XW1HS Lao-Thai Friendship DXpedition

April 10-19, 2002

By Champ - E21EIC,XW1IC <[email protected]>

(translated from Thai by K3ZO and XYL)

The Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic is located in Southeast Asia, CQ Zone 26, ITU Zone 49. In the year 2000 it was ranked number 48 on the list of most difficult ARRL DXCC entities to work, and in the year 2001 it was rated 88th.

Several years ago Thailand was on the list of the most difficult 100 entities to work, but not any more.

There were a number of hams who wished to go on DXpeditions to Laos without success for several reasons:

1) Laos has no ham radio regulations.

2) There were security problems.

3) The procedure for getting operating permission was difficult because two different organizations have overlapping responsibilities in authorizing amateur radio operations, much like the situation in Thailand 35 years ago.

Laos has two club stations which were established about 10 years ago, XW8KPL of the Lao News Agency andd XW8KPV at the Vientiane New Agency. The equipment was donated by well known hams JA1UT, JH1AJT,JA3UB, JA3MNP, HA5PP, HA5WA, and HA5WE but nowadays nobody uses thesestations.

Trip Preparation

We began planning for this DXpedition during our DXpedition to Tarutao Island, E29AL in December 2001. After we returned from Tarutao, Choon E20HHK made contact with Mr. Khamphanh SOUVANNAKHA, XW1FAN, the Chief Technical Officer of the Lao News Agency, in order to try to get operaating permission in Laos. Mr.Khamphanh is an old college buddy of E20HHK's brother.

Operating Permits

Choon, E20HHK, took our documents along with a letter of introduction from the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST) and sent them to Khamphanh. Khamphanh took these documents to Mr. Khamsan, the Director of the Lao Press Agency. Mr. Khamsan in turn took our documents to the Laotian national security officials and after they gave

their approval they sent them on to the Ministry of Culture and the Laotian Posts and Telegraph Department in order to have the relevant licenses issued. Besides this, we also had to get permission from the Laotian Frequency Management Office. The Chief of the Laotian Frequency Management Office is Mr. Inh SIPRACHAN, XW1INH, who had known the late Lt. Chamlong Chuathai, HS1AAM (former Vice President and Secretary of RAST) and Sombat Tarincharoen, HS1BV.

During this three month period E20HHK spent a lot of his time and his own resources to make contact with the officials in question during which he travelled to Laos on several occasions, until finally we got the our individual licenses and the group callsign XW1HS. Those getting individual licenses were Winit, HS1CKC (XW1CKC); Cy, HS0GBI (XW1GBI); Din (YL) HS9EQY (XW1EQY); Ray, HS0/G3NOM (XW1OM), Choon,E20HHK (XW1CW) and Champ, E21EIC (XW1IC). We received permission tooperate all bands, all modes including bands that we are not allowed to use in Thailand such as the WARC bands, 6 meters, 435 MHz and 2.4GHz, including satellite uplink on 435 MHz and downlink on 2.4 GHz...

(Thai hams have fewer VHF and UHF frequencies than other Asian countries such as Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Singapore).In 2000 when we operated at XZ0A we could also use all these same frequencies.

XW1HS Survey

On 8-10 March the team of E20HHK, HS1CKC, HS0GBI, E20NTS and E20RRW went to Laos to survey the station location including determining what equipment would be used on the DXpedition and to meet with senior Laotian officials. During this visit the Thai team presented to these officials copies of the Thai amateur radio regulations, the Thai amateur radio examinations, and some radio equipment. On 9 March the team was able to do some operating using the call XW1HS on the HF bands and HF to 2 meter crossband through HS0XNO for a total of 291 QSOs in 41 countries.

Prior to the DXpedition

Equipment to be used was collected, including some personal equipment of HS1CKC, HS1CHB, HS0GBI, HS0/G3NOM,HS0/G4UAV, HS2CRU, HS2JFW, E21EIC and G6LVB. Two weeks before the trip E20NTS and E21EIC had to get permission to export all of this equipment to Laos -- 4 HF radios and 2 VHF radios -- from the Commercial Department of the Thai PTD. Final permission was received only two or three hours before the start of the trip.

