KH8S: chances of working it on 6m?

[VK4WDM]

I have just checked my log for 1999 which is the equivilent year to 2012 during the last cycle (hopefully).

Here are the Pacific countries I worked and the time.

KH2 06:20
KH4 03:36
KH6 06:30 (many contacts , this is an average of 20).
KH8 23:00
T30 10:50
T33 03:55
T8 04:40
V73 11:00 (average of 5 contacts)
ZK3 23:10

There are probably some I have missed because they are buried in pages of Asians.

This suggests that KH8S should be workable on 6m any time between 23:00 and 11:00 in VK IF (and a big IF) they are beaming in this direction, and IF they are not clobbered by Asian stations either trying to work them or working VK's.

The fact that KH2 and KH6 have been worked or heard in the last few days provides more hope.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK3HJ]

None at all - my 6m beam is laying on the roof until I feel like doing something with it!
NH8S has been busy on air, and I've managed to work them on 7 bands already. Just need 30m and 160m for the clean sweep.
Good luck. You blokes up north have a chance for 6m too.
73,
Luke VK3HJ

[VK2XQ]

What month are you extracting those Island contacts for Wayne? September? Personally, as far as southern VK is concerned NH8S Swains is a little early for us to make a contact, mid November would have been far more preferable. Our distance factor is yet to really kick in this way, you have a distinct advantage being a lot further north too...Jack VK2XQ (QF-56ne) Sydney NSW

[VK3ZAZ]

Spoke with NH8S at lenght this am on 80M simplex

White noise on 6M from other bands.

Like on Lord Howe it wipes the band

KH8 except for N6AMG with a kilowatt to a 9 in Equinox March 1989

and N0JK/KH8 in April 2000

has only ever been worked in summer es

KH prefixes like 2 and 6 and thousands of KM above equator

KH8 is this side only 5000 k out

reality need to prevail here but by all means try

One thing is for sure it will be a real qso if it occurs with no internet prompting emails or coaching

73

[VK4WDM]

Sorry all, I should have put some dates in.

KH2: 7 Sep (Rx only a couple of days ago. Too much JA QRN to get a clear shot).
Also worked KH2 in either 1998 or 1999 but can't find a log entry. I will have to look for the QSL Card.
KH4: 31 Oct.
KH8: 7 April.
V73: 5 Oct, 22 Mar.
T30: 21 Sep.
T33: 27 Mar
T88: 17 Oct, 13 Mar.
ZK2: 9 April.
ZK3: 13 April.
E51: 28 Dec.

So the central Pacific can be worked in Sep & Oct, at least from this part of Australia, but probably a couple of months too early for the south.

I have been to many of the islands in the Pacific - part of my job until I retired, but never played AR due to weight and time restrictions, but I am thinking seriously of operating from at least a couple of them next year. One of those is a "bird haven" hence my interest in the current debate about antennas and bird strikes.

Steve, some would take issue with this:

One thing is for sure it will be a real qso if it occurs with no internet prompting emails or coaching

How much coaching, prompting, organizing skeds, and cross-band monitoring went on when we all used to use the "international 6m liaison frequency 28.885MHZ? The answer is of course, lots! Is doing the same using modern technology such as loggers and email any different? As far as I am concerned a "real QSO" is when the radio signal arrives at the antennas. What went on to get it there is really of no concern. (Might be a a good topic for another thread).

Now having said that, I am totally against any attempts to "fill in the gaps" or giving corrections to information via email, e.g "the report I gave you was 4 4" etc.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK4WDM]

I just noticed that E6M (Niue Island) is being worked from Vk3 today so that strengthens the possibility that KH8S could be worked from southern VK.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK4WDM]

Sorry, ZL3 not VK3

[VK4WDM]

Well, it did not happen. Probably a better chance Nov through Feb, but that is not the time of the year to be romping around the Pacific in a boat because it is the prime cyclone season, and even without cyclones the seas can be very rough. I know that from experience, I went from Chuuk to Satawal Island by boat in February

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK2XQ]

It was only the weather elements and local environment Wayne, the 50MHz antenna lay forgotten until some four days into the operation when it was decided to erect it. Then, when up 50MHz received little attention, some JA's reported the beacon audible but no one manning the station, it was rumoured and reported that the operator was "asleep in his hammock" oblivious to the band being open. Two good openings were missed as a result of this slap dash attitude to six metres, but what can we do? it's only a hobby but one would think if you are going to splash out the big money donated by all sectors of the hobby you would give each band the due attention deserved of a worthy DXpedition. I only needed them on 50MHz, I cleaned up the eight HF bands fone and CW with the previous N8S operation back in April 2007.

