Worked 5 Portuguese Prefixes Award

 Following a contact with CQ3J on 30 m, had made contacts with 5 Portuguese prefixes.

CQ3J                   2020-10-23  20:47  30M   FT8      CQ3

CT1IUA              2019-04-28  07:02  40M   FT8      CT1

CT4NH               2018-05-23  07:38  40M   FT8      CT4

CT7ANG            2020-02-10  20:05  30M   FT8      CT7

CU3EM              2018-05-19  06:36  40M   FT8      CU3

 

100 Countries on FT8 Award

 Finally, after more than 3 years, worked my 100th country on FT8, GJ0KYZ in Jersey on 17m 😀

Mainly done on wire dipoles, plus a 5 el 10 m yagi. Most worked on 17 m band with 72 countries.

Break down of countries worked per band

FT8DMC-OHCA80: 17 DX entities on 80m band FT8DMC-OHCA40: 46 DX entities on 40m band FT8DMC-OHCA30: 47 DX entities on 30m band FT8DMC-OHCA20: 48 DX entities on 20m band FT8DMC-OHCA17: 72 DX entities on 17m band FT8DMC-OHCA15: 19 DX entities on 15m band FT8DMC-OHCA12: 2 DX entities on 12m band FT8DMC-OHCA10: 19 DX entities on 10m band FT8DMC-OHCA6: 4 DX entities on 6m band

Thanks for the contacts and award manager.

Worked All Indonesia Gold Award

On an opening on 15 m one evening managed to work a couple of needed prefixes in Indonesia, and qualified for the FT8DMC Worked All Indonesia Award. Gold is for working all 60 call areas and prefixes.

VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 850 Award

Following working some new for me VKFF parks recently managed to confirm 850 parks worked, and applied for the award. Thanks activators.

 

Narrawallee Creek Nature Reserve VKFF-1979

After activating Corramy Regional Park in the morning headed beck towards Ulladulla, turning off to Lake Conjola and my next park, Narrawallee Creek Nature Reserve VKFF-1979. Lake Conjola and the park were burnt in the the January 2020 fires.

Sign for the park. It was lucky not to have burnt...

Continued to the beach car park and parked. Last time I operated here from a wooden platform above the beach. This was replaced after the fire. View to the North from the lookout

View to the South

Returned to the car park. Had noticed a track there heading South into the park, so followed it

After a short distance found a straight section of the track where I could string out my dipole, so set up on the track. 

Looking back the other way

Checked the SWR. A little high and detuned from a nearby tree, but okay.

Radio on the table

Got on 40 m. Seemed crowded as some DX coming in. Got on 7.155, although later a strong VK7 came up on 7.150 making some QRM. Worked

VK2VW, VK5PAS, VK4KC, VK7QP, VK4CZ, VK4SMA.

Tried 80 m. Found VK3PF Peter on SOTA summit VK3/VG-157 on 3.610, so worked him.

Returned to 40 m, where a spot from Gerard VK2IO told me he did not hear me on 80 m. So returned to 80 m and worked him with a good signal. No more callers on 80 m though.

Back on 40 m worked

VK7AN, ZL1TM, VK5FMAZ

As getting late in the day packed up with 11 contacts and headed back to Ulladulla for the evening.

 

Corramy Regional Park VKFF-1781

After staying overnight at Ulladulla headed North on the Princes Hwy, turning off onto The Wool Rd heading for my first park activation, Corramy Regional Park VKFF-1781. An old sign for the park which was a State Conservation Area originally. The park was burnt in last summers fires.

Turned off to Wandandian Creek picnic area

There was a bit of a cold wind, at the picnic area and a few cars, so not to disturb any one headed back to a locked fire trail gate where I could pull up and set up in the park.

Found a suitable stump for the squid pole, set up the linked dipole

Looking the other way

Tested the linked dipole on 40 m, good SWR, resonant at 7.052 Mhz

Radio on the table

Slow going on 40 m. Conditions seemed poor with not many calling, and those calling mostly low signals and QSB. Worked

VK3PI, VK2VW, VK2IO (on 80 m, barely heard on 40m), VK4FDJL, VK2BX, VK4CZ, VK3PT, VK7QP, VK4AAT, VK2IJS.

VK3PF Peter called me from a SOTA summit, VK3/VG-027 Mt Baldhead. Weak but readable.

Packed up and had lunch at St Georges Basin.

SOTA Boyne Mountain VK2/SC-050

With a few days off work headed down to Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast, to activate some SOTA peaks and parks. This area was badly impacted by the bushfires last summer, and found the track to Durras Mountain VK2/SC-051 closed. Continued on to Boyne Mountain, VK2/SC-050.

Turned off the Princes Hwy onto Monkey Mountain Rd. Boyne Mountain visible

It looked like the fires may have missed the summit, but I was wrong... Lots of burnt trees. Turned off onto Old Coach Rd and then parked near the road up to the summit. Junction

For comparison the junction in 2015 when I last activated it. Lush and green...

Continued up the road to the summit.

Reached the summit, communication towers. Seemed to have survived the fire well.

Just behind the towers Boyne Trig. Apart from the plastic support for the top disk melting a little survived okay

Name plate, Boyne

From experience knew operating near the towers was bad, lots of QRM... so moved back down the road and set up the dipole, along the road. Not much traffic comes up here.

Looking back down the road

FT857D, on 7.090 Mhz

Conditions on 40 m were poor today. First worked John, VK4TJ, normally a good 59 a weak 51... Then

VK7AW, VK3KTT, VK3MEG, VK5HAA, VK3ACT, VK5HS, VK3DQ, VK3PI, VK3PF, VK3VDX, VK4KC

I tried 80 m at one point to work some of the locals, but despite the Sydney slow morse beacon on 3.7 Mhz being strong no callers.

Final contact VK2YYO who was a strong signal, he was at Bawley Point though only about 10 km away.

Packed up and headed to Ulladulla for the evening.

Worked 10 French Stations Award

After working F5IGF on 30 m FT8 recently had made 10 contacts with French stations and applied for the FT8DMC Award. Very nice.