[50mhz] TX5K 6m summary

[Lance Collister, W7GJ]

Thanks to the generous contributions from many 6m DXers, I was able to join the TX5K 
team to add a serious, dedicated 6m operation to that DXpedition.  Unfortunately, the 
period scheduled for the Clipperton operation was over the worst week of the month 
for 6m EME.  Of that time, the better EME days at the beginning and end of the 
operation were eliminated by our reaching the island a day later than expected, and 
our having to tear down earlier than expected. However, as expected, there was TEP to 
South America every evening, which provided most of our 6m contacts, and KF4ZZ made 
many of those.  And half of the EME contacts were made on the first night, so I sure 
am glad I was able to get everything going for that first moonrise!

The 92' Shogun sportfishing boat was to transport the gear and team members to the 
island.  Some of us boarded the Shogun in San Diego but the boat picked up  most of 
the European team members in Cabo San Lucas.   The Shogun was comfortable, the crew 
was great, and the food was plentiful and surprisingly good.  However, the 10 day 
trip from San Diego to Clipperton, and the 7 day return trip, became rather tedious. 
   The highlight of the trip for me was the magical approach to Clipperton Island on 
the evening of Wednesday, February 27.   The full moon was rising over the calm sea, 
and porpoises were escorting us next to the bow as the faint outlines of scattered 
palm trees loomed on the dark horizon.

The last day of February was spent circling the island, searching for the most 
suitable place to land.   The dangerous surf was high all around the island, and 
changed with the tide, which was extreme due to the full moon.  By afternoon, a sit 
was selected and zodiac shipments to shore were begun at dawn Friday.  I was able to 
go ashore with my 6m gear late morning on Friday, March 1.   I immediately began 
carting all my equipment (along with the generator, operating tent, sleeping tent, 
table, chairs, water and gasoline, etc.)  360m south of the main camp and landing 
zone, trying to gain enough distance from all the other generators, radios, 
computers, lights, fans, etc. of the main HF camp to get a location quiet enough for 
weak signal work.  I first selected a spot for the antenna, just 50m from the 
pounding surf.  Then, I marked out a place for the operating tent at an azimuth of 
325 degrees from the antenna, a direction between JA and W6, where I would never be 
aiming the antenna.   The generator tent was located an additional 50' beyond the 
operating tent in the same direction. in order to minimize any electrical noise.    I 
started out setting up the 8'x8' 6m operating tent so I would a safe place for all 
the equipment, which was sitting out in the open, surrounded by hundreds of masked 
boobies.   I was very grateful for the assistance of LouPhi Locke, who came by to 
help me stand up the frame and install the cover over the tubular metal frame of the 
small structure.   I then proceeded to set up the generator tent and the generator. 
Late in the afternoon, I rushed to assemble the 6M8GJ before sunset, and finally got 
it set up just as night fell.   I had packed an LED Coleman lantern, and was able to 
set up the equipment, including installing the transformer in the Alpha 8406 
amplifier, by headlamp and lantern light.   I tied down the antenna securely aimed at 
moonrise and began calling OH2BC, whose moon was just about to set.   I never copied 
anything from Kari, but at 0536Z March 2,  completed the first contact from the 2013 
Clipperton Island DXpedition by working G8BCG.   I stayed up all that night working 
stations under the rapidly degrading EME conditions.  My last contact of that 25 
contact session was 9 hours later with N6BBS as my moon was setting.

I was incredibly fortunate to be able to visually aim the antenna on all but the very 
last days (after the sun rose and the faint sliver of a moon was no longer visible in 
the daylight).  Although I did have my calibrated aiming circle installed at the base 
of the rotating mast, it was always reassuring to be able to confirm that the 
elevation was also correct and that the antenna was right on target!   We also were 
very lucky in only having three VERY brief rain episodes, each lasting only a few 
minutes.  And the effort to establish the remote 6m operating site so far to the 
south of the HF camps really paid off - we had absolutely NO noise at all!  At least 
not ELECTRICAL noise.   KF4ZZ measured the ambient audio levels from the constant 
wind and hungry boobies as being between 75 and 80 dB.   To give you some idea of the 
din, we had trouble hearing the generator rev up when we went into transmit mode. 
But the boobies were great neighbors, and stayed away from the antenna.   The rats 
(except for one stubborn one that had to be eliminated) usually scampered away as you 
approached them to tie down the antenna.   And our totally sealed sleeping tents 
provided more than adequate protection from the  the ubiquitous crabs.

However, the continuous salt spray from the pounding surf did take its toll on the 
antenna and equipment.  The antenna receive performance seemed to degrade a bit every 
day.  On March 7, I went back to hand logging TEP contacts when I found that I could 
no longer type numbers on my laptop computer.   And on the next to last day of 
operation, March 8, the 100w module in my K3 stopped working between EU moonset and 
the start of NA moonset.   No longer being able to drive the Alpha 8406, I quickly 
dismantled the Alpha amp and packed it up to make space on the operating table for my 
switching power supply and 6M1000 solid state amp, which fortunately only requires 3w 
of drive.    The open antenna relays in the 6M1000 were not as reliable in the salt 
air as the vacuum relays in the Alpha amp, but did provide a couple more EME contacts 
and a number of additional TEP contacts.

The final 6m results were 317 overall contacts (212 SSB, 53 CW and 52 JT65A).  JT65A 
was used to contact XE2AT on D layer scatter and LU5FF on TEP; the other 50 JT65A 
contacts were EME.  The EME contacts with 21 countries were broken down as follows: 
One contact each with ES, F, FK, GM, GW, I, LA, OH, SP and UT.  Two contacts with HA, 
OK, SM, VE and ZL,  Three contacts with G, ON, S5, and OZ. There were seventeen 
contacts with USA stations.  23 additional stations were copied on EME but 
unfortunately not worked.

Eleven additional DXCC were added via terrestrial mode, bringing the total DXCC count 
up to 32.   TEP and Es added CE, CP, CX, HC, HK, LU, OA, PY, XE, YS and ZP.  I worked 
only one station in the USA on Es, and that was with K5RK during an Es opening with a 
very small footprint.  I did complete with K9SM on what sounded like a meteor burst, 
but the only locations close enough for meteor scatter were in Mexico, so I am 
assuming he was either operating portable there or via a remote station.

I have been invited to join the T33A DXpedition to the remote Banaba/Ocean Island 
next November, to provide a serious 6m operation from T33.    I hope to be able to 
raise enough money through contributions from 6m DXers by the end of May to join that 
team. With the growing number of 6m EMEers around the world, I am confident I could 
complete with more stations next time via EME, and would certainly be beaconing for 
potential F2.  See you on 6m!

I will post a final complete report with photos and lists of contacts on my web page 
in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, some photos are posted on my FACEBOOK page, 
which is open to the public.   VY 73, Lance

-- 
Lance Collister, W7GJ
(ex WA3GPL, WA1JXN, WA1JXN/C6A, ZF2OC/ZF8, E51SIX, 3D2LR, 5W0GJ, E6M)
P.O. Box 73
Frenchtown, MT   59834-0073
USA
TEL: (406) 626-5728
QTH: DN27ub
URL:http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj
Windows Messenger:W7GJ at hotmail.com
Skype: lanceW7GJ
2m DXCC #11/6m DXCC #815

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