Bert
- VK9XV |
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DXpedition
to Christmas Island
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Total QSO count: 30.000
New DXpedition:
18 - 25 May 2002
Operating on: 80M (3798 KHz)-40-20-17-15-12-10M
(only SSB)
Equipment: Kenwood TS-50, 100 W, Doublet
QSL preferable by the Bureau to PA3GIO
Christmas Island local time: UTC + 7 hours
Sunrise: 23:08, sunset: 10:40 UTC
IOTA: OC-002
Zone: 29 (CQ) 54 (ITU)
Previous activity:
6 - 13 September 2001: 8100
QSOs
Audio fragment recorded by K3XC:
8 September 2001, 12:06 UTC, VK9XV on 17M (wav-format,
72.8 KB)
Previous activity:
24 - 25 August
and 2 - 13 September 2000
14000 QSO's (1400 on 24, 25 August and 2 September with mobile antenna Outbacker Perth)
Travel report,
select language: |
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QSL:
Propagation time! VK9XV
with the Outbacker Perth Mobile antenna |
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New pictures (all can be enlarged
by clicking on them):
The Fairchild Metro plane, someone called it "The flying pencil",
here before we took off in 2000 on Jakarta Airport to bring us to Christmas
Island. My XYL in the centre keeps a close eye on two small rugsacks with
my equipment, we agreed with the pilots that I have to take care of the
radio's and there was room enough, not many travellers for Christmas Island. |
VK9XV position from a 737 Merpati flight in 2001 |
This was the VK9XV set up the first two evenings... Thursday 24 and Friday
25 March and Saturday 2 September after my return from Cocos Keeling, the
mobile ant. The Outbacker Perth you can see the coax to the balcony, from
there I did operate into the night and... it did work! |
On Sunday 3 September I set up the fishing rods, attached them on the steel
sticks which I already put in the ground with a sledge hammer the week before,
the fishing rods where on the cliff edge, a wonderful position indeed. The
hill behind is southwest. Just in case I had a isolator in the palm, but
it was not very tall and further from the ocean. |
Looking north (yes indeed some USA signals used this path!) I was worried
regarding my QTH but it turned out to be almost the ideal spot on the island:
The northwest corner (Rocky Point) on a cliff with an uninterupted take
off over the very deep (5000M) ocean from west to northeast.
Since I noticed that the Hill which otherwise blocked the path to the East
just ended at that spot, my worries came to an end. |
Looking north and the three fishing rods with the 2 x 20M with open feeder
line on the cliffside. |
View to the west. Short path to Europe.... |
Looking northwest.
The wonderful operating position, most days from 09.00 AM local until 03.00
AM in the night. On the left corner is the fishing rod with the feedpoint
with open feeder line. |
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(Left:) The
superb location of VK9XV
This picture is from the nursery lookout (No 28 on the map) |
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(Left:) The detailed
map with the position of VK9XV |
(Above and right:) The cliffside position...
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Sunset. View from the balcony
of the QTH. |
Swells battering the
position between October and April |
Links:
SPOT
VK9XV on DX Summit
Christmas
Island Tourism Association
DXpedition
VK9XX - VK9YY 1999
Dept.
of Transport and Regional Services - Christmas Island
Dept.
of Transport and Regional Services - Christmas Island - Photo Library
United Nations
System-Wide Earthwatch - Christmas Island
Indian Ocean Diving Academy
Weather link:
Weather
forecast - Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology