Coorong National Park, VKFF-115

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Paul VK5PAS

On Saturday 11th October, 2014, I headed to the Coorong National Park (NP), which is located in the South East of South Australia. The Coorong NP qualifies for both the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program, and the VK5 National and Conservation Parks award. I had activated the Coorong NP previously, but I was hoping to achieve a few more QSOs to get me over the required 44 QSO requirement for the global WWFF awards.

I left home and travelled a total distance of about 150 km to reach my operating spot, which was at Parnka Point in The Coorong NP. I travelled east along the South Eastern Freeway, passed Murray Bridge and into the town of Tailem Bend which runs alongside the mighty River Murray. From there I travelled south along the Princes Highway and on to the picturesque town of Meningie, which is located on the shores of Lake Albert. I continued south east out of Meningie along the Princes Highway and then turned right into Parnka Point Road. I then travelled the 3 km down the Prank Point Road, to the narrowest point of the Coorong NP. The area is referred to as ‘Hells Gate’.

I set up on the western side of the small peninsula which runs down to the stretch of saltwater which flows between the mainland and the sand dunes called the Younghusband Peninsula. I found a shelter with a nice wooden table and benches, which got me out of the warm afternoon sun. The spot had a lovely view out to the west, across the water towards Bluff Island, Rabbit Island, and Snake Island. I could hear the breaking waves of the Southern Ocean in the background.

For this activation I ran the Yaesu FT-450 and the Bandhopper 20m/40m linked dipole, which I supported on a 7 metre squid pole. I placed the squid pole into the aluminium squid pole holder and drove this into the sandy soil, and held it in place with an octopus strap. For 40m I used 40 watts, and when I QSYd a little later to 20m, I ran 80 watts. I powered the radio with my 44 amp hour power pack.

I started off on 40m SSB on 7.095 and called CQ and was immediately called by Larry VK5LY. This was followed by Peter VK3TKK, and then Tony VK5FTVR, and then Les VK5KLD. A steady flow of callers followed from VK2, VK3, and VK5. When things slowed down a little on 40m, I tuned around the band and found Allen VK3HRA who was portable on Mount Matlock, VK3/ VC-001, for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program. I then found Chris VK4FR/5 who had arrived in the Maize Island Conservation Park and secured a ‘park to park’ contact with Chris. I then went back to 7.0985 and put out a CQ call and was called by Craig VK3CRG and then John VK2AWJ, and then Kevin VK3NKC. After a number of other CQ calls, there were no takers, so again I tuned around the band and this time I found Nick VK3ANL who was portable on Gentle Annie, VK3/ VT-078.

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It was pleasing to see a few VK’s calling me, using just QRP. They included Peter Vk3TKK, Col VK5HCF, and Greg VK5GJ using his home brew transceiver. It was very quiet in the park, so I was able to copy them extremely well.

After working a total of 27 stations on 40m SSB, I QSYd to 14.244 and called CQ and was almost immediately called by Sergey RA3PCI in Russia. Much to my surprise, this was followed by a call from Dirceu, PY5DK with a beautiful 5/9 signal from Brazil. This was my first every contact with Brazil whilst operating portable, and his call took me by surprise. This was followed by Vladimir EU2MM in Belarus, and then Albert S58AL in Slovenia. A constant flow of callers from Europe followed with very good signals coming in on the long path. This was until the DXpedition, XR2T decided to start operating just below me, operating split, with the call frequency just 1 kc above me. So, after working on the frequency for one hour, that was the end of that.

However, out of everything bad, comes something good. It gave me an opportunity to tune up to 14.280 where I made contact with regular SOTA activator, Mike, 2E0YYY and Dave G4ASA, who were on Normanby Top, G/ TW-005.

I then found another clear frequency on 14.197 and again called CQ, and this was soon responded to by DK4RM in Germany, S51INT in Slovenia, and ON2VR in Belgium. I remained on this frequency, working into Europe, South America, Hawai, and Japan, until the battery went flat. I am sorry to all the stations that were still calling when the battery failed. I would have loved to have stayed and kept working the DX, but it was just not possible.

I was fortunate enough to work two other WWFF activators whilst in The Coorong. They were Sylvain, F4FWO in Gave de Pau, FFF-126, and DF7GC who was in Nature Park Black Forest South, DLFF-124.

I was also pleasantly surprised to be called by HC5AI in Ecuador, KH7CX/p in Hawaii, and 7N2TNI, and JA8RJE, both in Japan.

And it is always nice to get a few mates in the log. They included my good friends from Belgium: Marnix OP7M and Albert ON2WAC. I stayed with Marnix during my recent Europe trip, and also met with Albert.

Only a handful of VK’s called me on 20m. They were Mike VK6MB, Dave VK3VCE, Greg VK8GM, and VK2HJW.

Thanks to the Australian stations that placed me on the parksnpeaks site. And thanks to the following stations for placing me on the DX cluster, which kept the DX rolling in on 20m.

I received an email after this activation, advising me that Luciano I5FLN could hear me on 7.095. Luciano said: ‘By way way I heard you earlier on 7095 talking with several VK but could not compete with my sloper they were to you more strong than my signal of course.’ And it appears from the DX cluster, that Pit YO3JW could also hear me all the way over in Romania. Amazing. Sorry, I could not get them both in the log on 40m.

A total of 177 QSOs were made during this activation…..including my largest every haul of DX during a portable activation. This included a total of 27 contacts on 40m SSB into, and 150 contacts on 20m SSB into Europe, Japan, South America, and Hawaii. It certainly showed that WWFF is extremely popular in Europe, and the hungry WWFF park hunters in Europe are very keen to get an Australian National Park in their log. Now if only WWFF became popular in Australia.

The list of worked stations is extensive. But here is a breakdown of the countries that I worked:-

Australia
Austria
Belarus
Belgium
Brazil
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
England
Finland
France
Germany
Hawaii
Hungary
Italy
Japan
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Northern ireland
Poland
Romania
Russia
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine

I have placed a short video on You Tube of this activation…..

Mokota Conservation Park

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Paul VK5PAS

After packing up at the Hallett Hill summit, I headed back into Mount Bryan township, and then headed north for the Mokota Conservation Park (CP), which is located about 180 km north of Adelaide, and about 5 km north east of the little township of Mount Bryan.

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

I drove out along White Hill Road, which is a dirt road, but easily passable with 2wd. White Hill Road runs off the western side of the Goyder Highway, just outside of Mount Bryan. As I drove out towards the park, I was surrounded by summits; Mount Bryan VK5/ SE-001 to my north; Hallett Hill VK5/ SE-004 to my west; and Mount Cone VK5/ SE-002 to my south. I had never been to Mokota CP before, and this was s spur of the moment activation, so I didn’t know what to expect. The land out here is quite barren, and as I headed east, the land was quite unmentionable. It was the last place I expected to find a conservation park.

map courtesy of mapcarta.com

I had travelled along White Hill Road for quite a few km, expecting to see a patch of scrub. But there was none to be seen. However, as I reached a bend in the road, out the corner of my right eye, I saw a few interpretive signs in what looked like a paddock. It was in fact the Mokota Conservation Park.

Mokota CP is about 455 hectares in size and was the first reserve in South Australia to be acquired with the priority aim of protecting a native grassland. The park, which was first proclaimed on 26th October, 2000, plays an important role in protecting native grassland and is one of the largest remaining examples of an open grassy vegetation community. It is one of the best examples of tussock grassland remaining in South Australia. There are a number of interpretive signs in the park which give an insight into the unusually high quality grassland, including 150 indigenous flora species surrounding it. A total of 32 of the species are of particular conservation significance to South Australia.

