vk5pas

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Mount Buninyong VK3/ VC-018

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 07:49 PM PST
https://vk5pas.org/2017/02/06/mount-...ng-vk3-vc-018/


On Saturday 4th February 2017 we had just one planned activation. Â*That
beingÂ*Mount Buninyong VK3/ VC-018Â*which we planned to activate late in the
afternoon. Â*So on Saturday we spent the vast majority of the day doing
touristy stuff around Ballarat. Â*That included a walk in the Ballarat
Botanical Gardens, a guided historical walk of Ballarat, lunch at the
famous Craigs Royal Hotel in Ballarat, a ride on the Ballarat tram, a visit
to the X Prisoners of War Memorial, and a visit to Ballarat Bird World. Â*It
was a very enjoyable day.










Late in the afternoon after leaving Bird World we headed into the little
town of Buninyong, which is about 11 km south of Ballarat. Â*It is the site
of the first inland town proclaimed in Victoria and was where gold was
first discovered in the area, leading to the large Gold Rush of the
1850s. Â*It was a warm and humid afternoon so we headed to a localÂ*cafe for
an icecream and a milkshake.





We then headed up to Mount Buninyong which is 719 metres above sea level
and is worth 4 SOTA points.


Above:- Map showing theÂ*location of Mount Buninyong, north west of
Melbourne. Â*Map courtesy of openstreetmap.org

The summit is a very short drive out of Buninyong on the Mount Buninyong
Road. Â*The name Buninyong originates from an aboriginal word also recorded
as Buninyouang, said to mean man lying on his back with his knees raised,
which is in reference to the shape of the summit. Â*European settlers named
it BunnenyongÂ*and the name later simplified to its current form.


Above:- Map showing the close proximity of Mount Buninyong to the town of
Buninyong itself. Â*Map courtesy of openstreetmap.org

The summit was originally named Mount Bonan Yowing. Â*It was from the summit
that Thomas Livingstone Learmonth (1818-1903) and a group of squatters
first viewed in 1837 what would become the Ballarat district.



Mount Buninyong is the siteÂ*for multiple communications antenna for radio
and television broadcasting. Â* It also has picnic areas and an observation
tower. Â* Much of the mountain was cleared for agriculture or housing, but
widespread protests during the 1980s led to the preservation of native
forest cover on much of the upper portion.




Above:- Mount Buninyong with Ballarat in the background. Â*Image courtesy of
google.

The summit is an extinct volcano and is located within the Buninyong Scenic
Reserve with an overstorey of Manna Gum and Messmate eucalypts, a tussock
ground cover and understorey. Â*The native forested area is a major koala
habitat.





The road up to the summit is bitumen and one way. Â*Take it slowly as there
are numerous blind corners and no guarantee that someone will not be coming
down or going up the summit, the wrong way.



We set up in the picnic area near the lookout tower. Â*For the activation we
ran the Yaesu FT-857d, 10 watts output and the 80/40/20m linked dipole
supported on a 7m heavy duty telescopic squid pole.



There were a few cars at the top of the summit, but we had the picnic area
all to ourselves. Â*It was noticeably cooler on the summit which was very
welcome as it was a humid day. Â*The cicadas in the trees were very loud at
time.





Prior to calling CQ, we tuned across the 40m band and found Neil VK4HNS on
7.135 in the Springwood Conservation Park VKFF-1653. Â*Both Marija and I
logged Neil, and it was a nice way to start off the activation with a WWFF
park in the log.

As the Kandos Net was operating on 7.093 I decided to head up the band and
started calling CQ on 7.105. Â*This was answered by Peter VK3YE who was
pedestrian mobile at Chelsea Beach in Melbourne as part of QRP by the
Bay. Â*Peter was wading in the water, using a Yaesu FT-817, 5 watts and a 5
metre long vertical (5/7 sent and 5/6 received). Â*Marija and I swapped the
mic and Marija also logged Peter.

We did the same for the next 2 callers, swapping the mic to work Ron VK5MRE
in the Riverland region of South Australia, and then Nev VK5WG in the Mid
North. Â*We had both qualified the summit for SOTA.






I went on to work a total of 18 stations on 40m from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK5,
VK7 and New Zealand. Â*Kiwi stations logged were John ZL1BYZ and Soren
ZL1SKL in Auckland. Â*It was at this time that I had a special visitor drop
in. Â*It was Allen VK3ARH. Â*We had a chat for about 20 minutes before I
lowered the squid pole and inserted the links in the dipole for 80m.



