PRESS RELEASE #10

New 30 meter tx qrg: 10106
New 160 mtr tx qrg: 1826.5

Even though the solar flux is around 120, the team is astonished by the massive pileups. The CW members of the team are working over 200 per hour on a regular basis. Hundreds of stations are in the log on all the bands. We put up a second 80M vertical today so that we can run 40M, 80M and 160M at the same time. We have a few technical problems with co-station interference with our SSB setup and are trying to correct that. The CW setup hums! Walking into the shack and looking at the CT screens hour by hour is amazing as the totals grow alarmingly. At this time, after 2 ½ days operations we have over 20,000 QSOs in the log. One objective of this Dxpedition was to give everyone, in every country that elusive “new one” The 100W trap vertical stations seem to be able to work us as easily as the big guns. We try to work everyone on an equal basis and are enjoying the great feedback from our pilots.

We must pay tribute to our pilots and web master and our New Zealand based pilot who works with one of our team members, Wilbert - ZL2BSJ so that we can get E-Mails from our families on a regular basis. Being out in the middle of nowhere means that we have lost touch with what’s going on in the rest of the world. No TV or Newspapers here!

The twenty meter Cushcraft Yagi was lowered for minor adjustments today and the 10M 5el Cushcraft was resited a little further away from the other antennas. The Yaesu FT1000MPs, FT920s and IOTA FT900s are great to operate and handle the pileups well. Our 6M beacon was heard in VK today and the first 6M QSO took place with VK2DN operates continually every day listening for answers on 50.110 mHz. As the solar flux picks up next week, we hope to make the first QSO to the USA or JA.

The team was informed this morning by the ARRL that we are the recipients of the Colvin Award grant for 1999. We are understandably extremely pleased at receiving this award, as we are trying to carry on Dxpeditioning at it’s best in the tradition of Lloyd and Iris Colvin who gave so much to the amateur community in the many years they travelled the world and gave out “new ones” Our thanks to the ARRL and the members of the amateur community for supporting this Dxpedition.

73 from the Team

Lee ZL2AL - Logistics and Planning