Red Island at sunset

Red Island at sunset

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Summary and photos from the DXpedition

 
Summary and photos from the DXpedition


On Wednesday morning we packed all of the 18 boxes I’d previously sent into the tinny boat that was on the trailer. On my flights I’d arranged and paid for extra luggage, so I brought with me things like the two 12m Spiderbeam poles, laptop computer, headphones, Icom IC7000, SWR/Power meter and one of the power supplies, etc. That morning I then bought 50L of fuel, food, ice and lots of water. The little tinny boat was very full but fortunately it is only a 20 minute boat ride to the island.




Unloading the boat at 11:00am it was 31C and around 75% humidity and so it was really hard work carrying all of the equipment that is required to build an IOTA DXpedition station for 5 days of operation supplies. My support guy helped me unload all of the gear on a site around 20m off the high tide mark of the beach, he also helped me with the tent and build a large tarpaulin canopy to provide shade. Erecting the shade canopy was the first priority due to the stifling heat of the tropics and the risk of heat stroke and heat exhaustion was very high. My support guy then left and I was now alone on the island. I was already really tired and the sight of so many boxes to unpack and organise was a little overwhelming. It was now 12:00 noon and I had about 6 hours before sunset – I had to get the station operational which included building the 15m and 20m vertical dipoles before sunset at 0830 UTC.



Over the ensuing next 6 hours the camp came together and by 6pm the station was operational but I really wasn’t feeling well. I’d been drinking lots of water but was still dehydrated and feeling the signs of heat exhaustion. After putting up the first vertical dipole I actually became dizzy and really disorientated. So I had a 30 minute rest and eventually pushed on to get the second vertical dipole up.





On Wednesday October 16 at 0900 UTC I began operating and after an hour of mainly JA and UA0/9 the band opened to Europe at 1000 UTC and in the 1100-1400 UTC I’d ask everyone to stand by to allow a small number of weaker North Americans to break through. The pile-up lasted for 9 hours and I collapsed onto the air mattress at 1800 UTC/4:00am with a thousand QSO’s in the log – wow what a long long long day!




The routine consisted of the following over the next four days. I’d wake up after 3 hours sleep at 2100 UTC/7:00am and try to regain some form consciousness and have some breakfast and experience the unpleasantness of no running water or toilet facilities. I’d then refuel the generator and prepare/tidy the tent ready for another day. By 2200UTC/8:00am I’d go to 15m and call CQ where I’d tend to work mainly JA and a small number of North American stations until 12:00 noon (0200 UTC). During this time there was never a pile-up, just really a very slow trickle of QSO’s but it was still worth it. I’d then have lunch, and fortunately I was able to receive a bare threshold mobile phone signal from Horn Island which meant I could do the Club Log upload, check emails and update the blog site – this reduced the number of dupe QSO’s to <1% and meant a lot more people could get that new one. During this time my support guy would visit me and bring a few bags of ice from the mainland. This was of vital importance as the heat and humidity in the tropics is so oppressive. This simple pleasure of having cold water and soft drinks for each day made this harsh existence bearable. The temperatures on the island never got below 25C overnight.

At 0500 UTC I would then go back to 15m and again there would be a slow trickle of JA stations with the occasional South American station and by 0600 UTC the first European signal would appear. Each night as regular as clockwork 15m would magically open up to Europe at 0930 UTC will a very big pile-up, I’d then QSY around 1100 UTC to 20m. I did this to ensure that North America, Europe and Asia all had the chance to work me as this is when the monster pile-ups would occur. From 1100-1700 UTC is when the majority of the QSO’s would occur at 120+ per hour. Things would then slow down in the 1700-1800 UTC period (3:00-4:00am) and then I’d collapse onto the air mattress with a massive head ache, and feeling sweaty, dirty, smelly and with a sore body from sitting in the same spot for so long......but my face on the pillow would have a big smile on my face knowing that the 1000+ QSO’s per day average was happening. Although I was a little disappointed with the 1100-1400 UTC 20m propagation to North America – I’d ask for “North America only” many many times each night and there just weren’t many W/VE’s making it into the log. On the last two days I woke up a little earlier and was on 20m in the 2100-2200 UTC period before going to 15m. I would only work about 30 stations per hour on both of these mornings, but the QSO’s were from really excited people from some difficult propagation long-paths such as HK, PY, YV, LU, 9Y4 and VP8.


