[OKDXA] Hope Everyone Finds This Interesting and InformativeThe latest from W3UR (aka VU

[K8fu at aol.com]

The latest from W3UR (aka VU4AN/VU3OHA) in the Andaman  Islands.

Bernie telephoned me at a little before 10 PM East Coast U.S.  time,
02Z.  None of his commercial electronic communications devices  are
working there.  He could line up cellular service and it's  reasonably
priced but it would mean time away from the radio to take care  of
that, so he's not going to.  He landlined me with this info.  He  does
not have e-mail.

Bernie, Jarma, and Martti have been sharing  Jarma's VU4AN/VU3KIE
callsign to try to avoid dupes - to avoid all the big  gun DXers
working each of them on each band.  By using just the one call  they
hope to work as many different stations as possible to give out a  QSO.
Jarma is OH2KI.  QSL via OH2BN.

There was some delay for  Bernie, Jarma, and Martti (OH2BH of course)
getting settled into a QTH.   It took a couple of days because most
other groups and individuals had  arrived several days earlier and had
already claimed the good QTHs, "the  known good spots.or so they
thought."  Through a connection with a local  Andamans resident,
Bernie's group was able to find an excellent QTH."We have  a good,
private, site.  It's really nice."  Their QTH is, they  think, the
farthest north, 150 meters from the bay and roughly 50 meters  above
sea level, the highest spot around there.  So far they only have  the
30M dipole up and it's not oriented in the best direction for  North
America right now, but they hope to correct that before  nightfall
today there, where it's now Wednesday morning.  The beam  heading for
North America is roughly 355 degrees.  With the 30M dipole  improvement
today, the VU4AN/VU3KIE boys hope to be louder.

Also in  today's work plan, putting up the SteppIR beam, so they hope
to have that by  tonight also.  Their plan is to concentrate on 30M,
20M and 17M for  North America, which they think are "the only real
possible bands to work  North America on."  On other bands, Bernie
said, "I don't know about  other bands right now."

They do plan to be trying to work North America  during every opening
there is to North America, and will work Europe, Asia,  and other
easier-to-work parts of the world the rest of the time.   Bernie says
the 20M North America opening is basically 1300-1430Z, "Whenever  that
opening is, we're going to concentrate on it."  I did pass along  a
note from K8SIX in Michigan that VU4AN/VU3NZC was loud on 17M  between
1530-1630Z but was only working Europe.  Al said, ".tell them to  grab
the key.as that is our window on 17."  Al added that by 1640Z `NZC  had
"faded into the woodwork on 17."  But, while it lasted, he said,  "We
had great propagation on 17."

Bernie thinks their QTH and the  SteppIR will be a very effective
combination on 20M, hopefully starting  today, Wednesday.  They will be
able to rotate the Yagi with a  rope.

Bernie says that although their QTH is roughly in the center of  where
all the VU4AN stations are operating, there have been no problems  with
interference from all the others.

Another factor that has  contributed to delays in getting on the air
have been obligatory social  events with Indian dignitaries, including
high-ranking officials from the  government and the Lieutenant-Governor
of the island.  There has been a  lot of press including television
coverage.  Jarma and Bernie will both  be giving presentations during
the daytime today, Wednesday, taking them away  from the radios for a
while.  They hope and expect to be more QRV  starting Wednesday night,
their time (Wednesday morning in North America) and  going into
Thursday - QRV fulltime.

Thank you to Fred, JA1ADN, who  first noted to me that Bernie was using
a callsign other than his own  VU4AN/VU3OHA one.  Fred worked Bernie on
10103.4 CW at 1833Z, which is  3:33 AM in Japan.  Fred says Bernie was
working lots and lots of  Europeans.

END OF THE VU4AN/VU3KIE  REPORT.