Wait, Ed, I have to double-check where I actually was.
If you look closely, on the right you can see Wartburg Castle in a distance. It’s missing on your photo.
Ahoi
Pom
Understood - but the similarity between the two summits is striking. If I had a picture of Blender in spring or summer, it would have been even more so.
I wonder how many more summits look similar to each other?
73 Ed.
1 Like
As VK and ZL cover quite an azimuth range from the euro perspective, maybe you want to make an azimuthal map for your qth?
Ahoi
Pom
1 Like
This was really worth getting up early.
DM/TH-064 14 QSOs, 5 VK (incl. 2 s2s) and 1 ZL (POTA), some Euro stations.
IC-705 up to 40 W, homebrew L-matched multiband triple leg (on a summit she’s a real DX magnet)
After deploying the station, I instandly heard a VK3 station with a big signal chatting with another station. Good sign, I thought and listened to him while checking SW3.
Andrew VK1AD/p was spotted and so I QSYed to his frequency. His signal was steady but barely readable, since there was QRM up to S4. I activated this summit before and can’t remember it was a noisy one. Is it that I didn’t give attention before or is it that things keep changing, anyway I think I won’t activate this summit anymore when looking for s2s DX on HF. Sorry to all who had to give their information several times to get in my log. Andrew could have been an armchair copy and he have me a much better R-report than I gave him. Anyway, my very first VK s2s was in the log! Tnx! Time for a cuppa. 
While boiling water I heard the VK3 station CQing and he came back to me on my first call. During the QSO I found out that the PA was not connected to the battery. 
So I made 2 VK QSOs (incl. 1 s2s) with a barefoot IC-705. Would have been even better if I’d forgot to also connect the 705 to the battery (for P/out = 5 W), but I didn’t. Anyway, amazing what 10 W and a good take-off can do. After connecting the PA the VK3 station corrected my report from 55 to 57. After a nice chat I QSYed and started to CQ.
ZL4NVW/p came back and was very patient to repeat his call sign over and over again. It felt like minutes before we completed the QSO. Sorry mate, I didn’t expect the summit to be noisy (see above).
He was so hard to copy that I heard “SOTA” instead of “POTA” and was amazed to have also an s2s with ZL in the log. It was no s2s, but s2POTA, which I also appreciate. Any portable-2-portable QSO is highly appreciated. 
Then VK1AD/p called in and he was just enough above the QRM to get a 45 report. I waited more than seven years for my first VK s2s (VK1DA/p), just to work another one on the same activation. Absolutely satisfying.
The past weeks I sometimes wondered when the next EU-VK/ZL S2S would be, but I think this was it for 2022?
TNX to all takers!
Ahoi
Pom
5 Likes
The Australian space weather forecast for today is enhanced propagation.
I plan to activate Mt Stromlo VK1/AC-043 from 0545 UTC to 0715 UTC. Operating frequency 14.310 MHz +/- QRM.
73, Andrew VK1AD
Space weather forecast may be favourable. But the more terrestrial variety is looking pretty marginal. Will make a decision at 0300, but if it looks good enough will attempt ZL3/CB-451 - 6pts between 0600 and 0700.
(it’s only 3km away. Trouble is 1km of those 3 is vertical!)
=========
EDIT: Rain & strong winds so no go for summiting tonight. Will have to save it for another day.
1 Like
For me it was incredible. It is my first Summit to the antipodes. I heard you very, very low, and added to the local noise, it was a great fortune to get you out of the Qsb/Qrm only with my cobweb antenna in the QTH. These days I also listened with envy to a friend EA5 working from his summit to VK stations. I will be attentive the next few days and when it is possible and the weather improves I will go to a summit in Europe, at early European hours to try it
2 Likes
I’ll be interested to see how Andrew @VK1AD 's contacts this morning shift geographically with time. He was never better than about two and 1 here, but I probably wasn’t awake early enough…
2 Likes
Hi Rick
Another awesome opening on 20m from Mt Stromlo Observatory VK1/AC-043 in Australia’s Capital City Canberra. Long path propagation was open to Sweden at 0527 UTC and later closed around 0705 UTC.
Equipment: FT-857D at 25 watts, 20m 1/4 wave GP, 10m of RG58AU Mil Spec, homebrew 1:1 current choke, and 8Ah LIFEPO4 battery.
