Gossan Hill Nature Reserve VKFF-0842

With wet weather expected this weekend decided to do a quick WWFF park activation of one of the local WWFF parks. Went to one of my close by parks, Gossan Hill Nature Reserve, VKFF-0842. As per previous activations parked in Weatherburn Pl Bruce and entered the park. Took Gossan Four walking track.

Took this to Middle Track on the right

Then scrub bashed up to Gossan Hill itself. This turned out to be just scrub, no trig, summit markers, nothing...

Just below the summit found an old star picket, set up the squid pole on it and laid out the linked dipole legs to nearby trees

Operating spot. Map from OpenTopoMap

Tested 40 m dipole, resonant at 7.138 Mhz, good.

 

Set up the shack on the tarp

Got on 7.144 Mhz and spotted on ParksnPeaks. Got a good number of callers, most quite strong. For once NVIS seemed to be working, getting good signals from close by VK2 and VK3

VK3PF

VK2IO

ZL1TM

VK4TJ

VK3BBB

VK4HNS

VK2VH

VK4AAC/2

VK5KLV

VK4SMA

VK2HHA

VK3ZK

VK4SYD

VK5HW/M

VK7AN

VK2YK/5 park to park VKFF-0776 Black Hill Conservation Park

VK5AYL

VK3AAF/M

VK4FAAR

VK3CWF

VK4FDJL

A park to park with Adam in VKFF-0776 Black Hill Conservation Park

Tried 20 m on 14.310 Mhz. 3 contacts

VK4OZI

VK4HNS

VK3PF

Interesting to work Peter VK3PF in West Gippsland, sign of sporadic e as not far away. Learnt later 10 m and 6 m winter sporadic e about.

As looked like rain soon packed up and headed home. My 3rd activation of this park, 5 needed for the Boomerang Award so will need a couple more here some time.

SOTA Isaacs Ridge VK1/AC-041

With a SOTA alert for Tait VK1HAB activating VK2/SM-026 Yaouk Peak on Sunday morning, decided to try chasing him from a SOTA summit. I picked Isaacs Ridge VK1/AC-041 as I also needed to finish the Isaaacs Ridge Nature Reserve for 44 contacts for WWFF (VKFF-0845) 

As per past activations parked off Long Gully Rd in Isaacs, walked up the fire trail to the top. Set up at the trig posts to the South of the transmitting towers. Started out with just the 2 m Jpole

 Tested the 2 m Jpole on the Expert 230 Stick, just about perfect, resonant on 146.50 Mhz with an SWR of 1.05

Shack on the tarp

Got on 2m. Found out that Tait VK1HAB was only activating 40 m, and would have been out of range with me anyway, so just worked the locals. All good strong signals.

VK1MCW Bill

VK1AD Andrew

VK1MIC Wade

VK1MA Matt

VK1FPHR Peter

VL1LAJ Aaron

VK2COW Dimitris

Put up the dipole, using links for 40 m

Was not able to hear Tait on 40 m. Spotted myself, went on to work

ZL1BYZ

VK7OR

VK3NBL

VL3PF

VK3GTV

VK3ANL

VK2LX

VK4SMA

VK4CZ

VK2COW

VK7AN

VK7VZ

VK5PAS

VK5FMAZ

VK2IO/p Gerard for a park to park to VKFF-0608 Tilligerry National Park


VK3PT
VK7QP

VK4HNS

The wind had come up during the activation and was quite cold, so packed up at this point and headed home for lunch.

SOTA Black Mountain VK1/AC-042

Saw an alert for a SOTA activation of Mt Domain VK1/AC-020 by Aaron, VK1LAJ on Saturday morning, so thought I would try to work him with a summit to summit contact. So headed to my local summit, Black Mountain, VK1/AC-042. 

This summit is very easy to find in Canberra, as it has a large communications tower on top, Telstra Tower. View of it from the car park.

I also wanted to activate Black Mountain Nature Reserve for WWFF so headed down from the car park into the scrub. The car park is not in the park. Set up in my usual spot on a minor walking track heading down to the North of the car park. There is an old gate post that serves for squid pole support

First set up on 2 m with my 2 m jpole ribbon antenna. Shack on the tarp

Not long after setting up, heard Aaron VK1LAJ with a strong signal on 146.500 FM, worked him easily.

After Aaron had worked his callers put out some calls of my own. Worked

VK1MA Matt

VK1HAM Mat

VK1MCW Bill

VK1MIC Wade

VK1KW Rob

VK1FLEX Drew.

Most quite strong. After calls on 2 m ended set up the linked dipole, first on 80 m to get the locals.

I tested the 80 m dipole SWR using my new RigExpert 230 stick, a bit low in resonant frequency but okay for use. Its usually resonant around 7.100 Mhz but was showing 3.486 Mhz.

 

Went on to work on 80 m

VK3PF Peter

VK1DW Deanne

VK3SQ Geoff

A summit to summit with Gerard VK2IO/p on VK2/HU-080 Summit Point near Newcastle.

VK3ARH Allen

When I switched the links to 40 m, found why the SWR was a bit out, I had forgotten to tie up one leg of the dipole 😐 The end was just lying on the ground... Still seemed to work though.

On 40 m worked

VK4TJ John

VK1DW Deanne

VK1MA Matt

ZL1BYZ John

ZL1WA Jacky

Seeing New Zealand was coming in on 40 m, went to 20 m to make it easier for them. Worked

ZL1SKL Soren

VK1MA Matt

ZL3JD Phil

ZL3RIK Rick.

Signals quite good on 20m.

As lunch time packed up and headed back home. The summit is only about a 15 minute drive from home.

Worked 10 Chinese Provinces 20 m Award

After contacting a Chinese station on 20m FT8, had contacted 10 Chinese Provinces on this band and applied for the FT8DMC Award.