[ADXA] 3Y0I UPDATE 20 DEC, 2018

Thu Dec 20 18:05:56 EST 2018

Sure seems like a lot of time and money and training has been spent already, and to back out now would seem out of the question. Hope I can work them to see what “the special” QSL looks like. Stan, who designs very nice QSL cards, was on a trip to Lord Howe with me years ago.. Now lets sit back and wait a while. I need them on RTTY and all the lower bands.
Thanks to Bernie for the timely relayed update…
San

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

3Y0I UPDATE 20 DEC, 2018
DECEMBER 20, 2018 ADMIN LEAVE A COMMENT
We’ve just completed our 50-day long training and preparation period
prior to our DXpedition to Amateur Radio’s “Mount Everest”; 3Y0I
from Bouvet Island.

No wonder South Africa became our “little homeland”. Fine weather,
exceptional hospitality from the locals and especially the warm welcome
offered by local Hams resulted in good vibes across our entire team.
There is nobody rushing us. Being independent creates more chances,
opportunities and flexibility in terms of our project’s goals. We
approach our goals in small steps, but yet we’re always moving
forward.

As a team, we’ve dedicated a lot of time and effort into improving our
condition and practical skills at:

First Aid Training
Marine Fire-Fighting Training
Water Safety Training
Rescue Techniques
STCW95, ENG1, First Aid

All training we’ve participated in (and all certified by SAMSA –
South African Maritime Safety Authority) were completed successfully and
all participants have received their graduation certificates. Despite
the high cost ($1,600 USD), taking part in this training mattered deeply
to us for two important reasons; first, we wish to provide the highest
skill measures for all team members and by doing so – to meet all
requirements of international marine regulations. Very few folks are
aware sending non-trained teams as crew members to locations like
Bouvet, is illegal. Individuals taken on board all commercial (non tour)
vessels must receive proper certified training and prove they qualify.

Secondly, we wish each and every team member to have – at a minimum
– an idea of what we expect to deal with during our cruise and during
landing at the island. Each team member must know the crucial basics of
providing safety and support to others. The Rebels are not the type who
arrive 1, 2 or 3 days before departure without any preparation and basic
knowledge. The experience we’ve all just gained will last forever and
be useful on our next project (not just Ham Radio).

Certainly some of you are familiar with our landing plan at Bouvet
Island: with zodiac “type” high power boats. With these type of
boats we can safely transport up to 200kg of gear to the shore while
facing 2-2.5m waves. Nobody has said it’s going to be an easy task,
but we are ready. Additionally, by splitting our gear into rounds,
we’ll minimize the risk of accidents in the rough water and we’ll be
able to take more items. There’s another big advantage of zodiacs over
helicopters: cost reduction and much more flexibility in terms of
weather conditions. In case of worsening conditions we’ll be able to
“wait it out” and to proceed with our “Bouvet attack” under a
more suitable and safer “weather window”.

Once ashore, our equipment will be transported up the glacier with
professional alpine gear. An interesting fact:  the glacier at Bouvet
contains a lot of salt water. That’s because waves crashing Bouvet’s
cliffs create sea water droplets taken by strong winds that fall over
the islands ice cap. Our camp will be ice covered up to several dozen
meters above volcanic land. These two factors mean our antenna
environment should be genuinely radio-suitable and effective.

Today, we continue preparations of our expedition vessel for this
demanding trip. Taking part in these preparations has been a part of our
plan from the very beginning. This is an entirely refurbished and
refitted ship at a cost north of a million dollars. It is extremely
suitable for running the deep South in rough sea conditions. Our vessel
is able take up to 300 tonnes of cargo and 60,000 liters of fuel, making
is fully self-sufficient for up to a 4-month long trip – without the
need to refuel at a sea port. The ship will wait off-shore while the
team stays on the island and will be in reach in case of medical support
or evacuation. Its vast and spacious interior has allowed us to
pre-assemble some of our antennas and even our dome tent. A new
hydraulic crane will help us load/unload the zodiacs. Our vessel is
fully equipped with all new electronics, including redundant radio,
satellite and navigation systems.

Many of you ask for details regarding our Ham Radio and technical
“backstage”. We’ll utilize the following while at Bouvet Island:

3 x 2-element directional multiband Yagi antennas by Kohjinsja,
3 x 8-band verticals
2 x verticals for 80 and 160m bands
Sloper for 80 and 160m, elevated from a cliff towards ocean beach
Dipole antennas (backup)
Over 2km of coax
4 diesel power generators 6.5 kW each (+ backup)
4 transceivers (+ backup)
4 x 1.3 kW power amplifiers
For logging:  military grade robust laptops by Panasonic Toughbook
2x BGAN satellite modems
Iridium satellite phones and communicators
Professional gear for image and 4K movies taken from the ground and air

In addition to the above, there is over a ton of outdoor and technical
equipment (eg ladders, tools), alpine gear (crampons, lifts, pickax,
harnesses, lines, helmets, sledges) and marine (sea water suits, vests
etc.) loaded in the cargo hold. More than 1 year of preparation and
4,200 lbs. of cargo already loaded.

Our contacts made at Bouvet Island will all be confirmed with unique QSL
cards designed by Stan SP8S (there are no such cards in the history of
ham radio, yet) and via LoTW. Stan is known for his QSL for such major
DXpeditions as K5D, FT5ZM, HKØNA, XRØY, JX5O, VK9LA, TI9/3Z9DX,
P5/3Z9DX, T31T and many others.

We are very thankful for ALL donations received, thank you, thank you,
thank you! Sponsors of 3Y0I

All the best of sunny greetings from South Africa. Stay tuned for more
exciting 3Y0I news in the following hours/days.

A quick reminder to those “republishing” this 3Y0I update, please
include a link back to this original post, thank you!
(https://www.rebeldxgroup.com/bouvet-update/)

Merry Christmas from the Rebel 3YØI Team!

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