South Georgia Islands on AIR !

VP8STI - South Georgia Islands

Thanks to brave Team of Interpid DX - VP8STI just started! South Georgia Islands - 

8`th Most Wanted DXCC!

Not new DXCC for me as I worked last year VP8DOZ on 17M SSB.

So pressure is lower and it is only fun here!

And I happy now to work them on 15M and 20M both CW!

New bands and new mode!

I hope Team will stay what is planned - 8 days on South Georgia and few more bands will be logged.

South Sandwich VP8STI - I am done!

VP8STI done! South Sandwich Islands worked on 8 bands / all modes.

As mentioned previously no TB antenna at the moment in my QTH

and also at Papa Lima. It will be something to work in the future ;)

Last QSO today on 28Mhz SSB with best opening on that band so far.

UKEI DX Contest 2015 CW

UKEICC - The United Kingdom and Ireland Contest Club

I had pleasure to run UKEI CW DX Contest this weekend for 12h.

258 QSO - 118 Mults - lowe power - 100% CW great fun.

Almost 99% of time I was calling CQ and it was nice to have some pile-ups from time to time.

This was first edition of this contest and I hope it will only gets more popular next years.

South Sandwich on 80!

VP8STI on Thule Island

Antennas

Last night ... yes last night I was waiting at Papa Lima station for about 6 hours through the night to work VP8STI on 80M. I had good Companion with me well known EI Dx`er EI2JD Thos. Unfortunately they didn`t QRV on 80M at their SS about 22:30 UTC ....

First spot on DX Cluster was at about 2:30 in the middle of the night .... 80 SSB ....

oh well ... signal so small ... pile-up so big. No hope. Decided to go home.

Tonight ... I was busy contesting UK/EI ... but I was watching 80M for South Sandwiches :)

Around their SS first CQ ... 3523.5 ...Let`s have some fun! Signal small ... barely readable.

Location covered by building here on my QTH ... it will be hard ...

For about 1h I was watching their pile-up ...

VP8STI - pile up on 80M

Nice and solid. So many BIG stations are calling them.

EI9KC still on stand-by ...

Watching ...

Signal building , but still very little. Much better than on the beginning for sure.

I can read 90% call-signs

When I was on Juan-Fernandez with as 3G0ZC I`ve learnt few pile-ups behaviors ....

One of them was .... big gaps. And this time It worked perfect for me.

Spotted big gap in the pile-up. Big enough to be alone as caller 

EI9KC

Two calls .... and EI9KC 5NN !!! what , what ?

I didn`t believe my ears. Had to repeat my call twice to be sure 100%

as many EI spotted in the pile-up.

EI9KC EI9KC 5NN

R 5NN TU!

Wow! Great DX with my brand new 80M alone Inv V

10M left .... best signal so far yesterday , SWL`ed them few times but signal so small ...

Few days left ....GL!

P.S. What I must say .... CW operators on VP8STI are TOP WORLD CW pile-up Masters!

DL6KVA / K9AJ / W6DR / N4RR / AA7A / K3LP / W5XU

and Dima RA9USU !

VP8STI on 30M

Braveheart DXpedition vesssel

First of all. I love this picture of well know DXpedition vessel Braveheart !

Braveheart is now serving South Sandwich and South Georgia soon.

VP8STI is now QRV on the bands doing great job from South Sandwich Islands.

I was chasing 30M several days without luck. This morning managed QSO on 40M CW

and I was trying 30M active at that time on RTTY. Didn`t make 30 this morning.

Waited till evening for better opening on this band.

When they started it was CW. Signal weak but was rising ... 

Here is video of their best signal on 30M from my location so far

VP8STI calling ASIA on 30M CW

Unfortunately CW operator QSY`ed to 40M ... another Operator continued

30M later this evening but on .... RTTY.

Not big fan of this emission but had no choice when one QSO needed on 30M

signal nice and steady ... I was able to read about 75% of their print.

Enough for QSO ;)

After several attempts .... EI9KC EI9KC 599 EI9KC ....

Thank you so much! 30M sorted!

South Sandwich Islands No 3 Most Wanted !

VP8 logo

Fantastic New One in my log! VP8STI - South Sandwich Islands - No3 World Wide Most Wanted DXCC QRV now thanks to Itnerpid DX!

http://www.intrepid-dx.com/vp8/

I had QSO with them already on 3 bands (17/15/20) Looking for some more. Much easier to work than Palmyra anyway :)

They have great Team there at the bottom of Our World.

