VK5PAS/P at Scott Creek Conservation Park, near Gate 8

Around lunch time on Thursday the phone rang. Paul, VK5PAS, had taken delivery of two radios: a new Yaesu 857D and a pre-loved Yaesu 897D (purchased at our radio club’s silent auction) and he was keen to try them out given his forthcoming interstate visit to Victoria and New South Wales.  Paul and Marija have lots of portable activity proposed. Paul invited me to come with him to Scott Creek Conservation Park, very close to my home, to put the radios through their paces. I met Paul at the park about 25 minutes later. He had just arrived at Gate 8 when I arrived. Now I would like to correct the impression given by Paul on air that he had to twist my arm and almost wrestle me to come! Rather, I jumped at the chance! Some of you will know I have been out of action for the last three months and, other than one failed attempt to activate the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park in late September and early October, I have not been active. I just didn’t have the energy. However, I am getting stronger every day and feel considerably more like getting back to my usual activities and the weather was good. It was lightly overcast and potentially warm and as the afternoon passed we moved into the shade and it was really very pleasant in the park. Paul and I have activated this park together on previous occasions and I took a group to the Park as part of  WIA AGM Radio is Magic events on the Sunday morning late May (see below).

Here is a link to my previous radio activations on this park:

https://vk5bje.com/category/amateur-radio/scott-creek-conservation-park/

The Park

Scott Creek Conservation Park is located in the Adelaide Hills and is one of the key metropolitan parks. It is close to Belair and Onkaparinga River National Parks and Cleland Conservation Park including Mount Lofty Summit. Scott Creek Conservation Park has an active Friends Group and here is a link to their web pages:

http://friendsofscottcreek.org.au/

On Sunday morning 5th November I decided to pay a visit to the Friends Bird-banding Group. The first photo shows a Golden Whistler, the photo below on the left is of a Yellow Faced Honeyeater and on the right a Horsfield Cuckoo. These birds are caught in a net measured and released. The data is forwarded to Canberra where it is available to researchers.

Contacts

We commenced operations on 7.139 MHz after looking around the band a bit higher to see if we could hear any other stations nearby. VK2JNG/P, Gerard was on air but we could not hear him. We later worked him P2P on two bands.

1. 0248 VK2HHA 7.135MHz
2. 0249 VK2MRH
3. 0252 VK3PF 7.155 MHz
4. 0254 VK3GGG
5. 0155 VK3PMG
6. 0256 VK3SQ
7. 0300 VK3ANL
8. 0302 VK2NEO
9. 0309 VK7MPR Mark with his new upgraded call-sign: the F has gone. Congratulations!
10. 0314 VK1LAJ/P
11. 0318 VK2IO/P 52 55 Gerard P2P VKFF-2012 Wallumatta Nature Reserve
12. 0320 VK7JON
13. 0325 VK5BW
14. 0333 VK7FOLK
15. 0336 VK3VGB/P
16. 0343 VK2FANT
17. 0348 VK5KBJ It was great to have a contact with Barry who has also been on the sick list
18. 0351 VK5GJ
19. 0355 VK3VIN
20. 0400 VK3UP
21. 0415 VK2JNG/P 7.170 MHz Gerard 53 54 P2P VKFF-0431 Richmond River Nature Reserve
22. 0428 VK5BW 3.610 MHz 59 59 Barry at Bridgewater on 80 metres: less than 10 kilometres from us.
23. 0433 VK5GJ
24. 0446 VK5FANA  We were disappointed with just three contacts on 80 metres. We learned that the usual operators on this band were otherwise occupied during the afternoon.
25. 0457 VK2NP 14.310 MHz
26. 0501 VK4PDX
27. 0503 VK2IO/P Gerard P2P VKFF-2012 Wallumatta Nature Reserve
28. 0506 VK2JNG/P Gerard P2P VKFF-0431 Richmond River Nature Reserve
29. 0508 VK4RF
30. 0508 VK4HA
31. 0509 VK2HOT
32. 0512 VK4HNS We then moved to 14.183 and listened to the ANZA net and at the appropriate break in the proceedings Paul booked both of us into the net. The net controller was Col, VK4CC who, with his usual style, was a splendid net controller. As the afternoon moved on we were invited to make three calls each.
33. 0533 FK8HZ Maurice in , Noumea, New Caledonia 59 58
34. 0543 VK1TX Tex who called me from Canberra 59 59
35. 0556 YJ0MB Mike Vanuatu
36. 0602 VK4NH Ray
37. 0607 E51JD Jim South Cook Islands
38. 0617 VK4DXA Ray
39. 0623 7.144 MHz VK3NBL
40. 0626 VK2VW
41. 0628 VK5NRG
42. 0638 VK2SVN
43. 0635 VK3NCC
44. 0639 VK3KRH
45. 0644 VK3BBB
46. 0648 VK2ZK
47. 0650 VK4NH
48. 0651 VK4DXA
49. 0652 VK3HSB/P 59 59 P2P VKFF-0619 Alpine National Park
50. 0654 VK2LEE
51. 0656 VK3FMKE

We had a most enjoyable day. Three contacts were made on 80 metres, 14 on 20 metres including three Pacific Island Nation DX stations and 34 on 40 metres. Five Park to Park contacts on a weekday were a bonus! The way we shared the station was that the person with the microphone called CQ, QRZ or answered a caller and then the second operator took over and followed the same procedure. Our logs are almost but not quite identical. The times and order of stations will differ because of our approach to sharing.

Scott Creek Conservation Park WIA AGM 21st May 2017

I did not complete an entry for this activation as I became unwell soon after the AGM. However, although not many contacts were made it was an important event because a number of local amateurs were hosts to visitors interested in learning more about portable operations and techniques. In my case, I had three amateurs who wanted to come to Scott Creek Conservation Park for the opportunity of learning and getting on air. We met at Gate 8 at about 0900 local time. Each of my visitors, all amateurs, made contacts on HF on the 40 metre band and on VHF on two metres with VK5PAS/P, Paul and his crew at Mark Oliphant Conservation Park, about five kilometres away. We each kept out own log of contacts. I made four contacts on HF.

It was a beautiful late Autumn day and my wife dropped off morning tea and some chairs and we socialised as well as discussing appropriate gear for portable operations. It was great!

0016 VK1AD/2 7.095 MHz Andrew was in the Kosciusko National Park, VKFF-0269 and on VK2/SM-027 Mt Nungar worth ten SOTA points to a chaser. I thought that this contact was a great start to the morning.

0019 7.095 VK3PAT Chris at Cape Conrad Coastal Park, VKFF-0744

0116 7.095 VK3ARW/5 Allan at VK5/SE-005 Mount Lofty and Cleland Conservation Park, VKFF-0778

0017 VK5FR/P Chris at VK5/SE-005 Mount Lofty and Cleland Conservation Park, VKFF-0778

Four contacts were made but all great and all Park to Park as well as SOTA in three instances.

This activation and the one described above (2nd November) make five WWFF activations by me at Scott Creek Conservation Park, the threshold number for the Boomerang Award.

Finally, I was pleased to see our South Australian AGM and Convention Organising Group was recognised by the WIA. Here is my certificate. Our group worked for 16 months to ensure a successful WIA and Convention. The Sunday afternoon Radio is Magic demonstrations and field day activities were very popular and lots of positive comments were received.