleasure to be on air.  I experienced a little bit of QRM at one stage from a ZL3 in New Zealand who came up just 1 kc below me on 7.143.  But I think he was politely asked to QSY by some of the hunters.

Three Park to Park contacts were to be logged for this activation.  The first was with Marc VK3OHM/1 who was on SOTA peak Black Mountain VK1/ AC-042 in VKFF-0834.  This was followed by a QSO with Neil VK4HNS/p who was in the Bald Rock National Park VKFF-0011.  And finally with Rob VK4AAC/3 in the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park VKFF-0954.

After working a total of 44 stations on 40m (and having qualified the park for WWFF) I headed off to 20m where I worked Rick VK4RF/VK4HA and then Mike VK6MB on 14.310.  Signals were strong, but despite many CQ calls, I had no further takers on 20m.  A few final calls were put out on 80m but again, no bites there.  Unfortunately I could not self spot on parksnpeaks as there was no mobile phone coverage at my location.

I was happy with a total of 47 contacts in the log, and it was off to my final park of the day, Parndarna Conservation Park.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3GGG
2. VK3PMG
3. VK5EE
4. VK5PL
5. VK3FOTO/m
6. VK5FDEC
7. VK5GJ
8. VK5KLV
9. VK2NP
10. VK3SQ
11. VK2HHA
12. VK2KYO
13. VK3BBB
14. VK2IO
15. VK3PF
16. VK7CW
17. VK5ZGY/m
18. VK4AAC/3
19. VK3FSPG
20. VK5DJ
21. VK3MLU
22. VK5FANA
23. VK3MRH
24. VK3MCK
25. VK3FOWL/p
26. VK3FMLO
27. VK2SK
28. VK6VCK/m
29. VK4FBMW
30. VK5AFZ
31. VK5VRB
32. VK4RF
33. VK4HA
34. VK2GKA
35. VK3CBP
36. VK3OHM/1 (VKFF-0834 & VK1/AC-042)
37. VK4HNS/p (VKFF-0011)
38. VK4AAC/3 (VKFF-0954)
39. VK3NE
40. VK3ZMD
41. VK3PAT
42. VK4TSB
43. VK2FMJW
44. VK3SRC

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4RF
2. VK4HA
3. VK6MB

 

References.

Wikipedia, 2016, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudley_Conservation_Park&gt;, viewed 17th August 2016

Wikipedia, 2016, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudley_Peninsula&gt;, viewed 3rd September 2016

Monday morning (22nd August 2016) was spent packing up at the Cape Willoughby lighthouse after a very enjoyable three nights there, amongst great company, for another International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW) event.  It was quite a chilly morning on Monday, but getting up was worth it, to view the amazing sunrise.

I was on the road from Cape Willoughby at around 10.00 a.m. and on my way to my first of three planned park activations for the day, the Simpson Conservation Park 5CP-213 and VKFF-1098.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Simpson Conservation Park at the eastern end of Kangaroo Island.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

With a touch of sadness I left the lighthouse, travelling along the Cape Willoughby Road until I reached Wilson River Road and started to head west.  I passed Lashmar Lagoon, stopping for a short photo opportunity with the various birdlife around the Lagoon.  Birds observed included Australian Shelducks, Glossy Ibis, Black Swans, and galahs.

Unfortunately it didn’t take long for the reception on my mobile phone (with Optus) to drop out, so my directions to the park dropped out on the phone.  Many thanks to a friendly local who pointed me in the right direction.  I turned onto Mouth Flat Road near the Wilson River ruins, and headed south.  At this time of the year (particularly after all the rain), I would suggest that this is not a track to take if you have a conventional vehicle.  It was quite boggy in patches with the occasional water patch over the track.  I continued along Mouth Flat Road for a short distance until I reached Black Point Road.  It wasn’t long before the park came into view on my left.

I continued until I reached Simpson Track, and this is where I turned left.  This part of the track is definitely 4WD only.  There was a distinct lack of options on where to set up, as there were no cleared areas on either side of the track and nowhere to pull off the track.  In the end, I pulled the Hi Lux as far off the track as possible, and set up in the scrub just off the track.

Above:- the Simpson Track in the park.

Above:- Map showing my operating spot in the Simpson Conservation Park.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

Simpson Conservation Park is 977 hectares (2,410 acres) in size and is located on the Dudley Peninsula at the eastern end of Kangaroo Island.  The park is around  13 kilometres south of Penneshaw.  The park was proclaimed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 in August 2010 from Crown land previously protected as a conservation reserve.  The park was initially created on 9th October 1986 as a reserve.

The park was named after Stamford Walles ‘Tiger’ Simpson, a WW1 veteran of aboriginal heritage.  More information on ‘Tiger’ can be found at…..

http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=890&c=43855

or

http://www.theislanderonline.com.au/story/3109900/tiger-in-the-corner/

Above:- ‘Tiger’ Simpson in uniform.  Image courtesy of State Library of SA.

The park was alive with flowering shrubs during my visit.

For this activation I ran out the 20/40/80m linked dipole which I supported on the 7m heavy duty squid pole from Haverfords.  Transceiver used was the Yaesu FT-857d set at 40 watts output.  I was all set up and ready to go by just after 11.00 a.m. South Australian local time.  I commenced calling CQ on 7.144 and a mini pile up immediately commenced.  Number one in the log was Ron VK3MRH, followed by Les VK5KLV and then Brenton VK3CM.  The 40m band was in pretty good shape with all signals being 5/7-5/9 in strength.

Callers from Victoria (VK3) were all 5/9 with the New South Welshman (VK2) being 5/7-9 in strength.  The Queensland stations (VK4) including Jay VK4JK and Rick VK4RF were very strong 5/9’s.  It was nice to get Mike VK5FVSV in the log.  Mike was mobile from Cape Willoughby lighthouse on his way to Penneshaw.  Only one QSO was logged and that was with Nick VK3FNCE who was running just 3 watts and was a solid 5/9 to me.  I also logged Marc VK3OHM who was activating SOTA peak Mount Stromlo VK1/ AC-043.

