The Nordic DXpedition to Sao Tome & Principe in West-Africa
”From a boys
trip to a big Dxpedition”
LA7THA Rune Egil Öye, Team Leader |
It was LA7THA Rune Egil Öye, which had a dream about going on a big Dxpedition to a place into the far away latitude. It
started with Laos XW, but there were problems to
get a licence, and meanwhile it appeared to be very difficult, Rune checked
about licence and Stein Roar LA6FJA, got the visa application papers from
embassy of Later on did Stein Roar & Co. was worried with a view to the
visa and licence. Anyway we had putt he target as |
We kept also good connection with SM0AGD, Erik and
SM5DJZ,
We had the process going on with the visa and licence,
so that part was almost ok.
The licence application had to be written in
Portuguese, and we were fortunate in that
Rune’s job is on board a ship, and he got to boys from
These two boys were asked about information, and they
helped us with translating the licence application from English to Portuguese,
so CT1EAT Fransisco were not
needed for this job.
Stein Roar, got finally SM5COP,
But that wasn’t the top of the cake, he got with him
Contester, a skilled CW
Operator, and participated in WRTC 2002 in
So after a while it appeared some answers from the
telephone call job from Stein Roar, Jörgen”Joe” Hoel, LA5UF, did got some days delay, before he said yes to
the offer. So there we were with 7 hams.
Well, we had lost some operators from the start, and
finally we made it to add so many peoples that we actually were as planned from
basis, but it didn’t stop here. We had had some contact with LA6EIA, Ole Forr,
Mr. 80 meter DXer, while he not about he could manage
to fix a successor for his farmyard. Ole’s
participation went ok after he had said no first time some days before, and
gave us a tip about
The Pilot stations and supporter Team for our DXpedition :
Pilots:
-
LA3WAA, Tor
Pettersen. 6 m / Europe & Africa
-
LA9VDA, Trond
Johannesen. North/South-
America & Low-Band
-
JM2HBO, Terunobu
Hashimoto
-
LA9FG, Norleif
Bjørneseth. Contact person for our families
-
LA5VM, Otto Norhagen.
The Cassier/ Bank
LA9VDA Trond
JM2HBO Teru
In this way we had built up network so fast, and this was
actually ment to be a boys
trip changed to a big DXpedition suddenly. The
webpage was made by Stein Roar LA6FJA, Rune Ö. LA7THA organized the travel,
hotel, stay, Equipment list w/weight, Visa, Licence, Insurance, Svein Jarle LC3EAT was the
Technician which had the mission for logging, interface for digitale
modes, and Rune W SM5COP organized the extra weight for all of us. Actually
from the beginning we had only 20 kg + 5 kg hand luggage. Finally we got
40 kg per person ++. That will say in practice 360 kg totally, and we left a
Butternut HF6V and a amplifier AL-811 Ameritron.
There were many hard weeks of work to make a complete
equipment list which had to be correct into each corner, that is one and
another had to bring the right things into their suitcase. LA7THA and LA6FJA
had over 2000 e-mails and hundreds of hours in telephone during this year of
planning. We saw the video VK0IR and written down all details and picked up
compliments from other LA station which had very important things for us to think
about. LA6FJA Rag, made a operation manual which
contained band plan, routines around changing a band (bandpass
filter etc.), propagation charts, how to tune the amplifiers, labels for each
antenna. Each operator had to train personally with CT by K1EA in good time to
train the procedure into their fingers, and the CW
operators had to train with the CW program RUFZ and JA Pile program JA PED. We had to be trained to
meet a wall of pile-up in any situation.
So all the small and bigger things had to be weigh,
and we had the final meeting at LA6FJA’s QTH on
Friday for the whole team (without the SM stations) and we tried to match each
suitcase the right way to match the allowed weight for the flight. So in basis
we control weighed each suitcase and boxes. Well, all of us had tried to weigh
and sort out after the personally equipment list which Rune Ö LA7THA had made.