Below is a copy of my log. Two UK stations in the log, Terry G0VWP and Don G0RQL. I first worked Don on 23/11/2013 from Mt Taylor VK1/AC-037. I have worked Don 42 times, the most recent before today was on 15/10/2020 from Mt Ainslie VK1/AC-040.
49 QSOs on 20m and 8 on 40m.
Countries worked (16): Sweden, New Zealand, France, UK, Germany, Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, Finland, Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, Austria, Lithuania and Poland.
Summit to Summit QSOs: F/DL6GCA/P at FL/VO-017 and VK2HRX/7 at VK7/SC-052, both of which are new summits chased. 
| Time | Callsign | Band | Mode | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05:24 | VK2HRX/P | 14MHz | SSB | Compton s59 r58 S2S VK7/SC-052 |
| 05:27 | SA4BLM | 14MHz | SSB | s58 r52 |
| 05:28 | SM4CJM | 14MHz | SSB | s58 r55 |
| 05:30 | ZL3JD | 14MHz | SSB | Phil s59 r59 |
| 05:31 | VK5AYL | 14MHz | SSB | Sue s59 r57 |
| 05:35 | ZL1BQD | 14MHz | SSB | Roly s58 r58 |
| 05:36 | VK7QP | 14MHz | SSB | Linda s59 r59 |
| 05:37 | F5JKK | 14MHz | SSB | s55 r55 |
| 05:39 | G0VWP | 14MHz | SSB | s55 r44 |
| 05:40 | ZL1TM | 14MHz | SSB | Andri s58 r55 |
| 05:42 | F/DL6GCA/P | 14MHz | SSB | s55 r44 S2S FL/VO-017 |
| 05:44 | DL6MST | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r53 |
| 05:47 | DJ5AV | 14MHz | SSB | Michael s59 r56 |
| 05:48 | F5JKK | 14MHz | SSB | s55 r55 |
| 05:50 | ZL1SKL | 14MHz | SSB | Soren s58 r55 |
| 05:51 | VK5MK | 14MHz | SSB | Mark s58 r58 |
| 05:52 | VK4KLA | 14MHz | SSB | Llew s58 r54 |
| 05:54 | DJ2MX | 14MHz | SSB | s58 r32 |
| 05:56 | ON5SWA | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r44 |
| 06:00 | VK4EMP | 14MHz | SSB | Mark s58 r44 |
| 06:08 | S56RPJ | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r43 |
| 06:10 | G0RQL | 14MHz | SSB | Don s58 r33 |
| 06:14 | EA7GV | 14MHz | SSB | s58 r51 |
| 06:16 | SP1JQJ | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r52 |
| 06:18 | VK4KD | 14MHz | SSB | Phil s58 r59 |
| 06:20 | CT1DIZ | 14MHz | SSB | s58 r57 |
| 06:21 | DJ1SD | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r55 |
| 06:24 | OH6GAZ | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r54 |
| 06:25 | ON7ZM | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r44 |
| 06:26 | F4CIM | 14MHz | SSB | s59 r56 |
| 06:27 | VK6EA | 14MHz | SSB | Ian s59 r55 |
| 06:30 | VK4HRE | 14MHz | SSB | Bob s58 r55 |
| 06:31 | S58AL | 14MHz | SSB | s55 r57 |
| 06:33 | OK2TS | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r56 |
| 06:34 | DL8UP | 14MHz | SSB | s58 r55 |
| 06:36 | ZL3RIK | 14MHz | SSB | Rik s59 r43 |
| 06:37 | IK0ZMK | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r33 |
| 06:42 | SV3SFJ | 14MHz | SSB | s55 r41 |
| 06:43 | ON3MK | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r22 |
| 06:45 | OE6RCD | 14MHz | SSB | s57 r32 |
| 06:46 | VK6NU | 14MHz | SSB | John s58 r55 |
| 06:47 | VK4BXX | 14MHz | SSB | Greg s59 r57 |
| 06:50 | LY3AB | 14MHz | SSB | s56 r57 |
| 06:52 | VK5DDD | 14MHz | SSB | Owen s59 r59 |
| 06:55 | SP8AWL | 14MHz | SSB | s58 r55 |
| 06:59 | VK8GM | 14MHz | SSB | Greg s57 r53 |
| 07:00 | DL9USA | 14MHz | SSB | Andi s58 r55 |
| 07:02 | EA7BO | 14MHz | SSB | s58 r55 |
| 07:03 | ZL4NVW | 14MHz | SSB | Matt s57 r56 |
| 07:06 | VK2IO | 7MHz | SSB | Gerard s59 r56 |
| 07:11 | VK3GTV | 7MHz | SSB | Col s58 r57 |
| 07:12 | VK3PF | 7MHz | SSB | Peter s58 r57 |
| 07:14 | VK3TB | 7MHz | SSB | Ian s58 r59 |
| 07:16 | VK3BQ/M | 7MHz | SSB | Andrew s58 r57 |
| 07:19 | VK3TOS | 7MHz | SSB | s58 r57 |
| 07:19 | VK3DNS | 7MHz | SSB | Nathan s58 r57 |
| 07:20 | VK4KC | 7MHz | SSB | Marty s58 r55 |
Mt Stromlo Observatory
20m 1/4 wave ground plane antenna with three elevated radials
A huge thanks to all chasers across Europe, New Zealand and here in Australia. Great to work the French summit and a new summit in Tasmania (VK7), both S2S
73, Andrew VK1AD
6 Likes
Well done again Andrew,
Is that the Mount Stromlo observatory that burnt down about 10 years ago? You’d never know it!
