„Contest expedition“ to Martinique by DL3GA

Several months ago, I decided to go for a little DX adventure again.
After some attempts that didn't work, this one was designed as a one-man trip without dependencies with other hams. Available vacation was only a week and a half.
I picked the rent-a-shack of FM5BH. After some mails back and forth, the WAG contest was selected, plus a few days before and after.
Later it turned out that the first activity on the rearranged DX entities of the Netherlands Antilles would occur during my stay.

___Wednesday, 13 Oct 2010

The flights from Strasbourg via Orly to Martinique are smooth and quiet. On the transatlantic flight, the lady on the seat in front of me is coughing heavily. Not good...
After finding out that my old cell phone doesn't work in Martinique, I recognize Laurent, FM5BH, at the arrival gate. A few minutes later, we arrive at his house in Ducos and I see his impressive antenna farm for the first time.
I settle in the bedroom next to the shack. Laurent explains that it is exclusively for ham guests, four to five times per year. Otherwise it is unused. I had found little information about his station, but I was prepared for a FT-1000 MP. It is there but it has a technical problem. Instead, I get a quick introduction to the FT-1000 MP MarkV. Laurent arranged for a special callsign TO3GA, and I start airing it before I finally get to sleep.

___Thursday, 14 Oct 2010

Still jet-lagish, I dive into activity. The two days before the weekend are reserved to get familiar with the station equipment and add my own items where needed. The station is dedicated to contest, so there are no antennas for WARC bands. A pity, as this would have been a nice playground before the contest. But the combination of multi-element antennas from 10 to 40m plus sufficient power is fun. I don't need many CQs to attract callers.

___Friday, 15 Oct 2010

In the morning, I feel a little tickle in the lungs. I decide that it might be a good idea to do SSB now. And I am overwhelmed again by the interest in me. Hey, this is not one of the new DXCC entities !?!? In the evening, my coughing gets serious.

___Saturday, 16 Oct 2010

The night is bad, I almost got no sleep. I feel bad due to fever. In the morning, I go upstairs to ask Laurent for his opinion - see a doctor or not ? The contest starts at 11.00 local time. He takes me to the doctor who is in the same building as the nearby supermarket. He measures 38.3 deg C fever. I leave with a prescription for Antibiotics and other nice stuff against angina... It fires me up so I can work the contest without feeling too bad. However, the coughing doesn't get better.
I should work only DLs in the contest, but others are calling in from time to time. I give them 599 and log them on my notebook computer. Explaining that they should not call me now would be rather difficult in CW. Some even give me a serial number... 40m works really fine in the afternoon and 67 QSOs happen on 80m - I answer to many CQs and later I can run a frequency for a while.

___Sunday, 17 Oct 2010

For a few hours this morning, there is no propagation to DL on any band. I use it to catch some sleep. After getting up, I resume on 20m and later I check 15m earlier than the predicted opening. It's open already and brings me many new multipliers. I check 10m every now and then, but there is only some sporadic E, not a beep from Europe. In the end, I finish with at least 20 multipliers on each band; 25 are possible.
750 QSOs is a little higher than my CN2GA participation back in 1996. About 200 QSOs with non-DLs were made in between.

___Monday, 18 Oct 2010

After a little bit of pile-up in the morning, Laurent takes me on a trip through the southern part of Martinique. Small, quiet tourist places are connected by small roads in the green hills. If you need a serious break from your stressy job, here you find rest. But the top spot is definitely the southern end of the island. The beaches are just beautiful and almost empty today. The highlight is a big sea turtle that crosses our way only a few meters ahead and disappears in the ocean two minutes later.
This evening, we visit Lucien, FM5WD. He is REALLY dedicated to ham radio. A large part of his equipment is self made, including a 25m 4-element telescopic steel tower. The crank-up motor is broken and Lucien is replacing it with a new, stronger unit (however, not self made).

___Tuesday, 19 Oct 2010

I'm still on medication and I feel the fever coming back if I don't take the next pill in time. The tonsils and nose are also affected now. Swallowing aches and I'm still coughing badly. My voice sounds low and hoarse, no chance for SSB. But the CW pileups are still thrilling. In the evening on 40m, I run a little experiment. As soon as I see that I am spotted on the DX cluster, I QSY immediately. Empty frequencies are easy to find and with the strong signal it never takes long until callers find me. This could be a good way to avoid deliberate QRM, but probably not usable for expeditions to rarer places.
This evening, I start packing my suitcase.

___Wednesday, 20 Oct 2010

Another effort to work JA in the morning, a final walk to the supermarket. And some more pileup from EU this morning.
My coughing is much better today, no wonder as the end of my stay is near. I have an appointment with Lucien, FM5WD, for lunch local style. Back at Laurents home, I finish packing and take some pictures of Laurent and his family. He takes me to the airport in time (it's only a few minutes by car) and we say good-bye.
The flight home is smooth at dinner time, but quite shaky at sleep time. So I can't find any sleep... In the row behind me, a young lady is coughing badly. This time I'm not really concerned, I'm over it.

___Thursday, 21 Oct 2010

The temperatures are only slightly above the freezing point this morning in Paris. My connecting flight starts on time and not much later I sit in my car on the way home. It's still cool but sunny. After getting home, I won't lose much time, get to the radio station and work those new DXCCs of the Netherlands Antilles. Sleeping will have to wait...

Many thanks to Laurent, FM5BH, and his family for their great support and hospitality!