[CCF] FT5XO

Mon Apr 4 12:17:02 EDT 2005


> 4 April 2005
> 
> Lat 42'49"S  Long 88'13"E
> South Indian Ocean
> 
> 
> The 2005 Microlite DXpedition to The Kerguelen Islands is now history.
> 11.5 days of operating netted almost 68,000 QSOs using the callsign
> FT5XO. The operators for this DXpedition were AG9A, GI0NWG, HB9ASZ,
> M0DXR, N6MZ, N0TT, SP5XVY, VE3EJ, VK6DXI, W3WL, W7EW and 9V1YC.
> 
> In an effort to equitably cover the variety of openings, bands, and
> modes available, the team actively reviewed the QSO stats each day and
> adjusted the operating plan accordingly.
> 
> The final numbers are as follows:
> 
> CW:     45687    68%
> SSB:    19903    29%
> RTTY:   2358     3%
> EME:    6
> -------------
> TOTAL:  67954
> 
> Band-Mode breakdown
> 
> Band  CW      SSB    RTTY   TOTAL
> ---------------------------------
> 160m: 1173    16     0      1189
> 80m:  3578    957    0      4535
> 40m:  9643    2774   160    12577
> 30m:  9683    0      616    10299
> 20m:  4012    4640   327    8979    
> 17m:  5144    2168   497    7809
> 15m:  4485    3964   758    9207
> 12m:  4411    3499   0      7910
> 10m:  3558    1885   0      5443
> 
> 6m EME:   6
> 
> 
> Continental breakdown
> ---------------------
> Europe:     53%
> Japan:      21%
> USA:        17%
> Other Asia: 5%
> All others: 1% or less each
> 
> 
> The journey began in Durban, South Africa on the afternoon of March 9
> aboard the R/V Braveheart.  Kerguelen was reached on the morning of
> March 19, and camp assembly was started that same afternoon.  The
> first QSOs began at about 0700 UTC on March 20.
> 
> The operation took place from an old abandoned whaling station at the
> center of the island called Port Jeanne d'Arc, which is approximately
> 30km southwest from the French base at Port Aux Francais. The
> operating site was close to the seashore with good take-offs in most
> directions.
> 
> Antennas consisted of half-wave vertical dipoles for 20m and up,
> quarter wave verticals for 30m and 40m (with 2 elevated radials each),
> and two Battle Creek Specials for 80m and 160m.  With the exception of
> the Battle Creek Specials, all antennas were designed and built by
> ZS4TX.  Radios consisted of three Kenwood TS50s, a Yaesu FT897, an
> ICOM 756 ProIII, and one Yaesu FT1000MP.  We also had several small
> amplifiers for the low bands.
> 
> Because we broke from tradition and chose the Austral mid-autumn for
> this DXpedition we were able to take advantage of excellent 10 and 12
> meter equinox openings which would have otherwise been impossible
> during the Austral summer (when most of these types of Antarctic
> DXpeditions usually take place).  The drawback is that Kerguelen drops
> far below the Antarctic convergence at this time of year bringing with
> it a noticeably cooler and harsher climate.
> 
> The weather during our stay was typical for islands below the
> convergence, with strong wind, rain, sleet and even heavy snow
> alternating throughout the day.  In fact, during the space of just one
> hour the weather changed many times from calm and sunny to a 45 knot
> howling blizzard.  Winds could come from any direction, but the
> prevailing trend was usually from the southwest.
> 
> Static from snowstorms often produced S9+40 noise, forcing us to
> abruptly stop operations until it died down. The intensity of these
> snowstorms also caused the antennas to develop kilovolts of static
> voltage across the coax connectors (something we learned the hard way
> when a large voltage spike from one of the antennas destroyed a power
> supply and transceiver during an antenna switchover).
> 
> The last QSO was made at approximately 0200 UTC on 31 March.  With
> calm weather throughout the morning the teardown went smoothly and on
> schedule.  The ship is now on its way to Fremantle (Perth) Western
> Australia and should arrive on the morning of April 11.  The total sea
> travel time for both legs of the journey is about 22 days.  Operating
> time was just over 11 days, which works out to a 2 to 1 ratio of
> travel to operating.
> 
> We purposely advanced minimal publicity about this trip in the hope
> that the chase would be more of a challenge. With good operating
> skills combined with attentiveness to both propagation and band
> openings it is our belief that FT5XO should have been available to all
> who wanted a QSO.  For our part, a great effort was made to work the
> weakest of stations and cover as many openings as possible within our
> limited time frame. Reading some of the feedback and looking at the
> final QSO stats we stand firmly behind the belief that it is mainly
> skill, not hardware, that makes a successful DXpedition.  Small teams,
> light gear and strong operators are the key. We hope that your call
> made it into our log on at least one band.
> 
> With the extremely high expense and travel time necessary to reach
> these remote Antarctic islands we wish to say thank you in advance for
> all contributions sent with your QSL cards.
> 
> Special thanks to ZS5BBO and all the members of the Highway Amateur
> Radio Club in Durban, South Africa who made our air to sea transit
> exceptionally smooth. Thanks also to TAAF (Terres Australes et
> Antarctiques Francaises) for their kind support for our adventure.
> 
> And finally, we would especially like to thank our sole organizational
> sponsor, the Northern California DX Foundation.  Their continued
> support for DXpeditions to the far reaches of the world helps to keep
> one of the most exciting aspects of amateur radio alive. Without the
> NCDXF, this trip would not have been possible.
> 
> 
> 73, and see you on the bands.
> 
> The Microlite Penguins DXpedition Team
> 
> 
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