I took a listen for you this morning (from home) but you were just too weak to understand with me. Had I been out portable it would have been no problem. I saw the same times for 20m opening and closing as you say, so it looks like the band is opening earlier than it has been doing.
73 Ed.
2 Likes
2003 Ed, 19 years ago. The main optical telescope operated by the ANU was destroyed in the firestorm.
The building is an empty shell, considered to be a museum piece. I think (not verified) the insurance claim was used to build new infrastructure at the Siding Spring Observatory. The Australian National University (ANU) now connects remotely to Siding Spring.
There is too much man-made light now around Mt Stromlo for it to be an effective and efficient observatory. The 2003 fires destroyed the pine forests surrounding the former observatory which were effective in blocking out man-made light.
Andrew VK1AD
1 Like
Crikey nearly 20 years - and I remember seeing the awful TV pictures. When I saw them, I thought, there’s no way that can be repaired.
I hadn’t thought about the lack of tree cover after the fires allowing too much man-made light in.
73 Ed.
I found it surprising that I had no other chasers from VK / ZL except you and VK2HRX… but that 2 S2S was worth getting up early
It was quite cold in the morning on the summit and I had to move to get warm again. So I packed up and thought, I’ll get you from another summit.
On FL/VO-001 I have heard you then only quite quietly. I stayed on your qrg for a few minutes and also heard several of your chasers from VK (one VK4 was very loud!), but I didn’t manage another qso with VK…
73 Armin
3 Likes
Hi all
Friday morning UTC I will activate Mt Ainslie VK1/AC-040, VKFF-0850 from 0530 UTC to ~0715 UTC.
VK1 sunset is at 0730 UTC. The ambient temperatures are starting to get cold around 0700 UTC.
73, Andrew VK1AD
Ok, I’m going to give this a shot Friday morning 0530 UTC, on GM/ES-068 Craiglich.
1 Like
I dont think i can manage another early start plus a full days work.
I’m hoping to give it another go on Saturday morning.
1 Like
Saturday 23rd will be at Mt Lambie a 8 point summit. Shall start around 0400Z and see how things go with 20M DX as the sun sets.
30M should be a good try as well. Will take a few batteries so can run a bit of power.
Hope it is not a raging gale as Lambie is prone to.
73 Wal VK2WP
1 Like
VK space weather agency is currently reporting enhanced HF propagation up by 16%.
Andrew VK1AD
2 Likes
Thanks Andrew, 20M is wide open to EU, ZL and Russia right now, strong signals. 0450Z.
Looking forward to my activation tomorrow.
Wal VK2WP
Well, that was a blast!
I left home at 0440z and was keying the mic. just 50 minutes later, on top of Craiglich GM/ES-058!
I was using my FT-857d, 5m of RG-174, a 6m mast and a simple monoband Up and Outer cut for 20m.
Andrew @VK1AD was already on the air and working EU stations from his summit VK1/AC-040. I took my chance and called Summit to Summit and we had a QSO with 5/5 sent and 5/8 given in return.
I went off and found my own frequency (which I subsequently had to change a further twice due to QRM) and worked a heap of EU, as well as more DX - VK5PAS and also VK3GTV/p on VK3/VN-106
A grand mornings work done, I headed down and was home for 0700z, with a cup of tea for Mo, who was still in bed.
8 Likes