W7GJ 2024 6m EME DXpedition to Tristan da Cunha


W7GJ 6m EME DXpedition September 12 - October 1, 2024* Tristan da Cunha (Grid Locator IF32uw, CQ Zone 38, IOTA AF-029, ITU Zone 66) * Dependent on shipping schedules and space availability.	Antenna Location at 200' above the ocean on the northwest corner of the island in the settlement of Edinbuurgh of the Seven Seas

AN OPERATION TO ACTIVATE ANOTHER DXCC FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 6M EME

Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory; it is one of the remaining former colonies which have not yet asked for independence, and wish specifically to retain their link with the United Kingdom. For Tristan, the link dates back to 1816, when the island was garrisoned by Britain. It has never been activated on EME on any band, and remains quite rare around the world on 6m. It is home to under 250 residents, who live in the small settlement of Edinburgh Of The Seven Seas, located on the northwest corner of the volcanic island. Its proximity to Antarctica places it in an extremely isolated and stormy region in the south Atlantic Ocean.

INTRODUCTION

Continuing the efforts to provide the first ever 6m EME contacts from rare DXCC, this is probably the most difficult and challenging I have faced so far. I have tried for some time to go to ZD9, but was told at the end of 2022 that my berth from Cape Town to Tristan da Cunha had to be re-assigned to a government contractor who had been delayed due to the previous Pandemic travel restrictions. I have been placed high on the waiting list to travel to ZD9 in mid September, 2024, after being bumped again from the August voyage. I am trying to provide sufficient advance planning for stations wishing to contact me while I am in ZD9, within the bounds of certainty. All my gear is packed and I am ready to go - I am just waiting to hear that my six day passage can be confirmed from Cape Town, South Africa.

As you know, a good location can mean everything to the success of one of these DXpeditions. Ideally, the site must be quiet, provide enough open space to erect and operate the large antenna and - especially from a location as distant from potential contacts as ZD9 - must provide a good view of the moon rising and setting out over the ocean. I am hoping to be able to secure a spot for the antenna that will at least provide a good view out over the ocean on moonset. The location on the northwest tip of the island is shown on the map above. The other maps show where in the world this remote place is located. I hope you will make the effort to look for me!

LOGISTICS

Much of the trip depends on the availability of berths aboard the ships occasionally making the approximately one week trip sailing from Capetown, South Africa. These spots are very limited, and there are seven categories of travelers that have higher priority than me. So, anybody in those categories could once again block my ability to get a spot on the ship. You can see these different categories here:

https://www.tristandc.com/shipping.php

I am now traveling to Tristan da Cunha on the SA Agulhas II during its annual September voyage, and I hope to return to Capetown in early October on the MV Lance. That should provide over 2.5 weeks of operation from ZD9. If I am not able to return on the MV Lance, I will have to stay there until the end of October and return on the MFV Edinburgh.

I hope to have everything operational in plenty of time for the optimum EME conditions in September. Much of my operation will depend on the ship's actual schedule and the weather, which I expect to be brutal! I expect to have only occasional internet access from another building and hope to be able to announce my status via email and the ON4KST EME CHAT or HB9Q LOGGER pages, and periodically update my log of EME contacts on this web page. This period does include the lowest Degradation days of the month. For me, at least on the best days, this means EME operation during the night, which is the ideal time to avoid high TEC interference from locations so close to the geomagnetic equator. And I hope to be QRV over several weekends, and in the middle of the night, so no need for callers to take time off from work!

I will do everything in my power to set up on the west side of the settlement so I can at least have an unimpeded view out over open fields toward the ocean on moonsets. The diagrams above show a view out over the water through the north between azimuths 70 and 263 degrees. I should have good common moon windows with horizon-only stations all over the world at one time or another during the operation. I know many EU stations have already worked ZD9, but I will have mutual moonsets with many stations there.

EQUIPMENT

As you can see from reviewing the results from my previous 6m EME DXpeditions, many contacts were made with single yagi horizon-only stations. The smallest station contacted from all the DXCC so far was N3CXV with his single 6M5X yagi. If you have a good yagi, good ground gain, a quiet QTH, good power and lots of patience, we should be able to complete! This is especially true in the many situations in which we should both have ground gain at the same time! A complete description of all the equipment being used on this DXpedition can be found here.

OPERATING SCHEDULE

My tentative operating schedule as an Excel spreadsheet is here. The ZD9 local time is the same as UTC. I am not planning on elevating higher than 45 degrees, and have not indicated any time periods on the tentative EME operating schedule. I may not try to operate EME during afternoon or early evening times when there is likely to be terrestrial propagation. I also may not be able to untie the array if the weather prevents me from operating. Please check on the ON4KST EME CHAT page or the HB9Q LOGGER for updates regarding my activity during such periods. Please just keep watch on 50.223 and I will try to stick to the published schedule as closely as I can. I am expecting extreme weather that also may very well limit my ability to untie the antenna. A file with my moon positions during the trip is here.

If you copy me, please spot me on the DX Cluster so people will know the correct grid locator, as well as the frequency and my status. I will diligently try to be QRV during all my moonrises and moonsets as published on the operating schedule. The antenna should have a good view at a height of around 120' over the ocean, and it will soon become clear after a few moonpasses which elevations are best for my ground gain lobes. Please watch the ON4KST EME page and/or the DX Cluster for updates on what people are copying and when.

Please keep calling me even if you copy me working someone else. As long as you are not on the same frequency as the other station, you will not be interfering with them. I will be using Q65-60A in the "Q65 Pileup" mode in the most recent version of WSJT-X. This averages callers on their particular offset frequencies, so NEVER change your transmit frequency after you start calling - pick a clear frequency nobody else is using and stay on it! With Q65 Pileup, it is very important for me to decode you so you will then go into the current version of my "Active Stations List" so I can decode you during other sequences with maximum sensitivity. Please coordinate your calling frequency with others on the ON4KST EME chat or HB9Q LOGGER pages to prevent interfering with each other - ideally, stations should be spread out every 100 Hz (remember that your doppler shift can be up to 100 Hz during your moonrise and moonset). I will try to contact any callers I can copy, but first priority will be given to people who are copying at that particular time, contributors, and stations with shorter common moon windows.

CONTACT INFORMATION

As explained above, I hope to be able to send out updates periodically to the MAGIC BAND EME email group and revise this website with a list of the stations worked. Please watch the MAGIC BAND EME email list for updated information. Please also share any updates with others on the ON4KST EME CHAT page. If there is some question regarding a contact, please DO call again. However, once you have confirmed a contact with me, please do not call for a second contact - some of the common moon windows are very limited, and many stations are expected to be calling.

QSL INFORMATION

Sorry, no eQSL or other newfangled ways of confirmation. I will upload all contacts to LOTW upon my return home. Please let me know of any logging discrepancies, as I can correct any errors by referring to my paper logbooks as well as the WSJT-X ALL.TXT file. I also will be printing photo QSL cards. If we have completed an EME contact, I plan to send you a QSL card to your QRZ.com mailing address. Other stations, please QSL DIRECT with SASE (foreign stations include a current IRC or $5 USD for postage) direct to:

Lance Collister, W7GJ
P.O.Box 73
Frenchtown, MT 59834-0073
USA

FREQUENCY, MODE AND SEQUENCE

For EME, I plan to operate at 1500 Hz on 50.223 MHz. I will always transmit in the first sequence Q65-60A using "Q65 Pileup" mode. Please call me using either Q65-Pileup or NA VHF Contest Mode from the most recent version of WSJT-X. Please DO NOT call me using any other modes. I will not be sending signal reports - in NA Contest Mode, only the grids are exchanged! So if you want to get in the log, make sure to spread the word to get on WSJT-X and operate in NA VHF CONTEST mode, which is the most sensitive for me to decode with Q65 Pileup mode on my end, and also results in faster contacts. And this will NOT work well with compound callsigns!! That is why I will have the ZD9GJ callsign and I suggest that you just send me your callsign and grid, even if you are operating portable. Do NOT call me with a /P or /R or /# after your callsign - your grid will show where you are!

Here is the link to download the most recent version of WSJT-X:

https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/wsjtx.html

Often, more frequent updates are included in the WSJT-X IMPROVED version, which is here:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt-x-improved/

Here is my step-by-step checklist to setting up Q65-60A for success on EME:

http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/Q65SETUP.pdf

And here is a more detailed explanation of the DXpedition procedure I am using:

http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/DXpedition%20Procedure%20with%20Q65.pdf

Remember, PLEASE, DO NOT USE A SINGLE RR73 to try to complete a contact with me! Change your messages so you send RRR instead, for as long as it is needed! (Just double click on message # 4 to toggle back and forth between RR73 and RRR).

Please check the ON4KST EME CHAT page for news from other hams in case I have to change this frequency due to receiver birdies at my end ! It is very inconvenient for me to switch modes while I am calling CQ or working EME stations, so please do not call me on CW or SSB or FT8 and expect me to switch over to answer you. If you should copy me on some ionospheric mode while I am pointed at the moon and am calling CQ on Q65-60A mode, please answer me in that mode and let's make a quick contact! Please do NOT call me on anything other than EME unless I am calling CQ! Please only contact me once! Do NOT interrupt me if I have already contacted you before!

When I am not aimed up at the moon, I very well may be on SSB or FT8 mode. For FT8, I will be using the most recent version of WSJT-X on 50.313 MHz. If propagation is good and there are many callers, I may switch to FT9 F/H on a frequency to be announced. PLEASE be sure to download the most recent version of WSJT-X IMPROVED!

CONTRIBUTIONS

It is extremely expensive to haul a 6m EME station halfway around the world to this location. Too many times, we hear DXpedition stations say they can't take a 6m beam and/or amp because "they are already overweight and cannot afford the excess baggage fees". If you want to do a good job and are committed to going halfway around the world to succeed pm 6m EME, this unfortunately is a large part of the necessary expense. Although I always keep my costs as low as possible, my travel, excess baggage and lodging costs for this operation will be staggering. And there are no amateur radio clubs or associations that provide funds for EME DXpeditions (they only support HF DXpeditions). Therefore, any contributions toward this DXpedition are greatly appreciated!

If you would like to contribute, please send your contribution by check or cash to my QRZ.com mailing address, or directly via PayPal using the "FRIENDS AND FAMILY" option to my email address, which is my current PayPal account. I am only able to do these long distance 6m EME DXpeditions every year because of the continued generous support from the 6m community and I am extremely indebted to you for your continued support! I have the time and equipment to go more often than once a year to new rare DXCC, but I just don't have the finances available. Many thanks to the following hams who have already very generously contributed to this DXpedition:

KJ9I, SM7FJE, KB7Q, K5QE, N7NR, K5XI, K7CW, N0TB, OH7KM, SP4MPB, K2ZD, G4BWP, G8VR, N4BAA, W6UC, ZL3NW, JE3GRQ, SP3RNZ, EA8DBM, JR3DVL, KL7HBK, GM3POI, TX5S Clipperton DXpedition Team, GD0TEP, K6QXY, W6XU, NV9L, WB9Z. JG1TSG, K6EME, S57RR, K8CX, W8TN, PY2XB, K1UU, JA7QVI, DK8NE, IW5DHN, G8BCG, W9JN, N7IP, I4YRW, W7EW, N6JV, N9PGG, 9K2GS, S51DI, AJ9C, K4ESE, W4IMD, K9EL, KR5E, N1DG, AB3CV, K7RWT, K4PI, K9RX, DL8YHR, KA1R, N8RR, W5WP, K3SWZ, N4II, K1HTV, YL2AO, SP7VC, OG2M, 9K2GR, ZS4TX, JA9SJI, PA9RX, K4RX, JO1PSX, KB3SII, WA1NLG, K7KX, 9K2OD, N8DX, OZ4VV, YO9HP, W5ADD, N8JX, K9CT, CT1FCX, F5UKW, EA3AKY, JM1OAX, PA5Y, KA9CFD, K1TO, KA9FOX, K9MU, K5RK, N4II, UA4CC, YL2GD, PA3CMC, F5LNU, ZS6NK, KY7M, GM0GAV, DK2PH, NJ6P, W8IW, DG1CMZ,N4WW, PA7MM, AJ9C, W0GJ, TG9AJR, ZL1RS, OH6MW, EI4DQ, AC4TO, FK8CP, N4SIX, W8HC, TA4/PE2M, VK3GA, DH6JL, W4SO, K3SX, WB8CQV, N7NW, WB8CQV, K1CA, W9XX, K7PI, VE1PZ, K1USA, DM5EE, W1NG, VE1SKY, W7FI, W4MW, N4WW, K1DG, G4IFX, KA8SYV, UT7QF, MD0CCE, NN4T, EA6VQ, N5DG, W3UUM, JA3JTG

MNI MNI TNX for your continued support!!

PHOTOS AND UPDATES

(more photos and updates may be available on my FACEBOOK page)

Saturday August 31 - Arrived at the MSO airport at 3:30 pm (2130Z). They took plenty of time taking my carry on apart and re-scanning the 6m amplifier. Fortunately, I was early enough so it did not cause me any problems. Plane departed for DEN on time at 5:05. There were many empty seats on the plane, and the views were good for most of the flight. I saw some strange spots in the middle of nowhere over WY that I didn't recognize - missile installations? After a relaxing dinner at the United Club at the Denver airport, I gave in and walked over to the Westin hotel and got a room to sleep for about 6 hours. Lots of time overnight for the four 50 pound bags of equipment to be properly staged for loading onto the correct plane in the morning.

Sunday September 1 - Got up at 3:30am and walked over to the airport. I was surprised by the size of the TSA inspection line at 4am, but things moved along quite quickly and the amplifier inspection was much less invasive than at MSO ;-) The flight to Newark left around 6:30am, and I think I got some sleep, as the flight didn't seem that long. The flight arrived around noon, which again provided over 8 hours for the luggage to get to the right place for the next flight. I used my remaining "one time free pass" to have a relaxing lunch at the United Club in the very nice and new Newark airport terminal C. While waiting in the boarding area, I learned how to use the United cell phone app to track my luggage, and I saw that only three of my bags had been loaded around mid day into a container to go on board the plane to Cape Town. As it turned out, the fourth bag was finally loaded while we were cued up to board the plane - whew! The plane finally left Newark around 6:50pm and it was very full.

Monday September 2 - It was very difficult to get much sleep on the plane because my row was full and the flight was very bumpy. We landed in Cape Town right at sunset. By the time I cleared immigration, my luggage was already in baggage claim. I loaded everything up and, based on previous advice, exited through the "nothing to declare" line (although nobody seemed to be manning the other line anyway) and headed out into the lobby. I stopped by an ATM and got some local ZAR currency so I could pay the driver that was arranged for me by the hotel. He arrived at the information desk the same time I did, and we headed off to the Gardens Center Holiday Apartments. The reception closes at 1800 but they had left a room key for me at the 24 hour security desk, making it easy for me to move in.

Tuesday September 3 - I spent much of the day struggling to get internet service so I could coordinate with the people at the pier to arrange for delivery of my luggage to the ship. The Apartment building is a 20 floor high rise with the lower floors available for rent to visitors and the upper floors reserved for long term residents. The lower two floors are a large shopping mall with upscale grocery stores and many other specialty shops to provide just about all that local residents would need. There are several banks, coffee shops, pharmacies, cell phone sales and repair stores, delicatessens, a shipping store, hair salons, stationery and clothing stores, tobacco and liquor stores, etc. At the mall's hardware store, I found an inexpensive compact plastic tripod and clamp to hold my cell phone.

Wednesday September 4 - I reorganized my luggage and put some clean clothes in a backpack to take with me to my berth about the ship. I also bought a few packages of granola so I will be able to make myself breakfasts - as least for a couple weeks. Am all set to get up early in the morning and depart for the ship. I was unable to connect my laptop to the marginal internet at the Gardens Apartment.

Thursday September 5 - Headed out for the pier at 7 am. We loaded up all our gear onto the ship moved to the other side of the bay where the immigration center was located. Everyone had their passports stamped for leaving South Africa, and reboarded the ship. After lunch on the ship, we were advised that we were going to wait for a late passenger who would not be joining us until 10 pm. Despite our delay in leaving port, our ETA in Tristan da Cunha is afternoon on September 10. The weather looks very good for the voyage. Because of the limited bandwidth available - especially when we are out on the open sea - we were advised not to try to upload photos or use other high bandwidth applications.

Friday September 6 - Meal times are a great opportunity to sit with new people and get to know more about them. At breakfast this morning, I sat with the radio technician for Marion Island and I learned about the distributed hut system they have around the island and the terrible weather they have down there. And my lunch partner was the helicopter pilot who unloads team members and supplies on Marion Island. I also chatted with a husband/wife team who spent a year or two on Marion Island studying birds, It was very interesting to learn more about how Marion Island was invested with mice so they introduced cats to control the rodent population. The cat population grew quite rapidly and they discovered that birds were much more preferable meals than rodents, so they stopped eating mice. The cats were successfully eradicated but the mice are still a problem there, just as they are on Gough Island (which is properly pronounced so it rhymes with "cough"). I also chatted with a fellow who is responsible for repairing a roof that was torn off a building on Gough This morning, we had a "muster drill" where half the passengers gather in the Dining Hall and the other half in the ship's Auditorium. It is there that survival suits and life jackets will be distributed before heading to their respective life boats. My Dining Hall muster headed to the port side life boat and we practiced getting in and buckling up inside the life boat. Hopefully this ice breaker will be able to hold together for at least a few more days until we reach Tristan! This afternoon, an oil tanker ship passed us heading the opposite direction. Although this route does seem to intersect the travel between Buenos Aires and Cape Town, it does seem that it is pretty rare to encounter ships out here. Tonight the ship's clocks are being adjusted from GMT+2 hours (South African time) to GMT +1 hour, so we must be making good progress (Tristan da Cunha is on GMT).

Saturday September 7 - The weather was overcast with rain much of the day. I am not sure if it was the rocking of the ship, but I became sleepy after lunch and spent a couple hours napping. Internet was inaccessible until evening because the ship's auditorium was streaming the rubgy world cup finals between South Africa and New Zealand. It was a passenger's birthday today and we all celebrated after dinner in lounge on Deck 6 with some delicious red velvet cake. I purchased a buff memorializing the upcoming Gough Island bird research team, G70. In addition to the researchers who are going to Gough for the coming year, there are a number of construction workers on board who are just going there for a few weeks to reinstall a roof on one of the buildings there. These contractors as well as a number of maintenance people landing on Tristan will be returning to Cape Town in early October on the Agulhas II with last year's crew from the weather station there.

