Hi all
I plan to activate Isaacs Ridge VK1/AC-041 after work on Friday 13/03/15 from 0700 to 0815 UTC for EU DX on 20m 14.320 +/- QRM. Sunset timing is 0830 UTC.
Anyone interested in a DX S2S contact?
73, Andrew VK1NAM
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I wish I could but itās work day for me.
However, youāll be on frequency at about the time Iāll be having my breakfast before going to work, so I may have a look and give you a quick call if I hear you.
Thanks for letting us know and good luck!
73 de Guru -EA2IF
Hi Andrew,
Iāll try from Unbe Mendi EA2/BI-076, on 14mhz around 07:30UT (I think sooner would be impossible)
73 de Mikel
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Hi Mikel and others
I will stay on the summit until sunset, 08:25 UTC.
73, Andrew VK1NAM
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May be the 13th Friday could be my lucky day for breaking through to a VK sota.
Wll be listening for you let alone giving me TEN watts hell back 
Karl
Karl, can you not knock up a 1/4w GP for 20m by Friday? It may give you the necessary edge over the G5RV you have.
Good thought
but no, reckon will get there once me spiders up and operational.
But never know if the propagation gods are kind or not.
Always worth a try 
Karl
At last, rain has been forecasted for friday, so I will not activateā¦ 
Driving a motor bike at night with rain could be quite risky around here.
Hope new chances soon, sorry
Good luck!
Mikel
Iāll see if I can give it a go, subject to wx, which does look a bit āiffyā at the moment, so no promises!
Probably from G/WB-005, Long Mynd.
However, if thereās any danger of ice, Iāll not be going up the Burway, especially since itās Friday 13th!
Don
M0HCU
Great to work you Andrew !
seeya ON4VT
Up early
Am hearing couple VK5s in qso
Also just worked Herbert and Ed on 20m from OE and DL so far
Gave it a try 08:11hrs after Ed got through but QSB took over .
Gotta give a go have you not 
Karl
Ah well, I gave it a goā¦ 
Very wet weather overnight, but didnāt seem too cold. However, I got to the shooting box ācar parkā to be met with horizontal driving snow and hail 
I guess thatās a new meaning to the Met Officeās forecast of āovercastā! Then found Iād left the gloves at home as wellā¦
I thought Iād give it a go anyway, but half way to the trig (and inside the AZ) with the snow getting worse, and hardly able to hold onto the fishing pole, my hands so blueā¦, I wimped outā¦ The lure of coffee and bacon sandwiches just too much!
Next time
Don
M0HCU
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Hi Danny and all on air this evening
Excellent evening on Isaacs Ridge VK1/AC-041 working 20m for EU chasers. Three EU S2S in the bag, Herbert OE9HRV on OE/VB-511, Mike 2E0YYY and Dave G4ASA both on G/TW-005 and finally Ed DD5LP on DL/AM-180. 
Thanks everyone, 36 SOTA chasers across Europe to Russia and long haul across VK to VK6 and VK8. I should also mention I worked Reinhard DF4TD (mobile) just before working Mike 2E0YYY.
Had a long chat with Phil G4OBK who provide a test rotating his beam from long path 240 degrees through to short path. Long path reception was 5-8 while short path dropped to 5-2. My SOTA station is a Yeasu FT-857D operating at 40 watts into a link dipole supported by a 7 metre fiberglass squid pole.
Three pictures showing the set up on Isaacs Ridge. My SOTA companion is Harry. Picture 2 background is Mt Tennent VK1/AC-025 rising 780 metres.
73, Andrew VK1NAM
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Hi Andrew
Great to work you again and your were a very nice signal into VK6. That looks a really nice summit to operate from. Glad you got Ed in the log, I worked Ed last weekend and he was a great signal to me in VK6. Interesting to know whether east or west side of VK has the best conditions at the moment. Last weekend I was amazed at conditions into Europe. I always felt you guys in the Eastern States had the best conditions on 20 metres LP but at the moment it might favour VK6 or be pretty much the same. I couldnāt hear Ed or Mike but did work Phil VK6ADF on 40 metres.
Wonder what the total weight of your kit is Andrew. I have the same backpack as you and they are pretty light. I was in Anaconda (VK camping store for you Europeans) last weekend and couldnāt believe how heavy some of the backpacks were. My total weight with radio amp mast etc is about 10kgs, I reckon you would be under that. See you use a 7 metre squid pole, I reckon they are great and pretty strong too. Hope Harry had a good time, he looks pretty happy and Iām sure he found a few trees along the way to do what dogs do.
Well done on another successful activation.
73
John VK6NU
Same pack here and similar radio set up. With a few safety items, water bottle etc my pack is 9.1KG
Compton
VK2HRX
Hi Andrew,
this is what it looks like here in Austria. This morning I had an amazing view of the sunrise on my way to the summit. As you can see we still have snow on our mountains. On the 20 meters band I always work with my j-pole antenna. My fiber tube is 12 meters high and the weight of my backpack is about 15 kilograms including all my equipment and provision.
73
Herbert OE9HRV
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Hi Andrew, as you say, we eventually made it! I actually heard you as soon as I got on-site and tried calling for 20mins but was swamped by the stronger chasers. I then went off to try pick up some other S2S contacts and chasers and then returned to your frequency and couldnāt hear you any more. The 20m band was not as good as it has been, 40m on the other hand was crazy - lots of callers most at S9+. Luckily on my third attempt, the wall of chasers calling you had gone down in number and the band had got a little better. and we managed the contact!
There were a few surprises yesterday, not just the band conditions. AM-180 Berndorfer Buchet is a small hill, not very high when compared to the alps, because of this it doesnāt get a winter activator bonus. While most snow and ice has cleared around here (including on many of the lower summits that get the winter bonus points), it hadnāt from the approach (walking) track to AM-180. Luckily the last 30m vertical climb had cleared of snow otherwise I may not have got to the summit at all.
In the picture below, this is snow with a layer of ice on top of it and where the forestry vehicles had been, itās solid ice and very slippery! Although sunny, I doubt the temperature got over 0 degrees even in the sunshine, while I was there. Iāll put my usual full report on my blog at vk2ji.com in the next few days.
P.S. The brown patches are not soil, rather āequine waste productsā !!
73 Ed.
Hi John
For a āheavy activationā using the FT-857D my pack weighs in at 14 kg which includes 4 litres of water and the squid pole.
73, Andrew VK1NAM
Hi Herbert
Adds a different perspective when compared to my evening of 18 degrees C. Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing Herbert.
73 Andrew VK1NAM