We reached our second summit for today shortly after midday and Warren and Dave quickly set up the aerial to go live on the air, while throwing down a quick bite to eat.
Warren had unsuccessfully phoned ahead to gain access permission to the site. Fortunately we managed gained access to the farm land however as the owner who Warren has met a handful of times before was at his stock yards and after a quick stop to say a quick hello, we made the drive up the slopes to the hill top.
The hill tops were covered in many thistles, many of which were in full bloom with hill tops looking out as far as the ocean in some directions. Once again Dave was on hand with the portable to round up local Hams to make contact with Warren in between checking XXXXXX that he monitors and taking some photos of things for himself as well. Thanks to those locals who made themselves available and joined Warren on the air, some of you gaining your own chaser points, so well done. Its fabulous to see a few of you making use of SOTA alongside your radio hobby.
Warren made 14 contacts on the summit but as UTC midnight occured they were split over 2 days.
For those wondering what radio is using for SOTA, although some photos on previous blogs have shown this, below is a clearer photo of the Elecraft KX3.
Summit Information
ZL1/MW-113 Ahiweka
Summit height – 734 m
Access from – 1061 Ormondville Te Uri Road (Moastone Loadout)
Nominal time to summit – 15 minutes drive. 4wd required.
Summit marker – Trig station
Land access permission – Required – From Moastone Farm (house a little bit back down the road on the left before the loadout).