On 80m I logged a total of 7 stations from VK3 and VK5. Â*It was interesting
to note that the VK3s advised they were unable to hear us on 40m. Â*This was
despite Marija and I working Peter VK3YE on 40m. Â*Perhaps the band opened
up just for a very short period of time and then closed again? Â*Netherless,
the Victorian stations were very strong on the 80m band.






Allen was babysitting and headed off, and Marija and Olivia headed off to
climb the observation tower. Â*I decided to put out a few calls on 20m. Â*My
first contact there was a Summit to Summit contact with Warren ZL2AJ who
was on ZL1/ NL-062 near Whangarei on the North Island of New Zealand (5/3
sent and 5/5 received).

After working Warren I moved down to 14.305 where I worked a further 11
stations from VK3, VK6, Japan and Italy. Â*This included Phil VK6ADF and
Hans VK6ZN who were portable in the Len Howard Conservation Reserve
VKFF-1429. Â*I was very pleased to log the 2 DX stations: Tadashi JA1VRY in
Japan, and Renzo IK2ZJN in Italy.








So after 90 minutes on the summit, both Marija and I had qualified a unique
summit for both of us. Â*I had a total of 37 stations in the log on 20, 40
and 80m.

I worked the following stations:-



At the end of the activation we headed back into Buninyong and went to the
local hotel where we enjoyed a nice meal. Â*I also had a few Mountain Goat
ales. Â*Very appropriate for SOTA.







References.

Wikipedia, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buninyonggt;, viewed 6th
February 2017

Wikipedia, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Buninyonggt;, viewed
6th February 2017


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Creswick Regional Park VKFF-0964

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 06:15 PM PST
https://vk5pas.org/2017/02/06/creswi...ark-vkff-0964/


On Friday 3rd February 2017, Marija, Olivia and I spent the entire day at
Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, and then the Gold Museum. Â*We had a fantastic
time and had not been here for around 10 years, when Olivia was just
7. Â*Set in the Australian 1850s, Sovereign Hill is located on a 25 hectare
site which comprises over 60 historically recreated buildings, with
costumed staff and volunteers. Â*We highly recommend a visit here. Â*You can
easily spend a full day or two at Sovereign Hill.










We had a bit of time to spare before attending the Light and Sound show
Blood on the Southern Cross at Sovereign Hill at 9.00 p.m. local time, so
Marija and I headed out to the Creswick Regional Park VKFF-0964 for a quick
park activation. Â*This activation was totally spur of the moment and not
originally planned.

Creswick Regional Park is situated about 14 km north of Ballarat near the
little town of Creswick, and covers an area of about 930 hectares.



Above:- Map showing the location of the Creswick Regional Park, north of
Ballarat. Â*Map courtesy of Forest Explorer.
The Common Heath, which is Victoria’s floral emblem is one of the plants
frequently found growing in the parkÂ*under eucalypts. The park is home to
numerous bird species including Grey Currawongs, Crimson Rosellas,
White-throated Tree-creepers, Grey Fantails, thornbills, robins and
honeyeaters. Â*Two migratory species found in the gullies are the Rufous
Fantail and Satin Flycatcher. Â*Numerous native mammals call the park home
including Â*Koalas and Black wallabies.
During the 1850s and 1860s, much of thie forest in this are wasÂ*heavily
logged to supply timber to the gold mines in Ballarat and Creswick. Â*Sadly,
by the end of the 1890s, the forests had mostly been cleared to support the
mining industry. Â*Numerous gold mining sites can be found in the forest.
We soon reached the little town of Creswick, which was established during
the Victorian gold rushes of the 1850s. Â*The town was named after the
Creswick family who were the pioneers settlers of the region. Â*Three
brothers, Henry, Charles and John Creswick, started a large sheep station
nearby in 1842. Â*Â*The population of Creswick reached a peak of 25,000
during the gold rush. Â*Today the population is around 3,500 people.









Creswick was the site of the New Australasian Gold Mine disaster on 12
December 1882, Australias worst mining disaster in which 22 men
drowned. Â*More information can be found at.

http://www.creswick.net/buildings_an...stralasia_mine




Above: Article from The Telegraph Sat 16 Dec 1882 re the disaster, and the
scene at the head of the shaft with the braceman announcind the death of
the miners. Â*Images courtesy of Trove.

On our way to the park Marija telephoned John VK5BJE who was kind enough to
place some alerts for us. Â*We headed through Creswick and then east into
the park and found a nice little clearing in amongst the scrub to set
up. Â*We ran the Yaesu FT-857d, 40 watts and the 80/40/20m linked dipole on
the 7 m squid pole for this activation.


