With 20m seemingly open to VK most mornings, I decided to have an early start on my nearest 4 pointer, Geallaig Hill, which also has a very good track all the way up. WX is currently excellent in NE Scotland and Monday 12th May was great, blue sky, sun and virtually no wind.
My objectives for the activation were:
- Work VK/ZL
- Test a hb 20m 1/4 wave GP with 4 radials versus a hb ground mounted 1/4 wave vertical with 10 radials
- Have first QSOs on 17 and 12m from the hill
Equipment: KX3, Micro PA50+ amp, 20m 1/4 wave GP, 1/4 wave verticals for 20/17/15/12/10. DX Commander and Spiderbeam masts.
QRV at 0638 utc, I was pleased to hear quite a few strong VK signals plus a couple of KH stations with big pile-ups.
Chris, F4WBN, was first itl, blowing my earphones off as usual. A run of EU followed over the next 20 minutes and then Paul VK5PAS called and also gave me a signal report comparison between the Gp and the vertical, with the Gp significantly better, which was very good to know. Paul spotted me and I had high hopes of a few more VK chasers, but none appeared and the EU chasers had died away by 0705. I therefore had a look around the band, just using the Gp.
Unfortunately I couldn’t hear ZL2AJ, the only VK/ZL activation on the go and the KH stations were buried under EU pile-ups. I then heard NL7V coming to the end of a QSO so gave Paul a call and we a good exchange. His QTH is North Pole, just SE of Fairbanks. Tuning around I heard VK2FR calling CQ and got Jordan itl for my second VK of the morning.
I put out another spot and had a very scratchy S2S with OK/F4JYM/P, followed by my second VK chaser of the day, VK1MA. He proved to be the last, as the propagation started to go EU only. 5 more Eu itl, with Manuel, EA2DT, being the last. Objectives 1 and 3 accomplished.
Moving to 17m, the band was evidently open to JA but no chasers appeared. I had a nice non-chase QSO with Kon, JJ1FXX. JR7TKG was also booming in but working a pile-up. A second spot brought 6 EU chasers, with F4WBN itl again. Objective 2 50% accomplished. Sadly 15, 12 and 10m seemed dead, so I went down to 40m mainly for some inter G, with Don G0RQL itl for the first time in a while.
I tried 15m again and was rewarded with one chase - Manuel EA8CCA. 12 and 10 were still dead. I got another S2S itl on 20m (YU7SMK/P) and called it a day just before 1100 utc.
A great day out, some good Dx, a decent result with the new Gp which merits further experimentation and the Hill activated now on 17m.
Lochnagar looking good
The Gp
73 to all