Our first outdoor event for the year was Bouddi Coastal Run. Normally at the start of the New Year I am looking for an excuse to get the “walk in” pack out and dust off its contents. This event was the perfect opportunity.
The assignment was to walk into Bouddi National Park from the end of Graham Drive via Old Quarry Trail to the intersection of Moor Fire Trail and Third Point Trail. This walk is just over 1km to the spot height of 116m above sea level.
Sydney CREST 19 and myself arrived at the end of Graham Drive at around 0700 that morning and it absolutely bucketed down rain. Once that short sharp shower cleared it was time to get wet weather gear out, pack on back, mast and chair in hand and start hiking. The first third of the trek just went up, up and up – very hard on the thigh muscles. After that it started to level out and I could pick up the pace a little more. The trusty Garmin 12XL GPS guided me to the nominated intersection of Moor Trail and Third Point Trail.
The rain threatened all day but managed to stay away after that early deluge.
The exercise today was to run a crossband repeater using VHF Hi-Band and UHF NXDN digital. Performance from the location was excellent. The main repeater for the network operated on VHF Hi-Band.
Everything here was walked, a 1km journey. The aluminium telescopic mast is 5.8m high. A folded dipole was used for UHF NXDN Digital, a RFI 3dBi Mopole used for VHF Hi-Band. The lean-to was rough and ready shelter in case of rain – not perfect but better than nothing.
Andrew Pain
Singleton CREST