4W6GH East-Timor (OC-148)

I arrived to East-Timor on February 7. Some weeks later I tried to get the license to operate from 4W with the valuable support of José de Sá (CT1EEB), once the local people from the United Nations are not capable to giving the due direction to the license request. During this whole period I had time to set up the station in Dili. In the beginning of March the first 4W was attributed, my license was attributed on March 22. At the next day José call me by phone to Dili to give me the good news and on that same day I beginning to transmit. I made my first QSO as 4W6GH with José CT1EEB at 14H33z in 21 MHz and until the midnight of that day I did about three thousand QSO’s. A great sensation, half world call for me, is a feeling difficult to describe, it is necessary to be in the place to feel. Believe me it is unforgettable!

It had begun and my main purpose was to give the opportunity to the largest possible number of radio amateurs to work East-Timor, without giving preference to this or that country. This is and it will always be my slogan, arrive to the largest possible number of radio amateurs.

Initially I just operated 10/12/15/17/20 meters in SSB. I should refer that, to arrive to Europe the best band was 21 MHz around 17H00z. Proof of that is my daily QSO with Tina (CT1YSX), my XYL.

In Dili I just used two dipoles in inverted ‘V’, one for 10/15/20 and another for 12/17 meters and the Yaesu FT-890 (with 100W PEP).

At the end of March I meet José (CT1EEB now 4W6EB) in Dili and a few days later I receive orders to move to Liquiça, about thirty kilometers away from Dili.

The QSY to Liquiça implied a week without radio. With the passing of the time I went setting up all the antennas until being operative from 160 to 10 meters including WARC bands.

It was in Liquiça that I had opportunity to do the first QSO’s in the low bands and in the 160 meters. I do not had space limitations and the bamboo became excellent to do the masts (I only used wire antennas). I dedicated more time to RTTY where I did about four thousand QSO’s.

In the amateur satellite RS-12/13 I just got one QSO with a German station (Bernhard - DJ5MN). I listened the European stations very well (out of the foot-print) when the satellite is in the zone of Alaska or between Madagascar and India.

The great difficulty with Europe was in the 40 and 80 meters band due to the fact of being just transmit with 100W, the same it didn't happen to North America where easily I get good QSO’s.

It was in Liquiça that my colleague António Alves began to be interested for the radio and to pass more time near of me while I communicated with the radio amateurs around the world, later he accompanied me in the expedition to the Island of Ataúro (OC-232). It is a potential radio amateur.

From March 23 to August 5 I made forty thousand QSO’s distributed by approximately 197 countries. By continents 50% of the QSO’s went to Europe, 29% to Asia, 18% to North America and 2% for Oceania. The remaining 1% of the QSO’s went to Africa, Antarctica and South America. By modes 90% of they were in SSB and 9% in RTTY. The remaining 1% of the QSO’s were in CW, FM and SAT.

At December 1 the number of cards requests reached the 18952.

My operation from East-Timor didn't have any type of sponsors. I think to return to East-Timor until the end of March 2001. Until there, many thanks to all that supported me and gave its precious contribution to make this operation reached such good results, some of them are my XYL Ana Cristina (CT1YSX), José de Sá (CT1EEB), Julio Mateiro (CT1ZW), António Callixto (LX2DW) and Joaquim Dias (CT4KO). I also want to thank the pleasant company of Javier (EA1AUS), Masaru (JA5AQC), Domenico (I1APQ), Morio (JA1OYY) and my good friend António Alves

4W6GH/p - Ataúro Island (OC-232)

At the beginning it was alone an idea, almost impossible, given the existent difficulties in East-Timor. The transport was the first found obstacle, after several attempts we found a fisherman that would transport us to the island for one million of Rupias. Then it was the generator, very rare thing in East-Timor but necessary for the operation, there is not electric energy in Ataúro.

Thanks to the valuable collaboration of the Squadron 552 (Zangões) of the Portuguese Air Force we obtained a generator for the expedition. After all these setbacks, without any type of supports, with the whole type of imaginable limitations but with a lot of will and determination, it arrived the hour of seeing confirmed our departure to Ataúro.