I worked a total of 29 contacts on 40m, before lowering the squid pole and inserting the links so that I could operate on the 80m band.  The weather was holding off beautifully and I was also fortunate in that I hadn’t experienced any traffic along Simpson Track.  After re-erecting the squid pole I called on 3.610 and this was answered by Adrian VK5FANA on the Yorke Peninsula who was a good 5/9.  Sadly Adrian was my only taker, despite Adrian putting a call out on the Lochiel repeater that I was on 80m.

I then moved over to 20m and worked a total of 5 stations from VK2, VK4, and VK6.  This included Ian VK2/GW0VML who was portable at the Yamba lighthouse.  The Over the Horizon Radar was certainly very strong and wide on the 20m band.  It was strength 7 and ranged from around 14.185 all the way to 14.350 and beyond.  I then moved back to 40m where I worked a further 19 stations from VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK5.  This included Mark VK3FOTO who was mobile in NSW and about to the cross over in VK3 over the border.  And also Colin VK3NCC/4 who was in ND4 for the VK Shires Award.

Time was marching along and it was now 12.30 p.m. SA local time, so it was time to pack up and head off to my next park, Dudley Conservation Park.  I had a total of 54 stations in the log and a unique Conservation Park for me to add to my activator list.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3MRH
2. VK5KLV
3. VK3CM
4. VK3PF
5. VK3FOWL
6. VK3SRC
7. VK3SQ
8. VK4AAC/3
9. VK3GGG
10. VK3PMG
11. VK2IO
12. VK2NP
13. VK2HHA
14. VK5FVSV/m
15. VK6WE/p
16. VK7NWT
17. VK3VEF
18. VK6MB
19. VK2HEW
20. VK3FNCE
21. VK3ELH
22. VK3TKK
23. VK4JK
24. VK3OHM (SOTA VK1/ AC-043)
25. VK3DAZ
26. VK2WG
27. VK2KJJ
28. VK4RF
29. VK4HA
30. VK3KAI
31. VK3GV
32. VK3BBB
33. VK5FANA
34. VK3FOWL/p
35. VK5PL
36. VK5YX
37. VK2KYO
38. VK5KIK
39. VK5LOL
40. VK5FMLO
41. VK3MCK
42. VK3FOTO/2
43. VK3FJET
44. VK5VRB
45. VK3NCC/4
46. VK5FMID
47. VK3MCX
48. VK4RZ

The following stations were worked on 80m SSB:-

1. Adrian VK5FANA

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4RF
2. VK4HA
3. VK6MB
4. VK4TJ
5. VK2/GWoVML/p (Yamba lighthouse)

 

References.

State Library of South Australia, 2016, <http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=890&c=43855&gt;, viewed 3rd September 2016

Wikipedia, 2016, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simpson_Conservation_Park&gt;, viewed 17th August 2016

A little bit more info re my Kangaroo Island Conservation Park activations.  I made a total of 542 QSOs from the 10 parks.  I was fortunate enough to reach the 44 QSO in each park, which is required for the global World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

Despite the bands being rather poor of late, I did manage to work some DX in Europe on 20m.  This was during the activations at Beyeria and Baudin, with some openings on the long path.

I also made a total of 17 Park to Park contacts, which included two Park to Park contacts into Europe.  The first being with Danny OT4V who was in ONFF-0296 and then Swa ON5SWA who was in ONFF-0499.

Here is a link to Danny’s WordPress site…..

http://www.on4vt.be/

As you would expect, the 40m band was the most used band during my activations, with a total of 396 contacts logged there.  A total of 76 contacts were logged on 20m, whilst 70 were logged on 80m.  I found 80m to be a very reliable band for close in contacts.  Many of the stations logged on 80m were not readable on 40m.  These contacts on 80m were mostly made during the late afternoon-early evening.  But a number were made during the day.

The antenna used was a 20/40/80m linked dipole supported on the top of a 7 metre heavy duty squid pole (antenna as inverted vee configuration).

The 80m band was a real pleasant surprise for me.  At my first park activation I worked Adrian VK5FANA on the Yorke Peninsula at 0205 UTC.  At Parndarna, my third park for Monday, I worked 9 stations between 0809-0818 UTC (5.39 p.m.SA local time – 5.48 p.m. SA local time).  These stations were from VK5 (Yorke Peninsula, Adelaide Hills, Mid North and the Adelaide metropolitan area), VK2 (Bathurst), VK7 (Flinders Island), and VK3 (Stawell in western Victoria, Melbourne, and Wodonga).  All signal reports were 5/9 both ways.

At Lathami Conservation Park, my last activation for Tuesday, I worked a total of 25 stations on 80m from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK5.  This was between 0910 UTC – 0951 UTC (6.40 p.m. SA local time – 7.20 p.m. SA local time).  Contacts were as far and wide as Melbourne, Canberra Sydney, and Brisbane, with most signal reports being 5/9.  Two of the interesting contacts here on 80m were with Trevor VK5ATQ running 2 watts from a home brew DSB tx, and with special event station VI1BLT50.

At Pelican Lagoon during Wednesday morning it was clear that close in propagation was quite difficult.  I only logged 1 VK5 on 40m and that was Michael VK5FMLO in the southern suburbs of Adelaide.  But on 80m at around 11.00 a.m. SA local time I was able to work Adrian VK5FANA on the Yorke Peninsula, David VK5PL in the Barossa Valley, and John VK5DJ, Tom VK5EE and Brian VK5FMID all at Mount Gambier/Millicent in the south east of the State.  I also logged Mick VK3GGG at Stawell in western Victoria, Chris VK3PAT in Melbourne, Robert VK2XXM at MacLean (between Coffs Harbour and Lismore) and Marc VK3OHM in Melbourne.  I was even called by Brian VK3MCD on SOTA peak VK3/ VE-080.

At my second activation for Wednesday, at Lashmar Conservation Park I worked Adrian VK5FANA on the Yorke Peninsula, Michael VK5FMLO in the southern Adelaide suburbs, Mick VK3GG in western Victoria, and Gerry VK5NMG at Moonta Bay.  These 80m contacts were at 2.15 p.m. SA local time.

