SOTA Tallai Range VK4/SE-094

After activating Sprinbrook Mountain VK4/SE-011 and lunch drove down to the Gold Coast to activate Tallai Range, VK4/SE-094. This summit is located on a suburban road called "The Panorama" in the Gold Coast suburb of Tallai.

For a suburban road it was steep, very steep! Almost tempted to use 4WD... After crawling up the hill in low gear reached the top of the ridge. A great view to the East of the Gold Coast high rise skyline.

This was from the Northern peak of the range. I originally thought this was the summit, stopped, then checked out the GPS, still 1.6 Km to go to the actual SOTA summit to the South. Looking back at the false summit.

Drove on the the proper summit. It is located just off the road on a small rise, with a gate to keep cars away from the comms towers.

Found several wooden stakes in the ground near the comms towers, possibly surveying a new tower? Used one of them for squid pole support.

View through the trees, not as good as the last hill though.

Lots of room for the 40 m dipole, a tree for one leg and a comms tower base for the other.

Set up the shack in the shade of a tree

Got on 20 m. Good signals from VK1, VK2, VK3 and a weak copy on Mike VK6MB. Tried 40 m, 2 weak chasers, VK3FPSR and VK3FQSO, plus a local VK4 mobile. Back to 20 m, another 5 more contacts. 14 contacts all up. Packed up and headed down and back into VK2 to Murwillimbah to walk Mt Warning, VK2/NR-001 the next day.

SOTA Springbrook Mountain VK4/SE-011

Made my way up to the town of Springbrook, in the Gold Coast Hinterland. Followed the signs to "Best of All Lookout", which is near Springbrook Mountain summit.

Turned off onto "Repeater Station Road". A narrow winding road up to Springbrook Mountain. There are 2 car parks, a lower one where the repeater stations are for Air Services Australia.

And there is a smaller car park above this which is the start of the walk to Best of all Lookout, and the actual summit of Springbrook Mountain.

As thick rainforest all around the only open space for a 40 m dipole was in the car park. Set up the squid pole on a bollard on the edge of the car park, in front of a disabled car parking spot.

Shack on the tarp on the side of the car park.

Laying out the dipole legs was challenging...ropes tied to tree branches, with the dipole legs running over the tops of branches. I had one leg running over the roof of a parked car...

A claustrophobic operating spot. Got on 20 m as I knew it would be the best band this far North. 

Worked the usual chasers from VK3, also VK5PAS Paul, VK1MA Matt and VK7LTD Tony with strong signals. A S2S with Ron VK3AFW on VK3/VN-027.

Tried switching to 40 m, 6 more chasers from VK2, VK3 with very weak signals. After UTC rollover returned to 20 m to work VK1MA, VK1EM, VK3EK and VK3DAC. 

All up 20 contacts. Packed up and went for a look at Best of All Lookout.

Some nice rain forest. 

Reached the lookout. Looking East along the escarpment, the NSW/QLD border. some other VK4 SOTA peaks visible.

Looking South to Mt Warning, VK2/NR-001, which I was activating the next day.

Headed back down the road for lunch at one of the picnic areas nearby.