The park also provides habitat for about 28 native animal species, including Western Grey kangaroos, Red Kangaroos, and Euros. It was absolutely full of Western Grey kangaroos during my visit. They were everywhere….grazing in the grasslands, and drinking at the nearby dam. Quite rare really, because generally on a hot day, kangaroos are seeking shelter from the sun. But they were certainly out in large numbers whilst I visited the park. The rare white spotted skipper butterfly is of particular interest and is listed as vulnerable. The park also provides habitat for the Flinders worm lizard whose conservation status is listed as vulnerable at national and state levels.

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The park is in the area of the original Mackerode estate, founded by G.A. Gebhardt. Mokota is a Maori name, chosen by L.W. GEBHARDT, meaning ‘fine view’. Interesting that he chose a Maori name. Prior to European settlement, the land was occupied by the Ngadjuri aboriginal people. The area of the park had been grazed from about the 1860’s right up until 199, when the land was acquired by the South Australian Government. I found some interesting newspaper articles from the early 1900’s re L.W. GERBHARDT.

Above: from The Register, May 1935. Courtesy of trove.nla.gov.au

Above: from The Register, Sept 1919. Courtesy of trove.nla.gov.au

I used the Yaesu FT-817nd and ran just 5 watts for this activation, and my Band Hopper 40m/20m linked dipole. I used one of the interpretive signs to secure the 7 metre squid pole, with a few octopus straps, weighting down the ends of the dipole with some moss rocks.

I had sent out an SMS to the normal gang of park hunters prior to the activation, hoping that I would get a few calls. I’ve found the SMS group message works really well. Sadly at the moment, the VK5 Parks award does not have an audible alerting system like SOTA Goat or Rucksack radio. So activators rely on any method of getting the word out that they are in a park. Allen VK3HRA has developed parksnpeaks, but at this stage there is no audible app for mobile phones.

http://www.parksnpeaks.org

I started off on 7.105 on 40m and put out a CQ call and was greeted immediately by the normal crew: Col VK5HCF, Larry VK5LY, Brian VK5FMID, and John VK5BJE. Col was a good 5/8 signal with his normal QRP 5 watt signal. The other motley crew were all 5/9 or 5/9 plus. I was also called by John VK5DJ in Millicent, David VK5NQP, and Andrew VK2UH. It was quite a struggle with Andrew, as it was the middle of the day and the 40m band had gone to sleep. Andrew was a good 5/6 but he was only receiving me 4/3.

It was very slow going with not many contacts for this activation. I put out numerous CQ calls but didn’t get any respond, so I tuned around the band and managed to make contact with Andrew VK1NAM who was on SOTA peak, Baldy Range, VK2/ ST-008. Andrew was quite weak, 5/3, and I received a 5/1 signal report from Andrew. But that is the beauty of operating portable. The noise floor is generally very low and that was certainly the case in Mokota CP. You could hear a pin drop, and thus, able to work the weakest of weak stations.

I then lowered the squid pole, and removed the crocodile clips in the linked dipole for 20m, and then raised the squid pole back into position. I put a few calls out on 14.200 but didn’t receive any replies. I tuned across the band and found it was very quiet, with very few stations active. I did hear a few amateurs from the United States, but their signals were very low. Certainly too low to even attempt to give them a call.

It was starting to creep up into the mid 30 degrees, so I decided to pack up and head back home to Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills. I had just 8 contacts in the log on 40m SSB. However, this was a very interesting park, and was certainly well worth a visit.

The following stations were worked:-

Col VK5HCF; Larry VK5LY; Brian VK5FMID; John VK5BJE; John VK5DJ; David VK5NQP; Andrew VK2UH; and Andrew VK1NAM/2 (SOTA)

References.

Cockburn, R, 2002, South Australia. What’s in a Name?, 4th edition, Adelaide

Government of South Australia, 2003, Mokotoa Conservation Park Management Plan.

Government of South Australia, ‘Parks of the Mid North‘.

National Library of Australia, 2014, viewed 8th October 2014, <http://trove.nla.gov.au>

Hallett Hill, VK5/ SE-003

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Paul VK5PAS

My one and only activation for Saturday 4th October, 2014, was Hallett Hill, VK5/ SE-003, which is located about 180 km north of Adelaide, and about 2 km north west of the little township of Mount Bryan, in the Mid North of South Australia.

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

I got up early and after a hearty breakfast at the Commerical Hotel at Jamestown, I headed towards New Campbell Hill, VK5/ SE-007, which is situated on the edge of the Bundaleer Forest Reserve. However, much to my disappointment, there was a sign on the gate at Neindorf Road, stating that access was prohibited due to reforest operations. Bugger ! So I looked at possible alternatives and was lucky enough to make contact with the land owner of Hallett Hill. So south east I headed towards Mount Bryan.

Hallett Hill is an easy summit to access. It is located on private property, so please obtain permission from the land owner prior to entry. Details can be found on the SOTA site. I had activated this summit with Ian VK5CZ in July 2013, but it appears we entered the summit from the northern end via another land owner’s property. This time I travelled out along the Mokota Road, at the southern end of the Mount Bryan township. Upon reaching the T junction, turn left onto Collinsville Road. A few km up on your right you will reach a set of double gates with various signs on them including ‘High Voltage. Authorised personnel only. Keep out‘. This is where you access the summit. The dirt road will take you to the ridge line, where you need to travel north to the actual summit.

map courtesy of googlemaps.com

Screenshot 2014-10-07 16.08.32

map courtesy of googlemaps.com

I used a wire fence and post to secure the 7 m squid pole, with some octopus straps. As this was the 2nd year anniversary of the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program) in South Australia, I had the SOTA flag flying proudly. And it was certainly flying! As expected, the wind was very strong on the top of the hill. After all, I was set up amongst a wind farm. Again, for this activation I ran the Yaesu FT-817nd and 5 watts and the linked dipole.

I propped on 7.090 on 40 m and called CQ and this was responded to immediately by Larry VK5LY with a very strong 5/9 plus signal from The Riverland. This was followed by SOTA stalwart, Peter VK3FPSR, Adam VK2YK, and then the ever reliable Col VK5HCF at Mount Gambier. A steady flow of callers from VK2, VK3, and VK5 followed. The band appeared to be very good, with excellent signals coming in from both locally and the eastern states. And I was receiving good signals back from as far afield as New South Wales, with my 5 watts.

Sadly, there was a large amount of noise on 40m, most likely generated by the wind turbines. It was about a strength 3 at times, and was a really annoying squealing sound. So any low signals were quite difficult to copy, if not impossible.

I managed two summit to summit contacts on 40m prior to the UTC rollover. That was with Mark VK3ASC who was portable on Mount Elliot, VK3/ VE-151. Mark had a good 5/7 signal, and he reciprocated with a 5/8 signal report for me. A few contacts later, I was called by Peter VK3PF who was portable on Mount Hooghly, VK3/ VT-049. Peter was very low down (5/2), but fortunately at the time he called, the noise being generated by the wind turbines was low and we were able to make the contact.

After working a total of 26 stations on 40m SSB, I QSYd to 14.310 on 20m SSB and started calling CQ. My first contact on 20m was with Mike VK6MB, who was a little weak (5/3). I received a 4/3 signal report from Mike in Perth. Not bad really, considering the distance is nearly 2,600 km. This was followed by Ian VK1DI, VK7LTD, Matt VK1MA, Ian VK5CZ and Lee VK2LEE. All had good strong signals. I remained on 20m for the UTC rollover and worked a further 10 stations. This included a summit to summit contact with Peter VK3PF on Mount Hooghly, VK3/ VT-049.

I then moved back to 40m to give the SOTA chasers on 40m a chance to pick up another 4 points. First taker there again was Larry VK5LY, followed by Tony VK3CAT and then Nigel VK5NIG. I went on to work a total of 31 stations on 40m SSB after the UTC rollover.

