LAØBY DXpedition to JP61 (Aug. 11-14, 1999)

LA0BY/p in JP61AF wkd via MS on 144 MHz:

1999-08-11
1800-1830  RV3AH     KO85TO                       NIL
2000-2030  RX3QFM    KO91FM  26       1b  1p      NC
2100-2130  UT5ER     KN78ER                       NIL
2200-2300  YU7KB     JN94XX  26  26   6b 10p      NC
2300-2330  S51AT     JN75GW                       NIL

1999-08-12
0700-0730  F1DUZ     IN97NJ                       NIL
0805-0855  OK1KT     JO70WE  27  27  10b  3p  5s  C
0840-0855  DK8EL     JO31PK  37  38   4b  3p 10s  C
0858-0910  DL1EJA    JO31DS  38  47          10s  NC r
0910-0930  F6DRO     JN03SM                       NIL
0930-0950  DL1EJA    JO31DS  27  37   3b  4p  2s  C r
0950-1000  F6HVK     JN27LH  27                   NC r
1000-1030  DF2ZC     JO30RN  27  37   8b  3p 25s  C
1030-1105  DL1EAP    JO31IK  38  27   3b  2p 10s  C ?
1105-1130  EI5FK     IO51RF                       NIL
1135-1138  PA3BZO    JO21RS  39  37   4b     90s  C r
1148-1158  DF9QT     JO30DR  39  38   3b     30s  C r
1103-1125  DF8IK     JO30IT  37  37               C r
1120-1200  DL5ME     JO52SD  37  26               NC

After this first night I decided to change QTH. The take-off 
here was reasonable (max 2 degrees horison) but not really good 
except for direction SSE. My apologies to I1JTQ and I1ANP for 
not being QRV after midnight on the first day. Due to the poor 
reflections I decided to rather catch some sleep and spent more 
time operating the other night.

My problem in the area was the forest. There are lots of 
locations along the roads with good horison, but my little mast 
does not make it over the trees. I believe in locations with 
excellent take-off also for MS work. So I drove back to a farm 
which I spotted the previous day, but were the owner had not 
been around. He was in this time, and I got permission to 
establish myself on the fenced meadows behind the farm building.
From there I had just perfect horison from 140-210 degrees. 
About 50 km view! Also the other directions were below 1 degree.
And, even more important: I had a long and steep slope towards 
South and no trees at all. SK7VHF came in via Tropo.

 

LA0BY/p in JP61DB wkd via MS on 144 MHz:

1999-08-12
1655-1702  PE1RWS            37  37   3b          C r SSB *1
1832-1838  RV3IG     KO87OT  59  59   2b          C r SSB *2 1448km
1842       UA3MBJ    KO88SA  59  59   1b          C r SSB *2 1456km
1842       RV3IB     KO87IS  59  59   1b          C r SSB *2 1423km
1943       UT8AL     KO61WP  37  37   1b          NC r SSB *1
2000-2020  LA5TFA    JP99LQ  28  27   4b  4p      NC SSB
2025       LA8KV     JP52QQ  38  38   1b          C r SSB *1 *6
2025       OH6MSZ    KP21XU  39  39   1b          C r SSB *1
2039-2100  ES2RJ     KO29JM  37  27   6b  6p 10s  C r SSB
2150       DL3IAE    JN49DE  39  38   1b          NC r SSB *1
2241-2255  DG1VL     JO61VC  38  27   1b  1p      NC r SSB
2244       SP4MPB    KO03GS  38  27   1b          C r SSB
2248       DK5TE     JN47NX  38  27   1b          C r SSB
2314       SP9EWO    JN99HW  27  37   1b          C r SSB
2323       OK2MWR    JN99    59  27   1b          C r SSB
2323-2335  OK2SBL            37       2b          NC r SSB
2335-2340  IV3HWT    JN65ST  38  27   3b          C r SSB
2340       IW2BNA    JN45    38  39   1b          C r SSB *7
2340-2350  S51AT     JN75GW  37  27   3b          C r SSB 1690km
2342       I2FHW     JN44    38  36   1b          C r SSB
2352       S57TW     JN75EX  38  37   1b          C r SSB 1685km
2352-0002  S57S      JN76JB  37  37   2b          NC r SSB

