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My ICOM IC-7000

November 10, 2015 / zs2dh

I am now the proud new owner of an ICOM IC-7000! Thanks to my mate Hennie (ZS2HC) who is always keeping an eye out for me. The little radio came up and he grabbed it for me!

Thank you Hennie!

The little radio impresses – All the bells and whistles. Pleb operator is still learning what the radio can do – but it is very impressive. The noise filters and AGC are wonderful – coming from the basic X1M where these are “missing” – you really appreciate the finer things in life.

Now I am not running the X1M down – it is an absolutely stunning radio and still what I will take with me when I climb a SOTA summit. For its weight and total 5W output it is a gem and you can only get to be a full band multi-mode transceiver weighing under 500g by leaving some bells and whistles off.

I also have the old Yaesu FT-707, but that will be getting little work for the next little while 😉

I also recently put up a multiband dipole – a 40m dipole running North / South and a 30m dipole running East / West. Apparently it is not supposed to work. Thankfully no one told it that. Using a home brew tuner I get it down to 1:1.1 on all bands I use. The tuner was built by a pro – Peter Tottle (ZS2ABF). Thank you Peter!

RADAR Challenge 2015

November 9, 2015 / zs2dh

Saturday 7 November

2015. As planned, Hennie (ZS2HC) had driven through from East London the day before and we had spent the evening planning every last detail. We had great plans, really great plans.

RADAR 2015 Bay West Mall.

Saturday morning, we started out at the Bay West Mall roof parking. An interesting photo of the two of us in front of the entrance with trolleys supporting a dipole for 6m (which proved fruitless, but makes a great photo). We eventually switched to trusty 40m and at 04:47 had a somewhat scratchy QSO with Allan (ZS2BO) who was, as usual, out and about. The signal was very low, but for a portable to portable we were very happy. It also meant we had opened the scoring! After chatting to the Bundu Operator we had contacts with ZS6HA, ZS6SID, ZS2EC, and then Bill came up – ZS2ABZ. Now the rules for RADAR are really quite simple: any sort of QSO (other than terrestrial repeaters) on any sort of band, but after 5 you must move.

We packed up and left the mall. Our next spot had to be 6km away (because we were in a car).

Operating in the park behind Greenacres.

Just behind the Greenacres mall is a nice park and we set up there. While I rolled out the 40m dipole in a record time, Hennie configured the “Radar Rack” – his Icom-7000 built into a nice sturdy rack with batteries, solar panel, and the works. You can pick up the entire “station” with one hand – a bit of a gym workout, but definitely possible.

Then we worked the pileup 🙂 ZS2ABF – Peter Tottle from East London, ZS6BU, ZS1VDP, ZS2ZA, ZS4N, ZS6PM, ZS2ACP, and finally ZS2ABF again. Remember the rules – only 5 and we must move, so three of these did not count for points, but hey there is more to life than just points. Several of the callers were people we chat to on our SOTA expeditions. QSOs in the bag and we got to move again.

Our next stop was near the reservoir on Melsetter road. Here we setup the dipole again and got quite a bit of interest from the ladies jogging by. Naturally, we reciprocated the interest.

Opearting from Melsetter Reservoir.

Not long after setting up we started getting visitors. Donovan (ZS2DL) and John (ZS2GB) stopped by for a chat. Not over the radio, so no, not a QSO. The bands were quiet – very quiet. Finally we got Glen – ZS2GV up on the air. ZS2ZA popped in for a visit and decided to hang around with us for the rest of the day – even buying us lunch!

We chatted to ZS2EC (Theunis) again, but this time on 2m. Other contacts included Max (ZS6MAX) from Pretoria.

Five more QSOs in the bag and time to move – this time with “Zulu Alpha” in tow.

We moved to a park in the Lorraine area – a point at which I regularly string a dipole from one of the tall pine trees. Andre was not very impressed and said he knew of a better spot, but needed to check if the people were home and if we could move there. While he went off, we managed to get Peter Tottle up again on 40m. We had just set the Hustler antenna up and not the normal dipole arrangement. Peter was now listening out for us. As we move we are allowed to make contact with previous stations, so this was now one in the bag from now on. Great!