Sunday September 8 - Today before and after lunch there were brief presentations in the ship's auditorium by scientists on board explaining their research and what they were planning to do during their current trips. The day started out overcast with the wind behind us as we surfed the waves. By noon the sun came out and white caps appeared on the sea. After lunch I met with Andy Repetto and he provided information about guy stakes for my mast. He also informed me that KC0W is planning to come to ZD9 for 6 months next year. I suspect he will be focusing on HF as he has on his previous DXpeditions, but hopefully we can convince him to also make an effort on 6m ;-) No internet.

Monday September 9 - Helicopter safety briefing was at 10 am. At 1 pm, those of us departing at Tristan reported to the Helicopter Operations room and were weighed so they could plan for balancing the helicopter loads. At 3:30, there was a tour of the bridge and the engine room. The bridge of course was very impressive and had an amazing view! The engine room tour was overwhelming! Room after room after little cubicle after another room in a whole maze of compartments filled with specialty equipment to handle the water supplies, waste treatment, ventilation, generators, engines, propeller shaft, transmission, and myriad of controllers, ducts and cables! At 5 pm, we settled our bills at the bar in the lounge so we would be able to get our passports back and be able to leave the ship. We have been going full speed toward Tristan to take advantage of the calm seas and get there and unload before the next bout of bad weather sets in.

I finally was able to get a good enough internet connection this evening to download emails from the last three days and am pleased to report that NCDXF had a change of heart and issued me a key to be able to try Superfox ;-) Thanks for all the help everyone provided in convincing them that this IS a real, serious DXpedition despite the fact that it does not warrant NCDXF funding and does not guarantee 100,000 QSO's! I don't know if Superfox will prove effective on the 6m terrestrial paths involved from ZD9, but at least I now can try it if cndx appear to warrant it ;-)

Tuesday September 10 - Arrival off Tristan at dawn and transfer to the island by helicopter. Photos and videos are on my FACEBOOK page. After all the gear was delivered (also by helicopter), I began unpacking. My ham shack is in the same room as Yuris ZD9W used last year. As is often the case with these DXpeditions, the available space for the antenna was not ideal. In addition to requiring room to mount the 43' long yagi on the mast and raise the mast without hitting the building, I would have liked to have been able to get over onto the other side of the fence to the north to provide a better place for tie-down lines. However, after some time evaluating different scenarios, I finally decided on a location for the mast and Prop that would provide enough space to mount the yagi. I would have preferred to locate the mast further from the building so I had the opportunity to elevate it when it was aimed north but that was the space I was given. As usual, I started out assembling the mast, Prop and Falling Derrick and by the end of the day had them all assembled.

Wednesday September 11 - I spent the morning setting up the prop and guying the mast so I could successfully raise and lower it back down into the cradle on top of the Prop. Then I loosely assembled the front and rear sections of the antenna boom and carried both halves outside. I borrowed several buckets from an organization up the hill so I could raise the boom off the ground as I finished building it. After sunset, inside my room, I assembled all the elements, carefully measuring all the lengths.

Thursday September 12 - I was up at dawn and started mounting all the elements on the antenna boom. Then I tightened the hinged elevation mount and the new extension mast (which holds the fiberglass cross arm that supports the yagi guy lines). Everything was ready by 11 am, so I wandered down to the police station and finally got my passport stamped as officially arriving here, and then changed my USD to GBP at the Finance department in the Administration building. Helpers arrived at noon as pre-arranged to assist me in mounting the antenna on the mast. The coax was installed and the antenna was up and secured by 1 pm ;-) Next, I added a second safety guy anchor to each of the four mast guy lines. I then set about connecting all the equipment inside the shack. Everything seemed to work fine, but the Degradation and moon elevation were too high for EME and the Kp index was 6, so there was no sign of life on 6m. Just before sunset, I noticed a huge cow had escaped somewhere from the pasture and found its way way to the thicker grass in my small antenna area. Fearing that it might step on the LMR600UF feedline or run into the tie-down lines or guy lines for the Prop, I steered it away from the Creche area and through the small gate into the main pasture. After dark, I strung my extra rope and nylon tie-down line across the entrance to the antenna clearing in the hope of discouraging wayward cows from returning. The Agriculture Department says they are going to relocate the cows to a different pasture on Monday...

Friday September 13 - I guess this was a fitting start to a Friday the 13th! I experienced the first really strong wind gusts and rain out of the southwest. I tied down the antenna pointed toward 40 degrees azimuth (toward eastern Mediterranean) as securely as I could. I also tied off the halyard rope (used for raising the mast) which is just under the antenna, to provide additional force to keep the antenna/mast secure against the gusts. I don't know if the wet lines, where I was aimed, where the cow stepped on the cable or something else resulted in the high SWR, but I measured 1.25:1 with the NanoVNC. The match did seem better when I first tested the system.

I still have very marginal WiFi, but finally was able to download a few of the 444 emails on the server before my computer timed out! I had not been able to download anything since arriving on the island. This certainly is NOT a preferred way to get in touch with me if the need is current. I made dozens of EU contacts on TEP this afternoon using FT8, despite the fact that I had to keep the antenna very securely tied down.

Saturday September 14 - I put up an inverted V for 6m, using the Falling Derrick as a mast. It is oriented to radiate north/south. I figured a broad northern pattern might be optimum for TEP. I spliced all the extra cables I brought down with me and came up with around 50', which just reached the rig after 4 splices! Glad I brought all the adapters to join all the cables together! I worked another 30 EU stations on TEP. I quit early to take a nap before the Island Administrator's reception party for people who had arrived on the recent S.A. Agulhas II voyage. Most of the town was there, and it was a grand celebration with an open bar and more baked appetizers than one could eat!

Sunday September 15 - I tried out EME during my moonset for the first time, since the Degradation was down, the Kp was down around 3, and the moon was starting to become lower. Faraday Rotation caused non-reciprocal signals between many stations but it was an ideal time for me, since it was in the middle of the night and there was no high TEC in the way to interfere with the EME signals. It also was dead calm here, which is HIGHLY irregular. However, as my moon was setting, a wind out of the south started up and brought light snow flurries with it. Here are the first 23 6m EME stations worked so far: N7NR, N8RR, NU4E, N7IP, N0TB, K1UU, KJ9I, AA7A, K4PI, W9GA, PY2XB, W5ZN, N9IW, K9RX, K2ZD, NJ6P, N1DG, N6JV, W6UC, W7JW, K7KX, WA5VGI, NG7E. The weather forecast is frightening for the coming week, and I hope I can keep the antenna in the air!

Tuesday September 17 - I got up at 2:15 am to operate 6m EME during my moonset, but the wind was howling so strong that I could barely stand up. There was no way I could untie the antenna (which was secured facing with the wind from the west) and operate the opposite direction facing into the wind. Of course, there was no internet available at home, in the Creche (where the ham shack is set up) or outside the Tourism building (where I had sent emails Monday). However, I found that in the hospital entryway, somehow I was able to send a text message on WhatsApp (even though their WiFi routers were all password protected) and let Bernie ZS4TX know that I could not be on the air this morning. Miraculously, by 7:00 am, the clouds had cleared and the wind was unusually calm! I guess whatever it was that was roaring through all night long was finally past the island! Weather permitting, I hoped to be able to get on the air for my first moonrise late this afternoon, when the moonrise finally clears the mountain to my east.

I was blessed to have a professional make drone videos of my antenna around noon. Then at 3 pm, we drove out to "The Patches" (where the potatoes are grown and all the sheep and cattle are kept). We went down to the beach to try to find some penquins, but didn't find any. I was back in plenty of time to get the antenna pointed toward moonrise. I started copying stations when the moon was 7.5 degrees high and came up over the edge of the mountain. Tonight on my first moonrise session, I worked 18 stations, bringing the total 6m EME contacts so far to 52: JG1TSG, GM3POI, SM7FJE, G4BWP, ZS4TX, ZS6NK, G8BCG, JA9SJI, G8VR, OZ4VV, HB9Q, DL8YHR, SP3RNZ, DK2PH, SP7VC, SP4MPB, HA8FK, S50A

It was visual aiming the entire evening, which I always love! I had to stop when the moon was around 35 degrees elevation because it became quite windy from the east. And then early tomorrow morning I will again try for my third moonset activity!

Wednesday September 18 - I started out this morning at 0344 when my setting moon was at 35 degrees elevation. There was only a light breeze, but it was overcast most of the time. I contacted 12 stations on EME, bringing the total up to 64: K5XI, W7GJ, W8PAT, KB7Q, W8IW, WA5TKU, N8DX, PA7MM, W8OI, N6WS, K6ND and K7RWT. I met this morning with the head of the Agriculture department and showed him the 20' long rope "fence" I rigged up to try to discourage cows from wandering through the antenna area. I requested some type of more successful material such as barbed wire, but he didn't seem very keen on that. By 3:00 pm, I had four cows wandering around under the antenna, rubbing their backs on my mast guy wires, tripping on my LMR600UF coax and stepping on it. I took a video of this activity and sent it to the Tourism administrator. I am not sure what happened after hours, but all the cows were gone from my antenna area by my moonrise after dinner ;-)

The cold wind from the east continued (with blowing snow) for my moonrise, so I kept the antenna tied down and only operated from about 4 degrees to 16 degrees elevation. I worked 9 more stations to bring my 6m EME total up to 73: GD0TEP, IW5DHN, HA7TM, ES6RQ, JO1PSX, HA8CE, OH7KM, YL2GD and S59A.

Thursday September 19 - The morning started windy with snow flurries but the wind eventually became less and by moonset, the snow and sleet had turned to rain. I started out when the moon was around 40 degrees elevation. This was the first day that the antenna could see the moon setting out over the ocean. The Degradation was a very attractive -1.4 dB but the Kp index was over 4. I worked the another ten new stations on 6m EME: OH2BC, OH3SR, PA5Y, PA3CMC, EA8DBM, GM0GAV, OH1LEU, DK8NE, F1IXQ, EI4DQ bringing my total up to 83 so far.