Above:- Map showing our operating spot in the Creswick Regional Park. Â*Map
courtesy of Forest Explorer.

As we were a little short on for time, Marija decided not to operate from
the park, in the hope that I might be able to reach the 44 QSO threshold
for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program. Â*The park was alive with
cicadas,Â*the loudest insect in the world. Â* It is believed that the sound
produced by some communal species of cicada can act as a defence against
predatory birds and some are even loud enough (120 decibels) to be painful
to the human ear. Â*Cicadas also often sing in chorus, which makes it more
difficult for a predator to locate an individual.

I headed to 7.144 but found this to be occupied by Bill W1ZY in Rhode
Island USA, who was calling CQ. Â*I gave Bill a call but unfortunately he
was unable to hear me. Â*So I moved up to 7.150 and called CQ and this was
answered by John VK5BJE with a strong 5/9 signal from the Adelaide
Hills. Â*This was followed by Ian VK5ZGG, Charlie VK5KDK and then Herb
VK5HK. Â*The band was quite busy and I started to get a little bleed over
from a European station just 2 kc below me. Â*But fortunately all callers
were very strong so I had no problems in receiving the callers.





I worked a total of 24 stations on 40m from VK1, VK2, VK4, VK5, VK7, and
New Zealand. Â*In fact I logged three New Zealand stations: Owen ZL2GLG/ZL4
in Central Otago in his motorhome, Paul ZL2BEF in Masterton near the bottom
of the North Island, and Bill ZL2ACA in Mapua near Nelson on the top of the
South Island.

The close in propagation around Victoria was not working on 40m, so I
lowered the squid pole and inserted the links in the linked dipole and
headed to 3.610 on 80m. Â*There I logged 6 stations from VK3 and VK7. Â*But
despite band conditions on 80m being quite good, I did not have any further
callers, despite numerous CQ calls.

I had worked out that I was running out of time and would not accrue m 44
QSOs, so I headed to 14.310 on 20m where I worked Hans VK6XN and finally
Yoshi JA3KKE.





It was time to pack up and head back to the motel for a freshen up and then
back to Sovereign Hill. Â*I had a total of 32 contacts in the log in just
under 60 minutes. Â*This is a park which I will need to return to, to pick
up my 12 contacts to qualify the park for WWFF.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK5BJE
VK5ZGG
VK5KDK
VK5HK
VK7FRJG
VK5FMWW
VK5FVSV
VK5KLV
VK5FANA
VK2LEE
VK7ZGK
VK1DI
ZL2GLG/ZL4
VK2QV
VK4NH
VK4HNS
VK4DH
VK2UH
ZL2BEF
VK4RF
VK4HA
VK2NWB
VK7VZ
ZL2ACA


I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK7VZ
VK3ARH
VK3GGG
VK3PMG


I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

VK6XN
JA3KKE




References.

Parks Victoria, Creswick Regional Park Visitor Guide

Wikipedia, 2017,
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cr...gional_Parkgt;, viewed 6th
February 2017

Wikipedia, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creswick,_Victoriagt;,
viewed 6th February 2017


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Mount Warrenheip VK3/ VC-019

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 04:47 PM PST
https://vk5pas.org/2017/02/06/mount-...ip-vk3-vc-019/


On Thursday morning (2nd February 2017), my wife Marija VK5MAZ, our 17 yr
old daughter Olivia, and I headed off for a three night holiday in
Ballarat, Victoria. Â*Our main reason for travellingÂ*to Ballarat was to go
to Sovereign Hill, an open-air museum whichÂ*depicts Ballarats first ten
years after the discovery of gold there in 1851. Â*The site comprises over
60 historically recreated buildings, with costumed staff and volunteers.

But we had also planned on two SOTA activations. Â*The first was to be Mount
Warrenheip VK3/ VC-019 late on Thursday afternoon.

As it was nearly a 600 km drive to Ballarat, we stopped off at Keith in
South Australia for a coffee and some morning tea, and then travelled over
the South Australian/Victorian border, and stopped off at Ararat. Â*We paid
a visit to J Ward, a gaol which was constructed in 1859 and which was later
uses asÂ*a maximum security psychiatric ward for the criminally insane. Â*We
had been here before, but around 10 years earlier. Â*We undertook the guided
tour of this absolutely fascinating place. Â*J Ward is well worth a visit if
you are passing through Ararat.








We continued on to Ballarat and booked in to our motel which was directly
opposite Sovereign Hill. Â*Olivia decided she was not at all interested in
amateur radio, and was a bit weary after the drive, so she remained in the
motel room, whilst Marija and I headed to Mount Warrenheip.


