Category: SOTA (Page 1 of 2)

SOTA – Summits On The Air. Like I need an excuse to get into the mountains!

A Satellite SOTA activation

August 3, 2019 / zs2dh

SOTA has been very scarce in my life of late! Having just started to play with Satellites (HF is a lot of hard work with the current sun spots!) I thought it might be nice to one day do a Satellite SOTA activation.

One day…

An early start sun rise below the freeway bridge!

My mate Glen, ZS2GV said he was going to one of his high-sites in the Hogsback area, so I bummed a lift!

This was great – it got me to and from the Hogsback area (300 odd Km from my QTH each way) and it saved the world from hearing more karaoke from Glen driving alone in his saltmine bakkie.

And so one day became today – Tuesday 30 July 2019. An early start, a return after sunset, but wow, what a day!

After a stop at Nanaga farm stall for the mandatory pies, we made our way to Hogsback going past Grahamstown and then through Fort Beaufort and Alice and finally up the magestic pass into Hogsback village.

Straight through the village and onto the road to Sweat Grass, the farm on which the access road to Elandsberg is located.

Elandsberg access track

A 4×4 track (see left) leads through some farm gates and the zig-zas up to the top of the ridge. After that, you pretty much on your own.

The view from the top of Elandsberg ZS/EL-012 is, well, Hogsback, so by its very definition, awesome. The wind was howling, but the plan was to activate on satellite, so the HF dipole was NOT put up.

I had looked on gPredict and made a “cheat-sheet” of all the workable passes over Elandsberg for the day and simply had to keep and eye on the time and track the satellites!

We were a little late getting away in the morning, but we got up top about 11 am and so I had three passes that could do the trick. The first two passes went without me hearing a thing – well other than wind and noise.

Giakas kop from Elandsberg

Ok, I’ll admit – I was starting to worry about possibly not activating. Remember to activate a SOTA summit you need a minimum of 4 QSOs and I had none, with one pass left.

AO-91 was the satellite on which I was pinning my hopes. The pass started to the North and I shifted gears (frequency) for the pass – everything! Nothing heard!

By now my radio was set to the “LOS” frequency and I was facing South. I sat down on a rock – feeling rather dejected – and randomly pointed the AMSAT yagi in the direction of the LOS coordinates (as if to tell AO-91 where it SHOULD be).

Up came the signals and I heard the world! In a very short time I managed to work ZS1LEM, ZS1OB, ZS2BK, ZS2ACP, ZS4CGR, and ZS4MG. All 5/9 through the satellite! Boy did my mood change!

It amazes me what you can do with a hand-held putting out 5W and a hand-held yagi antenna.

And so it came to pass that ZS2DH, from the top of Elandsberg, managed to get his quota of QSOs and activate the Elandsberg. A lot of firsts…

First activation of Elandsberg, my first activation of 2019 (*blush*), and my first satellite SOTA activation. Thank you GV!

Hennie and I at the Gaikaskop trig beacon

Hogsback 2017 SOTA

June 24, 2017 / zs2dh

The saltmine has kept me from SOTA and playing radio in general, but when I told the XYL in March that the long weekend in June would be a SOTA weekend she agreed. She probably needs the quiet time as much as I do 😉

The months and months between March and June saw me getting more and more excited about getting out of the office and into the mountains. Hennie (ZS2HC) was on standby (since March) and also keen. It was agreed we would meet in Hogsback and stay at the Swallowtail caravan park as our regular (Forresters House) was booked. The Swallowtail caravan park is over priced, unlevel, and offers campers no shelter from the wind. That said, it would be home from Friday midday to Monday morning. Swallowtail charges R140 pppn for a camp site.

Time being the biggest resource constraint, we planned to do 4 summits in 2 days. A tall ask, but we had done them all before and now we knew some shortcuts.

Friday I drove through to Hogsback leaving an hours or so later than I had initially planned – my day off was not a full day off, but the weekend was calling! The drive was long and the stop-go strips (near Fort Beaufort) were tedious.

Friday afternoon was spent with Hennie in the camp and making an early braai. Some Whisky was consumed (for medicinal purposes and to keep warm) and the evening was pleasant. We had set up a 160m dipole across the lawn of the caravan park (it was just about empty and I know why). We called but with no joy it was decided rather an early night for a big day awaited. Neither could sleep, so plan B was implemented. Pub-crawl through Hogsback village. Well I am sure there are places one could have gone that we missed, but the two place we visited proved worlds apart.

The first was a small pub in town next to the hardware store – called the Hog and something (didn’t read it on the way in and couldn’t on the way out). A single Whisky sets you back R15, the bar lady drinks red wine by the glass while she slowly drinks her patrons clever. After that Hennie insisted we go to “Away with the fairies” and have “one for the road”. It was of course almost 500m we had to travel, so a stop over was agreed. Away with the Fairies is a nice place to stay, but it is more of a “hippie” sort of camp where you pass out rather than the traditional (more structured) caravan park we had made our home.

We arrived just in time for the last round and took the drinks to the communal fire outside. Around the fire we chatted to a Scotish lass whos smile and bust negated the need for a name, and we eventually left there (having to wake the groundsman to let us out). A single Whisky here sets you back R37.50.

The wind on Friday night was gale force. The tent took it but flapped and flapped. Although we were warm and out of the wind, the night’s sleep was not as wonderful as it might have been.

