I decided to return to Kenneth Stirling Conservation Park and try for a final activation of at least ten contacts for the Boomerang Award. The VKFF Boomerang Award recognises and rewards activators for multiple activations (at least five) to encourage ongoing visits to parks and generate activity.

I posted my intention to be on air at 00:01 UTC and I was a few minutes late. I was looking for a snake free location! Snakes have become active since the recent burst of warm/hot weather and I like to see what is around me (now more difficult because of the long grass). I get engrossed in my radio activity and it is too easy to not keep an eye open on the surrounds.

I made 11 contacts on HF: one on 80 metres and the remainder on 40. All these contacts were voice (ssb) and I used my VK5BJE call-sign.

Here is my log:

3.610 00:23 VK5KAA 59 58

7.144 00:48 VK5AYL 59 49

00:48 VK5KAA 59 49

00:51 VK2OAK/P p2p VKFF-2084 It was good to get a park to park contact with Malcolm 59 both ways.

00:52 VK3KYF 59 57

00:54 VK7QP 57 44

00:58 Vk3ZSC 56 57

01:00 VK3ACU/P qrp 53 51 Jordan was using an IC705 with power being drawn from the internal battery. I was using my IC705 with an external LiFePO4 battery.

01:04 VK3AHR 59 59 Ron at Wodonga

01:06 VK3PF 59 45

01:08 VK3SMW 59 56 Steve

I then posted on ParksPeaks that I would operate on 7.032 CW, as VK5PF. I called for 15 minutes without success. When I arrived home I checked my post and it was not on the list in ParksnPeaks. I am less surprised now about no CW contacts! I changed my radio for CW as I decided to use my stainless steel paddle which which is held in place by three strong magnets on the steel case of the radio, an FT857D. The IC705 is en-cased in a composite plastic material. Magnets do not work but I have Palm Key which also has magnets but is easier to use being held with the left hand and operated by the right. That is not an entirely satisfactory arrangement so the quest continues. the underlying parameter is to keep everything as simple and as light as possible.

The photos show, Chinese stainless steel paddle; the paddle attached to the FT857D by very strong magnets, the IC705 showing my operating frequency and finally my paper log. I can just decipher my writing!

The stainless steel paddle works well – but bear in mind it is not a precision instrument but with the internal electronic keyer in the radio the cw is quite acceptable.

Finally, I wish to thank all of the chasers and VK3OAK, Malcolm, for the park to park contact. Conditions on 40 metres are improving and I was delighted with my contact with VK3AHR at Wodonga, 5 and 9 both ways. VK2 and further north is conspicuous by absence from my log.

I last visited this park on 2nd October 2022 as part of my quest to qualify for the first level of the Boomerang Award for activators. However, I should have read the rules more closely: for an activation to count for this award you need ten contacts on the one UTC day. I reached the required number of contacts but they were spread over two UTC days. Here is a link to that activation:

https://wordpress.com/post/vk5bje.com/8399

Sunday was a warm early summer day, almost clear sky and no wind and I chose to visit the park in the mid afternoon.

I commenced my activation at 03:59 on 7.155 Mhz on the 40 metre band.

03:59 VK3ZPF, Peter 59 57

04:17 VK2IO/P Gerard, 51 45, Park to park Gerard was at Cape Banks Aquatic Reserve, VKFF-3251

04:07 VK2VH Rob 59 55

04:08 VK4AAC/2

04:08 VK3GJG 59 54

04:17 VK2EXA 59 45

04:19 VK5HAA 59 55

04:23VK2YK/5

04:23 VK5GA

04:29 VK3VJP 57 57

04:31 VK5YX 59 56

04:37 VK2MET. Alan, 53 52

04:37 VK1AO

04:39 VK5IS 59 59

04:40 VK5BJF

04:43 VK3BWS/P 57 41 Barry Park to park

Band conditions were better than the last few days despite QRN (mainly electrical storms in the north west and north east of the state) and atmospheric frying noise. Fading was slow and deep and I was most aware of this after calling CQ on 7.032. I called a few times and was answered by a station sending too fast for me to decode in my head. And his signal disappeared for seconds in the deep fades. I might have had a chance of a contact if the QSB was not so tough. So VK5PF didn’t get much of a run! Thanks to all who gave me a call.

