SOTA Yellow Rabbit Hill VK1/AC-039

With an alert for Andrew VK1AD to activate Pheasant Hill VK1/AC-021 there were several alerts from other activators to chase him Summt to Summit, so thought I would join in and activate Yellow Rabbit Hill, VK1/AC-039.

I had not activated this summit since 2016 so the drive there was a bit hazy at first. I remember taking Warks Road off the Brindabella Rd. Not long after turning off onto Warks Road saw a familiar sign for entering the Lower Cotter Catchment Reserve

Followed Warks Road for a while, then took a connecting road off it on the left and left into Yellow Rabbit Road, which the summit is named after. Turned off on the right to a road climbing the hill. This was still a bit rough but seemed better than the last time I did it. Still good to do in an AWD/4WD car with clearance. Once close to the summit parked and walked up through the bush along a ridge, a short distance to the top of the hill and a small clearing. Andrew VK1AD's unofficial summit cairn 😀

Just behind the cairn a rotting log suitable for squid pole support and a seat

Looking the other way to the North

Shack on the log. Sat on the tarp instead of the rotting log

Got on 146.500 FM 2 m first with the ladder line Jpole vertical. Worked

VK1MA Matt very strong

VK1ZDJ/VK1DJ Doug on VK1/AC-043 Mt Stromlo also strong 59

VK1MIC Wade good 59

VK1MCW Bill on VK1/AC-040 Mt Ainslie strong 59

VK1MF Matt on VK1/AC-034 Mt Majura strong 59

Saw a spot for VK1AD/p in Namadgi National Park, VKFF-0377. Due to road works on the Boboyan Rd around the parking area for Pheasant Hill he had abandoned the SOTA activation and was doing a WWFF park activation instead. I could not hear him on 2 m, however could on 80 m. Only an S1. I found out later I have a bad connection in one of the 80 m extension plugs, so really was working him on 80 m mainly on the 40 m dipole... anyway did the job.

Worked a couple more summit to summits on 2 m

VK1DA Andrew on VK1/AC-041 Isaacs Ridge, about a 53 but had a battery going flat

VK1CT Chris on VK1/AC-042 Black Mountain, a strong 59

Spotted myself on 40 m. Worked

VK7DR, ZL1BQD, VK2IO/4 in VKFF-0683 Hampton National Park, VK5IS, VK4NH

Also worked VK1MF and VK1ZDJ again on 40 m.

Switched the links to 20 m. Worked

ZL1BYZ John, ZL1TM Andrei. Both good strong signals.

Packed up and headed back to the car. Heading down the ridge a view towards Canberra

Cotter Dam and Mt McDonald on the left. In the middle Black Mountain and Mt Ainslie, on the right Mt Stromlo. So good line of sight to some of the summits worked.

Headed home for lunch