Above:- Map showing the location of Mount Warrenheip, near Ballarat in
Victoria. Â*Map courtesy of openstreetmap.org

Mount Warrenheip is just 10 km east from the Ballarat Central Business
District, and with the assistance of the GPS, was an easy drive from the
motel.


Above:- Map showing the location of Mount Warrenheip, just to the east of
Ballarat. Â*Map courtesy of openstreetmap.org

Mount WarrenheipÂ*is 714 metres above sea level and is worth 4 points for
the Summits on the Air program. Â*The summit is an inactive volcano, with
volcanic activity ceasing around 1 millionÂ*years ago. Â*Along with the
nearby Mount Buninyong (which we planned to activate on Saturday
afternoon), it is one of only two forested scoria cones in Victoria.


Above:- View of Mount Warrenheip with Ballarat in the background. Â*Image
courtesy of google maps.


The name Warrenheip originates from the Wathaurong aboriginal word
Warrengeep, meaning emus feathers in reference to the resemblance of the
fernÂ*like vegetation which once covered the summit.

In spring, forget-me-not flowers appear on the slopes of the
summit. Â*Â*Kangaroos, wallabies and koalas can be found in the area.




Above:- Aerial view of Mount Warrenheip. Â*Image courtesy of google maps.

There are almost 400 extinct volcanoes in Victoria. Â*The Newer Volcanic
Province, covers an area of 2.3 million hectares, from Melbourne to the
Mount Burr Range in South Australia. Â*They are the third largest volcanic
plains in world, after the Deccan Plateau in India and the Snake River
Plateau in the USA. Â*The basalt plains were formed by volcanoes over the
last 6 million years, with the most recent eruption being about 5,000 years
ago at Mount Gambier and Mount Shank in South Australia. Â*In Victoria, the
most recent eruption was about 7,200 years ago at Mount Napier.


Above:- Map showing the Newer Volcanic Province of south eastern
Australia. Â*Image courtesy of australiangeographic.com.au

It is believed that the local aborigines wouldÂ*have seen some of the
eruptions as this is reflected in stories about rocks and fires coming from
some mountains. Â*Stone tools have been found buried in volcanic ash near
Warnambool in south western Victoria. Â*The first European to describe the
area was Major Thomas MitchellÂ*who climbed nearby Mount Napier in
1836. Â*Mitchell wrote that it appeared as if the volcano had been active
not that long ago. Â*The early settlers in this area found the plains very
favourable, as they could easily grow crops in the rich, fertile soil,
whilst they used the volcanic stones to build dry stone walls around their
farms.

This regionÂ*has been quiet for thousands of years, with no earthquakes, no
hot springs or other signs of volcanic activity. Â*It is not known why
volcanic activity here ceased. Â*Some scientists believe that the volcanos
on the plains are not extinct, but rather, dormant, and that one day there
will be another eruption.


Above:- What Mount Warrenheip would have looked like. Â*Image courtesy of
thecourier.com.au

As we travelled out of Ballarat, the summit soon came into view. Â*Marija
telephoned our good friend John VK5BJE to advise that we were about 10-15
minutes away from being on air.





We travelled north on Forbes Road and soon reached Mount Warrenheip Road
and commenced our ascent up towards the summit. Â*We passed Kryal Castle on
the way to the top. Â*Kryal Castle is a replica medieval castle which
features a moat and drawbridge, a maze, castle towers, stocks, a medical
museum and an armoury.

The summit is located within the Mount Warrenheip Nature Conservation
Reserve (what the sign says), but some maps refer to it as a Flora Reserve.





I found this nice video of a flyby of Mount Warrenheip.



As it was a beautiful clear and sunny day we enjoyed some very nice views
of the surrounding countryside as we headed up towards the top of Mount
Warrenheip. Â*The road to the top is bitumen, but is narrow, so take care
when driving to the top as there are continual blind corners.






There is a trig point on the top of Mount Warrenheip, along with four
telecommunications towers for Radio 3BA, Voice FM 99.9, ABC News Radio,
Telstra mobile and WiMax services, an amateur radio repeater, and police
dispatch radio.





Unfortunately once you are at the top there is not much of a view due to
the thick vegetation on the summit. Â*There is the occasional view out
through the trees.





We only had a short time on the summit as we had to get back to the motel
to pick up Olivia and head out for dinner. Â*We were all set up and ready to
go by our advertised alert time of 0700 UTC. Â*For this activation Marija
and I ran the Yaesu FT-857, 10 watts PEP output, and the 80/40/20m linked
dipole on the 7m squid pole.

