Plea for Support - FP/NY4G DXpedition

Here is a link to a slide show I put together appealing for support from sponsoring individuals, clubs

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/79264233/FP_NY4G.pdf

If you want to donate please send it through the following

https://fundly.com/radio-dxpedition-to-st-pierre-and-miquelon

Field Day Location of K4J - Now on the ARRL Field Day Locator

Here is the link to the Field Day locator

http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

Operators:

NY4G
WM4AA

This is also IOTA NA-110

Challenge Award Level Finally Reached

More cards arrived today - time to call Paul W4FC.

The three entities that helped me cross the 1000 slot threshold

Western Sahara S01WS  on 17m and 12m CW
Tonga A25UO on 20m CW

Cocos Island #25 Most Wanted - No 261 All Time New One

They are there for about a week.  Their first priority appears to be to work EU.  For several days now they concentrated on working only EU on several bands.  There was a brief opening for NA early this morning and I was able to get them in the log on 30m.  The contact was confirmed in Clublog.  I am waiting for them now on 160m.  They are on 160m but only working EU.

Upcoming St. Pierre and Miquelon DXpedition Update

I have been in contact with Oliver OE5OHO and he was kind enough to give a reply concerning logistics of where to stay and operate  in FP land.  Being that my stay is only for 4 days, it would be wiser to stay in St. Pierre rather than take the boat to Miquelon unless other opportunities arise.  I also reached out to Eric KV1J and Jean Pierre FP5CJ.  Eric KV1J is going there in late February 2015.  Eric contacted me by email and offered some helpful tips.

Current Schedule:

July 8, 2015 - Leave Charlotte NC and Fly to Halifax, NS and drive to Prince Edward Island VY2 - about a 3 hour drive from Halifax.  Purchase tickets to St. Pierre while at Halifax.

July 9, 2015 - Start operations in the VY2TT station of K6LA.  There are 4 ops there that week - Phil AC4Q/VY2, Bill N4IQ/VY2, Bob ND7J/VY2 and me NY4G/VY2

I will attempt to set-up portable stations on the north beaches of Prince Edward Island apart from operations in VY2TT during the day.

July 10-12 - IARU HF Championship from VY2

July 14 - Drive down to Halifax very early in the morning

July 14 - Fly to St. Pierre - set up accomodations

July 15 - First full day operation in St. Pierre or Miquelon (still TBD as to where I will stay)

July 16-17 Holiday style operation in FP land

July 18 - break down and fly back to Halifax.  Fly connection to Charlotte NC.  Drive back to Travelers Rest SC

St Pierre and Miquelon Amateur Radio DXpedition

I am now on the fence on whether  to continue on to Miquelon Island from Halifax after July 14 for a 4 day radio DXpedition as FP/NY4G after the stay at Prince Edward Island as NY4G/VY2 during the week between July 8 and July 14.

Plans:

Radios:  Elecraft KX3 with KXPA100

Antenna: SteppIR CrankIR
Modes:  80 - 10m CW and RTTY only

Other Equipment: 

Powerhouse 500Wi 450 watt generator, Tent

The following logistics remain.

(1) this blog will be my primary communication tool for the plans

(2) QSL card design

(3) Air Fare from Halifax, Nova Scotia
(4) Hotel accomodations in St. Pierre

Clean Sweep K1N

Had Bob over to look over MFJ618 and while he was here I worked K1N on 10m phone.  Just as he left, propagation was till good on 15m.  Bill looks like he is tearing up K1N also.  Tom is also getting them on many bands.  This is the most I have done with band slots for a DXpedition.  

Great Day With K1N and the High Bands

So far I have Navassa Island on 7 bands - 160m CW, 80m CW, 40m CW , 30m RTTY, 20M SSB,, 20m CW, 17m CW and 12m CW.

 I also picked up three new ones on 12m  which brings my 12m total to 95 DXCC.  Current stats are as follows:

Band	160	80	40	30	20	17	15	12	10	Total	Total %
AF	4	6	15	16	64	40	104	13	22	284	0.7%
AN	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0%
AS	8	76	274	37	122	180	108	349	131	1285	3.2%
EU	102	364	1219	1155	1806	455	1565	827	346	7839	19.3%
NA	1457	2138	3008	2632	7914	3108	4777	1764	3029	29827	73.5%
OC	6	7	60	29	142	13	96	12	7	372	0.9%
SA	6	31	49	47	213	97	303	54	149	949	2.3%
Totals	1583	2622	4625	3916	10261	3893	6953	3019	3684	40556

New ones on 12m now include
Navassa Island K1N
Saint Helena  ZD7FT
Guatemala TG9AHM

Challenge confirmations stand at 970 with 85 in the queue.  The sure bets are now into about 991.  80 QSL cards have been sent out.

