Hi Sylvia, Peter
Many thanks for the contacts today from OE/OO-118 very much appreciated!
Wonder if the VK3 you heard was VK3HRA - he was calling me just after I worked you, but despite his persistence we eventually failed to make it 
Sounds like you had as much fun as I did. Really looking forward to doing it again 
73 de Paul G6GGP
Hi Ignacio,
Very sorry we didn’t make it, when you first called you were good copy but you very quickly disappeared into the heavy QRN I was experiencing.
I was running about 4W into a vertical groundplane antenna that I’d made the previous evening which seemed to work quite well, though conditions were quite variable.
Also worked SP9AMH, AX3CAT, VK3XL (gave me 57 - really chuffed with that!) OE3GGS, AC1Z, IK7RVY and not forgetting M0HCU/P!
Heard 2E0YYY and G7LAS of course but every time I came across them they were busy with their own pileup so didn’t trouble them 
73 de Paul G6GGP/G4MD
Thanks Les for my first sota dx. Turns out I was only using 2.5w (not 5w) into a 1/4 vertical as well. You had a fantastic signal into vk3 with your 4 watts. I was really amazed, must have been peak conditions at that time. Very little qsb on anyone.
73 Andrew
VK3JBL
Hi Andrew,
Many thanks for taking the time to work me, a great morning. We finished up with 20 Vks in the log, a couple we were delighted to work with different prefixes, so probably 17 or 18 unique callsigns. IIRC six were s2s.
An armchair contact of 11840 miles (19050Km) and wonderful chat with Bryan ZL3XDJ, formally G4XDJ, from Waikouaiti, who was born just a few miles up the road from me, made our day! When we arrived home, both Rob and myself found an email waiting from Bryan, thanking us for the QSO…Magic.
Logging Ghana, was the icing on the cake, certainly a new SOTA DXCC for me.
Fine days radio. Many thanks to you guys for putting on a wonderful show.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
Hi all
Great to work everyone yesterday using VI6ANZAC. I only had the use of the call sign from 07:00 to 09:00 UTC.
If you worked the call sign earlier than that it was not from a Sota summit. When I arrived on the summit at 05:30 The Europeans were booming in long path and I was hoping conditions would hold up but they faded quickly at around 07:15 but I did mange to work Europe up to 08:00 UTC. Nice to get EA2BD G6GGP M0HCU in the log, My first time to hear and work you guys. Worked Mike 2E0YYY earlier with my own call VK6NU just to test my new 20 metre antenna which is a half square antenna, its an inverted U shape 17ft sides and 35 ft top wire, fed at one top corner, it tuned up well and was very easy to make but needs 2 supports. I also got Mike in the log when he called VI6ANZAC.
44 qso’s all up and 9 S2S worked. It was nice to get the use of VI6ANZAC for a Sota activation.
Thanks all
John VK6NU
I am amazed and delighted to see so many of you out on summits or chasing yesterday. I hadn’t imagined the idea of Europe to Australia SOTA working would be quite so popular. I take my hat off to all of you - getting up early, braving storms and staying up to operate all night! Wow, a bunch of very keen enthusiasts.
I’m proud to have been part of the fun. Here is my report from Gozo:
Started operating on 9H/GO-001 at 05:30 and had 39 contacts (38 Europe and 1 US) but nothing heard on 20m ,17m CW or SSB from Australia. My challenge was wind which brought my pole down 5 times. Disappointed not to manage an Australian contact but made 5 European S2S contacts.
Went back to the summit at 18:00z to try to work Gerard (AX2IO) and eventually we managed a QSO on 20m CW. Gerard was taking shelter in his car so not a valid S2S but still a great success - 4W to a quarter wave vertical here and a good contact via the short path.
My equipment was a KX3 running 5W in the morning but only 4W in the second session (forgot the power connector for the LiPo battery so used the SLAB that was intended to run my lamp!).
Thanks to all the chasers for their patience and perseverance and to everyone who took part in what, for me, was great fun and a very memorable day.
Now thinking about another adventure - maybe similar, Europe to VK via long path. 23rd May looks possible - any thoughts? It would be good to make plans that encourage the US operators to join in too.
See you all on the next summit. I’m on Gozo for another week and if anyone specifically wants 9H/GO-001 please let me know. I can get onto the summit fairly easily but need to plan times around work and diving!
Robin, 9H4RH
Thanks Mike. I can always count on hearing the strongest signal in the land when you are operating SOTA. 
Hi
Great idea of VK2IO and 9H4RH: From HB/BE-087 I was able to make my first S2S-QSOs to USA, Malta and VK!
Date Time Call Ref. Summit QRG Mode Points
24. Apr 15 17:42 AC1Z W1/HA-029 Hersey Mountain 21MHz CW 1*
25. Apr 15 05:07 VK2AFA/P VK2/HU-093 Mt Elliot 14MHz CW 1*
25. Apr 15 05:46 9H4RH/P 9H/GO-001 Ta’Dbiegi 14MHz CW 1*
25. Apr 15 06:24 VK3JBL VK3/VC-016 Mt Beenak 14MHz CW 4
25. Apr 15 07:10 AX2IB/3 VK3/VE-165 Mt Granya 14MHz CW 4*
25. Apr 15 07:25 VK100ANZAC VK1/AC-040 Mt Ainslie 14MHz SSB 1*
On the 24th. I worked AC1Z on W1/HA-029 with a KX3 with 5W and Buddipole fullsize, no coils. Bob, AC1Z, wrote: “I am glad I tried calling many times with QSB but signal came up and I heard you fine. My antenna was a wire inverted vee only about 12 feet off the ground amoung thick forest. Using FT817ND with 5 watts. I contacted you from Hersey Mountain in Sanbornton, NH just south of the White Mountains (2001 feet 610 meters high). Ham radio is fun!”
