I'm venturing out again too. The portable QTH will again be Beechmont Plateau in the Gold Coast hinterland, at a different spot to all of my previous Beechmont locations, this time in QG61OV. One advantage with this spot is that it has no bushes/trees in the Brisbane direction for quite some distance so should be good for the microwave activities. I will start re-fitting out my FD trailer around the middle of next week so that I have plenty of time to fix any "issues" arising.
Bands in use this time around will be 6, 2, 70, 23, 13 and 9CM, SSB & FM as applicable, XXXX.150 as the typical SSB calling, plus usually 52.525, 146.500 and 439.000 for FM. The probability of having 3CM running in time is almost non-existent - however it could happen if a miracle occurs, and then it will be with low TX power anyway.
I plan to operate on Saturday 12th only, from about around 0100 or 0200 UTC for just the 8 hour section, then packing up and returning home. I won't be on at all on the Sunday. Hopefully the weather will be kind for this FD and we won't be pounded by storms/rain (again !) here in SE Q'ld.
I have already updated my /P profile on VKLogger to the correct info, hopefully everyone else will do so on theirs too...
The VK3UHF crew comprising David VK3QM, Ken VK3NW, Charlie VK3NX, Arie VK3AMZ and me will be operating in the January FD as usual, from QF21CU, 15km west of Geelong. All bands from 50MHz to 47GHz will be available.
It's less than a week to go and by the lack of responses here, it may not be worthwhile planning on going anywhere... there won't be anyone to work !!
Come on fellas, where are you going for this one ???
VK4ADC wrote:Come on fellas, where are you going for this one ???
As per the 2012 Winter & Spring Field Days, I am not participating in WIA Field Days.
As everyone knows up here, with our terrain, there are very limited grid square opportunities.
The current arrangement does not offer any incentive to travel and go portable.
(And I'm bored stupid going to the same old Beechmont spot!)
You asked!
The Sunshine Coast Amateur Radio Club VK4WIS will operate from Howells Knob, near Maleny [QG63jf]. We'll use 6m, 2m, 70cm & 23cm.
Wishing all good DX and good WX!
73
Leicester VK4ALH
Unfortunately, I have a commitment that clashes with Saturday FD activity but will struggle out of the cot early Sunday morning and head to a high spot near Lorne for a few hours. Will have 50-1296MHz and 10GHz.
Looks like I will be the top scoring portable VK2 so far
I won't bother with 10GHz in that case, just extra clobber to carry, but I'll still take my 2m gear, and see if I can work a VK4 or a VK3 if there are no VK2's about.
I am hoping to be able to participate for the first time this year. I have a 2m moxon built and I am battling with a 6m version to be ready for the weekend. Thats about all I will be able to muster but hoping it will be enough to work someone. Not sure where I will be located yet but needs to be portable, given my home QTH is in a hole (Rf wise). Probably going to be in the hills NE of Adelaide on the side of a back road if I can find somewhere suitable.
Straight up the Erskine Falls Road to the Mt Sabine -Benwerrin Road and then about 5 kms west and turn off to Mt Cowley!
The Cowley track that goes straight up from Lorne is not really serviceable east of Mt Cowley - passable but very strictly tough 4WD - whereas the Erskine Falls way is conventional 2WD gravel.
We should be able to work you on 10GHz from there provided you can get a good path through the trees to the north.
Again this time, I propose to be at Mt Gravatt in Brisbane (QG62MK) on the Saturday evening and at Springbrook Mountain (QG61PS) on the Sunday morning - all weather permitting, of course.
All bands 50 MHz to 24 GHz will be available, but not all at the same time! Preferred operating frequencies either on the contest centre-of-activity frequencies, or on .175 on each band.
I usually try to keep 439 MHz FM simplex 'open' as much as possible for local liaison, otherwise it's somewhere on SSB on two metres, or the Logger iChat service, or 'phone to 0428 191 066.
I wonder which VK4s other than Doug '4ADC (who has posted his intentions) are proposing to be out in the field, where they're going and when they'll be operating. Perhaps they don't all use this Logger facility.....
Wouldn't it be good if the slow moving patch of good propagation that ZL and Southern VK stations are presently enjoying becomes so slow that it's still around during the contest?!
I'll be operating from Kinglake NP (QF22PL) on Saturday afternoon only with 6m - 23cm and 10GHz. Weather forecast isn't looking so good, but looking forward to another day in the field.
VK4CZ/P will again be active from 'Walter Henderson Park' Kobble Creek QG62JR used for the Spring 2012 FD... I'll have on 6m -> 23cm
6m - 3 el YU7EF yagi 100w
2m - 12el DL6WU yagi 100w
70cm - 28el DL6WU yagi 75w
23cm - 36el DL6WU yagi 10w
I remain hopeful that some of the VK2 stations make the effort to come on Saturday and provide us with some distance challenges to look at making progress towards new rules for this event to enhance participation and also make the effort worthwhile. The first VK2's to be reported from QG62 stations in the Spring event were late on Sat pm after closing!
Last edited by VK4CZ on Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
I intend to operate from home on the Saturday evening, bands will be 50, 144, maybe 423 and 1296 MHz.
There are too many things around the house that the XYL needs me to do!
I will only be on air on Saturday.
50 MHz 4 el yagi, 100W,
144 MHz 7 el yagi and 180W,
432 MHz 12 el yagi and 40W,
1296 MHz 25 el loop yagi and 20W.
432 is a noisy band and occasionally I get QRM from an out-of-spec LIPD in the neighbourhood, probably a WX sensor somewhere. Makes weak signals hard to copy sometimes.
Straight up the Erskine Falls Road to the Mt Sabine -Benwerrin Road and then about 5 kms west and turn off to Mt Cowley!
Gavin, don't pay any attention to Peter. He wants to get you bitten by those deadly local tigers snakes. I know his game.......... They're a good wavelength long on 2m at this time of year, and more savage than VK3ZAZ when 6m is open to Eu!!!
Straight up the Erskine Falls Road to the Mt Sabine -Benwerrin Road and then about 5 kms west and turn off to Mt Cowley!
Gavin, don't pay any attention to Peter. He wants to get you bitten by those deadly local tigers snakes. I know his game.......... They're a good wavelength long on 2m at this time of year, and more savage than VK3ZAZ when 6m is open to Eu!!!
Now I know why we don't do Mt Cowley for the Summer FD - those bloody Tiger snakes are absorbing all our signal on 2 metres (resonant length!)
Seriously though, we have only once seen evidence of one up at Mt Cowley - it is too rocky and not enough water lying around during the active season - down in the valleys though, that's another story!
Good luck everyone and with a bit of rapid and serious plumbing work with WR19 in the next few days, we should have 47GHz up and running this time.
Not a great deal so far posted on topic, however, I will be tuning about 50MHz as usual and will give a contact out to any participant I hear. Have an increased noise level here since the construction of a new comms tower just down the road from here. It has a huge array of various antennae, my noise level hovers around a three to a five now 24 hours on 50MHz making it even harder to extract weak signals, but I never give up!