Saturday morning after breakfast we headed off to conquer the Hog itself! Now I climbed the Hog last year with my son Graydon (ZU2GH) and it was an all day affair – from pre-dawn to after sunset. This time, however, we did not need to climb from Madonna and Child – we had found a road to the saddle just below the Hogs themselves – and this saved us hours and a LOT of effort. From a full day to a morning (and a bit) and that is what we call progress.

The afternoon saw us across town activating Menziesberg. It was great to “bump into” our old friend Gerald (ZS5GS). We also bumped into ZS6TAN, Mario who was banging out a great signal from ZS6 land – on World QRP day. Menzies is an easy one – really points for nothing compared to some other SOTA climbs around here, but is offers incredible views across the valley and the village.

Saturday evening saw us making a potjie and later again trying 160m. Ok, Hennie did the potjie and I worked 160m. Andrew Gray (ZS2G) heard me on 160m, but since I was using HIS dipole, he could only receive and that meant the scorecard for 160m contacts remained at an all time low of 0.

Sunday morning on Tor Doone is a sight to behold. Breathtaking beauty as you look back across the village toward Menzies where we had been the previous afternoon. Tor Doone holds a big spot in my heart – it was the first time I worked “DX” – I worked Namibia on 5w from a mountain top. An awesome feeling!

After Tor Doone it was “the big one”. Gaikaskop. We have only climbed Giakaskop once before, and that was on a very misty day and navigation was by GPS – step by step. I know you think we crazy, but we had checked where the cliffs and dangerous areas were on Google Earth and maps while still planning the trip, so it was not as dangerous as it might sound. On that occasion the view from the top was limited to say the least – and we had felt robbed of part of the reward. This time, however, there was no mist and the view was amazing. See pics below…(I have not posted the usual tons of pics for the other summits – you can catch them in past articles if you want to.)

Giakaskop climb starts from the abandoned fire lookout tower. From here you climb onto the saddle and then ascend from the back to arrive on top – a flat expanse of land you would never expect when you look at the cliff-face. An amazing view of Tor Doone “down there” tells us the view was awesome. See the pictures below…

Now I’m not one to complain much, but there is something that bugged me while on Gaikaskop. There we are – backs to the wind, lying down next to the base of the trig beacon with a simple wire dipole a few meters above the ground and we pumping out 5W. We calling CQ SOTA and mentioning QRP and there are a few stations who reply wanting to make contact with “the QRP station in Hogsback”. Each time we try call one of these stations, a certain ZS6 QRO station asks the other station if they can copy “the QRP station in Hogsback”.

In spite of the other stations asking him to give us a chance, it takes nearly two and a half hours to get the required 4 contacts. We needed the contacts before we could pack up and get off the mountain. The other factor, of course, is that we do not have an endless supply of battery power either! As a general request, please, if you hear a QRP/SOTA station, please give us a chance and DON’T talk all over us. There is a place for linear amplifiers, big rigs and super yagis, but there is a place for QRP too.

We got off the mountain in time to see the sunset dipping behind the horizon and headed back, tired but relieved, to the campsite where we celebrated with a few beers, a fire, some meat and the rest of the whisky.

Monday morning we packed up in the rain and headed our separate ways without breakfast. Home safe and sound, we start planning the next thing!

Potjie on its way…

Hennie fixing the radio!

SOTA Mast with no guylines! Like magic!

Looking down on Tor Doone from Giakaskop

The top of Giakaskop

Giakaskop trig beacon

Campsite at Swallowtail

A view of Hog 1 over the dam

Cockscomb. A bucketlist item marked off!

July 13, 2016 / zs2dh

My mate, Andrew Gray belongs to Voetsak, the Mountain Club, and of course our little club ZS2FUN! Andrew and Mandy had the Cockscomb climb on the Voetsak calendar noted and slipped me an invite.

Cockscomb – our destination for Sunday morning!

It was the weekend of 9/10 July – and the Knysna marathon – another thing on my bucket list, but a chance like this I could not miss. Treffor Lloyd held the pre-hike meeting at the German Club and then we were all set. Saturday early morning saw a bunch of crazy people meeting up at the parking lot of the local ULTRA bottle store and heading out to climb Cockscomb. I went with them because it seemed like the right thing to do 😉

One thing no one tells you about the climb is that it is miles away! Pass Uitenhage and then onto the gravel. Something like 70Km of gravel, dust, and anticipation.

The next thing they don’t really make sure you understand (it was mentioned at the pre-hike meeting) is that you have to carry the firewood up from the bottom! We were each given some wood to carry. A big group means many carriers and so this was not a big problem. Go in a small group and I’m sure you feel the pain!

Treffor “I’m scared of heights” Lloyd.

We climbed up onto the top of the ridge by lunchtime. This was a great view and with most of the work done, a pleasant walk from there to the cave. Don’t get me wrong – you are climbing all the way, but the climb is more gradual from here and often you are basically contouring.

Afternoon tea in a cave – where I took the pic to the left of Treffor Lloyd. As we head up the ridge, across the valley we can see the other cave – perhaps the more famous cave – with build-in cabin.

Up onto the saddle and a quick look at the climb to the summit – work for tomorrow morning, but an intimidating view to be sure! A 5 minute walk from the saddle to the cave and we pass the “drip tank” system everyone talks about. I had been told there was water at the cave and then when we arrive they say “hope there’s water there” and I start to panic. There was water there -and pretty much plenty of it too.

If you ever stuck here without water, the other cave is about an hour away and has water.

