[CQ-Contest] FRC Mud Island FauXpedition - Poisson d'Avril 2018 summary - Long

[Dave]

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A Tale of woe and ho ho ho
Those without a sense of humor need read no further.
=======
Prologue:

{semi-serious mode on}
We were operating the recent ARRL DX SSB session. It was one of the all 
time classics as far as things going wrong or badly is concerned. This 
left a lot of free time for banter in the club's chat room. K3PP 
commented that his monoband yogi antennas were not suffering from snow 
influence like the trapped antennas were.  We all had a good laugh at 
his 1 letter typo, but like yawning, the resulting humor was contagious 
and we expanded and expounded at great length,and there was much 
rejoicing. Totally needed during an otherwise dismal conditions, failing 
antennas, loss of AC power, ad nauseum weekend.

The next day K2XR was snowblowing and thought some of the stuff we all 
came up with during the yogi thread was truly funny, reminiscent of the 
kind of stuff he used to see in the Poisson d'Avril contest.  Wonder 
whatever happened to that one I wonder ?

To be perfectly honest, there is not a whole lot on the www about it, 
but what is out there is hysterical.  So here is the story of our 
Fauxpedition with references that are worth following if you feel so 
inclined.
{semi-serious mode off}

3830 Style Summary

Callsign: 4Q2DUG
QTH: Mud Island, Sri Lanka
IOTA: NO-T1
Locator:  Varies
Operator: WA2/G0FRC Alfred
Club: Fulp's Reinstatement Crew
Category: SOAB CLASSIC LP


0 QSO's   0 Mults

claimed score: 42

The story as told to K2XR:

Monday 5 March early AM.   FRC chat room.  Day after ARRL DX SSB 2018
---------------------------------------
Big Gun talking to Clueless Noob.

CN: What a brutal contest that was. What should we do next ?

BG: WPX phone is coming up soon.

CN: Yeah, but we just did SSB and it was awful.  Something else.
What about that 1 April contest ? The chocolate fish one.

BG: Yeah.. but K1DG wins every year and K3WW is banned for life. No fun.

CN: Really? I am new to this stuff. Tell me more.

BG: See for yourself.  http://poissondavril.webs.com/

CN: Sounds like a lot of fun to me. It's motto is: If it's not fun, why 
do it.  Sounds a lot like why I am getting into contesting in the first 
place. I listened to the QSO between K3WW and K1DG.  Sounded fairly 
normal to me, in fact it sounded like most of my contest QSO's.  But all 
I have is is this  10 watt portable and an MFJ vertical, so what do I 
know.

BG: I can't say for sure kid, lets ask Chas. when he shows up.  He 
should be along in short order. Might be a new grid on the air or 
something.

CN:  ok, thanks  I will.

WW:  GM gents. Snow all shoveled. Logs are pouring in to ARRL already.

CN:  GM Chas.   I was wondering about your DQ in the 1 April contest. 
Why were you banned for life ?

WW:  Not sure if I remember, was that the time I sent him my log on an 8 
inch floppy disk and folded it up to fit in a business envelope ?  Or 
maybe it was the the QRP qso.

CN: No it says on the website that it was the QRP contact.  I listened 
to it, and I saw nothing deserving such a severe punishment. Especially 
to a contest hall of fame member and all  gee whiz.

WW: Naw, I probably deserved it.

CN: Would you object if I try and get it removed?  It seems N6TV did 
something that won DG's favor and got his ban lifted.  Maybe if I could 
do something that made him laugh or smile  he might reconsider. Seeing 
how much activity his contest has, it might help generate some activity 
as well.

WW:  Sure sure kid, knock yourself out.

CN:  Thanks,  I will.

So our intrepid noob ponders his options.  Soon more join the chat room 
conversation.

W2RE:  GM all  how's it going?  I got wiped out at the Maine site. 
Issues all over the place crushed any hopes I had.

W2GD at HH2AA:  Morning Ray,  finally got on the air and did pretty good 
I think, but with all those issues I had, I don't even know my score 
yet. Have to find a way to get my logs from RHR format into Cabrillo.  
You can read about it on 3830scores when I get it all done.  Man what a 
struggle but I learned a lot, and for someone with my experience, that 
is saying a lot.

