Once Again, Thanks VK

Go for it Angel!

Don’t forget the mic though :wink:

73 Mike
2E0YYY

Hi Mike

Equipment used was FT-817 50 watt amp from Hardrock and a linked dipole up on a 7 meter squidpole.

Was hearing the DX much better than from home, think I need to do some antenna work. Good to catch you, hopefully many more in the future also. Will be a couple of weeks before I get out again as I’ve got visitors arriving this week.

73

John VK6NU

Hi John,

Broken the station down at my home QTH, very noisy. Work almost 100% portable these days.

Will be listeng out for you.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

Always great when you get a DX S2S on barely any power - glad to have made it into your logs.

A quiet day @ home QTH is S9 noise, but 10km away on a hill, 10W in the KX3 and a dipole… Not quite to the point of breaking down @ home but might as well since the only time I can chase is when I am on a summit.

On Tuesday, I gave Barry M0IML a call to see if he could get out very early on Friday morning. Because of Barry’s role caring for his wife, getting out early is not often possible. However, he sent me a text me
to say, he could make it.

Good news, as his local summit G/SE-015 Cheriton Hill, would certainly be a unique for the VK chasers. Barry has been around SOTA for some time, however, the VK chasers had always managed to elude him, so this morning was a chance to put things right. When I self spotted at 0536z, I was surprised to see Barry already spotted!

The 20m band was very quiet first thing this morning and it took almost 20 minutes for me to make my first contact with Christos SV2OXS at 0555z. Barry sent me a text to say he was hearing nothing. I went back to him to say that we were still a little early for VK and he would make some contacts. Sure enough and despite the Solar flair, VK1MA Matt called me at 0620z. Andy G8MIA called in from Rugely, for a couple of points. He was followed by those lovely words every SOTA activator wants to hear “summit to summit!” It was Andrew VK1MBE/P4 activating VK4/SE-011, giving me another VK unique…Cheers Andrew!
Then a run of a dozen VK contacts followed. Bill G4WSB gave me a shout, making a very good ground wave contact from Norfolk! Not forgetting Andrew VK1NAM/P activating VK1/AC-038 for my second s2s of the day.

As quickly as the band opened to VK, it evaporated, with my last VK call of the morning Gerard, signing F/VK2IO/P.
Once again, thanks for being there VK.

Not forgetting the EU callers who made the trip on a tricky 20m band, big thanks guys and gals.

48 calls for the activation, 19 VK’s logged, two of them s2s.

Fine mornings radio from G/SP-004 Shining Tor.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

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Hi Mickey

Thanks Mike for encouraging me out this morning - as one of the top UK DX activators, I trusted that you would get things right on the VK front - you were not wrong!

13 VK’s in the log 2 being s2s - my first ever.

Many thanks to all the chasers and in particular the two Andrews for the s2s.

I hope to catch you again soon.

Barry
M0IML

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Well done Barry and Mike.

Sometime I will give it a go :slight_smile:
73,
Rod

Thanks for sharing and congrats to Barry

  • I was waiting to hear about your report as I want to give it a try tomorrow - I will take my chances and hope the “CME/flare business” does not get on the way…

73 Angel

Hi Angel,

The 20m band to VK seems to opening later.

My first VK call of the morning was Matt VK1MA at 0720 local. However, the band closed quickly this morning, maybe the solar flair is taking its toll.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

The LP session will move by about 20minutes per month in VK1 as we move towards summer.

The solar flare seemed to flatten 20m on Friday. From Mt Tennent at 0100-0300 we had propagation to vk4/5/6 and I was spotted by the ZL2 RBN monitor on cw, but a K5 activator at the same time was inaudible here. The 3H15 walk (up) and almost 3H down flattened my legs too - Andrew VK1NAM had plenty left in the tank and headed off for his second activation whereas I hobbled off to the gym for a shower and then a quiet coffee!

See you next time, Mike.
73
Andrew vk1da/vk2uh

Hi all

Sunset today for VK1 is 07:53 UTC. The optimal period to work VK1 is 90 to 60 minutes leading up to VK1 sunset. I have recorded the timings and results of my DX activations since November last year. If you are interested select this link SOTA DX | Get out of the Radio Shack and Live Life

From Tuggeranong Hill I chased Andrew VK1MBE with a solid signal 5-8 for a new VK4 unique and 8 points! Thanks Andrew

Thanks Barry for a unique S2S and the 5 minute QSO, the band held up well. Looking forward to offering you new VK1 summits. Mike, I couldn’t understand why Matt VK1MA was receiving your signal well, while I was struggling to hear you at best 3-1. Tuggeranong Hill is around 25 km south of Matt’s QTH. I wasn’t happy giving you a 3-1 report so I switched back to 14.333 every 5 minutes, waiting for the signal to improve, I was confident it would. At 06:50 conditions improved, I was listening to Paul VK5PAS working you, your signal was now 5-7 well above the local noise. After Paul cleared I jumped in with a ‘summit to summit’ call. Mike thanks for the two contacts at 06:30 and 06:50 UTC.

