E51KTA only 11 days away now...

Yippee no new jabs needed, car booked & 34KG of kit (31KG of antennas, 1KG KX3, 2KG clothes!) to airport :-

An Ode to BERU

Given I'm about to be one of those sending some weak RF from an island in the pacific I saw this and thought nicely put...

Thoughts Occasioned by the Sunday Morning Long-Path Opening to Australia and New Zealand, 9th March 2008
by Gerry Lynch GI0RTN

I will go to forty metres
On this sunny BERU morn
Where the strong Antipodeans
Make me glad that I was born.

Signal bearing polar flutter
From the town of Christchurch fair,
Lands upon this Irish meadow
Answering my silent prayer.

Signals coming on the long path
From a far Australian shore,
Crossing ice and sea and jungle,
Coming to increase my score.

Sigs from Asia's teeming cities;
Sigs from Afric's dusty plains;
Sigs from small Pacific islands;
To this land of gentle rains.

Some ops work me with a yagi,
Some ops work me with a wire,
Some ops work me with a groundplane,
Late on eighty, when I tire.

Fickle paths on ten and fifteen
Barely open ere they're gone.
Booming DX strong on 20.
Strong at sunset, strong at dawn.

I will go to forty metres
On this sunny BERU morn,
Sinful would it be to let those
CQ Contests rest forlorn.

(With acknowledgement to Seamus Heaney or is it WB Yeats?). I think a few of the black stuff needed before hand.

BTW this place is brilliant.
http://www.leprechaunmuseum.ie/

You know they say a qrp rig, using a rainbow as an end fed antenna and sitting in the pot of gold at one end with one eye shut whilst balanced on one leg with a 4 leaf clover in one hand and the mic in another you can work DX better... I dunno myself how true that is I think you have to talk to the king of the leprechauns about it. 

JUMA amp inside (not QRP)

Was interested to see how this was being done...... definitely not QRP although I note if you put more than qrp levels in you will kill the amp!

External photos.

 

Internal photos.

Cut numbers

Just been sent (as I get contest exchanges wrong sometimes) a note on cut numbers

1 ·-   A
2 ··-  U
3 ·--  W
4 ···- V
5 ···  S
6 -··· B
7 --·  G
8 -··  D
9 -·   N
0 -    T

So now I know but sure I will be even more confused as some send the serial mixed :-)

yes 5nn and TT1etc I have heard but also heard T sent when should have been 1 or A sent as well.

What is all this about another 4SQ?

Yes going to try another 4SQ this time in E5. Unlike EU-011 will have good signal cable this time.

The idea is (nuts yes) use the same supports for BOTH 30m and 40m, will move the supports after BERU so the 4SQ is up on 30m.

As will use a QRO shack for BERU designing with that in mind although expect will be qrp after.

Anyway the 30m details are: (from a spreadsheet from ZL2iFB page here http://www.g4ifb.com/html/antennas.html#4sq …)

All this is NOT my work but that of ON4UN, TK5EP, G4IFB (now ZL2IFB)

E51KTA Propagation and notes

After speaking to a few, looking at my own logs, recent ZL activations and reading up from DXtrip websites etc.... I think this is how it might go..

The most interesting propagation will occur about local sunrise and sunset, 30m and 40m will suddenly come alive as it gets dark and might die again just after dawn, 12m,15m and 17m will show some odd openings at this time. So I expect I will park the SDR RX on then and watch for activity. During the day there might be very little to work, a few USA or Japan on 15. I expect that will be the time for sleep and tourist bits.

On 40/30/20 the pattern I had seen is that a few weak 4Z/RA/S5/SVs would appear through the UA/US/JA stations, never getting that loud so might have to request JA to stand by and as the opening slowly worked westwards OK/DL/I/F/EA would be heard. Hopefully then some EI/G

The openings never seemed to spread very far north from KH8. Advised that the antipodal point (direct other side of the world) for E5 is about 15E 20N. Towards the end of the openings from KH8 (relatively close) the EAs were quite strong. When heard JA stations I heard a lot of JA. NA West Coast but not much east of Chicago.