And finally, at my last activation whilst on Kangaroo Island, at Baudin Conservation Park, I made a total of 16 contacts on 80m betwen 0716 UTC – 0737 UTC (4.46 p.m. SA local time – 5.07 p.m. SA local time).  Contacts were made with VK3GGG, VK4RF, VK5FMLO, VK5PL, VK3BSG, VK5BRT, VK3FI, VK5FMID, VK5FANA, VK2NP, VK5FVSV, VK1DI, and VK3SQ.  Most of the signal report exchanges were 5/9 both ways.

So, please give bands other than 40m a go.  Particularly 80m.  You might be very pleasantly surprised.

At the conclusion of the International Lighthouse & Lightship Weekend (ILLW) I remained on Kangaroo Island for a further 2 nights and activated a total of 10 Conservation Parks as follows….

1. Simpson Conservation Park VKFF-1098 – 54 contacts
2. Dudley Conservation Park VKFF-0809 – 47 contacts
3. Parndana Conservation Park VKFF-0925 – 60 contacts
4. Cygnet Estuary Conservation Park VKFF-1130 – 53 contacts
5. Nepean Bay Conservation Park VKFF-1067 – 54 contacts
6. Beyeria Conservation Park VKFF-1005 – 71 contacts
7. Lathami Conservation Park VKFF-0903 – 48 contacts
8. Pelican Lagoon Conservation Park VKFF-0926 – 45 contacts
9. Lashmar Conservation Park VKFF-0902 – 49 contacts
10. Baudin Conservation Park VKFF-1002 – 61 contacts

I will put up some more info and photos about each activation in the coming weeks.

For the 2016 International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW), myself and 4 other members of the Adelaide Hills Amateur Radio Society, ventured over to Kangaroo Island to operate from the Cape Willoughby lighthouse.

The ILLW is NOT a contest.  It is a fun weekend to promote the plight of lighthouses and promote the hobby of amateur radio.  The ILLW came into being in 1998 as the Scottish Northern Lights Award run by the Ayr Amateur Radio Group, and has blossomed since that time.  In 2016, around 500 lighthouses were registered with ILLW to be activated.

The 2016 ILLW Cape Willoughby lighthouse team consisted of:

1. myself, VK5PAS
2. Chris VK4FR/5
3. Andrew VK5CV
4. John VK5EMI
5. Michael VK5FVSV

Kangaroo Island is situated about 100 km south of Adelaide, whilst Cape Willoughby is located about 28 km south east of Penneshaw.

• Cape Willoughby lighthouse AU-0095 (ILLW)
• Kangaroo Island OC-139 (IOTA)
• Cape Willoughby Conservation Park 5CP-033 (VK5 Parks Award) and VKFF-1014 (WWFF)
•  VK Shires – KI5

Above:-Map showing the location of Cape Willoughby on the eastern side of Kangaroo Island.  Map courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

It was an early start for me on Friday morning, as I had booked the 9.00 a.m. ferry over to Kangaroo Island.  The Sealink ferry departs from Cape Jervis at the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula and travels to Penneshaw on the eastern side of Kangaroo Island.  The drive from my home to Cape Jervis takes me through the Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu Peninsula and is a distance of around 105 km (about 90 minutes drive time).  As it was early morning there were plenty of kangaroos on the road, so it was relatively slow going.

Above:- Some of the locals, Western Grey kangaroos.

The weather on Friday morning was less than ideal……quite heavy rain at times and bitterly cold.  But, what do you expect?  Its August after all, and the end of winter in Australia.  But for the hams in the United Kingdom and European where the ILLW originated, fairer weather is experienced.  There was the occasional blue patch or two in amongst the very dark clouds.  Fortunately it was not windy, so I was confident that the ferry would be able to berth at Penneshaw on the island.  Back in 2012 when we went to the island for the ILLW, we almost didn’t make it.  The weather was absolutely terrible and it took half a dozen attempts for the ferry to berth, with the Captain giving us a warning that he would try one last time.  If not it was back to Cape Jervis.  Fortunately we got there!

Despite it being a gloomy morning, the drive down to Cape Jervis took me through some beautiful countryside.  I soon was able to see the Starfish Hill windfarm, which was the very first windfarm in South Australia.  And I soon started to roll downhill towards Cape Jervis, with some great views of Kangaroo Island across Backstairs Passage.

Cape Jervis then came into view, along with the Cape Jervis lighthouse.  The little town is named after the headland at the western tip of Fleurieu Peninsula which was named on 23rd March 1802, by explorer Matthew Flinders after John Jervis, the 1st Earl of St Vincent.

Upon arrival at Cape Jervis I met up with Mike who had also booked the 9.00 a.m. ferry.  We booked ourselves and out vehicles in, and I enjoyed a nice hot cup of coffee whilst having a listen on the IC7000 in the Toyota Hi Lux.  It wasn’t long before boarding commenced on the ferry.  The Sealink ferry is around 50 metres in length and has a capacity of 250 passengers.  It can accomodate up to 55 vehicles.  The trip over to the island, which takes around 45 minutes, was quite pleasant.  The water was certainly nowhere near as choppy as I’ve experienced on previous journeys.

After arriving on Kangaroo Island Mike and I met up with John VK5EMI and his wife Dee.  We then drove around to the local supermarket for some provisions before heading out to the lighthouse along the Cape Willoughby Road.  We were warned that the road out to the lighthouse was terrible.  But our experience that day was that the road, which starts out as bitumen and then turns to dirt, was actually very good.  Particulary, compared to previous years.  About 3 km out from our destination, the mighty structure of the Cape Willoughby lighthouse came into view.

Above:- The view of the lighthouse from the Cape Willoughby Road.

Cape Willoughby once played a vital role in the shipping trade of the young colony of South Australia before the advent of efficient forms of land transport.  The Cape Willoughby lighthouse was built to assist the safe journey of ships passing through the treacherous stretch of water known as Backstairs Passage during a time of rapidly expanding coastal shipping trade between the eastern colonies and the colony of South Australia.  The lighthouse was originally known as the Sturt Light after the explorer Captain Charles Sturt. The tower took over two years to construct and the workers lived in tents during this time. South Australia’s first lighthouse was officially opened in January 1852, and manned 24 hours a day by 3 lightkeepers who lived here with their families.