The fire in the cave that evening was pleasant and informative too. My plans for a “big trek” in “the berg” next year took a big step forward thanks to Serge and his idea for power!

Sunday morning started off with a trip to the “loo with a view”. On the hillside is an all-but flushing loo! From there the day just got better!

We made our way back to the saddle where we stashed our gear and started up the seemingly impossible trail to the top of the summit.

There is a ‘ledge’ you need to look out for! I was worried about it – and nearly did not go on the hike because of the dreaded ledge. I had heard so much about it and never actually saw it! By the time we were about half way up I asked Treffor where the ledge was (secretly hoping we had passed it) and he told me well, that we had passed it. (His choice of vernacular being unsuitable for a family blog like this one lol)

Arriving at the top of the summit is always a moment to be cherished. You can stop for a moment and reflect on your accomplishment before the fear of “how the hell do I get down again” kicks in.

There is something about the summit of a mountain – something almost distinctly common to summits: They have rocks on top – but this one has a rock taller than me! I know the entire mountain was taller than me! But when you get to the top of the climb and look for the trig beacon only to find it “one more story up” on a large rock that is something else!

Andrew, Serge, Mandy, and I eventually got everything needed up to the top and set the mast up against the trig beacon in a style that is becoming predictable. Andrew played around and we found some contacts.

Now, just because I like the Zulu so much, I feel I must put this piece in…

When you need to break into a QSO to make a contact one normally does it between overs – hoping not to offend the parties concerned.

However, when ZA is talking you actually have time to leave him a voice mail message saying that you are trying to break in and could he please STFU 🙂 ‘nuf said. We made our contacts and 4 more points in the bag! Yay for us.

Back down the mountain was not nearly as daunting a task as I had imagined it was going to be. Lifting yourself up vertical “cliffs” of 2m to 3m at a time takes effort. Fortunately on the way down, gravity has its way with you and you get down a lot easier than you get up. Of course if you miss your footing then … OK – I can’t resist: A quote from Space Quest 3 – “gravity has it’s way with you and you assume the dimensions of a manhole cover” If you don’t know Space Quest then you won’t get it.

The saddle was a welcome break and one where we gathered up again before starting off on the trek back to the cars. The path back was via the “other” cave and the ridge next to the one we had followed up. We could have gone back the way we came up, but this was different and different was good.

We followed the ridge for most of the afternoon until finally dropping down a steep path into the river bed below. From here it was a few minutes and we were back at the cars.

I’d have to say the climb was not nearly as bad as I had been lead to believe. I’m not saying it was a walk in the park – but I’ll do it again.

Gauteng SOTA Trip 2016

June 22, 2016 / zs2dh

The Salt mine had a trip planned to Johannesburg for the week of 13-17 June 2016. Now I normally run a pretty full calendar, but never really check personal vs salt mine as they seldom overlap. Mistake! After realising that I would be killing an entire public holiday in Vereeniging of all places, the mind started to think out of the (box) office and soon got onto SOTA. I’d need a car anyway, so perhaps we could pencil something in there after all.

Getting the car meant I could do SOTA, but flying to JHB meant no SOTA mast and my radio or laptop would need to go into the luggage hold. Not good, but what was the alternative? Hey, I know (can I say, can I, can I, please pick me!!!) I could drive to JHB. Clever boy!

The car rental has unlimited mileage, so that was not a problem. The petrol would be cheaper than the flight tickets, so a saving there 🙂 In fact the ONLY down side was that I’d have to do the driving on the Sunday before and return after the SOTA on Saturday. Snarf!

I called Hennie and said what about you get your ass to JHB for the public holiday and we do some SOTA. A plan was hatched and Hennie would come up on the bus and I’d drive him home afterwards. Done.

Do you know what is on Sunday? I was asked. No. The Hammies sprint. @$#%!

I picked up the car, bid farewell to the family and off we went.

The Hammies Sprint was going to be covered by Andrew Gray, so I knew the kids were in good hands, but it kept playing on the back of my mind (which was good as there was not a lot of brain activity at the time).

The sprint was to start at 15:00 UTC. I crossed over into ZS6 country moments before it started. In fact as soon as the clock struck 15:00 UTC I pulled over to the side of the N1 and did what I do best. I put up a portable station and called in – making a few contacts, but I got the one that really counted – I worked ZS2ZU!

Very happy with myself (and my totally awesome little X1M 5W radio) I set sail for my overnight spot (Aviators B&B) on my way to Hartbeespoort where I was needed 9am Monday morning.

Sunday evening was spent having a fat chat on the local repeater with Michael ZS6MSW and later Dave ZS6TBV. Dave and I chatted about a lot of things including sand bag houses and log cabins!

I love going to this particular client in Hartbeespoort because they are good Scouting people and live in paradise – Lakeland, a property where buck wonder through the yard, there are no fences around the properties inside, and they are on the bank of the dam. All the houses are thatch roofs too – which also helps 🙂

I left there Tuesday midday, planning to go to the Magalies (ZS/GP-008) site for a quick activation on my way to Vereeniging. Not quite on the way, but when you come from PE to JHB, now is a good time to do it.

I followed the road around the dam, found the turn off and drove up to the gate. An ominous sign threatened anyone wanting access and offered a contact number for permission to enter. Expecting some sort of “professional courtesy”, I called the number, explained I was a radio ham wanting to make a SOTA activation and eagerly awaited a response. “No!”. I tried to explain again, until I was eventually told,in not uncertain terms, and with an accent that suggested limited schooling, that I should leave. I left, disappointed and angry, for Vereeniging.

