VK9WA Willis Island DXpedition

[VK4APN]

http://vk9wa.com/

https://www.facebook.com/hal.turley.9 - one of the team members has some good photos that show the amount of gear and effort required to undertake this sort of operation.

The VK9WA team should be ferrying their gear to the Islet as I write( 2100 hrs GMT).

I expect they will be up and running before the end of the day - Saturday. See their web site for operating details.

Paul vk4apn

[VK4APN]

http://vk9wa.com/

https://www.facebook.com/hal.turley.9 - one of the team members has some good photos that show the amount of gear and effort required to undertake this sort of operation.

The VK9WA team should be ferrying their gear to the Islet as I write( 2100 hrs GMT).

I expect they will be up and running before the end of the day - Saturday. See their web site for operating details.

Paul vk4apn

Over 2000 contacts in the first 12 hours of operating!! Mostly with simple Crank IR vertical antennas.

[VK3HJ]

Nice to have a "local" rare DX!

High bands 12 and 10 m have been difficult due to closeness, but all other bands are easy from VK3.

Make the most of this activation, as the last one was in 2008 and it may be several years before we see this one on air again.

73,
Luke VK3HJ

[VK4WDM]

I hope they turn up on 6m at some stage. A lot of VKs need Willis island on 6m including me. It is difficult from here, too close for troppo and sporadic E and too far away for ground wave.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK4TS]

Portable yagi on top of Castle Hill should do it

[VK3ZAZ]

I hope they turn up on 6m at some stage. A lot of VKs need Willis island on 6m including me. It is difficult from here, too close for troppo and sporadic E and too far away for ground wave.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

Not a very convincing statement?
have you tried?

When I was on 9L could work VK2QF 24/7 beam to beam

many VK4s worked past VK9 Willis using ext gw

[VK4TS]

Not a very convincing statement?
have you tried?

When I was on 9L could work VK2QF 24/7 beam to beam

many VK4s worked past VK9 Willis using ext gw

Totally agreed Steve - VK2BA to VK2YHA/LHI heard David 24/7 just the little 551 you loaned me with 10 watts and a three element yagi, had to work hard to make the distance but we made the QSO !!!

Sydney to Lord Howe 600 km

Townsville to Willis 450 km

Extended Ground wave would be fine.

[VK3ZAZ]

Jeepers worst than I thought
I can work VK5PJ 5GF at 400k anytime day nite
maybe the tropics have some inbuilt attenuation factor we don't know about

I flatly reject the notion that we can all somehow grouped under a common 6M banner with 6M prop.


And as predicted the cycle that was just was crap when compared with one before that and even the one before that.

and boy is there going to be heaps of whinging about CYCLE 25 26 and 27 on current estimates we will call it the MOAN-DER MINIMA. or is that MOAN DUH?



Rots of ruck guys

New terminology of the digital age FOMO-bia Fear of MISSING OUT

[VK4WDM]

Yes, 6M propagation in the tropics IS different from in the southern states. I know that from 52 years experience in both areas.

There have been several dxpeditions to Willis Island, and there was a ham that was on the island for several months and worked into most parts of VK, but very few stations from nth QLD made a contact (VK4ABW is the only one I can think of) even with skeds set up on other bands and home stations with good capability plus some attempts with portable stations on the beach. You need "short skip" conditions and they are rare here.

It is difficult to work stations in Cairns and south of Mackay on 6m for the same reason. If you don't believe me, ask any stations in those areas how many Townsville stations they have worked. FK8 is also only worked a few times each summer from Townsville even when their beacon is belting in further south.

You might be saying what sort of a station has this guy got? It has got me hundreds of contacts in 58 countries including LP to CE, LU and PY but Willis Island still eludes me. Perhaps this time

Having said all that, lets not turn this thread into a 6m propagation discussion, fascinating as that would be. even without 6M the VK9WA guys are doing a great job in giving the world a chance to snag a rare one

73

Wayne VK4WDM

73

Wayne VK4WDM