On Sunday morning I decided I would visit Kenneth Stirling Conservation Park, Wottons Scrub block, for a chance at completing five activations of this park with at least ten contacts per visit. Please check previous posts for details of this attractive park. As per usual with this park I had the place to myself. I enjoyed a slow, relaxed pathway to ten contacts, swapping antennas and I am fairly certain the the sun was responsible for a gap in the contacts mid to late morning: making contacts was hard going. Here is the link to my previous visit to this park.

https://wordpress.com/post/vk5bje.com/8307

Contacts

1.10.2022

23:23 7.135 Mhz VK5VC 59 57 Charlie. Charlie was conducting the call-back on 40m after the Sunday morning Wireless Institute of Australia broadcast. I listened to the broadcast on VK5RAD, two metre FM repeater, as I was driving to the park. He invited me to take the frequency after the call-back. Thank you Charlie.

23:38 VK5NPP 57 53

23:40 VK5AR/P 58 53

23:42 VK5PAS, Oceania DX station 59847, 59001. Paul went on to make over 1009 contacts in the Oceania DX contest. See Paul’s blog for a detailed report.

23:45 VK5YP, 59 53, Wayne at Kadina

23:48 VK5ZX/P in Riverland near SA/Vic border. Matt. 59 52

2.10.2022

7.130 00:54 VK5KAA 59 59 Gordon

14.316 01:15 VK5KAA 56 51

14.300 01:20 VK4BAR 59081 59002

14.190 01:30 VK2R (operator, Gerard, VK2IO) 59167 59003, Gerard was in VKFF-3260, making a Park to Park contact.

14.290 02:00 VK2W, 59055 59003

14.300 02:15 VK4BAR, 59082, 59006

Total 12 contacts, one duplicate. Thanks to all who gave me a call.

For all contacts made on 40 metres I used a Buddipole Pro vertical antenna. I am not in a position to make a comparison with the 40/20 metre home brewed dipole but it seemed to work well. It is smaller and fairly easy to erect and get going. I experimented in trying to get it tuned in the first instance following the instructions. In the end I found that using my analyser confirmed my settings . My practice took place at home and on some park visits. I could get a really good match. On Sunday I decided I would rely on my practice to get it going on two bands. I did not use the analyser. The radio, an IC705, showed a vswr of about 1 to 7, on 40 metres, therefore usable. However the AH5 tuner quickly adjusted the tuning so that the radio was looking into a 50 ohm load. Finding the correct positions for the taps on the antenna coil (centre loaded) is foolproof. The most critical adjustment is that for the counterpoise. There are coloured indicators on the wind-out wire for each band and on 40, 20 and 15 no adjustment of the whip is required.

On 20 metres the first two contacts were made on the vertical and the remainder on the dipole. I had a tune around the bands and the DX was strong. Operating at ten watts I decided not to get amongst the DX stations. I worked a few Australians on 20 metres and all were easy contacts. I found to ensure a repeatable installation the counterpoise needs to be close to a metre above ground (three feet above the ground, US manufactured antenna) and I used a steel electric fence pole, just a bit over a metre long and with plastic insulators strategically placed along the pole and a place for your foot to drive it into the ground. Using the top insulator the counterpoise is at least three feet above ground. I had trouble with the tuning until I sorted out the counterpoise. The antenna is very well made and I mounted mine on an aluminium camera tripod. I will take some photos next time I use the antenna in a park.

I suspect theoretically the dipole will work better on close-in stations and the vertical, with a lower angle of radiation, may be better with DX stations.

I will try the vertical on DX soon.