Conditions varied quite a bit from day to day so I hope I might maintain contact with some in EU otherwise.

I'll have SotaBeams wspr setup with me to watch the spots. I should have the Ultimate from qrplabs doing the QRSS thing too.

I don't expect the internet but if it appears I might twitter where I am operating.

Operations on 80 will use a vertical and 160 might take place IF I can be sure antenna is OK.

My location for BERU will be on the WEST COAST of the island 

which should mean most paths (see great circle) are OK except to SA which doesn't mater anyway as the centre volcanic hills might block that direction.

Please remember those with beams in UK the short path to E5 is the same bearing as VE7(330) rather then ZL(14) or VK(60). So don't point in the wrong direction please.

CW Prep for BERU

Deep joy my CW is not that good, not so much sending as RX... so time to do some practice.... For BERU contest how do you practice for this one?

First issue was what to practice on (yes got some previous years audio but that was from an odd area) so scraped a set of the calls of all the entrants from 2016 and 2015 off HFCC site for BERU (so just BERU calls) and fed that as a text file.

2015 & 2016

VE7UF VE7JH VE3KI VE7CC G4FNL M0DHO G3SJJ VA3DX VA3DF G3XTT G0ORH VE3CX VE2FK G3VPW G3XRJ M6O G3WGN VE5MX VK2PN G3SWH ZM4M ZL4PW VE5ZX ZL3PAH VE5UF MM0AMW G0IBN VE7IO G3ZGC VE4EA VE3MM VA7NF G3XYF ZL3GA G3KNU G4ERW VE6ZZZ G0SYP G3KLH G3LDI G4RKO GM0WED MM0ZBH VU3KPL VE1DT G4LPD G4MKR VA7XB GI5I GI4DOH ZL2AL VA7DZ VE3HG MW0IDX VA7KO G7RAU G0LHZ VE3EJ XL3A VE3AT VE3JM VY2GQ G3LET V5/G3TXF VE3OI ZF2CA G4CWH VY2ZM C4Z 5B4AIZ VO2AAA VO1AU G3BJ VK6LW G4IRN VE3DZ G4FAL GM3WOJ VE3KZ 5Z4LS G4PIQ VK6VZ G4BUO VE3ZI G3YBY VK3JA G3WPH ZB2CW VE3VHB G3KZR VK4SN VA3EC ZS1EL 9J2BO 7Q7BP G3SWC G3UFY GM4ZUK VE4YU G3GLL G3SXW G3XYC G4BJM M0TDK G3R G0DCK G3OAY M0BUI VE3HX G3KKP VE5SF G3SJX M0BTZ G4HZV VK2IG VE1RSM G3SVK 9M6XRO ZS1C VE3FJ VE4VT VE4EAR GM3WUX G4DRS G4IUF G3MPB VK6AJ VE3OM VE5VA 9V1YC G3PDH MI0BPB VU2MUD VU2CVS VA3GUY VK3TZ G4AYU ZL2AYZ VA2ES VE2AXO G4CZB G3XLG VE7BGP VE3RCN G4SGX GW4J GW0ETF G3PHO GW0GEI 5X1XA GW0IRW G6M G4BYG G1N G3MZV G0VDZ G8MIA VE1OP G7TWC G0HSA G4ENZ GM3YEH VE9BWK GW3VVC MM0RKT G3ROG J34G G3PJT VP9/G3VYI VE9OA VE3BR G4DBW VK3MI G4WGE/P G3RLE G3KMQ G3RFH G3OTK G4GBP G4ARI G3LIK VE3MGY VE3TG ZL3TE VE3KAO M0NQN VE3IAE VK6HG G3VMY G3WRR VE3OSZ GM3WIJ G4RCD G4DDX G4KNO G3XSD G3VIP VE3FH VK4XY VA1MM G3TJE G4WQI VY2SS VA7MM C5/M1KTA G4OTU VK6RZ G0GDU VE6LB G3YMC ZL2IV MU0FAL G0UKB GW4XXF VE3DQN M0SEV VE3PYG G6GLP VK6GX VK2GR VA3RKM VK2EL VE2IR VK7GN/2 VK7GN VE3ZY G3HRH G3ZNR G0HVQ GW0BBO G4YUP G3VQO VK4TT G0OOR M0JWB GM3TAL G3WYW J35X VA7BWG VE7GM G3GMM M6MPC G2HDR G6MCX G0LRD VE2QV VA3NGE G4CXQ VE3IGJ G4HHJ G4LWB M3JAC VE1LS G4FDC ZL3DMC GI4BQI VE3VCF VK2AYD VE6XH M5ALG G4IKR G0VQR MW0RZC G4XPE MW0CVT VE9ML GB5CC VA3RAC VE3FU VE7RAC VE7JKZ VU2PTT G3OGP  G3RTU  G3SQU  G3VGR  G3WGV  G3XMM  G4OGB  GM4KGK  M0GXM  M0MPM  MM0GPZ  VE3DXK  VO1QU ZS5XT