A lightbulb goes off in the noobs head...

CN: Hey Ray, I was wondering if it would be possible to set up a remote 
at HA2HA as well.  Might be a funny callsign to use and make some of us 
laugh.

W2RE:  Well really, we like to set up our stations either at a superior 
location in US/VE or in a DXCC country that is either very rare, or in a 
superior contest location. Like HH2AA, or the V2 station we are 
currently working on.

CN:  Oh, I get it now.  Thanks for the information.

W2RE:  Any time, and you can operate one of these stations if you like, 
send me a direct message, and I will fill you in.

CN:  Wow I will look into that when I am a much better operator. Thanks 
again.

W2RE: Sure thing, We appreciate your enthusiasm. Every point counts !

Encouraged, our intrepid noob does some googleing and is rewarded with 
some more ammo. Among other things he finds a DXpedition that was done 
with the 1 April contest in mind.

http://mfdino.com/4quebec/

But he looks for their callsign in the results and nothing is to be 
found.  He clicks the link on that page that gives info on how to apply 
for a guest operator license and discovers that the callsign they 
requested did not end in a G like all Sri Lankan visitor licenses must.  
"bet they lost their 500 rupees as well"  he muses to himself.   "I 
wonder if Sri Lanka is rare enough to tempt W2RE"  he wonders.   But he 
continues his quest for knowledge.

He runs across an article about Mud Island

http://fi-ni-report.blogspot.com/

as a possible destination for a new DXCC entity. "I bet that would get 
Ray's juices flowing"  he thought.

So our now excited hamster fires up Google Earth Pro  and searches for 
Mud Island at the specified location. To his dismay, it is gone. Nada  
zip   zilch  kaput.  Our heroes hopes are dashed before he even gets off 
the ground.

Out of sheer luck, or good fortune or synchronicity our hero is watching 
the Science channel on TV. The show 'What on Earth' is on.

   He sees a segment talking about the string of islands between Sri 
Lanka and the tip of India. It is indeed an interesting segment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odUtqDz4lEk

  So he zooms in on the area with his already running Google Earth, and 
lo and behold, there in front of his eyes is Mud Island.  The darn thing 
is a floating island, and has moved a fair distance in the Indian ocean, 
but there is no doubt when comparing the image from the DXers website 
and Google earth.  Eureka !
Back to the chatroom our intrepid researcher heads, nearly exploding 
with hope and anticipation.

CN: Hey Ray, you still around ?

RE: Sure, whats up ?

CN:  I found a QTH you might be interested in.  It is in 4S territory, 
it is for sure a new IOTA, and it might even be a new DXCC entity !  I 
have the licensing information, and could take care of that part of it 
no problem, I have some friends in 4S land from my time overseas in the 
airline business. They would be happy to sponsor our license. and I have 
some PT&T experiences in that part of the world to draw on.

RE: Sounds real interesting to me, and I have a guy. In facts LOTS of 
guys.  This just might work. Not much time though.  Let's talk about it 
directly and see what we can come up with.

     The next 3 weeks were a blur of activity for Alfred our now not so 
clueless noob.   He and Ray discussed the transportation and deployments 
of one of Ray's  latest developments:  Ray's RIB  (remote in box).   Ray 
explained to Alfred that the RIB had 3 modes of deployment, and 
regardless of which was used. the whole thing fit into a standard LD 
freight  container.

https://www.searates.com/reference/ld2/

  Making it easy to transport on many commercial jet aircraft, and small 
enough to be carried on a simple pickup truck or small watercraft.  Ray 
arranged to deliver it directly to the Air Lanka cargo terminal at JFK 
and send all the documentations, installation and operation manuals 
directly to Alfred.  It would be up to Alfred to arrange which flight 
the cargo would be on, as well as arrange for customs clearance and 
acceptance of delivery in Columbo.  Normally the documents flew with the 
RIB, but this way Alfred could read up on things and sort out any issues 
in advance.