Rune had marked each their name with which parts each had to bring. Three weeks
before departure we had sent some coax and wire for radials for the hotel into
And finally we found out at
Finally, anyway we had made big sponsors from around
the big world, from DX groups like Northern Californian DX Foundation NCDXF, European DX Foundation EUDXF, German DX Foundation GMDXF, Clippertion DX Club,
LA-DX-GROUP LA1DXG, Lake Wettern DX Group SK6WW,
Chiltern DX Club. Other sponsors; Permo Electronics
AS ( Norwegian Hamshop www.permo.no
), DL8YHR a F9FT 6m Yagi , welding wire from Veidekke ASA, LA5UKA Björn borrowed us his Bandpass
filters, LA6MP John borrowed us his suitcase linear a broadband transistor
linear Finnfet 1KW, LB1HC made a portable
professional 6m 3el. Yagi, Titanex
Antenna gave us a huge price discount on a vertical V 160 E, a 160 80 and 40m
antenna with tuner 27m high, and Manta Reiser in Oslo
gave a good price and a good DXpedition. Of course
all of our supportes made our dream come true!!!!
We kept also good connection on e-mail with Tom S92TX (S9TX
today), and he had a HF Yagi
which wasn’t in use. Unfortunately he was back into
So we didn’t managed to meet him or to get the yagi, but anyway he helped us with different amenities and
he works at Voice of America Broadcast station at
We had the final and last meeting at home at LA6FJA
Rag’s QTH before the departure, without the SM’s and we had brought LA4GHA
Next day we left Rag’s home around
We made it J
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While others were relaxing with reading newspapers
and take a cup of coffee, some others got abstinences. Rag LA6FJA had been to
long with his radio, and into the middle of the departure lounge he picked up
the Schurr Telegraphy Paddle and the Heil Headset from his hand luggage. He sat the paddle upon
the table and took the headset on him, he started training a pile-up. He made
da-dit-da-dit da-da-dit-dah sounds, and the other fellow travellers kept
their eyes away from the newspapers from a moment. While Rag made the CW noise the other on team laughed. Ole LA6EIA and Rag
LA6FJA, their kept a QSO over the tables with loud cw. |
The departure had been taken, the trip went via
Well they also tried LA6FJA’s CW
paddle and really wonder why he had glass tube a 3-500Z into his suitcase.
Well, he told them; “I’m a radio-amateur and this is a hams stuff, he showed them
his licence from PTT of Norway etc. “
There were few minutes before departure for
And what happens? Well, the Captain aboard says; “Welcome
aboard, we are finished with the loading of all luggage. We will departure into
few minutes!”
Oh, yes, with wet eyes LA6FJA watches his suitcase,
amplifier and radio and tour back into the hangar……. Well, the plane is keeping moving reverse and
the team starts laughing. Yes, we laughed, what else could we done into this moment? Arne and Rag sat there into their seats with
big eyes, and Rag had big lump into his throat after this scene. We tried to tell the cabinet crew, but they
just told us to sit down. All your stuff is aboard. So the departure was a
fact, on our way trough the cloud pointed to
“Oh, yes I can surly work some radio with a paddle,
headset and tube 3-500Z and my lap top too!, said
LA6FJA.”
While the flight kept going on we spoken to the
cabinet crew at least 20 times, and finally after they had given a plenty of
beers each and wine. We still speak indistinctly about our stuff; the Cabinet
crew Chief came back into our seat with a notebook to write down our names and
ticket number. Well, we were far away on our way to Portugal, and the others of
the cabinet crew didn’t believed in our story, because we laughed too much when
we told her what we had seen happened at the ground in Zürich.