Opearting from ZS2ZA’s spot.

Andre (aka the Zulu) returns with a broad smile and says “Follow me!”. And so we did. Was the spot a better one? YES! A beautiful spot high up at the back of Lovemore heights.

Here we worked 2m, 70cm, and 40m. We got into the Free State (ZS4AZ – Johan) for the second time – previously chatting to Nico (ZS4N). It was great and we were having fun.
Five QSOs and the inevitable Pack Up An Move.

“Ham can not live by QSO alone”, and so the Zulu offered to buy us lunch.

Good company!

We agreed the next stop would be the water reservoir on top of the hill. We met up with “GV” (Glen, ZS2GV) who was also keen to see the “Radar Rack” and get some fresh air. We set the dipole antenna up from my normal (4m) SOTA mast. In no way did we feel inadequate next to the 50m mast or the reservoir up in the air. We were ruling the world from the top of the hill!

Zulu Alpha was quite taken with the “Radar Rack” and often was caught looking at it. Here we have tried to capture the sentiment.

Don’t touch!

An Icom fan at the foot of the Radar Rack.

After some lunch and a bunch of laughs we got down to business. A great signal into the Western Cape and QSOs with ZS1AN, ZS1RM and ZS1NM. We also found Max (ZS6MAX) still playing radio!

The Stadium as seen from Cunningham Road.

Time for one more station. Well, there was enough time, but the energy levels were a taking a knock.

We set up a station just off Cunningham Road, overlooking the stadium and the bay. The sun was starting to dip and the solar panel could no longer keep pace with us. The Zulu was still with us and he chatted to Phil (ZS2PP) as only the Zulu can. We had contacts again from all over, reaching as far as ZS6XT in the East Rand.

The “Radar Rack”

So what did we use?

The batteries (a 17 ah slab and a 7ah slab) with input from a small solar panel had kept us going nicely through the day. The radios used were ICOM IC-7000, Baofeng hand helds for 2m and 70cm. Our output was anything from 3w on 70cm up to 100W on the Icom. Admittedly we ran the Icom on lower power when we could.

And in closing…

We generated quite a bit of interest in the RADAR exercise – even dragging some of the local hams out of bed early! Next year the RADAR exercise is scheduled for 2 April and 5 November – so keep the dates clear. We are already planning to include some digital modes and possibly even some satellite contacts.

Hamnet Blackout – 2015

October 27, 2015 / zs2dh

The Hamnet Blackout (24-25 October 2015) was a highlight of my Radio Ham year. Enough said!

We plotted, we planned, we schemed, and everything fell into place. Well done Andrew Gray for organising a wonderfully successful outing.

The Voortrekker Camp Ground – becoming a favourite site for Radio Hams due to its quiet, pleasant surroundings, was the venue. We arrived just after 8am and started opening up the hall, turning on the gas and water, and setting up some tables. There is no Eskom power at the site (ever – not just during load shedding!) so we were not able to “cheat” in any way.

We had a few interested peeps who came to watch us and help arrange things. I think next year might have quite a following – and perhaps even an extra division 2 team!

All setup and on the air at 12 noon. we had reasonable comms on 30m and 40m with 80m in the darker hours. We used a dipole for 20/40m on one radio and the other was connected to an off-center fed dipole brought by John (ZS2GB).

As for masts, sorry there is no nice way to say this, but “Mine was the biggest” 🙂

We arranged a generator from the 1st Walmer Scout Group and that pretty much was all we needed. When we turned off the generator we operated by (solar) lamps – thanks to Colin (ZR2CRS).

The big challenge was to be “Off the grid” for the full 24 hour period. With no ESKOM power available, you would think we could manage. Well, we could not cook “off-grid”. We braai’d on a grid 🙂

Coffee and food constantly available thanks to our team chef Jimmy de Scande – who also doubled as the team photographer. Thank you Jimmy!

When Jimmy says “Ons gaan no braai” you must know you are going to eat well. And boy did we eat some top class steak! Enough for hungry hams and their breakfast too!

We had 3-hourly contacts with most of the teams nationwide. A few that did not make it all the way, but as a whole I’d have to say it worked well. If we ever had a serious reason to do it I believe we are capable.