I worked all the S2S-VK’s with FT-857D (100W) and also a Buddipole fullsize! No all of the VK-QSO are yet mached!
73 de HB9BIN, Jürg (George)
strong text
Man Alive Andrew! You were pounding in on Moel Gyw - and you were only running 2.5W!? What a great day!
Really grateful to all the VK/AX stations who braved such grotty weather to make the trip on the airwaves. I cut and ran at the sight of a heavy shower sweeping past my Welsh summit. Now I feel a right prune, as it didn’t actually hit my QTH, but I was packed and gone by then.
I look forward to the next time, and thanks again, one and all.
Les g0nmd - gw0nmd/p
My first S2S QSOs from HB to the USA, Malta and VK
Using the SOTA reflector, Gerard VK2IO and Robin 9H4RH proposed that activators in VK and EU try to make S2S contacts on Saturday 25 April. The planned activity was to begin at approximately 05:30 GMT. In addition, on this weekend the Australian stations used the special prefix AX.
Despite a poor weather forecast, I was keen to participate in this event – in my almost five years of SOTA operating I had not yet been able to make any S2Ss with VK. On Thursday, at the last moment I decided on Niesen (HB/BE-087) as my QTH and, with much luck, was able to book the last of the eight rooms at the summit hotel. Niesen, with its cable car, seemed ideal for my purposes because I planned on bringing a great deal of radio gear in a 60 litre backpack as well as a suitcase on wheels.
I went on the air on Friday 24 April at 14:31 GMT with a KX3 at 5W and using my Buddipole as the antenna. To help that antenna achieve high efficiency, I purchased as many additional telescopic whips necessary to extend the dipole to a true half wavelength. By doing so, I did not need the coils as originally intended. Although my antenna looked like a weeping willow tree, one visitor who was not terribly bright asked me if I could use it to go fishing in nearby Lake Thun.
During the gray line, at 17:42 I worked my first S2S QSO from Niesen with Bob AC1Z, who was on W1/HA-029 and was calling CQ on 15 metres. Although my Buiddipole was tuned for 20 metres, Bob gave me a report of 559. In an e-mail, he later wrote: “I am glad, I tried calling many times with QSB but the signal came up and I heard you fine. My antenna was a wire inverted vee only about 12 feet off the ground among thick forest. I was using a FT817ND with 5 watts. Ham radio is fun!” Following this success, I wrapped up my radio operations for Friday evening, enjoyed the spectacular sundown and the delicious meal in the mountain inn. During the night, I was awoken by loud snoring from another guest in the adjacent room because of the thin wooden walls. I forgot to put in my ear plugs, but thankfully I had some sleeping pills with me.
On Saturday 25 April I started operating at 04:53 GMT, again with the Buddipole but this time running 100W. To be sure I could make some S2S QSOs with VK, In addition to the KX3 I also brought a Yeasu FT-857D to the summit along with a total of three powerful LiFePO4 batteries. The best of them had a capacity of 24 Ah and each of the two others were rated for 10 Ah. The decision to bring a 100W transceiver paid off because, in addition to activators, this special event also attracted numerous chasers such as DL1FU and others who likewise wanted to make a QSO with a VK station. My first two contacts were on 20m CW with US6AQB and Jean VE2JCW who is a well-known chaser, and I have already had 76 QSOs with him. After 14 minutes, I finally did get my first S2S QSO with VK when I worked VK2AFA/P. There were then three additional S2S contacts in CW with VK3JBL, AX2IB/P and a SSB QSO with an operator using the special call VK100ANZAC. At 05:46 I also was successful in getting my first S2S QSO with Malta on 20m CW by working Robin 9H4RH/P. He was on the rare summit 9H/GO-001 and, as mentioned earlier, was one of the hams who initiated this event. All the signals from VK were very weak, but to compensate my joy as a DXer and SOTA fan was equally high. As the following table shows, the total opening to VK on this Saturday morning lasted roughly 2½ hours. When it was done, I enjoyed the lavish breakfast buffet in the mountain restaurant. Overall, from Friday to Saturday I made 214 QSOs from Niesen, and of them 33 were S2S contacts.
I hope, we will repeat a meeting between activators in VK, USA and EU agn! Tks to Paul, HB9DST, for the translation.
73 de HB9BIN, Juerg
Hi Juerg,
I was the operator of VK100ANZAC and I was very pleased to make some S2S contacts into Europe. My setup was an IC703 running 10w to a 1/4 wave vertical with 3 elevated radials. I was operating from a small tent in rain, with much QRN from nearby thunderstorms. I have worked you as a chaser before, using my home callsign vk2uh. Thanks for the translation, I hope you will receive this reply via your friend.
73
Andrew
vk1da/vk2uh
Hi Andrew
I got ur message. Tks for ur info! I would like receiving a QSL for This S2S-QSO to VK. VK100ANZAC is a new prefix for me.
Tnx agn es 73 de HB9BIN, Juerg (George)
Hi Juerg,
I will find out how to get you a QSL for that contact. The callsign has been used for many contacts and there will be many QSL requests.
73
Andrew
Hi,
Providing the VK100ANZAC log with that contact was uploaded an E-QLs is available.
73
Ron
VK3AFW