VO1HP G6M G4BYG G3PHO C6ANM G4WGE/P G4EBK G3YBY G1N G3MZV A25MC G4RCD G0HSA G3OFA G3SZU M0HDF G4BVY M1K M1KTA G3XLG M0SEV GM4OSS G4MKR G4AYU VU2AE VE3XAT VY2ZM CJ3T VE3AT VE9CB VE3JM ZF2CA G4CWH VK6LW VE3/M0PCB J79XF G3TXF C4Z 5B4AIZ VE3FU VK2BJ G3BJ VE3ZI VA2WA GM0NAI M3W G4FAL VK7BO VK2GR VK6VZ VE3DZ GM4Z GM4ZUK VE3VHB VE3KZ GW4J GW0ETF VK3JA G3VPW VE3CX VE2AEJ G3WGN MM0T GM3WUX GM4AFF G4AMT 9M6XRO VE4VT VE4EAR ZS1EL VK2IG G4PIQ G3XYF VA7ST G3SWC G3LHJ G3SXW 9V1YC G4DBW G0HVQ V51YJ VE1ANU G4WQI G4HZV GM3YOR M0TDK VE3OM VA3GUY GM0AXY G4IUF G3GLL G0VQR G0HDB G3VGZ VE5SF G4ERW 9J2BO G4CZB G3PDH G3JRM G4RLS VE3CES G4OTU VA3FOC VE3USP VE1JBC G3SJX 2E1AYS VE7BGP G4SGI VK7GM MW0CVT VE1NSS VY2LI G0LRD MW0RZC G6MCX G4AFJ VE3EJ VE3UTT VE7CC ZM2B ZL2BR VK4CT M0DHO GM3WOJ ZL3PAH GM0GAV VK4SN VK2PN G3XRJ G3SJJ ZL4PW M2X G3VMW ZL/G4SGX G4IIY VE2FK G7TWC M2G G4RCG VA3DX ZL3GA G3TKK G3LDI VE1DT G0ORH VE1OP VE5UF G4FJK ZM4G ZL2IFB ZM4T ZL3IO GW9J GW0GEI M0INN ZL3AB M7T G3YYD GI4SJQ G3ORY G3WPH G3UHU G3ZGC G0IBN G3SVL ZL3NB G3RVM GM4UBJ G4LPD GW8Z GW0IRW VE6LB VU3KPL VE5MX GI5I GI4DOH MW0IDX GS8VL MM0ZBH G0W G0VDZ VE7IO ZL4YL M0GXM J34G G3PJT VP9/G3VYI VO1LET G3LET VK3MI 5X1XA G3RLE VK4XY 9H1CG ZB2EO G3OTK G4KNO VE3IAE ZL1BBW VE9OA G4ARI VE3MGY M0NQN G3RFH VA3KAI VE3TG VA3EC G3PSM VE5SDH G3RSD G3WRR G0GDU G3LIK VK4TT M0RYB VK6HG VE3FH G4DDX VK2EL ZL1BHQ G3VIP G4GBP/P VA1MM VK6AJ G3NKS GM3YEH GW0BBO G3VMY G3KKP VE2QV G0UKB MM0JOM VE3ZY VA7MM VA3IK G3HEJ G3XSD G4CXQ M0PNN VK7GN GW4XXF T32WW AC8W G6GLP G8GHD GW4HBK G4BUO G3HRH ZL1TM G3ROG ZB2CW VU2JOS GW3PRL GI4BQI G0FYX G4LWB G3TJE VU2CVS M0JWB VE3IGJ G4PGD G2DBH VK3GK VU3DMP GB5CC G4FNL VA3RAC VE3KI VE7RAC VE7JKZ VE1RAC VE1RSM AT1HQ VU2PTT VO1RAC VE9AA G3YMC G3ZNR VE3XT M0SEL G7PVZ G4IKR M0UNN VE7BQO/VY1 VE7BQO G3K  G3KNU  G3RTU  G3SQU  G3VDB  G6OKU  G8MIA  GM0HUU  GM3WIJ  M0BUI  MM3N ZS5XT

In addition to make it a bit more realistic also looked at all the call areas actually active (but didn't enter) and all the possible call areas I expect might be active (2016 Entries were from 5X ,9H,9J2, 9M6, 9V1, A2, C4, C6, G, GI GM GW ,J3, J7, T32, V5, VE1-7,9, VK2,3,4,6,7,VO1, 2  ,VP9, VY2, VU, ZL1,2,3,4,5,6, ZB2, ZF, ZS1,ZS5. The following call areas were active but did not enter logs; 3B8, 3B9,3DA0, 4S7, 5B4, 5Z0,6Y, 8P6, 8Q7, 9H1, 9M2,  9V1 , A3, C6, V3, V44,V85 , VP8.) so fabricate a few calls.... fed the lot into a program to scramble them up, add a weighting based on where I'll be and what call areas I might hear most and then add some typical BERU exchanges, GL, TU, ++5nn 001 --, NR?, CQ BERU etc, create a text file of the result, feed it into G4FON CW tutor, add in all the noise, chirp, qrm, qsb etc and time to practice. Now to create some MP3 files to listen to...

E51KTA what frequency and modes will you use.

Simple answer is any that I can.

The bands/modes needed...

So I expect I will hang out on most bands when open on CW, 30m RTTY at some point, 17m SSB and 12m SSB.

For an analysis for any QSO with England, should be fine for EU too.... go to clublog https://secure.clublog.org/propagation.php and find out yourself if not in one of these...

Where have QSO actually taken place and what is the prediction (real in green)

Please listen I will say on air where I am if you are chasing IOTA or DXCC.

BERU op first w/e after that EU/UK DXCC chasing.

E51KTA LoTW certificate arrived

Logged into email from airport lounge and wouldn't you know it the LoTW for E51KTA has been created :-)

So just uploaded it too... so I'll upload qso to club log and LoTW as soon as I can either during or after operation.

Listen HARD to see which island it is, might be Rarotonga OC-013 but might be another I'll not advertise which one in advance.

OC-203 where did you stay/operate?

That bit easy (as asked)...

http://www.anchorstone.co.nz/

It is up on the rise above Horseshoe Bay.

Kath Kain is the owner and could not have been more helpful.

Watch out for the local kaka birds, think big muscle bound parrot and not far wrong, they are very intelligent and can be a tad destructive so watch your antennas!