14th of Jan

Uffff, I got them on 12SSB yesterday afternoon. I was quite busy all the day, and went back home at 16:00z. Quite late, but they were there, barely readable on 10m (too late I guess), and with a very decent signal on 12m. I decided to go for the 12m slot, and called maybe half an hour to get them. What a EU + NA pile-up !!!!!!!!

After the HK1T QSO on 17m, this is my 2nd band for Malpelo, before the real expedition start. All what is done here will not have to be redone, so this is cool already !

We'll see today (I can't hide that 10m would be much appreciated.....Those 12/10m bands can only be worked during my week-end times, so this reduces the number of days for a possible QSO....

73 (GL to all !)

Ronan, F8AFC

13th of Jan 2012

3rd day the 4-fantastics started their sporadic activation with HK0NA call-sign, and still no QSO with them.

The European evening session has been a pure fiasco, I spent 2 hours monitoring both 20 and 17 meter bands, in both CW and SSB mode. But they didn't came in.

This morning, I even woke-up at 05:00AM (very early....), and they were on 40SSB.Just time to go to the shack, to program my split frequency, when I heard the guy saying "I'm QRT now"....Some French guys made it (F5BZB and F8DZY, you got up early guys !), so it was possible indeed.

Let's be optimistic, their signal was peaking to S7 here, and that was not the grey-line. So no reason why it should make it when the entire team (100% dedicated to be active) will be there.

One good news (based on their web-site) : DXCC desk has officially approved their individual call-sign operation as valid for Malpelo....cool !

Anyway, let's see this week-end (with its lots of jammers, QRM, endless callers etc....) if they'll be a bit more active...This would mean the 2 camps installation is on good tracks, and that they have more "spare" time to be QRV.

73, GL to all

Ronan

11th Of Jan 2012

Here we go, HK0Na has sporadically started their operation as all of you may know.

They have a sporadic activity so far (QRV only during their free time while going on setting-up the camps there).

I had HK1T from Mpelo last Sunday on 17SSB and based on their news, this IS valid for HK0/m, COOL...So already an All Time New One in the log, and this is  my DXCC n°312. But still no QSO with HK0NA...

They were on 20m yesterday evening, peakign 5/7 sometimes, but with an incredible zoo despite of the 15Khz of the split. I tried during 1 hour, sometimes being on the good frequency, but he was taking mainly US and EA guys....

A bit later, he was on 17SSB, weaker (S3-S4 with QSB), and I also couldn't get himl.

I know, this is only the very beginning of this highly-wanted operation (the entire is not there, this is some extra-bonus operation), and I already got them on 17m...We will see as the days will come. Their signal was good, so I have some hope to get them on other bands. Good luck to all in all cases, it will not be easy..

73 !

Ronan, F8AFC

Hi all,

What a crazy pile-up yesterday evening on 80m CW. This pile-up was proportional to John's signal, BIG !!!!

I tried during 30 good minutes before hearing my call, that was hard indeed, although he was peaking 579-589 here...All Eu was calling him !!!!!!

And because I have all Eu to cross to make the QSO, with my small 500w and 36feet high vertical, I thought it would be impossible...but no, listening to the pile-up on the 5KHz range helped me a lot, as usually, and I could get through for this DXCC n°185 on 80m...

Still 15 to go to reach the mythical (at least for me) 200 DXCC on 80m...but each new one there is a real fight indeed.*

73

Ronan, F8AFC

Hi all,

Nice ones received yesterday, a longly expected one, although it is not that rare...7P8JK QSL arrived yesterday to finally confirm Lesotho on 10m, tnx Arnold !

I now miss Lesotho on low bands only, let's look at this one there during the next expedition, HI !

I also received HK0/DL5YWM for our 10/12/15m QSO4s, enabling me to finish San Andres on all the high bands. I just miss HK0/a on 40m now (Yes, I have already confirmed HK0/a on 80m !!!!), surely for the next one. Tnx Daniel !!!

73 (and tnx Arnold and Daniel for QSL'ing !)

Ronan, F8AFC

Hi all,

This is my 1st new "slot" of the year, and it has been made on 80m (!) : I could get HH2/HB9AMO this morning. Skip was good, since he was peaking 579 here using a simple TS-50 (barefoot) and a 32m wire up at 6 meters only with strong local noise.

When hearing the pile-up, I thought to myself that this would be very difficult indeed for the following reasons

- This is the first time for a LONG time that a HH2 station comes on 80m at a good time for Western Europe

- His signal was strong here, so if I'm able to hear him as well, others can.

- Pile-up was very big indeed, spread over at least 3 KHz, at a time when almost all Central europe (in their grey-line) and Western Europe could get him

I spent about 5minutes listening to the pile-up, trying to catch how he was doing...I finally understood that he was takings stations between +2.2 and +2.8Khz, and decided to call him on +2.5KHz. 3 calls, then he went back "F8ARC F8ARC"...aouch, he was missing a "dit" in my suffix that makes an "R" becoming a "F"...I repeated my call couple of times, and he finally got it, uffff ! It was at 07:00z, almost an hour before my sunrise. Lucky one for sure !

This 80m QSO comes after 10/12m QSO's we already had, as well as 20/17m QSO's made yesterday evening...As a coincidence, I received HH2/PY1ZV QSL for our 40/10m QSO's, this means I just miss HH2 now on 15m to cover all bands, HI

This sounds feasible, but he plans to end his operations from HH2 on the 15th of January. Let's hope he'll be on 15m at a convenient time for me, HI !

73

Ronan, F8AFC 

Thanks to my XYL who had to go to her office today (wake-up @ 05:00am loc time !), the last evening was very calm for a new year eve and I could even make some contacts to finish 2011.

Well, I coud get JD1BMH on 40cw, exactly at my sunset (16:25 GMT). He was not that strong, piel-up was huge, but he peaked during 10min up to 559 and by listening to the split, it was easy to know where he was listening. This is a new one on 40m, and after 10/80m QSO's with JD1BLY, I miss Ogasawara isl on 12m only now.....

A bit later in the evening, there was an Antarctica party on 40m also : I could log RI1ANR from Novo Runway base and DP1POL from Neumayer Station III, within 10min !!!!!

That was fun indeed to get those 3 exotic calls in the log to finish 2011. Let's hope 2012 will be as full of DX as ended 2011. I'll put some of my stats here a bit later on,

73 and HNY to all !!!!!!

Ronan, F8AFC