ACTIVATORS
# Firstly, please familiarise yourself with the VKFF rules.
# Make sure the park you intend to activate, qualifies for the WWFF program. A full list of qualifying parks appears on the individual State and Territory pages of this website. You can also download the WWFF Directory from the WWFF global website.
# Ensure that access to the park is permitted. It is the responsibility of the Activator to ensure that access is allowed.
# You may want to download the KML file/s from this website or the Files section of the WWFF Australia Yahoo group. You can use these with Google Earth or My Google maps to see where all the qualifying parks are. These files are very handy.
# Whether you be a park activator, or a park hunter, register with WWFF LogSearch, so you can track your progress and apply online for awards. This is free and easy. Just follow the prompts. You will receive an email from the Log Search administrator, thanking you for registering, and asking you to verify your email address by clicking on a link. You will then receive another email from the administrator, thanking you for confirming your email on Log Search. Your account will then be activated shortly thereafter.
# WWFF is a popular program. When calling CQ from a park, there is a good chance that you will end up with a 'pile-up'. Familiarise yourself with the process in working a pile-up. If you are in a park, and operate on 20m during the long path to Europe period in Australia's afternoons, you will invariably end up with a pile up (if the conditions are good). You will also possibly end up with a 'mini VK pile up' on 40m as the park activities are becoming increasingly more popular in VK. There are many excellent resources on the internet with regards to working pileups. Here are some links.....
http://dx-code.org/DXpednew.htm
http://www.on4ww.be/tips.html
# Place your intended activation plans on the WWFF Agenda...
http://wwff.co/agenda/
and on parksnpeaks.....
http://www.parksnpeaks.org/
# You may also consider placing your intentions on the WWFF Australia Yahoo group.
https://au.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wwffaustralia/info
and/or the WWFF Australia Facebook page.....
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1805720889702979/
# Remember that it is not recommended to 'self spot' on the DX Cluster (see the Code of Conduct for the DX Cluster). However, self spotting on parksnpeaks is accepted and is regular practice by park activators.
http://dx-code.org/cluster.html
# Also familiarise yourself with propagation conditions. Know which bands are open and when. Check the solar figures. All of this will go a long way towards a successful activation.
http://www.ips.gov.au/HF_Systems/1/1
# Try to operate on one of the nominated WWFF calling frequencies (this may not always be possible), e.g. 7.144, 14.244.
# Try to be on air at the time that you have stated you will be (this may not always be possible)
# Weekends will clearly provide better results with respect to the number of callers that you receive. However, many weekday activators are reaching the 44 QSO threshold in a single weekday activation.
# Call 'CQ WWFF' or 'CQ parks'. You may also want to mention the name of the park that you are in and the VKFF reference number when you call CQ.
Ask the first few park hunters that call you, if they would mind spotting you on the DX Cluster and/or parksnpeaks. Once you have been spotted, you will generally notice a dramatic increase in the number of callers.
# Remember, you need 10 QSOs to qualify the park for the Australian (VKFF) awards and 44 QSOs to qualify the park for the 'global' WWFF certificates. These can be over multiple activations. Example.......
You activate Grampians National Park VKFF-213 on 1st January 2015. This is the very first time you have activated this park, and you manage 9 contacts during the activation. You have neither qualified the park for the Australian (VKFF) awards (you require 10 contacts), nor the WWFF global awards (you require 44 contacts). But you go back the next day on 2nd January 2015, and get a further 35 contacts. You have now exceeded the required 10 contacts for VKFF, and you have also reached the required 44 contacts for the 'global' awards.
# Patience is a virtue. Do not give up after 3 CQ calls. Keep calling your lungs out if there are no takers. Once you have been found and spotted, the number of callers generally increases dramatically.
# Be frequency agile. Try different bands and modes. Don't just rely on 40m SSB.
# Remember, it is the number of references that you work from, not the number of QSOs when it comes to awards, e.g. 10 VKFF reference areas required for the Bronze VKFF Activator certificate.
