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Schwarzer Mann, DM/ RP-003 and DLFF-047

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I have just returned from 7 very enjoyable weeks in Europe.  Whilst there I had the honour to stay for a week with Marnix OP7M, his wife Martine, and their 16 year old son Goan.  I have spoken with Marnix many times on the radio, and also on Skype, but this was the first time we had met in person.  My wife Marija and I had a very enjoyable time at Marnix and Martine’s home, with plenty of laughs, good food, lots of stories, and our fair share of Belgium beer.  Whilst staying with Marnix, we also met Eddy ON6ZV and his wife Carine and their son.

Marnix knew I was a keen SOTA & parks activator, so the day after arriving, on 29th July, Marnix, Eddy , myself and Marija headed over the border into Germany for a SOTA and WWFF activation.  It wasn’t a short drive to get there.  In fact it was about a 3 hour drive to our destination near Prüm.  However, Marnix had told me that this was a beautiful area, and was well worth the drive and an opportunity to see the Belgium countryside.  Indeed it was.  He and Eddy also had plans to activate another summit / WWFF area on the way home the following day, in Belgium.

The chosen summit in Germany was Schwarzer Mann, DM/ RP-003, which is 697 metres (2,286 feet) above sea level and is worth 6 SOTA points.  Its grid square locator is JO30eg.  The summit is located in the German (Low Mountains) Association in the Rhineland-Palatinate Region.  It is located in the western part of the Eifel mountain range, which is known as Schnee Eifel (Snowy Eifel) and  is about 14 km from the little village of Prüm.  Schwarzer Mann means ‘Black Man”.  It is the highest peak in the Schnee Eifel and the third highest in the Eifel.  The summit was first activated by DL/ON6DSL/p on 24th December 2007, and has been activated a total of 42 times since.

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Map courtesy of sota.org.uk

The summit is also located in World Wide Flora and Fauna area, DLFF-047, German-Belgian High Fens-Eifel Nature Park.  The area is known as Naturpark Hohes Venn-Eifel in German and is often called the North Eifel Nature Park (Naturpark Nord Eifel).  It is a cross border nature park with the German federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as the Belgian province of Liege.  The park comprises a total area of 2,485 km2.

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Map courtesy of wikipedia.com

The areas surrounding Schwarzer Mann is a well developed hiking area and the largest skiing area in Rhineland-Palatinate.  The heavily wooded mountain side is covered mainly with spruce trees and is host to some rare wild animals including the wildcat, which sadly I didn’t see.  Or maybe that isn’t so bad!

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Image courtesy of wikipedia.com

We set up just north of the summit off the L20 road which passes through the park.

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The vegetation here was very different to home.  Despite it being summer time, he forest was lush and green and very thick.  A stark contrast to the parks in South Australia during summer.  And not a single gum tree or kangaroo in sight!

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Because of reciprocal licensing issues, I was not able to operate under my own call sign.  Germany did offer the option of a 3 month temporary licence, so prior to leaving for Europe I applied for a German temporary operating licence, which would have allowed me restricted operating rights.  However, I had left my run a bit too late, and did not receive the documentation from DARC until I had left Australia.  But there was another option.  As I am a police officer, and Eddy is a police officer, we used the call sign of ON4IPA, which belongs to the International Police Association (IPA).  In fact, Eddy is the caretaker of that special call sign and the Chairman of the IPA in Belgium.  As I am a Detective here in South Australia, this was a really neat call sign to use.

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Our equipment was Eddy’s Kenwood TS50, and his ‘Hy End Fed’ half wave end fed antenna which we attached to the top of a 9 metre squid pole.  A very easy antenna to erect.  More information on this antenna can be found at…..

http://www.hyendcompany.nl/home

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I initially started off on 20 metres on 14.244 and called CQ a number of times, with Eddy at my side doing the logging on the laptop.  But there were no takers.  I kept calling CQ for about 5 minutes, before being called by Vincenzo IZ5YHE and then Rudolf OM3CHR.  However their signals were extremely low and it was a struggle to make the contacts.  With a degree of frustration, we checked the antenna and it appeared ok.

