VK3BJM/m/p QF04 & VK5

[VK3BJM]

G'day.

This is let interested folk know that I'll be indulging in a little touring into VK5, with gear for 2m, 70 and 23cm.

Itinerary is a little rough, but I'll have access to the logger and forum to post any necessary updates.

At present I aim to be on the road around midday Monday 13th October, travelling up to Ouyen then across to Pinnaroo, SA. Will have 2m, 70 & 23cm mobile en route. Will break the drive early and set up somewhere in QF04, staying till about 2200z the next morning.

From there I'll wind my way up through the Barossa and Clare Valleys, headed for Quorn - anticipating getting there Tuesday afternoon.

May try and activate PF98 again from a suitable hill near Wilpena Pound, if time permits - will advise if this firms up.

May return via Broken Hill - again, will post updates.

Must be back home by the 20th of October - so that's the maximum travelling window I have!

Mobile, I'll have:
2m Big wheel + 150w
70cm Big wheel + 100w
23cm (Full) Alford Slot + 60w

Portable: 2m 10el, 70cm 28el. 23cm... Alford slot!

73, Barry VK3BJM

[VK3BA]

Barry, I was in that area in June and there's a number of high vantage points and lookouts between Blinman and Wilpena that you can park at.

VK5RAE booms in everywhere (mobile omni) right up to Leigh Creek as well.

I'm planning on doing a more intense run through there again in May 2009 - it's a fantastic area. But a lot of places in VK5 are too.

Cheers,
Nik

[VK3BJM]

Getting close to departure - hopefully by 0200z (1300 AEDT), or not long after - all the camping gear is packed, as is most of the radio gear. Just personal stuff and camera, binocs, etc, etc, etc...

23cm mobile is off, but ilo mobile 23cm I've bitten the bullet and packed the 3 foot grid pack, so 23cm while portable is on.

Thanks Nik, for the suggestion; this is either my 12th or 13th trip to the Flinders, so it could be alleged that I like the place. A lot. I have a particular spot in mind; I just hope we get the conditions desired! Still haven't gotten over the time in 2001 when I was near the old Wirrealpa silver/lead mine, very late at night after a long days drive; I hadn't bothered to sey up a yagi, but decided to check some beacons via the 2m halo. VK5RSE incoming at a steady 519 - assume this was troppo, not AE... Who knows? Couldn't raise anyone via the halo, and couldn't raise the energy to set up the 10el... C'est la vie.

73,
Barry

[VK3BJM]

G'day all.

Thanks to all who looked for me when I was in QF04wv (about 2km from Underbool, VIC). I'll post more detail on that part of the trip later.

Arrived in Quorn just before 6pm ACDT - had a good contact on 2m and 70cm with Brian VK5BC whilst I was mobile at the Cadell (SA) ferry. Listened to the VK5VF 2m beacon as I proceeded up from Waikerie to Morgan, Burra, Spalding, Gulnare and then up the North Road through Melrose and Wilmington. It was only occassionally strong (peak at 56), but it was audible pretty much all the to Quorn - still audible using the narrow filter at the QTH of Peter VK5ZPG.

Have been giving Peter a hand with some metalwork, required in order for the erection of his 40' tower. Peter is trying to arrange access for me to Mount Arden, which is 844m ASL and a little to the NNW of Quorn. It is in PF87. If access can be arranged I'll be up there this afternoon (Thursday 16th). If access can't be arranged then I'll opt for the Stokes Hill Lookout, which is near Willow Springs H.S., (NE of Wilpena Pound) in PF98.

And... If I can get to Mount Arden today, then I'll be up at Stokes Hill Lookout on Friday afternoon.

I may well have mobile access at Mount Arden - is so, my mobile number is 0409 192 428.

Unsure of mobile coverage at Stokes Hill...

73,
Barry
VK3BJM

[VK3BJM]

Good news! Permission to access Mt Arden has just been granted! Depending on condition of the track, etc, I should be very nearly set up by 1630 ACDT (0600z).



73,
Barry
VK3BJM

[VK5BC]

Thanks Barry for your great portable & mobile operations in VK5 over the past few days. Contacts from Mt Arden (284km) were excellent and very pleased to be able to make it on 23cm, Stokes lookout (358km) contacts were good on 2 & 70 just a pity conditions were down and we could not complete 23cm. Obviously you have an excellent portable station and I must say that being able to work you on SSB mobile over long distances (over 260km on 2 & 70) was also very impressive, in fact I could copy you up to 5/2 driving thru Nhill this morning (approx 330km).

