SOTA Browns Mountain VK2/IL-009

Took the Moss Vale Rd out of Nowra up to Cambewarra Lookout Rd turnoff, just opposite this road is Leebold Hill Rd, an unsealed road. Followed this for a few km until reaching a road on the left with a locked gate, that takes you to Red Rocks Comms towers.

An elaborate locking system

Continued on foot past the gate until reaching the comms towers

Just to the left of this tower another tower

Behind the first tower to be seen, a faint track leading off in to the scrub

This changed to a single lane walking track, fairly easy to follow. After a few minutes reached some aboriginal grinding grooves site.

Grinding grooves

Continued on towards the summit on GPS heading. There was no tracks, just make your own way. Could sometimes see markers on trees. Rocky outcrops

After reaching a rocky outcrop descended down into a saddle then up the other side towards the summit. The odd pink tape markers, piles of rocks showing on the right path

I managed to get a bit off track and ended up in thick scrub... headed back up and managed to find the track again, very hard to see at times. Got to the trig after an hour from the car

Used the trig form squid pole support. Laying out just a 40 m dipole was tricky due to trees

Shack on the trig

Got on 40 m, which despite trees loaded up fine. Got on 7.090 and spotted myself on SOTAwatch. Steady stream of callers

VK5IS

VK4TJ

VK3ZPF

VK3SQ

VK2AX very strong from nearby Nowra

VK3PF

VK2VH

ZL3RIK weak but workable

VK7ME

VK3ARH

Saw a comment on Facebook that Gerard VK2IO could not hear me in Sydney. So laid out the 80 m dipole extensions, Despite the wires zig zagging through the trees seemed to load up ok, worked Gerard easily, No others on 80 m though.

Went back to 40 m and worked a couple more

VK2VRA

VK3YV

After lunch packed up and headed back, a little faster but still managed to lose the trail a few times... bit less than an hour

Track log of walk. Can see where I got lost...

Brundee Swamp Nature Reserve VKFF-2547

After activating Worrigee Nature Reserve headed for the next nearest park, Brundee Swamp Nature Reserve. Initially tried to access from the end of Boston Rd, but this did look like what I expected, not an access road in. Ended up going down Springbank Rd, on the Eastern side and finding an unmarked dirt road leading to a locked park gate at the far South end of the park.

Parked and climbed through the gate. Walked along the road for a while. Very muddy.

Could tell this was a swamp, forest on the right was flooded

As not likely to be any traffic set up my station on the side of the road, squid pole supported by the table, running the dipole along the road. 

Operating Spot, map from Protected Planet

Got on 40m. A couple of park to park contacts first

VK2CDS/p David in VKFF-0120 Crowdy Bay National Park

VK4KC/p Marty in VKFF-0327 Mooloolah River National Park'

Then

VK3PF

VK4TJ

VK4FARR

VK4BXX,VK4VXX, VK4/NN3Z

VK2FMJC

VK3ZPF

The mosquitos in this park were very bad... guess to be expected near a swamp. As had 10 contacts and enough of swatting them packed up and drove off to get lunch.

Worrigee Nature Reserve VKFF-2769

Worrigee Nature Reserve is an easy drive to park just South of Nowra. Spotted a walk in access point off Worrigee Drive

Set up the table, squid pole just inside the park, dipole legs out to a couple of nearby trees

Operating spot, map from Protected Planet

Shack on the table

Got on 40m. Started with a park to park with VK3YV Tony in VKFF-2200 Sweetwater Creek Nature Conservation Reserve

Then

VK3ZPF

VK4TJ

VK3PF

VK2FMJC

VK4FARR

Tried 80m, worked

VK3SQ

VK2IO/p Gerard in VKFF-1985 Pomaderris Nature Reserve. He was not able to work me on 40m

VK2HRX

Went back to 40m, worked

VK3SG

VK2IO/p Gerard in VKFF-1985 Pomaderris Nature Reserve. Weak but workable now.

Packed up and headed for my next park, Bundee Swamp Nature Reserve

Kangaroo River Nature Reserve VKFF-1945

After activating Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve, continued on my way to Nowra through Moss Vale and Kangaroo Valley. Just before Hampden Bridge took Bendeela Rd on the right. Was looking for Kangaroo River Nature Reserve. I was not easy to find... Just after a private property road spotted a gate hidden in the scrub, stopping to take a look found a gate and a sign for the park.

Despite the gate access was easy, a fence post on the left had fallen down and simply walked in... Went a bit into the bush to ensure within the park. Found a small sapling for squid pole support. Able to get a full 80 m dipole out. The scrub was reasonably thin at least.

Operating spot, map from Protected Planet. Note this was the first activation of this park.

Shack on the tarp

Got on 40 m. Band was not too bad with still several park stations on. Worked

VK5PAS/P Paul in VKFF-0824 Cox Scrub Conservation Park

VK3ZPF

VK2XSE/P Liz in VKFF-2706 Pulletop Nature Reserve

VK4SMA

VK3UH

VK4FDJL/P Deryk in VKFF-0315 Millstream Falls National Park

VK4KC

VK3BBB

VK3PI

VK3SG

VK5HAA

Switched the links to 80 m to work the close by hunters. Worked

VK3SQ

VK2IO/P Gerard in VKFF-1163 Bungonia National Park

VK1CT/P Chris in VKFF-0843 Gungaderra Grassland Nature Reserve

The problem with this operating spot was mosquitos, lots of them... gave it away and packed up, headed to Nowra for the evening

Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve VKFF-1906

Took a week off work to do some park activations in the Southern Highlands/Illawarra Region. Drove from a foggy Canberra to my first park, Cecil Hoskins Nature Reserve, VKFF-1906. This is easy to find, a sign on the Moss Vale Rd

The park has several picnic tables. I picked one that was in the sun. The fog had gone, but still only around 13c. Set up the squid pole on the table. For a change it was easy to strap on to the end, some picnic tables are not good for support. Dipole legs out to a nearby fence and a tree.

Operating spot. Map from Openstreetmap

Shack on the table

Got on 40 m. Lots of park activators on. Worked

VK5PAS/P Paul in VKFF-0873 Bullock Hill Conservation Park

VK2IO/P Gerard on VK2/ST-039 Mount Marulan SOTA summit

VK2YK/5 Adam in VKFF-1023 Cudlee Creek Conservation Park

VK2ZVG

VK3ZPF

VK3OHM

VK4CZ

VK3ANL

VK2VH

VK4AAC/2

VK3PI

VK4TJ

VK4SMA/P Mark in VKFF-2879 Wacol Bushlands Nature Refuge

Tried 80m, only one contact with VK2IO/P Gerard on VK2/ST-039 Mount Marulan 

Packed up and took a look at the park. Nice walk along the lagoon, with a bird watching platform

Looking out across the lagoon

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.