Yesterday morning I ventured over to Mount Gawler, VK5/ SE-013, near Kersbrook, to activate the summit for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program, using the special call of AX5PAS for Australia Day.  We can only use the special AX prefix three times a year here in Australia, so I almost always try to use it on those occasions.

I have activated Mount Gawler summit a number of times in the past, as it is a very easy summit to access, and just a short 45 minute drive from home through the Adelaide Hills.

There is a trig point at the summit, but this is located on private property.  Contact details for Noel and Anne, the property owners, can be located within the SOTA database.  They are very friendly people and very supportive of our hobby.  Please do NOT enter onto their land without permission.  If you don’t have prior permission, the roadway out the front of the property is still well and truly within the SOTA activation zone.

Above:- Map showing the location of Mt Gawler.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

Despite the fact that the summit is called Mount Gawler, it is situated quite some distance from the town of Gawler, which is located north of Adelaide (and about 26 km north of the summit).  Mount Gawler is situated about 32 kms north east of Adelaide and about 8 kms west of the town of Kersbrook.

The summit is 541 metres above sea level and is worth two (2) SOTA points.

Above:- Mount Gawler summit contour map.  Courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

As I drove down Checker Hill Road, the summit soon came into view.  Checker Hill Road is used as part of the King of the Mountain hill climb for the Tour Down Under cycling event.  It is much easier driving down this hill, than cycling up it!

I then travelled west out of Kersbrook until I reached the intersection of Kersbrook Road and Mount Gawler Road, where I turned left to head up Mt Gawler Road

Mount Gawler is situated in the fire ravaged area of the Sampson Flat fire from January 2015.  A major bushfire burnt in this area for around 8 days, blackening more than 112,500 hectares (31,00 acres) and destroying 38 houses.  Fortunately Noel and Anne’s home survived (but only just).  I last activated Mount Gawler in March 2015 with Tom VK5FTRG, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a large amount of regrowth of the trees on the fireground.

I then reached Noel and Anne’s property and drove in through the front gate which they had kindly left open for me.  I had spoken with Anne a few days before, seeking permission to operate from the trig point.

I was set up and ready to go by around 2210 UTC (8.40 a.m. South Australian local time).  I set up at the trig point, using a large moss rock as a chair, and another moss rock to rest the Yaesu FT-857d on.  It was a beautiful morning, with an expected top temperature for the day of 33 degrees C.  There was quite a bit of cloud cover, so that was screening me from the sun, with the temperature sitting on a very comfortable 21 degrees C, with a slight breeze.

For this activation, I ran about 30 watts, the 20m/40m linked dipole, and the 15m dipole, supported on a 7 metre heavy duty telescopic squid pole.

Above:- Aerial image showing my operating spot.  The dirt road is Mount Gawler Road.  The fire damage is still evident.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

There are some very nice views of the northern suburbs of Adelaide and beyond from the summit, including the Salt Crystalisation Plains at St Kilda.

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I commenced calling CQ on 7.090 and this was soon answered by Andrew AX3BQ with a beautiful 5/9 signal from Melbourne.  This was followed by Peter VK3FPSR (5/9), Ron AX3AFW (5/9), and then Scott VK7NWT (5/9).  I was happy…I had qualified the summit.

My 7th contact for the activation was with Greg VK5LG who lives nearby in the Adelaide Hills.  As you would expect, Greg had a very strong signal, and indicated that he might come up and pay me a visit.  Unfortunately this was short lived, as it was quashed by Greg’s ‘Minister of the Interior’ as there were other things planned.

Band conditions on 40m were less than ideal.  I would describe them as average.  And although there were 5/9 signals coming in from the eastern seaboard, signals were down.  Most callers were from VK3, followed by VK2 and VK4.  Sadly, there were very few VK5 SOTA chasers.

It was pleasing to see a number of hams using the AX prefix to celebrate Australia Day.  This included Marcus AX3TST/5 who was running his double sideband kit radio, and sounding great.

I worked a total of 32 stations 0n 40m SSB, before heading over to 20m, where I commenced calling CQ on 14.310.  This was answered by Mr. Reliable, Rick VK4RF/VK4HA with a booming 5/9 signal from Burpengary in Queensland.  Whilst Rick and I were talking, a USA station came up on the frequency.  Despite the fact that he was very light, I decided to QSY down to 14.305, where I started calling CQ again.  My CQ call was answered by Tony VK2VIC, followed by Steve VK7CW and then Mark VK1EM.

But conditions on 20m were rather poor, with a lot of QSB present on most signals.  This was particularly noticeable with the VK3 callers.  They were very strong one moment, and then gone the next.  I worked a further 5 stations from Vk1, VK2 and VK3, before trying my luck on 15m.

