| N8S and BS7H - April / May 2007 |
Both of these expeditions represented `new entities` and a target simply to make a QSO with each one was set.
Very different propagation challenges existed with the two locations ....
N8S was on a rough short path heading of north-northwest; my location here at the extreme southwestern point of G was generally favourable, with a particularly good take-off in that direction, and 40 and 30 were anticipated to be the best chance.
BS7H, on the other hand, was always going to be very hard working through the EU wall from probably one of the least advantageous propagation locations for this one in EU !
Station comprises an Elecraft K2 driving a TL922.
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N8S - Swains Island - Pacific Ocean
They showed up on the first morning on 30m - very weak - just after our sunrise. I had a choice of a sloping dipole or a delta loop (bottom corner fed) - hoisted each in turn and the loop was clearly better ... managed to work them, much to my surprise, about 2 hours into the operation.
40 was always going to be the best bet - my 4 sloper array gives an interesting directivity indication ... generally 5W1 comes in from the west-southwest rather than north-northwest, but N8S was consistently stronger from the north-northwest, more like a KH6, and he went into the log on 40 with relative ease.
20m was going to be hard - a single wire loop with apex at 40ft competing with beams etc ... 2 mornings calling without result led me to rig up a wire loop reflector with the loops only 3 feet apart at the top, spaced about 8ft at the bottom. Following morning put them in the log on 20cw - did the reflector make a difference ? - will never know !! |
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| 20m `diamond` quad loop with reflector lashed up lower and behind driven loop ! |
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That really was job done - delighted with the results - and a great pleasure just to listen to the guys working the pile-ups on CW.
80m, although very efficient here, was always going to be a hugely difficult path. The ops were aware of our late sunrise opening
and, although they were detectable on several mornings, there was just one morning throughout the whole expedition that their
signal was solid enough to `have a go at` ... and one of those QSOs that you never ever forget went into the log ... it was a long-winded
affair with them not copying my reply; then working a w4; then copying me on the second attempt, so unwittingly into their log twice !! |
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BS7H - Scarborough Reef - South China Sea
Well ...!! .... trying to work through EU for this was tough - so much rubbish going on that at times you just had to get up and walk
away. It was pretty clear early on that 20 and 30 were going to be the best opportunity - and the expedition`s plan to operate 20m
continuously was certainly a good one as far as I was concerned !
Three afternoons / evenings spent calling them on 20, and some on 30, without result - massive pile ups with a 50Kc or more
wide `split` and often no apparent pattern. Out came that reflector wire again and eventually on the fourth evening managed
to work them on 20 (cw of course) when for once I managed to find some sort of a pattern and followed them up the band.
Plenty of shouting then - dog running round in circles etc !! - probably best part of 20 hours work to make the contact, but then
it means all the more when it happens. Within an hour I also managed to work them on 30 - what a strange game it is !
40m should have been the best bet for this one - they were active for three evenings late in the operation with good signals
but despite plenty of effort, could not crack them !
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Jammers and Clusters.
Big time jamming from EU for both operations - far worse for the BS7.
One of the most interesting parts of both operations was to follow the email `reflector` run by CDXC with many
views on jammers etc being put over ... nearly as entertaining as the `real chase` - and Laurie never seems
to be at home !
No doubt the best thing is to ignore the jammers - if no-one `bit` then they would not achieve anything.
Its the world we live in - a type of vandalism ... coupled with easy access to our hobby. Being active on and off
over the last 35 years ( it really is !) - each time I have `come back` this type of thing has been much worse but
it goes along with the changing world - the hobby will die without fresh blood, and the idea of the majority of
people becoming SWLs for 12 months, learning morse then taking the RAE is pie in the sky - we live in a
`must have now` world ... of course it started in radio with CB.
This view is naturally really unfair on the minority who still enter the hobby `traditionally`.
As for clusters - I happen to think it has nearly gone the full circle. So many people have
forgotten - or have never learned -how to tune around and listen, that there are rich pickings there for those of us still able to
dig weak ones out - until some goon spots them on the cluster. I might spot a dx station calling CQ and getting
no answers - that`s all.
75% of all spots on clusters would seem to be self-congratulating ego trippers ?
( Are we all ego-trippers ? ) |
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The other issue concerning the two recent superb dxpeditions is the size of their split operations, which
must have been extremely annoying for anyone trying to rag-chew (what`s that ?!) on the bands. The pile ups
particulary for BS7H were immense but surely a 25Kc split would have sufficed; it may have just made the pile-ups
more manageable and rate faster ..
Two superb operations - and what an achievement at Scarborough to exist for a week or more in those conditions ...
This is just how it was here .... despite all the problems the rewards still far outweigh the hassle !
...talking of hassle, Elecraft have just announced a K3 ... I love my K2, it is superb... but a K3 ? Wow ! ..must get some
fishing done ! |
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