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SM7PKK SM6CAS SM0AGD SM6WYN G4EDG LA7MFA |
Mon Oct 25 10:51:38 MET DST 1999 |
Yeasterday Kanton Island was QRV once again. After using our T31K callsign for a few times Ueata has received his own license with the callsign T31UA. He is running FT747 with 100W into 20m vertical or longwire. I hope somebody have made a QSO with him. Please tell me if you did! It was not possible to have a QSO with him on our sked from Norway. Please be patient with him, and take good care of him if you hear him. He is very new to Amatur Radio although he is a professional radio operator. I guess he is not able to run puilups yet!
I am not sure about the QSL information. The supply boat reaches Kanton only 3-4 times a year, so I guess it is better to send your QSL card via LA7MFA, if Ueata does not say something else. I will try to get his logs somehow.
73 de Lech LA7MFA
Thu Oct 21 13:10:53 MET DST 1999 |
The "Double Trouble" DX-pedition is now over. We would like to thank you all for QSO, and we hope you made it into the log. On T31 we netted 45.700 QSO's and 19% EU among the QSO's. On ZK3 we had exceptional propagation, and managed to make 24.700 QSO's and of those 27.5% with Europe! We are very happy to conclude that we could pass the barrier of making 70.000 QSO's with 5 operators and 3 stations in the 15 days of operation.
If you wonder whom to thank or who is to blame for your info:
Steve G4EDG and Lech LA7MFA were the two main CW operators. They not even had a microphone on their station. Erik SM0AGD was our low band and RTTY expert but he has also made some QSOs on SSB, mainly from ZK3DX. Nils SM6CAS and Ulrika SM6WYN were on the higher bands SSB. Mats SM7PKK has been 99% on SSB but he had to step in on CW a few times, when the other two operators could not make it anymore.
We hope you enjoyed our operation. Sometimes it was very hard time for us, but we tried to do our best for you back home. We might have missed some of you in the log. The conditions has not always been on Europe's side. Please excuse us if we have done anything wrong!
We would be happy to tell you the story, specially about Kanton and its 55 wonderful inhabitants. Please stay tuned to this WEB page. We have made a lot of pictures and slides, and some of them plus stories from the trip will be published here in a near future. Peter ZK3PM has written several books about Pacific Islands, and his recent book about World War II on Kiribati is around the corner. He has promised to write a few words about history of Kanton and Tokelau, and make it available on this site.
Steve G4EDG stayed on Tokelau when we left for Am. Samoa. He will be travelling in New Zealand for three months now. This guy has made a wonderful job in preparing the antennas prior to our departure from Am. Samoa. And he was a good mate to have on a CW station. Thanks for using your Kent paddle Steve!
Erik SM0AGD has spent hours on putting his low band veritical. This was an impressing antenna, and it was fun he would let me try it several times at our sunrise. Specially the last night when finally eastern Europe could get a fair chance on 80m, and when I could work Krzysiek A45XR both on 40m and 80m CW. Erik was unbeatable during the night hours, and he could operate for hours, probably thanks to his stay awake pills, hi. He is my hero, I wish I could be like him ... when I am 64!
Ulrika SM6WYN has taken care of the kitchen, and like most of women would not allow any men around. She had made impressing number of QSOs on SSB even she is quite new to amateur radio.
Mats SM7PKK and Nils SM6CAS were the big bosses so if you are happy with our setup please thank them. If not, you know who is to blame. We were bit short on planning most of the time, and did not always agree on the strategy, but they still made hell of a lot work, and invested a lot in this expedition. Mats is a great operator, and he kept setting new records all the time. But true to say, they kept the biggest guns on their station. Mats, thanks for being able to listen to me, even we are so different. These boys are planing a new trip already so stay tuned!
Thanks to Arnold, our captain (this is also his second name by the way) we would meet all our schedules even when there was no wind. And it was not fun when our sail tore apart in the middle of a night on the way back from Kanton. He is a wonderful man! I will visit you and Jytte in Suva, I promise!
Thanks to Peter ZK3PM for all his assistance in getting the licenses and landing permission on Kanton and Tokelau. His a walking encyclopaedia of South Pacific's history and a true friend! Thanks for being around Peter!
I would also like to thank Jaques, our last passenger on the boat, for all the nice French food he made on Fakaofo, for helping us set up the antennas there, and spending hours on our chess games! He has crashed his sailboat on the reefs of Kanton, and had to stay there for entire month. Please someone, help him to buy a new sailboat, and he will bring you to Palmara or Kingman Reef! He is a funny guy! He is staying in Pago Pago hardbour (KH8) right now, if you need to contract him for your next DX'pedition.
Finally I would like to express our thanks to Mr. Roma and the people of Kanton for their great hospitality. And specially to his wife who would bake a bread for us every day, and even Polish donuts. You all are wonderful!
See you from somewhere else next time! 73 de Lech LA7MFA
Wed Oct 20 18:47:35 MET DST 1999 |
During this past weekend Lech LA7MFA has made some 1200 QSOs on CW from Leone on Tutuila Island, American Samoa using his american callsign KH8/KK6HC. He has been operating using only 100W and his Butternut HF9VX antenna. Unfortunately it did not work on 18 MHz so it was no operation on this band.
