Alert posted. Looking for DX, but I’ll settle for Pickering if necessary!
My alert is on for 0930z. 10m band only. Probably a bit late for OC DX S2S - but you never know!
10m SSB, CW, AM, RTTY, FT8, FT4, SSTV, FM.
PM me via this reflector for specific mode skeds.
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At 19:50 UTC VK1MA is working the US on 28.444 SSB from VK2/SW-034
Andrew VK1AD
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So there is some hope today for me from VK3/VN-020 around 0100z?
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K index is now 2 and foF2 is up to 8.5 MHz, huge improvement on yesterday’s total absorption of anything RF.
Andrew VK1AD
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Sun is setting and it’s very cold. Very good propagation on 20m. Details of the activation to follow.
Andrew VK1AD
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Hiked up Eiskogel OE/OO-084 in dawn and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise at the summit …
I worked with the special callsign OE20SOTA/p today! Due to the poor propagation in the last days I was rather pessimistic about hearing some DX … but I managed to get three S2S from VK in the log. Thanks to @VK1AD, @VK3JBL and @VK3YY for the QSO’s. These were all on 20m … on 10m I only worked local stations.
At 07:40 I could hear some fragments of @VK2IO on 14.344 but unfortunately the signal was too weak for a QSO.
Managed to work @OE5JFE, @G6PJZ and @G5OLD S2S as well.
Thanks for all the contacts and great to log some stations from VK again after a long time. Will probably do some more early morning activations in the next 1-2 weeks.
73 Martin
OE5REO
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Managed a 10m S2S with @VK1MA in the end. It took 50W of FT8 though!
Thanks @VK1AD for the other S2S on 20m. Unfortunately I couldn’t hear any of the other summit stations, only some of the chasers.
I dropped onto 60m for something different as the dipole was already up, but think I popped the fuse on the LiPO pack after trying FT8 and leaving the radio set to 65W 
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My summit this morning was Beacon Batch, G/SC-003. A band of rain was passing as I woke up, so was somewhat hesitant.
Sunrise
However the weather and DX conditions turned out to be excellent!
10m vertical up
10m vertical went straight up and in no time I worked Syd and Adele in South Africa @ZS5AYC @ZS5APT. 10m was playing ball.
I then switched to the 20m vertical and had fine summits to summits down under with Andrew @VK1AD and Gerald @VK2IO and Martin @OE5REO!
VK1AD S2S
I thought I’d give 10m another try and switched back to 10m, as @VK1MA had just spotted. I heard him exchanging a brief QSO with @F4WBN…frustration with QSB then followed and the question is did VK1MA get a call sign and signal report. I have no idea….
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Good to get 2 VKs in the log @VK1AD (quite good copy) and @VK2IO (a bit more of a struggle), both on 20m. Heard @VK1MA on 10m SSB, but not well enough to try and work unfortunately. 3 European S2S completed my S2S log (I’m guessing EA6/MA-039 was a bit warmer than my QTH?). All in all a very enjoyable morning, I’m glad I made the effort to get up (even if I didn’t manage to get Pickering in the log ;-)) and even more glad that the rain waited until I got back to the car!
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Well done Andy @G6PJZ , worth the early start, unlike me chasing. I’d forgotten about the EU <> VK Challenge being today and had a cup of tea in bed, a shower and then a leisurely breakfast before entering the shack at 0800z to work Gerard VK2IO/P at 08:10 on the long path. I was too late for anyone else including you - entirely my fault.
In my case these activity days don’t assume as much importance to OBK Chaser as they do to OBK Activator, although I have taken part in a few over the years.
73 Phil G4OBK
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That was a great morning, thanks Andrew VK1AD for organizing it. The conditions were much better again today - yesterday I still thought that I wouldn’t be able to do a VK QSO.
This morning 5 S2S QSOs were logged on 20m: VK1AD/p, VK3KR, VK3JBL/p, VK3YY and VK2IO/p. Thank you very much gentlemen!
By the way, my dog Paula didn’t come with me today, she saw my SOTA backpack…but went back to sleep, it was just too early!
73 Lutz
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My Slim-J for 10m did yield some QSO but not enough even with about 40 watt to get any VK/ZL on SSB.
The cold wind on the summit was not so much fun so after 2h it was enough.
But nice scene for sure:
But fun fact on summit number two I worked Chris F4WBN longpass on 10m.
OE5FSM was listening to our QSO and also confirmed with his experience.
So it could have worked 
But let’s try another time 
73 Joe
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The challenge goes on, Phil.
It seems, @MW0PJE and @VK1MA made it. Congrats! But there are still two often used modes left, cw and ssb. Looking at the number of activators participating in the first round in spring and looking at the current posts on this thread, there is probably a number of operators who still accept the challenge. I’m one.
I’m planning to go out on coming Saturday utc morning. Hoping this time there will be nothing important crossing my plans.
Ahoi
Pom
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Mt Stromlo is a drive up summit which is convenient for late afternoon activations. The summit hosts a number of optical and laser ranging telescopes. I positioned my gear in an open bush-setting away from visitors but also to show I am not within cooee of my car. At this summit I use a table and chair as I still have problems kneeling on the ground with my prosthetic left knee, plus I used a Mac laptop for FT8. I can walk 10km yet kneeling remains a challenge, some 10 months after surgery. 