This included a few summit to summit contacts. The first being with Mitch VK3XDM who was portable on Mount Rosea, VK3/ VW-003. Mitch’s signal was a good solid 5/7 and I received a 5/8 report from Mitch. Immediately following this, Glen VK3YY called in from Mount Ritchie, VK3/ VC-003 (5/5 both ways). I then spoke with Rob VK2QR who was portable on Mount Jackson, VK2/ SW-003. As always, Rob had a good signal (5/7 both ways). My final summit to summit contact on 40m SSB was with Andrew VK1NAM/2 who was portable on Baldy Range, VK2/ ST-008. Andrew as an excellent 5/8 signal and I received a 5/9 signal report from Andrew.

I had been patiently waiting for Paul VK1ATP/7 who was on SOTA peak, VK7/ NE-003, to come up on 20m. I had heard him talking with Andrew VK1NAM on 40m, but sadly, due to the wind turbine noise, he was just too weak to work. Just before I was about to pack up, the SOTA Goat app bleated on my i-phone, and it was a spot for Paul on 14.310. I had already lowered the squid pole, and removed the crocodile clips in anticipation. Paul was a beautiful 5/4 signal coming in, and I was fortunate enough to make my first ever VK7 SOTA contact. And a summit to summit to boot. I was very happy.

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After about 90 minutes on the hill, it was time to pack up and head off. I had a total of 73 contacts on 40m SSB and 20m SSB in the log.

The following stations were worked:-

Brownhill Range, VK5/ SE-004

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Paul VK5PAS

My last Summits on the Air ((SOTA) activation for Friday 3rd October, 2014, was Brownhill Range, VK5/ SE-004, which is located about 212 km north of Adelaide, and about 5 km south east of Jamestown, in the Mid North of South Australia. I last activated this summit in July 2013, so another 4 points as a SOTA activator were there for the taking.

Access to the summit is via Seven Trees Road. Turn onto the Booborowie Road, from the Wilkins Highway (Jamestown to Hallet Road). Travel about 5 km south along the Booborowie Road and you will see The Willows Road, on your right. Travel west along The Willows Road until you reach the T junction with Seven Trees Road. Turn left onto Seven Trees Road. Diagonally opposite the power plant, you will see some double gates with various signs on the gates including ‘Unauthorised access. Tresspassers will be prosecuted‘. This is the access point to the summit. The summit is located on private property, so please obtain permission prior to access.

The Brownhill wind farm consists of 45 Suzlon S88 turbines each of a rated 2.1 megawatt (MW) for a total of around 95 MW. It is adjacent to an existing 180 MW gas fired peaking power plant. The wind farm construction was carried out by Suzlon Energy Australia Pty. Ltd. This site utilises an innovative rock anchor solution to support the turbines using only one third of the concrete and reinforcement required in traditional foundations.

I travelled up the dirt road towards the top of the hills, through some gates, and then south along the ridge line to reach the remnants of the trig point. If you do access this summit, please remember to shut the gates, as cattle are kept in the paddocks amongst the wind turbines. The trig point now consists of three blue painted poles set amongst a clump of moss rocks. The views from here are truly grand, with a 360 degree panorama of the surrounding countryside. To adhere to the ‘activation zone’ rule for SOTA, I parked my car down the hill and walked up to the trig point.

Screenshot 2014-10-07 09.42.38

Much to my displeasure, the trig point was absolutely alive with flies and bugs. Not really sure why. I guess they just wanted to call it home for the afternoon, and join me in a SOTA activation. Even the ‘Aerogard’ didn’t keep them away! The photo below is looking south east from the summit, and you can clearly see the very active flies and bugs, which were relentless!

I ran the little Yaesu FT-817nd again for this operation, running just QRP, 5 watts. My antenna was the Band Hopper 20m/40m linked dipole which I supported on the 7 metre squid pole. I used one of the trig point poles as an anchoring point for the squid pole, securing it with some octopus straps. Fortunately, the breeze had dropped and it was beautiful late afternoon on the summit. This was in stark contrast to my previous activation of this summit in July, 2013, when there was a howling westerly wind blowing.

One other thing different this time around, was that the noise floor was very low. Last time I activated this summit, there was a terrible squealing noise on the band, apparently generated by the wind turbines. But fortunately, the band was very quiet today.

Prior to calling CQ, I checked my phone and saw that Brian VK3MCD, was portable on SOTA peak, Mount Stanley, VK3/ VE-126, near Beechworth in north east Victoria. So I turned the radio on and tuned to 7.085 and there was Brian with a very nice 5/8 signal. After working Brian ‘summit to summit’, I tuned down to 7.080 and put out a CQ call and was greeted by Tony VK3CAT. This was followed by Larry VK5LY and my fourth qualifying contact was with Greg VK5ZGY who was mobile at Mount Gambier in the South East of South Australia.

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The regular crowd of SOTA chasers then called in, from VK1, VK2, VK3, and VK5. Band conditions appeared to be quite good, with very good signals coming in locally from VK5, and from the eastern states. However, there didn’t seem to be the same number of SOTA chasers as normal. However, it was a weekday, and most people in Australia were either still at work or about to finish work.

After working a total of 21 stations on 40m SSB, I lowered the squid pole and removed the links from the dipole and then raised the squid pole back to its 7 metre limit. I was keeping a close eye on SOTAWatch on my iPhone and saw that there were a number of intended SOTA activations from the United Kingdom and Europe. So I was hoping for some ‘DX summit to summit’ contacts whilst I was on Brownhill Range.

One of those was Klaus DF2GN, who was portable on SOTA peak, Hohenkarpfen, DM/ BW-074. I saw Klaus had been spotted on 14.130, so I tuned down the band to that frequency and heard Klaus well, with a very good strong 5/8 signal. Klaus had posted that he was suffering from high VSWR when operating higher in the band, and thus the reason for being all the way down here. However, there was clearly no issue with Klaus’ antenna, as his signal was very strong. My only problem was, Klaus had a big pile up going, from both Europe and Australia. I called a number of times but just couldn’t break through the Australians calling him. After about 10 attempts, I heard Klaus come back to my call. Elation! Klaus gave me a 5/7 signal report, which I was very pleased with considering my 5 watts.

Hohenkarpfen summit is 912 metres above sea level, and is worth 10 points. It is an extinct volcano and is located near Spaichingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Image courtesy of http://www.panoramio.com

I then saw a spot for Barry, M0IML, who was portable on Dettling Hill, G/ SE-013. So I quickly tuned up to 14.327.5 and I was pleased to hear Barry coming through quite well, at about 5/4. Fortunately Barry was not quite as busy as Klaus, and it only took a few calls for Barry to respond with a 4/4 signal report for me. I was really excited…another ‘DX summit to summit’.

Dettling Hill is 200 metres above sea level and is worth 1 SOTA point. It forms part of the North Downs in Kent, a ridge of chalk hills. The summit is located north east of Maidstone, and is situated in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The name, taken from the village of Detling that sit at the foot of the hill, derives from Old English and means “hill at the settlement of the family of a man called Dyttel”.

Image courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org

After working Barry I found a clear frequency on 14.295 and put out a CQ call. Much to my surprise, the first taker was Mikel EA2CW, who was portable on SOTA peak, Ganguren, EA2/ BI-055. Mikel was coming through at signal strength 5/5. Following Mikel, I received a call from Marcial, EA2BDS who was also on Ganguren, EA2/ BI-055.

Image courtesy of http://www.summitpost.org

A handful of stations followed on 14.295 including Viktor HA5LV, Paul VK2KTT, Dave VK4DD and Mike VK6MB. But I then saw a spot for Mike 2E0YYY who was portable on Shining Tor, G/ SP-004. So as it had gone a little quiet with callers, I quickly tuned to 14.285 and made contact with Mike who was a good 5/3 signal (5/3 received from Mike). Mike is the most prolific DX SOTA activator that I have worked.