     Meanwhile Alfred obtained his visa, booked his tickets as well as 
the RIB's tickets and found a customs clearance agent in Columbo. Next 
he applied for his Sri Lankan visitors license.   What call sign to 
request he wondered.  He knew it had to have a G as the last letter.  So 
in order to honor the failed 4Q2BUD group,  he requested   DUG   for  
Didn't Use G .  4Q2DUG  it is then ... right

Next he contacts the IOTA guys in order to obtain a new IOTA number for 
Mud Island.   Here it gets a little muddy ...

IG:   Where is this Island ?

CN: Asia I guess, but it moves so I can't guarantee it will always be in 
Asia, could reach Africa pretty easy from where it is now.

IG:  Ok, here is what we will do.  We will give it  No  continent,  NO  
for short,  since it's location is known to be temporary we will give it 
a T and since it is the first of it's kind we will give it number one.   
So in summary  NO-T1 IOTA  is what will be Mud Islands designator shall 
be.  Good luck and have fun !!

    Everything was going smoothly now, the document package for the RIB 
arrived within a few days, and Alfred poured over it with all the 
intensity he could muster.   This is great, he thought to himself as he 
eagerly read each booklet.

The RIB consisted of three individual pieces.  How they were deployed 
depended upon the conditions of the operating location.

1- The power system was a flexible mat solar array integrated with a 
battery pack.
2- The base station electronics package  included a TRex FPGA 
communications system
3- The antenna system by FaRCe-12:   a YOGI 1PP  fractal log periodic 
array,

   The power system and antenna system  each looked like a very large air 
mattress but deflated folded and rolled for shipment.
   The base station unit looked like a large watertight Pelican case.

In the standard DXpedition mode, all three units are fixed firmly to the 
ground using tent pegs, and the air mattresses are not inflated.

In the semi floating mode, the base station is mounted to the foundation 
structure, and the 2 air mattress structures are inflated and allowed to 
float on the water.  This is the mode designed for operations like 
Scarborough Reef, Okino Torishima  and the like.

In full floating mode, all units are inflated and allowed to float on 
the water, tethered only to each other and free to drift along the major 
ocean currents, thus providing the opportunity for activation of many 
uncommon grids.

     Alfred understood the solar/battery system.   The communications 
system documentation was pretty clear as well.  It was a 100 watt 
transceiver system for any mode of operation with a frquency range of .1 
to 2500 MHz .   What separated it from the rest of the competitors was 
the SDR software, developed by the notorious P5  hacker   Kai Hwun Jai  
Ti .  According to the manual, with a 24 bit monotone 10 GHz sample rate 
ADC, you will be able to take signals that are just a few dB above ESP 
and detect signals that are 20-30 db below ESP,  allowing you to work 
stations without them even knowing about it !   Alfred's mind reeled as 
he thought about the possibility of working every station in Super Check 
partial in a single sitting.

     Alfred turned his attention to the antenna system, as this was the 
part of ham radio he understood the least. He read that this was the 
first commercial antenna system released by FaRCe-12  and that all would 
bear the PP designation after the ham who inspired it all, K3PP, The 
first antenna, and maybe the last anyone will ever need is the YOGI  or  
Yagi Optimizer Gain Infinite  array.   Based on the mathematics of the 
Mandlebrot set, this antenna is able to provide elements of infinite 
length in a finite area.  When combined with log periodic structure 
techniques this brings about the possibility of an antenna with near 
infinite gain with near infinite frequency response,  the engineers 
dream and a production nightmare.   For more information, call the sales 
department of FaRCe-12.   So Alfred did .....

AN:  "  Hello  FaRCe-12 ?   This is Alfred E. Newham.  I would like to 
speak with someone about my new 1PP antenna.

Operator:  One moment please....

YS:   Hello,  Yoda Schwarz this is.   Of some help can I be ?

Clearly shaken Alfred measures his query.

AN:  Uhhhhh   ...   Yes, I am about to install a 1PP on a remote Island. 
  Can you offer any help or advice ?

YS:  Excellent choice have you made.   Strong will you be.   On an 
Island you say ?   Deep in the ground the stakes you must pound.   Back 
to work must I now go ..  73  dit dit    >click<

     Typical support Alfred mutters to himself.