The Salt mine had arranged accommodation in Vereeniging at Bloekompoort Resort, just outside town. A little disorganised, but friendly enough and the accommodation was adequate for what I needed, so no complaints there.

Wednesday was spent working and driving around trying to find where I was to be on Friday morning. And where to pick up Hennie when he arrived on the bus at some ungodly hour of the morning.

Thursday morning was an early start, picking Hennie up in Van Der Bijl Park way before sunrise! I found him outside the police station (not inside the police station!) and took him “home for breakfast”.

Let the SOTA begin!

We headed off to Hout Heuwel (ZS/GP-010). Hennie had plotted the points on his fancy dangly new GPS so getting there was a breaze. We were met by a friendly security guard and put our case to him. He directed us to the office when a car pulled up – it was the boss HERself. A quick chat to a young lady and we were all system go. I could not help but think it was handled so much better that the twit on the phone two days earlier!

We parked the car and walked the few Kms to the summit. It is a pleasant walk, passing wild animals along a very good jeep track. Enroute to the summit (a bit of a joke really) we passed what looked like a school of sorts. Getting to the top really meant we ran out of Jeep track – there really was not much of a climb. We set up our station a little away from the big commercial towers – so we did not swamp their signals with our 5watts of SOTA awesomness!

Placing an “advert” on the Facebook page for SA SOTA really pays off – all the big guns were there waiting for us: ZS2ABF, ZS2G, and of course, ZS5AYC, and ZS5APT. We also had a chat with ZS6FDX and ZS6OPS before packing up and heading back to the car.

Back at the car we pondered Gatsrant. We started driving there, but as we got closer we felt less safe and decided 4 points or not, we’d rather skip it. We turned around and headed for the Suikerbosrant nature reserve and our next two points.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll just put up some and give you the low down on the rest of the day.

Suikerbosrand (GP-002) – normal easy activation with nothing but some nice views to mention. The normal gang were waiting for us and the activation went without incident. Syd Tyler did mention we could do a S2S with this summit and Perdeberg (also in the reserve). The reserve itself has a 60km circular track, so “going back” is not always an option. I thought about it. We did have some extra time due to not climbing Gatsrant, so…

Perdekop (ZS/GP-001) – also in the Suikerbosrand Reserve, and also nothing to climb. Contacts included some normal ones and some new ones – ZS6MAX, ZS6JKL, ZS6JFW, ZS6BWZ.

I decided to backtrack to Suikerbos and effect a S2S. This took some time and we ended up rushing through to get out in time 🙂

Back home at Blompoort resort we decided to braai and set up a VHF radio. We battled to get out at all and only made one contact on simplex and two on the local repeater.

Friday was work again – boring, but it pays the bills! Hennie worked some HF stations and kept himself entertained.
We decided to leave early on Saturday and do some SOTAs on the way home. In the Free State there are some nice ones, Hennie informed me. His GPS would take us there.

Saturday morning came far too quickly. This might have been due to the volume of
Saturday leave early heading for the FS,Mist everywhere!

Wolhuterskop (ZS/FS-014) in the reserve – breathtaking views and a very pleasant drive through, passing a lake with camping facilities which is now on my bucket list!

ZS2NB, ZS2ABF, ZS6ANO, ZS2MSW, and ZS6MAX all contributed to the activation and a thank you all round for that.

Then on to Oorsprongberg (ZS/FS-005) in the middle of nowhere! Here we relied on the old faithful GPS to get us there and then the old ZS2 crowd to make the trip worth while.

Hennie commented on the lack of Wattle trees, until we spotted some just down the road – and then they were everywhere!

And finally we set sail for Bloemfontein and Naval Hill, which we activate just before 3pm local time.

Now hit the road home. Well to Aliway North to sleep over and then on to East London to drop off Hennie. I spent a few hours with Hennie in East London – looking at my bike he is fixing for me and the boat he is rebuilding and then the final stretch home to Port Elizabeth, the best place in the country!

Queenstown Repeater Repair Trip

May 12, 2016 / zs2dh

Whenever Glen (ZS2GV) asks if I want to go on a “field trip” I know I am in for something special.

I know the Queenstown repeater has been a problem for some time (Eskom redid the site and we needed to send a ham in to rewire a few things). PEARS maintain the network of repeaters with a shoestring budget and the kindness of volunteers. The network is quite extensive and you can find more information on the PEARS repeater page or on this site about another section of the network.

Queenstown you say? What is near Queenstown? Hangklip AKA ZS/EC003 to SOTA peeps around the world.

Game On! Call Hennie, he is keen and will drive through from East London and meet us there. A three day round trip is planned. GV had some work to do in Lady Grey (North of Queenstown) so things started to line up. GV & I would drive through from Port Elizabeth to Queenstown. He would check in on his salt mine repeater on Mount Shepstone on Monday. Tuesday GV would go to Lady Grey while Hennie (ZS2HC) and I did the Hangklip activation. Wednesday would see GV and I attending to the Queenstown (ham) repeater and then returning to Port Elizabeth.

I contacted Andrew (ZS2G) to ask if I could borrow his portable 20m antenna with the hope of working some DX in the evenings. No problem – he even delivered it to my door!

Monday (9th May, 2016): The drive to Queenstown was uneventful – which is something for a GV trip 🙂 We arrived in Queenstown just after noon and went straight up Mt Shepstone to the repeater site.

Hangklip as seen from Mount Shepstone.

A few minutes at it and GV was all done and up to date. It was then that we had some Sentech technicians pop around.

After some professional chat (jargon way over my head!) they offered us a trip of their “repeater shack” in the same enclosure. “Rooms with air conditioners!” was the first impression, but then Oh My Word!

TV and Radio transmitters with coax the size of my QRP radio! They have transmitters putting out more Mega Watts than my rig puts out Watts! Heat sinks bigger than I’ve ever seen! It was something to see! I simply (and politely) pointed out that it must be compensating for something.

That evening we met up with Hennie in the camp ground 10km outside of Queenstown. Eager little rock spider had the braai fire going and after a few minutes it was like we had never been apart!

Our plans for DX were thwarted with power problems. It all seemed fine until a little rain fell and suddenly we had no lights, and no radio either. Tough in Africa!

Tuesday morning Glen picked us up from the camp site and dropped us off near the foot of Hangklip. About an hours walk and we were at the foot of Hangklip and rearing to go.

Hennie with Hangklip in the background

The climb was from the Eastern side and I think a better way up than the one we used previously. We basically followed the fence all the way up to the rock outcrop just below the summit.

We activated with contacts into ZS1, ZS2, ZS4, and ZS6 on 40m and into town and to GV on 2m 🙂

The threatening rain (which had been around since our attempted DX the night before) encouraged us to get off the mountain as soon as we could. Glen was to pick us up at the bottom of the mountain when he returned from Lady Grey. If I had to wait in the rain, I’d still rather do it at the bottom of the mountain than at the top!

A better view of Hangklip 🙂

We made it off the mountain and started back towards the collection point – this time with the benefit of a route planned with the advantage of a high ground perspective. Put another way, from the summit we planned the easiest route back to the collection point.

As we got closer to the collection point, the sun setting in our eyes, we could not find Glen.

A few calls on what was left of the battery in my trusty little 3W Baofeng and we had him travelling towards us and soon he came over the rise on the same jeep track we were on. Hitching a ride seemed over the top, but we did and he obliged.

Now, I’m not the smallest guy on the planet, but then neither is Hennie nor Glen, so the three of us in the cab over 4×4 terrain was interesting.

In hindsight, I think the easiest way is from the Eastern side, but going as far South as possible and climbing up from the South East (we sort of hit it from the East, fairly far North,if that makes any sense)

Back at the camp site it was braai time again, this time without charcoal! I picked the proverbial short straw and was sent (in the dark) to collect firewood from some nearby trees. Armed with a head torch and a burning (sorry) desire to braai, I headed out into the darkness.

I approached the trees and started looking around for some small branches when I noticed something that looked a bit like a small wood pile a few meters over to my left. I turned and took a few steps closer. As the light of my headlamp came into focus I realised it was not firewood. It was,in fact, (drum roll please) a Puffy!

Not nearly so keen to scratch in the undergrowth, I decided on plan B. We would braai with the neighbours!

Some other campers (signage guys on a work trip in Queenstown) had used an entire bag of charcoal on their fire and intended to braai two small steaks. It was our duty (in terms of global warming for starters) to make maximum use of their fire.

The electricity was still avoiding us, so the DX expedition was not a major success at all.

Wednesday morning saw Hennie off early back to East London, leaving me to help GV fix the club repeater at Mt Shepstone. Glen was fortunate enough to have a second breakfast and then like the seven dwarfs, “’twas off to work we go”

Up at the repeater site again, we called in for a code and then opened the gate. The work we needed to do was to connect three antenna lines into the shack and connect up the power. Our repeater uses a positive ground which was, well, different. GV climbed the tower so we could trace which leads went to the various antennas. We found one cable connected directly to a sky hook! What started out as a little job soon grew into moving antennas on the mast, a bit more involved than we had anticipated.

GV knows what he is doing – which made one of us. I managed to make some coffee, pack a bag of tools and hoist it for him and very little else.

Once inside the shack, we needed to make some fly-leads to connect up the cables from the outside to the equipment on the inside – via the lightning arrestors. One thing that struck me was the neatness – almost OCD in nature. Everything not just on it’s place, but exactly on it’s place.

We connected everything up (GV connected everything up while I supervised) and then after some tests with Terrance, ZS2VDL it was clear something else was not optimal. We tried for a while, but we needed to move off – already a few hours later than anticipated.

The trip home was full of good ideas, quality discussion, and a lot of random mumblings usually directed at fellow road users.

Thank you GV and Hennie for another great trip. I’m not sure how GV can even call this work!

Connect three wires and the power – how hard can that be!

A look up the Scotsman’s Kilt

Catering department.

Another S2S contact for ZS2FUN

May 3, 2016 / zs2dh

Andrew and Mandy had said they were going to climb Strydomsberg the hard way – a three day round trip hiking and sleeping over at Eel cave. Day one would be hiking to the cave, day two would be the summit and descent and then out again on the third day. It is 15Km across Groendaal to get to Eel cave. Just saying.

A summit-To-Summit (S2S) is a special QSO made between people on different SOTA peaks. A bit like an activation and a chase all in one. I had agreed that, even though I’d get no more activator points, I’d climb the Slipper and make a S2S chance to coincide with their planned summit on Sunday 1 May, 2016. That is just how I am – don’t judge!

