The Desecheo Island DXpedition is assigned K5D
February 12-26, 2009
Start: około 16:00 UTC (opóźnienie z powodu złej pogody)
Co prawda klub ma zaliczony ten kraj na kilku pasmach, ale nadarza się okazja poprawy stanu realizacji tego ENTITY, zwłaszcza na pasmach: 1.8-10Mc. Wg .uzyskanych informacji wielu członków klubu potrzebuje ten kraj.
Do dnia dzisiejszego (19.02.2009) K5D zrobili: SP5ANJ, SP5ELA, SP5ELW, SP5INQ, SP5JTF, SP5WA, SP7GIQ*.
Status of K5D log : (81574 Q's)
First QSO: 13-Feb-2009 at 16:00:00
Last QSO: 22-Feb-2009 at 00:16:00
5 record(s) found for SP5PBE into K5D log
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| K5D information: QSL Manager -> N2OO and SJXD |
February 19, 2009
0300Z: The wind blew hard all night and then died down around dawn. Fortunately no rain accompanied the system coming through. The seas are spectacular with waves and spray going 30-40 feet into the air. Great fun to watch, but doesn't bode well for the crew changeover scheduled for later today.
We are on the helicopter pad hundreds of feet from the sea, but the sound can be heard through the pileups.
Team Three is safely settled in their hotel, a stones-throw from the boat departure point. They completed UXO training tonight and are ready to come to the Island. Forecasts for the next two days are for continued high seas making a boat landing extremely hazardous and thus not an option. We can only hope the seas will die down as fast as they came up...the first sign will be the diminishing wind, but it has picked up again tonight and blowing hard.
Radio operations continue to be productive with 6-7 stations QRV 24/7. The QSO count is 60,000 as this is written, and everyone is having fun while working hard.
All the antennas have survived so far and we;'ve experienced no failures with any equipment. Let's see what tomorrow brings!
We are on the helicopter pad hundreds of feet from the sea, but the sound can be heard through the pileups.
Team Three is safely settled in their hotel, a stones-throw from the boat departure point. They completed UXO training tonight and are ready to come to the Island. Forecasts for the next two days are for continued high seas making a boat landing extremely hazardous and thus not an option. We can only hope the seas will die down as fast as they came up...the first sign will be the diminishing wind, but it has picked up again tonight and blowing hard.
Radio operations continue to be productive with 6-7 stations QRV 24/7. The QSO count is 60,000 as this is written, and everyone is having fun while working hard.
All the antennas have survived so far and we;'ve experienced no failures with any equipment. Let's see what tomorrow brings!
February 18, 2009
More pictures added.
More logs uploaded.
00:40Z: Our internet link went down again today but we believe we have it working well enough for logs and some pix from time to time. The Team continues to slug it out 24/7 with a heavy emphasis on EU and Asia. QSOs approach 50,000 after 4˝ days. We are optimistic with more than a week to go and a fresh crew coming in we will knock Desecheo 'way down the "most wanted" list.
We have a WX forecast of heavy seas beginning late Wednesday and continuing Thursday. Seven members of our Team are due to rotate off the island on Thursday and another seven arrive. This is scheduled for Thursday morning via boat. We are watching the WX closely and, of course, the boat captain has the last say. Hopefully, if the changeover is delayed by WX it will only be a 24 hour delay. Late today our shelters get their first test with 25 kt winds coming through at sunset. Everyone is working hard manning seven HF radios with a 6m station at the ready. Sleep is at a premium!
February 17, 2009
First logs are up and available for lookup.
01:20: Today we had the first re-supply boat from Rincon. The boat brought gasoline, a few missing items from the helicoper trips and non-potable water. It took away trash, empty water and gasoline containers.
The heat today was oppressive; the hike from where the boat lands to where the camp is set up took a toll on the operators.
The camp supports the fifteen Team operators as well as five personnel from the field research team and three members of law enforcement. You'll see the camp in photos that we plan to have up soon. Our QSO count is now above 37,000!
Logs were sent to the "lookup site" today and will be available as soon as that site can make them ready. Check our lookup link page to see when the lookup founction is enabled.
February 15, 2009
23:30Z: Operations are going well with 26,000 QSOs so far. We now have seven HF stations on the air plus one on 6M. All stations have dual antennas.
Still no internet capablility so no logs uploaded yet. The supply boat will be here tomorrow and we'll be sending the logs back to PR to be uploaded sometime tomorrow afternoon. The boat will be bringing gear to (hopefully) repair one or both of our internet links, so we hope to have internet capability again sometime tomorrow.
February 14, 2009
23:30Z: Because of higher-than-expected winds which delayed helicopter trips, we were unable to complete our full setup on Thursday. At this writing, those problems are behind us and the camp and all antennas are in place and working.
The QSO count is just under 10,000 in the first 24 hours with only two stations operable for most of that time. We now have five stations on the air hoping for two or three more tomorrow.
We have no internet connectivity as our satellite link and our 900Mhz terrestrial link both failed. We have a plan that should get them both working in a day or two. In the meantime, no logs have been uploaded and, of course, no photos. When the links are working you'll learn about it here.
The Team is in high spirits and the weather is good now, nice breeze, calm seas but hotter than expected.
Last night we were forced to move our 40M operation away from our planned frequency. This was because of the RTTY contest which wiped out most of the band for us below 7.1MHz. The contest ends tomorrow and we expect much better 40M performance especially to Europe. We're sensitive to the fact that some EU countries/amateurs cannot transmit above 7.1MHz; this problem will self-resolve when the RTTY contest ends late tomorrow.