Short path Europe


Short path JA


Short path North America

There was the ever present threat of crocodiles and this would cross my mind as I went to bed. I was on the north side of the island and there was a large crocodile on the south side of the island. I would hope that he would stay in his territory. Mind you the mangrove on the north side of the island was a constant reminder that maybe there was one there too. I would inspect the beach each day for crocodile slide marks in the sand. This is the problem with a tent and generator style DXpedition in the tropical north of Australia!     

Total
5271 QSO’s in 5 days and all SSB

Band
2865 QSO’s     54%     20m
2406 QSO’s     46%     15m

Continent
3280 QSO’s     62%     Europe
1384 QSO’s     26%     Asia
338 QSO’s       6%       North America
224 QSO’s       4%       Oceania
30 QSO’s         <1%     South America
15 QSO’s         <1%     Africa

Now to start planning for the 2014 IOTA DXpedition(s).....and figuring out how to explain it to my wife. So I look forward to working you again next year as VK5CE/? from OC-???

73s de Craig VK5CE vk5ce@yahoo.com.au


Monday, October 21, 2013

Safe on the mainland

Hi everyone

Just a quick note to say I'm back safe on the mainland. All of the gear has arrived safely and none of the boxes are floating away.

Still feeling like a zombie after 5 nights on the island with 3 hours sleep each day but at least I'm clean - I've never been so happy to see a shower before in my life. It's also handy to have things like electricity, running water, shelter and food outlets.......mind you it's 8am local/2200 UTC and I automatically think I should be on 21260 kHz for North America and JA!

I'm in the remote town of Seisia, on Wednesday tomorrow I fly to Cairns in north Queensland and on Thursday I fly home to South Australia.

Then on Friday I start negotiations with my wife for an IOTA DXpedition (dare I whisper 2) in 2014. She knows every time I return from a DXpedition that I start my little manipulative scheming :)

I've ordered and paid for QSL cards with Gennady UX5UO, so these should arrive in 5 weeks

73s de Craig

Sunday, October 20, 2013

QRT – total of 5271 QSO’s in 5 days to over 100 DXCC's

Now QRT and its time to pack up the camp before my support guy arrives in the boat in a few hours. Thanks for all the QSO's. My previous best haul was 5149 QSO's over 6 days to Bremer Island VK8BI OC-185 last year so it's fantastic to break my record in only 5 days.


I’ll update the blog with the full story in the next couple of weeks.

5 days without a shower now and so I'm excited to have running water, electricity and real food today!

Now to start planning for 2014 IOTA DXpedition(s).....and figuring out how to get "approval" from my XYL...........

73s de Craig VK5CE


Saturday, October 19, 2013

Day 4 – 989 QSO’s today – total of 4372 QSO’s in 4 days

Well there’s less than 24 hours before I go QRT. That means it’s been 4 days in the tropics without a shower........

It’s also been 4 nights in a row with only 3 hours sleep per night so it feels like the cheese is sliding off my cracker – I just need to keep it together for one more day on this uninhabited island – WILSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m on the north side of the island and I was told by my support guy today who dropped off some ice for me this morning that on the south side of the island a crocodile has made a home there in the mangroves but the local Aboriginal people reckon I should be alright. Kind of wished he waited until tomorrow as we’re packing up the boat before he told me that as I have one night to go here.  

Its 12:00 noon local/ 0200 UTC now, I’ll start operating around 0500 UTC on 15m, it’ll be slow going then but the band opens up really well into Europe at 0930 UTC. It’ll be tough going tonight due to the Worked All Germany contest so there’ll be lots of QRM everywhere. After 1500 UTC last night I had to work simplex and move frequencies a couple of times due to contest QRM.

