SOTA Activation Mount Burngoogee VK2/RI-016

After stopping overnight in Wagga Wagga headed East along the Stuart Highway then South on the Tumbarumbra Road to Kyeamba, crossing the Hume Highway and continuing until reaching the turnoff for Murraguldrie State Forest. Turned right at Fire Tower Rd.

The road rises up a ridge and heads towards the summit. A little over a Km from the summit reached a locked gate.

Parked nearby, climbed over the gate and started walking. After a while the summit came into view.

Approaching the summit

Reached the summit. Used a small stump for squid pole support between the towers.

Set up the SOTA shack on the rocks at the base of the stump.

Got on 40 m. Started by working VK3XL/p on VK3/VC-016, then worked my way through a massive chaser pileup. Most signals were very strong. I had an interesting QSO with Amanda, VK3FQSO, running very low power, 500 mw! Still a readable S1. Another S2S with VK3ANL/p on VK3/VS-036.

Also worked Paul, VK5PAS/p in the Glen Roy Conservation Park. See his blog http://vk5pas.wordpress.com/2014/06/12/glen-roy-conservation-park/

After the chasers on 40 m dried up switched the dipole links to 20 m, working VK6MB, VK4DD and VK6NU.

Headed back down after making 40 contacts, had lunch at Tarcutta.

This is a good summit to activate if you want a break from driving on the Hume Highway. Track log of drive and walk.

SOTA Activation Galore Hill

After my activation of The Rock Hill continued heading West along Lockhart-The Rock Road to the Town of Lockhart, then took the Nerrandera Road North. On this road got held up briefly by a flock of sheep blocking the road, the farmers and their 2 dogs cleared them off the road and I continued. There is a turn off on the right down a dirt lane to Galore Hill, well marked, you can't really miss it as it is obvious rising out of the flat plains...

Entered the Galore Hill Scenic Reserve

After a short drive there is a road to the left up to the lookout

Got to the picnic area/lookout at the top. There is a good lookout tower here.

View from the lookout tower. Note the activation zone is quite large as the top is essentially flat. The Rock Hill can be seen on the far horizon.

To do the usual 25 m walk out of and into the activation zone, followed a walk down from the picnic area part of the way to 'Mad Dog Morgan's Caves (a local bushranger). Good views out over the plains.

The picnic area was in use so headed away from the crowd, found a disused BBQ near the communications towers that served as a handy base for a SOTA shack. Set up the squid pole and 40/20 m linked dipole. Looking out across the plains.

Towards the communications towers

The hot plate, which hadn't been used for years, made a nice shack seat.

Got on 40 m, busy with the Shires Contest stations but found a quiet spot and worked a good pileup of chasers. S2S contacts with Andrew, VK1NAM and Rod VK2TWR doing a dual activation of VK2/SM-052, and Ian VK5CZ on VK5/SE-003. Tried 20 m, band not great, made 1 contact with Mike VK6MB. Saw a spot for Nigel, VK5NIG on VK5/SE-013, so back onto 40 m for another S2S. 24 contacts all up.

Drove back to Wagga Wagga for the evening. A few more shots of Galore Hill, from the Nerrandera Road

And from the Lockhart-Collingullie Road.

SOTA Activation The Rock Hill

With the Queen's Birthday long weekend decided to go further afield for SOTA activations and travel to the Riverina, RI, region. Picked a couple of easy summits that were on public land, The Rock Hill VK2/RI-026 and Galore Hill VK2/RI-047.

The Rock Hill is about 30 Km SW of Wagga Wagga, near the town called "The Rock". There is a proper walking track to the top, Yerong Walking Track, 3 Km with about a 250 m climb. After stopping overnight at Wagga Wagga started walking around 9:30am.

It starts out gently at first, making for a gap at the Southern end.

The track then climbs in a zigzag way up to a gap between the main Rock Hill and the range.

Some excellent views. Looking South West.

The final assault to the top is steep, following the bottom of a cliff

Got to the top after about an hour of walking. The actual summit is nothing much, the remnants of a trig now used as a fireplace...

The views through the trees are still good. Looking North across the flat farmland.

Set up the squid pole on a tree stump. I had problems when it detelescoped, some section is now cracked and could only get it up to 5 m instead of 7m...

The 40 m dipole took up a fair part of the summit too, not that big...Got on air and after getting spotted by Peter VK3PF started a good pileup on 7.090. 4 S2Ss with Allen VK3HRA on VK3/VE-022, Al VK1RX on VK1/AC-032, Nick VK3ANL on VK3/VW-007 and Andrew VK1NAM/2 on VK2/SW-059. Had also spoken to Andrew mobile on the way so stayed about to work him. All up 25 contacts. Some very good S9 + signals, band in good shape.

Around noon the summit suddenly became very popular, many large family groups arriving with children everywhere so decided best to pack up and go. For others activating recommend getting there early to beat the crowds...

Track log of walk

SOTA Mt Rob Roy VK1/AC-031

I first activated Mt Rob Roy in May last year. This is a good time of year to activate it, as it is a steep climb at first with no tree cover in the summer and at 1100m not quite high enough to attract winter bonus points.

Parked on a side road off Orange Thorn Crescent in Banks and started walking up the steep road.

This first part of the walk is on private property but the owner allows foot traffic okay.

