11-Nov-1999
The DXpedition is over! 32630 QSOs are in the T30 logs and 10634 QSOs in the T33 logs (excluding dupes). The team has arrived well in Los Angeles and is just on the way back home. Thanks to everyone who made this DXpedition possible. We hope having provided you a new country or new bandpoint. Now, were do we go next?
9-Nov-1999
The last two days! The team leaves T30 on Nov 11, 20:30z. The last night will be dedicated to the lowbands (06:00 - 18.00z). The destroyed verticals won't be taken back. The beams will be taken down in the last night at about 12:00z. One more log update tomorrow and the final log approx. on Saturday. We wish the team a successful return.
8-Nov-1999
All antennas are more or less fixed again after the damages. The A3WS was almost lost in the ocean but it's also up again. Again, hardly any chance to get through to Europe due to the contest last weekend. Much effort is put into the lowbands. The missing log fragments have arrived and logs are complete untill Nov 7, 23:59z.
7-Nov-1999
The Banaba Team returned very well to Tarawa after a rough voyage of 62 hours. The T30 antenna farm was complete again for a few days untill Saturday, Nov 6. A big festival of 400 people took place at the hotel and a few very rough guests destroyed the lowband verticals! The security guides were watching the whole scene with a smile but didn't take any action against it. A provisional lowband antenna was built meanwhile. The team doesn't recommend Tarawa as a holiday destination. Everything is dirty and it is often called the dump yard of the pacific.
The logs are coming again but a few fragments are still missing. Attention: All QSOs between Nov 3, 00:52z and Nov 4, 23:56z are still not available for log search. Also all QSOs between Nov 5, 16:35z and Nov 6, 03:03z! So, please don't ask me for QSOs checks for these periods. But all missing RTTY QSOs should be complete now.
6-Nov-1999
Some 10% of the QSOs were suddenly missing in the log search for a few hours. My fault, sorry! Thanks to all who put my attention to that problem. Very nice but also short highband openings for Europe at 07z on 15m and 12m. 10m propagation lasts for only one or two minutes on 10m...
1-Nov-1999
T33CW and T33Y is QRT after 10634 QSOs (without dupes) and on the way back to T30. The team is not very happy about the results - it was far below expectations despite the improved antenna situation. Not too many Europeans made it into the logs and only a few OH's, 2 UA's and one SP on 80m. The T33 log is completely available here now. Click on Am I in the log. The next expected T30 log update will approx. be on Nov 4.
1-Nov-1999
T33CW and T33Y will go QRT today at about 22z, leave the island on Nov 2 at 01z and return to T30. The last missing T30 and T33 logs will be updated here after the return to T30.
31-Oct-1999
The situation on T33 is not as good as on T30. The bands are often closed for hours. Also, the lowband situation is worse. Give your calls several times on 160 and 80, even if they are loud. The QRN level is high there - despite the beverages. A 4 element 40m wire beam was built to improve the situation on this band. T33Y and T30Y were active in the CQWW SSB Contest but could hardly break through to Europe except on Sunday on 20m. Lots of RTTY activity before the contest. T30CW and T33CW were on RTTY at the same time just a few kHz apart.
Some 250 inhabitants live on the island and the whole place looks very deserted. Very dry and HOT climate. You will find a lot of material there to build antennas!
28-Oct-1999
T33CW and T33Y are on the island now and started activity at 0z. Antennas: 5 ele Beam, Cushcraft A3WS for 17/12, a Vertical for 160, 80 and 30, two phased 40m Verticals and a 6m antenna.
The transfer to Banaba was fine. Couldn't land at darkness and had to wait for dawn. The temperature is terribly hot. The generator and everything is working fine.
Take care with the calls - T30CW and T30Y are QRV at the same time and probably also on the same bands! Unfortunatley there will be no T30 log update because the IC735 used for that purpose broke. It will be continued after the T33 activity.
The strong T30CW signal on 80m CW on Monday Oct 25 was unfortunately a pirate! The real T30CW was much weaker and below the pirate between 1600 and 1630z. Sorry!
26-Oct-1999
The logs are arriving again! All logs until Oct 24, 23:45z are on the logsearch page now but there are probably 1500 QSOs missing. We just try to clear that.
Two verticals for 40m are phased now. This improvement really produced much louder signals in Europe on 40 last night. They can be on 80 and 40 simultaneously or on 160 and 40. The second WARC beam is up now as well. The hotel is located directly on the beach and the beverages have been built over the water. The whole beach is wired now, hi.
On Tuesday local afternoon half of the team (DL7DF, DL7UFR, DL2RUM, DL2NWK) departs to Banaba, T33. The boat ride will approximatly take 1.5 days. Good luck!!
25-Oct-1999
I haven't got any logs since Friday, Oct 22, sorry! The pactor link for the log update causes problems but we are working on it. Highband conditions were terrible for Europe due to Aurora last weekend. Saturday brought quite a few Europeans into the 80m log. Everything is still on schedule for Banaba, T33.
22-Oct-1999
The vertical for 80 is up. The 160 vertical will follow next. Antenna setup is only possible in the early morning hours before it gets too hot. A lot of 80m QSOs with Japan and W and also with East Europe (UT till SP) in the morning hours. The antennas are decoupled very well and simultaneous operation on 20, 15, 10 CW/SSB is possible. Still problems to send the logs via Pactor. Some delays can be expected therefore.