I don't think my moonrise ground gain is as good as on my moonset, because of all the buildings in the village to my east. During my moonrise, I seemed to have very little ground gain and only completed with JA7QVI, S57RR and KA1R (on his moonrise). I finished the day with a total of 86 stations to date.

Friday September 20 - The Degradation was a good -2 dB, but the Kp index being so low at 1.0 meant that there was very little Faraday Rotation. The result was that polarization of signals often seem to be unchanging for extended periods of time. That is a real problem especially for horizon-only stations, if the "one way propagation" lasts during the duration of their short ground gain window. On previous nights with the higher Kp index, it was easy to watch signal strengths change and provide replies to each station under different signal strengths, to guarantee that they had a chance to receive me. When the Kp index is low such as it was last night, the signal strengths didn't really change very much - they were either there or they weren't - pretty much for the entire period the horizon-only stations had access to the moon. So as the moon rose across North America, there were many stations copied here (18 were added to the Q65 Pileup Active Stations List), but few who responded to my replies.

During the NA moonrise, I completed with PJ4MM, WB9Z, NV9L, N4BAA, N8GTI, KY7M and NJ6D, bringing my total to 93 6m EME stations so far. I had to shut down when the moon rose on the USA West Coast because a ferocious storm moved in and it was not prudent to try to continue while my antenna was elevated. I was very sorry to miss out on the European stations who were waiting to contact me during their moonset. But with the antenna tied down with the wind, it survived the night!

I met earlier today with Paul, the electrical meter reading guy, and he said the entire entrance panel for the Creche was corroded and falling apart. They plan to shut down the power here at the building on Monday to replace the panel. So I will not be able to do anything at the Creche on Monday. I am planning to work with the good internet at the Tourism office and address QSL cards on Monday ;-)

I saw my first view of the stars from down here tonight - right down to the horizon! The view is amazing, because there are no other lights around. The skies are mostly clear and there is a light breeze. They say that this is the weather we should expect for the next few days :-) This afternoon there was only light drizzle blowing in from the clouds to the west, and I took the opportunity to hike (on the track they call the "M1") to the rock "beach" on the northeast corner of the island and got my first view of Rockhopper penguins. I put a video up on my FACEBOOK page. Moonrise is at 10:00 pm (2200Z), so the first contacts of this moon pass will take place on Friday. The Degredation was -3.1 dB and the Kp index was 1.3. Visual aiming on the almost-full moon was possible tonight ;-) That meant wanting more frequently to run the over 100m from the ham shack out to the antenna clearing! During my moonrise at the end of the day, I only completed with PA9RX and JM1OAX. The Kp index was low again and there was widespread "one-way propagation".

Saturday September 21 - Continuing during my moonrise, as the moon rose across NA, I completed with NK1K, OG2M, W0GJ, KA9CFD, N4SIX, K4AKX and K0DAS. Many other callers were copied, but the polarization mismatches prevented completions. Because of strong winds from the west, I had to shut down and tie down the antenna after moonrise along the USA West Coast. I will try my best to remain active during the next moon pass. My total 6m EME contacts at the end of this moon pass stood at 102.

The next moonrise at the end of the day has moved far enough north that it is clearly rising out over the ocean.

Sunday September 22 - The wind blowing rain and sleet from the southwest all evening. It was a real struggle to aim the antenna and also to keep from freezing. At times the gusts were very strong. I also found that there was a lot of one-way propagation again and most of the stations I replied to did not respond. Nevertheless, I worked WW1L, W3UUM, KK4MA, K9MU and AG6EE operating portable in NV. This brings my total 6m EME stations contacted to 107. I stayed on the air until my moonset because of the great ground gain there, but never did contact anyone else. Just as my moon set, I did copy three European stations, but we did not complete. I hope we get another chance to explore the use of my ground gain lobes over the ocean during future moonsets. Much of the time, I was unable to connect to the internet.

Because the power is being turned off early Monday, I will go QRT after the West Coast NA moonset during the moon pass starting at 0030Z Monday morning September 23. The weather is supposed to be nicer!

Monday September 23 - When I got to the site around 0000Z, I noticed that the rope "fence" was down again and there were four cows sleeping in the antenna area, with fresh "land mines" everywhere :-( Just hoping that the coaxial had not been flattened by a hoof somewhere out there, I began transmitting when the moon out over the ocean was -.9 degrees elevation. The rising moon was not visible because of cloud cover to the east, so I had no way of knowing if the high winds had rotated the beam on the mast and left me aiming off the target. When moon was visible and at 10 degrees, I noticed the indicator on the mast was off. I went outside and reset it...the strong wind had rotated antenna on mast 10 degrees :-( But tonight was visual tracking anyway after the moon had risen a few degrees.

Despite the low elevation, and rising Degradation, I did manage to complete with N4II, KA9FOX, K5RK and K1TO. I also corrected a contact with JH2COZ that had not been logged before. That brings my total so far to 112. I sure would like to get another 10 EME contacts in the log before I have to tear down - which will probably have to take place by next Monday.

I shut down just before dawn because they are turning off AC power to the building to make repairs to the electrical entrance box today. With the Degradation is getting high over the next few days, I will not be operating EME during this period. The pattern of my antenna also does not well match the visual aiming of the yagi when the moon elevation is as low as it has been today. I will start again with EME on Thursday GMT.

addressed QSL cards today, as the deadline for posting any mail for the next two months is this Wednesday at noon! also spent a few hours answering emails that I had not had a chance to download or reply to. I also went to the hospital and had Xrays of my back and was given some pain pills. All the living and bending, combined with sitting hunched over the computer for hours in a very uncomfortable chair has contributed to my back problems. The doctor said I could not go on the trip to Inaccessible and Nightengale Islands on Tuesday because of my back injury.

Tuesday September 24 - This was the calmest morning since I have been here, and the first time that the fishing boats were able to go out. The have a large GONG next to Prince Philip Hall that they ring around 5 am to alert people that today is a fishing day. I was fast asleep and never heard it this morning. A small boat also went to Nightengale and Inaccessible Islands to view the Albatross and Penguin colonies there. I spent most of the day calling CQ on FT8 and finishing the EME QSL cards so they can be at the Post Office here tomorrow morning. QSL cards for any additional EME contacts made before I have to tear down will go out from Tristan in the December mail.

It is quite a big deal when the fishing boats return to port at 5 pm with their catch. People are alerted by a loud siren that the boats have returned and unloaded the catch. The whole town turns out to help process the lobsters in the Factory immediately when they are unloaded.

I worked a little bit of TEP to southern EU today but was unable to get in on any large openings anywhere.

Wednesday September 25 - I elevated the EF0609GJ yagi to do some testing and noticed that the screw mounting the reflector was loose and that element was wobbling a bit. I tightened it up and the match looked good again. After the Post Office opened at 8 am, I delivered all the EME QSL's for contacts made to date. I heard that the M.V. Lance will be arriving on Friday and could leave again as soon as a couple days later. I am really torn - I can tear down by Saturday or I could stay another month and head back to Cape Town on the M.F.V. Edinburgh. I do so want to stay here longer, but I have obligations at home and going back on the M.V. Lance means this trip will have taken over 6 weeks.

There was an emergency disaster drill here starting at mid-day with the gong and sirens blasting alerts for all the emergency services to respond. It was a simulation of a rockfall (which they have from time to time) that exploded some propane gas cylinders and caused some injuries to pedestrians and a firefighter.

Thursday September 26 - I started calling CQ at 0316Z. It was overcast with no visible tracking possible. I seemed to be shut out from a lot of stations by Faraday Rotation. However, I completed with K1SIX, AJ9C, KX4R, N4WW, AD6D and K7LED to bring my total of 6m EME stations up to 118. After moonset, I took all 6 additional QSL cards to the Post Office and they said they would be sure they made it out on the M.V. Lance next week. It didn't get really windy until around 1730Z just as the TEP opening for the afternoon ended. I tied down the antenna as best I could toward moonrise, which was fortunately very close to being in line with the strong winds. Then it was time to hit the sack early to get ready for moonrise.

Friday September 27 - Pounding rain on the metal roof woke me up at 0200 but by the time I got over to the ham station at 0330, there was no rain. However, the downpour re-energized the dried out meadow muffins making them active land mines again all around the antenna :-( Skies were overcast with just a light breeze. Degradation was an improved -2.7 dB and the Kp index was 1.7. The antenna seems to have weathered the storm well and I tweaked the direction to 55 degrees azimuth. Yesterday I already took down my inverted V and all the coax cables that had been spliced together for it, in an effort to try to get things as ready for packing up as I could outdoors while the weather was favorable. After the first two Japanese contacts, I went out at 0500 to re-position the antenna and found it was lightly snowing. Much better than rain! When I went out at 0530 to re-aim the antenna, I could see the lights of the M.V. Lance, anchored offshore.

I completed with JE3GRQ, JR3DVL, JA4LKB, F6BKI, N4HU, and W9DX. It is great to see so many first timers to 6m EME! However, it probably would yield better results for everyone if they practiced making some EME contacts and got their stations working BEFORE the DXpedition! Please spread the word to newcomers before the next rare DXCC comes on 6m EME ;-)

I took a break to deliver this morning's QSL cards to the Post Office and then stopped by the Administration. They say I should OK if I tear down after moonset Saturday. That lets me pack on Sunday and leave Monday. I had my passport stamped to leave. I then came back and worked I4YRW, HA5WA, OH2BU, HA5OV, HA0UZ, HA8EV, bringing my total 6m EME contacts so far to 130. Tomorrow is my last day of operation.

