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

Day 2 finished with 1294 QSO's - total of 2335 QSO's in 2 days

Hi everyone

Day 2 is done which means two nights crocodile free :)

20m conditions to Europe at 1100-1700 UTC is very good and there is a little bit of propagation to North America in the 1100-1400 UTC period when I get Asia and Europe to stand by because they can rarely break through the EU wall.

OK here is my operating schedule for day 3 - Friday

0430 UTC I'll try for any long path Europe on 20m (14260 kHz +/- QRM) but yesterday there was no propagation, so I'll probably end up on 15m

0500-1100 UTC on 15m (21260 kHz +/- QRM)  

1100-1800 UTC on 20m (14260 kHz +/- QRM) listening for North America frequently, so don't give up W/VE, just stand by for me to listen for you guys especially during 1100-1400 UTC.

- 15m to Europe was starting from 0500 UTC yesterday and Europe was really strong from 0800 UTC. Please understand I do need to QSY at 1100 UTC to 20m. I know that Europe will find this annoying as the band is wide open to this part of the world but North American QSO's cant happen at this time. By going to 20m at 1100 UTC it means that I can work Europe mostly and listen out from time to time for North America.

- last night when I was listening for North America, there was a few Europeans still saying their callsign or complaining about me ignoring Asia or Europe. I know this is only a small number of offenders, but please if everyone follows my instructions then when I listen for "North America only" it only take 3-5 minutes to do this and then its back to Asia/Europe.

- There's still 3 days to go so be patient, I'm only operating on 2 bands to give out maximum number of unique callsigns and the club log uploads that I do twice a day is really keeping the dupes down to virtually none at all. I look forward to making the QSO as conditions have been really good the past two nights for Europe.

73s from Red Island :)

Day 1 - 1040 QSO into the log

Hi everyone, first UTC day done with 1040 QSO's into the log which is my best first day yet on an IOTA DXpedition. I have internet on the island as I can receive a mobile phone signal from Horn Island which is incredible to have an such a remote and isolated place. No time to do proper blog stories, I'll write them up when I finish, but use this blog to get my operating updates.

20m wasn't good for North America, just a small number in the 1000-1400 UTC period. I'll keep asking Europe to standby to let the small number of North and South Americans get through. Many Europeans are getting frustrated but it's important to be fair to all parts of the globe. Last night with 900 QSO's on 20m there would have been 90% with Europe, so don't worry you'll get in the log eventually. I'll also be on 20m for long path around 0430 UTC today as well.

There was a nice steady opening this morning on 15m which gave the west coast of North America a chance.

Current operating plan for Thursday:

0430 UTC - start operating on 20m until the band closes (probably around 0700)
0700 UTC - look at visiting 15m until 1030 UTC (that when 20m may open to North America)
1030 UTC - 1700 UTC - 20m and listening at times for North America only

club log is now uploaded, I'll do this twice a day

OK gotta go and eat and rest - please be patient - this is a tent and generator one man expedition on an uninhabited tropical island - so lots of work to do just to keep the site operational

hot and exhausted but so relieved to get a bunch of people in the log

73s de VK5CE/4  ........ I'm already thinking about the next island to visit next year hi hi!!

On the air very soon

Hi everyone

I'm hot, tired, dehydrated (despite drinking many litres of water), sweaty and dirty..... but the campsite is now up and it's just gone sunset here.

I'll be 14260 by 0915 UTC. I'm just running 100w tonight to run the generator in

73s de Craig VK5CE/4

Red Island is in site – literally!

This afternoon I flew into Bamaga where I met up with one of my support people who took me 8km north to the coastal location of Seisia. It’s so exciting to be in far north Queensland again in such a remote location. Seisia will be my mainland staging base and supply town.  Fingers crossed that all of the equipment has survived the freight and flights and is in working order.

I have just a little bit of mobile phone and internet coverage on the beach in Seisia which means I can give you my latest update before departing for the island in the morning. As I write this it’s 7:30pm local time. Tomorrow is going to be a big day to set up the camp on this uninhabited island. In the morning I’ll get fuel, food and water to keep me alive and sustained. The threat of crocodiles is something I’ll need to take seriously and I’ll be trying to get the antennas as close to the water’s edge as possible while trying to have the tent as far away as possible.

  

People need to remember that there’ll be times that I need to go off the air for 15-30 minutes to work on the generator or to repair the tent during a storm. There may be times of the day that I won’t be on air in case of bad weather (especially electrical storms) or if the supply boat comes to bring me fuel, water and ice.

I’m really hoping that I have internet mobile coverage somewhere on the island not too far from the campsite, I’ve been told this be possible if I’m lucky. If I don’t, then each day at noon I may arrange for my support guy to pick me up from the island, go to Seisia, get more ice, fuel, etc supplies and bring my laptop to upload files onto ClubLog to avoid people doing dupes. Only time will tell what’ll I’ll end up doin. There are so many variables and potential things to go wrong on this DXpedition – so fingers crossed!

