Friday 24 June 2011

Swartkop Peak......... ....SOTA ZS/WC-057

Swartkop Peak 678m

(SOTA link)

Swartkop Peak is above and just to the South of Simonstown. This was another of my solo efforts, activating the peak in August 2010. Coming across a massive puffadder laying in the path while on my way down gave me a hell of scare as these buggers are a big danger when hiking alone.

( click on any pic to get a larger view )

A hidden ammunitions facility behind Simonstown

Looking Southwards to Cape Point

The Swartkop beacon, looking across False Bay with Cape Hangklip in the distant background.

My radio equipment (Ft 817 and Elecraft T1 tuner) and base of my telescopic mast / antenna.

The old beacon on the peak with Simonstown Naval Base below.

Animated volcanic ash plume.............Chile's Puyehue volcano

A short clip of the ash plume............go to link below for full video clip
"Two weeks" animated ash plume

Chile's Puyehue volcano spews lava

June 22, 2011 (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Lava has begun spilling from Chile's Puyehue volcano, 18 days after it first erupted, but there's no danger to nearby residents, according to the National Service of Geology and Mining.

But the ash cloud created by the eruption continues to wreak havoc on airlines around the world.

The Chilean airline LAN cancelled flights to Temuco and Valdivia in the south of the country, and a number of flights were suspended in Australia and New Zealand.

"Viscous lava has flowed slowly westward in a channel roughly 50 metres wide and 100 metres long," the national geology service known as SERNAGEOMIN said in its latest report.

Last week, SERNAGEOMIN chief Enrique Valdivieso said the appearance of lava would signal "the end of the eruptive process" and would not put any of the local population in danger.

Authorities had subsequently authorised the return of more than 4,000 people to their homes.

But on Tuesday, SERNAGEOMIN acknowledged that "eruptions continue" and that volcanic activity could "increase again."

Puyehue had been dormant for a half century until June 4.

Air traffic in the southern hemisphere was hit especially hard, initially paralysing airports in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and later those in Australia and New Zealand.

Ash poses a significant threat to aircraft because once sucked into engines, it can be transformed into molten glass by the high temperatures and potentially cause an engine to fail.

The eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjoll last year caused the greatest shutdown of air space in peacetime Europe, with more than 100,000 flights cancelled and eight million passengers affected.

Sunday 19 June 2011

Kalkbay Peak ......... SOTA ZS/WC-063

My SOTA (Summits On The Air) activation of this peak was combined with my activations of Upper Steenberg and Muizenberg peaks on the 30th March, 2008

(SOTA link)

(Click on any picture to see a larger image.)

((except this one))

Amazing rock formations/pillars on one of the ridges approaching Kalkbay Peak from the North (heading Southwards from St James Peak)

Looking Southwards towards Cape Point from Kalkbay beacon.

(The route was from Silvermine Reserve East parking lot, round and up the gap on the Northern side between Upper Steenberg and Wolfkop to Upper Steenberg Peak. From here SE'wards down into the valley, past the naval antennas, then Eastwards up and along the Muizenberg Ridge to Muizenberg Peak. I then headed down, roughly Southwards past St James Peak to Kalkbay Peak which I approached from the Eastern (seaward) side. The final leg was Westwards down towards Nellie's pool onto the gravel track back to the parking area.)

Elsies Peak ............ SOTA ZS/WC-070

Dennis, ZS1TC, and I activated Elsies and Fishhoek peaks together on the 26th, April, 2008. The two peaks are are only about 2.5 kms apart and linked by a well defined path with with beautiful patches of indigenous flora and abundant bird life.

(SOTA link)

(Click on any picture to get a larger image.)

To the left, a rather apprehensive looking Allen trying to make out the route upwards. We started the hike from the incorrect starting point so had to make our own route upwards until we met the correct pathway about two thirds of the way up !

Allen at the Elsies Peak beacon with a rather grey and bleak looking False Bay in the background.

The beacon is on a rocky outcrop above and to the east of a radio repeater and cell phone mast & station.

The perfect antenna for Wilderness operations.

It is cold, wet and windy here in Melkbosstrand this morning with no reason to go play outside, a perfect occasion to take stock of what I have and what I need :

Antennas: Wilderness radio antennas must be reliable, robust, efficient, highly portable, multiband, resonant (no tuner) and have a good bandwidth over the required frequency range. To satisfy these requirements I am continuously modifying, building and testing various configurations under different weather conditions and locations.
My choice arsenal at the moment consists of a four band (10, 15, 20 & 40m) linked dipole in an inverted "V" configuration; a telescopic vertical for 15 & 20m for dx (this also serves as the centre support (5m) for the inverted "V") and a "J-brid" (a hybrid stub matched endfed halfwave) for 40m. With this collection I am confident I can operate from any location under most wx conditions. I do carry a small Elecraft T1 tuner just in case !
I will post some pics soon.
This bunch of antennas is relatively light weight and packs nice and compact in my backpack.

Saturday 18 June 2011

Muizenberg Peak ..... SOTA ZS/WC-064

Muizenberg Peak (507m)
(SOTA link)

The second peak of my circular "three peak" activation hike in March, 2008.

The photos below were taken on a subsequent hike with Dennis, ZS1TC in May 2010. Being rather unfit we took it easy and only activated the one peak. Our route was from the parking lot up along the gravel track, past the naval antennas and onto the Muizenberg ridge. The homeward leg was roughly along the same route.

(click on any pic to get a larger image)