Normally, other people had got angry and damn of this sort of happenings. We
laughed and she didn’t believe in our story. We promised to send her a postcard
to tell her who had right J
Finally we got some action, the captain for the flight
sent a facsimile to the
So finally we were arrived into
We had to enter the airport, and we were stopped again
by customers for checking our luggage. We had to bring the paddle, the glass
bulb and the amplifier upon the table for inspection again, but this was easy
game. The most important thing for us was to get access to TAP Air and to find
out any information about out luggage which we believed were left in Zürich. And we had guessed right of course, for on the
system they found out that mostly all of our stuff were still standing on a
hangar in Zürich. So the woman at Lost and Found reception
told that our stuff appeared there 1400 o’clock at Sunday. Our departure for
So then we were happy that we had planned a day in
We went to hotel Rex in
Rune W and Dan had arrived
Our worst case ideas had been the truth for some
hours…… So we had this extra day into
Then our pleasant stay with CT1EAT Fransisco
was over, and he followed us back into the hotel. We wished him all the best
and thanked for all the support during planning for our DXpedition
and the visit into
The time for the taxi trip to airport was 1800 and we
needed the time to get our stuff out of Lost and Found,
And when we appear into the reception for security we
need our passport for access and a special application paper for getting into
the Arrival Hall. Yes, inside to that place our “Lost” equipment was kept. So
LA5QKA Ôystein and LA6FJA Rag,
got the access card and went the long way to Lost and Found. Little bit
pessimist they got a helpfully service of the lady and she asked us to come
with her to a backside room. There were all the nine lost boxes staying and waiting
for us. It was kept inside a locked room and everything was into good shape.
Some
happy travellers! The Team Hot Coil has got their stuff back.
But time to hurry, we were actually going to Sao Tome,
so we needed the time we had left to check in the complete stuff, so the rest
of team were waiting and a great big smile appeared when Rag and Öystein came back with a complete luggage.
We started the in check for our
We are sleeping; LA6EIA,
They added a hour every time
it was close to the departure, so we got used to it. This meant that could not
work with antenna setup from morning time as we had scheduled. We could not
work hard into this hard sun and high temperature. Well, finally after some
meal and some kind of service, the departure was a fact.
Final we was standing into the door of our plane and
with the hot temperature hitting our face and humidity pressed our body while
we walked down stairs to the ground of Sao Tome airport. The clock was 1045
before
We arrived Hotell Miranmar and the hotell manager wished the team welcome, and the hotel
manager was a German gentleman with the name Manfred. At first he showed us the
room and the main shack. So then he showed us the garden which he told us that
we could use the whole areal as we wanted. Well, we
found out fast that we had brought to many antennas, and we had believed that
we could use the second garden too J
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The Hotel Manager Manfred are
meeting us into the reception of hotel. Then he shows us the 4 rooms and the
front garden which is made for our antennas setup. |
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Here we are checking the conditions. SM5COP, LA5UF,
LA7THA and LC3EAT. |
LA7WCA, LA5UF and LA6FJA, are wiring the 80m radials
for the Titnaex. |
|
The 6 meter yagi with a
water pipe mast on ground. |
The Titanex to the right
behind the flowerbed and 6 meter behind the HF6V Butternut. |
|
SM5Cop up on the roof
Ole LA6EIA are having the tip of the 27 meter high Titanex in his hand while the lowest part of antennas is
still vertical, the material is quite strong!
Equipment
assembling
Anyway, we had our lists which showed which part of
the team which were going to work with a concrete exercise. Svein
Jarle and Dan rigged all the equipment inside the
Main Shack #1 and also the shack # 2 and # 3.
Two people worked at the Butternut HF9V, one at the 6m
Yagi while the three other guys worked hard at the Titanex antenna. The last member of the team made dipole
for 15 meter, and then we had one antenna for each shack that day. Rag was
finished with the F9FT yagi for 6m very quickly so he
started with erect a half square wire antenna for 30m.
