Richard VK2SKY on the Pipeline Track

On 7 May 2022, WICEN NSW Inc conducted an RF survey of a section of the Glow Worm Tunnel Marathon trail. The aim was to determine radio coverage for the Pipeline Track section between the campgrounds at Glen Davis and Newnes.

WICEN tested the safety communication bases in both locations, as well as a third base above Starlight Canyon, halfway between Newnes and Glen Davis. In addition, a team of walkers (including Richard VK2SKY) traversed the 9km path between the two, checking the coverage with commercial VHF mid- and high-band HTs. For the record, high-band worked well, but mid-band was disappointing, allegedly due to a poorly designed antenna on the HT.

Setting up “Newnes base”
Walker Team heading up the hill. Yes, that one!

Early morning weather was a chilly -1C, but during the day the temperature rose to a balmy 12C. I was also clear and sunny, which made the walk quite pleasant.

The climb up to “Starlight” wasn’t easy, but it was enjoyable

Up at “Starlight”, the team set up vertical antennas for the two VHF transceivers, and the Q-mac HF90’s end-fed half wave wire went up in the trees too.

Testing radios at “Starlight”, above the canyon
Q-mac HF90 military set performed admirably on 5MHz down to both bases.

The Q-mac HF90 is a terrific Australian-designed military grade HF set, providing 50W LSB/USB from 2-30MHz, in a very compact package. Unfortunately, they have been out of production for some years now, since Q-Mac Electronics was acquired by Barrett Communications in 2009, but it’s still possible to get hold of them on the secondhand market if you can find someone willing to sell…

David VK2JDD (?) putting the HF90 through its paces.

Once the “Starlight” base was operational, Simon VK2TW and Richard VK2SKY continued towards Glen Davis. Travelling downhill was definitely easier than heading up!

VK2SKY descending into Starlight Canyon, heading towards Glen Davis
The one spot on the Pipeline Track where there was even a hint of mobile phone coverage!

Despite the lack of mobile phone or internet service at either location, the Newnes and Glen Davis bases were able to exchange emails on 80m, via the VK2EHQ Winlink gateway about 90km away. NVIS antennas got the signal over the surrounding hills.

More on Facebook and Twitter.

WICEN is always looking for new members interested in using their radio communications skills to assist the community in time of need. If you’d like to stretch the horizons of our hobby, consider joining.

(Photos by Simon VK2TW and Richard VK2SKY)

Update: photos and a short video clip from the event are up on Twitter here.