1999-08-13
0005-0007  S55AW     JN75DS  37  37   3b          C r SSB 1708km
0005-0018  IZ5EME    JN52NS  38  37   4b     90s! C r SSB 2037km
0021       DL5ME     JN52SD  38  27   1b          C r SSB *3
0021       DL2ARD    JO60AR  39  37   1b          C r SSB *3
0022       DJ3MY     JN58QD  49  49   1b          C r SSB *3
0022       DG1VL     JO61VC  39  39   1b          C r SSB *3
0022       DL4NAA            39  59   1b          C r SSB *3
0023       DL5GAC    JN47SS  39  39   1b          C r SSB *3
0023       DL5WG     JO52VK  37  27   1b          C r SSB *3
0024       DL3HRT    JO61AB  39  28   1b          C r SSB *3
0024       DL4MDQ    JN58SP  37  27   1b          NC r SSB *3
0054       F5HRY     JN18EQ  37  27   1b          C r SSB
0057-0105  DJ5BV     JO30MR  37  26   4b          NC r SSB
0105       9A1CAL    JN86EL  39  37   1b          C r SSB 1645km
0105       HB9DFG    JN37SM  38  37   1b          C r SSB
0117-0122  OK1FID    JO80CH  37  27   2b          C r SSB
0122       OK2PVF            37  27   1b          NC r SSB
0125-0129  DL4ABJ    JO42XP  38  27   4b          C r SSB
0130       SP2SKW ?          37  27   3b          NC r SSB
0134-0138  OK2BVE            38  37   3b          C r SSB
0136       DH5FS     JO60UA  39  59   1b          C r SSB
0142       DH0GHU    JN38VN  38  37   1b          C r SSB
0143-0145  HB9FAP    JN46EW  39  37   2b          C r SSB
0144       DL9USA    JO71EN  39  27               NC r SSB
0153-0159  DH8BQA    JO73CF  37  27   3b          NC r SSB *4  
0159-0219  I4XCC     JN63GV  39  37   5b          NC r SSB *1
0221       DL4MDQ    JN58SP  38  38   1b          C r SSB *1
0246       HA7UL     JN97KK  37  37   1b          C r SSB *1
0250       OK2PVF            37  27   1b          C r SSB *1
0251       9A4FW     JN95JG  37  38   1b          C r SSB *1 1809km
0252       S52EZ             37  27   1b          C r SSB *1
0304       I4XCC     JN63GV  37  27   1b          C r SSB *1 1911km
0304       I2FAK     JN45OB  38  38   1b          NC r SSB *1
0315       DL1EAP    JO31IK  38       1b          NC r SSB *1
0645-0705  F6FHP     IN94TR  37  26  13b     30s  C 1999km
0716       DL1EAP    JO31IK  38  27   1b          C r SSB  
0716       DL4MEA    JN58JD  49  37   1b          C r SSB
0716       DL5ROB            39  38   1b          C r SSB
0720       DL3IAE    JN49DE  39  39   1b          C r SSB
0722-0738  DF1BN     JO31GD  37  27   6b          C r SSB
0746       DF1CF     JN57FP  39  37   1b          C r SSB
0749       G7RAU     IO90IR  37  38   1b          C r SSB
0749       ON1ALJ    JO10VV  37  37   1b          C r SSB
0754       ON4KHG    JO10WK  39  37   1b          C r SSB
0758-0802  DK0PX     JN49    39  37   3b          NC r SSB
0802-0804  DJ5BV     JO30MR  38  36   3b          C r SSB
0808-0810  M0BTZ/p           39  39   2b          C r SSB
0814-0818  G0KPW     JO02OD  38  27   6b          C r SSB
0820       G3YVR     IO91WD  37  27   1b          C r SSB
0820       DJ3HW     JO42LH  38  27   1b          C r SSB
0820-0830  DF9PX     JN49HU  38  37   3b          C r SSB
0838-0848  G1WPF     IO91RP  27  37   6b          C r SSB
0852-0854  G8IZY     IO91VC  38  27   3b          C r SSB
0854       PE1GNP    JO31IX  28  27   1b          NC r SSB
0909       PA2GER            38  38   1b          C r SSB
0909       DG6JF/p   JO33QN  38  38   1b          C r SSB
0909       DL8GP     JN39LH  37  37   1b          C r SSB
0909       PA3CEE    JN33JI  39  39   1b          C r SSB
0920-0935  PE9DX             38  27   5b          C r SSB
0939-0950  G4AEP     IO91NJ  38  39   3b          C r SSB
1015-1036  F6CRP     IN96KE  28  27   4b          C r SSB 1870km
1016       DL2FDX    JO40LG  38  28   1b          NC r SSB
1021-1036  F/G8MBI   JN04FT  27  27   8b          C r SSB 1969km
1041       F6DRO     JN03SM  29  29   1b          C r SSB 2079km
1059       IK2EAE    JN45LL  39  39   1b          C r SSB 1749km
1059       DL2FDX    JO40LG  38  28   1b          C r SSB
1107-1122  PE1GNP    JO31IX  39  27   8b          C r SSB
1137       DJ2QV     JO31OM  39  27   1b          C r SSB
1230-1255  F6HVK     JN27LH  39  27  mni b+p 10s  C
1255-1308  DJ4UF     JO30    47  38  mni b+p 30s  C r
1420-1500  S50C      JN76JG  27  26  mni b+p      NC SSB
1800-1825  UT5ER     KN78ER  27  27  10b     15s  C 1953km
1900-1935  RK3AF     KO75WO  37  27  25b     15s  C 1497km
2000-2030  RX3PX     KO84SD                       NIL
2100-2155  UA3TCF    LO26IU  26  26  14b  2p 15s  C 1899km
2200-2225  YO3DMU    KN34BJ                       NIL
2230-2305  S51MQ     JN75NT  26  26   5b  7p  1s  C
2305-2320  9A2TE     JN85KK  26                   NC
2320-2330  9A1CCB    JN85KK  27  26   5b  2p  3s  C 1765km
2358-0015  DJ1OJ     JN58    36  37   3b     10s  C r