The most of the team worked hard, the was a hard nut
to erect a 27m vertical into the garden, but Rag was smart slept 2 hours before
he came out again and told how to erect the Titanex
antenna. Well, the tip worked and the antenna went up after some work with
cutting down some palm boughs. After a lot of work the Titanex
was erected into the garden, and we had got some help of the gardeners and an
electrician from the hotel.
We had a lovely dinner at the restaurant at the hotel,
1900 o’clock and we had pleasant relax. Well, some of the team at rested while
the others had been working had with antennas. You can guess why?
The start of
Operation 4th of February
We started the operation 2056 UTC
4th of February, LA6FJA worked cw on 20m
and LA6EIA worked 80m SSB. The pile-up just exploded
as a wall when we hit the bands. Well we had plans to just run two stations,
mainly one for CW and one for SSB.
Well, we had not any action 6m as well, so we decided to QRV
also shack # 2 with a IC 746 and 100 Watt to a dipole 17m dipole. At Shack # 3
we had a IC 706 MKII with
100 Watts with a 15 meter dipole.
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LA6FJA 20m CW |
LA6EIA on 80m SSB. |
In shack # 1 we used a Kenwood TS2000 DSP and a AL80BX desktop amplifier
1KW for SSB. And a Yaesu,
FT-1000MP, with a Finnfet, a suitcase amplifier 1KW
for CW.
And antennas were the HF6V Butternut for 80 to 10m
incl. WARC and Titanex 40
80 160m. Plus the dipole antennas from other shacks were also accessible.
So suddenly we had four stations on the air. People
were very tired, but we kept on for many hours. While the team slept without
one, LA6FJA which kept on the pile for 14 hours almost continuously. Then he
slept another 10 hours.
Day 1 of Operation
5th of February
Tuesday were time for adjusting the Titanex for 160m, because at Monday we didn’t reached to
add any radials for top band, because when you are into
We take a look around into the horizon and we could
see some big towers about 800 meters away from our hotel. We found that this
must be the voice of America broadcast station on 1530 kHz with about 600
Kilowatt output transmitting which played a game to our MFJ
259. Finally we got this antenna working after some work with the radial system
and tuning after we had resolved the distortions from VOA.
We assembled two set of dipoles, a kombi 20 and 40
meter dipole up on the roof for use in shack 1 and 2. For shack 3 we added a 10
meter dipole.
Rag he slept until evening and he were quite surprised
that evening over how many thousand contact that we had made the first 24
hours, we had reached 2724 QSOes.
Tuesday evening we kept up the good work, we work lots
of JA on 80m SSB and we worked
So there was time for 160 meter, and Rag tuned up and
made 13 contacts on 160. He worked LA3XI as strongest station in the QRM from Voice of America. Their signal was peaking over
599 + 20- db’s. So there were incredibly conditions
to receive a signal at all on this band, and we had hoped to give VK6HD and the
other Top band people a new one…..hmmm….
Well, this ones were the lucky guys; LA3XI, OH2WI,
4N7ZZ, HA0NAR, YU7BW, YU7JDE, GM3POI, PA2DZN, PT7BZ, IK7MCJ, OK1XUV &
DJ5BV. We hope people see why we broke up the 160 meter works, since there was
almost impossible to catch a call sign through this splatter from
So we had better condition into 40m CW working Asia, NA and Europe, so we worked here
continuous next hours for the night and we used the Titanex
on 40m , until the morning while we QSYed to 30m and
let the 80m SSB use the Titanex
for operation in our sunset.
Day 2 of Operation
6th of February
Wednesday morning we started with working
During the morning we lost most of propagation but we
still kept QRV on 12m and added a
operation on 10m. That we could expect during the first time of day. We found
out that the Titanex for 160 80 40 worked great on
12m to JA +EU J
On 10m SSB we worked JA,
We were QRV on 15m CW for EU again on the
The second full day of operation with activity had
passed and we had reached a score with 6344 QSOes
2100z.