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I headed for 21.244 and started calling CQ and this was almost immediately answered by Steve VK5SFA with a 5/9 ++ signal to Mount Gawler.  This was followed by Cliff VK2NP who was also 5/9, and then Stuart VK5STU.  Stuart informed me that he and Nigel VK5NIG would venture up to Mount Gawler to say g’day and do a little SOTA work themselves.

The 15m band seemed to behaving itself a bit better than 20m, with some good signals coming in from all across Australia (VK1, VK2, VK4, VK5, and VK6).  I worked a further 14 stations after Stuart, including a contact with Phil NS7P in Oregon, USA.  Phil was quite weak to me (5/3) and I was even weaker (3/3), but we made a successful contact.  Looking at Phil’s QRZ.com page, it is evident that he is a SOTA enthusiast.  Another USA station, I think a W7, was also calling me.  But sadly, we just couldn’t quite make it.

I also spoke with Gerard AX2IO who was activating SOTA peak Bulgo Hill VK2/ IL-017 which is located within the Royal National Park VKFF-0362.  Gerard was my first Summit to Summit contact for this activation (5/7 both ways).

I just snuck in Ian VK5CZ from Clare prior to the UTC rollover, and worked Ian again for the new UTC day giving him another 2 SOTA points.  My final contact on 15m was with Mike VK5SF from the northern suburbs of Adelaide, with a very very strong signal.

It was at this time that Stuart VK5STU arrived at the summit, and this was soon followed by Nigel VK5NIG.  We stopped briefly for a chat, and Stuart and Nigel then commenced erecting their antennas.  They both use ropes and weights to get their antennas high up into the trees, whereas I use the squid pole.

Above:- Stuart VK5STU, in the process of erecting one of his antennas.

Whilst Stuart and Nigel were busy, I tried 20m for any SOTA chasers after the UTC rollover.  I called CQ on 14.305 and this was answered by Andrew VK2MWP, followed by Brett, and then Murray VK7ZMS.  Signals were well down compared to normal, and I worked a further 10 stations after Murray, from VK1, VK2, VK4, VK6, and VK7.  The strongest signal was from my old mate Ted VK6NTE in Western Australia.

I also spoke again with Gerard on VK2/ IL-017 and VKFF-0362.  I was actually in the process of connecting the links on the dipole when Gerard called in.  So, with one link in, and the dipole laying on the ground, it was a scramble to get the squid pole back up in the area before Gerard disappeared.  It was great to get another Summit to Summit contact with Gerard on a 2nd band.  Gerard and I were receiving each other a little weaker here on 20m compared to 15m (5/3 sent and 5/4 received).  Stuart and Nigel also took a break and worked Gerard.

I then headed to 40m for the last time, to see if I could give some of the SOTA chasers a few extra points for the new UTC day.  I called CQ again on 7.090 and this was answered by Adrian VK5FANA on the Yorke Peninsula.  Although Adrian was not his normal 5/9, he was still very readable, as the noise floor on the summit was incredibly low.  I worked a further 5 stations and was just about to go QRT when I was called by Tony AX3VTH who was activating the Yarrawonga Regional Park, VKFF-0981.  Tony was not his normal booming 5/9 signal, but this was just due to poor band conditions.

I packed up my gear, and then sat down under the shade of some gum trees for a chat and some ‘war stories’ with Stuart and Nigel, who worked the occasional station, including Richard VK5ZRY who was portable in the Roonka Conservation Park, VKFF-1090.  Being a park tragic, I couldn’t help myself, and worked Richard on Nigel’s gear.

I then left the boys to play radio, and I headed home for lunch.  I had a total of 82 contacts in the log, despite band conditions being rather average.

The following stations were worked:-

Here is a short video which Stuart VK5STU put together……..

Whilst I was away in Swan Hill, I received the following award certificate via email for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  The certificate is issued by the Silesian Radio Amateur Group, to celebrate the activation of the 500th Polish WWFF protected area.

Many thanks to Peter SO9DXX, the award manager and art designer.

I received this certificate a few days ago for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWF) program.  It is awarded for working a total of 544 different WWFF reference areas.

Many thanks to Pit YO3JW, the WWFF Awards Manager.

Last night I received the following global World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) Activator certificates.

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.

Many thanks to Pit YO3JW for the certificates

Yesterday after finishing work, I headed home and packed the 4WD and headed down to the Fleurieu Peninsula for the second 2015/2016 Friday afternoon/evening event for the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award.  Very hot weather, Christmas, and New Year had prevented activations during the past 2-3 weeks on Fridays.

My intended destination was the Mount Billy Conservation Park, VKFF-0912, which is situated about 75 km south of Adelaide, and about 12 km north of the seaside tourist town of Victor Harbor.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Mount Billy Conservation Park.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

I have activated Mount Billy once before, back in December 2013, but in recent times the park has been added to the list of qualifying parks for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.  A check on WWFF Log Search showed that the park had not been activated before for WWFF, so this was going to be a unique VKFF activation for me, and a brand new park activation for the program.

