(by Don Field, G3XTT, first published in CDXC Digest)

The Spratly Islands in the South China Sea hold a unique fascination for radio amateurs. Ownership is disputed, with several adjacent countries laying claim to some or all the islands of the archipelago, and two ham radio DXpeditions to the Spratlys have come under gunfire, one with fatal consequences.

In recent years the political situation has clarified a little. To drive out modern-day pirates, who used some of the islands as bases for their nefarious activities, and to establish the legitimacy of their claims, the various surrounding countries have themselves occupied the islands closest to their territory. So although ownership continues to be disputed, a de facto resolution is emerging. The DXCC program now only recognises ham radio operations from the Spratlys which have used a callsign issued by one of the occupying powers, rather than the "self-issued" 1S callsigns which were used in years gone by.

While most of the islands remain uninhabited except for the various occupying military, Malaysia has developed Layang-Layang (formerly known as Swallow Reef) off the coast of Sabah as a dive resort and bird sanctuary. Layang-Layang is a coral atoll, of which only a handful of rocks and two sandbanks used to be above water. The two sandbanks have now been linked to form the resort, and a runway constructed. A small naval detachment also occupies one end of the island. There is excellent accommodation, and a regular air service to the island from Kota Kinabalu on the mainland. Since the resort was built there have been several amateur radio operations from there. The first and biggest was 9M0S in 1993 which made over 36,000 contacts, despite a limitation then in force that they could not use linear amplifiers. Subsequent operations have been lower-key, often by hams who were there mainly for the diving (Layang-Layang is recognised as having some of the best scuba diving in the world).

Nevertheless the Spratlys remained high on "Most Wanted Country" surveys, especially with amateurs on the East Coast of the US, who have a difficult polar path to that part of the world. In 1995 Steve G4JVG became fired with the idea of mounting a large-scale DXpedition to Layang-Layang which would take enough equipment and antennas to be able to lay down good signals on all bands and into all areas. Others were quickly co-opted into the team; Tony G0OPB, Neville G3NUG, Don G3OZF, John G3WGV and myself. Donald 9M6SU, was also an early recruit, to be our link-man on the ground in Sabah. Later we brought in Vince K5VT, Ray G3NOM, Mike G3SED, John G4DQW, Jeff 9H1EL, and Kazuo JA1RJU.

We quickly decided that, to make a major impact in the specialist areas (low bands, WARC bands, RTTY, 6m) as well as satisfying basic demand for Spratly, we would need to run at least four stations round the clock, limited only by band openings. We would also need substantial amounts of aluminium, to achieve strong signals across the globe.

We could not rely on 10 or 12 metres being open, so our choice of high-band antennas was based on being able to operate on any of the bands, with 20m being a basic run-band on which we would try to have a signal whenever the band was open, but with the flexibility to run two signals (one on CW or RTTY, one on SSB) on 20, 15 or 10 during significant band openings, especially to the US.

We set a QSO target of 40,000, which we thought would get us beyond contacts with the bigger stations (those with beams and linears) and really start to make inroads into the demand from less well-equipped HF operators worldwide. With this QSO target, computer logging would be essential, and would also ease the job of the DXpedition’s QSL manager, a task for which Phil Whitchurch G3SWH proved to be a willing volunteer, with Bob Treacher BRS32525 agreeing to take on QSLing listener cards.

Having set ourselves these targets and agreed an expedition motto "to reach those parts that other Spratly DXpeditions have not reached", it was clear we had a major exercise in logistics on our hands. It was time to divide up the work, and to start looking for some external help.

Yaesu agreed to make available four high-power HF stations, each consisting of an FT-1000MP and the newly-released VL-1000 linear amplifier, as well as two FT-920s, one of which would primarily be for 6m use, and the second as a general-purpose back-up.

Cushcraft, through their UK importer Nevada, provided a 3-element 20m Yagi, two A3S HF tribanders, one with an extended driven element for use on 40 metres, an A3WS tribander for 30, 17 and 12 metres and a 6-element Yagi for 6m. On 40 and 80 metres we would use four-square arrays based on vertical radiators from Gladiator of the US. We had also been offered the loan of a "Battle Creek Special" (BCS). This is basically a trapped inverted-L which is built very substantially and for idiot-proof assembly, specifically for loan to DXpeditions. The BCS programme is run and financed by a group of low-band enthusiasts from Battle Creek, Michigan, who do so in order to encourage expeditions to focus on 160, 80 and 40m operation.

Yaesu also provided UHF handhelds and Timewave AEA provided TNCs in order that we could link the stations by packet radio, to be able to back-up the logs to a central server in real time and to provide communications between the stations. Along with computer interface to the radio, this meant, for example, that at any operating position there would always be information about who the operator was at other stations and on which frequency he was operating.

