Amateurfunk von Malpelo

#10 - HK0NA - 2012

21.01-05.02.2012

18.05.12

Ausführlicher Bericht: FUNKAMATEUR 6/2012-S 588ff
Press Release – HK0NA, Malpelo 2012 DXpedition

Feb 05, 2012
Today at noon local time the last three stations went QRT. 3/4 of the camp was dismantled around them as they continued to work the pileups. Amazing that there are still pileups after 190,000 ++ QSOs. Assuming a safe transition to the Seawolf of all equipment and team members, this one is definitely for the record books!
Thanks to all for their kind comments both on the air and via our pilots. This is a gratifying accomplishment of this International team. The Colombian and American organizers have worked very well together. Special thanks go to the Fabulous Four (HK1N, HK1T, HK1MW and HK6F) for spending six weeks on Malpelo to make sure we were ready to begin operations almost immediately upon our arrival. Also a very special thanks to the "iron men" at OP A who survived brutal conditions of heat, lack of food and water and as well as a dangerous climb just to get to the camp. They are HK1R, DJ9ZB, PP5XX, LU9ESD, HK1T and HK1X, as well as a few visitors during the daytime.
We shall have two nights in Bogota seeing the sights and a special reception with Government officials and then most team members return home on the 10th. We are tired, but extremely happy with the results. We hope you, our audience so to speak, are also!
For the team, 73, Bob-K4UEE

Feb 04, 2012
Full operations will continue through (Friday) tonight at both OP A andOP B i.e.; nine stations QRV. This will be the last night of 160m operations and the antenna will comedown tomorrow (Saturday). OP A will be dismantled and all equipment,antennas, infrastructure and operators will come down the mountain for the last time. I am calling those 5-6 regulars at the top, the "iron men". On Saturday night we will have 5-6 stations QRV at OP B for our last night. At sunrise Sunday, the day of departure, four stations will remain QRV until midday while the camp will be dismantled around them. We hope to have everything and everyone safely on the boat for a sunset departure back to Buenaventura for a hot shower, table service and a cerveza.
As a matter of interest, we will break the DXpedition record set by VP6DX of 183,686 QSOs. That is the record for DXpeditions that you cannot fly into and where the operation doesn't take place at a hotel with all the comforts of food, water, and power supplied. It is
commonly called the "tent and generator" DXpedition record. We should break it by a comfortable margin. Considering the rarity of Malpelo on the DXCC "most wanted" list at #12 and the extreme difficulties of the basically vertical terrain, we are most proud of our accomplishment. We give full credit to our Colombian marine friends and the crew of the
Seawolf for doing most of the heavy lifting.
73, Bob-K4UEE

Feb 01, 2012
We are beginning to slowly begin the shutdown process. Our boat leaves here on the afternoon of the 5th but we plan to have a couple of stations QRV until the last few hours. 160m and 6m antennas at OP A are down now and will be back in OP B tomorrow. OP A will officially close down on the 3rd. We will scale off the air at OP B as mentioned. So, we have three or so more days of operation although with a reduced number of stations at OP B. Conditions have taken their toll on our QSO rates, but the team members are staying on their shifts and calling CQ if need be. Both RX antennas on 160m failed to help, so we continue so slog away with the QRN here near the Equator. We do feel good about our results.
Morale is high and we are enthused about our QSO totals now over 155,000. Quite a feat under very difficult conditions. Let's hope we get everything and everybody off this "rock" without injury or incident. We will all be glad to get back to civilization, arriving in Bogota on
the 7th. Most of the team leaves on the 10th, so there may be time for some well-deserved R&R.

Jan 27, 2012
Malpelo Island DXpedition pilot station MM0NDX, Col, says “HK0NA will be active in the 160 CW Contest this weekend”. Yesterday a new receive antenna for 160 meters was installed at Op B, which should “help pulling out the weaker sigs on 160CW” in the European direction. Working conditions on the island have been difficult and the guys up top are getting “fried”. The current log can be search at ext. Link. However there is a warning on the Website stating: “Be advised that Op A logs from the top of the mountain arrive late and some may be missing from these logs.
Overall, logs are uploaded about once a day. If you notice that you are not showing up before the "last" QSO date/time posted here, wait for the next upload. If still not there, you may want to work them again”.

Jan. 24, 2012
All of op site B (lower level of mountain) is fully functional. Op site A (on top) has three rigs going now and at night two operators will be operating on the low bands. Temperatures during the day inside the tents on top of mountain are approaching 115 degrees F. Despite this, at least two operators will be on top during the day. Heat is playing a big part of keeping the PCs and rigs very hot with some intermittent glitches.
Regarding 6 meters. If you will look at the photos posted recently you will see a 6m beam against the mountain along with a generator, both about to be slowly raised to the op site A. Op site B will have a beacon running later today or tomorrow. Usual scenario, break in on the beacon if heard OR work an HF station and have them relay that 6m is open and where to. So, the team fully expects to have both sites on 6m if at all possible, and news will be sent out when site A is functional on 6m. Until then, op site B is the only 6m station and is the beacon location.
The team is constantly aware of narrow propagation windows, as mentioned throughout our planning, but some updates have been given concerning eastern EU, western Asia and Pacific and Africa. Frequency windows for JA on 75/80 RTTY and SSB are noted as is VK SSB transmit window on 75m.
Other concerns that affect overall team effectiveness are relayed each day.
The team is working under VERY DIFFICULT conditions, so hang in there and realize we have 13 more days to go. Thanks for understanding that unexpected things happen on a trip like this, like a 2-3 hour hike up the mountain with all your food and water for 48 hours along with trying to carry some equipment strapped to your body.