Image courtesy of http://www.knowledge.me.uk

The SOTA goat app then bleated on my i-phone, alerting me to Allan, GW4VPX who was portage on Mynydd y Betws, GW/ SW-028, on 14.280. I put a few calls out to Allan before being answered with a 4/4 signal report. Alan was a good 5/3 signal coming in to Brownhill Range. Mynydd y Betws is 374 metres above sea level and is worth 1 SOTA point.

Image courtesy of en.wikepedia.com

I then went back to 14.295 and put out some CQ calls, and Adam VK2YK responded. This was followed by Hans OE7PHI. And then to my surprise I received a call from Martin OE5REO who was portable on SOTA peak, Grillenparz, OE/ OO-316. Although Martin was not strong, and was only 5/1, he was perfectly readable due to the very low noise floor on the summit. I received a 3/1 signal report from Martin. Now I was really excited. This was my 9th summit to summit contact for the activation, and my 7th DX summit to summit. Grillenparz is 842 metres above sea level, and is with 2 SOTA points. Martin was running just 10 watts into a linked dipole on a 6 metre mast.

Above: a previous activation at grillenparz by OE5REO. Image courtesy of http://oe5reo.blogspot.com.au

A number of DX stations followed from Austria and Germany. Sadly, an Italian station came up on 14.297 and was causing just too much QRM for me to continue on 14.295. So I tuned around the band and found another clear frequency on 14.191 and put out another CQ call, to be greeted by Albert S58AL. This was followed by a number of DX stations from Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, and Sweden. All probably due to Albert’s efforts of placing me on the DX cluster. Many thanks Albert. There was also an original spot from OO2T (vanity call of ON5SWA). Thanks Francois ‘Swa’. Spots on the DX cluster are always extremely helpful.

I even got a call from my old mate Marnix, OP7M, who had seen me spotted on the DX cluster. I stayed with Marnix and his wife Martine, and son Goan, during my recent Europe trip. So it was a real pleasure to make contact with him. Particularly when conditions were so good. Marnix was an excellent 5/9 signal and with my tiny 5 watts I received a 5/7 signal report from Marnix.

One of the strongest signals of the afternoon was that of Steve, G0KIK. Steve had an excellent 5/9 plus signal coming in, and I received a 5/76 signal report. Steve also placed me on the DX cluster. Thanks Steve.

After the DX slowed down on 20m, I then went back to 40m and worked some of the stragglers, including Sam VK2AFA, Ian VK5CZ, Nigel VK5NIG and Rod VK5VRB.

So after 2 hours on Brownhill Range, it was time to head back to the hotel at Jamestown. I had a total of 57 contacts on 40m SSB and 20m SSB, including 9 summit to summit QSOs. I was very happy.

The following stations were worked:-

I have posted a short video on You Tube of the activation…..

References.

Summits on the Air, 2014, viewed 7th October 2014, <http://www.sotadata.org.uk>

Wikipedia, 2014, viewed 7th October 2014, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallett_Wind_Farm>

Wikipedia, 2014, viewed 7th October 2014, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detling_Hill>

Hogshead Hill, VK5/ NE-051

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Paul VK5PAS

My second activation for Friday 3rd October, 2014, was Hogshead Hill, VK5/ NE-051, which is located about 7 km south east of the little town of Pekina in the mid north of South Australia (about 272 km north of Adelaide). It was just a short 60 minute drive north from my first activation at Mount Ngadjuri up to the town of Orroroo and then to Pekina.

Hogshead Hill is about 770 metres above sea level and is worth 4 SOTA points. I had previously activated the summit in August 2013 with Ian, VK5CZ. However, this was a new calendar year, and another 4 SOTA activator points were there for the taking. The summit is located on private property, so prior to access, please make contact with the owner (details can be found on the SOTA site under the Hogshead Hill listing).

Please refer to my previous post for some interesting facts on the summit and the nearby town of Pekina.

https://vk5pas.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/hogshead-hill-vk5-ne-051/

I accessed the summit via Hogshead Road. I had spoken to the land owner prior to access, and it appears that last time, Ian and I accessed the summit via his neighbour’s land. Fortunately there was no problem with us doing this, but this time I made sure I had very good directions regarding access. This time I parked my car on Hogshead Road, opposite a farmhouse on the eastern side of Hogshead Road. Directly opposite the farmhouse is a ‘cocky’s gate’. This is where I entered, following the scrub lined creek, up to a 2nd gate and fence line. As it turns out, there is a track leading through this paddock following the creek line which could be negated with care by a 2wd vehicle. However, I decided to leave my Falcon parked on Hogshead Road. At a recent service of my car, the mechanic had asked if I had gone off road, as there was a large build up of dirt under the car, along with some damage to the undercarriage.

The walk to the top of the summit takes between 45 minutes – 60 minutes. There is no formal track, and there is quite a bit of fence climbing and rock clambering to be done to reach the summit. It is a bit of a strenuous walk, particularly if the weather is warm, as it was on this day.

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The creek line and summit were alive with kangaroos and euros. Many trying to shelter under the trees out of the sun. There were also quite a few sleepy lizards around in the long grass. This made me wonder, whether there were some snakes out and about as well. I am sure there were, but fortunately I didn’t encounter any.

Again for this activation I used the Yaesu FT-817nd and ran 5 watts. My antenna was the 20m/40m linked dipole, supported on the 7 metre squid pole. The temperature was creeping up into the mid 30’s, so I choose a shady spot under a tree to place the radio. I used a fallen tree to secure the squid pole with a few octopus straps. The top of this summit is a flat plateau, so there are plenty of options for establishing your station and erecting an antenna.

Just after setting up, my i-phone bleated at me, and I saw that Justin VK2CU was on the top of a summit in New South Wales. So I quickly tuned to 7.090 and there was Justin with a weak, but very audible signal. Justin was on the top of Mount Kaputar VK2/ NW-001, in north eastern New South Wales. The summit is also located within the Mount Kaputar National Park which qualifies for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. We exchanged signal reports (5/1 sent and 3/1 received), and I then moved up to 7.095 where I put out a CQ call, only to be greeted by the ever keen, Nev, VK5WG, with a very strong 5/9 plus signal.

It was a week day, and it was the middle of the day, so a lack of SOTA chasers and band conditions were conspiring against me. As we all know, the 40m band tends to ‘go to sleep’ during the middle of the day. But I pressed on and made a total of 10 contacts on 40m SSB into VK1, VK2, VK3, and VK5, before lowering the squid pole and removing the links in the dipole, for 20m.

I then tuned to 14.310 and my first caller on 20m was Matt VK1MA who had a very good 5/9 signal (5/8 received). Mike VKMB then called me, but despite our best efforts, I was just not able to get a signal report through to Mike who was very weak (5/1), but very audible on the summit due to the very low noise floor. If only it was like that in everyone’s homes. I had similar problems with Ron VK3AFW who called and called and called, but sadly I just could not exchange a signal report with him for a valid contact. Conditions however, to New South Wales, the ACT, and Tasmania appeared quite good.

I operated on the summit for about 50 minutes, before deciding to pack up and head down, and off to the next summit. I had a total of 19 stations in the log on 40m SSB and 20m SSB.

The following stations were worked:-

Mount Ngadjuri, VK5/ NE-058

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Paul VK5PAS

On Thursday night I stayed at the Commercial Hotel at Jamestown. The room was small and basic, but very clean and all I needed for my 2 nights stay in the town, so I could activate some of the nearby peaks for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program. Sadly, other than Mount Lofty and Mount Gawler and VK5/ SE-016, the nearest summits to me are located a minimum of 100 km away. That is despite the fact that I live in the Mount Lofty Ranges. Yes, I know, I live in the ‘mountains’ but only 2 nearby summits qualify for SOTA. Go figure! One of those quirky rules of SOTA….150 metres of prominence. So after breakfast, I packed up my gear and headed north out of Jamestown to Mount Ngadjuri, VK5/ NE-058. This was my second time to Mount Ngadjuri. I had previously activated the summit in July, 2013, and as this was a new calendar year, another 4 SOTA points were up for grabs.