Cape Willoughby Lighthouse was constructed from locally available granite and lime mortar. Quarrying is evident near the lighthouse atop the cliffs of Devils Kitchen. It is thought holes were hand-drilled into the rock in the quarry and filled with wood. This was kept wet and the expanding wood would crack the rock which was then shaped prior to construction. The result was a circular tower of roughly dressed granite masonry.

Above:- Image of the Cape Willoughby lighthouse, showing the old weather station (one of our operating spots).  Image courtesy of Trove.

The walls of the lighthouse are 1.4m thick at the base and taper to 0.86m thick at the top. The tower, from the base to the balcony, is 20.5 metres high (67 feet and 3 inches) and is round for wind resistance. The interior base of the tower is one of the widest in Australia and the lightkeepers and their families were even known to have hosted parties and dances here.

The original Deville Lantern room housed optical apparatus (light) consisting of 15 multiple wick oil burner lamps. This was reflected intermittently by revolving reflectors powered by a weight driven motor, and appeared as a flashing light. Its greatest intensity was every 1.5 minutes and in clear weather could reach 24 nautical miles.

In 1925 the lantern room and light were replaced by a more modern and powerful Chance Brothers system. The light consisted of a pressurised incandescent kerosene lantern with a three ton revolving Fresnel lens. The lens floated in a bath of mercury to reduce friction when turning. It was driven by 146lb weights which had to be wound up every 2.5 hours working on a system similar in principle as a grandfather clock. The mercury proved to be a health hazard to the lightkeepers.

In 1959 the lighthouse was electrified by two diesel powered generators installed at the station.  The lightstation became fully automated in 1974-75 when 240 volts main power was connected. A standby diesel generator and battery bank provided backup during power failure. The lantern house was also removed and was replaced with new fibreglass lantern housing. The original housing was later installed atop a stub tower in the Kingscote Museum, where it remains to this day.

The original wooden jarrah spiral staircase was also replaced with a steel structure due to wet rot and continual use.  Cape Willoughby Lightstation was one of the last manned lighthouses in Australia. It was officially automated (unmanned) in 1992.

In 2003, the lightstation was downgraded when a ML300 beacon was installed, consisting of a 35 Watt 12 Volt lamp, which is visible for 11 nautical miles. In March 2011, this was replaced with a Vega LED beacon. It is powered by two 12 Volt batteries, and the battery float is charged from the mains.

As a bonus, the lighthouse is situated in the Cape Willoughby Conservation Park, which comprises around 44 acres.  The park was established on 28th March 2002.

Above:- Aerial shot of the Cape Willoughby lighthouse.  Image is courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

When we arrived at Cape Willoughby we touched base with Adele from the Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR).  We were fortunate in that upon our arrival there were two whales frolicking in the adjacent Antechamber Bay.  It was a calm but cloudy morning, and Adele and commented on how nice the weather was compared to previous trips to Cape Willoughby.  But, we had spoken too soon.  It wasn’t long and it was hailing.  Cape Willoughby experiences dramatic weather changes.  Here are a few stats:

• 23 days of gales or worse (63-130 km/hr)
• 136 days of strong winds (50 + km/hr)
• 2 days of hail
• 3 days of fog
• 8 days of thunder
• 543 mm of rain

Our accomodation for the weekend was the Seymour cottage, one of the Cape Willoughby lighthouse keepers heritage cottages.  There are three cottages: the Seymour, the Thomas, and the Cawthorne.  The Cawthorne contains the DEWNR office and the visitor centre.  Both the Seymour and the Thomas can accomodate up to eight guests and contain five bedrooms.

Above:- View of the three old lighthouse keepers cottages and the lighthouse.

We commenced the arduous task of unpacking and Mike, John and I then commenced setting up some stations.  Once Andrew and Chris had arrived in the early afternoon it was time to start erecting the antennas.  We are fortunate in that we are allowed access to the lighthouse, and we established a halyard to allow us to hoist up some antennas.

We even set up a 160m antenna, hoping for some action on that band.  Each end of the 160m dipole was supported by some painters poles.

Above:- the 160m antenna.

Our antennas comprised the following:

1. broadband folded dipole
2. 80/40/20m linked dipole.
3. Hex beam
4. 160m dipole
5. Par end fed

It took quite a few hours to set up our gear whilst battling variable weather conditions.  A phone and a separate digital station were established in the old weather station, whilst a further two stations were set up in the shed/museum at the back of the Seymour cottage.

Friday evening was pizza night.  Andrew was put to the test with his home made pizza skills and I must say he did very well.  All washed down with a few bottles of very nice red.

After tea, Chris had a bit of a play on the digital modes (JT65 and PSK31), working into Asiatic Russia, European Russia, USA, and Japan on both 40m and 20m.   Leo in Georgia USA Chris’ very first contact in the log for VK5CWL on JT65.  Nori JA7FLI was our first contact in the log on PSK31.  The digi set up consisted of an Elecraft K3 and Signal link device.

Meanwhile, I scouted across the 40m band on SSB, working a number of VK’s, New Zealand, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, and the USA.  Our first SSB contact in the log was with Peter VK2NEO near Leeton in New South Wales.  I also booked in to the 7130 DX Net and made a number of contacts there.  The SSB station in the weather station consisted of a Yaesu FT-450.

Andrew operated from the museum and logged a number of contacts on the 80m band in VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and New Zealand.  The two museum stations included a Flex Maestro (very nice!!!).

A handful of lighthouse stations were logged on Friday evening.  They were:

• VK6CLL, Cape Leeuwin lighthouse AU-0008 within the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park VKFF-0283
  • 40m
• VK5ARC/p, Point Malcolm lighthouse AU-0029
  • 40m
• VK2ATZ/p, Norah Head lighthouse AU-0024
  • 40m

 

Above:- Chris VK4FR/5 and Paul VK5PAS, operating in the old weather station.

It had been a long day, so we all retired relatively early, expecting a big Saturday.  We had a total of 50 contacts in the log already, in seven different countries (Australia, Asiatic Russia, French Polynesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and USA).