1999-08-14
0015-0040  IK4PLU    JN64                         NIL
0615-0640  OK1UAK    JO70MB  27  27   6b  2p  5s  C r
0640-0705  I5YDI/5           37       4b     30s  NC r
0705-0750  EI5FK     IO51RF  37  26  11b  6p 15s  C 1681km
0808-0817  DL3YEL    JO41EV  27  27   7b  2p  1s  C r
0843-0857  HA8CE     KN06EN  27  37   5b      2s  C r 1697km
0857-0923  DL8SCQ            37  27  mni b+p 20s  C r
0925-0940  F1DUZ     IN97NJ  37  38  mni b+p 12s  C r 1739km
0940-0953  DL1UU     JN62SP  27  27   4b  3p 25s  C r
0958-1110  OE6IWG    JN77PK  27  26  mni b+p 30s  C r *5
1120-1150  9A2TE     JN85KK  38  26  12b  4p 10s  C 1765km


(*1) Contact made around calling frequency 144,200 MHz. When 
there was no response on my frequency 144,155 MHz or when I 
needed a break I was sometimes listening there. Also heard on 
144,200 MHz were RX3QFM, RK3AF, HA1VQ, HA5KNQ, RV3IG, RW3PF, 
GM4YXI, SP8UFT, HA5CW, S50C, YU1WP, YU1IO, YO3JW.

(*2) I called RV3IG first when he was 3 kHz higher calling 
somebody else. He came down on my frequency a little later and 
alerted UA3MBJ and RV3IB as well. Booming signals! Where were 
the other UA3s? RV3IB was running only 5 W power, which probably
represents my QRP record on MS!

(*3) This was a single burst lasting for about 3 minutes! Set 
my new personal record with 8 complete contacts in one burst!

(*4) Heard weakly via Tropo.

(*5) I was close to tears, hi. Received one 30s burst after the
other, and sent R27 for 1 hour before Walter replied with RRR. 
Walter told me later that his preamp had suffered a damage from 
a lightning stroke. It was causing 3-26 dB loss. No wonder!

(*6) Shortest distance I ever worked on MS. I could not hear 
Kjetil on Tropo.

(*7) I obviously forgot to write down this contact. Walter had 
proof of QSO, maybe I am getting too old for this?

All in all this was again an enjoyable Perseids activity, which
resultet in 97 complete MS contacts. Easy to work random SSB, 
even over 2000+ km distance. Once I got a 90s burst when I called 
CQ in CW and it was wasted: I did not manage to decode a single 
callsign, too much QRM. In SSB it would have been possible to 
complete a few contacts. Therefore I worked only random SSB 
during the peak of the shower. 72 contacts were made in that mode.

The shower was peaking almost as predicted, perhaps 1 hour later. 
During the peak I saw many bright fireballs in the dark sky. As 
usual, the reflections prior to the peak were quite poor. The day 
after the peak (14.8.) was again still good, but activity dropped 
rapidly. According to my experience from 3 consecutive years, the 
day after the peak is the day for skeds - not before.

Considerable effort was again made to work into Eastern Europe. 
Several skeds were arranged, and I also spent some time calling 
CQ towards UA3. Still I wonder if the information on my activity 
really spread out to the OPs. The reflections were certainly 
there... Another comment is related to the SSB operating procedure 
of several UA3 stations. It is very common to hear somebody calling 
CQ with only saying his call for 1 minute without breaking. How 
shall we make single burst QSOs? For some UA3 stations it is also 
common to not repeat the callsign of the station they are calling, 
not to talk about the necessity of final RRR...  

As a matter of fact I was not the only station being on from JP61. 
To my surprise LA6QBA showed up from his summer house in JP61BJ. He 
said later he worked 40 stations as well. Other LA stations heard 
were LA6MV in JO59, LA6FJA and LA8AJA in JP50. 

My equipment was only 180 W into 2 x 9 ele-yagis, vertically 
stacked on an 8m telescopic mast. Phasing cables were Aircell 7, 
and feeder only 6 m of Aircom Plus. Together with the MGF1302 
masthead preamp this made a lightweight and very sensitive setup.


© Stefan Heck, last updated August 1999.