For more information on my previous activation, please have a look at my previous post…….

https://vk5pas.org/2013/12/29/mount-billy-conservation-park/

I travelled out of Mount Barker, through the little town of Echunga and on to Meadows.  I then drove west along Brookman Road until reaching Willunga Hill and then travelled south towards Victor Harbor.

Along the way I spoke with Peter VK5PET who was activating the Bullock Hill Conservation Park (5/5 both ways).

I stopped briefly to have a look at Cut Hill Wall, to the north of Victor Harbor.  The stone wall was built in 1868 by Jabez Grimble, under contract to the Central Roads Board.  The road was reconstructed in 1961 by the Highways and Local Government Department.

There is a very interesting page detailing the life of Jabez Grimble which can be found on the Encounter Bay Family History Group, at…..

http://encounterbayfhg.org.au/grimble/

I then turned right onto Hindmarsh Tiers Road and travelled west towards the park.  I made another brief stop to have a look at the old Hindmarsh Valley school which was established in 1867.  It is a magnificent old stone building.

It wasn’t long before I reached the park on my left, on the western side of Hindmarsh Tiers Road.  The park is well signposted and there are three gates allowing access to the park (not vehicular access though).  I headed for gate number one which is at the northern end of the park.

Above:- Gate 1 entrance to the park.  With my squid pole visible amongst the scrub.

Mount Billy Conservation Park is about 199 hectares in size and represents some of the best preserved mallee and forest, not only on the Fleurieu Peninsula, but also in the entire Mount Lofty Ranges.  Mount Billy summit is located in the southern section of the park, along with the Hindmarsh Valley Reservoir.  Sadly, Mount Billy does not qualify for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program.

The park is, as you would suspect, home to a large amount of native wildlife and native birds.  This includes Western Grey kangaroos, the Southern Brown Bandicoot and the endangered Bassian Thrush.

Above:- the Bassian Thrush and the Southern Brown Bandicoot.  Images courtesy of wikipedia.

The scrub within the park is very thick and consists of Pink Gum, Blue Gum, Cup Gum, Woodland Sheaok, Banksias, flowering orchids, and ferns.

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I set up just inside gate number one.  Hats off to DEWNR, who have allowed provision for access by foot to this park.

I set up the deck chair and fold up table under some shade, as it was quite a warm evening.  This was just off one of the tracks which runs through the park.  I ran the Yaesu FT-857d, 40 watts and te 20m/40m linked dipole on top of the 7 m squid pole for this activation.

Above:- Map showing my operating spot in the northern section of the park.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

I was set up and ready to go by 6.00 p.m. South Australian local time (0730 UTC).  I headed for my nominated operating frequency of 7.144 and it wasn’t long before I had my first QSO in the log.  And it was a park to park contact, with Les VK5KLV who was activating The Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park, north of Port Augusta in the north of South Australia.  Les had a particularly strong 5/9 signal.  This was followed by John VK5BJE in the Adelaide Hills, Mick VK3PMG in western Victoria, and Peter VK3PF, all of whom had strong 5/9 signals.  The 40m band was in great shape.

As this was a unique park I had quite a few callers lining up to get Mount Billy in the log.  The band was in top condition, with some static crashes, but generally very quiet.  I experienced just a small amount of QRM from some low down European stations.

About 20 contacts into the activation, I had a few more park to park contacts.  This time it was with Theo VK5MTM and Gary VK5FGRY who were activating the Morialta Conservation Park, VKFF-0783.  Theo and Gary were exceptionally strong…5/9 plus plus.

I worked a total of 44 stations on 40m.  Just the right number to qualify the park for the global WWFF program.  I then headed over to 20m after removing the links in the dipole.  I commenced calling CQ on 14.244 and this was soon answered by Owen ZL2GLG who was portable in Otago.  Owen had a strong 5/8 signal, but unfortunately our QSO was rapidly brought to a halt by ZL9A who started operating split, with the calling frequency on 14.245.

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I moved down the band to 14.220 and started calling CQ again and this was answered by Chris VK3PAT who was a sold 5/9.  This was followed by Glenn VK2WGW, and then Rob VK3EY.  Next up was Rick VK4RF who advised me that Danny OT4V was activating a park on 14.310.  I headed up there, hoping to get a park to park with Danny.  Sadly, his signal was very very low down and we were unable to make contact.  So I headed back to 14.220 and called CQ again.

My CQ call was answered by David ZL1GQ and then Sergey RA3PCI (5/5 both ways).  Sadly, Sergey was my only European contact.  I was then called by Peter K3BV (VK3FN) who was operating remote from New York.  An interesting contact.  And following my QSO with Peter, I was called by my friend Bill W1OW in Massachusetts (5/7 sent and 4/4 received).

It was just after 8.00 p.m. local time and had cooled down to just 13 degrees C.   I headed back to 40m and booked in to the 7130 DX Net.  I worked a total of 8 stations on the Net from VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, VK7, New Zealand, and French Polynesia.  This included a contact with Craig VK6VCK maritime mobile, who was on his boat, about 3 km off shore, off the coast of Rockingham.