We kept going on radio and after the dinner in the
evening. From Shack 1 we were QRV on 40 meter SSB for EU Asia and JA, later also South-America come through. We were QRV 80m CW for EU,
Three happy children says hello to the crew on safari.
LA7WCA Arne on 40m SSB.
Day 3 of
Operation 7th of February
Past
The signals dropped at 40 meter 0130z and we went to
30m for CW and worked EU,
So Rag had to use the 40m dipole for a while….The crew
fixed the antenna later on the morning.
0500z we had our sunrise and we QSY
back to 40m CW. We got a huge opening to EU, NA (west coast) and
From Shack 3 we got a nice shot to JA
on 15 meter CW 0516z.
We went closed down on 40m 0628z.
0719z we appeared on 17m CW
for EU, JA. JA, VK and ZL coming through on 20m SSB too. 0853z signals dropped out on 20 and we QSYed to 12 meter SSB for EU and SA.
0945z we QRT
on 17m CW and QSYed to 10m CW for good opening to EU.
Around 1130z NA coming though on 12
and 10 meter.
Joe LA5UF QRV from shack #3
1451z we gets a nice opening for JA
on 17 meter SSB, later on EU
and Asia also comes through.
Through the day we worked 10m CW,
17m and 12 m SSB. We went QRT
for dinner 1800z.
2026z we were finished with the good African dinner at
the hotels restaurant, and we hit the band on 80 meter for EU
on CW. And 17 meter were quite
good for EU CW: J later
on NA/SA comes easily through. 2141z JA are coming through loud on CW 80
meter.
Around 2100z we had worked about 10
Right before
Day 4 of
Operation 8th of February
On 80 meter the signals from both South and
0344z we are QSYing to 20m SSB for NA and 40m CW for EU/SA and sooner we change mode on 40 to SSB and we are again getting again a huge pile, we close
down 40 m 0612z.
0635z we are having our 10 meter conds
for EU on CW right after
our sunrise.
ZL, VK and JA are coming as a shot on
20m SSB, also a station from
0714z; There are morning time and people wakes up, we
gets on 17m CW for EU and
And we worked on 20m and 15m SSB
for EU,
People are living for the trip around 0900z.
LA6FJA and another operator are left, and we are
working JA still on 15m SSB
and a EU coming in also. We are
also active on 17m CW for EU.
1000z it’s time for EU and
1540z LA6FJA starts to work PSK31 on 15 meters, we got
43 QSOes with HS0ZBS as first QSO
with S9 on first PSK31 from that island? OK2WED the 2nd
and ON7GB as 3rd. DJ6TK first DL, SM3AFR first SM, PA0VHF first PA,
SP9UPK first SP, IZ1BII first I, LX1DA first LX, G4YVV first G, OK1AMB first
OK, F5JKK first F, LA7AJ first LA, 4X6UU first 4X and EA2BWM first EA.
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Well we were very sorry for our or LA6FJA promises
with digital operation, but our TNC went QRT on the flight and something had also happened to our
soundcard interfaces. But finally we had managed to work a few QSOes on a digimode. We worked afterward 10m SSB
for EU, SA and NA and also on 12 m CW for EU and NA until 1621z.
The Team had a break until 1751z, the we had our sunset opening on 40m CW for EU and JA, we went QRT
1832z for our dinner. 1953z we hit the band again on 40 meter, but this
time for SSB. We having
fun with a good JA and EU
pile up. 2100z; the QSO score had
reached 13100 QSOes. 2102z; we also being back, the others of the team
have had their little break after the good dinner. Now also active 17m CW. A few NA and later on JA’s coming through with EU. 2234z; also 12meter SSB
open for EU, SA and NA. Good signals. 2317z; we move on 40m SSB
to listen for NA, and we gets a good pile from 2342z; we appears to 20m CW
for them also, great signals from NA. We still want to work the NA on 40m but little heavy
QRM on the receiving QRG,
and we manage to work a couple. |
SM5COP Rune W working from Shack# 3
Day 5 of
Operation 9th of February
We still keep up the pile up and we are going to our
almost last day.
