Here's my additons.
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2004 22:59:57 +0000
From: Alan Eshleman <doctore@well.com>
Here's the T32 report:
Doug (N6TQS) and I with our respective XYLs arrived on Christmas Island on
December 7. Christmas Island is a 5-hour flight by jet prop from
Honolulu. The primary purpose of the trip was diving, but we brought a
couple of K2/100s with the intent of making some QSOs here and there and
handing out the T32 multiplier during the 10 Meter contest. Doug did RTTY
as T32QS. I did CW as T32CK.
We didn't really do the antennas right, but Alan took one of the 33
foot telescoping masts from tmastco.com, the extreme heavy duty model,
which I appropriated immediately, and used on 20M with a Par
Electronics 20M end-fed 1/2 wave antenna. It went up VERY quickly and
that's why I got on the air, since I was tired or busy the rest of
the time. I'd hoped to get a 10M SVDA, either F12 or the K0MP design
for the contest, but just didn't get it done.
The diving was great. One of the many thrills was hanging onto an
outrigger while the boat sailed through a pod of dolphins. Mantas,
lion fish, sharks, and healthy coral. Christmas Island has them
all in abundance.
The diving was way too good. There's solid week of diving there, and it's
set up so it's whole day or nothing. I got the few 10M Q's by
not diving, and missed at least one good dive (a cave).
If you want to do both radio and diving, plan on two weeks there.
Christmas Island was a black hole when it came to ten meters. Our plan was
to sign T32CK as a M/S entry. Doug managed 52 SSB QSOs and I added a
single CW contact. Of course, during the best parts of the day for 10
meters (such as they were), I was out on the water with the
fishes. Reading the postings to this reflector, I see that conditions
during this year's 10 meter contest pretty much sucked everywhere. We will
submit our log.
The evenings were better. Thirty and Forty meters were the best bands. I
did about 1000 CW QSOs, including several NCCCers. The mailbox is already
stuffed with QSL requests.
That's where I was deficient. I had no antennas for 30 and 40.
I did about 50 Q's on RTTY, all continents except Europe (I just
couldn't stay awake late enough (I think we saw EVERY dawn for 10
days)). I also did a few PSK Q's, but didn't want to ragchew, and
couldn't get any response on SSTV, although I did copy someone on
vacation in HI.
Kim Anderson, originally from Modesto, runs the dive operation on the
island. Over the years, visiting hams have left their gear with Kim to
store for their return. Kim was able to loan us a Hustler vertical and an
R7000 vertical, both of which were excellent antennas when placed close
to the surf.
It'd be hard to thank Kim enough for his help and support.
I never got around to putting up any of the wires I'd
brought. As I did on the T33 expedition, I continue to marvel at what a
great little radio the K2 is.
Yep, a good radio. One of them had extended side panels to protect
the controls, which making packing it a breeze.
If any of you are contemplating a trip to Christmas Island that includes
radio, I can give you a few suggestions for getting licensed and what
bungalow to request at the Captain Cook Hotel.
We'll try to get that info to Kenny for his DX Holidays page. Alan
actually was in #132 which K0MP reccomends. The flight is currently
NOT an Aloha 737, but a chartered Gulfstream with pretty low real
baggage limits. OTOH, Alan and Carol were well over and didn't have
to pay. Paleo and I were just a little over.
There'll probably be an Air Pacific scheduled flight through there
soon, too, which will be at least a big 737.
And throughout the vacation, my DX anxiety was very low because I had
worked the VU4 operation *before* I left home!
I've not yet, but they do seem to be doing some PSK now.
It's a great place to go, if you don't need fancy lodgings.
73, doug
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