# After activating the park, please send your log to the relevant State/Territory representatives so that the log can be uploaded to WWFF Log Search. Do not send the logs to Andrew M0YMA, the WWFF Log Search administrator. Logs for VK activations need to go to the State/Territory reps (details of these can be found on the VKFF Team page).
# Even if you do not get the 10 QSOs, please still send in your log. You may end up going back to that park to get your remaining QSOs. As mentioned above, the QSos are accumulative. Additionally, the hunters will need your log uploaded before they can claim the park.
# All WWFF awards are issued via WWFF Log Search. Please do NOT send emails, spreadsdheets, handwritten applications for the VKFF certificates (see below).
For more information on how to provide a log for upload, please consult the 'How to upload an Activator log' page.
# Make sure the park you intend to activate, qualifies for the WWFF program. A full list of qualifying parks appears on the individual State and Territory pages of this website. You can also download the WWFF Directory from the WWFF global website.
# Ensure that access to the park is permitted. It is the responsibility of the Activator to ensure that access is allowed.
# You may want to download the KML file/s from this website or the Files section of the WWFF Australia Yahoo group. You can use these with Google Earth or My Google maps to see where all the qualifying parks are. These files are very handy.
# Whether you be a park activator, or a park hunter, register with WWFF LogSearch, so you can track your progress and apply online for awards. This is free and easy. Just follow the prompts. You will receive an email from the Log Search administrator, thanking you for registering, and asking you to verify your email address by clicking on a link. You will then receive another email from the administrator, thanking you for confirming your email on Log Search. Your account will then be activated shortly thereafter.
# WWFF is a popular program. When calling CQ from a park, there is a good chance that you will end up with a 'pile-up'. Familiarise yourself with the process in working a pile-up. If you are in a park, and operate on 20m during the long path to Europe period in Australia's afternoons, you will invariably end up with a pile up (if the conditions are good). You will also possibly end up with a 'mini VK pile up' on 40m as the park activities are becoming increasingly more popular in VK. There are many excellent resources on the internet with regards to working pileups. Here are some links.....
http://dx-code.org/DXpednew.htm
http://www.on4ww.be/tips.html
# Place your intended activation plans on the WWFF Agenda...
http://wwff.co/agenda/
and on parksnpeaks.....
http://www.parksnpeaks.org/
# You may also consider placing your intentions on the WWFF Australia Yahoo group.
https://au.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wwffaustralia/info
and/or the WWFF Australia Facebook page.....
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1805720889702979/
# Remember that it is not recommended to 'self spot' on the DX Cluster (see the Code of Conduct for the DX Cluster). However, self spotting on parksnpeaks is accepted and is regular practice by park activators.
http://dx-code.org/cluster.html
# Also familiarise yourself with propagation conditions. Know which bands are open and when. Check the solar figures. All of this will go a long way towards a successful activation.
http://www.ips.gov.au/HF_Systems/1/1
# Try to operate on one of the nominated WWFF calling frequencies (this may not always be possible), e.g. 7.144, 14.244.
# Try to be on air at the time that you have stated you will be (this may not always be possible)
# Weekends will clearly provide better results with respect to the number of callers that you receive. However, many weekday activators are reaching the 44 QSO threshold in a single weekday activation.
# Call 'CQ WWFF' or 'CQ parks'. You may also want to mention the name of the park that you are in and the VKFF reference number when you call CQ.
Ask the first few park hunters that call you, if they would mind spotting you on the DX Cluster and/or parksnpeaks. Once you have been spotted, you will generally notice a dramatic increase in the number of callers.
# Remember, you need 10 QSOs to qualify the park for the Australian (VKFF) awards and 44 QSOs to qualify the park for the 'global' WWFF certificates. These can be over multiple activations. Example.......
You activate Grampians National Park VKFF-213 on 1st January 2015. This is the very first time you have activated this park, and you manage 9 contacts during the activation. You have neither qualified the park for the Australian (VKFF) awards (you require 10 contacts), nor the WWFF global awards (you require 44 contacts). But you go back the next day on 2nd January 2015, and get a further 35 contacts. You have now exceeded the required 10 contacts for VKFF, and you have also reached the required 44 contacts for the 'global' awards.