I had slept pretty poorly on Friday night, so it was an early start for me on Saturday morning (2oth August 2016).  And I’m very pleased it was, because I was rewarded by an amazing sunrise and an incredible moon.  What I was very pleased with, was that Saturday morning was nice and calm and clear.  Very chilly, but very calm.  Certainly a morning ‘to bottle’ at Cape Willoughby.   I snuck in a little activity on 40m, working around 17 stations before breakfast.  The first station in the VK5CWL log for Saturday was Lewis VK2FGLB in Sydney.  This was closely followed by husband and wife team, Joe VK3YSP and Julie VK3YSP operating portable at the Queenscliff lighthouse AU-0051.  Joe and Julie are a dynamic team who are always promoting amateur radio.

After breakfast it was time to start filling up the VK5CWL logbooks.  Andrew commenced on 80m and later moved to 160m whilst John operated on 40m working into VK2, VK3, VK5, and VK7.  Mike hit the 20m band and worked a number of lighthouse stations in VK2 and New Zealand.  And Chris got back into the digital modes.  As the day progressed, we changed operators, alternating between bands and stations.

Because the weather on Saturday was quite good, we had a steady flow of visitors out to Cape Willoughby and there was some significant engagement with onlookers.  I had brought along ‘Calling CQ’ brochures from the WIA, and brochures regarding the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award, and the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  We all took time out to explain the hobby of amateur radio and why we were operating from the lighthouse.

Above: John VK5EMI at the mic being watched on by some amused spectators.

We had also circulated a number of promotional flyers which were put on display at various tourism venues around the island.

Saturday night was lasagne night.  My wife Marija had made up some home made lasagne, which again, surprise surprise, was accompanied by further bottles of red wine.   We certainly did not go hungry on this trip.

Above: Lasagne night.  Mike VK5FVSV, John VK5EMI & Andrew VK5CV

Some of the more interesting contacts during Saturday were with special event station VI6BLT50 to commemorate the Battle of Lang Tan, and also Heath VK3TWO/6 who was on Barrow Island OC-140 off the coast of Onslow in north west Western Australia.  We also spoke with Gavin VK7FLI on Flinders Island.  Ian VK5CZ gave us a call whilst he was on the top of SOTA peak Mount Benjamin VK5/ NE-083.  And we logged YB71RI/0.  This special event station (SES) is to commemorate the 71st Indpendence Day of the Republic of Indonesia.

A bit of fun was had again on JT65, with contacts into India, Ukraine, France, Japan, China, Alaska, Indonesia, and Reunion Island.

Above:- view from the top of the lighthouse.

Only a small amount of DX was worked on 20m SSB, as the multiband folded dipole was not performing well.  Contacts were made into Alaska, Russia, USA, England, Canary Islands, Ukraine, and Portugal.

By the end of Saturday (20th August 2016) we had logged a further 224 QSOs.  This included the following lighthouse stations:

• VK3YSP/p, Queenscliff lighthouse AU-0051
  • 40m
• VK3FOWL/p, Queenscliff lighthouse AU-0051
  • 40m
• VK4BAR/p, Cleveland Point lighthouse AU-0014
  • 40m, 20m
• VK2/GW0VML/p, Ballina lighthouse AU-0001
  • 20m
• ZL1KBR/p, Bean Rock lighthouse NEW ZEALAND NZ-0011
  • 20m
• VK3VTH/7, Curry Head lighthouse AU-0016 King Island
  • 40m
• ZL2X, Pencarrow lighthouse NEW ZEALAND NZ-0012
  • 20m
• ZL6LH, Piha lighthouse NEW ZEALAND NZ-0006
  • 20m
• VK6CNL, Cape Naturaliste lighthouse AU-0010
  • 20m
• VK6CLL, Cape Leeuwin lighthouse AU-0008
  • 20m

• VK3ATL/p, Point Lonsdale lighthouse AU-0050
  • 40m
• VK4CHB, New Burnett Heads lighthouse AU-0104
  • 20m
• VK3SPL, Split Point lighthouse AU-0032
  • 40m
• VK2MB, Barronjoey lighthouse AU-0046
  • 40m, 20m
• VK7LH, Low Head lighthouse AU-0048
  • 80m, 40m
• VK7TAZ, Eddystone Point lighthouse AU-0087
  • 80m, 40m
• VK5CJ, Cape Jaffa lighthouse AU-0007
  • 40m
• VK5PBZ/p, Port Germein lighthouse AU0069
  • 40m
• VK3APC/p, Eastern Light Mcrae AU-0017
  • 160m, 80m, 40m.
• VK3OLS, Cape Otway lighthouse AU-0011
  • 40m
• VK6BRC/p, Casuarina lighthouse AU-0086
  • 20m
• VK2BOR/p, Tacking Point lighthouse AU-0034
  • 40m, 20m
• VK2LR/p, Clarence Head lighthouse AU-0013
  • 20m
• VK2EP, Smoky Cape lighthouse AU-0031
  • 40m
• VK7HKN/p, Cape Tourville lighthouse AU-0119 in Freycinet National ParkVKFF-0188
  • 40m
• VK5ARC/p, Point Malcolm lighthouse AU-0029
  • 160m, 40m, 20m
• VK5CJL, Cape Jervis lighthouse AU-0094
  • 160m, 80m 20m
• VK4BW, Burnett Heads Historical lighthouse AU-0004
  • 40m
• VK7NWT/p, Round Hill Point lighthouse AU-0111
  • 80m
• VK2HBG/p, Warden Head Ulladulla AU-0035
  • 40m
• VK3DX, Lady Bay Upper & Lady Bay Lower Warrnambool AU-0049 & AU-0096
  • 80m
• VK6AHR/p, North Mole lighthouse, Fremantle AU-0073
  • 80m

Sunday morning (21st August 2016) was another beautiful morning at Cape Willoughby.  Again it was quite calm and there was no rain. We had been quite blessed with the weather.  There was a clear view out to The Pages Conservation Park, and the Aloe Vera plants leading to the lighthouse were alive with Superb Blue Wrens.