I then checked out of the Net and put out a few CQ calls on 7.144 and worked into VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4 and VK5.  I started experiencing a bit of QRM from just above me from a number of Japanese stations who were working a T88 in Palau.  So I moved up the band to 7.155 and called CQ again.  I worked 8 stations before a very strong JA3 came up on the frequency and started talking to another JA who was portable in the Philippines.  The Japanese station was 5/9 plus and was wiping everything out, so I took the opportunity of going QRT.

I had a total of 80 contacts in the log.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5KLV/p (The Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park)
2. VK5BJE
3. VK3PMG
4. VK3PF
5. VK3TKK
6. VK4RF
7. VK4HA
8. VK5ZGY
9. VK2IO
10. VK3MRH
11. VK3FQSO
12. VK5GJ
13. VK3YAR
14. VK3GL
15. VK3MCK
16. VK3HRA
17. VK2MOR
18. VK2YK
19. VK1NS
20. VK5MTM/p (Morialta Conservation Park)
21. VK5FGRY/p (Morialta Conservation Park)
22. VK3VZX
23. VK2VW
24. VK2WGW
25. VK5HS
26. VK5FMID
27. VK3AWG
28. VK3FIRM
29. VK3BBB
30. VK3FSPG
31. VK2ETA/m
32. VK4FAAS
33. VK5FANA
34. VK2UH
35. VK5GY/m
36. VK4FSTX
37. VK5JK
38. VK4AAC/5
39. VK3PAT
40. VK3ANL
41. VK8GM
42. VK5PL
43. VK2EJW
44. VK7ROY
45. VK3OB
46. VK6VCK/mm
47. FO5JV
48. ZL2ML
49. VK5ND
50. VK2IAN
51. VK4FFAB
52. VK3RU
53. VK5NFT
54. VK5AYD
55. VK2QR
56. VK5WG
57. VK1HW
58. VK3YSP
59. VK4KUS
60. VK2FROD
61. VK3CNW
62. VK4MNM
63. VK3CRG
64. VK4FATS
65. VK2SR
66. VK2IZZ/p
67. KJ6AKQ/VK3
68. VK3HN

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. ZL2GLG
2. VK3PAT
3. VK2WGW
4. VK3EY
5. VK4RF
6. VK4HA
7. ZL1GQ
8. RA3PCI
9. K3BV
10. VK3FN
11. W1OW

Yesterday I celebrated my 51st birthday.

I received a number of birthday wishes via Facebook, which I thank everyone for.  They included this little card from my good mate Danny ON4VT (OT4V) in Belgium.  Thanks Danny.

This morning I headed out with Marija to activate Mount Lofty summit, VK5/ SE-005 for Summits on the Air (SOTA).  The summit is also located within the Cleland Conservation Park which qualifies for both the VK5 National and Conservation Parks Award (5CP-042), and the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program (VKFF-0778).

We had enjoyed a quiet night on New Years Eve this time around, so I was completely free of a hangover.  It was shaping up to be a fun morning, with many planned SOTA activations, which seems to be becoming a New Years Day trend here in Australia.

Above:- Map showing the location of the summit and park.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

Mount Lofty is just a short drive from our home.  We travelled west along the South Eastern Freeway and then north along Summit Road.  Along the way we passed Mount Lofty House, which was built in 1852-1858 by Arthur Hardy, a politician, lawyer, pastoralist and businessman.  It is now offers accomodation, dining, and hosts many weddings and conferences.  It overlooks the Piccadilly Valley, a market gardening centre in the Adelaide Hills.

Mount Lofty House with the TV towers in the background

View out to the east

Mount Barker in the distance. Looking east

Mount Lofty House

Summit Road takes you straight up to Mount Lofty summit.  There is a main carpark here for visitors to the Mount Lofty Visitor Centre, and the Summit Restaurant and Function Centre.  A small fee applies to park your car there.  But we parked the 4WD just as you drive in the main entrance.  There is a small car parking area on the eastern side.

We walked a few hundred metres along the Warre Track, until we reached my normal operating spot for Mount Lofty.  It was already a warm morning, with an expected top temperature of 35 deg C.  But it was amazing how many people who were out bushwalking in cycling along the tracks in the park.

Above:- Map of the Conservation Park, showing my operating spot at Mount Lofty.  Image courtesy of Property Location Browser.

Whilst setting up and during the activation, Marija and I had quite a few onlookers and a number of people who approached us to see what we were up to.  I always take the time to explain about the hobby and really enjoy engaging with people about this amazing hobby of amateur radio.

For this activation I ran the Yaesu FT-857d, 30 watts, and my 20m/40m linked dipole and my 15m dipole, both supported on a 7 metre telescopic squid pole.