# Patience is a virtue. Do not give up after 3 CQ calls. Keep calling your lungs out if there are no takers. Once you have been found and spotted, the number of callers generally increases dramatically.
# Be frequency agile. Try different bands and modes. Don't just rely on 40m SSB.
# Remember, it is the number of references that you work from, not the number of QSOs when it comes to awards, e.g. 10 VKFF reference areas required for the Bronze VKFF Activator certificate.
# After activating the park, please send your log to the relevant State/Territory representatives so that the log can be uploaded to WWFF Log Search. Do not send the logs to Andrew M0YMA, the WWFF Log Search administrator. Logs for VK activations need to go to the State/Territory reps (details of these can be found on the VKFF Team page).
# Even if you do not get the 10 QSOs, please still send in your log. You may end up going back to that park to get your remaining QSOs. As mentioned above, the QSos are accumulative. Additionally, the hunters will need your log uploaded before they can claim the park.
# All WWFF awards are issued via WWFF Log Search. Please do NOT send emails, spreadsdheets, handwritten applications for the VKFF certificates (see below).
For more information on how to provide a log for upload, please consult the 'How to upload an Activator log' page.
Number of QSOs required
As an activator in the WWFF program, you need to attain a certain number of QSOs to qualify the park.
For the Australian (VKFF) program you need 10 QSOs.
For the 'global' WWFF program you need 44 QSOs'.
Those QSOs can be attained over multiple activations. They do NOT have to be gathered during the one activation.
You can work the same station (call sign) on different bands or in different modes. However you cannot work the same call sign on the same day on the same band in the same mode.
For the Australian (VKFF) program you need 10 QSOs.
For the 'global' WWFF program you need 44 QSOs'.
Those QSOs can be attained over multiple activations. They do NOT have to be gathered during the one activation.
You can work the same station (call sign) on different bands or in different modes. However you cannot work the same call sign on the same day on the same band in the same mode.
How to apply for Awards
For detailed information on how to apply for WWFF awards, please see the page entitled 'How to apply for awards'.
How do I tell if a park has been activated before?
You can go to the Directory Statistics page and select VKFF in the right hand side drop down box.
You can then select a year or 'unactivated'. If you choose a year it will show you the activation stats for the various VKFF references for that year. If you choose 'unactivated' it will display a list of all unactivated VKFF reference areas.
You can then select a year or 'unactivated'. If you choose a year it will show you the activation stats for the various VKFF references for that year. If you choose 'unactivated' it will display a list of all unactivated VKFF reference areas.
Safety and responsibility
The Australian bush can be a dangerous place.
Here are some tips:
Please ensure that native plant and animal communities are disturbed as little as possible.
Ensure that you are allowed access to the park. Some parks in Australia have restricted access.
Here are some tips:
- Check the weather
- Check weather forecats and local park conditions and modify your plans accordingly. Always consider fire safety in the bush
- Plan ahead
- Research the park you are going to.
- Pack accordingly
- Take appropriate clothing, footwear, etc.
- Know your limits
- Clint Eastwood once said, 'a man's gotta know his limitations. Don't over estimate your abilities.
- Team effort
- consider taking someone along with you for your activation.
- Tell people
- give details to a friend or a loved one of where you are going. Tell them your destination and intended route, and when you expect to get back
- Get some direction
- always carry a compass, hand held GPS or topographic maps and know how to use them
- Drink up
- carry plenty of drinking water
- Call for help
- remember that mobile phone coverage may not be possible. Consider a Personal Locator beacon (PLB) or Emergency Position Indicating Response Beacon (EPIRB)
- Stay with them
- don't leave an injured person alone in the bush
Please ensure that native plant and animal communities are disturbed as little as possible.
Ensure that you are allowed access to the park. Some parks in Australia have restricted access.