Map courtesy of mapcarta.com

Mount Ngadjuri is 755 metres above sea level, and as mentioned is worth 4 SOTA points. The summit is incorrectly spelt on the SOTA site as ‘Nadjuri’. It is correctly spelt as ‘Ngadjuri’ after the local Ngadjuri aboriginal tribe. I found the article below, which appeared in The News, on 12th August 1937. Interesting how terms that are totally taboo now, were obviously commonplace way back then.

Courtesy of trove.nla.gov.au

Today, the area around Mount Ngadjuri is used for agricultural purposes. However, prior to Europeans settling in the area, the Ngadjuri aboriginal people inhabited the area and led nomadic lives living off the land. I would imagine that Mount Ngadjuri itself would have been an important point in the landscape for the Ngadjuri tribe. Sadly, their numbers were decimated by introduced European diseases, including smallpox. By the 1870s few of the Ngadjuri remained on their traditional lands and most of those left had become dependent upon the white population through land dispossession. Although there were some late attempts to arrest their decline, by the end of the nineteenth century the language group, as it had been, had ceased to exist.

As per my last activation, I accessed the summit by travelling west along Slant Road, which runs off the western side of RM Williams Way. Slant Road is about 13 km north of Jamestown. You need to travel up Slant Road to the hills and through the gorge. You will reach a point at the top of the hills, where you will see a gate on your right with a rapid number of ‘730 403’ on it. This is where you need to enter. However, remember that the summit is on private property. So prior to entry, please obtain permission from the landowner. Details can be found on the SOTA site under the notes for Mount Ngadjuri.

map courtesy of googlemaps.com

I parked my car at the second gate which is a short drive through the paddock, and walked the remainder of the way to the actual summit, which is a distance of about 1.5-2 km. The walk is quite easy and certainly not at all taxing. This particular morning was much more pleasant than my last activation. In July 2013, it was a cool foggy morning. But this morning was beautiful and clear. Even though the sun was out, I still saw quite a few kangaroos in the paddocks amongst the sheep.

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There is no trig point at the summit. However there is a rock cairn. There is also no shelter on the summit, and it does tend to get quite windy there. So I tried to nestle as close as I could to the rock cairn, to get out of the blustery westerly winds.

For this activation I used my Yaesu FT-817nd and ran just 5 watts. I powered the radio with a 12 volt 4 ah sealed lead acid battery. My antenna was the BandHopper 20m/40m linked dipole, which I supported on a 7 metre squid pole.

I started off on 40m SSB, with my first contact being with Nev VK5WG at nearby Crystal Brook (about 68 km to the south west by road). As expected, Nev had a very strong 5/9 plus signal. This was followed by John VK5FMJC, also in Crystal Brook, and then Ian VK5IS running QRP 5 watts from nearby Beetaloo Valley. Robin VK5TN was my saving grace, as my fourth and qualifying contact for the summit. Robin was mobile near Ouyen in Victoria and had a very good 5/8 signal. My next contact was with Mike VK6MB in Western Australia. It is often a challenge to work Mike on 40m, but this morning, conditions were good, and Mike was a good strong 5/8 and reciprocated with a 5/4 signal received.

As it was a weekday, it was a bit slow going on 40m. Certainly not the hectic operating conditions with the normal mob of SOTA chasers that you experience on a weekend activation. So after working a total of 17 stations on 40m SSB, I ventured up to 20m and put out a CQ call on 14.310 which was answered by Ian VK5IS. This was followed by another contact with Mike VK6MB, who surprisingly was weaker on 20m than he was on 40m. I worked a further 3 stations on 20m in VK1, VK2, & VK7.

After 40 minutes on the summit, it was time to pack up and head off to the next summit. I had a total of 22 stations in the log on 40m and 20m SSB. Sadly, I didn’t manage any summit to summit contacts during this activation.

The following stations were worked:-

References.

National Library of Australia, 2014, viewed 8th October, 2014, <http://trove.nla.gov.au>

Wikipedia, 2014, viewed 8th Oct 2014, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngadjuri>

Spring Gully Conservation Park

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Paul VK5PAS

On Thursday 2nd October 2014, I activated the Spring Gully Conservation Park (CP) in the Clare Valley. I left work early on the Thursday afternoon, and headed towards Jamestown in the Mid North of South Australia, where I planned to stay for 2 nights and activate some of the nearby summits for the Summits on the Air (SOTA) program. However, I had a little time up my sleeve on the Thursday afternoon, so I popped in to the Spring Gully CP on the way. And why not, it was a beautiful sunny day….temperature about 25 deg c.

The park is located about 8 km south of Clare in what is called the Skilly Hills, in the Mid North of South Australia. The park is about 400 hectares in size, and conserves a considerable area of grassy woodland in what is generally a cleared and settled landscape in the Clare district. In 1962, the original 15 acres of the park was gazetted as a wildlife reserve. This was later extended to include the springs that give the park its name. There is a seasonal waterfall within the park, which plunges from a height of 18 metres following rain.

Screenshot 2014-10-05 20.41.48

Spring Gully CP was originally created to protect the only stand of Red Stringybark (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha) trees in South Australia. This eucalypt is widespread in eastern Victoria and eastern New South Wales, but is very rare in South Australia. The trees gain their name from their red trunk once their fibrous bark is removed. These trees are delicately placed, as thousands died following the extremely dry period between mid 1007 to early 2008. A small section of the park was also burnt during a lightning ignited bushfire in November, 2009. The park also protects White Spider Orchids, Donkey Orchid, and Sun Orchid, and other smaller plants below the canopy in the grassy woodland ecosystem.

IMGA0027

Prior to European occupation of the area, the land on which the park is located on, was frequented by the local Ngadjuri aboriginal people, providing an abundance of food. However, upon the arrival of the Europeans, the area was extensively used for logging timber and for the grazing of stock.

The park is inhabited by a variety of wildlife including Western grey kangaroos, euros, echidnas, and Common brush tail possums. Over fifty species of birds have been recorded in the park including numerous parrots, and kookaburras. There was certainly no shortage of kangaroos, with quite a few spotted both on the way to the park, and also within the park itself.

I accessed the park by travelling off Horrocks Highway, onto Bayes Road, then left onto Hughes Park Road, and then right onto Sawmill Road. At the hairpin on Sawmill Road, there is a dirt track (Ridgetop Track), which will take you all the way up to the lookout within the park. The lookout is where I decided to set up. There are a number of other possibilities in the park, including the Blue Gum Lookout day visitor area.

There is plenty of room at the lookout to string out a dipole, which is exactly what I did…erecting my 20m/40m Band Hopper linked dipole, which I supported on the 7 metre squid pole. For this activation I ran QRP 5 watts with the Yaesu FT-817nd, powered by a 12 volt 4 ah sealed lead acid battery.

I had notified some of the keen VK5 Park Hunters of my intentions, so when I asked if the frequency was in use on 40m, I was welcomed by a number of the regulars. My first contact was with Col VK5HCF down in Mount Gambier in the South East of South Australia. Col was running his usual QRP 5 watts and had a very nice 5/9 signal to the park. This was followed by David VK5KC and John VK5BJE, who were both portable at the caravan park at Clare, just down the road. Not surprising that they had 5/9 signals. Greg VK5ZGY then called in and this was followed by Nick VK3NAL who was low down in signal strength and was also struggling with my low powered signal. Nether less, we managed to make the contact which is all that counts.

A number of the regular VK5 Park Hunters called in after this, along with Ron VK3JP who has become a regular park hunter during my recent activations. I also received a call from Bill VK5WCC at Millicent in the South East. I was Bill’s first ever park contact. Welcome to the world of park hunting Bill. It was also good to speak with Ivan VK5HS who was mobile with a very good 5/8 signal.