Top CW Operators.

After VP8STI they are planning to be active from South Georgia Islands as VP8SGI it will be nice to work them too. Good Luck!

K5P - pile up ....

K5P pile up on 30M CW

Demand for Palmyra is Europe is huge ... this is pile-up on 30M CW this afternoon. 

Little signal in my QTH on 30M not workable must say.

Good news is EU is almost 10% in their log.

Good Luck to everyone!

Repeated QSO with Palmyra K5P on 20M

K5P Palmyra

I had to repeat my QSO on 20M CW tonight with K5P Palmyra as I wasn`t able to find my station in the log. Last night 100% sure I`ve worked them on 20M CW. When log update was done - unfortunately EI9KC - not in log ... well no worries , many days left , opening in our location in the evening is solid and they are calling EU.

This is recording made on 20M CW

EI9KC in the K5P Palmyra`s log

Very happy with that. To be honest it will be hard to get something extra, Maybe 20SSB .... or 17  .... if they will start bit earlier on this band. We in EI might hear them on 17! 

Good Luck.

DX of DX - Palmyra Island in the looooog !!!

Aerial view of Palmyra Atoll

My first experience with Palmyra was 16 years ago when in local radio club in Wroclaw / Poland SP6ZDA our Club Leader SP6NIC was calling this country and he was so excited!

One of the Most difficult location to work from EU, QRV again!

K5P Palmyra Atoll 2016

So far 3 days on air - 12K QSO - 5% with EU !!!

First of all , condition on the bands are not great.

And unfortunately , Team on the Island is using vertical antennas only ....

Arrived early this morning at Papa Lima to give a try. The only band I was able

to hear them was 40M CW. Signal low, very low - skewed patch about 240 deg best signal.

Massive pile-up from Three continents : EU / JA / NA

Operator on the other side didn`t spare any time for EU only at our SR ....Pity

But never give up so quick.

My system was to call them on clear frequency and it was good idea!

After 1.5h battle EI9KC 5NN EI9KC 5NN from Palmyra !!!

My QSO is in the log already. Amazing NEW DXCC - Nr 9 Most Wanted - 2`nd Most Wanted in EU !!! Very happy with that. Moxon at Papa Lima for President!

Great antenna, pleasure to work.

EI9KC Radio happenings ....

I was very busy lately. Maybe too busy ... No enough time for everything including radio ... Start of new year is a good thing to review few subjects and make some New Year Resolutions .... 

Here is small update was has happened lately for EI9KC

1) TX3X QSL card RXed

TX3X Chesterfield Reef 2015 QSL card

2) VK9WA QSL card RXed

VK9WA Willis Island 2015 QSL card

3) 68 QSO made during 80M IRTS winter contest, nice one. It was my 5 time in this contest. 5 years in the row. Always nice to hear some old friends.

4) Tony EI2KC says "I think, I THINK, "think" in quotes, I just worked FT4XU Kerguelen on 20m SSB. But the QSB is extremely severe." To be honest I must say the same. I think I have new DXCC in the log but must wait till next good opening from his direction or wait for log to be uploaded.

FT4XU Nicolas

Great location. Kergulen Island , 17`th position on Most Wanted list by Clublog

5) Antipodes Islands ZL9A - Great location , one of the extreme distance to work from Ireland. Real antipodes. 20K km one way SP or the other LP in my log. Not new DXCC but location counts and for sure NEW IOTA OC-286 Never activated before. SQ8X Stan is there with some others Team Members and I`ve worked him on 20M SSB but he busted my call as SP9KC :)

Had to do second QSO just to be sure on 17M SSB. Both QSOs from EI0PL location. I was trying to copy them on Hexbeam but signal was very weak on first day of their activation.

Here is nice good recording , listening using AK61824 antenna:

6) New antennas installed here. 40/30M on same coax. Nested INV V

INV V 40/30M 1:1 balun

80M is now separate:

INV 80M

No 160M at the moment from my QTH. And 75M (80M SSB) will be hard as

SWR is high ...

7) I`ve got my rig working and receiving JT65. My only favourite digi mode. I`m using my station mostly as a "reporter". SWL stations. If only it is possible I am keeping my rig on on some bands to see what my antennas can hear.

24H JT65 reporter by EI9KC

On the map purple colour is 80M and it was during the night and yellow colour 17M during the day. Few station are not real (green mark) but VP8ALJ from Falklands on 80M is 100% :)

All signals spotted and logged on PSK Automatic Propagation Reporter