Our first contact for Sunday morning was on 40m with Mal VK6LC operating with the special call of VI6BLT50 to commemorate the Battle of Lang Tan.  A number of other interesting contacts were made on Sunday including a QSO with Gerard VK2IO who was portable in the Sydney Habour National Park VKFF- 0473.  We also worked Ian VK5CZ on SOTA peak Mount Arden VK5/ NE-034, and Tony VK1VIC/2 and VK1RX /2 who were on SOTA peak Dampier VK2/ST-007.  We also logged the Battle of Long Tan station, VI4BLT50 and Neil VK4HNS/2 portable in Kwiambi National Park VKFF-0274.

Another one of the Indonesian special event stations, YB71RI/7 was logged on 40m.  Another very interesting contact was with Jack VK7IL, whose father was a lighthouse keeper on King Island.  We also spoke with Brenton VK3YB running just 500 milliwatts from his Double Sideband (DSB) transceiver.  Peter VK3YE also made it into the log, operating QRP with 5 watts on Chelsea Beach.

Sunday also saw an improvement for us in the DX stakes on 20m SSB.  We had erected a SOTAbeams 20m/40m linked dipole and used this instead of the broadband folded dipole. Chris and I put this up in the absolute pouring rain, and I headed off for a hot shower after we had got the antenna up in the air.  There was no comparison.  A large number of stations were worked in Europe as a result.  John and I had a nice little pile up going there at one stage.  If only we could have worked out in time, how to go split on the 450.

By the end of Sunday we had logged a further 253 stations, including the following lighthouse stations:

• VK2HBG/p, Warden Head Ulladulla lighthouse AU-0035
  • 40m
• VK3VTH/p, Currie Light King Island AU-0016
  • 40m
• VK4GHL, Grassy Hill lighthouse AU-0019
  • 40m
• VK3DNQ/p, Cape Nelson lighthouse AU-0055
  • 40m
• VK3DX, Lady Bay Upper and Lady Bay Lower AU-0049 and AU-0096
  • 40m
• VK7NWT/p, Round Hill Point AU-0111
  • 40m
• VK6CNL, Cape Naturaliste lighthouse AU- 0010
  • 20m
• VK7LH, Low Head lighthouse AU-0048
  • 40m
• VK6CLL, Cape Leeuwin lighthouse AU-0008
  • 20m
• VK4CHB, New Burnett Heads lighthouse AU-0104
  • 20m
• GB2GNL, Girdleness lighthouse SCOTLAND UK-0037
  • 20m
• VK4AAC/3, Cape Schanck lighthouse AU-0012 in the Mornington Peninsula National Park VKFF-0333
  • 40m

Monday morning’s sunrise was no less spectacular than that of the previous two mornings.  It was a very calm, but very brisk morning at Cape Willoughby.  There was a little bit of time for radio activity before packing up the gear and calling it quits for another ILLW event.

I made a handful of contacts on 40m as did John VK5EMI, whilst Andrew VK5CV made some contacts on 80m.  It was very slow going with very long periods of CQ calls with no replies.  But we did manage to have three more lighthouse contacts:

• VK3SRC, Queenscliff lighthouse AU-0051
  • 40m
• VK3SPL, Split Point lighthouse AU-0032
  • 40m
• VK7LH, Low Head lighthouse AU-0048
  • 40m

And we also made contact with Neil VK4HNS who was portable at the Kwiambi National Park VKFF-0274.  Another 20 QSOs were added to the VK5CWL log on Monday morning.  Our final contact as VK5CWL for the ILLW 2016 was with Peter VK5AWP, with John VK5EMI at the mic at VK5CWL.

Our final QSO count for the 2016 ILLW was 547 contacts on the 160, 80, 40, 30, 20 and 2 m bands, on PHONE, CW, PSK, and JT65.  We worked a total of 36 different countries.  A breakdown of our contacts is as follows……

• 504- PHONE (HF)
• 28 – JT65
• 6 – PSK31
• 2 – CW
• 7 – 2m Crafers repeater

Whilst at Cape Willoughby we tried as many bands as possible.  We even gave 10m and 15m a go, but despite numerous CQ calls at various times of the day, we had no takers.  Most of our activity, not surprising, was on the 40m band with a total of 277 QSOs.  Followed by 20m, where a lot of DX in Europe was worked.  And then followed by 80m.  But we did have some fun on 160m, making 13 contacts into VK2, VK3, VK5, and VK6.

A total of 36 different DXCC entites were logged.  Countries (DXCC entities) worked were as follows:

1. Alaska
2. Asiatic Russia
3. Australia
4. Austria
5. Belgium
6. Canada
7. Canary Islands
8. China
9. Croatia
10. Czech Republic
11. Denmark
12. England
13. Estonia
14. European Russia
15. Germany
16. Finland
17. France
18. French Polynesia
19. Hungary
20. India
21. Indonesia
22. Italy
23. Japan
24. Netherlands
25. New Zealand
26. Papua New Guinea
27. Poland
28. Reunion Island
29. Scotland
30. Slovak Republic
31. Slovenia
32. Spain
33. Sweden
34. Switzerland
35. Ukraine
36. USA

As was to be expected most of our activity was over the weekend itself – Saturday and Sunday.   A total of 224 QSOs were made on Saturday and 253 on Sunday.  See the bar graph below….

We made a total of 61 contacts with other lighthouses around the world.  The majority of those were in Australia (a total of 57), but we did work 3 lighthouses in New Zealand, and one in Scotland.  Of the 65 Australian lighthouses that were listed as entrants for 2016 on the ILLW page, we worked 31 of them.  Almost 50%.  Along with three more that were not recorded on the list.

All in all, another very enjoyable and successful ILLW weekend at Cape Willoughby.  Thanks as always to the DEWNR staff at Cape Willoughby.  They cannot help enough.  We highly recommend a stay here.  And also thanks to Transport SA for allowing us to use the railing of the lighthouse.

Please remember our website which can be found at…..

http://vk5cwl.weebly.com/

If you would like a QSL card for VK5CWL, we will QSL via the Bureau, Direct, eQSL and LOTW.  Until next year.

 

 

References.

Government of South Australia, 2016, <http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/kangaroo-island/cape-willoughby-conservation-park&gt;, viewed 17th August 2016

Wikipedia, 2016, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Willoughby_Conservation_Park&gt;, viewed 17th August 2016

I received my Super Sloth certificate the other day via email for obtaining 10,000 chaser points in the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program.

