Southern sojourn Oct 2020

We had been invited to spend the weekend in Luggate celebrating the first wedding anniversary of our son and daughter in law. An extended family and friends gathering, I was a little under the weather on Saturday morning so was glad I had only alerted for Mt Iron, a 1 pointer in Wanaka!

The day dawned fine but with a predicted lunchtime change. The climb is an easy one, about 20 minutes up a popular public track to a large activation zone with spectacular views over Wanaka and the surrounding mountains. I set up away from the busy summit with a convenient fence-post supporting the pole and worked a steady string of contacts around VK and ZL using the KX2 and 41 foot EFRW. 

View towards Chris on Isthmus Peak. QRPGuys UNUNtenna in foreground

One interested Mountain Biker stopped and chatted about what I was doing. I headed down once the rain started to settle in. I hadn't heard from Chris ZL4RA on Isthmus Peak - of course he was spotted once I was about 10 minutes into the descent!

Relaxing (over a couple more drinks!) afterwards I figured I should do Mt John on the way home on Monday. Mark ZL3AB and Rick ZL3RIK provided the email address for the onsite UC Superintendent who was good enough to confirm access a couple of hours later.

 

After a pleasant 2 hour drive from Luggate, the Mt John turnoff is reached (just before Tekapo). You follow the public road and then reach the UC tollbooth (operates 10.30am to 2.30pm) where your $8 toll is paid (Eftpos). It's a pleasant 10 minute drive to the summit and a large carpark which is within the AZ.

Panorama from the operating site.

  I found a spot on the Western edge of the carpark where you can sit on railway sleeper edging (or down on the grass out of the wind). A couple of concrete blocks made an excellent pole support and so I decided to use the 66 foot (60-15m) open wire fed doublet. 

Tip of Lake Alexandrina and the Southern Alps. Open wire feeders and balun in foreground

 

 Good signals from all around the country meant I comfortably activated the hill on 60m prior to UTC rollover. 2m was tried with Rick ZL3RIK and Robin ZL3REW but no contacts resulted. After rollover I worked the ZLs again along with a good number of VKs including Gerard VK2IO mobile! At this point the wind changed and it started to rain quite heavily. A hasty pack up ensued due to the thunderstorm threat.

Operating spot showing the antenna support and SOTA-Dog Skye keeping an eye on me.

 

These are both very easy summits with incredible views - well worth doing if you are down that way. 

As always, thanks to the Chasers, especially the weekday ones!

Ladbrooks Hill ZL3/CB-618 Oct 2020

 This is a re-visit to a very nice summit in the North Canterbury foothills, located between Mt Oxford and Mt Richardson. At 1041m it's a bit more than a "hill"! The views are expansive, back to the alps, across into Lees Valley and across the plains.

 

Across into Lees Valley

 I had planned to do this in the last weekend of the winter bonus period and had carefully planned a route that was on Conservation land from the Lees Valley Road and would avoid having to seek permission to cross farmland. I headed up off the road and straight into thick bush - genuine bush-bashing and, after 1/2 hour of climbing, i stopped to check the GPS and wondered why it was blurry. Went to adjust my glasses which were gone.... Lost somewhere in the bush. With risk factors mounting, i abandoned the attempt and followed the breadcrumb GPS trail back down. No sign of my glasses but I did find a nice Silva compass! Home early, chased everyone else and went to Specsavers!

A week later, I decided to have another crack - this time via the farmers land and nice track!! I rang him on Friday and permission was readily granted. David ZL3DRN decided I couldn't be trusted on my own so came along to keep an eye on me ;-)

Gale force Nor Westers were forecast for the afternoon so we headed up fairly early and found the start of the track. You need to scramble up a bank about 10m around Ladbrooks Corner where your car (preferably SUV, the road is pretty rough) is parked (don't block the gate!) See the GPX track on the SOTA Maps site. The start of the track has several warning signs about being private land - do not ignore these, make sure you have rung and asked for permission to cross (he is very sensitive about trespassers but very accommodating if you ask). The track heads up the ridge through gorse initially but soon opens out into a nice track, sporadically marked. It's a straight-forward climb to the first summit at point 1030, marked Ladbrooks Hill on the topomap. This is not the SOTA summit, you need to continue South East to the next summit at 1041m.

East with the Port Hills on the horizon

West to the Southern Alps

Panorama showing a nice flat summit and spectacular views

 The summit is a large flat area, marked with a rock cairn. Plenty of room for big antennas if you are so inclined. The weather was great, a light NW breeze and warm. We found a spot that would be sheltered if wind came up and set up the HF antenna before working the locals on 2m FM. Mark ZL3AB called in to let us know he was about 30 min away from the summit of Mt Alford.

Looking South towards Mark ZL3AB on Mt Alford (on horizon). Mt Oxford on right

 

HF was tough with the A index at 13. I worked the ZL HF chasers on CW including Jacky ZL1WA, John ZL1BYZ and Wynne ZL2ATH and a couple of VKs. Mark called on 2m for an S2S and then David took over on HF SSB, working a string of ZL and VK stations and really enjoying himself.

David hard at work

 The Nor Wester was starting to build so we decided to pack up and adjourn back to the first summit for lunch in the sun (and shelter) and then headed back down the track with an uneventful descent.

Permission required: The first 300m is across private land. Ring Tim 029 2359909 the day before and request access. He'll ask you to txt your car registration number and your approx entry and exit times.

Directions: Drive to Lees Valley Road (just North of Oxford) and head towards Lees Valley. It's about a 1/2 hour drive along a rough road. Over the Middle Bridge, past a set of yards and you come to Ladbrooks Corner where two power lines meet at the road. Park on the corner (away from the gate!) and walk about 10m further along the road and you'll find the access point.

Spark and Vodafone 4G coverage at the summit (but not along the valley road)

All Canterbury repeaters accessible.

Walking Time: 1 hour 20 to the summit, about the same on descent. 540m elevation gain.