[Meteor-Scatter] I8/DF2ZC (JM87BX) Log & Story

[DF2ZC]

Hello All,

While being once again on a family holiday in Calabria very much to the dislike of my family I had put ham gear into the car, i.e. a 80 Ah battery because I wanted to make a short portable trip to the rare JM87 square. There was a  perspective to get access to a TV transmitter site in JM87AX through friendly assistance by Massimo IK8IOI, however when 
he checked the site before my holiday the QRM there was too much.

As the wx forecast spoke of thunderstorms on Sunday 7th I rescheduled my plans for Saturday. So I left our holiday cottage in JM89BC at 3 am local time for a 200 km journey to JM87BX, a spot Frank DH7FB had discovered in 2004. It is a rather good place in the  vhf hostile area in JM87 square, all surrounded by high mountains except for Easterly directions. I had already worked from there in October 2004 with a fair success rate given the bad circumstances.

After finding that spot again (with the help of a GPS handset, it was still pitch dark night at the time I arrived) driving on unpaved ways for the final kilometre (and not just once touching ground with the bottom of the car) I set up equipment in the dawning day (with a wonderful view to the Ionean Sea). Not so nice was that some locals were like in 2004 again hunting rabbits close to me, it was some kind of special thrill...

Rig was a TS2000 plus brick amplifier, some 100-150 watts out to a 9-elements-TONNA at some 4 m AGL. Conds were not as good as last time I worked from there, less and shorter reflexions. Not even a single PA or ON station was worked. I am very sorry for those I could not complete with. I did my very best...but it wasn't meant to be.

What I will never understand is the way some people work. Though I had asked before that people always call me with reports (if they copy me), which is perfectly permissable according to MS QSO procedures, I had 
quite a number of calls without reports. So in those cases I treated them as stations that did not copy me (because if they did, they would 
have sent a report, wouldn't they?). And I don't reply stations callingme but not copying me. Being on a short dxpedition working from battery time is notmoney but time is QSOs. And I do not want to spend time and 
battery capacity with people calling but not copying me. This takes away time and QSOs from others and is very inefficient which I do not like.  Actually, I really hate inefficiency! One particular station calling me even didn't get the callsign correct: I was not I8DF/2ZC.

You can find the QSO list below. And today Sunday we indeed had heavy t-storms here in JM89BC so it was good to bring the JM87 thing forward to Saturday. Electricity is off for two hours now - but laptop  and GPRS/
cellphone work on battery ;-)

We will return to Germany next weekend. In the meantime I will try to set equipment up here in JM89BC. Takeoff from 230 through 270 to 010 deg is perfect as the house is on 150 m ASL and has a direct view to 
the Thyrrenean Sea. I will try to be QRV from Monday (depending on weather and whether I can setup rig today or tomorrow) or Tuesday 
onwards, early mornings and late evenings. 300 watts out, all other like in JM87BX. See DX cluster of MMMonVHF for latest activity news. 
Yes, here I have mains power but please, if you copy me, call me with report ;-)

I will put some more JPGs from JM87BX on my website www.df2zc.de after my return, also exact GPRS coordinates and Google Earth links.

See you maybe also from JM89BC!

vy 73 Bernd DF2ZC

I8/DF2ZC (JM87BX) worked:
0558-0604 S54T   R26/26 C
0604-0612 HB9EFK R26/26 C
0612-0613 YU1EV  R27/27 C
0617-0623 HA5CW  R26/26 NC
0623-0627 DD0VF  R26/26 C
0627-0629 DG2KBC R27/27 C
0629-0633 DJ9CZ  R27/26 C
0632-0636 YU1IO  R27/27 C
0636-0644 HA5CW  R27/26 C
0652-0656 HA5CRX R27/27 C
0652-0707 F6HVK  R27/26 C
0707-0717 ON7EH  R27/26 NC
0724-0730 S53J   R27/26 C
0730-0735 9A3JH  R27/26 C
0736-0746 F4CYZ  R27/26 NC
0748-0803 YU7AA  R27/26 C
0802-0808 YU7EW  R27/26 C
0808-0815 SP8RHP R27/26 C
0817-0825 IV3NDC R27/27 NC
0820-0834 F5VHX  R27/27 C
0848-0856 F6BEG  R27/26 NC
0855-0924 DL5MCG R27/27 NC
0924-0930 IZ5ILX R27/26 NC
0930-0941 ON4KHG R27/27 NC
QRT 0942Z

HRD are:
HA0HO, EB3JT, ON4KHG, LZ2ZY, DL4DWA.

QSL via direct to my address in www.qrz.com is o.k. for impatient ones (please with SAE plus IRC or 1$), QSL via buro might take somewhat longer as I send my bunch out only on average all 12 months.
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