I know of two USA radio amateurs who donated money but like many others in the Pacific, only needed them on six metres, they are very peeved about how 50MHz was treated. The adverse conditions did not prevent them from making 105,455 contacts on HF though, anyway there are some happy people who made them a new one on HF so all was not lost.

The reality of DXpeditions and 50MHz is that unless you have a dedicated and professional six metre enthusiast on the team six will not be taken seriously, we have seen that time and time again, you have to have the passion for 50MHz to give it all on the band. The Conway Reef operation will be full on for six metres as Peter PY5CC is on the team and in charge of six and two metres, his proven track record on six speaks for itself (DXCC etc) so we can rest assured six will be well looked after. As for Swains, there was no dedicated 50MHz operator amongst them, hence the low priority, they were more worried about getting 60m up and running than 50MHz.

Chuuk? Last time I stopped over there it was still called Truk and I was KC6JH back then in 1983 before the conversion to V63JH. What a dump Moen was, drunks, drugs and rife with lawlessness and STD's, I wonder if it has changed any? The Christopher Inn was the place to stay back then and was a little on the rough side too I was told. The majority of visitors just head there to dive on the Japanese wrecks in Truk Lagoon and little else. I can still recall the crude remarks made about Truk by the Continental Air Micronesia 727 pilot before we left Kosrae when I chatted with him on the tarmac!

Jack Haden VK2XQ (ex KC6JH/V63JH)

[VK4WDM]

Yes Jack, Chuuk (Truk) is still a rough place. I saw a bloke, probably full of the local palm hooch, attack a car with a machete in the middle of the main street!

Some of the sunken warships in the lagoon are breaking up and releasing heavy fuel oil. There is an argument who should pay for the clean up, the Japanese who own (or owned) them, or the Americans that sank them. By contrast, Satawal, three days steaming away, is quiet and beautiful. Its part of Yap, so does not count as a separate Dx entity (although you could argue that point given its isolation) but it would be a great IOTA location if the operation was completely self-sufficent with transport, food and power. Its a pity that I could not operate from there, or some of the other places I have been to, but these were work trips with time and load constraints.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK2XQ]

All good memories for me of the distant past, had the opportunity to visit Satawal aboard the field trip vessel "Micro Pilot" in early 1983 but didn't bother going, was told it was closer to Truk than Yap State. I stayed on Yap Proper at the house of Catholic missionary Leo Dela Rosa KC6DL which is a short walk up the hill from downtown Colonia past the Rai View Hotel.

Fascinating to see the various types of traditional "stone money" around the villages, back then Yap was one of the most "traditional" or "primitive" of all the United States Trust Territory of Pacific Islands (USTT). Not forgetting the history of His Majesty O'Keefe, a shipwrecked Irish-American Capt David O'Keefe from 1871 onwards, a Hollywood movie was made on him. Some old comms history too on Yap Proper, the remains of the German Cable Station and a now closed USCG Loran Station plus the old Jap comms bunker from WW-II.

Was very active as KC6JH from Yap in those days, also operated from Ulithi and Mog Mog aswell for a short time while on a field trip to the outer islands. Spent many an hour sitting on one of the benches outside the Yap Co-Op store watching village life go by and chatting with the old men who sat chewing beetle nut and lime then spitting the red gunk all over the footpath! Found heaps of Japanese WW-II relics in the hills overlooking Colonia too Wayne, in the drought of 1982/83 there was a bushfire on the hill and it exposed many gun emplacements and old wartime guns too, at night we would hear the live ammo exploding from the fire as it burnt out the hillsides.

Jack Haden VK2XQ (ex KC6JH)