SOTA Mt Coree VK1/AC-023

With a fine warm Sunday decided to head to the coolness of the mountains and reactivate Mt Coree for this year.

The drive there was a bit tedious, there was a major cycling race on Uriarra Road with hundreds of cyclists, so had to wait behind packs of cyclists before getting a chance to overtake...Eventually they left me at the Brindabella Road junction. Drove up to Piccadilly Circus and took Two Sticks Road to the turnoff to Mt Coree. The roads were nice and dry, can be muddy up here at times. The road signs in Brindabella National Park have been updated since my last visit, instead of the sign to Mt Coree Summit its now Coree Summit Trail.

Drove up the switchbacks to about 3 bends before the top. The last bit is rather steep... Some good views on the bends to the North

The final rocky climb to the top. I could probably have got my Nissan Xtrail up here okay, but there is not a lot of room up the top and it gets very busy with large groups of 4WDs.

The summit with the fire lookout tower at the far end.

Mt Coree Trig was behind the fire lookout tower. Set up the squid pole and my station on the Western side of the trig, as this placed me in Brindabella National Park, VKFF-0054 for claiming contacts for the WWFF Award. The trig is on the park boundary.

 Some great views to the West off the cliff. Watched a few hawks riding the wind looking for prey below.

The view to the South off one leg of the dipole. The other end tied to a leg of the fire tower.

Shack at the base of the trig. A bit of shade for the radio but nothing for me, a hat was needed here.

Got on 40 m just before UTC changeover. Worked S2S first with VK3TST/2 Marcus and VK4DD/2 Dave on VK2/RI-031. Then put up a spot and worked some of the regular chasers from VK2, VK3 and VK5. Another S2S with Peter VK3PF/2, John VK2YW/p and Warren VK3BYD/2, making a rare SSB contact :) He is usually on CW. Fairly hectic up to rollover then worked VK3PF/2 and VK2YW/p again for more S2S points.

After the chasers stopped on 40 m tried going to 2 m FM, using the FT817 and the Slim Jim ribbon antenna. Very pleased to make an S2S contact with Marcus on VK2/RI-031, Wheel of Fortune near Wagga Wagga, 117 Km away! Not too strong but quite readable. Worked some of the locals, Grant VK4JAZ/1, Matt VK1MA, Tony VK1VIC/p on VK1/AC-042 Black Mountain. Andrew VK2MWP.

Heard Al VK1RX/p come up on 2 m on top of Mt Gudgenby, VK1/AC-009 for the first activation of this summit! Also Adan VK1FJAW with him. Andrew VK1NAM was absent from the summit, having got stomach cramps and stopping mid way up. Matt VK1MA worked them, but they had problems working Tony VK1VIC/p and Andrew VK1MBE/p on VK2/ST-034 Mt Gillamatong and VK2MWP. Acted as a relay but they had problems with low signals.

Al and Adan then went to 40m, and were able to work everyone okay.  Made another S2S with Allen VK3HRA/p on VK2/RI-026 The Rock Hill. The wind on the summit had come up in the afternoon so headed back down for lunch at the small camping ground at the base of Mt Coree, then home. A good morning on the summit.