Saturday September 28 - Today was one of the most beautiful so far! A perfect day for my 73rd birthday! It started out calm and clear and I had visual tracking on the moon until afternoon when the winds picked up and the hazy sky out over the sea was too bright to see the little sliver of moon. Because the moon window was becoming later in the day here, I had problems with rising TEC, especially toward moonset. However, I did manage to work 6 more stations during my final day of operation, bringing the total 6m EME stations to 136: JE6KYA, K8CX, NY0V, DG1CMZ, K2ZJ & OM5XX. QSL cards for these have to be deposited at the Post Office when they open on Monday. However, as with the QSL cards posted Friday, they will not go out in the mail until the December ship, since the mail bag for the M.V. Lance had already been sealed...so please be patient for your cards!

Around noon, Simon took advantage of the sunshine to drive all the roads and record the street view video for Google Earth. By the end of the year, everyone will be able to visit Tristan da Cunha via Google Earth street view! And my antenna was still up and operating at that time, so hopefully it will be memorialized in the videos, although it is a bit back from the street.

Mikael, a visiting physicist from Sweden, showed up at 3:15 pm, 15 minutes past my moonset, as pre-arranged. Because the cows had been tripping over the guy lines holding the Prop in place, I wanted a helper for lowering the antenna, to make sure that the mast came down directly into the cradle atop the Prop. Despite becoming windy in the afternoon, there was no rain and it turned out to be the best day to lower the antenna. I prefer raising and lowering the antenna when the wind is in my face, helping raise the antenna and slowing its descent. Despite the high winds from the east, which wanted to force the antenna down quickly it all went well. The marauding cows must have nudged the prop and changed the position of the base sightly, as we had to tweak the mast over to the right slightly to land it in the cradle. Between my guiding with the Falling Derrick and halyard and Mikael guiding the mast as it was lowered, it came down quickly in a very controlled manner and Mikael left after about 5 minutes. I then removed all the elements so I could lift the boom off the mast by myself and move it over onto the ground to be dismantled. Because it was sunny and windy, things had dried out and I wanted to be sure to get everything inside while all the guy lines and coaxial cable were dry. Since the Creche was not used over the weekends, it was a very convenient place to bring the assembled mast, two halves of the boom and lay them in the long corridor inside. I had all the critical parts safely inside by 6 pm, and went directly to a going away party that the Administrator was having for the approximately 40 people who were about to leave on the SA Agulhas II.

Sunday September 29 - I was up at 6 am and finished removing the Prop and all the ground stakes before it began to rain. Then I moved inside to disassemble all the elements, mast and boom, pack it all up and pack up all the equipment, placing everything inside my suitcases in large Zip-Lock bags with plenty of cushioning around everything. Since the luggage will be transported out to the M.V. Lance on open barges and I don't know where the luggage will be stored on the ship, I wanted to be sure that everything stays dry. When I went to Clipperton Island in 2013, I was assured that all my gear would be stored in a dry hold, but in reality everything had been sloshing around in water and the cardboard boxes holding all my gear were falling apart - I learned my lesson on that trip! By 2:30 pm everything was packed up and each piece of luggage was weighted at 49 to 50 pounds. I didn't matter that it had started to rain, since the dismantling and packing had been successful! That night we had a huge downpour and high winds.

Monday September 30 - It started out very windy from the west, which is where the biggest winds and storms seem to come from. I noticed that the S.A. Agulhas II had also moved around to the leeward side of the island to anchor with the M.V. Lance out of the wind. I had to make a couple trips to the Tourism Department to get my final bill for lodging and use of the Creche, and of course has to post the final EME QSL cards. I also had to spend some time at the Finance department to settle the bill from Tourism and close out my account. In between these financial errands, I had a chance to walk about town and take some photos. I will be posting some of them on my Facebook page. The current guess is that the Agulhas will be able to load up the passengers and leave for Cape Town on Wednesday. The current prediction is that the M.V. Lance will also be departing on Wednesday, provided the seas quiet down. The Agulhas is less prone to weather delays because all the passengers and luggage are transferred by helicopter. Since the M.V. Lance requires loading by small wooden barges, the seas must be calmer.

I hope to get a chance to visit with Andy Repetto today or tomorrow to discuss digital modes and show him how he could hook up his IC706 to operate FT8 on 6m. Andy, as well as a number of other locals, seem to have caught the flu from somewhere. Possibly it came with the Edinburgh, which arrived the week before I got here. Aside from my back problems, my flu and covid shots before I left home has kept me relatively healthy.

Tuesday October 1 - The weather is good today but the swells in the harbor are preventing the barges from going out to load and unload the S.A. Agalhus II and the M.V. Lance, both of which have been waiting around the leeward side of the island. Passengers have been told that the helicopters will load them onto the Agalhus this afternoon, and they hope to leave today if the barges can move the heavy freight and fragile gas cylinders. I understand this "hurry up and wait" scenario is usually the case with ships trying to arrive/depart here. Everything depends on the seas.

I put a drone video of my moonbounce antenna on my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/lance.collister/videos/1698368590987780

I also uploaded a couple drone videos to YouTube last night that show the EF0609GJ yagi that I put up to bounce radio signals off the moon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4nqZ5VwHuk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50Z7ShglWfI

As I am writing this, the helicopter is loading passengers onto the Agulhas. I have a berth on the M.V. Lance, but it is unknown when it will depart. Some say a week from now :-( Others guess over the weekend. It all depends on the weather.

Wednesday October 2 - With the uncertainty as to when my ship might be leaving Tristan, I set up a low dipole in front of my residence. It will be interesting to see if it works at all... It was windy but not raining today, so I hiked up to the top of the 1961 volcano eruption lava flow, and also took a ride out past the Patches.

Thursday October 3 - It seems like everybody here is getting the flu. The forecast for the departure of the MV Lance is now next Wednesday October 10. I have decide to instead stay here for an additional 2.5 weeks and try to return on the little MFV Edinburgh on October 27. Starting tonight to rebuild the 6m antenna and station again!

Friday October 4 - Started assembling the mast after breakfast and had it guyed and sitting on the prop by noon. Then after lunch I started in on the antenna. It was overcast and calm most of the day with the odd rain sprinkles. I raised the antenna myself and was QRV again by 1830. What a day! I think I am getting too old for this! No sign of any propagation tonight.

Saturday October 5 - It was totally overcast, but was not raining. This was perhaps the first time I had seen absolutely no wind at all! By 0700 I had calibrated the aiming circle for my mast, using the roof of a building 250m away down toward the ocean due north of my antenna. I moved the screw eye for the rear boom guylines back a couple inches and the boom barely sags at all now ;-) Called CQ on 50.313 on and off through the day without any success. Late in the afternoon it started steadily raining and in the evening it was spitting sleet and snow. Although my moonset at southern Declinations looks uphill rather than out over the ocean, I still managed a 6m EME contact with ZL3NW. We utilized ground gain on both our ends to overcome the high Degradation of -5.6 dB. With the inclement weather here, there was no chance of seeing the big aurora that was forecast for late in the evening. But we did squeeze in that one EME contact before the geomagnetic field was totally disrupted. With the correction for missing to record a previous EME contact with XE2OR, ZL3NW brings the total 6m EME contacts so far to 138. Internet continues to be very intermittent and unreliable here at the ham shack in the Creche building.

Sunday October 6 - Started out overcast with a stiff breeze from the east. Previously, they had been talking about fair weather moving in, but this just illustrates how unpredictable the weather is down here. The winds and weather change quickly and constantly. VK3ZL and VK3DUT want to try 6m EME tonight despite the high Degradation...we will see if ground gain on both ends of the circuit can overcome the Degradation, although if the Kp index is as high as was predicted, that may be the overriding factor. It will be interesting to see if these huge flares have any effect on TEP today, provided I dare turn the antenna sideways to the wind. In the afternoon, the sun came out, it warmed up and I had a TEP opening for several hours into Europe. Then toward evening the cold east wind really started up. I had to tie the antenna down on the horizon, and the Degradation was up to 6.4 dB, but I managed to work FK8CP and VK3DUT. That brings my 6m EME total contacts up to 140. Oh, and the MV Lance finally left for Cape Town tonight.

Monday October 7 - Overcast with cold wind from the east. Forecast this week is for very strong winds :-( Currently, the antenna is tied down aiming west, with the wind. I think the winds my restrict my ability to turn the antenna for FT8 this week. I have not scheduled any EME this week because of the high Degradation, so the winds will not impact any EME activity. I was calling CQ on FT8 mode most of the day, and even tried SuperFox for an hour or so around mid-day... I am not sure I was running the program properly, and I also am not sure the callers knew how to answer me with that mode. Not being confident in the results, I returned to standard FT8. Late in the afternoon, I turned the antenna toward North America and made my first FT8 contact in that direction - TG9AJR in Guatemala!

Because I have had so many requests for an on line log that people can check, I put a link to it on my webpage below and I hope to be able to update the information daily.

