Hadn’t thought of that. A donkey/sherpa/goat/mule/horse/cow/kangaroo/wombat/emu to get the trailer into the AZ & I’m away!
You forgot “wife/partner/husband”…
1 Like
=sherpa!
1 Like
Maybe make your own “trailer” to get stuff into the AZ from the trailer behind the car.
some examples here;
https://www.armadilling.com/trailers-carts-sledges/
Warren
Perfect Warren, & I like how the MT and relavant AM would slide straight into those harnesses.
Hi Compton
I think if the trailer is towed behind a car or 4wd it is a vehicle. That includes towing to just outside the AZ. Manhandling the trailer would not change it from being a vehicle IMO. Removing the tower and carrying it to your operating position would be different and OK IMO.
A gain antenna made from wire might be easier.
GL
73
Ron
VK3AFW
Wont work. I’m trying to get a little beyond Yass.
If it wasnt a road registered vehicle/trailer, such as one of the carts that Warren has volunteered the MT representatives and the relevant AM to haul in for me, that would have to be OK, surley?
Ron makes a good point. The idea of SOTA is lightweight portable “backpacking” amateur radio, not how to deploy a trailer mast and remain within the rules. It’s a lot of fun to use a suitable design, a few bits of wire and make an aerial that weighs about the same as a box of breakfast cereal, and packs up to about half that size!
There are drive-on summits in many places, we know that. But SOTA was designed around the idea of going for a good walk in the hills and mountains, with your station in your backpack. So even if the summit is a drive-on, the appropriate approach is to still walk from your vehicle to your operating position being able to carry all your gear.
Indeed he does, and I always enjoy the walk/scramble/crawl to a SOTA summit. The drive one ones are convenient but less interesting in my opinion. A few bits of wire wont cut the mustard in trying to get beyond Yass for what I am thinking of.
What’s Yass?
Hmm, so make it a mass activation.
How many activators does it take to carry the mast, antenna and etc into the AZ ??
Although you may end of with no chasers as they are all on the summit… : )
The opposite to Noooh.
R
Its where the VK2 bloke in charge lives.
So what is the concern? Many of us are working the world with a homemade wire antenna and QRP from SOTA summits. Maybe you’re doing a specific band/mode with a greater technical challenge, but you haven’t mentioned it so I don’t know.
Why don’t you just simply use a lightweight portable antenna, get your 4 contacts to qualify the summit.
Then use your trailer mast to chase for the rest if the day to you hearts content! Nothing to stop you in the rules chasing with a vehicle or trailer mast.
73 Neil
There is no concern, the question re the use of a trailer has been answered.
Yes, I am aware of what activators do, & have done this myself as well.
Correct. And I am not at the point of advertising this yet
Because that won’t meet the personal challenge that has been set.
Thanks to those who have responded to my question and expressed interest in offering advice.
73
Compton
Moonbounce… or Field Day, and be the first to score 1000 points/QSOs in a single SOTA activation.
Hi Compton,
I’ll leave it to the Association Manager to rule on this.
I’m not against lugging in a tower and beam but I would not have it moved to the operating position on a trailer that I towed to the mountain. Having a team would be good but I find the probability of getting full co-operation is inversely proportional to the square of the number of people present.
I’m assuming you intend to work HF.
Wire antennas do work. Even simple ones. To work beyond the city of Yass, where your AM resides, does not need a big tower and beam, although both are very desirable. All my S2S Eu contacts have been wire antenna to wire antenna. Mike 2E0YYY works a lot of DX and S2S with his back-pack vertical.
I’m sure you know that the take-off angle is the most important factor and getting as much as possible of your radiation below 16 degrees even with 0 dB gain will get you further than something with 10 dB of gain up at 45 degrees.
Antennas with gain made from wire work very well. They generally do need more space than a 3 ele beam on a tower but you only need 1, 2, or 3 off 12 m squid poles to set up a long wire, delta loop, extended dipole, Vee beam, InVee Rhombic or a three element vertical.
People use beams especially in suburbia because they only need a modest back yard and not 100 m in a line for a wire antenna with equivalent gain. 100 m of wire at 12 m agl will give an average of over 10 dBi from 14 MHz up to 29 MHz. Admittedly you will need a tuner and it is a PITA to rotate, but most SOTA operation is short enough that you can select your target direction and stick with that.
A delta loop or multiple delta loops are feasible in a small area for 14 MHz and up. I have used one on 20 m with a single squid pole and was able to rotate the two ends 90 degrees to get full directional coverage.
An X-beam, a VK2ABQ wire beam or a spider beam are options I would consider as they are lighter than the commercial tribanders.
I think you have your heart set on a tower and beam combo and if you can set it up within the spirit of SOTA then go for it.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
I’d say that was impossible!
https://www.sota.org.uk/Joining-In/Environment
It is important to be low-impact. A lengthy operation with a tower is not low-impact.
I’m intrigued to know what band it is that cannot get past Yass without all this gear!
Maybe there is aliens on their way and you want to be first to contact them because you heard them through your headphones 
Also intrigued now! 