We headed for 7.090 on 40m and I called CQ and this was answered by John
VK5BJE with a strong 5/8-9 signal from the Adelaide Hills. Â*This was
followed by Rick VK4RF/VK4HA, and then Nev VK5WG in the Mid North of South
Australia. Â*I had my four QSOs and I had qualified the summit for SOTA.

I then swapped drivers seats with Marija and it wasnt long before Marija
had also qualified the summit, with QSOs logged with Nev VK5WG, John
VK5BJE, and Rick VK4RF/VK4HA.

I worked a total of 18 stations on 40m before we headed over to 80m. Â*Band
conditions on 40m appeared to be quite good, but it was clear that close in
propagation was not running, as there were no Victorian stations in the log
on 40m. Â*States worked were VK2, VK4, VK5, and VK7. Â*I also logged John
ZL1BYZ in New Zealand (5/7 sent and 4/2 received).

A number of QRP stations were worked including Glenn VK2GPT/VK2LDN, Bill
VK5MBD, and William VK2NWB. Â*All had nice signals to Mount Warrenheip.







On 80m I logged a total of 7 stations from VK3 and VK5. Â*The Victorian
stations were coming in very well on 80m. Â*To finish off the activation I
tried my luck on 20m, but only logged one station, Sam JA1QVR, before the
Over the Horizon Radar took over the band.

It was approaching 7.00 p.m. local time and it was time to pack up. Â*We had
both qualified the summit, with 26 contacts in my log on 20, 40 & 80m, and
6 contacts in Marijas log on 40 & 80m.

I worked the following stations:-





References.

Australian Geographic, 2017,
http://www.australiangeographic.com....n-you-thinkgt;,
viewed 6th February 2017

Wikipedia, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_Hillgt;, viewed
6th February 2017

Wikipedia, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Warrenheipgt;, viewed
6th February 2017

Wikipedia, 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kryal_Castlegt;, viewed 6th
February 2017

Wikipedia, 2017,
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/We...anic_Plainsgt;,
viewed 6th February 2017


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Para Wirra Conservation Park 5CP-275 and VKFF-1739

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 04:17 AM PST
https://vk5pas.org/2017/02/05/para-w...and-vkff-1739/


After finishing off chatting with Noel and Anne at Mount Gawler, I decided
to drive down the road to the Para Wirra Conservation Park 5CP-275 and
VKFF-1739. Â*I had never activated from this park before, so it was to be a
unique park to add to my activator list for both the World Wide Flora Fauna
(WWFF) program and the VK5 National & Conservation Parks Award. Â*The park
is situated about 40 km north east of Adelaide.


Above:- Map showing the location of the Para Wirra Conservation Park, north
east of Adelaide. Â*Map courtesy of Protected Planet.

Para Wirra, which is about 1,507 hectares in size, has only just recently
been gazetted as a Conservation Park. Â*The park was originally established
as a National Park in 1962, initially catering to a range of pursuits
including tennis and other sporting activities. Â*Today the park provides a
wide range of facilities including gas barbecues, picnic tables, a
playground, and various walking trails ranging from 1.3 to 8.4 km in length.

Parra Wirra comes from two Karuna aboriginal words: pariÂ*meaning river,
creek or gully, and wirra meaning forest. Â*The district was named by
Lieutenant Governor Robe in the mid 1840s. Â*The park conserves important
native vegetation and with neighbouring lands managed by SA Water and
Forestry SA, contains the largest block of remnant vegetation in the entire
Mount Lofty Ranges.

The vegetation in the park is mainly open forests of Long-leaf Box, Pink
Gum, South Australian Blue Gum, and River Red Gum, with an understorey of
Yacca and various heaths.


Above: Aerial shot showing the Para Wirra Conservation Park, with the
nearby towns of Williamstown and One Tree Hill. Â*Image courtesy of
Protected Planet.

The trees of Para Wirra provide hollows for possums and parrots to make
their homes. Â*Kangaroos and emus are common throughout the park, as are
short-beaked echidnas. Â*Over 100 species of bird call the park home,
including the Scarlet Robin, Blue Wren, and Eastern Spine Bill.

The landscape has been significantly changed by mining and grazing, but has
recovered well since grazing has been managed in recent years. Â*The poor
quality of soils in the park is reflected in the local names of Misery Farm
and Humbug Scrub.

The park is also home to the Barossa Goldfields, where ruins can be
discovered from the once thriving mining operation. Â*Gold was discovered in
the area in 1868 by Job Harris (b. 1840. Â*d. 1882), the publican of the
Sandy Creek Hotel.