Tuesday October 8 - Started overcast with a light breeze from the east and the wind picked up toward noon. Reports from Montana were that the aurora views last night were spectacular (Kp was over 7). I only made a few TEP contacts in the morning. I spent most of the rest of the day with the beam toward North America, and did work some via the ionosphere in the USA, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. The ionospheric paths seemed to start much earlier in the day than usual - probably as a result of the geomagnetic disturbance. North America was having a huge opening to South America and many stations were contacting the PY0FF DXpedition, which is in the TEP Zone. My screen was empty most of the time. By evening the rain and strong east winds had stopped.

WSJT-X is going through some changes right now, particularly with SuperFox mode. I downloaded a new version of WSJT-X and have applied for a key to be able to use it on Superfox mode. I was told it takes a couple days to get a key.

Wednesday October 9 - As predicted, the wind was extremely strong this morning out of the northwest. I tied down the antenna toward 80 degrees (where the mountain blockage starts to the east) in the hope that there might be a skew path toward Indonesia. The Kp index was up to 4.7, so the Geomagnetic Field was still quite disturbed and it was hard to know what might be possible. I started calling CQ to the east at 0645 and continued for 2 hours. After breakfast I continued to call CQ to the east for an hour and then called CQ toward the Middle East for 2 more hours. Nothing was received. After lunch I tied the antenna down toward eastern Europe and tried again. Most of the contacts I made today are when I turned the antenna toward North America and contacted stations from the USA East Coast to the West Coast.

I received a new key for using SuperFox on the newly updated WSJT-X. All I need now is some propagation again! Please spread the work to people to download the most recent version of WSJT-X so they can work me if I decide to go on SuperFox again. I will announce the frequency on the ON4KST chat pages.

After dinner I got on the air again but could not make any contacts after dark here.

Thursday October 10 - The day started with light rain and strong winds from the east. The array was securely tied down facing west toward South America so it was aligned with the wind. I spent a lot of time again trying to install my WiFi Extender for the Creche WiFi, but it seems that the Creche WiFi itself was weak and intermittent, so the Extender was not very helpful. By noon, the wind was less terrifying and I was able to tie the antenna down toward the Middle East and start calling CQ. I quickly worked HZ1DG, A71XX and A92AA, thanks to the coordination work of 9K2GS in getting them on the air to look for me ;-)

I had to chase a cow out of the antenna area today :-( Yep, they are freely roaming though the village again and love the tasty grass on the north side of the Creche building where I have set up the antenna. By mid afternoon, the skies has cleared and the wind was coming in from the north. I think the arrival of the CME from the sun during mid afternoon may have been contributing to the fact that 6m propagation from down here was poor. Nevertheless, was able to make some additional TEP contacts with Europe in the late afternoon. I tied the antenna down aimed at NA, and will check from time to time this evening. Missed seeing the comet after sunset tonight because of clouds. Log is updated on the website.

Friday October 11 - We are approaching lower EME Degradation again. Although the best conditions are early next week, I will be on some during the EME Contest this coming weekend. Primarily, I will be looking for YB, VK and ZL stations during my moonrise and moonset. As usual, I will be operating with Q65 Pileup in Q65-60A mode an transmitting during the first sequence on 50.223. If today is any indication, I will very rarely have any internet. I hope to see some new stations that I have not contacted so far off the moon!

Saturday October 12 - It was still quite breezy from the southwest, which permitted the antenna to be aimed up toward Eastern Europe and still be tied down with the wind. It was tough to get attention because the Middle East and Southern Europe were busy working Southeast Asia. I did try calling CQ for a couple hours toward India in the morning. No luck there, but when I turned to Europe, there was quite a pileup! I tried to run SuperFox, but I couldn't get the audio to work with it, so I switched to FT4. I worked a lot of the stronger stations on FT4 and then finished out the opening on FT8. At the end of the day I did make a few contacts into southeast USA.

Sunday October 13 - At 0100 I went to the Creche building to run a sked with ZL1RS. I found that the cows had trampled my Prop and ripped the guy stakes out of the ground. I will assess the damage in the daylight, but I rely on the Prop staying in place so that the mast and antenna will safely land on it when the mast is lowered. I guess I won't fret about it until I have to take the antenna down, since any attempt to get it back up in the exactly right spot would be guesswork and the cows would just take it out again anyway.

I worked ZL1RS twice during his moonrise while I was beaming west for my moonset. I tried with VK4MA and decoded him when his moon was -1.0 degree, but I have no more common moon windows during my moonset with VK. I have a few days left to try with VK during their moonset while I am elevated above the mountain to my southeast.

I did contact a number of stations in Europe today on TEP propagation, and then later switched to EME. On EME after my moon came up over the mountain, I completed with OH6MW for #144. Also today, a story was posted about moonbounce on the Tristan da Cunha website:

https://www.tristandc.com/news-2024-10-11-lunarradiolink.php

Monday October 14 - I got up at 0200 to run tied down on my moonset. I completed with N7BRR and K7ULS. Later in the day I called CQ to no avail until after lunch when I broke across the walls of the TEP PIPELINE and worked TI, VP2, HI and KP4. The TEP Pipeline Duct was extending all the way up into the middle of the USA and stations there were working southeast Asia via long path ( across the Atlantic). Unfortunately, Tristan da Cunha is WAY too FAR south to tap into that duct.

Although it was raining all day, the winds were mostly calm, so I was able to elevate the antenna above the mountain during my moonrise. It was like walking in a swamp to move the antenna around...except this swamp has recently revitalized meadow muffins the size of toasters. I did complete with VK5PJ for #147 station worked on 6m EME.

After dinner I went back to the radio for a couple of hours before heading to bed to get ready for the last moonset opportunity with 3D2AG. My current plan is to be QRV on EME from 0200-moonset on October 16, winds permitting. The middle of the night is the best time for EME, since there will be no ionospheric interference.

Tuesday October 15 - I ran EME with 3D2AG during his moonrise and saw nothing. I did contact around 100 stations in Europe via the ionosphere today. Most notably, my first Finland, Norway and Wales contacts. I did manage a number of contacts in England too. I ran a sked with VK3ZL and other VK stations during our common moon window (during my moonrise while I was elevated so I could see over the mountain to the east). Although they all copied me multiple times, I heard nothing from the VK stations. I later discovered this was due to a receive problem, which was corrected after my moonrise. With the ionospheric contacts, my QSO totals are now over 1050.

Provided the weather holds, I will plan to be QRV again on Wednesday for the VK moonsets at my moonrise and Thursday for my moonset beginning at 0200Z.

Wednesday October 16 - I got up at 0130 to get on for my moonset. The sky was clear (visual tracking), the wind was calm (very unusual) and the Degradation was low. I completed EME contacts with W8HC, OH1MA, LA8AJA, KA8SYV, AC1UB. During moonrise today, I tried a last ditch effort with the VK stations during their moonset. By the time my moon came up, I only completed with VK3KJ and SM6LPF, bringing my total of 6m EME contacts to 154.

Because I have been receiving inquiries about how horizon-only stations in North America can work me, I have decided I will try to stay awake for the entire moon pass during the first day of the EME contest this weekend. I THINK the winds will be manageable on Friday night and allow me to elevate and aim to the north as the moon rises across NA. The winds are forecast to become very bad later in the weekend, which probably means I will have to stay tied down. Anyone interested in working me should be sure to let me know their call and grid in advance so I can enter it into my CALL3.TXT file - I very well may not be able to look it up on-line when they are trying to call me. If possible, please advise me or at least coordinate your calling frequency using the ON4KST EME CHAT page. I will be operating on 50.223 and transmitting in the 1st sequence Q65-60A, Q65 PILEUP mode. I will be on a transmit offset of 1500 Hz. I look forward to handing out as many ATNO as possible ;-)

Thursday October 17 - I was up at 0130 to be QRV calling CQ EME by 0204Z. Beautiful morning with calm, visual aiming and low Degradation! I was pleased to contact AA5C, R6KA, UW5ZM, MD0CCE. and G4IFX. During the afternoon, I worked 19 stations in North America via the ionosphere.

My moonrise was calm and started out clear with visual aiming possible. I completed with JA3JTG for my #160, and that was the only caller until moonrise in North America.

I have decided to try to get in a lot of napping during the day today so I can be QRV for the entire next moon pass as well as the one starting Friday. This will provide additional opportunity for horizon-only moonset stations in the Far East and Europe as well as moonrise stations in North America. Please coordinate and announce your calling frequency on the ON4KST EME CHAT page! CU on the moon!

Friday October 18 - EME cndx were great and the winds were calm. I copied many callers but only completed with WK9R, W0LGQ, and UR5LAK. It seemed like I was locked out from everybody else...and I copied MANY other callers. The Kp index was around 3, so I expected signals would not be so "one-way" all the time.

It was clear and calm at moonrise and visual tracking was possible. I still did not see the comet. After moonrise, I copied many callers, but the Kp index rose to 4, and I suspect that was at least partially responsible for the very erratic EME conditions. I did complete with VE1PZ during his moonrise, and then had much more difficulty with other stations.

Saturday October 19 - Despite the aurora and high Kp index, I easily completed with WB8CQV and KJ9I again (who was operating actively in the annual ARRL EME Contest) and N2RVU. It took hours to complete with N0LNO. As my moon set, and the storm clouds were moving in, I completed with WW2DX, HA0DU, UW1HM and S51DI. Those bring my total 6m EME contacts so far to 173.

The weather forecast predicts very strong winds through Monday, so I will plan NOT to be QRV on 6m EME. I will announce any last minute changes by email and the ON4KST EME CHAT page. After moonset today followed by a 3 hour nap, I went over to the station to tie down the antenna for the approaching storm. I couldn't resist just checking the TEP to Europe, and wound up making a number of contacts throughout Europe, including Northern Ireland, Scotland and a handful of English stations. Perhaps the strangest contact was one with China, just intermingled with the other European callers. That one is certainly the farthest ionospheric contact I have made from down here. The longest distances have been to Japan via EME.