40m SSB
now for EU, 12m SSB for NA
and 20m CW for NA.
During the night we tried 12m CW
for JA and NA, still 20 CW
for EU/NA, and 80m SSB from
0137z for SA/NA. it’s seems to be good openings and that the lowbands conds were better than
it had been last days, because our first night into the QTH
seems to be the best low band night. But we had not any antennas for all of
them. And we got messages from our pilots that the
0320z; we have gone QRT on
12m and now active on 40 meter for NA, EU on CW.
Now 0626z QRT 40m CW, and
we QSY to 30m CW 0635z and QRT 30m 0654z.
0645z there a good opening to EU
and NA 10m meter.
0716z; we goes from 30m to 17m CW.
Lots of JA booming in, and we QRT 0817z.
0825z; 12m CW
for JA.
0935z; we got a acticity on 10m SSB and worked a
lot of ZS stations and also lots of Scandinavians like LA, SM and OH’s. Afterward some others EU
come through with a good signal.
Then we changed modes on 12 and 10 meter, 1031z we
works 10m CW and 12m SSB.
It’s was time for also doing other thing which we
haven’t mentioned before, everyday we went to the market and to supermarket for
buying water and beer.
We spent a lot of much time into the pool during the
pile ups…..
The temperature were about 28-35 ْC and the humidity was quite high, if you walked a few
meter you felt the heart started pumping faster and that the you got a quite
wet t-shirt.
LA7WCA Arne and LA6EIA Ole into the front of
PTT licence office of A flight with medicine and emergency treatment to Biafran into 70’s had to make a
emergency arrival at this place. |
On the market place we could take view of this large
area with yellow taxis and the technical shop had tv
and etc on a sinlge table into the centre of their
shop. Well, back to the hotel and for our operation we had
kept working the whole day. We had been concentrated about 12m CW/USB, 10m SSB/CW, 17CW/USB
and a few 20m SSB. Into the afternoon there were show time on 80 meter CW from JA, And we were
on 30m CW for EU since we
had been QRT for some days…. As extra we had good
pile on 17m SSB and also 20m CW
at first and so SSB. |
2100z ; We had climbed up to the score of 16673 QSOes +(Digitale J
), some of the operators wake up and saw the possibility for maybe reach up to
20,000 QSOes ?
Well, some one
speeded up, specially had SM5IMO done that the whole Saturday.
So we all CW guys fumbled
little since we had worked more QSOes than the SSB gang. Hi hi
“Like LA5HE said, SSB is a
parrot mode”, well this time we had some extra good skilled CW
operators with us and that is a must, but it also needs to have mixed crew. Often is there
SM5IMO Dan and Luis S92LB, working S9LA on SSB, local DXing !! |
Day 6 of
Operation 9th of February The bright morning comes closer and closer to us,
but we fights the last battle and many of us have getting tired of this operation
and while other have not. We knew we had to do some activity on RTTY and we had some desperately SM’s
and others J
which needed S9 for a new one on SSTV. Well,LA6FJA,
I can remember that the propagation during sunset were extremely though on 80
meter, you could almost see the s-meter signal come up and down, like you see
the the greyline moves
across North America on Sunmap on the computer
quite fast. Well, last morning we spent a good time to help the SSB guys to fill up with some QSOes
for them. The CW ops had worked too much J We filled up the top frequencies, 12 15 10 17 and 20
meter where runned all the morning during the day. |
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We had a nice shot to Well, like a And that is quite a big word to get on our first DXpeditions. After the breakfast Rag also had to QRV on SSTV as promised!!!! We announced a time on 15 m SSB,
and then QSYed this QRG
and picked up a SHORT list. We worked about 11 stations. SM5EEP, SP4KM, DL5ZB, G0WHP, ON7GB, S53X, IZ5BAM,
SM3AFR, HA1ZH, IK5GOK, OM7PA. While we
did our QSOes the staff from the hotel watched the
“online” Slow Scan Television from EU. After this Rag was quite happy to have been the one
which had a chance to operate SSTV from S9LA. We
had not expected that this week should be so short and that we got out
problem with interface and the computer. Finally had the SSTV
fan also got a piece of our operation. |
Here LA6FJA and LA6EIA working RTTY.