I woke up an extra hour early today to try 20m at 2100-2200 for long path signals. It was really really really slow going but there were stations from Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Falkland Islands, Alaska and Trinidad & Tobago that got in the log so it was worth it. I’ll do the same thing tomorrow so look for me at 2100-2200 UTC on 20m before I go QRT at 2200 UTC/10am local time.


Day 4 – 989 QSO’s today – total of 4372 QSO’s in 4 days

Well there’s less than 24 hours before I go QRT. That means it’s been 4 days in the tropics without a shower........

It’s also been 4 nights in a row with only 3 hours sleep per night so it feels like the cheese is sliding off my cracker – I just need to keep it together for one more day on this uninhabited island – WILSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m on the north side of the island and I was told by my support guy today who dropped off some ice for me this morning that on the south side of the island a crocodile has made a home there in the mangroves but the local Aboriginal people reckon I should be alright. Kind of wished he waited until tomorrow as we’re packing up the boat before he told me that as I have one night to go here.  

Its 12:00 noon local/ 0200 UTC now, I’ll start operating around 0500 UTC on 15m, it’ll be slow going then but the band opens up really well into Europe at 0930 UTC. It’ll be tough going tonight due to the Worked All Germany contest so there’ll be lots of QRM everywhere. After 1500 UTC last night I had to work simplex and move frequencies a couple of times due to contest QRM.

I woke up an extra hour early today to try 20m at 2100-2200 for long path signals. It was really really really slow going but there were stations from Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Falkland Islands, Alaska and Trinidad & Tobago that got in the log so it was worth it. I’ll do the same thing tomorrow so look for me at 2100-2200 UTC on 20m before I go QRT at 2200 UTC/10am local time.


Day 4 – 989 QSO’s today – total of 4372 QSO’s in 4 days

Well there’s less than 24 hours before I go QRT. That means it’s been 4 days in the tropics without a shower........

It’s also been 4 nights in a row with only 3 hours sleep per night so it feels like the cheese is sliding off my cracker – I just need to keep it together for one more day on this uninhabited island – WILSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m on the north side of the island and I was told by my support guy today who dropped off some ice for me this morning that on the south side of the island a crocodile has made a home there in the mangroves but the local Aboriginal people reckon I should be alright. Kind of wished he waited until tomorrow as we’re packing up the boat before he told me that as I have one night to go here.  

Its 12:00 noon local/ 0200 UTC now, I’ll start operating around 0500 UTC on 15m, it’ll be slow going then but the band opens up really well into Europe at 0930 UTC. It’ll be tough going tonight due to the Worked All Germany contest so there’ll be lots of QRM everywhere. After 1500 UTC last night I had to work simplex and move frequencies a couple of times due to contest QRM.

I woke up an extra hour early today to try 20m at 2100-2200 for long path signals. It was really really really slow going but there were stations from Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Falkland Islands, Alaska and Trinidad & Tobago that got in the log so it was worth it. I’ll do the same thing tomorrow so look for me at 2100-2200 UTC on 20m before I go QRT at 2200 UTC/10am local time.


Friday, October 18, 2013

Day 3 - 1046 QSO's into the log - total of 3382 QSO's in 3 days

Hey party people welcome to the weekend. - 3 days down and 2 to go.

I thought conditions were pretty average yesterday and I had a REALLY REALLY slow start to the QSO's. 15m produced a very slow and small trickle of stations from 0500-0930 UTC. The pile up into Europe didn't start happening until the late time of 0930 UTC and then it seemed to die off at 1130 UTC. On 20m conditions were terrible to North America and I found out from the stateside guys that there was a couple of USA stations jumping on my TX frequency and it made it almost impossible for W/VE to hear me.

Despite that, I was surprised to see that a thousand QSO's were made and so I guess my frustration was caused by the fact that I couldn't get a run into W/VE on 20m like I did on the previous day. So I'm really happy to be doing 1000+ QSO's each day thus far.

So here's the plans for Saturday:

0500-1130 UTC - 15m SSB (I'll announce the frequency on the DX cluster)

1130-1700 UTC - 20m SSB (I'll announce the frequency on the DX cluster) and I'll be listening at many times for North America only)

2300 UTC onwards - 15m SSB