Then, on my way to shut down the station for the day, I just HAD to tie down the antenna toward North America on the off chance that there might be something unusual happening that direction. After a few calls, I found myself making contacts all around the Caribbean and Central America, with a few South American stations thrown in too. And to my surprise and delight, I started seeing some American and Canadian callers ;-) And I was able to hand out a new country contact to dozens of 6m ops in North America today ;-) After dinner today the wind really started howling from the east, and it is supposed to rain and storm with high winds all day Sunday and into Monday.

Sunday October 20 - Quite heavy rain this morning, but the winds died down by the afternoon. I tied the antenna toward North America and worked a number of stations on FT4 and FT8. The band recently seems to close that direction around 1600. Because of the rising Degradation and the fact that I seem to have worked just about everybody who is capable on 6m EME, I will plan not to be on EME any more this trip, unless there is a specific request for a schedule. I will spend the rest of the time here trying to get in on ionospheric openings. I currently hope to depart next Sunday, so I am planning to tear down on Friday, although it may have to be sooner than that, depending on weather and the ship's schedule. I will try to stay set up as long as possible. Unlike the MV Lance, I understand the little MFV Edinburgh DOES leave pretty much as scheduled.

Monday October 21 - The day started out reasonably calm, and overcast. I confirmed that SuperFox was working now - apparently it just needed a computer reboot after the most recent version of WSJT-X Improved was loaded up last night. Now we just need propagation! I also learned that there WILL be mail shipped out with me on the MFV Edinburgh next weekend, so I will be dropping off the remainder of the EME QSL cards at the Post Office here on Wednesday. I put stamps on all of them this afternoon while the band was dead and I was calling CQ anyway. I did work EU on TEP at mid-day, and got as far north as Scotland, but I never did get to North America today. It is frustrating seeing ZD7 (1400 miles north of me) working into the central USA on TEP, while I am just far enough further south to be out of reach of the propagation. This feels just like being at home and being just 1400 miles beyond the reach of the propagation to the south! I am sure the SFI of 162 doesn't help my situation either. Thursday will be my last full day of operation, and I hope to be able to take the antenna down first thing Friday morning. Strong west winds are forecast for Friday morning, but I will be dropping the antenna directly into the wind, so that should be an ideal situation...it just will take a helper to push the mast over into the wind to start the dropping of the mast ;-)

Tuesday October 22 - I just heard that the MFV Edinburgh will be leaving Tristan da Cunha on Friday! So I went out today to try to set up the Prop in roughly the same position as it was before the cows trampled it. I have to lower the antenna Wednesday morning. Sorry for the shortened week, but there is very bad weather coming and the ship wants to try to get ahead of as much of it as possible. Thank you for all the contacts! As of this morning, there were 6m 1414 contacts, 173 of which were on EME. I was able to add a few more in North America and a couple dozen in Europe. The grand total of 1443 6m contacts at the end of the operation included 173 via EME and 1270 via TEP ionospheric propagation.

Wednesday October 23 - The day began partly cloudy with a light breeze out of the northwest. I dropped off the final QSL cards to be mailed from Tristan at 9 am this morning when the Post Office opened - the deadline for mail going out before December was 1100 today so the mail can be stamped and loaded into mailbags headed to the continent along with me on the MFV Edinburgh Friday.

A fine morning to lower the antenna! Yesterday I had set up the Prop where I thot it had been before the marauding cows flattened it. The mast came right down in the cradle mounted on the top of the Prop ;-) It was textbook ;-) I made a video of the lowering and will try to get it uploaded to YouTube and then post the link here. Anyway, the short story is that the antenna was taken apart and packed up before (a late) dinner tonight and weighs in at the prescribed 50 pounds for checked luggage ;-) I will pack up all the equipment tomorrow so I can be ready to board the ship Friday morning. It is supposed to arrive tomorrow from its lobster fishing excursion to Gough Island. It was raining heavily tonight, but for the first time in 6 weeks I have not had to worry about the antenna!

In other exciting news, Google Street View is now up and running with coverage of the settlement here on Tristan da Cunha! The road called the M1 (if you can believe it) that goes out from town to the east to Pigbite Beach and the the southwest to The Patches is not fully processed yet. But you can virtually drive all through Edinburgh of the Seven Seas and check out the exciting hot spots here ;-) Just search Google Earth for Edinburgh of the Seven Seas and then drag the icon of the little man (in the upper right corner of your Google Earth screen) over to the southwest corner of the settlement. If you take the "road" around the Hospital, you will be able to look down to the north and see my EF0609GJ yagi pointed up in the sky at the moon! The antenna is on the northwest corner of the "Creche" daycare preschool building, which looks like a big white one story building made from shipping container modules. Pretty cool that the 6m EME operation was memorialized in the Google Earth Street View coverage of the settlement here! And the background of the antenna, moored offshore, is the M.V. Lance ;-) How about that?

Thursday October 24 - I got to work right after breakfast dismantling the radio equipment and packing it up with plenty of padding and then in Zip-lock bags to protect it during trip out to the ship and on during the voyage. With small bits transferred around, the suit cases matched the antenna bag at 50.0 pounds ;-) Finished by lunch time! Then I was informed that the ship MIGHT be able to leave on Sunday, but the most likely departure date is a week from tomorrow. I briefly considered unpacking everything and setting up the antenna for a THIRD time, but given the fact that it takes me a couple days to set everything up and then a couple days to dismantle everything and pack it all up again, I think I will just sit here at the ready in case they DO wind up having a brief break in the weather on Sunday. The weather forecast from today until next Wednesday includes the phrase "Hazardous Seas Warning", so I am not at all optimistic about a Sunday departure. I sure wish I had left the station set up so I could still be operational but how can you predict the weather on Tristan? You simply cannot :-( So anyway, I am all packed and ready to go on a moment's notice if there is a window of opportunity to get out to the ship. Besides, I was told the COWS will probably be roaming around town again next week, so best not to risk another trampling!!!!

The antenna lowering from yesterday is now up on my Facebook page and also uploaded to YouTube: https://youtu.be/wW8zVf4cHIA Without a helper, the Falling Derrick should have been oriented so most of the weight was carried when the antenna mast was nearing the Prop (just like when it is raised). It is tough to get the descent of the antenna going when the wind is blowing to keep it up! Getting the mast started on the decent into the wind is one advantage of having a helper ;-)

I also updated the QSO count, as I neglected to add LZ2KTS to the log when we made contact earlier this week. So the total count now stands at 1434. I am not sure, but it seems like FT8 maybe forgets to launch the logging pop up screen when the final RRR or RR73 are have other decodes and/or contacts in between the start of that contact. There may be others that pop up as people double check my on-line log.

Friday October 25 - Windy day today, but I volunteered to put up a long wire antenna for ZD9BV. However, Andy is not feeling well and is not that interested in antenna projects at this time. Much of the village seems to have some sort of lingering flu-like illness (RSV?).

In other news, the M1 route to The Patches is now available for viewing on the Google Earth Street View of Tristan da Cunha. If you follow the M1 out to the southwest of the settlement, you be able to see the potato patches and rural cabins of the locals, and the meadows where they raise cattle and sheep.

Saturday October 26 - It was overcast all day and lightly raining in the morning. I hiked over the 1961 volcanic eruption to visit Pigbite Beach twice -once in the morning and again in the afternoon. Each time I was fortunate to be able to photograph a Rockhopper penguin. On the morning outing I also filmed a number of seals both on the rocks by the ocean and swimming in the surf.

Sunday October 27 - Overcast and raining. I edited my photos. In the afternoon, I went to check out the weekly Sunday indoor badminton activity at the school. Since there were only 3 people playing there, I was invited to join in so we could have a double match. It was a good warmup for playing next Sunday!

Monday October 28 - It is overcast but not raining at the moment. I walked down to the administrative offices after breakfast this morning. They said that the MFV Edinburgh is over fishing for lobster at Inaccessible Island and waiting for calmer seas before coming over to Tristan. Although forecasting the weather down here is quite uncertain, the current best guess is that the next opportunity for the ship to come over here might be Sunday November 3. I am sure a more accurate prediction will be available by next weekend. In the meantime, all my bags are still packed and ready to load onto the ship. They are preparing another invoice for me to lodge here another week. I regret not being able to get on the air, especially with the nice upswing in SFI, but perhaps I can use the time to prepare a presentation about the trip...at least up to this point ;-)

I walked on the M1 toward The Patches as far as the height of land between The Valley and The Patches. It was clearing but it was quite windy. I posted videos of the hike on my Facebook page. Later in the afternoon, I unpacked the 6m equipment and set it up in the living room of my lodging. I hooked up coax to my dipole, and used my hiking stick to support the center of it at the 1:1 balun I wound from coax at the center. But I still needed a mast to make it a sloper.

Tuesday October 29 - I borrowed a stainless steel pipe and a long piece of wood from the Agriculture Department today to put up a mast for my sloping dipole. He said he was going to warn me about he cows being out again, but fortunately, my lodging has a gate so the cows will not be posing any problems for this tiny antenna system! I posted photos of the installation on my Facebook page. The word on the street is that the MFV Edinburgh will be here next Monday, so I have almost a week to try to make some contacts!