What the exercise showed me was that if we all play nicely we can all have a turn (yeah mom, I know you said that before!). So often we try to get through at the expense of other stations (and us QRP mobile SOTA stations usually get the boot). When we all play nicely we all win.

The morning was as glorious a day as the Saturday. Weather was not wonderful, but the company was top notch! A few more visitors popped in – proving that we were waking the dead – well ok, it is not that bad. I am sure there will be more people available for the next event.

As an aside to the main story – I made some new friends just prior to the exercise – the fine folks of ZS1FUN. Well they were there and we had a chat. That is where ZS2FUN was started.

ZS2GV holding the mast.

ZS2GV helping out the new guy.

ZR2CRS hard at work.

Me looking busy 🙂

ZS2DH, ZS2G, ZS2GB, ZR2CRS (Jimmy behind the camera)

Andrew Gray – ZS2G

John (ZS2GB) setting up the dipole.

Hear no evil, see no evil, do no evil.

Do you see how much I had to work!

Operating by lamp light.

That is why he gets the big bucks!

A stunning sunset.

Voortrekker Camping Ground.

The famous Van Staadens Narrow Guage Bridge.

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!

Oops. I stuffed up…

May 2, 2015 / zs2dh

Last night (Friday 1 May, 2015) I was on the radio chatting to a number of people including ZS6RKE, ZS6DJD, ZS6MDV, ZS6MSW, ZS6GL, ZS6AG, ZS6TVB, ZS6AF, and G4WOE. It was fun and I made some new friends!

Last night, as I climbed into bed and started to relax and reflect on the QSOs I had just had, it hit me.

To someone (or perhaps even more than one person) I said I was operating my X1M rig on 5W! Now this is what I do 99.9% of the time. I mentioned that I was working off an inverted V on a swimming pool handle in my back yard. This I do 100% of the time – I have no fixed antennas at my QTH.

Last night however, I was operating on my “shack rig” – an old YAESU FT-707.

I am not sure why I told people I was on 5w, but the X1M has impressed me on so many occasions that getting “impressive” responses is not new.

It was not my intention to mislead anyone. I appologise for the error, but it was an honest one.

Lazy Sunday Morning

March 18, 2015 / zs2dh

This is me on a Sunday morning just after the PEARS post bulletin net. It looks like I am doing nothing, but nothing could be further from the truth!

Lying here I was:-

1. Learning about Dipoles in an interesting chat with Uncle Bill ZS2ABZ,

2. Helping run antenna tests in the Northern Cape with Christo ZS3R, and

3. Discussing barefoot mall traffic in Fishhoek with Mat ZS1O!

And you thought I was being lazy!

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

The Swallowtail camping site

The view from the lookout

Giaka’s Kop

Mazda 4×4 Etude

Gorilla in the mist!

The setup

The new SOTA desk – patent pending 😉

Misty morning

Waterproof and on the desk

My first contest: Hamnet 2015

March 1, 2015 / zs2dh

What a lot of fun!

Wow, I just had a lot of fun! My first contest – and I really never thought I’d like it, but I did. Thanks Al!

I ran a portable station (my normal SOTA setup) running my X1M off a 7AHr battery and blasting out 5 watts off my dipole pitched with a swimming pool net handle. I little extra luxury – I had a table and an camp chair.

I realise the guru’s out there may think this is silly – I only made 5 contacts, but I’ll bet mine was the first log submitted – yes mine is already in 😉

I still have a lot to learn, but really enjoyed today. I now need to analyse what I did and how it worked and then improve on it next time.

Thanks to the organisers. And in the (immortal) words of Arnie “I’ll be back!”

73,

SOTA trip report back:December 2014/January 2015

January 6, 2015 / zs2dh

Thankyou to so many of you who stood by listening out for Hennie (ZS2HC) and myself during our recent trip. We emailled out to a bunch of people and it just seemed to go viral with many people listening out for us. In fact we made 21 contacts in a storm at the top of Ben Macdhui – ZS/EC-001, the highest point in the Cape.

I left PE bound for East London (QTH of Hennie) early on Monday 29 December. Very Early. I left my cell phone at home, but managed to contact Hennie who then collected me from the station in East London.