About half way through the activation, I had some visitors….. David VK5KC and John VK5BJE. After a quick chat, we organised to catch up for a quick ale once my activation was complete, and advised that Ian VK5CZ would also be joining us.

My last contact was with Brian VK3MCD who was portable on Mount Baranduda, VK3/ VE-189, for the SOTA program. Brian and a good 5/5 signal coming in from north eastern Victoria, and I received a 5/7 signal report from Brian.

So after 30 minutes in the park, I had a total of 16 contacts in the log, from VK3 and VK5. It was time to pack up and head off to catch up with David, John, and Ian at the caravan park. ‘Beer o’clock’! Thanks to everyone that called in.

The following stations were worked:-

Col VK5HCF; David VK5KC/p; John VK5BJE/p; Greg VK5ZGY; Nick VK3ANL; Ian VK5CZ; Bill VK5WCC; Matt VK5MLB; Larry VK5LY; Tom VK5FTRG; Ron VK3JP; Brian VK5FMID; Arno VK5ZAR; Col VK5FCDL; Ivan VK5HS/m; and Brian VK3MCD/p (SOTA).

References.

National Parks South Australia, 2014, viewed 5th October 2014, <http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/Clare_Valley/Spring_Gully_Conservation_Park>

Weekend Notes, 2014, viewed 5th October 2014, <http://www.weekendnotes.com/spring-gully-conservation-park/>

Wikipedia, 2014, viewed 5th October 2014, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Gully_Conservation_Park>

Mount Lofty VK5/SE-005 and Cleland Conservation Park

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Paul VK5PAS

Yesterday afternoon (17th September, 2014) I headed over to Mount Lofty summit, VK5/ SE-005, which is located within the Cleland Conservation Park. I had already activated this summit earlier in the year on two occasions, so there were no Summits on the Air (SOTA) activation points up for grabs for me. But I could earn 1 point for the VK5 National and Conservation Parks Award. My main motivation for heading to the summit was that I had seen a number of alerts on SOTA Watch for that afternoon, from activators in the United Kindgom and Europe, and I was hoping to make some ‘summit to summit’ contacts.

However, the weather was a bit ‘iffy’. We had received a large amount of rain overnight and early in the morning here in the Mount Lofty Ranges, and it was still drizzling after lunch. So I toyed with the idea of cancelling the activation. About an hour out from the activation, I jumped onto the weather bureau website and saw that the weather was supposed to clear up. So, with a degree of hesitation, I prepared the gear and loaded my equipment into the car, and headed towards Mount Lofty, which is just a short 15 minute drive from home.

For this activation, I decided to set up in a different spot as opposed to my previous activations. I normally set up my station on the eastern side of the summit away from the tourists at the lookout and the restaurant. Mount Lofty offers spectacular views of the city of Adelaide, so the summit is generally quite busy. But this time I headed very close to the summit obelisk, and set up my antenna a short distance from the Country Fire Service fire spotting tower. This was to be a big mistake!

Because I had driven into the activation zone, I had to walk out of the activation zone and back in again with all of my gear. Not easy work, considering I hard brought along the Yaesu FT-450 and my 44 amp hour power pack, so that I could run a bit of extra power (40 watts on 40m and about 60 watts on 20m). And the fact that I had put on a fair bit of weight during my recent trip to Europe. Fortunately there was a track leading down towards Waterfall Gully. So I walked down the track, and slowly, slowly walked back up the track to my operating position.

I took some minutes of well earned rest, under the watchful eye of some visitors to the restaurant, above me. This location was a little more of a challenge in setting up the station. My operating spot was on a slope which had a lot of fallen branches and rocks. I secured the 7 metre squid pole to a fallen tree stump, which I also used as a seat and a bench for the radio. I had some issues with the bottom cap of the squid pole coming apart, resulting in the squid pole de-telescoping. Time for some running repairs. And then with the squid pole falling down in the breeze, so I propped it up with a large rock. Not a great start to the activation!

Upon turning on the radio, there was quite a bit of noise on the 40m band. A lot more than I normally hear at Mount Lofty. Obviously emanating from the nearby tower with its array of communications equipment. My nominated frequency of 7.090 was impossible to work on. There was simply too much noise. Strike two! So I headed up to 7.095 after sending out an SMS message to some of the keen park hunters here in VK5.

My first contact was with Larry VK5LY in Renmark who had a very strong 5/9 plus signal. This was followed by Col VK5HCF in Mount Gambier who was also 5/9. My third contact was a bit of a surprise. I was contacted by Colin VK4FAAS who had a good 5/6 signal coming down from Brisbane in Queensland. My fourth contact was with regular park hunter, Brian VK5FMID, also located down in Mount Gambier.

Conditions on 40m appeared good, but not as good as they were on the weekend when signals were incredibly strong. The noise floor was certainly not enjoyable either. And the fallen log was not the most comfortable. But I pressed on, and made a further 10 contacts on 40m SSB into VK3, VK5, and VK7. I did note that there was not the normal pile up, most likely due to it being a week day. After the first 7 contacts on 40m, I had to QSY up to 7.098, due to the Kandos Net on 7.093.

After working Peter VK3FPSR, the SOTA Goat application on my i-phone bleated, alerting me to the fact that Mike 2E0YYY was now on 20m on a summit in England. So with no further takers on 40m, I lowered the squid pole and took out the crocodile clip links and then re-erected the squid pole. I changed bands to 20m, but was greeted with noise, noise, and more noise. Much worse than 40m. It was clear that I had to change locations. Strike three, but not quite out!

So, with a fair degree of frustration, I quickly took down the antenna, and lugged the equipment back to the car and drove a short distance away to the eastern side of the summit. Where again, I had to walk out and walk back into the activation zone with all the heavy gear. By the time I got back to my operating spot, I was exhausted. I layed down on the ground to recuperate, only to be approached by a bushwalker to make sure I was still alive.

After re-erecting the antenna, I tuned to 14.333 and heard Mike 2E0YYY calling CQ from SOTA peak, Shining Tor, G/ SP-004. Mike was not as strong as I normally hear him at home. However he still had a good 5/5 signal and pleasingly, the noise floor here at the new location, had dramatically dropped. Although it was noisier than usual. I called Mike and received a 5/7 signal report from him. I was very excited to get a summit to summit (S2S) in the UK. Although I have worked a lot of DX from summits, I have not worked anywhere near the number of DX S2S contacts that some of the other Australian SOTA activators have.

I sas Barry M0IML also spotted on SOTAWatch and I tuned to Barry’s frequency, but his signal was a little too low to work. For whatever reason, the noise on 20m was a little higher than normal at Mount Lofty. I also saw a spot for Allan GW4VPX, but he too was just too weak for me to work. This was very frustrating.

I then moved to 14.315 and put out a CQ call. I was greeted by Borek, OK1SDE in the Czech Republic with a nice strong 5/9 signal. I went to log Borek, only to find that in my haste to get to the 2nd operating spot, I had left my watch back at the original operating spot. Strike four, if you can have such a thing! So I was forced to use my i-phone to check the time. This was to cause me problems later as well, with my phone going flat.

Five QSOs later I was thrilled to receive a call from Barry, M0IML who was portable on SOTA peak, Detling Hill, G/ SE-013. Barry was not as strong as Mike, but was still a good 5/4 to Mount Lofty. His signal had come up considerably from when I first heard him. I received a 5/5 signal report from Barry who was one of the activators I was hoping to log during the afternoon.

This was followed by a contact with Hans DL6UHA, who informed me that I was his 1st ever VK summit. This was followed by contacts into the USA, Belgium and VK1.

My next contact was with Martin OE5REO who was portable on SOTA peak, Grillenparz, OE/ OO-316. Martin’s signal was a bit low (5/3), but as the noise floor was much lower here, I was able to hear Martin without too many difficulties. I received a 5/5 signal report from Martin. Martin was using just 10 watts into an inverted vee dipole.

