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TopBand: ZS8IR: Bad news

To: <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: TopBand: ZS8IR: Bad news
From: ai7b@teleport.com (Bob Wruble)
Date: Wed, 7 May 1997 09:18:35 -0700
hard to believe the tree huggers have reached this remote spot!!
w7gg

----------
> From: Chris R. Burger <CRB@knersus.nanoteq.co.za>
> To: topband@contesting.com
> Subject: TopBand: ZS8IR:  Bad news
To: <topband@contesting.com>
> Date: Wednesday, May 07, 1997 3:24 AM
> 
> Chris just called me in a rather sullen mood.  The ship is anchored 
> off the island, and a new linear amplifier has been installed.  
> However, a work crew has started taking down all the tall towers!
> 
> Apparently, the HF system is being downgraded to a single wide band 
> dipole (read:  air cooled dummy load), on a single tower.
> 
> The environmentalists have objected to the terrible towers and 
> Rhombics, and have won the day.  With a satellite telephone system, 
> the Rhombics are no longer the primary antenna system.  Chris had no 
> advance warning.  Obviously, this news will also impact severely on 
> future Marion Island operations.  In the past, operators have had to 
> do relatively little antenna work, and have managed to produce fair 
> signals despite the remote location.  In future, they will probably 
> have to carry their own antennas, and will have to obtain prior 
> permission.
> 
> Chris promises to try his best to work some stations in the coming 
> weeks, but with only a resistively loaded dipole at modest height, it 
> is unlikely that he will work much on 160 again.
> 
> QSLs have essentially all been answered, although a few hundred cards 
> have yet to be mailed.  I expect these to be mailed early next week, 
> after which all the Not in Log contacts will be fully investigated 
> and returned.
> 
> Incidentally, I recently had a very irate message from someone about 
> the information I published on the Reflector.  The objection was that 
> he'd lost several nights' sleep, and hadn't managed to work Chris.  
> I'm afraid Chris has had rather poor results the past few weeks, but 
> not for want of trying.  Conditions have been really poor, and noise 
> levels are still relatively high.  As an indication, I've spent half 
> a dozen nights on 160 in the past few weeks.  I have exactly three 
> contacts to show for it; one 9X, one YB and one G3.  Apart from these 
> three stations, I only heard two others.  None of these were Q5 copy, 
> even out in the countryside, with a Beverage for Europe.
> 
> 
> Chris R. Burger
> ZS6EZ
> QSL manager for ZS8IR (gee, I can almost resume a normal life!)
> 
> 
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