Finally it all starts to fall into place.   Al heads to Sri Lanka.  
Clears customs. Picks up the RIB and has it delivered to the harbor 
where it is loaded on to his friends  smallish  yacht.   He spends the 
night at his friends house. Next morning, they head to the PT&T and pick 
up the license. Then off to the yacht for the sail to Mud Island.    By 
next morning they have arrived, and not a moment too soon.  It is Good 
Friday, and they hope it will be a VERY Good Friday.  Indeed it is and 
by sunset the RIB has been offloaded to the island, and is ready for 
full deployment,  A few beers to relax with, and Al hits the rack.  
Saturday Al carefully   rolls out the antenna and power mattresses and 
pounds the stakes deep into the island per Yoda's suggestion.   The Trex 
box is placed between them, and coax and power lines are carefully 
installed and checked. Everything appears to be functioning properly.   
The TRex is capable of several modes of operation.   With an internet 
connection, full remote is possible, but alas there is no internet on 
mud island.  Attended operation is also possible, but really is the 
least desirable of all the modes.   Local remote via UHF link is the 
best choice for Al.  With this, the station and the antennas are all on 
Mud Island, but Al is in the air conditioned comfort of the yacht a few 
miles offshore.  By sunset Saturday night Al is back on the yacht, ready 
to make some QSO's to check it all out before the test begins at 4 AM 
local time ( 0000Z April 1st ).   He calls Ray on 10 meters on the 
secret frequency.  They work immediately and qsy from band to band mode 
to mode giving Ray the 1st crack at the new one on all bands.  It is 
great to have infinite gain and sub esp reception.  Work anyone anywhere 
anytime he thinks.  Signing off with Ray, and needing some sleep before 
the big test, Al sets his alarm for 3AM and crashes,

     The alarm wakes Al up and he wolfs down some calories and caffeine  
and moves from the galley to the shack.   Fires up the rig...  and   
nothing ...  no response.  Something has gone terribly wrong.   
Unfortunately it is still dark outside, so he will have to wait a few 
hours to be able to see what is wrong.    At sunrise, the truth is 
revealed to Al and his yacht owning buddy,  Mud Island is no longer 
where it was,  it is clearly on the move again.  Fortunately it has not 
moved far, as the watertight TRex can be seen on the horizon, but no 
sign of the island itself.    The rest of the day , Easter Sunday ,  is 
spent chasing the moving island and catching up to it.   Once there it 
is clear that the island is still there, but has submerged about 15 
feet, pulling the securely staked YOGI 1PP and the power unit  
underwater, rendering both useless.   The TRex is disconnected and 
hauled onboard, and the rest of the day is spent snorkeling and SCUBA 
diving to remove the stakes from the power unit and the 1PP, and getting 
them back on to the yacht.

By the end of daylight Sunday in 4S land it is all Al can do but to call 
me on the phone and relate the entire story to me, which I have 
faithfully typed and posted on the CQ-Contest reflector per the Classic 
PD'A rules, since no rules for this years event could be found.

Alfred is truly hopeful that DG will reinstate WW to non lifetime DQ 
status, for as most contesters know, if WW isn't in it, it isn't really 
a contest is it? However, if  DG still feels that the lifetime ban is 
still in order, then please ban me and Alfred too, we could not possibly 
find ourselves in better company than AR and WW.

    If restored, we are already planning next years entry.  FaRCe-12 is 
working on a Klein bottle based antenna the 3PP ( a bigger PP ).   With 
it we plan to work every ham ever licensed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRjl_nIRSLk

and a proper predated entry using Bill and Ted's most excellent time 
machine .

http://www.henryradio.com/ourhistory.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHL_Of_CZ1A


    If not reinstated  well.......  hope you laughed anyway.      So long 
and thanks for all the Poisson.


            Dave  K2XR  for Alfred E. Newham  WA2/G0FRC


Epilogue:
  It is not often that 1 April falls on Easter.  Perhaps it is this 
contest that will get resurrected as well.
This was a pleasure to work on and write.  There is a LOT of truth 
hidden in this fictional entry.  Only those involved will know which is 
which,   oh and by the way  ... ban yourself Doug at least temporarily.  
Having seen your act at the N2AA  birthday bash,   you are in the same 
league as N6TV .