Hi Pete, I initially had a single decode of you on 28084 and immediately replied to you, but you stopped and moved to 12m, so after calling you there for a while I gave up and went back to 28074. It was getting really chilly on my summit and I was about to pack up and head off before I was stoked to see you calling me.
I replied but almost immediately at least one other station jumped on top of you and I had no further decodes of you. Hence moving to 28084 again and I was really really happy to get my report and a 73 from you.
For the contact I was running a flowerpot vertical with 100W of FT8, but realistically the contact could have been completed at much lower power levels if the band was not so full and others jumping on top of everyone else.
It was a quite noisy band last night - full of pops whistles and squeaks and a lot of FM pirates from my northern neighbours which made it distinctly challenging trying to work some SSB stations. Not helped by deep and at times rapid QSB.
I was running 100W SSB at times last night - which is probably when I was apparently heard by a couple of the other activators - either they were running lower power than me or their noise levels were lower. I think if the conditions had of remained the same as earlier in the day that SSB contacts VK-EU would have been doable if somewhat challenging.
Next time I do something like this, I will consider taking up a small yagi and an amplifier to make me easier to hear for those with a higher noise floor at the other end.
Bit of fun stats:
17.5 hours between leaving and returning home (0430 to 2200 local time)
270kms driven (mostly dirt road/tracks)
4 summits activated (all only on 10m) - 70 plus contacts made
15 (10m) S2S contacts (12 different summits) over the day - with the US, UK, JA and VK
Obligatory sunset photo below.
Us UK G/M activators need to work harder at our sunrise photos The pictures of the VK sunsets down under are really quite good to see !
Thanks, useful to know! I could hear you enough for your callsign with F4WBN, but others nothing or āa station is there but unintelligibleā. My noise floor was pretty good - the 857 didnāt register an s level at all. Anyway I was super pleased to hear you despite the conditions (noise?)
I think this is the crux, because conditions were only just getting going in the uk at 7.30z
I was unable to get out onto a summit so I was sat in the shack listening to you making these contacts. My main rig is out of action at the moment and I decided not to call you using the QRP rig because my antenna is only a 40m dipole at 5m. Signals were quite weak due to my antenna, but propagation quite good, so you might have heard me.
Well done on your activation Andrew. Many thanks for a super report and photos.
Thanks for the S2S on Saturday late afternoon! It was great to work you from āThe Knockerā VK3/VG-016. We had very nice weather over the weekend on our trek. We were hoping for some action on 10m to your side of the planet but no go,
Itās interesting to see your rising sun and you will note from our photo that the sun is low. We were using Andrew, VK3JBLās long telescopic vertical when we worked you.
The antenna Iām standing next to is my version of the POTA-Performer, hastily built on Friday, including modeling and 3d printing a Arca-Swiss compatible dovetail mounting plate for the tripod.
First QSOs on it I believe were S2Sās with DM and OE. Very nice being able to fine tune the frequency by extending sections.
This event caught me by surprise when I posted an alert on the Friday. Not well planned out having been tied up with work and running the house the past month.
Roughly 1000km driven on the Saturday and Sunday, a bit of a trek to get to these summits. Nice weather but ice on the tents overnight and the dropping temperatures forced an early QRT from us.
Only one danger noodle (snake) seen, likely a juvenile from last year dead in the middle of the road.
If Saturday wasnāt hard enough, Sunday was worse propagation wise on 10m, but we did work California and heard some stomping big signals from elsewhere like Minnesota.
My version of the 20m GP, 5 metre stainless steel whip and tripod base. We may have similar construction techniques. The four elevated wire radials are secured to the aluminium disc by two M5 thumbscrews.
I canāt tell you how satisfying it was for the 10mm bolt head to just slide in perfectly the first time.
Some settings need tweaking on my printer (rounded corners) and brown because I have 1kg of it for some reasonā¦
The 3d print is not the weak point of that antenna. 40% infill and it feels indestructible. Not one for summits with more than a light breeze I think due to the whip and toppling risk. Only two radials at this point for directivity and time.
Not exactly fb condx. 10 m was a total disappointment. Only 2 qsos made, PX0FF + EA7.
20 m was so-so. Overall high noise level at S4, I donāt know if qrm or qrn. Maybe the M-class flare in the early utc morning hours is to blame. Anyway, some callers just didnāt make it through the noise. Sorry.
One of them was a station with 1 and ending alpha. As I was thinking I heard something like an ozzy accent, I just tried the first VK1 callsign ending alpha that came to my mind, VK1DA. But it wasnāt VK1DA. Sometimes, this strategy works, this time it didnāt.
At 0818 his signal increased and it turned out to be Matt, VK1MA. Now he was 57 in the clear. A nice chat followed, however it was a technically difficult one with qsb dragging Mattās signal down to noise level several times.
Haha, Andrew, forecast for DM/NS ist exactly the other way round. Dry on Saturday, rain on Sunday morning.
Anyway, Europeās gonna change clocks on early Sunday morning, so itās an hour more sleep I can get. Means, count me in!
The pictures of the VK sunsets down under are really quite good to see !
Saturday, 19th, from 0630 utc.