20-Oct-1999
First logs arrived and online available. The signals are very, very loud in Europe. RTTY activity started very early (my RTTY country #302). Several problems and delays on the way/flights to Tarawa. One piece of baggage lost. Two earthquakes survived (7.0 und 5.8)!!!
19-Oct-1999
T30CW and T30Y are QRV! Go and and give them a call - that's why they are there. The Logsearch Page is ready now and I am waiting for the first logs to come in. Thanks to BOC Computer Systems (DL6FBL) for providing webspace on their server.
15-Oct-1999
The team is departed from Germany and is on its way to Tarawa, T30! The equipment was upgraded to 8 transceivers and 5 linears. I have installed the Logsearch Page using the G4ZFE Java-Applet. I am working hard to get the logsearch running on another server avoiding Java.
19-Sep-1999
Bernd, DF3CB has taken over the part with the online logsearch. He will bring the logs daily into the net. Thanks Bernd.
Now you can find a table of the preferred frequencies on the Logpage. But please, please remember: We will work split!
30-Jun-1999
We have got two new URLs: http://www.qsl.net/t30cw and http://www.qsl.net/t33cw. On both websites you will find the same information. From the known address http://www.qsl.net/dl2rum an automatic link is provided to the new site. So it is much more easier to remember, then the RUM. :-)))
08-Jun-1999
Today we have got our licences: The following calls were assigned:
We will use T30CW/T33CW for CW- and RTTY operations ;-))
and T30Y/T33Y for the other modes.
10-Apr-1999
A lot of friends asking us to go to T31 instead of T33, even after the great
activity of the OKDXC.
We have checked it again and found out the following: The trip to T31 would
take app. 10 days and the trip back app. 6 days. This is to long and unacceptable
for us. We don`t have this time.
So we are still planing to go to T33 and use our limited time there very
efficient. We are excpecting especially on the low bands and in RTTY big need.
15-Mar-1999
Here are now some further details of our trip:
The crew is now complete. We are 11 persons, including 8 HAMs.
- DJ6TF, Tom + xyl Norma
- DL2NWK, Wolf
- DL2RUM, Tom
- DL7BO, Tom +yl Christiane
- DL7DF, Sigi +xyl Sabine
- DL7UFR, Frank
- DL7VFR, Rudi +xyl DD6UYL, Marianne
All of us have expirience with dx-peditions since 1990, when we have
got the possibility to visit the wide world.
In the last week we have booked the flights. We will leave Germany
on 15-Oct-99 and arrive the island of West Kiribati in the morning of
19-Oct-99. (Localtime T30) . The licence is ordered and it is not a
problem to get it. The callsigns are still not assigned, but we try to
use two calls, one for SSB and one for CW and RTTY.
We will bring four complete stations with PAs in the air. Total we
have six TRCVRs with us. I think, we can run three stations around
the clock and all stations simultanusly in good times.
We have three beams with us, a 5 el. Tribander, a 3 el.
Tribander and a 3 el. for WARC. We hope to get a second
WARC-beam. Further we will take with us two fullsize 1/4
verticals for 80m. It is planed to erect both antennas, and phase it
for better gain. These antennas are also used for 160m. For 40m
and 30m we will use also verticals. We hope to find enough space
on the islands to erect all antennas.
It is not a special low band dx-pedition, but we will do our best and
skeds are welcome. We will work on all bands to give the little
pistols also a good chance for a new one.
Preferences could be to work Europe on all bands; JA and NA on
the low bands.
Also we work in RTTY. It is planed to bring actuell news and the
logs into the internet. Details are not currently known, but Frank,
DL7UFR is working on it.
Aproximately after one week of operation four of us will go to Banaba,
with the half of equipment. The ship for this 2.5 days sailing-turn
is allready booked. We have to take all what we need with us.
(Water, food, fuel, generators, beer, ....). It is planned to be on the
island from 28-Oct-99 until 02-Nov-99.
In Banaba is the guesthouse ordered and also we need a special
permission to visit the island. We will run with two complete stations
with PA and a third Low-Power station for "local" QSOs with JA
and NA.
In the morning of 11-Nov-99 we will depart from Kiribati heading
home.
These are the latest news. A group from OK is announced to go the
same way in the next days. Let`s see what happens.
73 and best dx de Tom, DL2RUM
20-December-1998
Our crew around Sigi, DL7DF is planing the next trip. In Oct./Nov. 1999 we will operate from Tarawa,
T30 for 18
days.
We are five experienced operators and we take four complete stations with us, including four PAs,
two fullsize
1/4 Verticals for 80m and 3 beams for the upper bands.
There is the possibility to activate Banaba, T33. The half of the team with the half of equipment could
operate from
T33 for 5 days. One single trip takes 2.5 days. Therefore it is required to hire a ship for 10 days. There
are no
flights possible. Due to our low budget, donations are very welcome to make the transportation possible.
For further information please contact Sigi, DL7DF.
Address:
Sigi Presch
Wilhelmsm�hlenweg 123
12621 Berlin
Germany
E-mail:
[email protected]