VK2/HU-074 Richardson, 14/11/2017, by David VK2NU/P - 1 Point
I had planned to have a week off, due to propagation being awful lately, but a text message from Phil, VK2JDL spurred me on, with the thought of a S2S contact.. I had plans for the afternoon, so had to make it a quick one, although it was still best part of a 2 hour drive each way from the Central Coast.
As shown on the map the summit is less than 1km off Bingleburra Rd, near Dungog. There is plenty of parking at the side of the road, and a track leads to the summit, which can be easily seen from the main road, due to the large communication towers.
The track is not suitable for 2wd vehicles and is gated about 100m from the road anyway.
The track is good for walking but pretty steep, especially after the gate, and even though it is short, I had to stop several times on the way up to catch my breath. Due to the dry conditions it was very slippy on the steep sections on the way back down...
I arrived at the top at around 10:30am, to find I wasn't alone! There was a truck and two UTE's accompanied by half a dozen workmen, who appeared to be replacing a large generator type unit at the base of the communication towers.
I introduced myself to one of the workmen and quickly explained what I was doing, and he seemed pretty uninterested (and also lacking a good grasp of English). I then retreated 20-30m down the track and set up just to the left of where the above picture was taken.
This would have been 10-15m below the Trig Marker, and the spot had the advantage of having a star-picket already stuck in the ground. Google maps showed that the summit was relatively cleared, so I had brought the squid pole if needed (which I did).
Phone coverage was good on the summit (both Telstra on my iPhone and Optus on my iPad), and whilst I was self spotting I noticed a spot for FK/HB9DQH/P on FK/SP-058 on 20m CW. Signals were good and I got him first call.
After struggling to activate the summits last week from the Gloucester area, I wasn't expecting much this week, but I went on to make 24 contacts all up (including 2 x S2S), and was able to hand out chaser points before and after the rollover period to several.
I did manage to send out the wrong summit details (HU-072 instead of HU-074), to the first couple of chasers, but fortunately Gerald VK2IO, put me straight (thanks mate), and I was able to correct my spots and start sending the correct data.
The 404-UL OCF Dipole worked really well, and whilst I am still to do a side by side comparison, I much prefer this to the end fed I have been using lately for SOTA. The antenna has been in permanent use in my garden for over a year, and only taken down yesterday. The coax was pretty badly damaged, and some cut and paste was required, but it's now working well, if looking a bit rough. Another one will be ordered soon from Spiderbeam...
During the week I received a new mini-straight key bought on eBay for less than $50. Its very light weight and appears to be 3-D printed. I learned CW about 25 years back whilst I was an Infantry Signaler in the UK (even though Morse was not taught anymore, and wasn't used in battlefield comms). I use a big heavy duty Iambic Vibroplex at home, and also send a lot direct from the PC. My touch can best be described as 'very.... very heavy', and I slap the paddle around a lot... which isn't an issue for the Vibroplex as it's built like a tank.
I've struggled from the start with the Elecraft key for the KX3, and recently bought a Palm Paddle to help things, but this also requires a delicate touch. Apologies for the ramble, but to cut a long story short, I thought I would try a straight key, and whilst this is not as elegant, I'm not missing or sending extra characters now from the field!! Happy days !!
So in summary, a nice little summit, but still quite a way from home (for only 1 point).. Note to self.. next year I'm going to leave my local summits for these last minute trips, so I don't have to drive hours to activate..
There are a few other summits in the Dungog area but most seem to be on private land, and I'm not that keen on these..
More photos..
Was great to get a Summit to Summit, also is another ticked off my complete list.
ReplyDeleteWhen I activated there, the road was freshly graded and about 6 inches deep in a loose soil powder, and took me about 3 hours to get my 4 contacts (least the view was good)
Phil VK2JDL