Looking back along Warre Track

Carminow Castle

We were all set up and ready to go by around 2200 UTC (8.30 a.m. South Australian local time).  I headed for my nominated operating frequency of 7.144 and called CQ.  And I called CQ.  And I called CQ.  No takers!  Just as I was in the process of spotting myself on parksnpeaks, I was called by Guy VK3GUY with a nice 5/8-9 signal.  But Guy only gave me a 5/3 signal.  This wasn’t a good start to the activation.

Next up was Cliff VK2NP with a good 5/5 signal and he reciprocated with a 5/5 for me.  My third contact was with Amanda VK3FQSO who was very low down (5/1) and who gave me a 4/1 signal report.  I called CQ a number of times after my QSO with Amanda but sadly there were no takers.  I saw a spot on SOTAWatch for Compton VK2HRX on 7.100 so I had a listen there, but could not hear Compton.  It looked like the 40m band was not in great shape.

I then headed to 20m and spotted myself on SOTAWatch and called CQ on 14.310.  It wasn’t long before Rick VK4RF/VK4HA called in, with a mighty fine 5/9 signal.  Next, was Rob VK4AAC/5, just down in the valley from me at Hahndorf.  But unfortunately that was the extent of callers on 20m.  It went very quiet, very quickly.

The SOTA goat had bleated on my iphone and showed a spot for Justin VK7TW on 40m.  So thats where I headed back to, and made contact with Justin who was on Collins Bonnett, VK7/ SC-002.  Justin my first Summit to Summit contact for the day (5/2 sent and 5/1 received).

I then headed back to 7.144 and called CQ again, and this was answered by Marcus VK2SK, followed by Steve VK7CW, and then Peter VK4SIR at Ipswich.  But again, callers  slowed down very quickly.  I took the opportunity of tuning around the band and worked Andrew VK1AD on VK1/ AC-008 in the Namadgi National Park.

It was at this time that I headed to 7.115 and this is when the band seemed to open up somewhat and all the fun commenced.  My first responder to my CQ call was Gerard VK2IO who was activating SOTA peak Mount Elliot, VK2/ HU-093 (5/2 sent and 5/4 received).  I worked a further 31 stations after Gerard, before the UTC rollover.  They were in VK1, VK2, VK3, VK5, and VK7.  This included the following summit to summit contacts:

• Nick VK3ANL, VK3/ VS-001
• Mark VK1EM/p, VK1/ AC-043
• Tony VK1VIC/p, VK1/ AC-023
• Rod VK2TWR, VK2/ SM-024
• Tony VK3CAT/p, VK3/ VT-026
• Ron VK3AFW/p, VK3/ VE-018
• Andrew VK1MBE/3, VK3/ VE-019
• Allen VK3HRA/p, VK3/ VT-006
• Andrew VK3ARR/p, VK3/ VT-006
• Adam VK2YK/p, VK2/ HU-007
• Peter VK3PF/2, VK2/ SM-022
• Bernard VK2IB/3, VK3/ VE-023
• Andrew VK3BQ/p, VK3/ VC-007

The close in propagation was not working, with my only VK5 contacts being Peter VK5PET and Damien VK5FDEC.

After the UTC rollover I worked a further 33 stations on 7.115.  This included the following Summit to Summit contacts:

• Andrew VK3BQ, VK3/ VC-002
• Tony VK3CAT/p, VK3/ VT-026
• Andrew VK1AD/p, VK1/ AC-008
• Mark VK1EM/p, VK1/ AC-043
• Andrew VK1MBE/3, VK3/ VE-019
• Matt VK1MA/2, VK2/ ST-005
• Peter VK3PF/2, VK2/ ST-005
• Nick VK3ANL/p, VK3/ VS-001
• Adam VK2YK/p, VK2/ HU-007
• Christine VK3FCEK/p, VK3/ VC-007
• Brian VK3MCD/2, VK2/ SM-027
• Rob VK2QR/p, VK2/ SM-027
• Tony VK1VIC/p, VK1/ AC-023
• Andrew VK3ARR/p, VK3/ VT-006
• Allen VK3HRA/p, VK3/ VT-006
• Ron VK3AFW/p, VK3/ VE-008

Again, just a sprinkling of VK5’s.  They being Roy VK5NRG and Paul VK5FUZZ at Wellington.

I also spoke with Andrew VK3JBL who was operating QRP.  Andrew was a little difficult to copy, so I got up from my operating spot, with bum up in the air, and ear down to the speaker.  Just as a group of bushwalkers went passed.  They must have wondered what the hell I was doing.

I had been trying to get to 15m for a while, so when things became quiet, I lowered the squid pole and ran out the 15m dipole.  I called CQ on 21.244 and this was answered by Graeme VK5ZVC at nearby Mount Barker.  I saw a spot on SOTAWatch for ZL2AJ on 21.270, so after working Graeme I quickly headed up there but could not hear anything other than a rather weak USA signal.  I also saw a spot for Lewis VK6FLEW on 21.200, but again, unfortunately I could not hear Lewis.  So I headed back to 21.244 and called CQ, where I worked a further 4 stations, all from Queensland.

