DXpedition to JO39PB by LA0BY and DL3YEL

(Aug. 11-14, 2003)

Again on tour! Ulli identified the one and only good location in JO39 last 
year, so we had to try it. The site was on the shores of the Rosskreppfjord 
near one of the dams. When we arrived there, we decided to establish the 
2 m station not on the dam but on top of a little hill, almost at 1000 m asl,
and perhaps 50 m higher than the road. This gave us a much better horizon 
profile than expected, and we had reasonable take-off in all directions. From 
there the elevation was 0º towards QTF 130-170º and rising to a maximum of 3º 
in other directions. However, Tropo was blocked to the East due to higher 
mountains further away. 

We carried only the most necessary stuff to the hilltop , as the distance to 
the cars was about 200 m through the bushes. We had no GSM coverage and could 
not connect to the Internet. Back to the old times were one had to use the 
VHF-net on 20 m. Not much activity there though. So the only way to make us 
heard was actually by operating. This is what we did...

LA0BY/p in JO39PB wkd on 144 MHz MS:

2003-08-11
1900 1928  OH6MAZ   KP21IG   28  26  15b     2s  C  CW
1928 1942  OH5IY    KP30HV   28  48  11b     5s  C  CW
2212 2215  HA5CW    JN97PM   28  26  1b          NC SSB  r *2
2215 2232  YU7KB    JN94XX   37  27  10b     10s C  CW
2240 2305  YU7MS    KN05FJ   27  27  8b      2s  C  CW
2305 2335  HA5CW    JN97PM   38  36  mni b+p 12s C  CW   r
2340 0005  S57TW    JN75EX   27  26  mni b+p 25s C  CW   r

2003-08-12
0005 0050  YZ7MON   KN04AX   26      3b      5s  NC CW
0200 0220  S51MQ    JN75NT   37  37  5b      6s  C  CW
0300 0315  OE6IWG   JN77PK   27  27  9b  18p 3s  C  CW
0425 0455  SO5AS    KO02JD   26  26  6b  mni 4s  C  CW
0600 0627  F5VHX    JN04FT   27  27  11b 4p  12s C  CW
0724 0747  IW2HAJ   JN45NO   27  27  1b          C  SSB
0800 0820  F1DUZ    IN97NJ   27  27  mni b+p     C  CW
1622 1632  ES2RJ    KO29JM   27  27  12b 10p 8s  C  CW   r
1636 1644  ES2WX    KO29JN   37  27  8b  17p 2s  C  CW   r
1847       SP8UFT   KO11JI   28      1b          NC SSB  r *3
2140 2144  US5WU    KO20DI   27  27  3b          C  SSB  r *3
2157       YU7EW    KN05HP   38  27  1b          C  SSB  r
2203 2217  YU1IO    KN04IQ   39  27  5b          C  SSB  r 1837km
2217 2219  HA5OV    JN97NJ   39  39  2b          C  SSB  r
2225 2240  DL3HRT   JO61AB   39  37  1b          NC SSB  r
2230       S55AW    JN75DS   39  37  1b          C  SSB  r
2241       OK2BZQ   JN99CO   38  27  1b          C  SSB  r
2241 2245  9A3JH    JN75AD   37  37  3b          C  SSB  r
2245       IV3DXW   JN65QQ   38  37  1b          C  SSB  r
2245 2300  IZ4AIK   JN63HV   39  37  mni b+p     NC SSB  r
2247       YU1EV    KN04CN   38  37  1b          C  SSB  r 1833km
2248       YU7ACO   KN05QC   38  37  1b          C  SSB  r 1818km
2258       S55AW    JN75DS   49  37  1b          C  SSB  r
2300 2305  YT7YT    KN05PC   38  37  1b          NC SSB  r
2302 2310  IZ4AIK   JN63HV   38  37  3b          C  SSB  r
2310       S57EA    JN76HE   38  37  1b          C  SSB  r
2318 2328  OK2JT             39  37  1b          NC SSB  r *1
2320       HA5CW    JN97PM   37  37  1b          C  SSB  r
2320       DL3RBH   JN68HJ   39  37  1b          C  SSB  r
2324       I3LGP    JN55WJ   38  27  1b          C  SSB  r
2334       HA5UK    JN97OM   39  39  1b          C  SSB  r
2334       S55M     JN65XM   37  37  1b          NC SSB  r *1
2347       HA0HO    KN07SU   39  39  1b          C  SSB  r
2353       SP2MKO   JO93CB   37  55  1b          C  SSB  r