Looking at the tiny island from the mainland it has a surprisingly large hill on it and so I need to carefully pick my spot to avoid signals being blocked. We’re probably going to land and set up camp on the northern side so that’ll provide a clear water short path to JA, W/VE and Europe. It may not great for long path Europe but don’t worry guys because here in the tropics the best European path is 15m and 20m short path especially at this time of the year. This is opposite to my OC-261 DXpedition in southern Australia where long path 20m was ideal and short path was almost non-existent. If I find a good spot with clear water short path then it will allow me to look for JA and W/VE on 15m in my mornings at 2100-0200 UTC, visit the mainland, return as quickly as possible around 0400/0500 UTC to try for 20m for long path Europe and short path west coast W/VE and South America. Then it’s the long shift from around 0800 UTC working 15m JA/Europe and venturing to 20m by 1000 UTC to look for short path W/VE coast to coast and then Europeans will start arriving around 1200 UTC. Remember Europe to stand by for North America in the 1000-1400 UTC period when I ask, but don’t worry as 20m to Europe should be open past 1600 UTC if conditions are good.

Who knows, we’ll just have to see what ionospheric and environmental conditions throw at us in this wild adventure over the next 6 days.

Currently in Cairns, north Queensland

Hey all you funky island chasers out there.

Today I flew from Adelaide (VK5) to Sydney (VK2) and then Sydney (VK2) to Cairns (VK4) in north Queensland. Tomorrow I fly from Cairns to Bamaga in far far far far north Queensland.

Cairns airport involved a little drama this afternoon as the airline misplaced the box with the 2 x 12m Spiderbeam fibreglass poles. No poles = NO antennas. Fortunately they eventually turned up.

So this evening I'm in beautiful tropical north Queensland. Around 5pm I walked along the esplanade in Cairns and the weather is a real shock to the system as it's hot and really humid in the tropics and Red Island is further north so it'll be even more humid. But hey what's a wild tropical adventure without some adversity.

I'm staying at the same hotel tonight that Michelle my wife and I stayed at the night before doing the Fitzroy Island OC-172 VK4LDX/P DXpedition in October 2010. So it's nice to be here again exactly three years later to get ready for this IOTA DXpedition. I'm trying to enjoy the luxuries of life right now to prepare myself for 5 nights on an uninhabited island in the tropics by myself with no resources. So it's been an enjoyable night of beer, beer, beef, beer and beer at the Steak on the Lake anti-vegetarian establishment, it's so hot and humid dining outside that you need to drink quickly before your beer gets warm :)

OK now to business. On Wednesday I'll be on the island and I think it'll take all day to go there and set up camp. I need to take my time so that the tent and antennas can survive rain and wind and thunderstorms that are likely to visit me, nothing worse than tent repairs at 200am in the morning during a storm. So don't expect me on the air early on Wednesday October 15, the goal is to be operational by sunset which is 0800 UTC. To give people the best chance of working me, I'm only going to operate on 2 bands and I'll focus on 20m as much as I can. I'll only go to 15m when 20m is not productive.

Antennas will again be a 15m and 20m vertical dipole at the high tide mark - the 20m vertical dipole was incredible for North America at the VK5CE/P OC-261 DXpedition in August and Red Island will be a MUCH better location. Frequencies will be 14260 and 21260 +/- interference and listening up 5.

After having done DXpeditions to other northern Australian IOTAs of OC-171, OC-172, OC-138 and OC-185 I know what the band conditions will be like. I would say that my operating will be as follows:

0000-0200 on 15m (10:00am-12:00pm)
0200-0400 maintaining antenna/generator/campsite/mealtime and doing club log (12:00pm-2:00pm)
0400-0800 on 20m (2:00pm-6:00pm)
0800-0900 meal break and generator re-fill (6:00pm-7:00pm)
0900-1600 on 20m (7:00pm-2:00am)
16:00-2100 sleep (2:00am-7:00am)
21:00-0000 on 15m (7:00am-10:00)

this is my preferred scheduled to give east coast north America and Europe on 20m and JA and west coast North America on 15m the best chance to get in the log. In the 0400-1400 UTC period I will only go on 15m if 20m is dead.





 

Freight logistics on track

Hi everyone

It's only a few weeks to go. There are many logistics involved with this DXpedition as I need to organise not only the radio equipment but also all aspects of life support. Red Island is totally uninhabited and so everything from food, water, medical, generator, fuel, shelter, etc also needs to be arranged.

Much of the equipment has arrived in Bamaga in far north Queensland including the amplifier, amp power supply and generator. There are just a couple more boxes to express freight up there.

I've arranged with the two air lines I'm flying with to take extra baggage, in particular the Spiderbeam poles for the 20m and 15m vertical dipoles.

73s de Craig VK5CE