It was starting to really heat up, so I quickly went to 20m and worked a total of 7 stations including the following Summit to Summit contacts:

• Gerard VK2IO/p, VK2/ HU-093
• John VK6NU/p, VK6/ SW-039.

I then put out a final CQ call on 7.144 and worked 5 stations from VK3, VK5, and VK7.

After nearly 3 hours on the summit/in the park, I had a total of 93 contacts in the log, including a total of 36 x Summit to Summit contacts.  This was a really enjoyable activation.

The following stations were worked:-

After packing up we headed up to the Mount Lofty Visitor Centre.

As we were walking in, we spotted this little fella, enjoying a snooze.

It had really warmed up and was approaching the predicteed 35 degrees C, so we took some time out for a nice cold ice block.

The summit was quite busy, with a lot of tourists, enjoying the view, a coffee in the shade, and a meal in the restaurant.

There are some great views here to be had of the city of Adelaide.

The obelisk on the summit is known as Flinders Column.  It commemorates the sighting and naming of Mount Lofty, by explorer Matthew Flinders in 1802.

Another dominant feature on the skyline at Mount Lofty is the Fire spotting tower, which was erected in 1982.  It is 32 metres in height.

Back in late November I spoke with Antonio EC2AG who was activating a mountain in Spain as part of the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program.  Antonio was a very readable 5/3 signal coming in from Longitas EA2/ BI-046.

I was very pleased a few weeks ago to receive some QSL cards from Antonio.

Longitas is 590 metres above sea level and is situated to the west of Bilbao, and north of Madrid, in northern Spain near the Bay of Biscay.

Antonio became a Mountain Goat on 5th September and is a very keen SOTA activator and also park activator as part of the World Wide Flora Fauna program (WWFF).

More information can be found on Antonio’s QRZ.com page at…..

https://www.qrz.com/lookup

Yesterday afternoon (Sunday 27th December 2015) I headed out to the Sandy Creek Conservation Park (CP), VKFF-0933.  This was an unplanned activation and was only decided upon after lunch, as it was such a lovely afternoon weatherwise.  Although I had been to Sandy Creek CP before, this was to be a unique VKFF activation for me.

Sandy Creek CP is situated about 60 km north of Adelaide on the northern edge of the southern Mount Lofty Ranges and lies between the townships of Gawler and Lyndoch in the Barossa Valley.  It is one of the few remaining tracts of undisturbed and undeveloped native bushland in the Barossa Valley.  The park is 142 hectares in size and is surrounded by several sand quarries, farmland and vineyards.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Sandy Creek CP.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

The park consists of low fertile and deep sandy soil and is the home to strands of Southern Cypress-Pine and Pink Gum.  Both of these are now deemed to be rare in South Australia.  Numerous wildflowers can be found in the park during spring, along with wattles, daisies, heaths, lillies, gums, banksias, grevilleas and orchids.

The Barossa Valley was formed around 35 million years ago and was formed as a river cut its way through the surrounding land.  The sand from which Sandy Creek gets its name, was laid down as the ancient river system deposited sediment in the Barossa Valley lowlands.

During the first half of the twentieth century, much of the present day Sandy Creek Conservation Park was cleared and planted with vines.  However, low soil fertility saw the vineyards abandonded.  In 1965, the park was dedicated as a Conservation Park.  Sections of the park were named after life long ornithologists and conservationists, Cecil RIX and Mark BONNIN.  They both identified numerous native bird species in the area.  The Wilson family and the Nature Foundation of South Australia Inc, donated the Sir Keith Wilson section of the park.

Above:- Map showing the location of the Sandy Creek CP surrounded by vineyards and farms.  Image courtesy of Location SA Map Viewer.

Prior to European settlement , this area was the boundary between three aboriginal groups; the Kaurna (pronounced ‘gowna’) of the plains, the Peramangk of the hills and the Ngayawung of the Murray.

There are a number of walks within the park which allow you to explore the various sections of the park.  Within the park you can find the ruins of a small hut which was built in 1918 from locally quarried stone and native pine.  An abandoned vineyard in the southern section of the park contains grasses that provide important habitat for birds including the grass-dwelling Stubble Quail.

Above:- Stubble Quail.  Image courtesy of wikipedia.

A total of 130 species of birds have been found in the park including Diamond Firetail finches, which move around the park in pairs or in flocks of up to 30.  Diamond Firetails mate for life.

Other animals that can be found in the park include Western Grey kangaroos and echidnas.  You may also hear the occasional ‘plonking’ sounds of the Bull frog.  Various reptiles including the Eastern Beardeed Dragon and the Marbled Gecko call the park home.