Thanks again, I'm sure the VK5's that worked you are all very appreciative for the contacts and new gridsquares.

73 Brian
VK5BC

[VK3BJM]

Thanks Brian, and thanks to all who looked for me while I was out and about.

Terrific trip - 82 contacts in the log from the three operating locations, and that doesn't include the dozen or more mobile contacts made en route.

Of the three sites, Mt Arden stands out as being the best - and not just because it coincided with the best tropo propagation experienced on the trip! It gave me hope that working back into VK3/Melbourne via AEP from that part of the world is possible, and predictable, as signals from David VK3HZ and Ian VK3AXH were both heard at workable levels from that site when aircraft were on the beam heading. But I will need to improve my station to make myself heard...

And getting to Mt Arden was a unplanned bonus! I want to thank Peter VK5ZPG, not just for his hospitality but also for firstly suggesting the location and then making the half dozen phone calls required to get permission. As usual, it's these unplanned bits that really make a trip special.

I'll be writing a more detailed trip description over the next couple of days. If anyone has any personal feedback, I'd love to hear it - just post it here or send to my home email (see Op Info). Thanks to Steve, VK2ZT, for sending the audio file of CW that may be my ident...

And if anyone is after a QSL card for any of the contacts made, please let me know - I will oblige!

73,
Barry
VK3BJM

[VK4GHZ]

Good to hear the trip went well Barry.

I notice you made quite a few reports on the Logger via cell phone.
In case others are not familiar with this, the "[via GPRS]" tag is applied to each post submitted via the low-fi version of the VK Logger.

Barry, as you have been the biggest user to embrace the low-fi facility (so far!), can I improve it in any way?
It would be great to see more portable operators make use of VK Logger to give others a heads up, and thereby improve their odds of making contacts, and making their effort more worthwhile.

Any feedback much appreciated, both from the portable operators, and those using VK Logger back at home.

[VK3BJM]

Hi Adam.

Well, there was one thing I was meaning to ask about...

As it is, when you bring up the GPRS interface, you currently have list of current chat/spot entries, at the top of which you have the buttons for filtering these, and the button to make an entry/spot yourself.

Is it possible to add another button that would bring up a list of Ops actually online at the time?

I found, towards the end of the operation at Stokes Hill, that I was wondering if I was posting spots to the logger when in fact there wasn't actually anyone else online to read (and take advantage) of them! There was little else being posted at that time when I would check (every 10 min or so) the chat/spots. Discussion later with VK5ZPG reveal that almost everyone had gone QRT by that stage...

The only other thing that springs to mind is the minor issue when posting spots of having to remember the grid locator for beacons/stations being entered - but I guess that interactivity is a little harder to fix via the GPRS? It only seems that bit inconvenient compared to the extreme convenience of the full-blown Logger interface!

I wish I'd used the GPRS more the day before at Mt Arden. Next time...

73,
Barry
VK3BJM

[vk1da]

Interesting trip, Barry.

re the GPRS logger interface, I have used it a few times from Ginini and found it easy enough to use. As Barry says, you have to believe there is someone else out there looking. I also used my palm pilot via the phone and perhaps it was for that reason, ie. I could see who else was on. Optus charges like a bull for internet usage (base 3c per kilobyte) so that is a good reason to limit usage and also keep a compact response to the mobiles.
Perhaps if there was a response from a specific station, it could be displayed back to the GPRS user? or should we just say, to send a message to that user, use SMS.

[vk1da]

Barry,
how did you go with tuning/matching that slot antenna? what was the secret?

[VK3BJM]

Hi Andrew.

Straying off topic, slightly... I've not touched it since arriving home. Alan VK3XPD had my 38mm version for some "experimentation" (something along the lines of "Tube, meet Angle Grinder; Angle Grinder, meet Tube..." followed by shrieks of metal in agony). With luck I'll catch up with Alan - and the end product - at tomorrow's Hamfest in Ballarat.

From the little discussion I've had, my money would be on the wall thickness of the tubing being the reason for the initial problems.

In the meantime... The report writing has started (!), and a few of the photos from the Underbool and Mt Arden parts of the trip have been posted here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/72319077@N00/

73,
Barry

[VK3BJM]

G'day all.

The remainder of the photos from the trip have now been added to my Flickr page - see the URL in the previous posting.

73,

Barry
VK3BJM

[VK5BJE]

Hi Barry
I like your pictures. Well done and thanks for sharing them. I tried to work you from Scott Creek in the Adelaide Hills on 70cm when you were on Mt Arden - but not enough power at my end!
73
John Dawes