The load was gathered: generator of 1,2 KVA, four hundred liters of gasoline, food and water almost for one month, backpacks, sleeping bags, an awning to do a shelter, a telescopic mast with ten meters length, a multi-band dipole with twenty-five meter of coaxial cable and a Yaesu FT-890. The team will be formed by four elements. Machado was entrusts of the feeding and of our safety, Pinto took care of the generator and the electric installation, Alves was the camera man and my company during the night, I will just operate on the radio.

At the end of the afternoon of July 6 everything was confirmed, we could leave on the next afternoon according to the plan.

Around the 14:00 local time, we arrive to the Bay of Tibar where the ship that will take us to the island waited for us. Loaded the whole material we began a trip of three hours with a very agitated sea. At 17:00 local time we arrive at the beach of the village of Maker (8º31’45’’S 125º31’5’’E), our destiny point.

The island has five administrative divisions, they are them the Suco Beloi (with 1240 people), the Suco Vila (with 1220 people), the Suco Maquili (with 1845 people), the Suco Biqueli (with 1836 people) and the Suco Macade (with 1815 people). Our permanence went in to village of Maker in the Suco Beloi, this village has about 490 inhabitants that live essentially of the fishing. The boss of the village is Mr. Alberto Soares and he has for secretary Mr. Carlos de Araújo.

The reception could not be warmer. As soon as we put the feet on the beach, the boss of the village came to give the good comings to the group. It was then, that I told him which the reason of our going to the island and we asked it authorization to set up the camp in the beach. He suggested us to stay at the house of the school, it was abandoned, in place to set up the camp. It was an offer that we can not refuse. After showing us the house (completely degraded) we began to discharge the load from the ship. The inhabitants enthusiasm was visible, everybody wanted to collaborate with us.

Around 17:20 local time is the sunset, the time it made scarce and it still lacked to set up the station of radio, a dipole for 14/21/28 MHz in inverted ‘V' turned for Europe and a Yaesu FT-890.

At 11H50z I made the first CQ in 21.260 MHz to which answered Radek (OK1FHI) immediately with excellent signs.

Around 13H30z I was contacted by Roger (G3KMA), I had operated for ninety minutes and I had already accomplished 216 QSO’s, he gave me the reference OC-232, the first part of the objective was reached, Ataúro was a ‘new one’ in the IOTA program and we are there.

During seven hours I stay in 21 MHz with good signs from Europe and Asia, from times to times appeared stations from North America. The Japanese stations always arrived with very strong signs. This was the activity for the first ten hours from Ataúro.

The fatigue was proportional to the enthusiasm, I needed to sleep, the sun was already loud, my team had already wakened up and prepared the breakfast. After sleeping a little I took a time to dive in the clear waters of the island, later I met with a group of inhabitants from village. Only in that moment I could verify its precarious life conditions. The population are very young and the infantile mortality is too high. According to the inhabitants there are not transports in the island and the only existent medical service is at six hours of there, on foot. Given the scarce hygiene conditions, the inhabitants great part suffers of coetaneous diseases, the children are the more affected.

At 07H30z I returned almost exclusively to the radio in 21 MHz to work Japanese stations. I made several hundreds of QSO’s with Japan until 13H00z when the first stations from United States appeared. We were invited by our fisherman with a meal of lobsters caught by him during the first night. After 13H00z the signs from Europe overcame the remaining ones. I continued even always in 21 MHz until 18H40z with good signs from Europe. The day of Saturday was liquidated by eleven hours of activity.

The last day on the radio began about of the 06H00z in 28 MHz, but this band soon was revealed of weak activity, just some JA’s and W’s. I returned again to 21 MHz and there I stay until 15H00z, at this time I move to 14 MHz, later I close the expedition with a QSO with Dr. Klaus (DJ4AX), the last contacted station. Eleven and a half hours of radio on this last day.

The expedition ended, 41 hours of permanence in the island, 3.691 QSO's in thirty two useful hours of operation. It was time to arrange our baggage, to receive the declaration written by the secretary of the village attesting our permanence in the island and to thank to our friends the generous hospitality. For them a lot of happiness and who knows, see you soon if God wants.
 

***** Special thanks for the support on this operation go to *****
António Alves, Francisco Afonso, Francisco Pinto, Januário Oliveira, José de Sá, José Reis, Júlio Mateiro, Rogério Machado and the Portuguese Air Force

Here some photos from East-Timor and Ataúro Island