For more information on the park, please have a look at the website of the Friends of Sandy Creek Conservation Park…….

http://www.cockatoovalley.com/scfriends/

To get to the park I drove out through Mount Torrens and Birdwood and then north on Warren Road and into Williamstown.  I then continued on to Lyndoch along the Lyndoch Valley Highway, passing many of the vineyards here in the southern part of the Barossa Valley.

After reaching Lyndoch I then travelled west along the Barossa Valley Way until I reached Conservation Park Road.  About 100 metres along Conservation Park Road, you will travel over the old railway line.  Continue on and this takes you to the northern section of the park.

There is a good carparking area here, with plenty of operating position options.

Prior to commencing the activation I took a walk through the park along the Firetail Link.  This commences at the carpark at the end of Conservation Park Road.  The carpark area is quite well wooded with lots of trees.  But as you walk along the Firetail Link, it soon opens up to an open grassland area.  Directly in front is the thick forest area of the park.  I continued along the track until I reached the Honey Eater Link which leads to the southern boundary of the park at Pimpala Road.

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It wasn’t long before I was encountering some of the locals in the form of Western Grey Kangaroos.  They were everywhere.  Sadly I did not spot any Diamond Firetails, but I did see some Superb Blue Wrens and Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos.

I then turned around and walked back to the carpark and set up my station just inside Gate 6.  My equipment consisted of the Yaesu FT-857d set at 40 watts.  For this activation I had brought along a Spiderbeam asymmetrical dipole which had been kindly sent to me by Spiderbeam in Germany for free, to field test.

Above:- My operating spot in the northern section of the park

I used my 7 metre telescopic squid pole to support the antenna and had a quick tune around 40m prior to calling CQ.  There didn’t seem to be a lot of activity on 40m, so I headed to 7.144 and started calling CQ.  This was answered by Gary VK5FGRY who was portable in the Morialta Conservation Park.  Gary was a nice 5/9 signal, but sadly it wasn’t reciprocal.  Gary reported that there was a lot of distortion on my signal.  And it wasn’t long before I started receiving a few text messages as well, advising that my audio was patchy and was cutting in and out.

The VSWR appeared to be ok on 40m, but certainly not as flat as my 20m/40m linked dipole.  So I lowered the squid pole and replaced the Spiderbeam antenna with my linked dipole.  I decided to have a good look at the Spiderbeam antenna on another occasion with my Antenna analyser.

I called back Gary after re-erecting the squid pole and I was very pleased to get a good strong 5/9 signal report back from Gary, along with good comments about the audio.  Next up was Les VK5KLV in Port Augusta and then Ivan VK5HS in Renmark in the Riverland, both of whom stated that my audio was terrible when using the Spiderbeam antenna.

About 7 QSOs into the activation and I had my first park to park contact in the log.  It was courtesy of Stef VK5HSX who was operating portable in the Coorong National Park, VKFF-0115.  Stef was operating from Parnka Point and had a nice 5/8 signal to Sandy Creek.  And next was Andy VK5AKH who was with Gary in the Morialta Conservation Park.  Andy and Gary and Matt VK5ZM were activating the park and enjoying a BBQ and a few cold beverages.  Andy SMS’d me a photo just to rub it in!

About half a dozen calls later I had another park to park contact in the log.  This time is was Nick VK3ANL/4 who was activating the Mooloolah Rver National Park VKFF-0327.  Nick had a good 5/6 signal and gave me a 5/9 to the Sunshine Coast.

I then called for any QRP stations, and worked five QRP ops: Mick VK3PMG in western Victoria on 2 watts (5/9 both ways); Tom VK5EE in Mount Gambier on 5 watts (5/9 both ways); Peter VK3ZPF on 5 watts (5/7 sent and 5/9 received); Erik VK3BSG running just 3 watts (5/7 sent and 5/8 received); and Ian VK5CZ in the Clare Valley running 3 watts from the backyard (5/5 both ways).  Half a dozen calls later I again called for QRP and this time I was called by Ray VK3YAR on 5 watts (5/8 sent and 5/9 received); and Brenton VK3YB running just 1 watt (5/5 sent and 5/9 received).

The 40m band was in very good shape and all signals coming in to Sandy Creek were very strong.  I had a steady flow of callers from VK2, VK3, VK4 and VK5.  I then worked Matt VK1MA/3 who was portable on SOTA peak, Mount Donna Buang VK3/ VC-002, with a nice strong 5/8 signal.

A few QSOs later I was called by Greg VK5GJ, at Meadows, running his normal 4 watts from home, with a good 5/7 signal.  There was no man made noise at all in the park, so it was very easy to work the QRP stations.  It wasn’t long after that I had my first VK6 in the log, courtesy of Mike VK6MB.  Although Mike was struggling with noise at his end (I was 3/5), I could hear Mike perfectly, with a good 5/7 signal.  Next up was Richard VK6HRC with a 5/5 signal.  Matt VK5ZM then called in from the Morialta Conservation Park.

