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!
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.
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% :)
Next weekend biggest contest in 2015 for me. CQWW CW
I will be a member of EI1Y this year.
I had good opportunity to visit EI0PL and check condition on the bands , what to expect from where , etc. It was also pleasure to chase some DX!
1) VK9WA Willis Island ....
VK9WA
Already in the log on few bands but it will be good time to try some more. Plan was to get 20/40 in the log and maybe ... maybe 10.
20M was tricky SSB QSO on noise level not sure 100% if went OK.
Had moment to make sure that 20M will be logged on RTTY later on. Narrow split 1-3 makes it hard to work.
10M CW was open for a short period via SP and later via LP but no luck at all. Today for example not a peep on 28Mhz
40M - Moxon was winded down because of high winds so it wasn`t good to use. Yesterday was first day when could go higher to work some DX. And .... did Willis at 3PM during daylight with lovely 5/9 , VK9WA was stronger than DQRM from EU. Here is a video how strong they were in EI shortly after my QSO
VK9WA on 40M daylight in EI
80M! Yes 80M! It was absolutely amazing what happened! Left radio on their QRG , switched RX to JAPANESE beverage and went doing some other things in the shack. Then received 5NN , what ?
It is Willis on 80! Wow ... it was hard on the beginning. Bang on on our sunset which is 16:20 at the moment. Great signal was getting even stronger. First QSO done but wasn`t sure if went 100% .30 minutes later much stronger signal and few callers and EI9KC , EI9KC 5NN on 80M sorted!
Here is how beautiful , clear their signal was on 80M yesterday. RX on beverage. Also what I must say was.... discipline! I was able to hear them on 3524 for about 3h and station wasn`t spotted on DX Cluster! Some great DXers were calling him and went into their log. This is difficult path for EI on low bands so more than happy to have Willis on 80.
2) 9G5XA Ghana
9G5XA Ghana
Ghana is very rare DXCC from Africa in my log and 9G5XA Alan (G3XAQ) is now active from this country. The thing is ... to log him on the bands you have to be QUICK. For same reasons when Alan is spotted very goes QRT soon. I was chasing him on the bands and happy to have 15M in the log as new DXCC on this bands and 20M and 17M when QSL from Ghana is still needed. I had QSO with Alan from Ghana in 2011 on 28Mhz confirmed via LoTW so fingers crossed that this time his QSL Manager G3SWH will use LoTW again.
3) S79C new IOTA from Africa AF-119
Coetivy Island AF-119 was announced as a NEW IOTA in July 2014, during the 50th Anniversary IOTA Convention in Windsor, England. (info from their website) and one of the Best DXers in EI , Dave EI9FBB is leading DXpedition S79C to activate this IOTA for the first time.
Had pleasure to make few QSOs with them, top DXers on the AF-119
S79C -EA3NT - 21Mhz SSB
S79C - SP5APW - 18Mhz SSB
And here is Dave EI9FBB on 28Mhz SSB
Thank you for this IOTA! It will be hard to hear this Island anytime soon.
BTW I have nice souvenir from Dave which is in use every day:
S79C AF-119 souvenir
4) JAPAN on TOP BAND !!!!
Yes , I did it , finally :) K index 0. Bands clear and very "sharp"
JA SR at 21:33 our time
SWL few JAs on 80M, decied to give a try on TB. 160M is a tricky one and good experience is need to get 100 DXCC in the log. Good RX antennas is a must.
Started calling CQ on JA portion of the band and after few CQ DX I was spotted on DX Cluster by RW3XW. Thank you Igor for that , appreciate very much because just after his spot lovely JA signal came back after my DX PSE K
JA7NI - Kunikazu from Akita in Japan gave me a call. Lovely 559 confirmed and logged my first Japan on Top Band.
I was able to log two more stations from Japan that night:
JA4LKB Shigeru
and
JH4AAG Yuichi
It was great day at EI0PL , great warming up to chase some MULTS during CQWW CW next weekend!
