Might it be worth considering trying late in the EU day just after Norfolk Island sunrise (which is, I think, around 19:00z at present)? Of course, the Aussies would have to get up early…
Hi Rick,
Fair point, although I’m not sure it would make much difference. Make a change from all these early mornings though 
Mike
2E0YYY
Already suggested the short path several times to the VKs Rick. - No takers - possibly while it’d need to be something like 4am their time - with long path it’s only 6 or 7am local time in Europe, which is early enough!
I worked Andrew VK1MBE/P S2S last Wednesday via Long Path, so it is possible, if conditions are just a “little” better than they were today. Today, I think the Long Path window closed at 0610 UTC (it can vary a little).
The guys are out on Norfolk Island becuase of the WIA (the VK National Radio Soceity)'s AGM, which is this coming weekend, (May 27-29th. - http://www.wia.org.au/joinwia/wia/2016agm/ ) so there’s still a chance of another activation by Paul, Peter, Ron or one of the other SOTA activators that are there. There was talk of possibly activating VK9/NO-002 Jacky Jacky - but as this is on a different island, it won’t be late afternoon their time (which is what we need for long path). If they can get there at all - landing is very difficult in high sees.
73 Ed.
P.S. Summit selection for Long Path contacts here is restricted. Not only because of the time to drive to the summit and then walk/climb from the car park, but in some of the better summits access is via a cable car and they don’t start before 9 or 10am local time - by which time the Long Path window hs passed.
[quote=“DD5LP, post:25, topic:13170”]Already suggested the short path several times to the VKs[/quote]I was thinking of the long-path 12 hours (or so) round from the popular one; still mostly on the night-time side, but with VK9N near sunrise and EU near sunset…
Having seen pictures of visits to Phillip Island, I’d guess Jacky Jacky will be one of those summits that gets activated only extremely rarely…
73, Rick M0LEP
Is that Long Path or Gray-line propagation?
Ed.
The picture is a little small however the Grey shaded area indicates frequency and time to achieve a contact between EU and VK via Long Path and the blue one via short path. I don’t belive from this, that there are two times in the day when a long path contact is stronger than a short path one.
[quote=“DD5LP, post:27, topic:13170”]Is that Long Path or Gray-line propagation?[/quote]I think the answer is quite possibly “both” at this time of year. It’s a great-circle path the long way round fairly close to the terminator, but the RF will have its own ideas about where exactly it goes. Slung G, VK9P, and 50W SSB from a vertical into VOACAP just to see what happens, and got this:
73, Rick M0LEP
Its not VK9 but I will be sitting on Mt Kaputar tonight my time 26/05/2016 with a Sprey whisky at hand, VK2-NW001, 10 points. I’ve got an alert up but can leave the antenna up for an early AM contact my local time.
If anyone wants to nominate a time to try EU - VK let me know.
This is the summit I worked 2E0YYY for a S2S 18 months or so ago.
Compton
VK2HRX
1 Like
Hi Compton,
I think you are suggesting to try the other gray line - so early evening European time? The alert is shown for 1400 UTC, which is 4pm local time with me - probably a bit early as it wont be dusk here at that time. An interesting experiment though and if you are going to be camping on the summit, it might work well a couple of hours later.
It’s a public holiday here today, so a lot of people are taking Friday off and heading off for a long weekend-short holiday. Now that the sun has arrived at last, the roads could be blocked with traffic, so I might just listen for you from the home QTH rather than heading for a SOTA summit. Lets see how the day pans out.
Ed.
VK3TWO/9 active now from Mount Bates 26/05 05:45 UTC.
Some QRM from Europe. Too weak for me to work from home QTH at the moment.
UPDATE: Gone (with me) at 06:02 UTC - but was probably 3-3 at best to the home QTH at about 05:55 UTC. So it looks like the long path window is rather short at present. Would probably have been workable if I had been on a summit at this end.
Paul VK9PAS has been activating afternoons at Norfolk and mentioned today that he has not heard any EU stations. Closest has been Canary Islands. Plenty of NA, JA, VK and ZL though. Hopefully conditions will improve for EU.
Hi Gerard,
Afternoons (if not late afternoon) will be too early for long path into Europe. Starting around 0530 UTC - or 1530 AEST (is Norfolk Island on NSW time?) for about an hour, seems to be best at the moment.
Ed.
Hi Ed,
Norfolk is one hour ahead of NSW time i.e. UTC+11. Its 1700km ENE of Sydney. There’s no one activating Mt Bates VK9/NO-001 at the moment - Heath operating as VI9ANZAC is QRT. Next activation will probably be Sunday. You will find VK9NT operating (from the hotel) all through the waking hours on lots of different bands and modes so check the DX cluster.
Cheers, Gerard - VK2IO
Hi Gerard, OK that extra hour ahead of UTC (+11) would make an activation by someone attending the dinner on Sunday at 17:30 local difficult then. Shame - but with the propagation as it is at the moment an S2S contact would be difficult. What a difference a week makes!
Thanks for the info on VK9NT, I may give them a call if I hear them, but it’s the SOTA activation S2S that I would really prefer to manage.
Ed.
Hi Ed, Thanks for the call onto G/SP-017 Billinge Hill this morning, a very wise decision by you to stay at home. 20m was utter garbage. Zilch from VK9 or any other VK’s for that matter…
Can’t remember the last time I left a summit without at least one DX call in the log. There was nothing outside of EU. A bitter pill to swallow after getting out of bed at 0400 local time
So there you have it 
The only saving grace, was working a couple of EU statiions, summit to summit, on 10m FM. That don’t happen every day…
73 Mike
2E0YYY
Hello Mike,
I did listen when you went onto 10/FM - not even fragmented carrier here in East Sussex, forever hopeful.
I do not know but S2S 10M FM - there cannot be too many???
As regards VK9 - nothing here at all and that was with the hexbeam on full mast size. I also phased the SteppIR vertical with the hexbeam so I did try. Propagation/timing not right at least where I live. Given up now.
Cheers
Mike
Hi Mike, Nothing worked in G on 10m FM. Normally, Mick M0MDA, is a certainty. Good contact with Dieter DK6GL, who was working with just one Watt.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
I take it he was above 29 MHz somewhere?
Of note if you wish to work into Germany on 10m FM, use of any mode wider than 2.7KHz is not allowed (actually illegal) below 29MHz!
73 Ed.
Hi Ed, he came back to my CQ on 29.200.
73 Mike