Topband: A Bit of Zone 2 History Was Made Last Week

[Steve Ireland]

Hi Miriam (and Jeff)

Congratulations on your mini-DXpedition to Zone 2 - and it is good to see someone is thinking of us in the Asia/Indian Ocean/Pacific area.

In common with most topbanders any in this area, one of the two remaining zones I need on 160m after 24 years of operation from here is Zone 2, so I hope you and Jeff will go back one day. ;-)

I am guessing you went to/near the southern boundary of Zone 2 in Quebec - which is the best - possibly the only area - where it is possible to work into this part of the globe. Over the years I have listened for just about every DXpedition that operated on 160m from Zone 2 and I have only ever heard one - which was from this area. Despite the efforts of many from VO2, not a peep was heard from here.

I should add that I am a CW operator.

In the past there have been several longtime topbanders in the US who have appreciated how difficult it is to work some zones from this part of the world and made special efforts to work us on their DXpeditions.

I would particularly like to pay tribute to your husband Jeff, George W8UVZ, Bob K4UEE and Jerry WB9Z. However, this kind of knowledge and effort has become unusual - which is why I'd like to thank you particularly on our behalf.

Here's hoping someone will go to the Zone 2 part of Quebec for the upcoming CQ WW CW or the CQ 160 CW.

It'd also be nice if there was a DXpedition to Zone 12, in particular Easter Island or San Felix (CE0) who did a heap of 160m CW at times that suited the Asia/Indian Ocean/Pacific area - now that'd make a good holiday destination for some topbander. ;-)

Vy 73

Steve, VK6VZ (also G3ZZD and VY2LF)

  

>Hi Gang
Jeff and I just got back from a one week "mini dx'pedition" to ZONE 2.? Three ferries and about a 2400km roundtrip drive to 50.112 North from PEI was made with the express purpose of giving ZONE 2 to our JA 160m friends.
Prior to our trip, only one single JA station had ever managed a qso with ZONE 2 on Topband and that was JA7HMZ about 35 years ago - so this zone was much needed by most 160m JA dx'ers.? Quite of few of our 160m JA friends have been stuck at 39 zones on 160m for many years - so this was our chance to help them get ZONE 2 for #40.
So without too much bandwidth - here is our report:
QRV 31 October to 04 November 2019
Roughly 350 stations worked on Topband - in 42 DXCC countries (we could have worked more but we took lots of time off in order to sleep and then get up for the JA window from about 0715z - 1110z.)
We tried some CW but signals were very very weak and FT8 proved the only possible way to complete contacts to JA.
It was pretty exciting to work these (6) JA friends: