SOTA Activation Mt Glenrowan 513m

Saturday 9th Feb 2012

As I was driving down to the Centre Victorian Radiofest at Kyneton, decided to try activating Mt Glenrowan, VK3/VE-230 on the way. It is clearly visible from the Hume Highway as you drive past Glenrowan. Turned on APRSdroid on my Android phone after lunch at Wodonga for the chasers to track me and made my way there. Drove up Taminik Gap Rd and parked at the start of the walk.

The sign said 9.4 Km return so looks like about a 4 km walk each way. Despite the threat of rain and 30c temperature set off.

Noted this is Warby-Ovens National Park, so this counts towards the Keith Roget Memorial National Parks Award as an activation.

Passed a communications tower, the road turned to dirt. Continued following the Ridge Track. Easy enough walking, no real steep bits.

View towards Wangaratta, could see the twin Service stations on the Hume Highway below.

 Close up view of the Service Starions

After 50 minutes walking reached the summit. Communications tower and trig.

I had my extension pole, but as the trig was nice and high just tied my dipole to the top, supporting the legs on a couple of trees nearby.

Set up the SOTA shack at the base of the trig on a flat rock. Tried 2m, nothing...40m better luck, worked 10 chasers. Most fairly weak in Melbourne, worked VK1NAM and VK1NUT back in VK1, also VK5PAS Paul usual great signal. As still had a long drive ahead of me packed up after an hour and headed back down the track. Rained now and then but very light, welcome in the heat. Got back to the car at 5pm. Headed off to Kyneton. Got there around 7:30pm.