Many thanks to all of the SOTA activators.

The Remembrance Day (RD) Contest commemorates those amateur radio operators who made the supreme sacrifice and died during World War Two.  The contest is designed to encourage friendly participation and help improve operating skills of participants.  The RD Contest is held on the weekend closest to the 15th August, the date on which hostilities ceased in the southwest Pacific area.  This year the RD Contest took place on Saturday  13th and Sunday 14th August 2016 and I took part, operating portable from the Totness Recreation Park, VKFF-1754.  The aim of the RD is for amateurs in Australia (VK), New Zealand (ZL) and Papua New Guinea (P2) to contact other amateurs in VK, ZL and P2.

The RD Contest is one of a handful of Contests that I go in each year.  I did read some derogatory comments on Facebook regarding contests leading up to the RD.  But for me, this is one of the amazing things about amateur radio, in that there as so many different incredible facets.  And what floats one persons boat, may not necessarily turn on the next.

Totness was recently added to the Directory for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program, and I activated the park for the very first time on Wednesday 3rd August 2016, just a week or so ago.  For more information on the park, and that particular activation, please see my previous post……

https://vk5pas.org/2016/08/03/totness-recreation-park-vkff-1754/

Above:- Map showing the location of the Totness Recreation Park in the Adelaide Hills near Mount Barker.  Map courtesy of Protected Planet.

Although my noise floor at home on 40m is pretty good compared to some of my amateur friends, I decided to operate from the park as I was assured that there would be no man made noise at all.  A dead quite band is fantastic.  My noise floor at home during the day on 40m is around S5.  I suffer quite a bit from plasma TV noise, inverters, etc.  But from parks and summits it is ‘ham heaven’, generally with ZERO noise.  You can hear a pin drop on the bands.

Above:- Aerial shot showing the location of my home QTH with respect to the Totness Recreation Park.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

I headed to the same spot as I had operated from previously.  This is off Haines Fire Track.  Due to the recent heavy rains, there is a lot of water on the track and plenty of very big potholes.  So if you are planning on heading there soon in a conventional vehicle, I suggest slow going.  There is a nice cleared area between the boundary fence and the scrubline, and plenty of room to string out a number of antennas.  And a good spot to park your vehicle.  My wife Marija kindly drove up with me in her vehicle, a little Mitsubish Lancer, and I’m sure I could hear Marija cursing and swearing from behind me, re the road conditions.

For a few years now I’ve been using a little app called ‘treksafe‘.  Using GPS and mobile phone coverage, it allows you to provide a line of communication with friends and family on your location.  Not that I needed to use it this time, as Marija knew exactly where I was.  But I highly recommend that you have a look at this great little app.

Marija helped me to set up and I was all ready to go by 0200 UTC (11.30 a.m. South Australian local time).  For the RD I ran my Yaesu FT-857d set at 40 watts output, and the 20/40/80 linked dipole which I supported on the 7m heavy duty squid pole from Haverfords.  I tied one end of the dipole off to the boundary fenceline and used a fallen limb from a tree to secure the other leg in place.  

It was not a particularly nice day weather wise, with just small pieces of blue sky and quite a low temperature.  Netherless, we also set up the solar panels, hoping for a bit of sunshine to top up the 44 amp hour power pack.  

I took my Apple Mac laptop out into the field for the first time in a very long time and used VK Contest Logger (VKCL) for the RD.  I normally run a paper log out in the field and when I get home I use Fast Log Entry (FLE) to rapidly create an ADIF file which I then upload to my electronic log (Maclogger DX) and also to WWFF Logsearch.  But by running VKCL I was able to see what stations I had and hadn’t worked in the 3 hour brackets of the contest.

I’ve been asked a few times how I secure the squid pole.  Well, it depends on the activation.  If I’m activating a SOTA summit where I have to climb or a park where I have to walk in, along the Heysen Trail for example, I secure it in any way I can.  Octopus straps are an amateurs friend.  I carry quite a few of these, of various sizes.  The squiddy gets attached to a tree, a rock, a stump, whatever I can find.  But if I activate an easy summit or park, I use a squid pole holder and sit the squid pole in that, and hold it in place with an octopus strap.

Above:- Aerial shot showing my operating spot in the north western corner of the Totness Recreation Park.  Image courtesy of Protected Planet.

Totness is a beautiful little park with very thick scrub.  The wattle was blooming, and there were quite a few Western Grey kangaroos grazing in the paddock on the western side of the park.  As I’ve mentioned, some more interesting history on the park can be found on my previous post.

https://vk5pas.org/2016/08/03/totness-recreation-park-vkff-1754/

As I had a bit of time up my sleeve, I walked along one of the tracks in the park to take some photos.  You can get some nice views out through the trees towards Mount Barker and Littlehampton.  Until you reach this point, you would never know that you were so close to a built up area. 

I then returned to my station set up an listened to the RD Contest opening address.  I also worked Rob VK4AAC/3 who was portable in the Nooramunga Coastal Park VKFF-0748.

At 0300 UTC it was all go for the RD.  My first contact in the RD was on 40m with Peter VK5KX who had a booming signal.  This was a good sign as recent close in propagation has been very spasmodic.  Next up was Gerard VK2IO/p who was portable in the Maroota Ridge State Conservation Area VKFF-1348.  It was nice to get a Park to Park (P2P) contact.  I also worked Marcus VK5WTF/p P2P.  Marcus was portable in the Red Banks Conservation Park VKFF-1086.   

I worked a total of 45 stations in around one hour, from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK7 on 40m and then headed off to 20m.  I must say that despite conditions being very good, it was relatively slow going on 40m.  As I was in the contest, I did not self spot on parksnpeaks, as this is directly linked to the DX Cluster, and this would be in violation of WIA General Rules for contests.

