Thanks Nick I found the Alert and will listen if band conditions are ok… (Sure hope so)
Thanks Dow (W4DOW)
I was on Freq for both of your Summits,saw your self spots never hear anything at all from you nor did I hear any chasers calling you.
Wsh I had…73 de W4DOW
Dow, about to head out (6:45 am VK3 time). WX at present is rain squalls, cold south westerly winds and forecast snow flurries to around 900 metres.
My first (and maybe only) summit will be Mt. Macedon VK3/VC-007 @ 1005 metres. There is a shelter there and can drive right to the summit so only need to walk out and back into the activation zone.
I will start on 21.062 cw but also check out the activity on other bands. Self spotting is not reliable from the summit unfortunately.
APRS VK3CAT-13
Cheers Tony VK3CAT soon to be /P
Thanks tony, I will be here and hope to hear you are having the start of Summer time T-Storms in the area and
the QRn been bad here all day… Sigs been good but the QRN is a Killer.
Thanks Hope to hear you on
73 de W4DOW
Thanks tony think i herd you coming back with a 449/459
with a station calling you every time I unkey making QRM
Dow, that was interesting, I realise not all you guys can probably here each other but it sounded like I had 1/2 of the USA calling back & to top it off, giving me signal reports before I had confirmed who I was in contact with. Got confusing!
SOTA CW is not that popular in VK & practically all the opps know each other. This brings to quite an orderly affair. Must say, like working EU, it takes a little more thought to work a callsign that does not start with VK (hi hi)
I could hear you (just) on 15 metres. I thought you may have been giving me a report but the signal was so low I did not think you would have heard me. I was calling you but another W station kept on replying and giving a report. Similar things on 10metres where some would call me and give a report at the end of their call where as it was hard going pulling a few letters out of the mire.
I received you @ approximately 0018 hrs on 10 Your received report is correct, signal peaked a bit. I thought I received your report but another was sending over you.
My calls to QRX were ignored by most.
Interesting conditions on Mt. Macedon.
The wind was howling - it blew over a trailer with an electric road works sign. The trailer and sign toppled over the edge of the road just near me and made a horrendous noise. Fortunately I had come sover although not quite where I originally planned as the Parks Ranger was not to keen on a squid ple being strapped to the picnic shelter; & I did not want to use the Alex Loop as there would be little chance of working you.
So, whilst relatively dry and sheltered from all but the worst of the wind, it was bitterly cold & the fingers started to seize up on the paddle, the mic got condensation in it and started to TX on its own via VOX and my hat took off down the hill.Log book is only a little smudged from the rain and mud. Such is SOTA!
Unfortunately I was unable to spot easily, to send the qsy to 10 metres I had to donn all the wet weather gear and walk up past the summit until I got a signal - about a kilometre so not all that quick but at least it worked.
My second activation for today was short and sharp between the rain squalls. Not as cold as only a 2 pointer. Sheltered behind a concrete water tank until the hail storm hit in full vengeance.
Hot shower and a glass of red should finish off the day but have to finish painting the bedroom doors first.
Until next time, possibly on a 10 pointer in 2 weeks & will have phone coverage so could arrange a sked?
Let me know if you sent a report, if it aligns with what I have then you are in the log.
Tony
PS, working conditions were the KX3 with KXPD, 10 watts and the 20 metre extended double zepp doublet via the KX3 tuner on a 7 metre squid pole. The antenna set up was pretty crappy being close to the roof of the shelter & lots of wet foliage but I wanted to set up on the east side to give USA the best chance.
Thanks Tony for the Try
Had a good copy 449/459 on you here. i sent you a 449 but I didnt not log the contact due to the QRM on the freq.
Running the Kenwood TS590S into a HeathKit Amplifier at 1 KW (+/-) to a
Super-Loop80 at 60 FT.
I hear you coming back but each time another Station was sending overtop of you who I know was hearing me.
Think his intent was to stop me from hearing you.
Who I also ask him to QRX 2 or 3 times same as you did , Dont think his copy of Cw is very Good.
This is not a personal attacks on the reflector its the Truth.
Hes running a Low-end Icom Ic-718 to a dipole.
Your calls to QRX were ignored by most and that one station , He wasnt hearing your or could not copy you
and was calling Blind again I think with the entent to prevent me from copying you.
Which he was doing every time I unkeyed he started sending again.
Shame we cant make Skeds to try to contact each other with out interference from others on purpose
I will catch you again soon I hope with out interference
Dow W4DOW
Tnx Tony You said: (I was calling you but another W station kept on replying and giving a report. Similar things on 10metres where some would call me and give a report at the end of their call where as it was hard going pulling a few letters out of the mire.) Think that station was causing QRM to keep me from hearing you. Everytime I unkey he was sending. Calling Blind Not copy you asking him to QRX. Which was a waste of time to someone who cant copy CW.
Dow
Thanks Warren
Thanks Brain.
I spend a lot of time at it. Its almost like a ongoing 24/7 contest and I get to do a lot of CW
Which I do Love and been doing for 54 years. Retired and in bad health with COPD so not much more
foe me to do but my Hobby SOTA is a great program and as I said as a chaser I do enjoy it a lot.
Thanks Dow W4DOW
Thanks All for the replys and thanks to Tony VK3CAt fot trying on 15 and 10M CW . Sorry we had so much QRM
from those who was calling blind or just couldnt copy CQ when we both ask to QRX when you was calling me…
There is really some poor operators out there in the Amater Radio world.
Thanks again.
Dow W4DOW
Hi Dow, I am 100% CW and will be using my Elecraft KX1 on VK1/AC-012 this Sunday probably from around 0000 or 0100 depending on how long it takes us to climb the summit. I believe the going is challenging.
If we have conditions and I can hear you you bet I will be giving you a call
Thanks Dow W4DOW
I will also try 14.060 on the day. But 20m usually only comes into its own late afternoons I think, so we’ll probably be on our way home by then. But I will try…