With the Covid 19 virus lockdown reduced to level 2 that meant that the SOTA programme was back on track & the mountain goats were let out of their enforced confinement.
May 16th saw 5 intrepid activators brave the early morning ground fog that lay in patches in the city & climb various summits. Four headed up to Porters Pass to ascend the peaks that surround Lake Lyndon & Ian, ZL3GIG, kept an eye on Christchurch city from Coopers Knob near Cass Peak.
Mark, ZL3AB, took on Red Hill ZL3/CB-411.
David, ZL3DRN, on Mt Lyndon.
ZL3/CB -460, Rick, ZL3RIK on Trig M, ZL3/CB- 536
Geoff, ZL3GA climbed an unnamed summit but in true SOTA tradition is called “The Lyndon Lump” ZL3/CB-570 All had ascended their chosen summit & QRV by approx 11:00 am & 146.500 was soon alive with qso’s going backwards & forwards aplenty with the local chasers desperate to show that they had been starved of points during the level 2 & 3 lockdown for six weeks or more & we, as activators, were only too happy to dish out the 38 points that were on offer. I even heard of one chaser who stood on the roof top where he was working & whilst another attached a slim Jim to his walking stick to get a part of the action.Both chasers shall remain unnamed.
40 meters was really running hot for the duration both into the North Island & VK whilst the CW activators made contacts higher up in the HF bands.
By 1pm all the mountain goats were on their way down the last one reaching his car by about 2pm.The weather was fantastic on the hill tops with bright sun & little wind making it a really enjoyable day out.
Keep an ear out on 705 from about 10:30 am on the weekends if you’re travelling about to hear if any SOTA activators are working the summits. Then go to frequency 146.500FM & we’d love to work you.
Photo & Word’s by Rick ZL3RIK