This contact was immediately followed by a call from Erwin, OE5PEN, who was portable on SOTA peak, Kaiblinger Kogel, OE/ OO-325. Erwin’s signal was stronger than Martin’s. Erwin was a good 5/7 and I received a 5/7 signal report back from Erwin. I was absolutely thrilled to now have four S2S contacts in the log.

I continued to work a steady flow of callers, including John VK6NU in Western Australia, and Ed DD5LP in Germany. However, the band was a little noisier than usual, and I found that signals were either very good or extremely low. I had enormous problems with one station, G0XQX or similar, who sadly I just couldn’t pull out of the noise. And there were lots of other stations who I know were calling, but I was just unable to receive well enough to copy.

I was pleased to make contact with Kurt, ON3VHK, who was operating portable with 50 watts, from his camper van. I was also Kurt’s first ever VK contact. Kurst has sent me some photos (as seen below) of his operating set up.

John VK5BJE and his wife Jenny then arrived. I had spoken with John a bit earlier in the day and informed him of my intentions to activate the summit and the park, and I had invited him to join me if he was free. They had even brought along an iced coffee for me. So the ever keen, John took control of the mic and made some contacts, while Jenny and I returned to my original operating spot and retrieved my watch. There it was, in the spot that I had left it. At least I was out of a bit of trouble when I got home!

After returning to John, Jenny and I and a bit of a chat. Out of one ear I heard John being called by Andrew VK1NAM who was on SOTA peak, Mount Stromlo, VK1/ AC-043. After John had logged Andrew, I also spoke with Andrew who had a beautiful 5/9 plus signal coming in from the Australian Capital Territory. Andrew had called me on 20m earlier but it was a real struggle to try to make the contact. Unfortunately we were not helped by the European chasers who were trying to relay at the time. But there were certainly no issues here on 40m with hearing Andrew.

John continued on, and a few callers later was called by another Andrew. This time, Andrew VK1MBE who was on SOTA peak, Mount Ainslee VK1/ AC-040. I also logged Andrew, who again had a fantastic 5/9 plus signal.

John and I then took a break from the radio and the three of us chatted for a while. Whilst doing so, keeping a watchful eye on a big koala that had placed himself in a very precarious position on the limb of a gum tree, about 30 metres away from us. It was a long way down to the ground, and we were waiting for the sound of the limb snapping under his weight. Fortunately this didn’t occur. John and Jenny then headed off home to the warmth.

It was now approaching 5.30 p.m. and I toyed with the idea of whether I should stay or head home as well. But my eagerness took control, and I put out another call on 40m to be greeted by Brian VK3MCD. Lamont ZL2ALK then called in with a very good 5/9 plus 10 db signal. This was followed by Julie VK3FOWL, Mark VK7FMPR, and Joe VK3YSP.

I decided to head back to 20m and see if the long path to Europe was still open. And I am pleased I did. Despite the fact it was getting a bit late, and starting to get dark, the 20m band appeared to have improved, with some very strong signals coming in from Europe and the United Kingdom. Those noise level appeared to have abated a little.

As I tuned across the band, I heard John, EA7/G1WUU calling CQ with no takers, so I gave him a call. John had a beautiful 5/9 signal and I received a 5/7 signal report back from England. John and I had a bit of a ‘chinwag’ for a while, before I wished him 73. I then decided to try my luck and call CQ on 14.201 mhz. First taker was Tom G0LVX, followed by Bjoern DG2BHB and then Derek MI0SDR in Northern Ireland. Pat K4OAR from North Carolina then called me, and this was followed by Chris, N1GHZ/KH6 portable in Hawaii. Oliver F4FSV then called, using just 5 watts and a dipole. Oliver had a nice steady 5/3 signal.

A steady flow of callers continued from Europe, with very strong signals. I was a little surprised, as it was starting to get dark, and normally by now the 20m band had closed for me. So it was a real surprise to get a call from Sal, TI2SSO in Costa Rica (5/7 send and 5/5 received).

Daylight now was rapidly fading, and it was starting to get very cold. But conditions were just too good to go QRT. I was having too much fun. I continued to work a steady flow of callers from Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Scotland, France, Russia, and Spain. And I was then pleasantly surprised to receive a call from my old mate, Eddy ON6ZV. Eddy is mates with Marnix OP7M, who I had stayed with during my recent trip to Europe. Other than being an amateur, Eddy is also a police officer, like me. And we had spent a lot of time with Eddy and his wife Carine whilst we were in Belgium. So it was a real pleasure to have a chat to Eddy who was a good 5/8 signal. Eddy returned a 5/5 signal report to me.

And then a further 6 QSOs down the log I received a call from Albert, ON2WAC, who I had also visited whilst I was in Belgium. Albert was a little weaker than Eddy, but still had a good 5/5 signal to Mount Lofty. Albert gave me a 5/7 signal report.

It was now totally dark, and I had mountain bikers passing me with their lights on, going for a night ride. But the European stations kept calling with good signals, so I persevered despite the cold. I’m pleased I did, because the word must have got out in Belgium. I was called by Marnix OP7M with a very nice 5/7 signal, despite the fact that it was total darkness, and the local time was 6.53 p.m. Marnix even lowered his power down to 30 watts and I was still able to hear him well with a 5/4 signal. And then Wim ON7AB called in with a very strong 5/9 signal. I had also met Wim whilst in Belgium so I was particularly pleased with being able to make contact with Wim from Mount Lofty.

Before I knew it, the time had crept up to 7.00 p.m. local time and I was now freezing. There were still some European stations calling, but I decided to head to 40m quickly and I joined Roy VK7ROY on the 7.130 DX Net. Whilst on the net, I made a total of 14 contacts including three into New Zealand, two into the United States of America, three into VK7, one into VK2, two into VK6, one into VK8, and two into VK3.

My fingers had almost frozen over by this time and I informed Roy that I would be leaving the net, but that I would be on 7.145 for any last ‘desperadoes’ that would like Mount Lofty and Cleland CP in their log. I worked Terry VK3UP/p, Mark VK1EM, followed by Adrian VK4FBMW, Brian VK5FMID, and VK2FJ, before deciding that it was time to pack up and head home to a warm bath and a bottle of Cab Sav.

I had a total of 104 contacts in the log. I was very satisfied. This was one of the best SOTA and park activations I had ever experienced, with some amazing conditions on 20m. Despite some hiccups, including a lost but recovered watch, and some very sore legs, I headed home with a real smile on my face.

The following stations were worked:-

Welcome to amateur radio symposium

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Paul VK5PAS

On Sunday 23rd November, 2014, a ‘Welcome to amateur radio’ symposium’ will be held at the Blackwood Community Centre, Young Street, Blackwood.

The purpose of the day is to discuss the basics of the hobby of amateur radio. There will be 16 x short 20 minute presentations during the day, concluding in a general questions session.

Topics are as follows:

history of ham radio
operating legally & the model QSO,
DX Code of Conduct
ham jargon
QRZ.com
APRS
DX Cluster
Contesting & Chasing awards
QSL cards
electronic logging programs,
antenna basics
Blogs/Wordpress/You Tube
demystifying the learning of Morse Code,
Summits on the Air (SOTA)
Operating QRP
VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award and World Wide Flora and Fauna (WWFF)

As you can see, there will be a presentation on the VK5 Parks award & World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) by Larry VK5LY.

The cost of the day is $5.00 which includes morning & afternoon tea, and lunch which will consist of Subway and pizza.

Doors open at 8.30 a.m. with a welcome by Tony VK5KAT at 8.45 followed by an introduction to the day by myself, and then the first presentation at 8.55 a.m.

Please RSVP to me prior to Monday 17th Nov 2014, so that suitable catering & seating can be arranged. Either via email – simmopa@iprimus.com.au, or mobile – 0410 687 998.

The day is designed to cater for ALL amateurs – NEW & OLD alike.

