I’ve spent quite a time this week trying to work the Berry Island DXpedition. I was hearing C6APY on 30m CW but only very weak, I had all FT817 settings optimised. It seemed that 40m had been working better a little later in the evening during the week.
The lads in the Bahamas moved their 40m vertical into the sea for a 40m session last night and we were mutually pleased to be able to manage a 40m CW QSO just after 2300utc. I was using a linked SOTA dipole on a 10m fishing pole in my garden. Rig was my FT817 (5 watts) on my garden picnic bench!
Really looking forward to the event tomorrow, I hope I enjoy more success than last time! I was using my home brew SSB rig last time and whilst I could hear DX stations fine, I wasn’t able to get back to any. Tomorrow I’ll have my FT817.
After having been able to chase only one Northamerican activator over the last few evenings, which is when I’m home after work and in the shack if I’m lucky, I was also having a bit of the same thoughts.
It might be better to stay in bed rather than getting up early and setting up on top of a hill for nothing.
But I have chased once again my top chased activator KX0R on 20m CW a couple of hours ago and he was putting such a steady and clear 559 signal with just a little bit of QSB but always readable, that I have got really encouraged to get up early tomorrow and go out to a local 1 pointer with a good take off towards VK long path.
I want to encourage you all to go out and activate. It will surely be a lot of fun.
73,
Weather is far from nice here in Wellington NZ but about to drive out to my summit and assess it when there. If there is a gap in the rain we will give it a shot. ZL2ATH
K was around 1 in VK2. I could hear a load of VERY LOUD non SOTA German stations accross 20m. The UK activators were way down in the noise, occassionally I could hear a word or so. A few JA’s but they couldnt hear me. The band opened and clsoed a few times in VK2.
I had contacts with VK2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and ZL on 40 and 20m from about 0730 to 0900.
Well worth the 90 minute trip to Mt Tomah. I’d do it again.
Great fun, and really interesting. I heard several VKs, but no ZL or JA.
From the calls I made, I managed two DX S2S, VK2IB/3 on CW and VK5PAS/P on SSB. Both between 8:00 and 8:30. For me, that is a big success, thanks!
Thanks for the local S2S as well, all good stuff.
I was running an FT817 at 5W, the antenna was an inverted V dipole on a 5m pole. The summit of Corndon GW/MW-013 is roughly conical, and provides good takeoff in all directions.
I was operational from 07:15 until 08:50, and spent a lot of time tuning around and listening to the masters at work - I don’t have a lot of experience of chasing DX on HF. Really interesting.
Weather conditions - low cloud and a steady stiff breeze, quite chilly. Bothy bag and antenna soaked by the end.
Thanks to Mike, Ed, Andrew et al for organising and encouraging - a good turnout, I think
Well considering the propagation conditions, I think things went quite well. 2 x VK S2S contacts (I think my first DL-VK6 - thanks John VK6NU). Heard a Japanese Summit but got no response when I called several times. Had to re-cone the speaker after VK3MO called me! I also heard Matt VK1MA call me but he couldn’t hear me I think.
After about 0800 UTC, the usual QRO stations appeared on band and simply called CQ over the top of activators.
Conditions seemed to go up and down somewhat and at one point we had at least three summits on the same frequency!
A surprise in 14.280 was Elvira XT2SE from Burkina Faso, West Africa, who I tried calling but of course with the pile-up I didn’t get through.
Nice to operate with Martin DF3MC - he on CW and I on SSB, about 20m apart from each other - there was some interference but it didn’t stop us making contacts.
I thought I’d “pick up a few contacts” on 40m before packing up. Thirteen contacts in seven minutes was the result and then even managed an S2S into the UK (thanks for your perseverance Tom M1EYP).
Well that was the first time I’ve got up at 4:30am to do Sota but by Jove it was worth it. Got setup on tw003 at 6:30 ish and spotted myself and called CQ on 20m for the first hour it was very slow work only 3 contacts, 2 Greek and another tw summit station. Then I struggled a 44 with m1eyp and then heard people working vk stations. The problem was I couldn’t hear any of them. 2e0yyy seemed to working his own pileup of vk and zl stations. I tried calling some vk stations but to no avail. Then I found vk5pas on 14.303 CQ calling to anyone. First shout he came back with QSO. First vk s2s for me, this made my activation and then got a YO summit station too. Then around 8:15 the band shut again for me and by 8:30 I packed up. The weather was nice n calm for me, little wind, no sun, no rain working 5watts into a half wave end fed antenna for 20m. Great fun
Way over in VK6 I had a quite rewarding afternoon. Didn’t make many contacts only 21 in total but 11 of those were Summit 2 Summit contacts and 4 of those were with Europe. EA2BD EA2IF 2E0YYY and DD5LP. Also had a few chats during the event with Andrew VK1AD so I worked all the crew responsible for organizing a great event.