I kept calling CQ for a few more minutes, but sadly there were no takers.  Now I was starting to get disappointed.  Perhaps band conditions on 20 m were not good?  So we QSY’d over to 40 metres where we tuned across the band and found the Commonwealth Games special event station, GA14CG.   Signals were still down despite being able to make the contact.  Something was clearly wrong.  Again we checked the antenna and it appeared all okay.

Again, I put out some CQ calls and no takers.  So this time we hooked up an LDG auto tuner, and found the VSWR to be very high.  After further checking we found an issue with one of the patch leads and replaced it. This solved the problem and we were back in business.  I breathed a sigh of relief.

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I then moved up the band a little to 7.144 and called CQ and this time I was greeted by a number of callers.  My first caller here was Keith G0TSH.  A steady flow of European and UK callers followed.  I worked a total of 43 stations before moving back to 20 m where I worked another 5 stations before handing the mic over to Eddy.

A number of the stations that I worked during the afternoon, recognised that I did not have a Belgian accent.  They must have been wondering why is an Aussie operating a Belgium call sign in Germany?  This included Manuel, EA2DT, who I have worked many times before whilst I’ve either been in a park or on a summit in Australia.  During the QSO Manual said; “One question.  Is you Paul, Victor Kilo 5 Papa Alpha Sierra.  Is you Paul, roger?'” Once I told Manuel that it was in fact me at the mic, he was very excited, as was I.

I ended up with a total of 51 contacts.  The majority of those being on 40 metres, and all from Europe and the United Kingdom.  The following countries were worked:-

  • Austria
  • Czech Republic
  • England
  • France
  • Germany
  • Hungary
  • Italy
  • Poland
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Slovak Republic
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Wales

Sadly it was the wrong time of the day for good propagation to Australia.

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As a result of this activation, I found that World Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF) is extremely popular in Europe.  Many of the stations I worked were very keen on the WWFF reference number.  Who knows, maybe WWFF will kick off and become popular in Australia too.  It hasn’t been for the lack of trying!

After the activation we retired to our accommodation, which was the Hotel Zum Goldenen Stern in Prüm.  That night we enjoyed a very nice meal and a few good German beers.IMGA0018_4IMGA0019_5

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References.

Wikipedia, 2014, ‘Schwarzer Mann’, accessed 9th September 2014, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzer_Mann&gt;

Wikipedia, 2014, “High Fens-Eifel Nature Park’, accessed 9th September 2014, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Fens_–_Eifel_Nature_Park&gt;

Certificate from Andrew VK1NAM

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I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I went down to the post office.  Amongst the bills, I had  a few QSL cards, a batch of QSL cards forwarded to me by Tony VK3VTH to check for DXCC, but I also had a certificate from Andrew VK1NAM.  Greatly appreciated Andrew.

Andrew and many others have set a high benchmark for SOTA and have certainly formed a strong foundation for the program here in Australia.  And now Andrew has been hooked on WWFF.  Again thanks mate, and look forward to working you when either your or I, or maybe both, are on a SOTA peak or in a National Park.

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New VK5 SOTA certificates

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Ian VK5CZ and I have decided that we will start issuing some unique VK5 SOTA certificates to VK5 SOTA enthusiasts.  Hopefully it might inspire a few more VK5 Activators & Chasers.

We intend to send the certificates via e-mail, which will eliminate any cost issue with to Ian and I, and the recipient.  The recipient can then print out the certificate at their end.

Certificates will be issued to Activators (Mountain Goats) for the following:-

  • 100 points
  • 500 points
  • 1000 points (Mountain Goat status)

And they will be issued to Chasers (Shack Sloths) for the following:-

  • 100 points
  • 500 points
  • 1000 points (Shack Sloth status)

Below is the Mountain Goat certificate…..

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And here is the Shack Sloth certificate…..