Above: Job Harris, and an article from the South Australian Register, Fri 3
Feb 188 re the goldfield. Â*Courtesy of Wikipedia and Trove.

A total of 50,000 oz of gold was extracted during the rush that
followed. Â*Up until the mid 1930s, small scale mining continued in the
area. Â*Interpretive signs explain the days of gold mining in the are, with
Bowden Cottage acting as a museum run by the Barossa Goldfields Historical
Society. Â*Unfortunately I did not have the time to explore this part of the
park, but as Arnie says I will be back! Â*More information on the Barossa
Goldfields can be found at..

http://www.southaustralianhistory.co...arossagold.htm

I entered the park via Humbug Scrub Road and paid my $10.00 entry fee. Â*It
just so happened that the local Park Ranger was collecting the money from
the deposit point, so I stopped and had a chat for around 10 minutes. Â*I
showed him my radio gear and explained about amateur radio and the parks
awards. Â*It was good to have some positive interaction with National Parks
staff.





It was slow going in the park as it was alive with Western Grey kangaroos.





I headed to a little picnic area off Scenic Drive in the centre of the
park. Â*As it was quite a warm and humid day, I was very pleased to find a
shelter shed which afforded some very welcome shade from the sun. Â*I ran
the Yaesu FT-857d, 40 watts output, and the 80/40/20m linked dipole and a
15m dipole for this activation. Â*Both supported on a 7 metre heavy duty
telescopic squid pole.


Above:- Map showing my operating spot within the park. Â*Map courtesy of
National Parks SA.

As I drove into the park I telephoned John VK5BJE and asked if he would
mind placing an alert for me, which he kindly did. Â*So it was pleasing that
John was my first station logged at Para Wirra after I asked if the
frequency was in use on 7.144. Â*I didnt even get the opportunity of calling
CQ. Â*Following on from John, Rob VK4AAC/2 called in, and then Dennis
VK2HHA, followed by park hunter extraordinaire Rick VK4RF/VK4HA. Â*I think
Rick appears in the log of most of my Parks and SOTA activations.

The band conditions on 40m seemed to be down a little, but I was pleased
that at least there was some short propagation with a handful of South
Australian stations being logged. Â*But it was very slow going. Â*Average
band conditions and a weekday were not contributing to filling up my
log. Â*I worked a total of 14 stations on 40m from VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, and
VK5, before I decided to have a listen on 80m.

My first taker on 80m was Adrian VK5FANA on the Yorke Peninusla with a nice
5/7 signal (5/6 received). Â*Next up was Alan VK5FD, followed by Damien
VK5FDEC running QRP (5/5 sent and 5/6 received). Â*Damien dropped his power
down to 500 milliwatts and was 5/3 to me. Â*Finally I logged John VK5BJE who
was a little lighter on 80m compared to the 40m band.









I then moved to 20m where a large number of CQ calls went
unanswered. Â*However I did manage three contacts and one of those was Eric
BD4CZX in Shanghai in China. Â*It was a bit of a struggle with Eric at times
but we made it. Â*Eric was hearing me better than I was hearing him (4/3
sent and 5/5 received). Â*I have not worked China very often whilst out
portable, so I was really pleased when Eric called me.

I headed back to 40m where I spoke briefly with Mick VK3GGG. Â*I had worked
Mick earlier on 40m, but he called in to let me know my signal had improved
a little. Â*Mick was kind enough to spot me on parksnpeaks which I am sure
resulted in a few more callers. Â*Thanks Mick. Â*I worked 10 stations from
VK2, VK3, and Vk7.

I then decided to try my luck on the 15m band. Â*I called CQ on 21.244 and
this was answered by Kio JA8RJE with a nice 5/7 signal from Japan. Â*But
sadly Kio was my only caller on 15m so I headed back to 40m with a total of
32 stations in the log. Â*I needed a further 12 to qualify the park for the
global WWFF program.






The first station logged after returning to 40m was Owen VK4FADW with a
very nice signal (5/7 both ways), followed by Frank VK7BC who was booming
in from Tasmania. Â*I was slowly getting towards the magic number of 44, but
the static crashes on the band were also increasing in strength. Â*Justin
VK7TW was my 44th contact, with Don VK3MCK rounding off the activation.

I had a total of 45 contacts in the log and had enjoyed the activation
despite it being quite slow at times. Â*It was just after 5.00 p.m. local
time and I needed to pack up and head home, as my wife Marija , my daughter
Olivia, I were heading off to Victoria the following morning, for a holiday
in Ballarat.