Rag is operating and Ole is writing the log. Here we have a little break,
because we went QRT because lot of southern EU don’t listen too much while we work others. We didn’t
had time to setup too much macros in Zakanaka, so
we did a good hand writing during 1 ½ hour with pile-up. We worked 110 Qsoes on RTTY. |
So next target was this RTTY
problem, we had brought a PK232 for RTTY with WF1B,
but our laptops would not run this program and either would this Interface do it’s job either. So no FSK , but we equipped the IC746 with this soundboard to radio
interface made by LC3EAT Svein Jarle,
our own technician which we har with us and had made
this boxes. All greetings to him, because he is had made all the stuff for digimode.
LA6FJA was operating with typing directly on the
keyboard without any macros from the beginning. Ole LA6EIA was the logger on A4
paper sheet.
But during the wild wild
pile up we announced to QRT because we had some broad
band station on RTTY with very wide and distorted
signal. We asked him to QRX while we worked many
other stations, but he had 6 QSOes before he did
understand that we had worked him. But again he pushed down the northern
European stations signals. We went QRT and our group
photo was taken outside beside the swimming pool.
While we continued the RTTY
operation, the others started with deassembling the
antennas, The Titanex had to be lowered and all the
dipoles were taken down, also the halfsquare for 30m
and the 6 meter yagi as well.
We worked on the butternut HF6V until 2100z. Then we
had a score about 2100 QSOes,
And now we had to take this antenna down and the last QSO was KC1F on 20m SSB.
So, now the game was over this time. People stand
around the teamleader LA7THA while he runned the last few QSOes from
S9LA.
Someone had to take a walk out to take a smoke to load
up to attitude for the last minute.
The KC1F booming trough, and
Rune Ö. He is announcing on the frequency that he is going QRT
and what the reason for why we made this trip. He told to the people on the
frequency that he had seen the movie by the VK0IR Heard Island DXpedition crew, and that he was happy for that his friends
and the other operators had let him make his dream come true.
This is S9LA QRT.
Then we rigged down the HF6V and slept for some hours.
Here is the last action of S9LA.
Front: LA7THA,
LA6FJA,LC3EAT Middle:
SM5COP, LA7WCA,
Continent Statistics |
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S9LA DXpedition
4-10 Feb 2002 |
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Words after the DXpedition
160
and 80 meter QRM from Voice of
*We had not expected this, because we had planned a
lot of activity on low bands, a separate RX antenna didn't manage to get the QRM lvel any better but worse.
*
We got later QRV than expected, expected arrival : 0545 z , our arrival : 1045 z
So it was very hot and high humidity during
Operators
* One of the crew was very ill, so in the fact we was
only 7 operateurs, one ill & one technical licenced who had a lot jobs to do. From the start, later
into the week we had another two which wasn't into good shape. So finally we was only 5 to run the radio mostly.
*We was QRV most of the time
with 4 rigs, and we had expected
Operation
finished
A big thank you to all that have contributed to the
S9LA DX-expedition. The sponsors and
everyone who worked us. Hope you enjoyed it. We certainly
did.
Where do we go next? You will find us on the band
soon….. We will promise that. All of our QSL direct are answered and most of
you will soon get the bureau cards if you don’t have got
it.
73 de Rag
LA6FJA for the Team Hot Coil.
I’m sorry for the long delay for our story and that my
english isn’t that good, but
I hope people can find some interesting stuff in this long story.