February 13, 2009
1600Z: K5D QRV! First contacts on 14.023 and 18.145
February 12, 2009
12:45Z: Due to high winds, several helicopter flights were delayed and we're running quite a bit behind schedule. We still have a lot of infrastructure work to do (in the dark!) so we're forced to delay our planned QRV until tomorrow at 1600Z. We're sorry to disappoint but we just can't get the work done in time. See you tomorrow!
Per Glenn WŘGJ: 1600Z: "About half done moving gear to island. Things going well. Very, very HOT!"
At 1240Z the first helicopter with five Team Members aboard took off from Rincon and a few minutes later landed safely on Desecheo Island. The K5D Desecheo 2009 DXpedition is officially ON!
QRV (single transmitter only) still planned near 0200Z tonight.
February 11, 2009
Today the Team accumulated all our equipment and all the gear for USFWS and the field research team (including all our food and personal gear) and prepared it for the helicopter external sling-load operation scheduled for tomorrow morning. Altogether, it's more than seven tons! The first flight will be at 1130Z tomorrow and flights will continue through (at least) mid-day local time.
The Team is tired but in great spirits and we're all very excited about tomorrow!
The staging point for helicopter operations is within sight of Desecheo and, when we took our lunch break today, we looked out at the island and the angry surf -- and knew we'd made the right decision about using helicopters. Safety First!
Here are some photos taken today while staging in Rincon; click HERE.
February 12, 2009
Per Glenn WŘGJ and Bob K4UEE @ 23:45Z: "Heavy winds during the day delayed several helicopter flights so we're running quite a bit behind schedule. For example, we had to wait until the last helicopter trip to begin erecting shelters. We're all exhausted and have quite a bit of infrastructure work yet to do (in the dark). Regrettably, this will delay our planned QRV until (hopefuly) near 1600Z tomorrow (Friday). We're sorry to disappoint those expecting us on the air tonight."
Per Glenn WŘGJ: 1600Z: "About half done moving gear to island. Things going well. Very, very HOT!"
At 1240Z the first helicopter with five Team Members aboard took off from Rincon and a few minutes later landed safely on Desecheo Island. The K5D Desecheo 2009 DXpedition is officially ON!
QRV (single transmitter only) still planned near 0200Z tonight.
February 11, 2009
Today the Team accumulated all our equipment and all the gear for USFWS and the field research team (including all our food and personal gear) and prepared it for the helicopter external sling-load operation scheduled for tomorrow morning. Altogether, it's more than seven tons! The first flight will be at 1130Z tomorrow and flights will continue through (at least) mid-day local time.
The Team is tired but in great spirits and we're all very excited about tomorrow!
The staging point for helicopter operations is within sight of Desecheo and, when we took our lunch break today, we looked out at the island and the angry surf -- and knew we'd made the right decision about using helicopters. Safety First!
Here are some photos taken today while staging in Rincon; click HERE.
January 26, 2009 Desecheo 2009 Press Release # 4
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
We have reserved the special call sign K5D for our upcoming Desecheo operation. The operation will begin late in the day on Feb 12th.
QSO philosophy...because Desecheo is so very rare (#6 worldwide, #3 in Europe and # 2 in Asia) there are many, many hams worldwide that need KP5 for an all-time new one. Therefore, we are asking that you not contact the Dxpedition on any band/mode that you have confirmed from a previous DXpedition. This will allow the people who really need a new DXCC entity a better opportunity to get through the pileups.
Our objective is not to establish a world record for contacts...there will be no "greenies", no boxes to check, no competitions for most band/mode QSOs, no certificate or awards for contacting the Dxpedition more times than anyone else. So, if you have KP5 already confirmed on a particular band/mode, we respectfully ask that you exercise restraint. If, late in the DXpedition, we are calling CQ for contacts, we will welcome your call.
The team has encountered higher expenses than anticipated. These mainly involve the transportation and feeding of other personnel that will be traveling to the island with us. Approximately ten other personnel will share our campsite and facilities for the duration of the DXpedition. They will be on Island with us to provide security and carry out field research. Therefore, we ask that you consider a contribution to the DXpedition to help with these incremental expenses. Just go to www.kp5.us and click the button that reads" How you can Help".
We are all counting the days until we assemble in Puerto Rico on Feb 7th.
Bob Allphin- K4UEE
Glenn Johnson-WŘGJ
K5D co-leaders
January 6, 2009
Desecheo 2009 European Press release #1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KP5 Team Prepares for Europe!
The KP1-5 Project is very aware of the need for KP5 in Europe. Previous DXpeditions contended with an obstructed path to Europe making working this #3 most needed country difficult at best. During the recent reconnaissance trip to KP5, agreement was reached that will allow antennas to be placed on a ridgeline above the helipad that will give a clear path to Europe! The team wants to provide as many EU hams with a QSO as possible.
The following photos will show the problem and the plan:
The KP1-5 Project would appreciate the support from each and every European ham as we prepare to activate KP5! Please visit our website, www.kp5.us to support this DXpedition.
W ramach projektu KP1 Navassa/KP5 Desecheo
Po Nowym Roku w lutym rusza ekspedycja na Descecheo Isl KP5.
About Desecheo Island
The 7th most-needed DXCC entity world-wide!
The 3rd most-needed DXCC entity in Europe!
The 2nd most-needed DXCC entity in Asia!
Link do strony ekspedycji: http://www.kp5.us/
Do usłyszenia w pile-upach!
73, ZYGI SP5ELA