The Summit I was on Mt.William VK6/SW-042 was gutted by a massive fire last year. There is a Firetower lookout there which must be about 70-80 feet high. I wasn’t aware that someone was up there today but did see another car in the carpark and the gate open into the compound. The lady came to say hello when she was leaving and was wondering what I was up to, She told me the wind was gusting at 70kph up the lookout and she was wondering how my hat was able to stay on. I did lose it once.
With the strong wind I only set the antenna up at 6 metres, it was a half square designed for 20 meters. Power was mostly 40 watts from the Ft-857 and I did crank it up to 60 watts a couple of times. I had 2 CW contacts with VK2WP and VK2IO, rest were on SSB and all on 20 meters. Worked most of the stations I heard but I could hear some G Stations on 14.285 but they couldn’t hear me. Band opened to Europe for me about 7:30 UTC which is probably quite a bit later than the other VK areas I packed up at 09:00 UTC and still had some contacts at this time but well past its best.
Thanks to all for a great event and look forward to the next one.
I wasn’t planning to join the event this time, as propagation seems poor the last days, but thanks my friend Guru EA2IF who encouraged not to miss the chance I finally woke up early and went to acftivate Mt. Erreniega EA2/NV-092.
Excellent weather when I arrived in the sunrise, there and after installing my end fed in Vertical configuration for 14 MHz I found I had high SWR of about 3- 4.
After some fiddling with the wire (lack of an ATU!) I couldn’t improve it at all!
Anyway I stayed and started calliing without much success. The noise in the receiver was so low, that I thought I could not log any DX today.
But I was wrong and I could work with ease EA2IF/P (not far from me, hi) CT1DBS/P, VK2IB/3, a loud VK5PAS/P and VK6NU/P. Heard faintly VK2IO/P when path was closing and I couldn’t work VK1AD/P although I tried several times.
All in all, a surprisingly good Long Path day.
Thanks for organising the event.
Today almost perfect weather on OE/OO-330 and I say thanks to VK2IB and VK2WP for the S2S-contacts, VK3WE, ZL1BYZ and JA1VRY for calling in. All contacts were done on 20m and in CW. Nothing on 17m. Enjoyed it a lot. Thanks to Mike and Ed for organizing.
Well I HEARD 3 JA stations, several VK stations including 3 SOTA activators, and one very strong ZL chaser. My 5 watts wasn’t making the return trip though today.
The summary from The Cloud G/SP-015 was as follows:
S2S: 13
RN6K/P on UT/CR-051 (announcing as R5/CR-051) - 20m CW
G8JSM/P on G/SP-017 - 20m SSB
GW4AZS/P on GW/MW-013 - 20m SSB & 20m CW
M0VED/P on G/TW-003 - 20m SSB
M1BUU/P on G/NP-008 - 20m SSB
YO6PIB/P on YO/EC-426 - 20m SSB
DD5LP/P on DL/AM-176 - 40m SSB
HB9BQB/P on HB/SZ-025 - 40m CW
G8XYJ/P on G/WB-004 - 2m SSB
F/HB9AFI/P on F/VO-086 - 40m CW
ON/M0BLF/P on ON/ON-010 - 40m CW
M6IIE/P on G/NP-005 - 2m FM
SWL: 6
2E0YYY/P on G/SP-004 - 20m SSB
VK1RX/P on VK1/AC-038 - 20m SSB
VK2IB/3 on VK3/VE-061 on 20m CW
VK5PAS/P on VK5/SE-005 - 20m SSB
MW0XRT on GW/NW-043 - 2m FM (didn’t appear to be receiving anyone!)
HB9EIV/P on HB/SZ-025 - 40m SSB
My first ever VK was a S2S. Worked another VK base station and heard a few more activators, but couldn’t get through to them. Heard a booming JA. Loads of EU S2S. (Oh and a contact into Star City, Russia) A really enjoyable morning. Now I know it can be done. I think I’ve also recruited another SOTA convert as well.
Gents, thanks for organising this. I look forward to the next one.
It’s always worth it getting up early to go out in the mountains and play radio and today it wasn’t different. It was absolutely great, as I had 5 great S2S QSOs with VK1, VK3, VK5 and VK6.
John ZL1BYZ also chased me from home.
I have to leave now with my 3 kids, but I hope to be able to write later a more detailed report with pics.
Great event!
Thanks guys for organising it.
Woke up with the most hideous sore throat and virtually no voice. Best of luck to everyone and have fun.