My first contact on 20m was with Martin VK7GN in Tasmania, followed by Dianne VK4HH and the VK4TS team in Queensland.  All had booming signals.  I made a total of 40 contacts on 20m into VK2, VK4, VK5, VK6, VK7, and VK8.  I also logged including Owen ZL2GLG, Andrew ZL3CC, Mike ZL1MRC.  They were all booming in from across the Tasman.  Sadly, they were to be my only New Zealand stations for the whole contest.  And I didn’t work any stations from Papua New Guinea (P29).

My one VK5 contact on 20m was with Geoff VK5HEL at Murray Bridge, about 40 km to the east of me.  I was really surprised to hear Geoff with such a lovely signal (a genuine 5/9).  It was also nice to log Heath VK3TWO/VK6 who was on Barrow Island, OC-140.  Barrow Island is about 50 km northwest off the Pilbara coast of Western Australia.

I then headed back to 40m where I worked a further 103 stations in VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, and VK7.  This included some more Park to Park action with Ray VK2HJW/p portable in the Royal National Park VKFF-0435, Mark VK5MK in the Yumbarra Conservation Park VKFF-1129, and Marcus VK5WTF/p (love that call sign) in the Red Banks Conservation Park VKFF-1086.  

When things slowed down I tuned around the 40m and found that the Europeans were coming in extremely well.  In fact they were the strongest on 40m that I had heard in a while.  There were around 6 European stations on 40m who were S8-S9.  The strongest was EA1DLU from Spain who was 5/9 plus.  I tried to break through the USA/South American/VK pile up to work him but was unsuccessful.

I then found Rob VK4FFAB/p on 7.195 calling CQ from Bunyaville Conservation Park VKFF-1493 (5/3 R and 5/7 S).

It was down with the squid pole and in with the links on the dipole for 80 metres.  It was around 0845 UTC (6.15 p.m. local time) and it was now dark, so I expected 80m would be humming along nicely.  And it certainly was.  I made a total of 199 QSOS into VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, VK7, and VK8.  I just needed a VK9 and a VK0 to round it off, but that wasn’t to happen.  I also scored a few more Park to Park contacts with Marcus VK5WTF in the Red Banks Conservation Park and Gerard VK2IO in the Maroota Ridge State Conservation Area VKFF-1348.

My last contact for Saturday was with John VK5PO at 1218 UTC (9.48 p.m. South Australian local time).  It was now absolutely freezing and I was starving, so it was home for me.  Tea that night was from ‘the Golden Arches’ (McDonalds).

On Sunday morning (14th August) I got up around 8.30 a.m. and with the help of Marija, packed the 4WD again, and headed back out to Totness.  It was another chilly morning, with the temperature being around 5 degrees C.  I was set up and on air by just after 2330 UTC (9.00 a.m. local time).  My first contact was with Gerald VK2HBG.  I scoured around the band and worked a few stations before propping on a frequency and calling CQ contest.  It was very slow going.  I made a total of 40 contacts into VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK5.  This included P2P contacts with Gerard VK2IO/p, Ray VK2HJW/p  and Marcus VK5WTF/p again.  Marcus was about 5/5 to me and I was 5/5 to him, and we decided to give 80m a go to see if our signals came up.  Before QSYing, Hauke VK1HW came up and put me in the log, before I headed off to 80m.

I met Marcus on 3.600 and sure enough signals were dramatically improved.  Marcus was running QRP and was 5/9, and he gave me a 5/9 plus.  Marcus advised that he had been listening on 20m and it was open to VK2, VK4 and VK7.  After chatting with Marcus, I called CQ on 3.605 for around 5 minutes but had no takers, so based on the comments from Marcus I headed off to 20m.  My first contact there was with Dianne VK4HH, followed by Paul VK2KTT and then Dave VK4DA, all with excellent signals.  I made a total of 13 contacts on 20m into VK2, VK4, and VK6.

I then moved back to 40m where I made a total of 62 contacts into VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5 and VK7.  This included a QSO with Peter VK3YE who was pedestrian mobile in ankle deep water,  Keener than me!  My last QSO for the RD was with Erik VK7EK. 

So for the 2016 RD Contest I ended up with a total of 426 contacts.  These contacts were made on the 20, 40 and 80m bands on SSB.

A breakdown of the bands I used and the number of QSOs on each of those is as follows:-

• 20m – 52
• 40m – 252
• 80m – 122

As you can see, most of the activity for me during the RD was on the 40m band (as expected).  But 80m also provided some excellent conditions and a lot of contacts across Australia at night (and locally in the middle of the day).

Below is a chart from VKCL showing my activity during the contest.  A lot of activity for the first 8-9 hours of the contest before I went QRT for some shut eye.  And then another 3 hours at the end of the contest on Sunday morning.

And here is a chart showing my activity on the 40m band.  Activity for me on 40m was between 0300-0400 and 0520-0830 on Saturday.  And then on Sunday morning between 2330-0015 and 0055-0300 UTC.

And my activity on the 20m band.  Activity for me on 20m was between 0400-0515 UTC on Saturday.  And then on Sunday morning between 0030 – 0055 UTC.

And finally my activity on the 80m band.  Activity for me on 80m was between 0845-1215 UTC on Saturday.  And then just the one QSO on Sunday morning.

 

I did receive a handful of calls from amateurs who clearly had not read the rules of the contest and gave me a sequential serial number, and some no numbers at all……they just wanted a chat.  It always pays to read the rules.  I also heard this happening to some other amateurs, with patience lost by some of those.

On Sunday morning I called a few stations who were 5/9 to me, but sadly they could not hear me as they were suffering from high noise levels.  It’s a real shame that a few more amateurs didn’t give portable operation a go.  It is an amazing experience to be able to work stations who are only just operating with milliwatts and hand out a 5/1 signal report but have an ‘armchair’ QSO.

The RD is a great contest which I can highly recommend.  And it is truly for a very very worthy cause.

At the end of the contest I put out a few calls on 7.144 and worked a handful of stations including Rob VK4AAC/3 who was portable in the Wilsons Promontory National Park VKFF-0539.  I then headed to 20m where I worked 6 stations including Albert S58AL from Slovenia.

I then packed up and headed home for some lunch and an afternoon of watching the Olympics and the AFL on TV.

 

References.

WIA, 2016, <http://www.wia.org.au/members/contests/rdcontest/&gt;, viewed 14th August 2016