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Here is the update from the team today 3/24/2016

The day of landing, the team was able to get the 30 and 40 m 4-squares erected, and partially completed a triband yagi. We opened with two stations, on 30 and 40 meters. This morning there was still a lot of work to be done on additional antennas, stations, and camp facilities. With no propagation on 30 and 40, radio operations went on hold and all hands went toward further setup. Around 1300 UTC the 30 m station was activated again. A few kinks with the IT system were worked out, and we now have more antennas and positions up. Only 40 and 30 are currently open (no 80 or 160 yet). We hope to be on all bands in the next few days. After a few technical difficulties on-island, DXA is working properly and you can check that you are in the log at http://dxa3.org The team members are all well, but very tired from long hours and tough work. We have mostly had good weather, and appreciate all the thoughts and support from our partners in the ham radio and scientific community.

Status Update – 3/25/2016 @ 13:16z
March 25, 2016
Presently we have stations running on 17 m SSB, 30 m CW, and the 20 m SSB station is firing up. IT status on the island is nominal. This afternoon we raised an 80 m vertical and made progress on the 160 m vertical, but high winds prevented us from raising it, even with a few king penguins coming over to help. Weather: Foggy, 5.5 C (42 F), wind NNE at 6 m/s (12 kts) gusting to 10 m/s (20 kts).

Status Update 27-MAR-2017 [0221z]
March 27, 2016

Morning update (0200z): Our antennas have made it through some wind last night, and the low band results were good. This morning we are moving up the bands, and will try to get SSB in on the WARC bands. We plan to do little or no SSB on contest bands during the CQ WPX SSB contest.
Weather this morning is raining. Temperature is 4 C (39 F), strong and gusty NW winds, pressure is 996 mbar (29.41 inHg).

Missing 20M QSO’s from Last Night [27-MAR-2016 0200z]
March 27, 2016

The laptop that first dropped off the N1MM+ network also has a disk problem – and we won’t know if its salvageable until after the dx-pedition.

Time frame was roughly an hour or so centered on 0300z 26-MAR-2016.

So please re-work us on 20M if your QSO never showed up on DXA.

73, Rich

KY6R

The best way to keep tabs on VK0EK and where they are operating, their online log and messages from the team leader is on the DXA page at: http://dxa.vk0ek.org/

Poor copy so far on all bands 20 through 10 though I did have some copy on them this morning on 15 CW. I may have heard a few "dits" on 17 and 12 CW also. Solar Flux is at 87 the A is 10 and K is 3. With those numbers they are going to be hard to work and the best bet may be for the guys that can work the lower bands, 30, 40 and 75. There may even be a shot on 160.

As they say GL to the Deserving.
Tried them on digital last two evenings too. No Joy.

I'll keep spinning that dial....

If this operation would have taken place anywhere from about Nov. 2013 to July 2014 they would have hit the highest propagation in this cycle, (which ends somewhere near the end of the decade), and stood a much better chance of being heard world wide. This is from looking at the Solar Flux graph that I keep dating all the way back to 01/01/89.

Of course it's a propagation shot in the dark when ever you go but this cycle has not been a good one for many DXpeditions, (this one included so far).

Al N1API

That DXA Was a great help. Got him in the short daylight window on 17 CW This morning. He was working NA only. About 7:45 he had a strong 59 signal. I worked him about 8:12 and his signal was about 53 but I still pulled him out. I imagine with a good SteppIR and three good elements, (don't forget on 17 through 10 meters I have to face 180 degrees away from him), it would have been some what easier.

I would say for those of you who can, the best shots for us are in the very early morning hours when we are both in light.

Now... can I clean up 15, 12, 10 and RTTY? (Reports are he's got a good signal on 12 but working EU).

Al - N1API

We have SIX stations on the air!

Quite a bit of rain today, and the flat sandy area (nullabor) near camp flooded. Glad we didn’t put tents there!

Six amateur radio stations cranking out radio contacts simultaneously in our operations tent. They have installed eleven antennas and work on a 24 hour cycle to meet the insatiable demand from the vibrant worldwide amateur radio community. Radio expeditions to far flung remote locations is a tradition among hams that goes back to the earliest days of the hobby over a century ago. The connection to scientific projects is well established – Thor Heyerdahl had a station on the Kon-Tiki, as does the International Space Station where amateur radio is actively pursued by lonely astronauts.

[Check the web page for pictures - de API]

I was playing around with VK0EK's DXA page and I wanted to zoom in on an EI station. As I was closing in on his QTH I spotted and interesting object close by.

Enlarge the Thumbnail to see what I found.

Al - N1API
OK Al, that's just weird.


Made a mistake, NIL on VK0EK it was FT4JA that I worked.
Submitted a ticket to see if it's a mistake on my part or theirs.

Just have to keep working them...
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