8 weeks to go and counting…….

It’s been six months since I announced that I’d be conducting another IOTA DXpedition, this time to Bremer Island OC-185. I’m delighted to say that everything is going to plan. The flights are booked and paid for. The charter boat, accommodation and generator have all been arranged and confirmed.

In May last year my wife and I moved back to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and so I became VK8PDX again. After doing four IOTA DXpeditions as VK4LDX/P from October 2010 to April 2011, I decided that before I embark upon on another IOTA DXpedition that I really needed to upgrade from the Standard to Advanced licence.

On previous IOTA DXpeditions the 10m, 15m and 20m propagation to Europe and Asia was fantastic and the pile ups were huge and lasted many hours. However I did tend to struggle at times with North America and the pile ups were small didn’t last long. Although on my last trip to Magnetic Island I did have more success to that part of the world thanks to better conditions and a water take-off that wasn’t blocked by steep hills as was the case with Fitzroy Island and the first Magnetic Island trip in December 2010.

In late January 2012 I passed my Advanced Licence exam. This means being able to use more bands and higher power. I’ve bought a small solid state amplifier which should arrive sometime in late Feb/early March. The amp will produce 400W and so I figure that boosting the signal from 100W to 400W will ensure a more even spread between Europe, Asia and the Americas. I’ve added two 17m elements to the Spiderbeam so that it covers 10m, 15m, 17m and 20m. For 12m I’m experimenting by using a vertical dipole up on a 12m Spiderbeam pole. I’m doing this so that I don’t have to worry about beam headings on 12m when I operate there during the daylight hours when the band could be open to all sorts of different beam headings.

My operating schedule tends to run from 2100 UTC (6:30am local time) to 1630 UTC (2:00am local time). This is a gruelling schedule but it is possible for a short period of time – I’ll be operating for 5½ days – plenty of time to sleep on the plane flights home!!! I’ll probably take a lunch break and do equipment checks once the higher bands close to North America around 0300 UTC (12:30pm) and before long path Europe opens on 17m & 20m around 0430 UTC (2:00pm).

I’ll be focussing on three main parts of the world – Europe, Asia and North America. Judging from previous DXpeditions, this is your best band/time to work me:

North America

2100 to 0300 UTC – 10m, 12m, 15m and 17m (short path)

1200 to 1400 UTC – 20m (short path)

This 1200-1400 UTC period was a good path in April last year on Magnetic Island from East to West coast, so hopefully it will be open again. Sometime from 1200 - 1230 UTC I’ll try propagation here.

Europe

0500 to 0800 UTC – 17m and 20m (long path)

0600 to 1200 UTC – 10m, 12m, 15m and 17m (short path)

1400 to 1630 UTC – 20m (short path)*

*If there is no propagation to North America at 1200-1400 UTC on 20m, then I’ll be beaming to Europe short path from 1230 UTC onwards on 17m or 20m

Asia

Whenever I’m beaming short path North America or short path Europe, I can easily work JA. For the rest of Asia east of JA, it’s easy to work me whenever I’m beaming short path Europe. 12m will be no problem as I’ll have a vertical.

South America

2100 to 0300 UTC – 10m, 12m, 15m and 17m (short path)**

1200 to 1400 UTC – 20m (short path)**

**During these periods I’m normally beaming to North America, despite this I’m still able to work into Central America, the Caribbean and places like Colombia and Venezuela. On 12m I’ll have a vertical. If there are any specific bands or periods of time where you find you’re hearing VK’s over the next 8 weeks, send me an email before April 14 at vk8pdx@yahoo.com.au and I might set some time slots and dates where I beam especially to South America.

Southern Africa

If there are any specific bands or periods of time where you find you’re hearing VK’s really well, send me an email before April 14 at vk8pdx@yahoo.com.au and I might set some time slots and dates where I beam especially to southern Africa.