Presenters will be travelling to the symposium from the Riverland and the mid north.

**Please RSVP prior to Monday 17th Nov 2014. Unfortunately, at last years SOTA/parks symposium, some people just rolled up on the day. This caused issues with catering. So please RSVP to me. And also wear your call sign badge.

I have placed a ‘flyer’ regarding the day in the Files section of both the VK5 Parks and WWFF group.

Kyeema Conservation Park

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Paul VK5PAS

This afternoon, I travelled down to the Kyeema Conservation Park, which is located just off the road between Meadows and Willunga. It is located about 60 km south east of the city of Adelaide.

It was another beautiful day in the Mount Lofty Ranges, with a temperature of about 21 deg C and bright blue sky. The drive from my home, which is also in the Mount Lofty Ranges (Adelaide Hills), takes you through some beautiful countryside. I travelled to the little town of Echunga and then on to Meadows, passing lush green countryside consisting of small farming properties and quite a bit of remnant scrub. From Meadows, I headed towards the town of Willunga. I had activated Kyeema CP last year in May, so this was another 1 point for me for the VK5 National and Conservation Parks Award. I set up in exactly the same spot as last year. This is a cleared area on the western side of the carpark which runs off Woodgate Hill Road, which in turn runs off the road between Meadows and Willunga (Brookman Road). There really aren’t too many other options here, as the scrub is very thick. For more information and history on the Kyeema Conservation Park, please have a look at my previous post….. https://vk5pas.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/kyeema-conservation-park/

It is worth reading, as Kyeema has a very interesting history, including being a former labour prison reserve. The ‘prison reformation camp’ was established in 1932. A total of 11 names were suggested for the camp. Eventually, the Controller of Gaols and Prisons, E.H. Whittle, chose ‘Kyeema’, which in aboriginal means ‘dawn’. The name was chosen to associate the spirit of hope with the new movement. I managed to find a bit of shade as the afternoon sun had a bit of a bite to it. I set up my deck chair and fold up table under the shade of some gum trees. I used my Yaesu FT450, running about 60 watts, and my 40m/20m linked dipole, supported on a 7 m squid pole. The squid pole in turn was supported by a squid pole holder which I had driven into the ground.

I started off calling CQ on 7.095 on 40m SSB and my first caller was Jaimie VK3TZE with a very strong 5/9 plus signal. This was followed by regular park ‘hunter’ Arno VK5ZAR and then Tim VK5AV from the South East. Both were 5/9 plus. It seemed the 40m band was in veery good shape again. The normal steady flow of park ‘hunters’ followed from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK5, and VK7. After operating for about 25 minutes, I was called by Steve VK5AIM, who was portable in the Kaiser Stuhl Conservation Park in the Barossa Valley. Steve was using an Icom IC703 and his ‘slinky squid’ antenna. Although his signal was down a little, I was still able to copy very well, as the noise floor in the park was negligible. It was great to hear someone else out in a park. And then, just 2 QSO’s down the track, I was called by Steve VK5SFA who was also out portable. Steve was operating from the Morialta Conservation Park, and had a very strong 5/9 plus signal. Another ‘park to park’ contact which was very pleasing. A further 2 QSOs on, I was called by Damien VK5FDEC, who was operating with Steve VK5AIM, in the Kaiser Stuhl Conservation Park. Damien’s signal was well over the 5/9 mark. This was Damien’s first every park activation. Welcome to the fold Damien. I am sure you will have a lot of fun. And with a signal like today’s, you will have no problems getting plenty of contacts in the log. And to top the day off, a few QSO’s later, I was called by Matt VK5MLB, who also had a very strong signal. Matt was operating from the Onkaparinga River National Park. This was also Matt’s first ever park activation. So welcome to you as well Matt. It was pleasing to get a few calls from QRP operators. This included Greg VK5GJ running just 5 watts from his home brew tx, Peter VK3TKK running just 2.5 watts, Wolf VK5WF running 4 watts into an inverted fee G5RV, Andrew VK3ARR running just 5 watts, Ian VK3VIN running QRP from his Argonaut, Robin VK5TN operating portable from his front yard, Erik VK3FMSC running 4 watts, and Peter VK3YE. Peter was running just 1 watt from a recently completed home brew tx. I was only his 2nd contact using his new home brew equipment. All had great signals.

Things started to slow down a little, so I handed the frequency over to Steve VK5AIM. I then tuned across the band and found Lee VK3GK operating as VK9NT from Norfolk Island, calling CQ on 7.160. Only problem was, he was working split. How do I get the FT450 to operate split? After a couple of minutes, I had worked it out and gave Lee a call and got him in the log. I then tuned down and found avid park hunter, John VK5BJE talking with Matt VK5MLB. I quickly jumped in to tell John to head up the band after he had finished speaking with Matt. John is a really keen park ‘hunter’ so I didn’t want him to miss out on Kyeema CP. After working John, I was called by Terry VK3ASU who had just completed some antenna repairs, and this was followed by Ian VK5CZ with a huge signal from Clare.

There were no more callers, so I lowered the antenna and took the links out of the dipole, so I could operate on 20m. However, as per yesterday, the 20m band was full of contesters for the Worked All Europe Contest. I couldn’t find a single station calling anything other than CQ Contest. So I headed down to 14.156 to say hello to the regular crew that operate on that frequency each day. I was lucky enough to make contact with John EA7BA in Spain, Ted G4TLY, Alan G0CRJ, and John M0CJW, all in England. And signal reports were quite good. I received a 5/9 from EA7BA, 5/8 from Ted, 5/6 from Alan, and 5/5 from John M0CJW. It was starting to get late in the afternoon, and I still wanted to go for a walk through the park, so I quickly tuned across the 20m band and worked Duncan EA5ON who was mobile at the marina at Valencia in Spain. Duncan had a very good signal and we had a very comfortable QSO. However this was my last contact on 20m for the day. I could not find anyone calling CQ. The only stations other than contesters that I heard were VK6IA and VK6ANC working Europe, and Jason ZL3JAS.

So I decided to venture back quickly to 40m, and I am pleased I did. I managed to work the Chatham Islands DXpetition, ZL7X, who were operating split on 7.174. So after about 2 and 1/2 hours operating, I had worked a total of 46 stations, including some interesting DX.

Time to pack up and go for a walk in the park, and then head home. The sunset photo below is what greeted me when I returned to the car following my walk. The native birds including the cockatoos, galahs, lorikeets and parrots were all very active at this time, getting ready to roost down for the night. The following stations were worked:-

VK3TZE; VK5ZAR; VK5AV; VK3MRG/p; VK3ANL; VK5KLT; VK5GJ; VK5FMID; VK5IS; VK3AFW; VK5HCF; VK1MA; VK3TKK; VK5LY; VK2HHA; VK5AIM/p (Kaiser Stuhl CP); VK7NWT; VK5SFA/p (Morialta CP); VK5ZAT/m; VK5FDEC/p (Kaiser Stuhl CP); VK5WF; VK3ARR; VK5FTVR; VK2WGW; VK3VIN; VK5OB; VK5TN/p; VK3FMSC; VK5HS; VK5MLB/p (Onkaparinga River NP); VK5FTCT; VK3CM; VK3YE; VK5BW; VK3HRA; VK5TR; VK9NT (Norfolk Island); VK5BJE; VK3ASU; VK5CZ; EA7BA; G4TLY; G0CRJ; M0CJW; EA5ON/m; and ZL7X (Chatham Islands).

References.

Cockburn; R; ‘South Australia. What’s in a Name?, 2002.

	mortallya4abb451cc on VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 7…
	Paul VK5PAS on Mount Arden VK5/ NE-034
	musicman1959daily on WRMI 9455 kHz
	Noel Fidge on Mount Arden VK5/ NE-034
	Matthew Walker on Contact with Mike G0WKH and Lo…

Amateur Radio, Short Wave Listening, travel and history