Moving on…
My gear: 10m flowerpot antenna on a 9m telescopic pole and a 20m quarter wave GP with four elevated radials mounted on a tripod. The antenna base is 1.4m above ground level. Like Tim G5OLD I was using a FT-857D at 25 watts output. I did try 40 watts on FT8 28.084 MHz.
Throughout the 2.5 hour activation I listened for activators on their 10m spot frequencies including 28.084 for Peter MW0PJE/P on FT8. 10m yielded local and JA stations only, 4 JA on FT8 and 6 local stations including a S2S with VK1MA at VK2/SW-028, Snow Gum Mountain.
On the other hand the ever reliable 20m proved to be the band of choice where I completed 21 DX QSOs including ZL, OE, W, DL, ON, EA, HB9, SQ9 and G. Across our vast continent contacts were made with VK1, VK4 and VK6 chasers.
To the 20m S2S contacts. I heard Martin operating the special event callsign OE20SOTA quite early but with insufficient signal strength to complete a valid QSO. 35 minutes later at 0635 UTC we complete a S2S on 14.325 MHz. Within 5 minutes Lutz DL3SBA jumped out of the radio speaker with a convincing 5-4 to 5-5 signal for the second S2S. The next three UK S2S with Tim G5OLD, Andy G6PJZ and Peter MW0PJE occurred much later in the activation at 0727, 0736 and 0748 UTC respectively, which is typical of 20m long path to the UK. Thanks all for the S2S and two new unique peaks; G/TW-003 and DL/NW-219
For those interested in a 20m long path S2S with VK, the optimal window is the 90 minute period leading up to VK east coast sunset. As we move toward our summer the sunset time will get later. If you can, and subject to your local weather conditions, it pays to be patient and wait for the VK east coast sunset.
Thanks all chasers and activators for an interesting activation at Mt Stromlo VK1/AC-043.
Left 20m 1/4 wave GP and right 10m flowerpot antenna
20m 1/4 wave GP
Sun setting over the Brindabella Ranges and Mt Coree VK1/AC-023
Until next time…
73, Andrew VK1AD
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Amazing to see Joe’s @OE5JFE and Martin’s @OE5REO photos of sunrise over Austria and my sunset. Just saying…
Andrew VK1AD
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Yesterday, I went out and activated Andrew Hill, VK3/VN-020, with Eddie, VK3SRT, who came along for his second SOTA activation.
VK3/VN-020 is a hike up summit located about 65 km from home in the Kinglake National Park.
The track rises about 330 m over 3.3 km and took us just over an hour to arrive at the summit plateau. The summit is surrounded by trees with no view and lots of leeches. It was a sunny day and we moved the operating position three times to keep in the shade.
The station was FT817ND with 7 Ah LiFePO4 battery and link dipole (inverted vee) hanging from a gum tree with the apex about 8 m off the ground.
We started around 0200z and, passing the microphone between each other, made about 30 QSOs on 10m, 40m and 20m SSB.
10m suffered from heavy QSB with 5 Watts and a couple of 10m QSOs failed because of it.
The DX of note was JA1VVH on 10m FT8, and KG5CIK on 10m SSB.
S2S QSOs with VK3PF at VK3/VE-099 and VK3/VE-086, and VK3KR at VK3/VC-027.
It was a good day out and Eddie enjoyed his second SOTA activation. Early 2025 we will go to some of the nearby drive up summits were we can get more on air time, and more Watts for more fun.
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How bad are the leeches Peter, I’ve encounted leeches at Mt St. Leonard VK3/VC-006.
One practical solution is to spray your boots and lower trousers with diluted citronella oil. It worked for me in the Tassie rainforests.
Andrew VK1AD
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Somehow a leech made its way onto my back and left a 6 inch diameter circle of blood on my shirt.
Mt Bride, VK3/VC-009, is the worst I have found for leeches as there is nowhere to set up that isn’t damp regardless of the time of year.
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Hello Lutz, I was thrilled to make a S2S contact with you yesterday afternoon from Mt Beenak VK3/VC-016 to your location on Mt Heiligenstuhl DM/NW-219. It was a good day to be out on the summits with many stations activating and looking for contacts.
I visited three summits in the Warburton region, Mt Donna Buang, Mt Little Joe and Mt Beenak. Radio used was a homebrew mcHF transceiver to a link dipole on 40 and 20m. Power was a 2Ah drill battery with a DC-DC converter. The mcHF puts out 8W on the lower frequency bands but it drops off at 10m to only 3W or so, and I’ve found SSB operation on 10m to be a struggle. CW has worked better, but I packed hurriedly and left my paddle at home.
Other highlights were S2S contacts with VK3PF from each of my summits to three summits he visited - good co-ordination - also VK3ZPF and VK3SRT on Andrew Hill, VK3YY and VK3JBL on VK3/VG-064 and VK2IO on Canoelands.
The photos show my operating position on Mt Beenak, communications towers on the summit and the walk up from the carpark through the tall Mountain Ash forest.
73 David VK3KR
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