Thanks to everyone who called and many thanks to those who took the time to
spot me.







I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

VK5BJE
VK4AAC/2
VK2HHA
VK4RF
VK4HA
VK5FD
VK3GGG
VK3PMG
VK3FNQS
VK1AT
VK3ZPF
VK3DAC
VK2LB
VK5FEKH/p
VK3FPHG
VK3FHCT
VK3PF
VK3KAI
VK2GKA
VK3FOTO/m
VK3SQ
VK2NSS
VK3OHM
VK7FRJG
VK4FADW
VK7BC
VK2NWB/p
VK7FPRN
VK3DPG
VK4QQ
VK2NEO
VK3SIM
VK3LBW
VK2IO
VK2VEL
VK7TW
VK3MCK


I worked the following stations on 80m SSB:-

VK5FANA
VK5FD
VK5FDEC
VK5BJE


I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

VK2IO
BD4CZX
VK6XN


I worked the following station on 15m SSB:-

JA8RJE




References.

National Parks South AUstralia, 2017,
https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/pa...vation-parkgt;,
viewed 5th February 2017

Barossa Goldfields Historical Society, 2017,
http://www.communitywebs.org/Barossa...dsHistoric/gt;, viewed 5th
February 2017

Flinders Ranges Research, 2017,
http://www.southaustralianhistory.co...ssagold.htmgt;, viewed 5th
February 2017


///////////////////////////////////////////
Mount Gawler VK5/ SE-013

Posted: 05 Feb 2017 02:44 AM PST
https://vk5pas.org/2017/02/05/mount-...-vk5-se-013-4/


It had been a little bit over a week since my last portable outing and I
was getting an itchy PTT finger. Â*So on Wednesday morning (1st February
2017) I headed over to the northern side of the Adelaide Hills (Mount Lofty
Ranges) for an activation at Mount Gawler VK5/ SE-013 for the Summits on
the Air (SOTA) program. Â*The summit is around a 43 km drive north from my
home, and about 37 km north east of Adelaide.


Above:- Map showing the location of Mount Gawler, VK5/ SE-013, north east
of Adelaide. Â*Map courtesy of openstreetmap.org

Mount Gawler is 541 metres in height and is worth 2 SOTA points. Â*It is the
highest activated summit in South Australia. Â*I highly recommend this
summit if you want to cut your teeth on SOTA. Â*This is an easy summit to
access. Â*No walking uphill is required. Â*You can activate the summit
comfortably, from within the SOTA activation zone, from the roadway (Mount
Gawler Road. Â*But I had telephoned the land owners, Noel and Anne, the
night before, and as has been the case with previous activations at this
summit, they kindly allowed me access to their land. Â*So I operated from
very close to the trig point.


Above:- Map showing the location of the summit, to the west of the little
town of Kersbrook. Â*Map courtesy of openstreetmap.org

I took the Kenton Valley Road from home out through this beautiful part of
the Adelaide Hills, to Gummeracha and then on to Kersbrook. Â*As I travelled
down Checker Hill Road, the summit came into view. Â*The drive down Checker
Hill Road towards Kersbrook is very steep, and this hill has featured in
the world famous Tour Down Under Cycling event. Â*The Union Cycliste
Internationale (UCI) categories Checker Hill as a category 2 climb (the
second hardest).



Checker Hill is described as short but fierce, boasting an average gradient
of 14.2%, with a maximum of around 20%. Â*It has been described as a
challenge even for the pros to conquer.Â*Â*There are some great views from
here down towards Kersbrook. Â*I must look at some maps to see if Checker
Hill itself has the required prominence for SOTA.


Above:- Looking towards the summit from Checker Hill Road.

I travelled out of Kersbrook on the Kersbrook-One Tree Hill Road and then
turned into Mount Gawler Road. Â*This area was ravaged by an extremely
devastating bushfire back in early 2015, known as the Sampson Flat fire. Â*A
total of 38 homes and 125 outbuildings were destroyed. Â*The total cost was
estimated to be more than A$13Â*million. Â*Fortunately there was no loss of
life, although a total of 134 injuries were reported. Â*The size of the area
burnt was more than 12,500 hectares (31,000 acres).

Below is a video showing the scar that the bushfire left on the landscape
in this part of the Adelaide Hills.



I have been back here a few times since that terrible fire, and it is
always pleasing to see more regrowth each time I visit. Â*But it is a shadow
of its former self. Â*Much of the beautiful native gum and pine forest is
gone.






