Addo Extreme is an annual event and you can read about the 2017 event here.
Please read that one first 🙂 And take a look at some of the pics too!
Ok, now that you are back and have read all about the 2017 event, let me let you down slowly. I did not enter the event this year. Sad because I thought it would be a wonderful way to activate the park for Parks on the Air/WWFF. Activate a park while running a trail run – not too many can say “been there, done that”.
The event this year was almost rained out – and that in the drought ridden Eastern Cape!
According to the original deployment plan, Glen (ZS2GV) and I were to return to the same site as last year – this time without Andrew Gray. On the day, however, the entire ridge was inaccessible and we were relocated to deploy a cross-band repeater so the guys in the deep valleys could talk to the rest of the world.
Mike de Lange (ZS2MDL) was manning the (infamous) checkpoint at the bottom of the steep ridge up to our previous location and this was a challenge for communications. Mike used his satellite phone and HF (7.098KHz) for communications. We managed to link Eric (ZS2ECH) and Chris (ZS2AAW) with the JOC and that from a spot we found in the dark!
Ok, let me start from the beginning…
2GV and I left for the Addo park, Kirkwood entrance and after some *interesting* directions from the warden at the gate, we set off into the park. After some time we thought we might be going the wrong way, but the GPS could only tell us a general direction as none of the roads were on the map. All we had to go on was an image cropped from Google Earth and emailed to us – so we could not even zoom in, let alone get any information from it.
Our suspicions were confirmed when out of the bush popped a checkpoint with Rudi and Ellie. They confirmed our worst fears – that we had to turn around and go all the way back to the gate!
On the way to the gate we passed Mike (ZS2MDL) and co on their way to the checkpoint (they were supposed to be there) and Mike told me that Graydon had been looking for me on the town repeater and mentioned that it was “work related”. A 1000 possibilities ran through my mind, but eventually I could only think of one – the dairy was standing still.
We had no comms via VHF/UHF and no cell coverage either! Welcome to Africa!
We went back to the gate to receive further instructions and there we bumped into Chris ZS2AAW who asked us to assist with deploying “his repeater” which was a commercial one for the rangers who were also manning some of the checkpoints. This involved a long ride around the outside of the park – but did provide an opportunity to get back into cell range – and range of the other VHF stations.
All sorted! Thankfully it was all sorted out by the time I could get into contact and that is only one of the reasons I love my wife!
And so we drove and drove we did – around behind the prison and into the park from the other side. We deployed the repeater and then made our way down the steep hill into the river bed below and passed the checkpoint, heading towards the house Chris and Michael (ZS2MG) would be “roughing it” in.
We turned right and they turned left – and so it came to pass that we ended up where we were supposed to be and they were full up!
Our brief was to deploy a cross band repeater to connect deep valley checkpoints with the JOC and for that we would need more height.
Driving past “checkpoint 8” we looked for higher ground. Turning down a road marked “No Entry” had its rewards as we climbed onto a saddle and found a gem of a campsite! But by now it was dark.
A few signal checks and it seems like the site will work. GV puts up the repeater with a mobile antenna while I get supper on the go and sort out the tent.
We slept like babies!
Early Saturday morning Eric was on the air looking for anyone awake. As if he had nothing better to do!
Eric was early in the race and Mike had a satelite phone, so we were defunct by lunchtime and could pack up and go home. When GV asked if we could stand down we were given permission, but then chris asked if we could please retrieve his repeater as this would save them time later.
Instead of taking a leisurely lunch and slowly packing up, it now became a mission and we had to hurry to get to the repeater (on the other end of the park) and back again before dark.
The roads in the park are normally very good – you need a 4×4 in some of the more remote sections, but a normal sedan car gets you around 90% of the time. If the roads get wet they “turn to snot” and its 4×4 or broke.
The Mazda impressed me! Ok, its not a Jimny, but it did a fine job all the same.
We took the repeater back to Chris and Mike at the Kaboga house (see pics below). How they got a string UHF signal from that house to us over the amphitheater I really don’t know!
We followed Chris out – “‘cos all he had was a fortuner and we had a 4×4!”
 
 
 
 