Martin Lynch & Son (one of the UK’s leading amateur radio dealers) helped us with a vast quantity of ancillary equipment including, for example, a lot of the co-axial cable (We ended up taking 2km of coaxial cable, all but 100m of which ended up being used! Tony G0OPB had to solder over 150 connectors!) Dunestar of the US kindly agreed to loan us three complete sets of filters to minimise inter-station interference. Other corporate sponsors included CQ Ham Radio Magazine (Japan), Radio Active Publications (UK), 59(9) Report of the US, Camel (who loaned us a satellite phone to permit links to the Internet while on the island), Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board (QSL cards), Layang-Layang Resort, and the Sabah Tourism Promotion Corporation. We also received many donations from DX Associations, Clubs and Foundations, as well as from a number of generous individuals, all of which we acknowledge with thanks.

The crates of heavy equipment (1.5 tonnes in all) were sent by sea, and trans-shipped to Layang-Layang (which is about 150 miles off the Sabah coast) by trawler, accompanied by four intrepid 9M6 amateurs, all of whom fell victim to the heavy seas. However, they did achieve one notable "first" by working back to Sabah on 2 metres through the repeater high on Mount Kinabalu.

We intended to be on the air for two full weekends, to give as many people as possible the opportunity to work us. G3NOM and G3OZF flew out to Layang-Layang a day before the rest of the team, and surveyed the site for best location of antennas, etc. We were able to speak with them from the mainland, thanks to Phil 9M6CT (ex-VS6CT), before attending a welcome dinner hosted by the Sabah and Borneo radio clubs.

After a 70 minute flight the following day by Twin Otter, we received a warm welcome on Layang-Layang by resort managers Steve and Coralee Stewart, two outgoing Australians who did everything they could to make our operation a success. First priorities were the four-square antennas for 40 and 80, as we knew these would take the most time to set up and adjust. All in all, station assembly took two days, and we had agreed at an early stage that we wanted to get as much done as possible before actually taking to the bands. As well as the antennas described above, we had added a Titanex vertical for 160, 80 and 40, a pair of phased verticals for 30m (made from modified CB whips), and a 2m Yagi (to work back to the mainland via the Mt.Kinabalu repeater). The Titanex is a formidable beast. 26m high, it is made of light titanium alloy, and can be erected by two people. 9M6SU had also brought along several bamboo poles, up to 13m long, which he had cut from the jungle and which we pressed into service for supporting wire antennas such as a low 160m dipole for receiving purposes. We left these poles on the island after our departure for possible future use by visiting hams.

Our antenna farm was quite a sight when complete, with the main antennas lined up along the shoreline just feet from the sea. The 80m four-square, which took up the most space, was at the far side of the aircraft apron, some 300 metres from the "shack" (actually a large conference room in which we set up all six stations).

After dinner on the Wednesday evening we sat down for a final conference to agree operating schedules for Day 1. Finally, around 11:30 pm local time (1530 GMT) all the preparatory work came to fruition when G4JVG made the first "official" QSO - K5DV on 20m (the advance party had already made a few QSOs under the 9M0C call). The world must have been waiting, because in the first 24 hours we made 8,000 QSOs! It didn’t take long to realise that when 6m was closed its operating position and the backup station could also be pressed into use on the HF bands, albeit at low power, and we frequently found ourselves operating on six bands simultaneously. We could only imagine what impact this was having in our target areas - at one time during the first evening, for example, we were working into Europe on 160, 80, 40 and 30 metres, while working the US on 20 metres. The PacketClusters must have been buzzing with activity.

By Sunday evening, after just four days of operation, we had 29,000 QSOs in the log. There were always two or three bands open, and around dawn and dusk we often found all nine HF bands open simultaneously and had to decide on priorities.

The big disappointment early on was the high noise level on 160m. This wasn’t just a matter of static crashes, but continuous static above S9, which made it difficult to copy all but the loudest signals. This was especially frustrating because early reports indicated that we were being heard very well indeed, both in Europe and across the US.

One of the lessons we had taken to heart from previous big DXpeditions was the need for interaction with the amateur population at large. This helps hams around the world to feel a part of what is happening, and permits the DXpedition team to be aware of what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong (for example, by missing important band openings). Accordingly, we appointed "pilots" to perform the liaison role. Yoichi JP1NWZ took on the job for Asia, Don N1DG for the Americas, and Martin G3ZAY for Europe and Africa, as well as being "chief pilot" with responsibility for updating our Web pages as the expedition progressed. The role of the pilots was extremely valuable. We quickly fell into a routine of holding a short team meeting once a day, where we reviewed their feedback and adjusted our operating schedule accordingly. We were also able to use the pilots to disseminate information, for example about when we proposed to operate RTTY.

We used the satellite link to upload logs and photographs to the Internet on a daily basis, with Don N1DG and Richard G4ZFE operating log servers. John G4PDQ provided a similar service for PacketCluster users. This enabled hams to check within 24 hours or so of a contact that they were indeed in the log, and by the time we closed down the servers had recorded well over 20,000 "hits".

Life quickly started to revolve around eating, sleeping, antenna and station work, and operating. We worked thousands of German stations, with DK2WH being the first into the log, on 20 metres just a few minutes after we started. Particular congratulations are due to the following, who made it into the 9M0C log on all nine HF bands: DF3CB DF3GY DJ2BW DJ4XA DJ6RX DJ7MI DJ8QP DJ9KG DK3GG DK3RA DK5PR DK6WL DK8YY DK0EE DL1AUZ DL2HWA DL3BUM DL3OI DL3XM DL4CF DL4MDO DL4MT DL5ANT DL5MX DL5NDH DL5RBW DL6EN DL7CM DL7HU DL7HZ DL7PR DL7RAG DL7UDO DL8VL DL0WW.