I copied nobody on 6m with the new setup today, but I finally was able to change my airline reservations. Assuming that I WILL actually depart next Monday or Tuesday, I changed my flights home from Cape Town on Monday November 11 and arrive home in Montana on Tuesday November 12. We will see if I have to change them for a third time...

Wednesday October 30 - I called CQ a lot but apparently was only heard in southern Europe. It is unclear just what the pattern is of the sloping dipole and whether the nearby concrete walls and low height may be having an adverse effect on the pattern and effectiveness.

Thursday October 31 - HALLOWEEN! There was Halloween trick or treating starting at 5 pm and ending at 7 pm with games for the kids at the Hall. At 0900 I heard that the ship is planning on leaving Sunday, and I was later told that I needed to be on standby to board from noon on Sunday. So I only have 3 more days to try for a 6m opening to North America. I went to the store and bought a bag of individually wrapped pops to hand out to Trick or Treaters. In the afternoon, I hiked up to the head of Hottentot Gulch -pretty amazing how narrow and hemmed in it is and how vertically the wall rises to "The Base". The kids started coming by in costumes around 1700 and they were so cute and well mannered! After dinner, I dropped off the remainder of the treats I had purchased at the kids Halloween party at Prince Philip Hall.

Friday November 1 - I settled my bills at the Finance Department for lodging and meals. Then I hiked out to Pigbite Beach just for some exercise. I saw 5 or more Rockhopper penguins (hard to tell the exact number because they were all hopping around in and out of the rocks) and vocalizing. I hope I got some good videos! There were a half dozen or more seals at the same time making quite a noisy display behind me on the rocks. On the way home from Pigbite, I stopped by the store and picked up some snacks for lunch and came home around 1315 to find that the 6m band was starting to open to Europe. Conditions were FINALLY good enough for my tiny little sloper dipole to have some success off the side toward Europe! After about 45 minutes and 27 contacts, the band died and I sat back and waiting hopefully for the propagation to drift westward toward North America. I missed badminton at the school gym at 1600, hoping that the 6m band would open to North America, but an opening never came.

Saturday November 2 - I hiked up in the meadow just west of Hottentot Gulch to the high end of the gulch and could barely stand up due to the extremely high winds out of the west. The gusts may well have been the strongest during my visit to the island. I called CQ for hours today but it seemed like the higher Kp index moved the propagation out of reach for me. The MFV Edinburgh is here now, so after dinner of potatoes and lobster tails, I packed up the station by 2030 to be ready to board her tomorrow and head for Cape Town.

Sunday November 3 - After breakfast I finished packing all my clothes and preparing a "go bag" day pack for the week long voyage to Cape Town. I went down to the harbor and watched them load and unload cargo until it was clear that they would be departing early. I went back up the hill to make sure all my luggage was being transported down to the wharf, and uploaded one last video to Facebook. We left the harbor with the luggage and cargo at noon. I took videos of departing the harbor and being lifted up onto the deck of the ship in the little green box raised by the ship's crane. By 1400, our diesel fuel transfer was finished and we released the fuel transfer pipeline, raised anchor and were underway. We saw some whales spouting and slapping their tales some distance to the north, and many petrels were slip streaming the ship. By sunset, clouds on the horizon to the west had all but obstructed the distant view of Tristan da Cunha. Because there were only 3 of us passengers on board for this voyage, I had a cabin with an adjoining bathroom all to myself. I slept very soundly, despite being the cabin right above the propeller, with lots of vibrations and noise. There was no internet access from the ship, which is why I was out of touch for a week.

Monday November 4 - The seas were unbelievable smooth this morning. If I was going to try to take a shower, that probably would have been the ideal time. I spent all morning in the passenger mess hall, eating breakfast, chatting with James and Leon, having fresh donuts and tea and then fish and chips for lunch. I watched two movies in the afternoon and one after dinner. The ship was stable enough that I decided to try taking a shower, and managed not to fall down. One of the movies we watched was the National Geographic special on "Pristine Seas" at Tristan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=qYKO_xiU7D8

An example of other YouTube films on Tristan da Cunha is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ElF8awm90
Tuesday November 5 - USA Election Day! The seas continued to be relatively smooth and we were making good progress toward Cape Town, with arrival projected to be on the weekend. I napped on an off through the afternoon. There really is no place to go for a real walkabout, so mostly what we do on the MFV Edinburgh is sleep and eat! And the food is great! The ship was stable again tonight, so I took another shower before bed.

Wednesday November 6 - Turned our clocks ahead one hour. Seas still calm. Received the news about Trump and Musk buying the election.

Thursday November 7 to Saturday November 9 - The ride became considerably bumpier as the seas became rough. Most of our time was spent in the Passenger Mess Hall either eating or watching movies.

Sunday November 10 - Seas finally became calmer as we got closer to the Cape Town Harbor. I used a WiFi hotspot provided by one of the crew members who had a South African cell phone, and was able to change my airline tickets via texting from my cell phone. We reached the harbor by 3pm and cleared immigration by 4 pm. I was offered a ride to the airport directly from the harbor. My new United Airlines flight to Washington Dulles airport left Cape Town at 2050 local time.

Monday November 11 - After flights from Dulles to Denver and Denver to Missoula, I arrived back in Montana at 1315 local time (2015 UTC).

Tuesday November 12 - My last piece of luggage arrived at 1900 MST. Because it had been delayed so long, United Airlines issued me a $200 refund on my excess baggage fee. Thank goodness all the luggage arrived with me on my trip to Cape Town! (That is the main reason I flew to Cape Town a few days before the Agulhas was scheduled to leave for Tristan).

SUMMARY OF RESULTS

1477 total contacts were made from ZD9GJ. 1304 were FT4 and FT8 mode contacts via the ionosphere via TEP and F2. 173 6m EME contacts were made using Q65-60A mode with Q65 Pileup. A link to a complete log of all the contacts is shown below. The stations worked via 6m EME are listed in alphabetical order, and can serve as a list of potential contacts for newcomers to 6m EME. Good luck!

FOLLOWING ARE THE LOGGED 6M CONTACTS DURING the ZD9GJ DXPEDITION

http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/ZD9GJ_LOG.CSV

PLEASE - NO DUPES!

#	CALLSIGN
1	AA5C
2	AA7A
3	AC1UB
4	AD6D
5	AG6EE
6	AJ9C
7	DG1CMZ
8	DK2PH
9	DK8NE
10	DL8YHR
11	EA8DBM
12	EI4DQ
13	ES6RQ
14	F1IXQ
15	F6BKI
16	FK8CP
17	G4BWP
18	G4IFX
19	G8BCG
20	G8VR
21	GD0TEP
22	GM0GAV
23	GM3POI
24	HA0DU
25	HA0UZ
26	HA5OV
27	HA5WA
28	HA7TM
29	HA8CE
30	HA8EV
31	HA8FK
32	HB9Q
33	I4YRW
34	IW5DHN
35	JA3JTG
36	JA4LKB
37	JA7QVI
38	JA9SJI
39	JE3GRQ
40	JE6KYA
41	JG1TSG
42	JH2COZ
43	JM1OAX
44	JO1PSX
45	JR3DVL
46	K0DAS
47	K1SIX
48	K1TO
49	K1UU
50	K2ZD
51	K2ZJ
52	K4AKX
53	K4PI
54	K4RX
55	K5RK
56	K5XI
57	K6EME
58	K6ND
59	K6QXY
60	K7CW
61	K7KX
62	K7LED
63	K7RWT
64	K7ULS
65	K8CX
66	K9CT
67	K9MU
68	K9RX
69	KA1R
70	KA8SYV
71	KA9CFD
72	KA9FOX
73	KB7Q
74	KJ9I
75	KJ9I
76	KK4MA
77	KL7HBK
78	KX4R
79	KY7M
80	LA8AJA
81	MD0CCE
82	N0LNO
83	N0TB
84	N1DG
85	N2RVU
86	N4BAA
87	N4HU
88	N4II
89	N4SIX
90	N4WW
91	N6JV
92	N6WS
93	N7BRR
94	N7IP
95	N7NR
96	N7NW
97	N8DX
98	N8GTI
99	N8JX
100	N8RR
101	N9IW
102	NG7E
103	NJ6D
104	NJ6P
105	NK1K
106	NU4E
107	NV9L
108	NY0V
109	OG2M
110	OH1LEU
111	OH1MA
112	OH2BC
113	OH2BU
114	OH3SR
115	OH6MW
116	OH7KM
117	OM5XX
118	OZ4VV
119	PA3CMC
120	PA5Y
121	PA7MM
122	PA9RX
123	PJ4MM
124	PY2XB
125	R6KA
126	S50A
127	S51DI
128	S57RR
129	S59A
130	SM6LPF
131	SM7FJE
132	SP3RNZ
133	SP4MPB
134	SP7VC
135	UR5LAK
136	UW1HM
137	UW5ZM
138	VE1PZ
139	VK3DUT
140	VK3KJ
141	VK5PJ
142	W0GJ
143	W0LGQ
144	W3UUM
145	W5ADD
146	W5WP
147	W5ZN
148	W6UC
149	W6XU
150	W7GJ
151	W7JW
152	W7MEM
153	W8AH
154	W8HC
155	W8IW
156	W8OI
157	W8PAT
158	W9DX
159	W9GA
160	WA5TKU
161	WA5VGI
162	WB8CQV
163	WB9Z
164	WK9R
165	WW1L
166	WW2DX
167	XE2OR
168	YL2GD
169	ZL1RS
170	ZL1RS
171	ZL3NW
172	ZS4TX
173	ZS6NK

This page last revised on 19 November, 2024