2003-08-13
0001       YU1LA    KN04FR   37  27  1b          C  SSB  r
0001       S51MQ    JN75NT   38  37  1b          C  SSB  r
0006 0024  SP8UFT   KO11JI   38  27  4b          C  SSB  r
0017       YT7YT    KN05PC   39  37  1b          C  SSB  r 1815km
0029       DL5ME    JO52SD   39  37  2b          C  SSB  r
0030       HA1FV    JN87JJ   37  39  1b          NC SSB  r
0030 0050  DF6NA    JN49XS   39  27  4b          C  SSB  r
0036 0048  OM5KM    JN98AH   37  37  6b          C  SSB  r
0049 0056  F6APE    IN97QI   39  27  2b          C  SSB  r
0049       DF1IAZ   JN49LD   27  27  1b          NC SSB  r
0100 0110  DL1GI    JN49IG   39  37  1b          NC SSB  r
0111 0121  F6HVK    JN27LH   27  39  1b          NC SSB  r *1
0123       HA5KG    JN97MM   39  26  1b          C  SSB  r
0145 0146  F4CKV    JN16NM   38  26  2b          C  SSB  r
0146       G7RAU    IO90IR   29  29  1b          C  SSB  r
0152 0202  F6DKW    JN18CS   39  37  4b          C  SSB  r
0153       HB9FAP   JN46EW   39  37  1b          NC SSB  r
0203       DL3IAE/p JN49BD   49  39  1b          C  SSB  r
0203       DK1CM    JO40LG   49  39  1b          C  SSB  r
0203       F6CBH    JN19BH   39  39  1b          C  SSB  r
0203 0216  HB9FAP   JN46EW   39  37  6b          C  SSB  r
0240       YZ1RA    JN94WG   27  27  1b          C  SSB  r 1853km
0242 0247  F5JNX    JN37PV   37  27  7b          C  SSB  r
0310       DF1CF    JN57FP   39  39  1b          NC SSB  r *1
0329 0347  DL9MCC   JN58UA   27  36  5b          C  SSB  r
0431 0435  S50C     JN76JG   27  27  3b          C  SSB  r *3
0433       DL9USA   JO71EN   37  37  1b          NC SSB  r *3
0449       F1EYB    JN26KK   39  59  1b          NC SSB  r *1,3
0600 0605  S51ZO    JN86DR   28  28  4b          C  SSB  r *3
0616       DH0GHU   JN38VN   38  37  1b          C  SSB  r
0641 0649  F1FIH    JN23GS   27  27  mni b+p     C  SSB  r
0647       IZ4BEH   JN54WL   38  38  1b          C  SSB  r
0700 0714  F6DRO    JN03TJ   27  27  2b          C  SSB  r
0714       F5HRY    JN18EQ   39  27  1b          C  SSB  r
0731 0746  F6HVK    JN27LH   27  39  mni b+p     C  SSB  r *4
0746 0800  F8OP     JN26MM   38  39  1b          NC SSB  r *1
0809 0825  DG9MAQ   JN58LJ   37  37  1b          NC SSB  r
0828       DL5ROB   JN68HG   38  38  1b          C  SSB  r
0828       DJ1OJ    JN58SE   37  38  1b          C  SSB  r
1018 1029  DL4DWA   JO61QH   27  26              C  FSK  r
1030 1048  EA3AXV   JN01TJ   38  27              C  FSK  r 2004km
1051 1100  GW8IZR   IO73TI   28  37              C  FSK  r
1103 1107  G0GMS    IO82XT   27  39              C  FSK  r
1113 1132  OM5CM    JN98DF   27  26              C  FSK  r
1134 1154  IC8FAX   JN70CN   29  27  2b          NC FSK  r
1154 1159  DL5MCG   JN58KH   26  26          90s C  FSK  r
1202 1217  SP4MPB   KO03HT   48  37              C  FSK  r
1218 1231  IZ1BPN   JN35VG   28  27              C  FSK  r
1235 1238  OK1UAK   JO70MB   27  38              C  FSK  r
1242 1254  HA5CBA   JN97OM   38  26              C  FSK  r
1259 1305  DF8IK    JO30JT   26  27              C  FSK  r
1901 1909  ES6RQ    KO28WA   27  27              C  FSK  r
1958 2005  HA3UU    JN96JJ   27  28              C  FSK  r
2013 2018  HA75MS   JN87UO   38  27              C  FSK  r
2100 2200  IK0BZY   JN61GW   26      1b  1p      NC CW   *5 1939km

