Hello all,
after 3 weeks we are well back home.
Sorry for everyone who didn' work us and a big sorry for not beeing qrv from
FH Mayotte.
We got a very nice QTH in the north of Gand Comore direct at the seaside with
a lot of space for putting up the antennas. First day we had to travel to
Moroni for getting our licence. It took us several hours of waiting and getting
all the needed stamps and signs together but finally it was no problem and the
officer was very helpful.
The evening we were to tired to settle up the lowband antenna.So we made only
a few QSOs on 30m signing to be save and qrv.
During the next day we installed our Inv. L / Vertical for 160/80 Meters.
It was in front of our cottage about 40m away from the seaside (at high tide).
At 22z Mirko D68ET startet on topband working Scandinavia and later central EU.
0z it was my turn: Puhh a lot of QRN on the band. Signals were fading with deap
and long QSB. Best signals were coming from scandinavia (didn't know so far
that SM has so many loud topband stations)
After a short wile I noticed ZZ in the EU Pile up.. VE1ZZ ??? hmm
ZZ ?? pse agn k .. VE1ZZ VE1ZZ ur 449 449 de VE1ZZ
Oh yes , it was Jack, 599 on my end now. Who else but him could have been our
first NA in the log.
Later the night (about 2z) I worked Bill on 80m and we decided to QSY to 160m.
There he was partwise also Q5 with deap qsb. I guess that night he had problems
hearing us well.
Then suddenly the sun went up and all bands were dead. Yes all bands, no signs
on 40 or 80. Hmm a big surprise for us. So north america on 40 or 80 after
our sunrise wouldn't work.
With several mosquito bites in my feed I went to bed.
The high QRN level on 160 was a big problem, we could only hear the big guns.
We got a feeling that there were many more stations in the mud but how to
copy a complete callsign...
The QTH is fantastic for installing your TX antennas. But for a beverage ...
We tried 50m of wire direction north north west and about 3m high. This
worked the coming nights much better for receiving.
But no JA and no NA on the band ....
Other surprises were that our antennas were too close together for running
2 stations at the same time and after some days one of our laptops striked
working.
Meanwhile we tried hard to get a lift for FH. Us was told not to use a ship
in case of their safetystandart. Last year 3 ships never arrived.
Finally we got in contact with an english pilot who had a 9 seater aircraft
and was offering lifts to the islands surround. On the first telefon contact
he told me that a flight to FH and back would cost about 2650 $ . Ups ..
150miles to FH .. but thats too much ..we didn't want to buy the plane.
The next day he came for a short stop to our appartment and had a different
offer .. We should install a short wave station for him and an other business
man in Moroni and for that and 500 $ he would bring us to FH and back a week
later.
We were back in business.. we thought
The evening before leaving D6 we got a telefon call from him saying:
"sorry guys, the french government in Mayotte gave us no landing permission
for the flight. It doesn't matter that we are EUs or we have an aircraft from
ZS.. no .. the only reason why not is we are coming from D6"
That was it. We had to cancel our FH hotel reservation and to stay another
week on D6.
So all antennas had to settle up again. We did and installed also an Inv. Vee
Dipol direkt at the seaside 18m high in the center and going down to 3 Meters
at the ends. That coasts us the rest of our coax cable so we had to run
without beverage the last week.
The next night we had high tide at 0z and so water direkt under
the antenna. (Low tide means 4m less water and 100m more beach to north)
Mirko was again QRV until 23z when I started my turn. The Inv. Vee worked
well. (It was the night DJ8WL was hearing us 599)
Short before 0z I heard Bill W0ZV very loud and it seamt like he had also good
copy on me. We made it.. after him W3BGN showed up and so on..
The next night we had timewise no electric power, then our small amp had blown
up. I didn't notice it during nighttime. Cause no one replied my CQ Calls I went
frustrated in bed.
The next day I saw the mess. Something arround the input relais was blown up
and gave the transistors no incoming power. Well .. what to do
I replaced a relais from our 80/160 switching Box and soldert it over the old
one. It looked funny but worked. On the other hand we had now no chance to use
the Inv. L anymore.
All in all we made 174 topband QSOs:
One with JA: JE7RJS; Tired of calling and calling for JAs at 20z I asked him on
80M of beeing QRV on 160m. He said yes and a minute later he had
worked D6 as a new one for him. No other JA after him heard ..
CONDX or hasn't the topbandseason started in JA yet ?
North America: VE1ZZ, W0ZV, W3BGN, N4SU, W4DR, W1JZ, K1ZM
Ozeania : 9M2AX, VK6VZ
The rest was Africa and EU.
A really good thing was using switched powersupplies. We had no problems with
the variing power voltage that has killed several PCs there.
One finall story: In case of installing a short wave system for a company
which offers boat trips, diving, water ski and so on we have good connections
now for making a trip to one the the very rar DXCC Countries surround. We were
in an embassy for asking for landing permission for one of the islands. And got
an positiv looking answer.
We have all needed equipment (excapt amateur radio itself) on D6 for going
with up to 6 OPs to an island. That means ship, generators and so on ..
If you are really interested in going with us may be next year write an E Mail
for more details.
vy 73 from D68XS,D68ET and D68DV
Dieter
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