Operators (16)

Choon, XW1CW/E20HHK Winit, XW1CKC/HS1CKC

Cy, XW1GBI/HS0GBI Din (YL), XW1EQY/HS9EQY

Ray, XW1OM -- HS0/G3NOM Champ, XW1IC/E21EIC

Prasit, HS1DN Yanee (YL), HS1LCC

Yod, HS0XNO Mann, E20NTS

Nut, E20RRW Kang, E21SKK

Joe, HS2JFW Eddy, HS0/EA4BKA

Hans, HS0/KA3TDZ Sam, HS0/SM3DYU

Equipment

Kenwood TS-940S Kenwood TS-450S (x2)

Kenwood TS-50S Kenwood TM241EJ (VHF)

Icom IC-275 (VHF) Yaesu FT-790 MK II (UHF)

Power

Output Maximum 100 Watts

Antennas

HF 7-el home brew Yagi for 14/18/21/24/28 MHz

2-el HB9CV for 21, 28 and 50 MHz

7/21 MHz dipole

Wire antennas for 1.8 thru 28 MHz

13 el Yagi for VHF

UHF 16 el Yagi for satellite work

Down converter 2.4 GHz to 144 MHz.

Kantronics Kam-plus modem for RTTY plus WF1B software and MMSSTV software

Logging programs: CT by K1EA and DX4WIN

Travelling

The first team left on 9 April. They travelled in two cars along with all of the equipment. The first team was made up of E20HHK, E20NTS,E20RRW, HS0GBI, HS0XNO and E21EIC. During the trip we were able to monitor 2 meter FM from Khon Kaen and we were able to pick out the CW signal of HS8HXQ/3, a new HF licensee from Chaiyaphum, and contact him. As we travelled we were greeted on 2 meters by lots of hams in Northeast Thailand because they had heard about our DXpedition thanks to publicity put out on the band from HS1MHE in Roi Et, HS1AFN/4 in Mahasarakham, and other hams.

We arrived at the border province of Nong Khai around 4 AM on 10 April. The travellers who hadn't yet gotten their Lao visas in Bangkok could get a three-day visa at the provincial headquarters in Nong Khai which didn't open until 7 AM.

Comfortably in Laos

We had arranged for the rental of a car from Laos to come to pick us up at the border and take us to the Riverview Hotel in Vientiane which was where the station was to be located. We had a chance to meet Mr.Khamphanh (XW1FAN) who we had QSOed on HF from Thailand many times. We had spent all morning getting our equipment out of Thailand and into Laos with customs officials of both countries. At 11:30 AM we left the hotel to meet Ray HS0/G3NOM who flew to Laos ahead of us. After lunch, at around 1 PM, we began the job of putting up the antennas which continued on into the evening. The last antenna to go up was the 13-el VHF Yagi in order to fulfill a sked with E21DKD Pathumthani

on 2 meter FM and SSB. The sked worked fine that evening, the 10th.

XW1HS QRV

The first station to be QSOed was JM1PXG at 0912Z on 15 meter CW and we operated continuously until evening. We had a sked to QSO Thai stations at 1300Z on 40 meters in order to make crossband QSOs to 2 meters for VHF-only Thai hams. HS1CHB in Bangkok, HS2CRU in Chonburi,HS3HDI in Korat, HS1AFN/4, HS5AYO in Lampang, HS1NGR/8 and HS8LR in Chumphon served as the crossband portals for this activity.

On 11 April another team, HS1CKC, HS2JFW and E21SKK arrived in Vientiane. That afternoon we added some more antennas so that we could work through Amateur satellites. The XW1HS team made the first QSOs ever made via Amateur satellite from Laos. We used AO-40. HS2JFW was our satellite guru on this team. We made 151 QSOs in 30 countries vis satellite.

