MX0LDG EU-011 QRT many thanks to all that called in.
Left to right John M5JON, Rob MW0RLJ, Pete M0ILT & Ant MWØJZE.
Archive - October 2014
Each year United Radio QSL Bureau dispatches bureau cards to all World IARU Bureaus every three months, the recent dispatch this week was our third one in 2014 so it is time to give you our report for the year.
In 2014 I have once again worked with Charles, M0OXO in our bureau posting, this helps us both keep down our outgoing expenses. 31,260 bureau QSL cards have been dispatched this year. All our packages are sent using online business account with Royal Mail, we use several products on the account to best suit the size and weight of the item. All of the packages are sent by Business Mail Priority so that we can be sure that they reach their destination as fast as possible and at a cost that is the most competitve in the industry.
It is very important to remember that bureau cards are NOT free, it actually costs us a considerable amount of money every year which has to be financed by the work that we do here, that is why direct cards cost $2, that is why i do not accept stamps.
The RSGB are in the process of doing a “Bureau Review” in which we have been asked to pay more for the incoming bureau service that we have from the RSGB Bureau. At this stage we are still waiting to hear from the RSGB as to how much this is going to cost. So this is a good time to remind you that for ALL DXpeditions you should NOT send incoming bureau cards to us as they are not required, they cost us money to receive them. You must always use OQRS to request your DXpediton IOTA & DXCC bureau cards. This will save us a considerable amount of money and time, and you will get your bureau cards very quickly.
Thank you to all the bureau staff at the IARU bureaus, we value your work very much. There are some that are giving outstanding service, notably the Venezuealan bureau where members informed us that cards had arrived in just 24 days after we had posted them. Thank you.
Using OQRS for direct QSL cards is the fastest and best way to request your QSL cards and this will help us fund our outgoing bureau for the future. Any donations are most welcome of course… Thank you.
MX0LDG IOTA DXpedition to Isles of Scilly EU-011 this week are using the new 7 Band Broadband Hexbeam by MW0JZE Anthony.
The 7 band Hexbeam includes a 40m dipole element. The team will be using this antenna on 40m so please listen for them and work them from wherever you are in the World, Anthony would very much appreciate genuine signal reports on this band.
You can read more about the MW0JZE 7 Band Hexbeam 40m – 6m by clicking on the link.
The team very much look forward to working you all on Isles of Scilly, St Mary’s Island.
The team have no internet so logs will be uploaded after the DXpediton.
QSL Via M0URX Direct & (Bureau OQRS only). Please do not send us any bureau cards for this activity.
MX0LDG will be QRV from the Isles of Scilly EU-011. We will be operating from the main island of St Mary’s.
Dates: 15th October 2014 to 22nd October 2014
Operators: John M5JON Pete M0ILT Ant MW0JZE and Rob MW0RLJ
We plan to have 3 stations on air. In the main it will be SSB.
Equipment
x1 Elecraft K3 With KPA500 Amp
x1 Kenwood TS570 With Expert 1K FA Amp
X1 rig (TBC) With Expert 1K FA Amp
X1 Kenwood TS480 (200w) for CW and Digi Ops
Antennas
All antennas are once agian supplied by Ant MW0JZE
x2 G3TXQ Hex Beams x1 40m vertial x1 Windom 80m
QSL Via M0URX – For Bureau Requests please ONLY use OQRS to request your Bureau QSL.
Please do NOT send any incoming Bureau cards they will not be collected.
The HF9V finally arrived in good shape and was put together in the scorching sun. Well worth the effort as it out performs my wire jumble on all bands. On those bands where the jumble is a good match to the coax it’s around 6dB up and where I rely upon the ATU to flatten the feed-line it’s up as much as 10dB in some cases. This would appear consistent with performance claims for vertical antennas at sea edge.
New challenges arise every day and power cuts are among them. It’s just like in Cyprus where without notice all power can be lost. Fortunately there is a generator back-up so I can usually be on air again in about 5 minutes.
Lest the thought may have been entertained in anyone’s mind, I can attest to the existence of Dili belly. Good runs are currently punctuated with barely adequate notice, by bad.
Looking through spots on DX summit I see I have taken a few bullets from the deserving for going QRT without explanation. Ah well. If anyone can explain how I might advise the pile of an unscheduled power cut before it happens, I will be most appreciative. Dili belly presents a similar challenge providing as it does absolutely no time for chit chat before urgent evacuation takes place. So far I have managed to evacuate the tent before any other evacuation gets underway. A situation I am concentrating hard to maintain. It is difficult to convey the subtleties of my situation to the baying hoards. Many of them are anyway too busy endlessly sending their own call to notice.
QSL cards have been posted to all World Bureaus today, Tuesday 14th October 2014.