Well the bad weather warning came loud and clear. Thinking Andrew and Mandy were smart, I naturally assumed they would be at home. Well they were not put off by the threat of bad weather. I suppose they decided to go whatever the weather, whether it rained or not!

Sunday 1 May was a beautiful day and the XYL and I went out for a walk. Suddenly a surprise call from Andrew to say “So, how are you doing? We about an hour from the summit.” slapped me in the face! It dawned on me that these two had gone hiking. I was about an hour away from home (by foot) and then 45 minutes by car to the Slipper and then a climb. An hour was going to need some planning and a lot of luck.

First call was for a lift home. One call to Rachael (Graydon’s girlfriend) and we were soon on the way home. I rush into the shack, grabbed my bag (almost completely ready to go – I just had to add the battery which had been on charge.) **Shameless HAMNET punt here!!!

And so with the time marching on, I mounted my trusty steed (the only 4×4 Mazda Etude ever built) and set a course for Ladies Slipper. I decided to try from the back as I thought I could get up the tar access road easier.

It was now almost an hour since Andrew’s call and I needed to rush. The weather was not wonderful and they were not known for camping on the top of summits!

I connected the radio up to the battery and the antenna and with the radio in the backpack and me waving my “ZS2U-2m” antenna (another shameless plug) I started to jog up the road. The road is definitely the easier way up. My bag has two compartments, so battery in one (wires held on with duct-tape) and the radio in the other compartment, mike in a side pocket for easy access.

On the way up I kept calling but was getting the feeling I had missed them. I had a good chat to both Al – ZS2U and to Ted – ZS2TED – between gasping for air that is!

I reached the summit and climbed to the trig beacon where I set-up as a SOTA station in the traditional ZS2FUN way – antenna strapped to the trig beacon. I called ZS2G a few more times, but without success. Ted suggested I call Mandy as perhaps Andrew was now deaf! A few calls to ZS2AV disappeared into the ether and I decided to take a few pics and then head on down, sorry I had missed them.

Well step away from the radio at your peril Higgs! “ZS2DH this is ZS2AV, are you there Dave?” crackled the radio (as if in some Hardy Boys novel). Well Of course I was!

Mandy often makes me smile, but today her comment made me laugh! “Well I am buggered. Oh, am I allowed to say that on air?”. Andrew also reported being buggered, so I guess you can say it on air!

By now the S2S was in the bag and my job was almost over – I just needed to get two more contacts for Andrew and Mandy (I did not need to activate but they did). I called on the local repeater and lined up Al and Ted who had been waiting in the wings. Tada – job done.

To say the way down was easier than the way up would seem like an understatement, but not only was it easier, there was no pressure for time and my mood was high with another 3 S2S points under my belt.

Thank you Andrew and Mandy for having the guts to go in the bad weather! Oh, yes, and for not dying on the mountain!

Me in front of the trig beacon and antenna

See the wind farm in the distance?

The long and winding road…

No, I’m not dead!

April 27, 2016 / zs2dh

I realise that I have not posted much in a while, ok – quite a while! But I have been doing so on the ZS2FUN page.

Here are some articles you might like:

A report on a Hogsback expedition in February and the Hamnet 40m contest in March.

I am also actively involved in getting the local Hammies off the ground.

You can read about the Hammies first meeting, our field station and our visit to the PEARS repeater!

I have also been doing some more DXing with Andrew Gray (ZS2G) and this now includes the following entities:
SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS
SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND
GABON
GUERNSEY
JUAN DE NOVA, EUROPA

with VKOEK yet to QSL. Not much, but some pretty good ones 😉

I also worked Bruce Salt on St Helena, but unfortunatly Bruce does not QSL on LOTW. You can read about it here in an article about how Mandy worked a SOTA pileup!

So, I’m not dead – thanks to all those worried soles who thought I was 😉

The view of the final ascent - as seen from the "ridge"

Bloukop must die!

August 12, 2015 / zs2dh

Well friends it has been a while since my last successful SOTA ascent. Been spending a lot of time on a little problem child called Bloukop. Just outside Somerset East, this little gem is about 700m vertical climb, about an 12km round trip and is overgrown. And yes it is a mere 4 points.

Unlike some of the easier summits (I think longingly of some of the GP summits where 4 points is a walk outside with negligible vertical distance – Suikerbosrandt for example). No I’m not complaining, I am just, well, ok I’m complaining just a little bit 😉

This gem is nearly 300Km away from PE so it calls for a trip, not an afternoon jaunt. After several attempts by myself and various other parties (I climbed once with my son, once with Hennie ZS2HC, and 3 times with Andrew and Mandy – ZS2G and ZS2AV. Andrew and Mandy also made at least 2 other attempts without me!) This beast needs to be tamed!

Mr Oliphant is the warden at the reserve. He showed us several ways, but Mandy’s contact was the one who put us on the right path. Yes, literally.

One can easily be tempted to take a short route, but there is no benefit. No way to the top, but the long way round! You enter the path from the gravel road (between the golf course and town, turning right as you face town). This is a nice, open cycle track. At this point you will think I’m a sissy for complaining. Walk on dude!

Following the cycle track leads you past a water reservoir, a braai/picknic spot and on to an old rusty gate. The path is still open and easy to follow, but after the gate it starts to be a little more taxing to spot the next marker. The number of markers has increased exponentially as the trips made us all more and more desperate to summit.