We made a few shopping calls – wire, coax, spade connectors, braai packs and a few snacks. We then headed off to the home of Peter Tottle (ZS2ABF) where we made our multiband diapole. We cut for 10m, 15m, 20m, and 40m. We joined up the cables with spade connectors. The antenna can be seen in some of the photos below. We also put our 2m yagi together – also in some of the photos below.

Tuesday morning we left for Hogsback. While on route our contact in Hogsback contacted us to say “Don’t bother, unless you want to swim”. Swimming was not high on our list of things to do, so we passed on by and headed straight for Rhodes.

Rhodes is a small town miles from anywhere. Well it is closed to some other small towns, but they are miles from anywhere anyway. We got into Rhodes and found the road to Tiffindell ski resort. We were not in a 4×4, but in a normal Audi (as seen in some of the pics below).

We arrived at the ski resort in time to settle in well before sunset – but not without some challenges: We get the tent out of the car and it rains until the tent is pitched. Shortly after the rain stops we decide to start the braai. It rains. Not only does it rain on the fire, it completly wets our matches. The waterproof matches were, well, not dry either. Sigh, we were having fun!

That evening the skies above us had the most spectacular display of lightning you can imagine. We could see for miles and there was lightning for miles around us. It was awesome.

Wednesday, December 31 and our first ascent. It was raining, no, storming. We decided we would leave the cameras in a dry spot and only took what we needed to take to make the activtions. We thought we would go up, get our 4 contacts (as required to activate the peak) and hurry down to where it is dry. Well I guess not! We made 21 QSOs and we were stoked and soaked.

The skies cleared a little toward lunchtime so we went back up the mountain for some photos. The pics of the top of Ben Machdui below were all taken at lunchtime on the 31.

New years eve and we decide to make sure the bar stocks what we need. They do. What they don’t tell us is that they are closed! There must have been some sort of staff party or something, but there I was stone cold sober at the highest point in the Cape. Alone with Hennie the mountain man! Not even a staff member around the empty resort!

Early to bed and early to rise. After another impressive display of thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightning (sorry for the Queen lyrics) we awoke in the new year to the weather from the old year – storming.

We had to leave early today as we had to get down the mountain (back to Rhodes) and then to Hogsback to do Meinziesberg in the afternoon. We snapped up some contacts and headed for the bright lights of the Rhodes metropolis below us. But the trip would not be without some lessons.

One of the smaller bridges had washed away. Well not away, just out of the road. Some 4×4 vehicles climbing up to the top (fishing is popular at the dam) simply turned around. One family stopped to chat to us and I was given some sound advice…

“Ek so nie daar in gaan nie oom” (I would not go in there uncle) from a strapping young man in his mid twenties. I then pointed out that not only were we at the top and needing to go down, but that I also did not sleep with his aunty. We decided to rebuild the road and Hennie drove across where 4x4s feared to tread. Yay! Our very own superhero!

Due to the road building – which was new for me – we arrived much later than expected. We made it through to Hogsback and onto Menziesberg in time to activate by 8pm local time. What was very exciting was that on just 5W we chatted into Namibia. Let me say that again: On 5W we chatted to Namibia!

After activating Menziesberg (ZS/EC-010) we headed off with the fairies at a local camping site. Some welcome beer broke the then year-long dry spell. Some pizza for supper and we slept well. Too well!

Friday morning, 2 January 2015. Time to get up Tor Doone (ZS/EC-012). We slept late and were a little late getting up to the summit. We got there and once again (although this time by sked) we chatted to Namibia. It was also nice to chat to Andrew (ZS2G) my usual activation partner as well.

About lunchtime we left Hogsback and travelled home. Tired, but having really enjoyed ourselves. I learned a lot – from Peter and from Hennie so a big thank you to both of you!

A basic list of the activations:
31 Dec 2014 – Ben Macdhui (ZS/EC-001, 3001m)
01 Jan 2015 – Ben Macdhui (ZS/EC-001, 3001m)
01 Jan 2015 – Menziesberg (ZS/EC-010, 1645m)
02 Jan 2015 – Tor Doone (ZS/EC-012, 1565m)