Random notes from various Expeditions

#11 - 9M6OO
August 1997 - Bob Schenck, N2OO; Bob Hamilton, N0RN/9M6RN; Jani Kusmulyana, KO4J/YB0US/9M6US -Layang Layang -QSL:1997: 9M6OO recalls: I FINALLY make it to the Spratly Islands 18 years after the first attempt failed (1979). With N0RN and YB0US. A short 4 day operation in the middle of the Hillview Gardens grand opening celebration. 3 rigs, 2 beams and a vertical. We made alot of DXers happy! Spratly at last! (10,000 QSO's)

#13 - 9M0C
A multinational group of DXpeditioners, primarily members of the UK's CDXC (Chiltern DX Club), the UK DX Foundation, will operate from Layang Layang Island in the Spratlys in February 1998. The operation will run from 12th to 24th February 1998, allowing two full weekends on the island and is timed to take place soon after the island re-opens to visitors following the typhoon season, in order to maximise the opportunities for good LF propagation. It is also hoped that sunspot numbers will by then have started to increase, and that the expedition will enjoy favourable HF propagation....
Equipment & Antennas
Yaesu are supplying six transceivers for the use of the DXpedition. There will be four main operating positions, each equipped with an FT-1000MP, and Dunestar filters to limit inter-station interference. Each operating position will also have a PC for logging purposes, linked by low power UHF link to the main log server (see Annex F for further details of the innovative software system to be used). One of the four main operating positions will be equipped with a modified PK-232 terminal unit for RTTY operation, and second PK-232 will be available for back-up. - A fifth operating position, equipped with an FT-920, will be used primarily for 6m operation, and will run in beacon mode when there is no band opening. A second FT-920 will be available as a back-up radio for any of the operating positions. The antenna system is expected to consist of the following: 160m: Battlecreek Special vertical, which will also be a back-up antenna for 80 and 40 metres. - 80m: 4-square array of Gladiator vertical antennas. - 40m: 4-square array of Gladiator vertical antennas. 20m: Cushcraft 3-element monoband Yagi - 15/10m Two Cushcraft A3S multiband Yagis, one with extension for 40m. - 30m: Phased verticals - 30/17/12m: Cushcraft A3WS
6m: Cushcraft Yagi - A Butternut HF-6V vertical will serve as a general back-up antenna and for monitoring propagation. - Antennas will be spaced as widely as possible to minimise station interaction and, in some cases, allow simultaneous operation on both CW and SSB on the same band. Something like 1km of co-axial cable will be used! ...
The 9M0C operation closed down on Tuesday 24th February 1998 after making well over 65k QSOs with over 180 DXCC countries. - The DXpedition was highly successful in every respect with all goals being achieved. Full write-ups will appear in a number of the key magazines including CQ Ham Radio (Japan), Radio Communication (UK), Funk (Germany), etc. 9M0C presentations are also scheduled for Visalia, Dayton, Friedrichshafen, the RSGB HF Convention, the Clipperton DX Club Convention, VERON (Netherlands) and elsewhere.
We were able to run four high-power (400 watt) stations round the clock, each consisting of an FT-1000MP and VL-1000, a combination which worked seamlessly and flawlessly. Two further low-power (100 watt) operating positions using FT-920s enabled us to be on two additional bands at key times. One of these 920s was also used for 6m work when that band was open. Dunestar filters reduced inter-station interference to negligible levels. With only minor hiccoughs, we were also able to backup our logs in real-time to a central server, and to upload them daily to the Internet via a satellite link (the operating positions were linked by a "wireless-LAN" based on Timewave/AEA TNCs, and software developed for the DXpedition by G3WGV). The Internet log servers have already recorded well over 20,000 hits.
All antennas worked as expected, and several times we managed to operate SSB simultaneously with CW or RTTY on either 20 or 15 metres. Cushcraft antennas were used on the HF bands (10, 12, 17, 15, 20, 30) plus 6 metres, mostly at 30ft, though we did manage to erect the 20-3CD 20m monobander at 40ft, with great results (all were at the water's edge). On 40 and 80 we used four-square arrays based on Gladiator verticals, and switching/phasing boxes from Vine Antennas of the UK. The 40m array in particular worked extremely well, and 40 quickly became our preferred band for working over the toughest propagation path into Eastern US. The Titanex vertical was used mainly on 160, with great results on transmit, though we were constantly having to battle static from tropical storms on receive. The Battle Creek Special gave us a backup antenna for 80, allowing us to work both SSB and CW simultaneously at times. On 30m we also used a pair of phased verticals (one eighth wave apart), based on modified CB whips. This was very much an experiment, but proved to be highly successful.

#19 - 9M0/9M2TO
9M0/9M2TO will operate 9 - 13 June 2006from Layang Layang Island (Malaysia), sponsored by MARTS. Call Sign: 9M0/9M2TO issued by MCMC, Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission. Operation Authorization given by Royal Malaysian Navy. Operation Mode: CW only. Daytime the operator will QRV between diving. Frequency: Normal CW Frequency 6m - 80m include WARC. Equipment: TRCV Yaesu FT-847 by 9M2KT. Antenna: HF G5RV, 6m F9FT by 9M2/JI1ETU. QSL: Bureau to JA0DMV, Direct to Tex Izumo, 9M2TO.

<< back | < to Overview