Hi Jari Good to hear from you. I have just got out of hospital after contracting double pneumonia, so haven't replied before.
I am sure you are right and the big HF rhombic has been removed from VK0M for environmental reasons. Also, as you say, Trevor, VK0TH, is the best authority about what has happened recently on Macquarie Island. Even from VK6, I still need VK0M on 160m. When Trevor was on the island, I heard VK3 and VK7 stations working him on 160m at least twice, but couldn't hear him. The reality is that VK0 Macquarie is likely to be much harder to activate than VK0 Heard Island in the future, owing to it being so hard to get permission to operate from there for environmental reasons. I personally was hoping that Cordell Expeditions would go there, rather than going back to Heard. ;-) I work in fisheries and about eight years ago, put forward a research proposal that would have put me on Macquarie Island for several weeks. Unfortunately the proposal didn't receive the go-ahead. ;-) Vy 73 Steve, VK6VZ -----Original Message----- From: Jari Jussila [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, 31 August 2012 5:04 PM To: Steve Ireland; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: Re: Topband: VK0M on 160m I was in an active contact with the last operator on the island, Trevor, VK0TH. He didn't mention anything about any HF rhombic antenna and he would surely have used it if it would have been possible. I remember him saying that most of the big antennas had been removed for environmental reasons. He, in fact, even had some problems to keep the old vertical that was left behind by earlier operators not speaking about erecting any temporary new antennas. The situation reminds the situation on Prince Edward & Marion Is., ZS8, were the big rhombic antennas have been removed for same reason. The old multiband vertical that Trevor used broke at the end of his operation and can not be repaired. Trevor used a long wire the last weeks and we could work him even on 80m CW. Trevor used the longwire also on 160m and worked a couple of VK's and ZL. He was heard even in KL7 and in Scandinavia but no QSO's were made outside VK/ZL. As far as I understand, there's absolutely no amateur antenna on the island at the moment. I would suggest that VK3PA or his friend contacts Trevor, VK0TH; to get good advise for the antennas. If you want, I can provide you with his new VK-email address. Cu no 160m Jari, OH2BU _______________________________________________ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
