WWFF Middle Brother National Park VKFF-0314

After activating Darawank Nature Reserve headed North on the Pacific Highway, until turning off onto Haydons Rd, entering Middle Brother National Park.

I had activated the SOTA summit Middle Brother a few years ago, but the activation zone was outside the park so have not done this park. Also, the SOTA site was very noisy on HF so wanted to get away from it. I initially tried Bird Nest picnic area, this proved to be too small an area to string out dipoles, in fact a lot of the park is dense rain forest so hard to find an open area to operate.

In the end found an old 4WD track off Grey Gum Ridge Rd, set up the antennas running up and down the track.

The other end of the dipole near the junction with Grey Ridge Rd. Unfortunately power lines running along the road meant still had a bit of noise on HF

Shack on the table. I used the table to support the squid pole.

Got on 40 m. Found a few Park activators on so worked them first for park to parks

VK4SMA/p Mark in VKFF-1620 Nerang Conservation Park
VK4CZ/p Scott in VKFF-1190 Bellthorpe National Park
VK2IO/p Gerard in VKFF-1777 Berowra Valley Regional Park

Worked some park hunters

VK7QP
VK5BJE
VK3SQ
VK3PF
VK4NH, VK4DXA, ZL4TY/VK4
VK4TJ, VK4/AC8WN, VK4/VE6XT
VK2LX
VK3UFO

Packed up and headed to Coffs Harbour for the evening.

SOTA Middle Brother VK2/MN-066

After activating North Brother mountain and staying overnight at Laurieton headed South on the Pacific Highway to activate Middle Brother summit. The summit is accessed via Middle Brother National Park.

An update from Gerard VK2IO. The summit is NOT located in Middle Brother National Park, it is in a square section outside the park. So if you want to activate the park as well you will need to activate the summit, move out of the square and activate the park.

It is accessed via TV Road. Unsealed and a little steep in places but okay for 2WD cars.

Parked out of the activation zone and walked up the road to the summit, a cluster of TV transmission towers

Trig point at the summit all locked up...

Dropped back down the road and found a small sapling to support the squid pole. Used a roadside marker post for one leg of the dipole support and a tree branch for the other.

Shack on the tarp just off the road. A little shade.

Got on 40 m. Lots of noise from the nearby towers...Probably should have set up a little further down the road. Anyway made 4 weak noisy contacts with VK3FPSR, VK3EK, VK2WTY and VK3WE.

Tried 20 m, one contact with VK5WG.

My most useful band on the trip, 30 m, yielded 4 more contacts, VK3AFW, VK2JDL, VK2CCJ and VK3YAR with good signals.

Packed up and headed back down to the Pacific Highway, heading South.

As I drove past had a look at the last SOTA peak in the 3 Brother mountains, South Brother. Looked hard, thick vegetation, rocky cliffs, no road access and possibly on private land...gave it a miss.