All QSLs go via LA7MFA, bureau is OK. It might take some time before he will make his special color QSL cards for this operation. He will also make his log available on his web page in the near future.
73 de Lech LA7MFA
Wed Oct 13 12:00:00 MET DST 1999 |
Leif SM0AJU made today another contact with Nils for the following statement: They plan to break the whole DXPedition in a couple of hours at daybreak around 1700 UTC after another 24.300 QSO's making the grand total to 70.000 !! Then they will set sail directly towards KH8 which will take some 3 days at sea. They are all well but very exhausted after so many intensive DX-hours. After all Erik managed to make some RTTY-QSO's yesterday both with Eu and JA/USA but the number is unknown. More details will follow after their return back to Europe next week. Wishing them all a safe and comfortable journey over the open sea, and welcome back to civilisation. 73 de SM0DJZ John SM0AJU Leif
Sun Oct 10 11:00:00 MET DST 1999 |
Nils made today in a QSO with Leif SM0AJU following statement:
The trip from T31 had been very windy and some sails have to be repaired. From ZK3 they have now in 2 days worked approx 10.000 QSO's and will stay as per schedule 2 more days. The QTH is very primitive and narrow with the 2 stations only 20 meters apart. Though the nightly walk is very difficult as they have to cross a large farm of pigs (!!). Due to the narrowness Mats has decided not to do any RTTY from ZK3. (Ugh!)
Sun Oct 10 05:00:00 MET DST 1999 |
Erik SM0AGD has reported that the L-antenna for low-band is up again and that they will try 1825kHz from 1030z today 10th of Oct. The same procedure as from T31. Gud luck with ZK3! Info rcvd from Randy K0EU. Tnx de SM0DJZ John
Fri Oct 08 12:00:00 MET DST 1999 |
ZK3 and the team are up on the air again !!
Today the Double-Trouble DX-gang hit the air-waves again after a couple of days on sea waves. ZK3DX (on SSB) and ZK3CW (on CW and RY) will be aired as per schedule until sometimes Tuesday. In a QSO today the team announced that they made approx 45.700 Q's from T31 and went QRT fm there about 0300z Oct 4th. Now they are QRV fm ZK3 from about 0700z 08 Oct-99. NO repeate NO WEB-log will be issued as far as they announce today. There will most probably NEVER be any WEB-look-up for these D-T-exp's. Please spread this word around!! de John SM0DJZ
Thu Sep 23 08:30:00 MET DST 1999 |
Latest news received today. This morning at 1830UTC (7.30 local) we were 100 nM from Kanton ETA within 24 hours, which is Friday morning local time! (Kiribati changed date line so both Kanton and Xmas Isl. is now west of the line.) Still no wind, running engine all the time. If same situation on the way back to Pago we might be short of diesel fuel. (Also our generators use diesel) PSE QSP 73 to everybody. Cu on the air! 73 de Erik and team "Double trouble"
Sun Sep 20 14:00:00 MET DST 1999 |
Latest news from the DXPedition:
The following positions have been received lately:
18sep 0320UTC 12,54S 170,30W
18 sep 1730UTC 11,56S 170,44W
On Sep 19 they expect to pick up Peter ZK3PM on Fakaofo Island, Tokelaus and then head directly to Canton. All is very well and weather is nice. The are using the boat-engine mostly as wind is too calm.
73 de John SM0DJZ
Sun Sep 12 19:00:00 MET DST 1999 |
Northern California DX Foundation have just confirmed that they will be the principal sponsor for this DX-pedition. They have submitted a large contribution and like the idea of this group going to two rare DX-spots at the same time not to waste money. The group is very grateful for this.
On monday all team will be gathered at KH8 for the final preparation and the departure on friday. Today sunday we have heard and worked in Eu KH8/G4EDG, KH8/SM7PKK and KH8/SM6CAS mainly on 20m with a A3-beam only 5 meters above ground, with very good signals.
73 de John SM0DJZ
Thu Sep 9 10:21:47 MET DST 1999 |
Nils SM6CAS, Ulrika SM6WYN and Steve G4EDG are already in American Samoa. They have rented two rooms and a pickup in a small Apiolefaga Inn. Mats, 5X1Z in now on Fiji, and will join them on Saturday. Erik, SM0AGD has already left Sweden, and is headed for US. He will arrive on Monday evening. Lech, LA7MFA is the last one to arrive on KH8 on Tuesday morning.
We have had some problems related to transportation but they are now all solved. Everybody is well and in good spirit.
73 de Lech LA7MFASat Sep 4 22:30:00 MET DST 1999 |
Mats, 5X1Z has arrived in Amsterdam, and are tomorrow being joined by SM6CAS and SM6WYN for the onward flights to Los Angeles and Hawaii. The remaining DX-pedition members are shortly following.
The yacht are now less than 100 miles away from American Samoa together with all the main DX-pedition hardware. The same hardware that was used on Conway Reef 4 years ago.
The DX-pedition are still looking for sponsors as we are still short of about 8000U$ at the moment.
73 de Mats 5X1ZLast updated Mon Oct 25 11:02:49 MET DST 1999