This mailing is a joint mailing between M0OXO Charles and M0URX Tim
I would very much appreciate feedback from you when the QSL cards start arriving at World Bureaus.
Total amount of QSL cards 11,993
Total Weight 48460 g
Total Cost £241.40
per kg £4.97
Average postage cost 2p per QSL card.
It gets busy around here at weekends. A bunch of young folks pitched right along side me yesterday afternoon. They found my antennas useful facilities on which to hang their bathing suits for drying. It’s as well they could only reach the polypropylene support cords and not the hot end of the dipoles. Come 7pm local they stoked up the BBQ and on went the ghetto blaster (do they have ghetto blasters these days?). More likely some Bluetooth Boombox. Anyway it was boom, boom, boom consistently thereafter. Loud enough to drown out the noise from the waves crashing against the sea wall, which had hitherto been my main source of audible interference. At the same time they apparently managed to connect their assorted electrical junk to the power supply creating an S9 rasping noise across the whole of 80m. So much for my plan to try to work into the US on there.
These kids know how to party. Their Boombox didn’ ;t fall silent until 6am this morning. I assume the batteries went flat. Blow me but they were up and about again at 8am and the party goes on as I write. My fingers are crossed they will need to leave later today, to be back to Dili for whatever calls for their attention on a Monday morning. I’m certainly hoping they aren’t still here overnight tonight with their sundry electrical trash creating mayhem across 80m and their boombox denting my eardrums.
DX-peditioning has its challenges. Read More
Heavy seas have put paid to tonight’s plans. The improved sea anchor is still no match for the forces of nature. Torn free once again but this time the antennas have also been ripped clean off the mast.
Plan B will be invoked tomorrow. This will aim to remove reliance on the sea anchor. You know what Albert said about folks who keep doing the same thing but expecting a different result.
Much as I would love to continue to paddle in the treacle that is the European pile, I will have to make do with wine and song for the rest of tonight.
The life of a solo DX-peditioner can be tough. 73 Bob 4W/G3ZEM
It may be helpful to alert DX’ers that Ukraine has suspended post to Crimea and the City of Sevastopol post codes 95000 – 99999 are affected. Mail is being returned endorsed “UPU IB Circular No 71” The UPU explanation for this is below.
The world’s postal administrations have been advised that they should no longer dispatch international mail addressed to the Crimea region via Ukrainian Post.
The Universal Postal Union passed on a message from the national postal service of the Ukraine last week confirming that it has difficulties delivering postal items to locations in the Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
The guidance comes following the annexation of the territory by Russia in the wake of a local referendum described by the United Nations as “invalid”.
The UPU confirmed that it passed on the message to all its members, the postal administrations of 192 countries, stating that they should suspend dispatch of international postal items addressed to the Ukrainian postal codes 95000-99999.
The UPU said Ukrainian Post would inform global postal operators about the resumption of deliveries “as soon as the situation changes”.
According to the UPU, Ukraine received about 20m letters and more than 2.5m parcels from abroad in 2012.
Commenting on the situation, UPU director general Bishar A Hussein said he hoped the parties involved would soon find an operational solution.
UPDATE – I am now aware that mail to the affected posted codes 95000 – 99999 has been re-assigned an extra digit on the code and is handled Via Russian Federation.
As you likely know my antenna elected not to travel with me due to some “machine problem” in Doha. Travelling independently it arrived Singapore last night and will be shipped to Dili on tomorrow’s flight.
Fortunately I have fallen on my feet here. My Australian hosts and their Timorese staff are amazing. Having received VIP treatment at the airport I was taken shopping for wire and coax to facilitate jury rigging a temporary antenna. Dili is no place to shop for this kind of stuff but despite this within less than an hour of arrival I had managed to purchase 100m of PVC covered antenna wire and a 20m length of 50R coax. However the cost however was enough to make my e yes water. When only one place in town has what you need they can take your money through your nose While I was shopping for wire my host located a 10m bamboo and had it delivered to site. What service. My team of Timorese pole erectters and antenna riggers did fantastic work once I had figured out the required wire lengths.
The antennas for 17/30m were rigged just as it got dark last night but the 30m anchor fell prey to the night tide. Repair work will be underway shortly when the tide falls back. The location is amazing with my bamboo antenna support only around 1m from the sea when the tide is in and around 10m when it’s out.
Signals on 17m early evening Timor time were amazing. Pleased to already have a bunch of Gs and CDXC members in the log. I plan to flip between 17/30m until the HF9V arrive s as re-rigging the bamboo pole could cause me to use all my expensive wire in a hurry. I am here until 21 Oct so plenty of time to get on the other bands.
Although the HF9V works pretty well on 80m an inverted L on the bamboo pole may give some advantage. An option for later.
Thanks for the Qs so far. Hope to see you on multiple bands. Bob 4W/G3ZEM