About half a dozen calls later I was called by Peter VK5FLEX who was operating portable in the Danggali Conservation Park.  Peter had just set up and was using Larry VK5LY’s (now silent key) Yaesu FT-817 for the very first time.  I was Peter’s first ever contact whilst using Larry’s gear, which I was very pleased with.  Peter was belting in to Sandy Creek with a 5/9 signal on his 5 watts.

Not long after I had quite a unique contact: Sandy Creek to Sandy Creek.  It was with Rob VK3FENV who was in Sandy Creek in Victoria.  What’s the chances of that?

I worked a total of 59 stations on 40m, before heading over to 20m for a bit of a listen.  Band conditions were average on 20m with no long path propagation to Europe.  I worked the ever reliable Rick VK4RF/VK4HA and two x VK2’s and two x VK6’s, and that was the end of my run on 20m.

I then lowered the squid pole and replaced the link dipole with my 15m dipole, and headed to 15m where I called CQ on 21.244.  And guess who was waiting there for me?  Yes, Mr. Keen…Rick VK4RF with a very strong 5/9 signal.  Rick was kind enough to spot me and this I am sure resulted in a steady flow of called from VK2, VK3, VK4, and VK5.  The Europeans were just starting to come in on 15m and I was experiencing some QRM on 21.244.  Their signals got stronger and stronger, resulting in me QSYing to 21.240.  Thanks for the spot,  Rob VK4FFAB.  Unfortunately I only worked one more station and that was Compton VK2HRX.  M0HKB started calling CQ on the frequency and was quite strong.  Sadly he could not hear me.

So I headed back to 40m for one last call, before packing up.  I worked a further 20 stations from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, and VK7.  I had to compete with the Indonesian QRM and the Over the Horizon Radar (OTHR) which was very strong.

One of the callers was David VK5AAB who lived just down the road in the little town of Sandy Creek.  He offered me a coffee on the way home.  After packing up I kindly took him up on the offer.

So after about 3 hours in the park I had a total of 96 contacts in the log on 20, 40, & 15m SSB.

The following stations were worked on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5FGRY/p (Morialta Conservation Park)
2. VK5KLV
3. VK5HS
4. VK2HHA
5. VK4RF
6. VK4HA
7. VK5HSX/p (Coorong National Park)
8. VK5AKH/p (Morialta Conservation Park)
9. VK5FANA
10. VK3DAC
11. VK3FQSO
12. VK2YK/m
13. VK3ANL/p (Mooloolah Rver National Park VKFF-0327)
14. VK3PMG
15. VK5EE
16. VK3ZPF
17. VK3BSG
18. VK5CZ
19. VK5QI
20. VK5FAKV
21. VK5PL
22. VK2VW
23. VK3YAR
24. VK3YB
25. VK4GY/3
26. VK2PKT
27. VK3FAPH
28. VK5PET
29. VK3PI
30. VK7ROY
31. VK1MA/3 (SOTA Mount Donna Buang)
32. VK1VIC
33. VK5ZRY
34. VK3FADM
35. VK3NBL
36. VK5WG
37. VK5GJ
38. VK3TJK
39. VK6MB
40. VK6HRC
41. VK5ZM/p (Morialta Conservation Park)
42. VK3OY
43. VK2QK
44. VK3MEG
45. VK3CM
46. VK5FLEX/p (Danggali Conservation Park)
47. VK5FDEC
48. VK3VKT
49. VK5NM
50. VK5VRB
51. VK2MOR
52. VK3FLY
53. VK5NRG
54. VK2SK
55. VK7CW
56. VK3FENV
57. VK5FKYM/m
58. VK3FLCS
59. VK7LCW
60. VK2QK
61. VK4FFAB
62. VK5ST
63. VK2QR
64. VK3YW
65. VK4FTAD
66. VK5NFT
67. VK5HW/m
68. VK5AAB
69. VK3PAT
70. VK3XPT/7
71. VK4MNM
72. VK1FCAA/p
73. VK3GTS/p
74. VK3HRA
75. VK2LAD
76. VK2PHA
77. VK4MWG
78. VK5MAS
79. VK5NS

The following stations were worked on 20m SSB:-

1. VK4RF
2. VK4HA
3. VK2DON
4. VK2IO
5. VK6XL
6. VK6NTE

The following stations were worked on 15m SSB:-

1. VK4RF
2. VK4HA
3. VK3FPSR
4. VK3OF
5. VK4FFAB
6. VK3BSG
7. VK3HMV
8. VK5AV
9. VK2SK
10. VK2YK/p
11. VK2HRX

References.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 2010, Sandy Creek Conservation Park.

Sandy Creek Friends, 2015, <http://www.cockatoovalley.com/scfriends/the_park.htm&gt;, viewed 27th December 2015

Weekend Notes, 2015, <http://www.weekendnotes.com/sandy-creek-conservation-park/&gt;, viewed 27th December 2015