Welcome to my homepage from one of the more remote Islands in the world. Ascension is 5 miles by 8 miles in area with nothing but a couple of thousand miles of empty ocean surrounding us (except for ZD7/9 of course!)

When time permits which isn't often I'm usually operational on HF digimodes (MFSK,PSK,Hell) and increasingly since late November 2001 on 6m CW also for a half hour or so a few evenings each week (See here for current 6m log) If you wonder why I operate 99% CW its simple - my shack is shared with the XYL's living room and I'd get a rather severe earbashing if I disturbed her evening dose of TV viewing shouting CQ into the mike!

The station consists of an FT847 feeding a half size G5RV for HF and a manually rotated 3 ele Cushcraft for 6m.

A homebrew 435/144 yagi for Sat work has just been completed and will work through AO10 at a pinch when it's not too far away! With rather a lot of empty ocean to talk to though most qso's are at the extremes of a typical satellite footprint however. I'm probably one of the few people that can have UO14 all to myself when its overhead though!

QSL Info: Either via buro to my UK call (G4RSD), via EQSL.CC  or direct to:

David Bones

c/o BBC Atlantic Relay Station

Ascension Island

South Atlantic Ocean

ASCN 1ZZ

Here is my 'antennas eye view' of the Island (the 6m beam is only 8' agl but 1000' asl!) The far left is due north with a good sea take off all the way around to approx ENE at the right. Unfortunately most other bearings (apart from  due west) are blocked by numerous small volcanoes as can be seen on my QSL Card which depicts the QTH location on the extreme left.

This is a preview of my current QSL card    (The ZD8VHF beacon is located at the top of the mountain - in the clouds here!)

and these are the reasons I don't have all the time in the world for playing with radios!! - far from it in fact

    3 kids, Charlotte, Jeremy and Annie.        The bike (Ascension has a fantastic climate for motorcycling!)

If you would like to know more about this remote, crime free tropical Island then visit the link below:

Ascension Island Links

73's

David Bones

email [email protected]