EP6T - QRT and Final Stats

North America improved to nearly 10%.  I would venture to guess that the US perhaps made 5000 QSO's.  The following is from Clublog

Continent By Mode Band PH CW RTTY Total Total % AF 249 178 46 473 0.7% AN 0 1 0 1 0.0% AS 3378 7718 846 11942 17.5% EU 20877 22329 4160 47366 69.6% NA 3036 3321 308 6665 9.8% OC 400 311 70 781 1.1% SA 415 341 62 818 1.2% Totals 28355 34199 5492 68046 Continent By Band Band 160 80 40 30 20 17 15 12 10 Total Total % AF 0 9 31 14 134 70 70 65 80 473 0.7% AN 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.0% AS 174 814 1717 839 1149 1403 1996 1733 2117 11942 17.5% EU 989 2576 4815 3815 7497 6938 6829 6715 7192 47366 69.6% NA 38 235 1221 431 1234 1253 858 831 564 6665 9.8% OC 0 16 68 24 206 110 185 89 83 781 1.1% SA 0 2 67 29 304 79 105 94 138 818 1.2% Totals 1201 3652 7919 5152 10525 9853 10043 9527 10174 68046

EP6T Team - Station Equipment

This is a photo of what the EP6T Team used - As of 1/22 logged 45000 plus QSOs on 5 stations using K3 transceivers and 4 Expert 1k amplifiers plus a home brew 500w amplifier

 For antennas they had 6 TX antennas consisting of a 26m vertical for 160m, phased array for 80m, 4 square for 40m, another phased array for 30m, a hexbeam for 20-10m, and a 5 element yagi for 10m.  For receive antennas, they had a beverage and a receiving loop (maybe a K9AY).

EP6T - "What we work for the hardest, is the most precious of all - Paul Greaves W4FC"

Let's look at some statistics.  These are not the final ones ....

Band	PH	CW	RTTY	Total	Total %
AF	171	102	28	301	0.7%
AN	0	1	0	1	0.0%
AS	1900	4771	530	7201	17.5%
EU	12978	14258	2256	29492	71.5%
NA	1641	1559	91	3291	8.0%
OC	267	188	35	490	1.2%
SA	247	201	30	478	1.2%
Totals	17204	21080	2970	41254

North America only collected 8% of the total QSOs and the US less than that as the Canadians must have gotten a portion of it.

Band	160	80	40	30	20	17	15	12	10	Total	Total %
AF	0	1	20	11	101	39	48	33	48	301	0.7%
AN	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.0%
AS	157	573	1126	447	842	661	1352	911	1132	7201	17.5%
EU	716	1615	2885	2813	4951	4373	4380	3801	3958	29492	71.5%
NA	5	183	787	326	821	464	211	277	217	3291	8.0%
OC	0	9	29	11	134	77	142	50	38	490	1.2%
SA	0	2	30	18	259	21	35	24	89	478	1.2%
Totals	878	2383	4877	3626	7109	5635	6168	5096	5482	41254

The most productive band is still 20m with 17m a distant second.  

Needless to say, my peers in the US were happy to pick up even 1 QSO with this radio expedition as trying to make a QSO, with all the lids, jammers, local noise conditions on the island, was difficult at best, impossible for some.  KU4XO worked an entire weekend for a QSO (lots of coffee, Mountain Dew, and little sleep.  WM4AA spent 8 hours of total calling time to get one QSO.  Some, like, ND7J, with sleuth and luck working together, were able to do it with one call.   In my case, it was handed to me like a gift by Dave K4SV.  I went to Dave's station in Tryon and he was working EP6T on 20m CW when I entered his shack.  Within about a minute of my entering the room,Dave worked him and I tail-ended on his TX frequency my call - and he answered TU 599.  I had tried to work EP6T on 30m for several nights without much luck although 30m propagation had been good.  The day after working him, I went to the station of Bob ND7J and we tried to work them on several bands and modes - 17m CW, 15m phone, 12m phone without any luck.  At the time of this writing - only one QSO for me.