We followed the path past an old fence and one of the original hike route markers and then south into the valley and through to the clearing on the south-ish side of the mountain. You can see this clearing from the water reservoir, but it is further than it looks. Looking back from the clearing you can see the water reservoir and various other land marks and you begin to realize that you have covered some distance. The legs are still strong – you’ve only climbed about 100m.

Mark this spot! If you get back into the clearing and can’t find this path you will not get back!

Heading out the top of the clearing there is a good path – but it leads you into temptation, damnation and near death! Ok, I exaggerate a little, but it goes off in the wrong direction and you end up in brambles, burned proteas and deep, deep in regret. I know, Andrew and I spent several hours cutting our way through a few kilometers-and that in vain too!

Just after going under the fence (it is quite easy: I am not small and I’ve made it several times) we turned LEFT off the path and onto a secondary path which led us to another sort of clearing. Not grassy like the first one, but no trees and bushes. And most importantly, no brambles! We marked this point as well – for the way back.

It is steep. Don’t kid yourself you are going to make it to the top without a rest or 6! Very little vegetation to hold onto means you are working your legs. At first it is just great to be in the open, but it soon begins to tire – I promise.

Bearing a little to the right (north) we avoid a small cliff and get to the “ridge”. Andrew and I have been on this ridge no less that 3 times each! But it is not the top.

Hennie and I take a long break here. The view is awesome, but we needed the rest anyway 🙂 There is another of the original route markers at this point, but no sign of the route to the top.

Mr Oliphant suggested going around the back and ascending from the west – back towards the town. Andrew and I had cut a long way through the brambles towards the final ascent on a previous trip and I decided this was the way to go. The vegetation is the problem – not the terrain.

I was well worn out by this stage, but we were not at the top yet. I started to have a very strange feeling about cresting the summit. It just did not seem right without Andrew and Mandy – with whom I had blazed most of the path. Had they been with us, it would have been a different story.

I checked my GPS. I could see the top. SOTA rules say within 25m vertical of the summit is the activation zone and so we got ourselves well into this zone (1608m ALT – the stated height is 1623m) so I called it.

I have not yet conquered this beast entirely – but I have activated it. Andrew and Mandy (and I) will return and we shall summit together (the path is almost all the way now). Hennie, however, says he has no need to return to Bloukop.

Peter, ZS2ABF was following us on APRS until he lost us. He could see where we were going on one of our “short cut” missions (yesterday) and it gave us a real understanding of the difference in perspective from the armchair to the ground. We must have been within about 50m of the old gate when we turned around, but we would not have made it up in time. The summit took a lot out of us. We were walking before the sun came up, climbed through the midday sun and arrived back after dark. For 4 points. Yes, we are a little crazy, why do you ask?

Thank you to all who helped with us getting contacts from all over.

Hennie the night before activation – doing some”field work” from the car.

In Camo, we had to keep an eye on where the rock spider went – in case we could not find him when it was time to leave!

The view of the final ascent – as seen from the “ridge”

Our station needs some tidying up!

Part of the track we walked to get here!

Hogsback – the final frontier!

June 17, 2015 / zs2dh

June 16, 2015 was the end of a nice long 4 day weekend and we had a lot of SOTA planned. 4 peaks in 4 days and boy was I looking forward to it! The best laid plans of mice and men, and all that planning went up in smoke when no one was available to go SOTA with me. Hennie (ZS2HC) offered an alternative: Hogsback. At the time the only SOTA peak in the Hogsback area not yet activated. Challenge accepted!

A bit of rushed planning and Hennie needing to pull out at the last minute left me shattered. My son, Graydon (16), rescued me by asking if he could go with me.

Graydon is a strong hiker and I felt that with him I was safe – going into the mountains by yourself may be peaceful but it is very dangerous. Graydon knows first aid, how to read a map, and most importantly, how to behave in the outdoors. Done deal!

Saturday afternoon we arrived at “Away with the Fairies” to book in for camping and to chat with Dan – who knows the route and organizes a lot of trips up the mountain. Friendly staff greeted us and we soon had Dan pointing out where we had to go – from the very beautiful view point at Away with the Fairies.

That night was a simple plan: Pitch the tent, braai the food, hit the sack. As easy as saying it, we did it and were in bed by 8:30. The plan was to get climbing by 5am (a 4 hour climb and we aimed to summit in time for the post bulletin net at 9am) so we set our alarms for 4:30am.

We woke up in plenty of time – especially since they lock the gate and only open it again at 7:30!

Annoyed and a little worried about getting contacts at midday, we set off and started the climb from the top of the Madonna and Child waterfalls just after 8 am.

The first part of the climb is beautiful! About a half-dozen waterfalls as you amble up the side of the river in the cover of trees. While the walk itself is a stiff climb, it had nothing on what lay ahead of us.

After turning away from the waterfalls near the top of the valley we realized that this was the last water until our return – apart from what we were carrying of course. The path continued through the trees, crossing a forestry road and then more single track until eventually we popped out onto the saddle in the sun. The warmth of the sun was appreciated for a few brief minutes before we started sweating, panting, and looking for shade 🙂

We had a tea break at the base of the cliffs, just before the final ascent up the left side of the hog. The climb up the hog was steep and in places rather overgrown requiring some bolder hoping, but not enough to keep us from making it to the trig beacon by a little after noon.

We set up the dipole – with less than normal “trig beacon” at our disposal. The band was quiet and it took a while before we could hear anyone.

We broke in on a conversation as some people were signing and managed to catch ZS4L (William) as he was about to sign. One down, three to go!

