Hi all,

this is official, Malyj Vysotskij Island counts now as a deleted DXCC entity.

I had wkd this one from 80 up to 15m, so I'l update my DXCC status accordingly, with a "deleted" area in which I should also add the ex PJ's entity (PJ2-4 and PJ5-6)....This is my 3rd deleted entity so far.

Is that a sad news? Well, this is one DXCC less to get before reaching the honorl roll, HI (just kidding guys !)

73

Ronan

Hi all,

All is in the title. I received the QSL from Guido for our 12ssb and 17ssb QSO's, which enable me to get Galapagos on all bands from 10m down to 80m !

Thanks Guido !!!

Ronan

Hi all,

I've been analyzing the stats of the last FW0NAR activity, in order to try to understand what happened in particular with Zone 14.

First thng to be noticed

Sunset in FW # 06:13z and Sunrise in West_Europe # 07:10z --> almost 1 hour of common darkness

Sunrise in FW # 17:52 and Sunset in West-Europe # 17:31 --> More than 20min of common darkness

So definitely, low bands would have been working in our morning time.

No QSO with zone 14 in the morning here on 80m

Super small fraction of QSO made with z14 on 40m (let's say a dozen between 08:00z and 09:00z, typically for South-Western Euroipe)

At the opposite

All QSO made on 80m with zone 14 were made at about 16:00z, too early for west-part of zone 14 (SS at around 17:30z !)

90% of the 40m QSO's were made up to 17:00z, typically missing west-Europe grey-line half an hour later.

OK let's forget low bands, what about high bands?

SP / LP  predictions :

   

The only chances were on our morning time between 10:00z to 16:00z,

But looking at the QSO charts, NO QSO were made with zone 14 during this period (amazing !). OK, that was night time there, but on the entire duration of the trip, this is surprising.

Another chance in the local evening time here on the LP on 15m...He was there indeed, but working NA.

Although this was a 2-people expedition, clearly their operating timetable was oriented to their homeland (HA), which does explain that

- Only 78 French stns are in their log (most of them being on the Eastern part of France)

- What to say when looking at UK stats (Only 63 stations from the entire UK have been logged !!!!!) or at "EA + CT" (only 49 EA's and only 10 CT's !!!!!!!)

- Only 1046 QSO's with zone 14, a bit less than 6% of total QSO's !!!!!

- Half of the QSO's with zone 14 have been made on....30m !!!!!

What to conclude?

The operator is and will always be responsible of how he wants to be active. He is on site, so he chooses how, when, whom to operate. I am not criticizing, but just trying to understand those stats.

To me, I can see few reasons

- reduced operation and operator number

- Emphasis on their homeland in Central Europe (congrats to HA8LNN who got them on all bands)

- Band conditions tough sometimes, so timetable adjusted to easier bands / propagation openings

I simply regret that for this difficult polar path, they didn't pay a bit more attention to other guys looking for them in Western Europe. Adjusting a bit more their timetable, like quiting their systematic ellusive "30m" band for easier bands in order to content everyone would have been appreciated for sure.

Let's say it will be for the next one.

73

Ronan, F8AFC

Hi all,

What a morning !!!!!!!!!! I was beaming LP to try to get the FW0 that I didn't hear when I saw H40FN spot on the bottom part of 20cw portion.

I went there, and turned a bit the antenna in its direction, and heard him with a high flutter distorsion. That was at around 09:00z. I tried half an hour, listening to the split, trying to dig out where he was listening most often, and that was in the higher part of his spi t(up to 5KHz up). Pile-up was huge, deliberate QRM on his freq was also huge (week-end.....), but that was the very first time I heard him so well, up to 559. I thought it would worth trying, who knows what can happen.

Then I remember that the last (and first) time I listened to him this week, starting from about 09:30z, that was on the Short path !!!!!!!!!! I quickly turned the beam up to 20° bearing, and he was up to 579 !!!!!!!! there we go, propagation was peaking, I was in the good direction this time (Oups !), so I decided to re-start calling him on the frequency he was more often listening to.

15min after, at about 09:45, I heard "F8AFC 5nn"...That was me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And that was on +4.8KHz from his frequency. There I was, an All Time New One in the log, DXCC n°313 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lucky one, and All Time New Ones are more and more difficult. But propagation helped me for sure, as well as some patience...and luck !

GL

Ronan, F8AFC

Hi all,

Great QSL received today, with respectively

E51NOU (South Cook) on 15/12/10m CW ! 3 new band slots confirmed, just missing South Cook on low bands now !

It also includes a QRP QSO made with him on 15m CW !!!!!

E51MAN (North Cook) on 40/15/15m CW ! 3 new band slots confirmed, just missing North cook on 80/12/10m now. 40m QSO was very hard, since there was a T2T pile-up just starting when he came back to me. But he got my call OK finally

YS3CW on 17/12/10m CW, new one confirmed on 12/10m !!!!

73 !

Ronan