In the event, although there will inevitably be those who were disappointed, we can reasonably claim to have met our expedition goals. Our 160m tally was over 1100 contacts in 58 countries, which included 99 German stations. This was largely thanks to a drop in the static levels on the last couple of nights, when it became apparent that, static excepted, Layang-Layang was a very quiet location, with natural background noise not even registering on the S meter. On RTTY we ended with 2075 QSOs, putting us ahead of any previous similar DXpedition, so far as we can tell. On 6m we exploited every opening, and ended with 389 QSOs, exclusively in Japan and Hong Kong. Our WARC-band totals were equally imposing, and we were particularly surprised to find the pile-ups on 30m never-ending, with almost six thousand QSOs. Our overall QSO tally of 65,558 puts 9M0C at fourth all-time, after VK0IR, 4J1FS and ZA1A. Naturally, at the 50k and 60k mark we paused briefly for a celebratory bottle of Champagne and photo-call.

It is worth saying that throughout 12 days of continuous operation, making more contacts than many amateurs would make in a lifetime, all our equipment performed flawlessly, and we were particularly impressed with the Yaesu VL-1000 amplifiers which are so well integrated with the FT-1000MP as to be practically "invisible" to the operator. Our only mishaps of any note were the demise of a couple of filters when tired operators changed bands without remembering to change the filters. As for the antennas, the Cushcraft beams were easy to assemble, well made and performed flawlessly. In the mornings all the Yagis would be beaming at Japan and North America. This was an awesome sight indeed, particularly as they were all in line and within 10 feet of the sea. There must have been a huge amount of RF going in that direction! In the evenings we turned them all towards Europe, another wonderful sight as the tropical sunset highlighted the mass of aluminium. Equally, the LF antennas were a dream, with the all-round sea-water take-off obviously helping those low angles.

One particular highlight on the first Sunday was the arrival of the Sunday edition of the Sabah Daily Express. The colour supplement featured a cover photograph of the team erecting one of the antennas, and inside there was a full page regarding our operation. This level of local interest continued, with the Minister for Tourism attending a press conference after our return to the mainland. We were also welcomed back with a dinner hosted by the Sabah Tourist Development Corporation. Of course, taking down all the antennas and closing the station was a source of regret, but our timing was impeccable as the resort was down to its last few cans of beer!

Several of us wanted to air our indivdual 9M6 callsigns from Sabah before returning home, so we headed for Hillview Gardens Resort at Keningau, owned and run by Doris and Alfons Udans, 9M6DU and 9M6MU. A station and antennas are available for use by visiting hams and we spent a couple of pleasant days recuperating and playing radio before returning home.

Corporate Amateur (10)

AEA Timewave

CQ Ham Radio Magazine

Cushcraft Antennas

Dunestar

Gladiator Verticals

Martin Lynch and Son

Nevada Communications

Radio Active Publications

The 59(9) DX Report

Yaesu

Corporate Non-Amateur (6)

Camel

Layang Layang Resort

Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board

NCT Forwarding & Shipping Sdn. Bhd.

Sabah Boys' Brigade

Sabah Tourism Promotion Corporation

DX Associations, Clubs & Foundations (23)

Arkansas DX Association

Battle Creek DX Group

CDXC, The UK DX Foundation

Central Arizona DX Association

Clipperton DX Club

Danish DX Group

Dateline DX Association

Eastern Arizona DX Club

Eastern Iowa DX Association

EuDXF

German DX Foundation

GACW Argentina

GM DX Group

INDEXA

LA-DX-Group

NCDXF

Northern Ohio DX Association

OK DX Foundation (Czech Republic)

Oklahoma DX Association

RSGB Expedition Fund

SE Michigan DX Association

Stockport Radio Society, UK

Virginia DX Century Club

Individuals (15)

G0WAZ

G2FNK

G3JNB

G3OFW

G3PEM

G3PMR

G4JMB

G4VJM/M

GW4VEQ

JH1AJT

JH1UUT

K4QD

NI6T

VK5WO

XE1CI

Team Members on Pulau Layang Layang (13)

9H1EL Jeff

9M6SU Donald

G0OPB Tony

G3NOM Ray

G3NUG Neville

G3OZF Don

G3SED Mike

G3WGV John

G3XTT Don

G4DQW John

G4JVG Steve

JA1RJU Kazu

K5VT Vince

Team Members off site (7)

BRS32525 Bob - SWL QSL Manager

G3SWH Phil - QSL Manager

G3ZAY Martin - Chief Pilot, EU Pilot and Web Master

G4PDQ John - EU PacketCluster Server

G4ZFE Richard - EU QSO Server

JP1NWZ Yoichi - JA Pilot

N1DG Don - NA Pilot and NA QSO Server