Noel had kindly unlocked the gate for me so I drove into the property and
parked my vehicle near the trig point and started unpacking my gear. Â*It
was just a short walk into a clearing and out with the deck chair and fold
up table. Â*For this activation I ran the Yaesu FT-857d, 40 watts output and
the 80/40/20m linked dipole supported on a 7m heavy duty squid pole.






I was all set up and ready to go at around my posted activation time. Â*I
started off on 40m on 7.090 with the first station logged being SOTA die
hard Peter VK3PF with a very nice 5/9 signal. Â*Peter kindly spotted me on
SOTAWatch and undoubtedly this resulted in the resulting callers. Â*Second
in the log was Steve VK7CW with a great 5/9 from Tasmania, followed by Ken
VK3UH, and then Brett VK2VW. Â*I had qualified the summit.

Mick VK3GGG/VK3PMG tried calling me from a SOTA summit, but despite a
number of attempts we were unable to successfully exchange signal
reports. Â*Thanks for trying Mick.

I hadnt been on air long when it started to spit with rain, so it was out
with the bothy bag to shelter from the showers. Â*As it was a weekday,
callers were a little sparse, but I managed to log a total of 10 stations
on 40m from VK2, VK3, VK5, and VK7, before I QSYd to 3.610 on the 80m band.

Hans VK5YX in the southern suburbs of Adelaide had followed me down from
40m and was the first in the log on 80m. Â*Hans had an equally strong 5/9
signal on 80m, as he did on 40m. Â*I then worked three stations from the Mid
North of South Australia, about 200 km to my north. Â*They were Nev VK5WG,
Bill VK5MBD, and Ian VK5IS. Â*All were 5/9 plus, with Bill VK5MBD being
particularly strong. Â*Finally on 80m, I logged Peter VK5PET at Strathalbyn,
south of Adelaide.

I then headed over to 14.310 on 20m and logged David VK5PL in the Barossa
Valley, on either side of the UTC rollover. Â*This was followed by Gerard
VK2IO, Tim VK5ML, John ZL1BYZ in New Zealand, and finally John VK6NU over
in Western Australia. Â*It just started spitting with rain at this time, so
I quickly ducked out from underneath the bothy bag and started to lower the
squid pole, when I head Rick VK4RF/VK4HA calling me on 14.310. Â*The squid
pole was down and the antenna was almost lying on the ground, so I decided
to continue to insert the links in the linked dipole, and headed back to
40m, hoping that Rick would find me there. Â*It was now after the UTC
rollover so there were a few extra points on offer for the chasers.







Prior to calling CQ I had a tune around the band and found Mick
VK3GGG/VK3PMG on 7.090. Â*Mick was on the top of his second summit for the
day, Ben Nevis VK3/ VS-009, and this time I was able to hear Mick quite
well. Â*Its always nice to get a Summit to Summit contact in the log.

I then headed up to 7.095 and called CQ. Â*First taker was Rick VK4RF/VK4HA
with a nice 5/7 signal from Queensland. Â*I was pleased to get Rick in the
log after not working him on 20m. Â*I worked a further 6 stations from VK2,
VK3, and VK5. Â*This included William VK2NWB/p operating QRP with 5 watts
(5/2 both ways). Â*Also Perrin VK3XPT who was operating remote from his
workplace, and Dominic VK2JNA/5 who was mobile near Coober Pedy heading to
Alice Springs. Â*Dominic was a very nice 5/7 signal to Mount Gawler.

I then headed back for another crack on 80m. Â*I had received an SMS message
from Adrian VK5FANA stating he could not hear me on 40m and would I mind
trying 80. Â*Adrian was a good 5/7 signal on 80m. Â*I also logged John VK5BJE
in the Adelaide Hills, and Steve VK5KSW at Wool Bay on the Yorke Peninsula.

I then packed away the 80/40/20m linked dipole and put up the 15m dipole
and put a few calls out on 21.250. Â*And Im pleased I did try the 15m band
as I logged 7 stations from VK4, VK5, and VK6.

I had a total of 41 stations in the log on 15, 20, 40 and 80m and it was
time to pack up and head down to the house to say hi to Noel and Anne. Â*I
spent about an hour, having a chat and enjoying a coffee and biccies with
this very lovely couple, whose home was fortunately spared during the
bushfire of 2015.







Thanks to everyone who called me during the activation, and many thanks to
those who took the time to spot me. Â*It all certainly helps.

I worked the following stations:-





References.

Summits on the Air (SOTA), 2017, http://www.sota.org.uk/gt;, viewed 5th
February 2017

Wikipedia, 2017,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_S...t_bushfiresgt;, viewed 5th
February 2017