There was some talk a while back about SOTA in ZL Land…
Has it all gone quiet ‘over there’?
(Couldn’t find a ‘general question’ category, sorry 
)
Thanks.
Don
m0hcu
To the best of my knowledge that one has gone cold, Don.
ZL is not a big country but it is rich in summits and the task of organising an Association and populating a summit list must be pretty daunting. I hope that eventually somebody will step up and carry out the task.
Brian G8ADD
Dern… I was there about a year ago. I tell you, trying to get a signal out of ZL seems impossible. I could not draw the attention of any US stations running 200w and a element. Sure was a wakeup for me.
Kent, K9EZ
W4C
Hello Kent,
Maybe the timing was wrong for you. This morning ZM90DX was 59+ on the meter here in the SE UK. He was using 100W.
So if ZL Association does form it will not be “impossible”.
Good luck.
Mike
Hi all,
I gave an overview presentation about SOTA at the 2013 NZART AGM. I was there as a representative of the WIA and happened to have an appropriate PPT file with me and the Chair indicated he had a spare presentation slot!
There seemed to be lots of interest from many at the meeting. I had some discussions with James ZL2ET at the event, and followed up a brief email exchange with Bjorn ZL2KT.
It looked as if they were requesting information from a government agency to give them a list of summits with 150 m prominence, but were not receiving any response. That was the last I heard from them - back in early June 2013.
Regards,
Peter VK3PF
Hi Mike,
I worked ZM90DX from G/SP-004 with 40 watts and the vertical on Saturday.
Also ZL3XDJ, formally G4XDJ was booming in on G/SP-013 Gun, this morning, I just wasn’t quick enough before the inevitable scrum.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
Hi Peter,
There was some interest shown by I think, Mike ZL4CC, when I worked him from G/SP-013 in March this year. There were emails exchanged between Mike, and IIRC the NZART, which he kindly copied me in. ISTR your talk being mentioned.
BTW, thanks for the call onto G/SP-013 from your car this morning.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
Hi Peter,
Asking the government to do the work is more than a bit hopeful. At best a digital survey map might be made available. The Little Red Hen principle applies. ie its a DIY project. Perhaps surveying and registering Stewart Island by a couple of VK’s would sting them into action?
73
Ron VK3AFW
Right. These days the cool kids all use GIS and SRTM data.
Err… Well starting at these two links would quickly give (an incomplete) but valid list to start with:
http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/oceania/New_Zealand_N_600m.html
http://www.peaklist.org/WWlists/oceania/New_Zealand_S_600m.html
…and then analysis of SRTM data would identify some of the less prominent ones.
73 Marc W9/G0AZS (actually K1UG/9)
Hi Mike,
Interesting to hear of a little progress. Perhaps I should email NZART to ask Debbie if she has any news, especially of any people actually working on peak identification. Perhaps some VKs could help, using the divide and conquer principle - many hands make the task less daunting. I like Ron’s suggestion of mapping & registering one of the islands - perhaps Chatham Islands might stir them more, as it is relatively easy to get too. A quick look at Google earth shows at least 3 summits - one on Chatham Is, another on Pitt Is and a third on Soth East Island.
Thanks for the contact earlier today - I was at 110 km/hr on the Princes Freeway heading toward Melbourne, just west of Morwell.
Cheers,
Peter VK3PF
And also:
http://www.peakbagging.org.nz/wiki/Complete_List Although, they’d need some checking too…
To be honest, I was only after a small one or two, near Auckland/Wellington 
Just considering a possible trip down there next year! Perhaps that’s a bit too short a timeframe… May be worth a detour somewhere else on the way, where there are lazy people’s sota summits 
Don
m0hcu
Sounds like a good idea, Peter!
BTW, after checking my logs, Mikes call was ZL2CC not ZL4CC.
Cheers
Mike 2E0YYY
Hello Mike,
Well done. Very true about the getting in early before the pile up. Pleased with the ZM station this morning as I got in before the big stations otherwise it would have been impossible I think. I heard lots of dx calling in to you this morning so good stuff 
One of the things I really enjoy about this hobby is being caught out. Bound to hear (no/zero), bound not to hear (59) 
I do hope a fragment of ZL land is put together for SOTA.
Bye for now
Mike
The highlight of this mornings actvation had to be working…`
Tony, VK3CAT/M
Matt, VK1MA/M
Peter, VK3PF/M
My next challenge is to qualify a summit with 4 Vk’s mobile
There must have been a billion black flies hatched this morning, although if the truth be known it was only about a million. Sadly, I abandoned the activation after receiving dozens of painful bites on my face, neck, legs and hands. Typical innit, there was no insect repellant in the rucksack 
I’m sure we’ll be looking for ZL s2s in the not too distant future.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
Hello Mike,
There must have been a billion black flies hatched this morning, although if the truth be known it was only about a million. Sadly, I abandoned the activation after receiving dozens of painful bites on my face, neck, legs and hands. Typical innit, there was no insect repellant in the rucksack frowning…
Well on Firle Beacon on Saturday it was a nightmare with the midges and flying ants. In despair I caught passing trekkers (x8) begging them if they had any repellent - none did 8( They were on the move why should they! Thank heavens I was not wearing shorts. I was later able to remove insect debris from my nose, ears and back!
Mike
Hi Marc,
Those lists and others mentioned are a useful start but of course there’s a lot of work in finding the 1 and 2 pointers. What is needed an keen leader and a team of searchers and checkers.
BTW Mt Cook is shown on the list as having a saddle of 0 m which is incorrect. There are as I recall ridges that run N-S for example that end in other high peaks with saddles well above 0 m asl. A minor point but having a list to start with is always good. Do the 1, 2, 4 pointers around the main cities for the touring SOTA guys and gals and the HH VHF brigade and you have a viable association albeit with more work to do.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
Hi Ron
You are right about also finding the lower scoring summits. You do need them for a viable association.
Actually the 0 m saddle for Mt Cook is correct. This refers to the saddle height defining prominence to the next higher summit (not just the nearest saddle) and given that it the highest mountain on South Island, the defining saddle would be sea level.
e.g Ben Nevis in the UK would have a similar 0 m saddle (because its on an “island”) and so would Everest given that there is nothing higher anywhere in the world. However the surrounding 8000 m peaks in the Himalayas would have quite high prominence defining saddles. e.g Makalu has the prominence defining saddle at 6107 m.
Hope that explanation helps.
73 Marc G0AZS
Hi Marc,
Thanks, I had the wrong concept about prominence and saddles.
73
Ron
VK3AFW