Jan. 14, 2012
For the last couple of nights there have been many bogus HK0NA spots on the clusters.
While there is a limited operation by the advance crew, and thus some of thespots are valid, one or more 'slims' are apparently calling CQ using theHK0NA call. Because CW Skimmers pick these up and place them on clustersthe 'slims' are apparently enjoying this new method of causing trouble. Theoffenders probably call CQ until they get spotted by a CW Skimmer, and thenquit...perhaps to head to a different band to perform the same shenanigans. What can a user do to minimize this? 1) Turn off skimmer spots - 2) Block spots posted by W3LPL … (Under ordinary circumstances W3LPL's spotting system is useful as it reduces the number of mangled calls. But it is still subject to the 'slim' problem outlined above.)

Jan 09 2012
HK1N, HK1T, HK6F and HK1MW continue their advance work on Malpelo, getting ready for the upcoming HK0NA operation. They have been there since December 28th, QRV with their home calls. It is still unknown if these QSOs will count for Malpelo for DXCC and there has been no official word on the QSL routes. Until then the best approach is to WFWL (Work it First and Worry Later)!
HK0NA pilot, MM0NDX, Col McGowan, says they are working hard to get ready for the big operation. He will be in daily contact with the HK0NA team. They are “tired but in high spirits.” He, Col, reports most of the camp is built and the antennas are up. They climbed the 300 meters to the top of the hill behind the camp to survey antenna and op sites. It took 40 minutes to climb to the top. There will be an operating position and sleeping tent up there. Operators will be at the summit in two-day rotations to reduce risks of the climb up and down. Setup at the ridge is imminent.
Also named as a pilot is K5YY, San Hutson. The two pilots will give daily updates to the team. They will not relay personal requests for special bands, modes, times, etc. Instead, they will be passing along “operational refinements to their basic operational plan.”
They note, “This is a very informed, experienced team of operators who have put in many months of time, effort and planning and have decades of DXpedition experience.” They add, “Every attempt will be made to provide updates to the HK0NA.com website and many questions will be answered by following those postings as well as news bulletins, and real-time spots.” “Complaints or negative comments will NOT be passed to the team. ext. Link informationguidelines/.

Dec 26 2011
Four members from the HK0NA team (HK1N, HK1T, HK6F and HK1MW) have departed from the pier of the Navy Base BAHIA MALAGA aboard the Patrol Boat JOSE MARIA PALAS. The target of this advanced team called THE FANTASTIC FOUR is to set up all the 11 stations, the 2 camps and wireless network in order to have all ready when the main group arrive on January 21, 2012. To these four brave men who are going to spend more than 40 days on the island and sacrifice the Holidays away of their families, we have to express our admiration and gratitude.

Monday Nov 28, 2011
Recently three US members (K4UEE, N4GRN and W6IZT) of the Malpelo 2012 DXpedition flew to Cartagena, Colombia and met with six of their Colombian counterparts. The purpose of the two day meeting was to make some critical decisions about the upcoming DXpedition to Malpelo Island. Also, checklists and inventories were finalized and all team members’ responsibilities were assigned. - Since it is highly unlikely that the various Colombian authorities will permit another DXpedition to Malpelo anytime soon; a decision was made to extend the DXpedition to 16-17 days from the previous 12-14 day plan. The approximate dates of operations will be January 21, 2012 through February 5/6, 2012.
Four team members will travel with all equipment, radios, antennas and infrastructure to Malpelo in early January. They will be transported by the Colombian Navy. They will arrive about two weeks prior to the rest of the Team and will set up camp, the two operating sites, radios and antennas. They will spend about 30 days on the island. This will allow the rest of the team to begin radio operations immediately upon arrival by chartered vessel. As mentioned there will be two operating sites, each with a complete complement of antennas and radios with amplifiers. The first operating site will be co-located with the Colombian marine’s camp on the east side of the island. It is clear to East Coast USA, EU and Africa. In order to have a clear shot at JA/Asia, the Pacific region and W6/W7; the second operating site will be located near the top of the highest mountain peak on the island. However, to lessen the physical risks to the team members, the operating site will be located on platforms situated below the actual peak. Still, it will be a 45 minute uphill climb to reach the platforms. The antennas for that site will be on the top of the mountain peak. At times, there will be as many as nine stations QRV with the capability of dual mode operations on all bands. Safety of the team is paramount. We will be installing a winch system to hoist team members and all of our equipment from our chartered ship’s Zodiac onto the island. From there, manpower will carry the equipment the 300 meters straight uphill to the marine camp. The trail to the elevated operating site is extremely dangerous. We will utilize harnesses and safety ropes to minimize the risks. This is going to be a difficult and expensive DXpedition. Every effort will be made to maximize QSOs while protecting the safety of the team members. It is a delicate balance. Your financial support is necessary and gratefully accepted. Contributions can be made via our website at: ext. Link We plan periodic press releases with information of interest. Also, watch the website for breaking news.
Thanks, Jorge Prieto, HK1R, DXpedition leader

Bilder: C HK0NA