[EIDXA] Casual Dxpedition.

[shsawyer at rockwellcollins.com]

Was a bust. 

I got through customs with no problem - including doing a carry-on of the 
fiberglass fishing pole. 

I got set up on Monday morning and fiddled around listening to the 
geriatric and senile nets on 20 even chatted with a few of them to make 
sure the radio and antenna were working. 

I tuned up to 15 meters and found a pile up. listened for awhile and 
figured out I had 5A7A running the pile and listening "up 5". Quick open 
the manual and figure out how to work split. 

Threw out the call Papa Juliet stroke November Alpha Zero India Alpha. He 
comes right back with station ending Zero India Alpha. Throw out the NA0IA 
portable PJ4, which confused him and a couple of tries to get the portable 
PJ4 through and I was in the log. I figured great. Caribbean propagation 
must be magic. So called it a day and went diving. 

I got on at about 7 CST that night and had nothing. 20 was dead, and 40 
and 80 had S7 to S9+60dB noise. The whole resort was covered with 
fluorescent lights! I called CQ for about an hour that night and again on 
Wednesday, but same noise level. I did not want to drive to the other side 
of the island in the dark  on strange roads with limited insurance 
coverage to try much else. 

The days were spent in the ocean or in the pool. It was great from that 
respect.The reef is like swimming in an aquarium Fish everywhere. 

 Angi does not dive and was feeling a little left out, so non-diving day 
time was spent touring the island - not much to see except iguanas and 
cactus, donkeys, goats and poverty. 

I got sun burned the first day, and have been paying for that. 

It was great to visit, but I sure could not live there. 

Steve