CQ WW WPX 2009 SSB Contest

A quick update on our plans for this weekend's contest. I still haven't got the concrete in the ground for the tower which means I haven't ordered the HB35C from TET-Emtron yet (sorry Mark).

Therefore, it leaves us with the FT-920 and SteppIR BigIR vertical with 80m loading coil. I have let a few other plans creep into this weekend so it will be a leisurely attempt at this year's contest.

Chelsea VK4FWCC - SOLPAB (does not have 160m and 20m privileges)
Laurie VK4VCC - SOLP20 (only when I can pry Chelsea away from the radio)

You might be thinking why not go Multi-One? Chelsea wants to get some DX into her log and a popular world wide contest is the best way to do this.

VK9LA - In the Log

Both Chelsea VK4FWCC and I are happy to get VK9LA into the log this afternoon on 40m. Forgot to crank the power back up to 100W but both easily got them on 10W.

Website found here.

Blog found here.

Also on Twitter.

VK4FWCC and the John Moyle Memorial Field Day

The John Moyle Memorial Field Day Contest is over for another year. I didn't compete this year but Chelsea VK4FWCC did. This was her first contest, actually it was her first day on HF using her new callsign.

In the end she had 55 qso's and 85 points. She doesn't have 20m privileges so she did a good job of getting the 55 qso's. Nothing heard on 15 or 10.

• 51 qso's on 40m
• 4 qso's on 80m

Equipment:

• Yaesu FT-920
• SteppIR BigIR Vertical with 80m Loading Coil
• Power - 10W

I'd like to thank all those people who Chelsea spoke to during the contest. All were very friendly and courteous. She was concentrating so hard so at times she may have sounded a little blunt or unsure of what to say next.

She's now looking forward to the CQ WW WPX Contest.

Also, thanks to Jan V63TO for being Chelsea's first DX station. (Not part of the contest, but we saw her on the DX Cluster).

ZL7T - Chatham Island Latest News

A team of nine ZL DXers will be activating Chatham Island in the South Pacific during the next few days. The team left for Chatham Island today, March 5 at 15:30 local (02:30z UTC), landing about 2 hours later.

As much preliminary work and preparation as possible is being done on their arrival, assembling the antennas and continuing into the dark tonight at around 08:00z. Both Yagis and the 30m vertical should be up and running by 00:00z tomorrow, with the 80m and 40m wire antennas going up in the trees later tomorrow. The 160m inverted "L" will be the last antenna to go up. ZL7T should be on the air with two stations on the higher bands sometime after 00:00z tomorrow, March 6 and will probably have activated all four stations by about 08:00z. They will be active until March 10.

Gulf to Gulf - VK4XJJ

Jeff Johnson VK4XJJ, self-confessed ‘bushie’ of no fixed abode, decided almost on a whim to walk across Australia, south to north, to raise funds for charity.

Spurred on by the memory of his deaf-blind niece, whose death was the catalyst for this extraordinary undertaking, he battled hoons, the fear of an attack by dingoes and the vastness of the interior to achieve his aim.

Surviving on what he could carry on his back, and without back-up, he walked 2500 kilometres in 151 days. This is the story of his walk, the outback characters he met along the way and, of course, the untamed grandeur of inland Australia.

Here is the link to the online version of the book. Please review it in your radio club newsletter if possible. 50% of sales profits go to DeafBlind NSW.

If you want to read the demo, you will need to download and install the (free) eBook reader for the PC. It is 5MB.

Info about the print version is here.