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SOTA VK5 1 year anniversary lunch

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Yesterday, Sunday 27th October, 2013, a group of 8 attended the Kingsford Hotel at Gawler for a lunch to celebrate the 1st year anniversary of SOTA in VK5.

Attendees were:-

  1. Ian VK5CZ.
  2. John VK5BJE
  3. Larry VK5LY
  4. Andy VK5LA
  5. Andy VK5AKH
  6. Keith VK5OQ
  7. Mike VK5MCB
  8. Paul VK5PAS

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Special thanks to Larry 5LY and Andy 5LA who travelled all the way from the Riverland, and Mike 5MCB, who also travelled to the lunch from Pt Pirie.

Larry 5LY & Andy 5LA even activated Mt Gawler, VK5/ SE-013, on the way to the lunch.  John 5BJE and I received a phone call from Andy to advise that they were on the summit.  So John and I pulled the car over, on Lower Portrush Road, and made contact with Larry and Andy from the mobile.  John was a bit more generous with his signal report than me.

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We decided that the afternoon at the pub, would be a show and tell, so a selection of transceivers, antennas, and other gadgets were brought along.  It was good to see and hear what equipment everyone was using.

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It was a really good fun afternoon with a nice meal, a few beers, plenty of laughs, and a few war stories from a summit or two.

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Beach activation at Corny Point

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On Friday evening (18th Oct 2013) I drove down to the beach at Corny Point and set up my gear, hoping to get some contacts on the 7130 DX Net.  It was a really warm evening, so shorts & t-shirt & thongs were in order.  I found a nice little parking spot on Lighthouse Road, which had some steps leading down to the beach.  There were no issues with lighting, as there was a full moon.  The beach was beautiful and sandy and there was just a very gentle breeze coming in off the Spencer Gulf.  Everything seemed to be perfect…so what about propagation conditions ?

After setting up the 40m/20m linked dipole on the 7m squid pole, I turned the 817nd on, and the signals coming in from the 7130 DX Net were very strong.  The noise floor was virtually non existent, so I decided to give the 2.5 watt setting a go.  And it paid off, as people were hearing my little QRP signal.

I had a few very interesting QSO’s during the evening on the DX Net.  They included Wolfgang VK2LKW who was operating portable from the Deua National Park in New South Wales (5/9 both ways); special call ZM90DX (5/9 S and 5/2 R); Brian ZL2ASH (5/9 S and 5/7 R); and Rod VK4FLYT who was running QRP 3 watts (5/8 S and 5/4 R).

Below is a photo taken during the day (the following morning) of where I operated from.

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After the 7130 DX Net closed, I decided to go up to 20m and have a quick listen in on the Southern Cross DX Net.  Again signals were strong so I decided to check in, bumping my power up to 5 watts.  I managed to make contact with Larry W4VES (5/9 S and 5/2 R), and Bill W1OW (5/9 S and 5/3 R).

During my 2 enjoyable hours on the beach, I had managed 15 QSO’s in total on 40m SSB and 20m SSB.

I worked the following stations:-

Mal VK5MJ; Wolfgang VK2LKW/p (Deua NP); ZM90DX; Brian ZL2ASH; Andy VK4TH; Shaun VK5FAKV; Rod VK4FLYT (qrp 3 w); Roy VK7ROY; Paul VK5FUZZ; Frank VK3GFS; Iva VK4HG; Steve VK2MD; Greg VK2XE; Larry W4VES; and Bill W1OW.

Port Elliot Show

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On Sunday 13th October, 2013, David VK5KC and I set up an amateur radio display at the Port Elliot Show on the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide.  This was the 135th year of operation of show.  The first show was held at Middleton and shows were run at various venues along the south coast for the next twenty years.  In 1889 the Society purchased a plot of land near Port Elliot and annual shows have been held there ever since, with the exception of the Second World War and one other year.