Cheers

Andrew, VK1NAM

Hi Barry,
It was a pleasure to work you for the first time and get another G peak. My rule of thumb is that if i can’t work Mike the band is closed to the UK. So don’t tell Mike this - your signal was stronger than his. What ever you are using it worked well between us.

Now you have broken the ice I hope you can get out from time to time and give us an opportunity to work you again.

73
Ron

Hello for those who are following this thread we hope to have a vk5 anniversary day again in October for 2 years of SOTA in vk5. We have in the past made it the Sunday of our long week end here which will be the weekend of the 4th to the 6th of October. So I hope some vk5 activators will be out on summits that weekend and work some local and dx chasers be they sloths or s2s. No doubt there will be alerts set up.
73 de Ian vk5cz …

Friday night (VK2) I had to stay up all night again. 20m was very flat. The only SOTA I heard clearly was EA1IEH at 16:50 at about 54. I tried to work him and several EU chasers told him a VK was calling but I had to give up, just couldn’t get his attention. And I had to leave at 3am to pick the eldest up from a graduation party. A lot different compared to two nights before.

Matt.

G’day Matt,

Thanks for qualifying G/SP-004 for me on the 20m band this morning.

It only took me 63 minutes to make the four contacts!

BTW, thanks for the wonderful 3/1 signal report :wink:

Good to have to have a nice chat later on in the activation, thanks for the info on Lord Howe.

Catch ya soon…

73 Mike
2E0YYY

Hey Ron,

I’ve given Barry a phone call this morning, instructing him not to take anymore liberties. I reckon he sneaked a linear and genny onto Cheriton Hill :wink:

Don’t worry, it’s already in hand :wink:

Thanks for the call and chat this morning, Ron. Took the 2m antenna with me this morning but the wind got up and it turned very cold, so I chucked the towel in.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

Hi Ron - VK3AFW - many thanks for the qso this am at 6.59z. Nice 579 hr - what antenna and power did u have at your end? Am curious whether any beaming LP or SP too?

I started at 5.50z, prop picked up at around 6.30z. I had to leave at 7.10z for the little one swimming class.

22 QSOs in total with 4W and EFHW with Mountain Tuner - inv L on a 10m pole. My MTR v2 was “sweating” in beacon mode.



Very loud signals around 07.00z Had a nice 5NN x2 with Guru EA2IF- I assume on QRP too.

I wonder how Roger - F5LKW/P (s2s with him at 27wpm) and others did is am.
Mike. Sounds like on your end was tough. I boiled this am with all my winter clothes,13C and no wind,

Thanks to all the chasers.

73 Angel

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Hi Angel,

Same with the walk up to Shining Tor, I got very hot too. The wind came up after about an hour and the temperature dropped.

Conditions on the 20m band were poor this morning, Very hard work, over 1 hour to qualify the summit.

Just 37 contacts for the activation 8 of them VK. Only other DX was UA0AYA in Siberia.

No s2s :frowning:

Tony VK3CAT/P, who was activating VK3/VC-002 Mt Donna Buang, tried to find me but there was just no propagation early on, although he did work me from his car on his way home.

I’m pleased to see you got VK in your log, Angel…GL.

73 Mike
2E0YYY

Hi Angel.
My first QSO was with Matt - VK2DAG - 06:40 z - rst: 559
Later QSO with Ron - VK3AFW - 07:07 z - rst: 559
I received them without any problem, i think, it had to harder for them … my signal shouldn’t be very strong …
I recorded all QSO, i will prepare a movie next.
Thanks also for the S2S G/CE-002 ----- F/CR-204 - 1155 Km.

Here, no winter clothes this morning, WX so great.


APRS: 10 km to grow up and same to back home:

79 QSO with only 2 S2S - others failed … Chasers are stronger :wink:

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I’m going to reply you, Mike, and Angel in this same post.
I saw your Alerts last night, so I set the alarm to wake up this morning at 8AM o’clock local (6AM utc).
I had copy of neither of you guys for about 1 hour, but conditions finally changed and in a matter of 1 minute or 2 around 7AM utc, your signals came up from absolutely nothing to S9+10to20.
Just amazing and fantastic!
This is the magic of ham radio that the non-hams can’t understand. Those asking me why do I still keep trying to contact with other people around the world through my radio when mobile phones, Spyke and internet can do it perfectly, LOL…
It was a great pleasure for me to QSO on QRP 5w with you this morning and I hope I’ll be able to do it tomorrow morning again while I’m activating in the Pyrenees.
Not fully decided yet which summit I’ll activate but an alert will be raised later this evening, when I had made my decision.
Best 73 de Guru - EA2IF

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