Next we bumped into ZS5JY (Norman) who gave us a 5/9 report into KZN. The chase was on!

Some time passed and we were beginning to think we would have to bail when I had an idea. They monitor the Hamnet emergency frequency so I’ll see who is there. Expecting to get my head bitten off, I called CQ SOTA on 7.110. To my surprise a friendly voice came back and asked for my call sign. “ZS2DH/mobile. QRP from Hogsback. Name on this side is Dave D-A-V-E….” – you know the drill. Well Trevor ZS1TR came back with his details from Cape Agulas and seemed interested in what I was doing.

Three down, one to go – but the time was getting on and the wind was getting up. Time for another great idea: I hauled out my 5W Baofeng HT and tried to get into the Queenstown repeater hoping to catch someone who could come up on HF (or simplex) for me. Repeater contacts do not qualify for SOTA points. ZS2JO came up and we had a good chat – must have been 15 minutes or more 😉 I asked Johannes if he could come up on HF for me and 5 minutes later I had QSO number 4 in the bag and the peak was activated!

We packed up and headed back along the trail we had laboured up earlier. Going down is faster than going up because each time you fall you keep going in the right direction!

Although the wind was cold, we were very glad to reach the trees and get out of the sun. We were even more relieved to reach the waterfalls and get some (very, very) cold water to drink. It also meant we were nearly done.

We finished later than anticipated and so spent the night in Hogsback (again at Away with the Fairies) and headed home in the morning after doing some walks (Madonna and Child, Big Tree, and Swallowtail falls).

Another great SOTA outing! Thank you Graydon for making it fun!

Anyone wanting information about Hogsback, the sights, hikes, and bike trails around Hogsback – or the Amatola Hiking trail (from King William’s Town) you need to get hold of Dan via the contacts page on the Away With the Fairies – Contact Us page website.

The hogs at Hogsback (RTL-123)

My 4×4 Mazda Etude

The very beginning!

A random waterfall

Another waterfall

Hog 1 cliffs in the background

What a view

Graydon and I at the Summit

Graydon walking ahead

The end – just the one day tho!

Giaka’s kop and Hogsback. Again.

March 18, 2015 / zs2dh

March 8, 2015. The day we finally activated Giaka’s kop near Hogsback. It was becoming a bit of a nemesis!

After several failed attempts to summit and activate Gaika’s Kop (ZS/EC-004, 1963m ASL) with reasons mainly related to weather, we were determined to do it this weekend – come what may!

Friday afternoon, 6 March, I travelled through to Hogsback and met up with Hennie (ZS2HC) the rockspider from East London. It was almost like we had never been apart since our New Years trip which included Ben Machdui and of course a stay in Hogsback! I get out of the car to be greeted by sarcasm. I give as good as I get, let me tell you.

We setup the tents and start a braai. A pleasant evening until the wind comes up near gale force! We were not sure where we would wake up, but knew we were both heavy enough to keep the tents in the Swallowtail camping site!

That night we lost 2 Klaus masts. Enough said – they are not for bad weather, but fine masts for fine weather. Hennie’s mast was up and shattered in two places while mine took a knock near the top of the mast whilst it was lying down. With a bit of luck mine can be repaired, but Hennie’s is to become static at his QTH. He has plans to fiberglass it up permanently.

Saturday was the most amazing morning! No wind, no clouds, just absolutely stunning. It got hot at midday, but we were just lazing around anyway! We had plans of cutting dipoles but we managed to supress the urges and just do nothing! We chatted on the radio for a bit and we worked a station in California!

Saturday afternoon we did the scout mission to the foot of Gaika’s kop – the abandon lookout. This was officially closer than I’d ever been! We found our way through the forest roads, carefully marking the turns on the GPS. Next time we do this it will be pre-dawn!

Saturday evening was another memorable evening. We setup my big rig (100W of awesome Yaesu power going out on a dipole for 20m and 40m) We had a wonderful evening ragging Zulu Alpha (Andre) as to who was the “bad boy”. Naturally it was not me 😉

Sunday morning came and we set off to “slay the mighty dragon” only to realise the mist was reducing visibility to a handful of meters. A failed attempt by the dragon to put us off yet again. Never! Up at the look out tower we could not even see Giaka’s kop! We waited as long as we dared (wanting to be on the air as promised at 830-9am), but eventually decided to get a move on.

Navigating by GPS we managed to climb into the mist and soon lost sight of the car, the look out tower, and everything around us. Thankfully the terrain is not dangerous and the GPS could see where we were going. We reached the summit with the mist robbing us of what must be an awesome view.

We set up just below the summit where we found some rather flat ground and got listening on the radio to a bunch of ZS6 stations but could not break in. We switched over to 7.098 and found the familiar voices on the PEARS post bulletin net.

About 9.30 the mist started to lift and I took the opportunity of climbing the last few meters and was rewarded with a (small) view, but a view none the less. A fleeting moment and that was it! The mist closed up again for our descent.

Giaka’s Kop is an easy climb and easily accessed through the forestry office – with a very helpful manager! He gave us maps, advice, and a big thumbs up for doing it!

Of the four peaks at Hogsback, Giaka’s has been the hardest to get up – not physically, but logistically. Well, that said, we still have to activate Hog1, but Menziesberg (ZS/EC-010) and Tor Doone (ZS/EC-012) were easy-peasy! 3 down, 1 to go.

A big thank you to all the chasers and hams out there that make this possible – without the QSOs we can’t get the points!

73, Dave