We set up a small display in the Perry Hall, which included a Yaesu FT-817nd, a Yaesu FT-450, an Icom 706, and a Yaesu VX-6R.  We also had a few portable antennas on display, along with some digital modes, and a laptop showing a slideshow of amateur radio photographs.  We also had the WIA’s promotion brouchures ‘Calling CQ’ and some newly printed AHARS brochures.

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Once the weather cleared, we also improvised and set up the FT-817nd outside of the hall, alongside the dog obedience area.  A nearby collection of ‘junk’ produced a heavy metal chair and some heavy pavers and besser blocks which we used to secure the 7m squid pole and the legs of a 40m/20m linked dipole.

We were joined in the afternoon by young 15 year old Andrew VK5FACE.  Congratulations are in order for Andrew for volunteering some of his time.  Andrew enjoyed his time making a number of contacts, on 40m SSB with some interested onlookers.

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Despite some very inclement weather and a not so favourable position in the show grounds, we still managed to attract some attention, with some very interested visitors to the display.

The following stations were worked by Andrew:-

Barry, VK3LBW; Den VK3FDAS; Graham VK3GRK; Frank VK3GFS; Larry VK5LY; Craig VK3CRG; Brian VK5FMID; Kevin VK3VEK; Alan VK5AR; Grant VK3GRR; and Gordon VK3EJ.

New spotting site by VK3HRA

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Allen VK3HRA has created a new spotting site which has the ability to spot SOTA & Parks activations.  It supports SOTA, KRMNPA, SANPCPA, and also WWFF.

It can be located at…..

http://www.parksnpeaks.org/

Congratulations Allen on your efforts.  A great idea.

Sue, VK5AYL from AHARS is also liaising with Allen with regards to a possible phone app similar to SOTA Goat & Rucksack radio.

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SE South Australia & Victoria trip

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I am home safe after my trip down to the South east of South Australia, and western Victoria.  I had a very enjoyable time activating South Australian and Victorian parks, and activating one South Australian and a dozen or so Victorian summits.  I also thoroughly enjoyed catching up with the gents from the South East Radio Group and delivering a presentation to them on SOTA, the VK5 Parks Award, the KRMNPA, and WWFF.

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Here is a quick summary of parks and summit activations…..

Martin Washpool CP – 8 QSO’s.
Messent CP – 13 QSO’s
Reedy Creek CP – 10 QSO’s
Furner CP – 13 QSO’s
Mt Burr summit – 48 QSO’s
Canunda NP – 17 QSO’s.
Carpenter Rocks CP – 14 QSO’s
Mt Napier summit – 36 QSO’s
Mt Rouse summit – 16 QSO’s
One Tree Hill summit – 37 QSO’s
Blue Mountain – 56 QSO’s
Pt 756/Pyrennes summit – 29 QSO’s
Ben Nevis summit – 43 QSO’s
Mt Lonarch summit – 32 QSO’s
Mt Buangor summit -28 QSO’s
One Tree Hill summit (night time activation) – 5 QSO’s
Mt Langi Ghiran summit – 42 QSO’s
Mt Zero summit & Grampians NP – 23 QSO’s.
Mt Arapiles summit – 33 QSO’s
Little Desert NP – 11 QSO’s.
Ngarkat CP – 23 QSO’s

  • Total of 537 QSO’s.
  • 13 x SOTA activations (12 uniques)
  • 21 x Summit to Summit QSO’s.
  • 6 x SA Conservation Parks activated – SA Parks Award.
  • 1 x SA National Park activated – SA Parks Award.
  • 18 x other SA Parks worked – SA Parks Award
  • 10 x Park to Park QSO’s – SA Parks Award
  • 6 x Victorian Parks worked – KRMNPA
  • 2 x Victorian NP activated – KRMNPA

Some of the highlights included…..

  • 2 x contacts into VK9 Lord Howe Island on 40m SSB using QRP 5 watts
  • a dozen or so QSO’s into Europe & the UK using QRP 5 watts on 20m SSB.
  • contact with John VK5BJE/p (park to park) using just .5 watt.