Today’s activation of Mt Stromlo VK1/AC-043 was triggered by a need to test a Quansheng UV-K5-8 recently purchased and reflashed with IJV firmware. After testing the DSB functions on tx and rx (all of which was positive) it was time to chase Bill VK1RT who was activating Mt Canobolas vk2/ct-001. Having completed that I ran a few contacts on 40m cw and eventually drifted up to 20m cw and ssb.
Nothing doing on cw after a few calls but a spot from a VK4 in the ssb area caught my attention and I called him several times but the EU stations were much stronger than my signals. So I moved up the band and self spotted on 14.322, resulting in a run of 13 European chasers plus Ian ZL1IM and John ZL3MR both of whom I met on my ZL trip earlier in the year. Then I noticed a spot for Colin M1BUU on G/NP-004 on 14.062, exchanged good reports with him then moved down the band and self spotted again. 8 more EU contacts resulted, most at good strength. Then I had to pack up and get off the mountain as I have a family commitment on Wednesday evenings. Sunset is around 0730 at the moment.
My antenna was a linked dipole and the radio was a FT857D at 50w output.
This could be a sign of good LP signals on this path in the months ahead as we approach and pass the equinox. I’ll have to take a better 20m antenna to make the most of the conditions.
I was near the station but did not check if there is an opening. I have set a HamAlert filtered for EU Spotters, but this would most likely only be triggered by the RBN as spotting thr activator again as a chaser is untypical in SOTA.
I will try to keep an eye on 20m during the next mornings. Do you have plans to activate again?
But that’s the way it goes sometimes (that′s the way)
You just might find yourself in the clutches of some
Wild conditions (…loosely based on Zappa)
I had actually arrived at the summit early specifically to catch @F8AJY on FL/VL-032 — I still needed that one to complete.
But since I woke up before my alarm and got an early start, I managed to catch you and — for the first time in ages — make an S2S contact with VK.
I’d heard stations from VK recently… but they hadn’t heard me. Unfortunately, it seems the chasers in VK haven’t quite tuned in yet. But word should soon get around that EU activators are reachable again.
… by the way, around midday on 15m, conditions to JA have been almost consistently good over the last few days.
My plans are currently affected more by the weather than anything else. But I will certainly activate one of the local summits at least once a week in the next month or two, possibly some more distant summits too. I really enjoyed yesterday’s session and once I know this radio better I might use it again for that. Its primary purpose is for this year’s VHF/UHF challenge and I discovered it is usable at the TV transmission site Black Mt (VK1/AC-042) where my IC706 suffered front end overload and a s7 level of inaudible noise. More likely that for HF I will use the KX3 and an amplifier which will give you guys a better signal to copy.
I discovered yesterday that I could not deactivate the internal keyer so my external keyer was out of the circuit. I prefer the external one because it has a memory keyer and a speed control on the front (it’s a Pico keyer). It normally lives in my FT817 bag. I must have lost the menu item on the 857 for returning the key type to hand key. Homework.
I will try to alert beforehand, for your morning activity this means alerting by 2200 UTC I guess. I rarely activate without an alert as I nag others to do that, so have to follow my own rules! 2200 is 8am here at present so should be feasible. Just have to be organised!
Let’s hope for some good conditions at least in the next month. The bands have not been very cooperative, well it is all the sun’s fault.
Looking forward to another contact.
great plans! I am looking forward to your next activation! 22:00z is midnight here during the summer. This means, that I should just go to bed earlier such that I am ready for a spontaneous QSO in our morning. But usually I am up beyond midnight.
I also really enjoy the VHF/UHF challenge this year - both as an activator as well as as a chaser! I think my log speaks for itself But I also keep an eye on the HF spots. I have a few specific chaser goals that are mainly focused on european summits. And today I made a very rewarding DX QSO on 15m CW with Brian @BX2AKP on BV/TP-001. I heard him with fast QSB between NIL and 519, but it worked out!
Hoping for more such openings and also another opening to VK
It was fantastic to have the QSO, thank you! I haven’t worked VK for such a long time.
It wasn’t a serious activation on my part, I’d taken along my 7MHz EFHW and home soldered MTR-5B (about 4 watts out). Without much of a plan beyond ‘there might be some DX to be had’, I started on 20m. It was thrilling to catch the " 'K1DA" coming back to my CQ call and my mind was already adding the unheard ‘V’.
Once I’d locked in, it was a genuine solid copy, probably one of the most stable signals I’ve ever experienced from VK.
To see whether the band conditions are still good, I will be operating from Black Mt VK1/AC-042 from about 0530 Sunday 30/8. 7/14/21 bands. Sorry if this notice is too late for EU ops.
…so too late for anything other than a drive-on. Nearly left it too late on VK6/SW-056 Mt Hallowell last year. Only just got down before the gloom turned to dark. I don’t recommend descending bush paths in the dark, even with a decent torch…
When I was out activating Mount Hill GM/SS-277 yesterday I heard a VK station on 20m ssb and a JH station on 17m ssb. This was about 1200utc, sadly I couldn’t make Qso’s with either but it was fun to hear them all the way in to Fife.
As it turned out, conditions were ok but not as good as on wednesday last week.
By running 50w output I find the contacts are more reliable, but carrying a ft857 and 7AH battery is an escalation of the normal load I carry. This summit was a drive-up so no problems with the extra power.
With some CW contacts on 20m I looked on 15m and found a parks activator in vk6 who appreciated a contact. Then the breeze started up and I decided to call it quits.
I will try to activate again in the coming week at around the same time.
(…loosely based on Zappa)
But I also keep an eye on the HF spots. I have a few specific chaser goals that are mainly focused on european summits. And today I made a very rewarding DX QSO on 15m CW with Brian 