2003-08-14
0300 0330  IZ2FOB   JN45MQ   47  27              C  CW
0550 0607  F1JRD    JN13WO   27  27              C  CW   r
0831 0854  HA6ZB    JN97MH   27  27  1b  2p  1s  NC FSK  r

*1   Contact not complete because we did not receive our call.
*2   We suddenly heard strong SSB signals and thought YU7KB may have 
     changed mode because of a problem with CW. But it was HA5CW who 
     tried to catch our attention.
*3   Contact made around 144,200 MHz
*4   Andre is still not following any MS procedure, even transmitting 
     in wrong period.
*5   Reflections were very poor. Enrico thought we were not QRV and 
     stopped transmitting at 2130 UTC.

NIL: UT5ER, RV3IG, RA3IS, RW3TU, EA6VQ, IW0GPN

The first sked was on Tropo with DF7KF, and to our surprise the contact was 
made easily, despite having 100 m higher mountains at a few km distance in 
his direction. Other Tropo contacts over respectable distances followed and 
conditions were improving during the night. We apparently managed to benefit 
from Tropo ducting over the North Sea which lasted until the morning of 13th 
August. The DL0PR beacon was 529 on flat band, but during the first two 
nights up to 59+10 dB. SK7VHF, OZ4UHF, PI7CIS and PI7FHY were also coming 
through, in addition to the more local beacons LA3VHF and LA8VHF. We worked a 
total of 80 contacts on Tropo over two days, and also two contacts on Aurora.

The MS skeds to UA3 in the early evening of the 12th were unsuccessful, and no 
reply on our CQ calls. So we spent the evening waiting for the shower to 
start. What a pity we had not taken a 70 cm antenna along, we could have 
worked some contacts during the NAC. But then the fireworks started. The rise 
in reflections was very steep and we noticed the first good bursts on 144,200 
MHz at about 2130 UTC. We easily completed with US5WU on 144,200 MHz and went 
then to 144,188 MHz. Really good reflections enabled us to work many stations 
over the next few hours.

Unfortunately a number of stations did transmit our call only upon request 
from us. Having received both calls is required for a complete QSO according 
to the IARU MS procedure. So much time was wasted by having to ask for our 
call. We hope that everybody understands that we do not like making such an 
effort for activating a rare square just for working incomplete QSOs. 
Otherwise we could as well stayed at home and pretended being somewhere else. 
That we insisted on receiving our call seemed unusual even for some 
experienced MS operators. Some contacts were not completed for that reason.
 
In the evening of the 13th and morning of 14th our CQ's on WSJT did not 
receive much attention (only 3 QSOs then), but the response in the afternoon 
of the 13th was OK. This time our ODX was worked in WSJT (EA3AXV 2005km).

We felt the peak of the shower occured almost according to the predictions by 
OH5IY’s MS-Soft (2330 UTC). We worked 49 complete contacts in SSB, 15 in CW 
and 14 in FSK. This year the Perseids seemed not as good as in previous 
years. On the other hand we were running rather low power and had less than 
perfect horison towards SW and E. 

On 2 m we used the usual antenna setup with 2 x 9-element yagis. At times we 
were transmitting with 350W RF power from Ullis 8874 PA, but the tube PA 
stopped working just before the peak of the shower. Some insects had probably 
got into the HV circuit and caused arcing. So we had to use the back-up solid 
state PA with 200W RF for the rest of the activity.

The 6 m station (100 W and 4-ele yagi) was put up on the dam, and operated 
during the peak of the shower. Perhaps some 30 contacts were made, with the 
longest distances to 9A1Z and F6FHP. We checked also for Es at other times 
but NIL.

In the beginning we were very lucky with the weather. It was sunny and rather 
warm for the altitude. The first night we sat outside at the table, and 
barbecued on the other day. The second night we worked from the tent, with 
the OP at horisontal position. In the afternoon of the 13th it became really 
unpleasant with gales and some rain. The tent was almost blowing away during 
the last night.

For the Perseids next year we see no other "hot" squares in Southern Norway 
that we could activate. So perhaps we will stay at home and work you guys on 
your DXpeditions?  


© Stefan Heck, last updated 16 August 2003.