This is when I`ve heard about this DXCC for the first time by looking at this beautiful card
But VK9DWX is a history now. Island wasn`t activated since ...
Demand for Willis is big. Ranked 32 Most Wanted DXCC by Clublog
Willis Island - North Cay
Willis Islets map
Now thanks to VK9WA we have Willis Islets on the air!
VK9WA Willis Island 2015 is operating from Middle Islet.
Location very similar to TX3X Chesterfield Island DXpedition 2015 which was very hard to work from Western Europe ! How will be with Willis then ?
GREAT!
2`nd day of operation and I`m happy to have VK9WA on 4 bands !!! and two emissions ....
UFF!
Every QSO is a separate story to tell:
Lets start
1) 17M CW - Yesterday , late in the morning they started on 30CW and 20SSB
Hexebam is low because of high winds and stormy weather , decided to put it up for a short time only ... on 20M very weak , 30M is ok but not the best moment to try .... then .... discovered CQ CQ from VK9WA on 17M CW ... hurry ... not spotted ... few station already calling him. One by one , up1 , still no spot on DX Cluster ! Robot W3LPL wasn`t able to send his spam on DX Cluster , great ,,, QSO with EW station and after that .... EI9KC 5NN !!!! Wasn`t sure 100% but WFWL ... Opeartor on the other side was "slow" on CW and he was keying by hand ... few hours later first log upload on Clublog I`m in !!! QSO with Jared N7SMI Co-Team leader!
2) 15M CW - Sunday - Massive EU pile-up , up 1 to 15 totally packed , like Navassa ... very hard to find split or system what Operator on the other side is running ,,, finally after long battle discovered what is what and EI9KC 5NN , sorted ! Uff !
3) Missed short opening on 10M in Ireland today , SWL them 5/3 but strong winds didn`t let me do more ... Weak signal on 12M CW , lets give a try ! Pile-up not that big like on 15M but on 12M 50% of callers are not possible to hear .... so to discover split preferences will be much harder. But hold on yes ... I can "see" many stations calling him up 10-12 on CW with nice 5NN. I was trying too ... QRX 10MIN .... small break for coffee and here we go again ... CQ CQ VK9WA VK9WA up .... no callers ! But up 1 to up 5 packed with massive pile-up ... still CQ CQ VK9WA VK9WA ...UP ... one station went trough 5NN ... hello ! He is listening up 10!!! After few attempts magic EI9KC 5NN received ! Not an easy one but very lucky for sure.
4) QSO on 17M SSB was easiest .... one call ... Operator on the other side was calling up 5-15 but he was listening up 20 from time to time :)
5) No luck on 20M SSB , signal fair enough , readable but on their QRG 14.190 was big radar noise. Some kind of digital emission causing much difficulties to copy them correctly ... Not many callers but no joy .... 40M CW lovely signal but ... NA only ... so deiced to wait for good moment on 30M CW. Massive signal in the afternoon here but NA/SA only .... 1h later EU/AF .... let`s try .... pile-up MASSIVE up 1 to up 10 solid wall , no ideas how Operator on the other side is working pile-up ... took me 1h to discover his style ... FIND THE GAP! It was the answer ... no way to call on the same or similar QRG where 5NN was copied ... Last QSO for today sorted when EI9KC 5NN went back few times , yes few times beacause DQRM were horrible ....
VK9WA Willis Island 2015
That was it ! I will try later this week for 20M maybe 40 and 10 ...
Many thanks VK9WA Team for great thrill by being there on Willis for us.
After several nights SWLing Pierre TT8AMO on 40M in the evening time
today finally logged Chad on 40M as new DXCC on this band!
Pierre HB9AMO is QRV holidays style activity from various locations in Chad.
This time his QTH (info from his website) was Mao, North of Lake Chad. Using a Codan broadband antenna up 10 meters. No city power, running on generator. Mainly evening activity.
Thanks Pierre! I wasn`t sure if you called me before your signal was up and down and DQRM didn`t help either.
Anyway Chad on 40M in the log using simple windom antenna.