Came to a property gate, found it open. As per usual convention on properties left it open. I found it closed on my return

Followed the road up to a junction, turned off onto the Rob Roy link track. Mt Rob Roy behind the sign.

This takes you to a gate and into Rob Roy Nature Park

The road climbs up still more and joins the Rob Roy Eco Track

Followed the track up to a high point, then took a side route in the scrub up to the summit. Note the rocky marker cairn started by Andrew, VK1NAM. Added a few more rocks to the pile.

A short, easy scramble up to the summit. This trig is unusual, wooden with a metal collar and side struts. Most ACT trigs are all metal. Used the trig for squid pole support and hoisted up the 40/20m linked dipole.

Started on 2m FM on the hand held before UTC changeover working Andrew, VK1NAM on VK1/AC-040 and Andrew VK1DA close by on VK1/AC-033 Bullen Range. Also Matt VK1MA with a strong signal.

Got on 40m, worked VK2QW on VK2/HU-054. Briefly switched dipoles to 12/30m linked dipole to work Andrew VK1DA on 12m along with Matt VK1MA. Both very strong.

Returned to 40m, started a pile up...Many chasers from VK2/VK3 and VK5 with good signals. Another S2S with Julie, VK3FOWL on VK3/VC-030, Flinders Peak.

Returned to my 12/30m linked dipole to try my luck on 30m. Worked Matt VK1MA and Gerard VK2IO but otherwise very quiet.

Heard Peter VK3YE pedestrian mobile calling from Chelsea beach, wading through the water using a squid pole FT817 in a backpack ground wire in the water setup. Always interesting to work Peter trying these pedestrian portable contacts. Check out his YouTube videos. He was initially a very weak 4x1, but then the band changed and he came up to a strongt 5x8 signal!

My station at the base of the trig. The 4AH LifePO4 battery worked well. Stayed around 13.14v most of the time, and had heaps of charge left.

Headed back down for lunch. Southern suburbs of Canberra below

Track log of walk

SOTA Activation Devils Peak

Andrew VK1NAM asked if anyone would like to do a combined activation of Devils Peak, VK2/ST-003. As I haven't activated this summit yet asked to come along.

Met Andrew off the Brindabella Road and we continued in my car. Turned off onto Blue Range Road, and with some help from Andrew navigated down this to the start of the walk. Road was unsealed but would be okay for a 2WD with care. Parked in an open area near power lines.

Headed into the bush just over the road to the left in the above photo. We initially found it easy going, scrub not bad, however heading to a saddle with a small hill at the base of Devils Peak, struck very bad scrub...

Lots of impenetrable tea tree scrub, boggy marshes and branches and logs made it slow going. You can see from the track log later we detoured quite a lot trying to bypass really thick bits...it was pretty bad! Eventually got onto the ridge heading up, thinned out a bit as we got higher.

When we reach the top found still very heavily treed, with few clearings for dipoles. Andrew and I set up our squid poles quite close together in one clearing and made the most of it.

My squid pole the closest with Andrews in the background. Given we had very close antennas couldn't both run HF bands without interference, so Andrew went to 2 m, I started on 12 m using my new 12/30 m linked dipole.

Andrew worked Matt VK1MA on 2m and then I worked him on 12 m, with a very strong signal. Then I went to 40 m. Just missed a couple of S2S stations, but usual chasers were there. Andrew managed to scrape together 4 contacts on 2 m, but hard going. He had a go on 20 m and 40m where he got a S2S with Mark, VK3ASC on VK3/VG-033, so we at least got one S2S contact in the log. I tried spotting and calling on 30 m but no luck, even though I could hear strong stations chatting away on the band.

Operating position on the other side of the log.

My new 4200 MaH LifePO4 battery went well, hardly made a dent in it, still reading over 13.1 v at the end.
Worked 20 contacts all up. Note this peak was in Brindabella National Park, so counted for the VKFF/WWFF awards, VKFF-054.

After the horrendous scrub on the way up we chose a different way down, heading NNE to pick up a ridge heading down. The scrub was thick in places but nowhere near as bad. Once reaching the flat area at the bottom of the peak it was like a walk in the park, hardly any scrub...I would recommend doing this peak this way instead of the horrible scrubby route we took up.

Track log of walk.

VKFF Bronze and Silver Hunter Awards

Had an email from Paul, VK5PAS, with the Bronze and Silver certificate VKFF Hunter Awards

Bronze Award for working 10 different VKFF areas

Silver Award for 20 different VKFF areas

As far as the Bronze Activator award goes I have activated 10 parks, but 2 of these had less than the 10 contacts required to count. So need a couple more. There are plenty close to Canberra so should not be hard.

VK3FI 473 Khz Beacon

Having read a few articles online about an experimental beacon on 743 Khz by VK3FI in Mildura, decided to try listening out for it.

http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2014/march/vk3fi_mildura_beacon_on_630_metres_creates_interest.htm#.U24mhYGSx8E

As I don't have an antenna for this low a frequency, used a trick I have used before to listen for AM broadcast stations. Just pull the PL259 coax plug half way out and use the center conductor only, on half a 40m dipole, works a treat on low frequencies if you don't need to transmit.

Heard the CW beacon ID on 473.6 Khz LSB (473 Khz CW) not moving the S meter but Q5, series of Vs and the call VK3FI. Not bad for around 600 Km West of Canberra. This was around 11pm local time.