On HF we were able to operate 4 bands simultaneously operating split frequency and the pile-ups were big on all bands at the same time. This proved that Laos is a rare country for hams who are VUCC, DXCC and WAZ awards chasers. Some hams told us that they had been trying for over 35 years to work Laos.

On 12 April HS0GBI, HS0XNO, E21SKK, E20HHK and E20RRW had to return to Bangkok and on 13 April Eddy, HS0/EA4BKA arrived in Vientiane. HS1DN,HS1LCC, HS0/KA3TDZ and HS0/SM3DYU arrived in Vientiane on the 16th.

That afternoon HS1CKC, HS2JFW and E20NTS had to return to Bangkok. The next morning, 17 April, HS9EQY (XW1EQY), the first YL ever to operate from Laos, travelled from Trang Province in South Thailand in order to operate in Vientiane. She arranged to come up with HS0XNO from Bangkok. We had operators on rotating shifts all through this period. The two operators who stayed in Laos through the whole period were Ray, HS0/G3NOM (XW1OM) and Champ, E21EIC (XW1IC).

Propagation

Propagation was very good during the hours of darkness, with the solar flux between 180 and 210, the A index between 4 and 10, and the K index from 2 to 6, which gave us mostly very good conditions. The highest QSO per hour total was 240. We were able to QSO several of our old friends such as Fred K3ZO (HS0ZAR), John W2YR (HS0ZDJ), Bruce AA4XR (HS0ZCY), Charlie K4VUD (HS0ZCW), Dave NT1N, Ann WA1S, Watt JA0DAI, Hide JR5XPG, Tom 9A2AA, David 9V1RH, Chak JT1CO and Tim BV2A.

Besides phone and CW we had 967 RTTY QSOs, 17 SSTV QSOs, 23 QSOs on29.6 MHz FM. The total number of QSOs was 16,200 in 126 countries.

On the morning of 19 April E20HHK arrived back in Vientiane in order to pick up some operators and equipment which he would take back with him. We started packing up that afternoon, leaving only 3 HF stations on the air to be packed up the following morning.

At 8 AM on the 20th only 4 Thais remained on our team who were HS0XNO,HS9EQY, E21EIC and E20HHK who travlled together back to Thailand with all of the remaining equipment. We give special thanks to local ham HS4MRR who gave great assistance to us at the border in Nong Khai and all through the DXpedition.

Special Thanks

The XW1HS Lao-Thai Friendship DXpedition was able to succeed thanks the sacrifices and cooperation of many hams and many organizations,which are the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST), Thailand DX Association (HSDXA)/Thailand Group 1996, Lao News Agency (KPL), Mr Khamphanh SOUVANNAKHA XW1FAN, Mr. Inh SIPRACHANH XW1INH,HS1YL, HS1DN, HS1AFN/4, HS1CHB, HS1CKC, HS1OVH, HS1LCC, HS1MHE, HS1RNW,

HS0ACT, HS0GBI, HS0VSH, HS0/G3NOM, HS0/G4UAV, HS0/KA3TDZ, HS0/EA4BKA,HS0/SM3DYU, HS0ZDP (W3VK), HS2CRU, HS2JFW, HS4MRR, HS8EKR, HS9EQY,E21DKD, E21ZNP, E20HHK, E20MFO, E20NTS, G6LVB, K3ZO (HS0ZAR), W2YR(HS0ZDJ), KC0BVH, N7BKK, KL7IKV.

Final Remarks

This DXpedition is another in the history of efforts by Thai hams to put on International World Class DXpeditions arranged by and operated by Thai hams. We shall surely return to our brother country of Laos again in the future to have another DX operation.

For hams who were able to QSO XW1HS and want a QSL card, please send your QSL with SASE to E21EIC

address

Thailand DX Association (HSDXA)

P. O. Box 1090, Kasetsart University,

Bangkok 10903, THAILAND

You can visit our web page at http://www.rast.or.th/xw1hs