Topband: VK6VZ/6 in the Stew

[Steve Ireland]

G'day

Operating from the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse, at the extreme south-western
point of Western Australia, as VK6VZ/6 in the Stew Perry was an amazing
experience - and absolutely exhausting.

Conditions were terrible and although around 50 stations were heard, only
12 of them could be worked with the low power (60 - 80W) used.  Best QSO
was with W2GD (at almost 19,000 km), although I worked K1ZM and K1PX in the
evening before the Stew started (when the conditions were, of course, much
better than during the actual contest...).

In summary, LY7Z, UA2FF, VK6HD, YC0LOW, G0IVZ, OH2BO, RA1ACJ, W8JI, KE9I,
WB9Z, W2GD and K9DX went into the log during the Stew.

Reasons for running the low power were three-fold: the Cape Leeuwin
lighthouse is a working one, surrounded by lots of large rock formations
and in a relatively busy area for boats, so running low power seemed a good
idea for obvious reasons.  Also, it was an interesting challenge of which I
thought W1BB would have approved  - and the idea of carrying a heavy
amplifier up the tiny narrow iron staircase that goes to 40m high was too
awful to contemplate.

As only around a quarter of the stations heard could be worked - extremely
frustrating - the experience was a good advertisement for the Stew's High
Power category.  However, the location was very good and keying the rig
while watching the sun sink over the Indian Ocean was an experience I will
never forget.

The lighthouse is open to the general public until about two hours before
sunset, so all equipment, food, clothes, etc, had to be carried up to the
top of the lighthouse to the operating position during this time and the
antenna (an inverted vee with the apex at 132') put up - a VERY hard job
indeed.  As the lighthouse opens again at 9am the next morning, the
equipment/antennas had to be taken down and stowed away by then...

Then, of course, the same process had to be gone through the next day, to
catch the North American sunset... (luckily, some of the heavier equipment
could be stored).  The cardio-vascular systems of sherpa/technical director
Phil VK6APH and myself got a very thorough testing (and thinking about how
many times we went up and down those stairs still brings us out in a cold
sweat...). 

The plan is to go back in a few years when the sunspots have fallen off
with really lightweight equipment and suspend a wire GP off the top of the
lighthouse.  Preparations will include a couple of weeks of commando
training, running up and down the stairs of a couple of Perth tower blocks
every day...

Hope you all had as much fun as I did.  

Vy 73 es HNY,

Steve, VK6VZ