[OKDXA] Fwd: Fwd: Wanna Go On A DXpedition?

Wed Apr 13 19:04:51 EDT 2022

I should clarify, the bit I said about not getting on the air outside of 
contest hours is my personal thing.  Most or all of the ops who do these 
things /just can't stay off the radio/ and they have /a really great 
time/.  It's just not /my /thing. I'd rather drink a beer out on the 
patio and relax, knowing I'll get my licks in on the radio when the 
contest starts.  At PJ2T there are four stations and antennas pointing 
everywhere, and ... if you haven't done it, it will totally blow your 
mind, and I recommend it.

73 - Mark N5OT

On 2022-04-13 6:00 PM, Mark Beckwith wrote:
> I have been a lot of places, but nearly always connected to a contest 
> expedition.  In the old days (HC8U) it seemed important to be on the 
> air outside of contest hours.
>
> After a while, for me, it was more about the contest and less about 
> handing out QSOs.  From 2004 to 2015 I went around with the same bunch 
> of operators and we activated places in the Caribbean and Central 
> America for ARRL CW.  For CQWW I would do more adventurous stuff 
> including EA9 and A73.
>
> I also tried to have my own DX QTH on Belize as V31NN for a while.
>
> Throughout all that I was a repeat offender at PJ2T and that really 
> grew on me as an easy place to go.  In recent years, it has become 
> both a real DX location turnkey Multi-Multi.
>
> Ultimately, I hung up the idea of going anywhere else.  After that 
> they elected me President which I did for 3 years.  I stepped down 
> last year.
>
> This is all to say, I have a seriously large foot in the door down 
> there, and that bunch, the "Caribbean Contesting Consortium" at Signal 
> Point on Curacao, which is PJ2T, is able to accommodate a whole club 
> for a DXpedition or contest, easily.  It is totally turnkey.  They 
> still go wanting for some relatively major contests.  It makes for a 
> VERY FUN week and is comparatively spouse-friendly.
>
> If there is interest I can get details.
>
> 73 - Mark N5OT
>
>
> On 4/13/2022 5:55 AM, Jeff Martin wrote:
>> Wanna Go On A DXpedition?
>>
>>    Hopefully that subject got your attention... hi... Good Morning 
>> everyone.
>> Thanks again for allowing me to be your President. I'll do my best to 
>> keep
>> the wheels on the track... If you have any ideas about what the club 
>> should
>> or should not be doing or could be doing better, feel free to send me 
>> your
>> suggestions.
>>    For those who don't know me very well, a little history... In a 
>> couple
>> weeks from now, my wife Becky and I will have been married 50 years. 
>> Wow,
>> Amazing! I wouldn't say she has been over-whelmingly supportive of my 
>> crazy
>> hobby, but she tolerates it... hi... We have 4 grown kids and 11 
>> grandkids.
>> Two of my sons are hams, Erik N5WR in Arizona, and Scott KD5GEY in 
>> Montana.
>> I also have a son and daughter and grandkids in Tulsa. I was first 
>> licensed
>> at age 16 in 1967. The DX bug bit early. I remember working Europeans 
>> on the
>> 15 meter Novice CW band with 60 watts. It was a thrill, and still is
>> really... I have worked all 340 current countries and my total including
>> deletions is 357 confirmed. I need two on CW, N. Korea and Marion 
>> Is., hope
>> to get them some day. After all my kids were grown and gone, I began 
>> taking
>> a few trips, nothing real exotic but I have operated from 10 different
>> entities. You can read some brief write-ups about some of my 
>> DXpeditions on
>> my QRZ pages. Covid put a stop to traveling outside the country. I am
>> itching to go somewhere.
>>    So, that brings me to the point of this story... I'd like to know who
>> might be interested in a group OKDXA DXpedition? I know this has been 
>> done
>> before as an OKDXA group, the trips to Palau come to mind, and I also 
>> know
>> several of you have done trips of your own to some places. We have 
>> several
>> members who are experienced contest-style operators who can handle 
>> pile-ups.
>> I'd like to put on a good show for the deserving... hi... But then 
>> again,
>> I'd also like to include less experienced operators who would want to
>> operate at a slower pace. At this point I'm just opening up the
>> discussion... Where to, you might ask? Well, Pacific or Caribbean. 
>> I've been
>> to several Caribbean islands and a couple of Pacific spots. Flights 
>> are a
>> little longer to the Pacific, but still do-able. Plan on a couple 
>> days of
>> travel going and coming to either area... I'd definitely suggest a
>> destination with an airport we can fly into, rather than a long boat 
>> trip.
>> Operators would provide our own gear. How much does it cost, you 
>> might ask?
>> Well, about the same as flying somewhere on vacation and staying in a 
>> decent
>> hotel. Airfare, plus say an average of $200 per day or maybe a little 
>> more
>> for accommodations, plus meals. Plan on two weeks, two days each way for
>> travel and 10 days at the DX location. I've stayed at places as cheap 
>> as $85
>> per night on Easter Island to $350 per night on St Barthelemy. We can 
>> get
>> into the specifics of where to go as this discussion progresses. Here 
>> are a
>> few ideas... Either of the Christmas Islands would be a great place. The
>> Captain Cook Hotel on Christmas Island, East Kiribati has hosted several
>> Dxpeditions. At one time there were flights from Hawaii or Fiji. Some of
>> those flights may have been cancelled due to Covid, but they may 
>> re-schedule
>> them soon. The other Christmas Island - VK9 and Cocos Keeling Island 
>> - VK9
>> are both served by 737 jets out of Perth, Australia. These are 
>> actually in
>> the Indian Ocean rather than the Pacific. You could go to both on the 
>> same
>> trip. Raivavae Island in the Australs is another place in the Pacific 
>> I have
>> wanted to visit. There is a small resort there on the north coast 
>> that has
>> hosted several operations. In fact there is a group (TX5N) on the way 
>> there
>> now, arriving April 15th. A group of guys from South Texas were there 
>> a few
>> years ago. This pension has several cabins to rent at a very 
>> reasonable rate
>> and the host provides meals. You fly into Papeete, Tahiti, then take a
>> puddle-jumper to Raivavae. It would be a great place to operate 
>> from... All
>> these places are always high on the wanted list. Many other South 
>> Pacific
>> islands are possibilities and are high on the wanted list. St Vincent 
>> is one
>> of the more needed of the Caribbean islands. It might be a 
>> possibility. I
>> think you have to fly into Barbados or one of the other bigger airports,
>> then take a puddle-jumper to St Vincent or one of the Grenadines 
>> islands.
>> I'm sure there are countless other possibilities. The Caribbean 
>> islands tend
>> to be not quite as needed as the Pacific, but they are closer... XYLs 
>> could
>> go or not... up to you and her. My wife has accompanied me on a few 
>> trips,
>> but I think she would rather go visit the grandkids in Arizona or 
>> Montana
>> and let me go by myself these days. She might go, if other ladies were
>> going... It's an option, either way. If they go with you, plan on 
>> some time
>> away from the radio every day doing tourist stuff.
>>    So, what do you think? Anyone interested? Wanna be the rare and 
>> exotic DX?
>> This is very preliminary, just throwing out an idea... Lots of planning
>> would be involved. Covid travel restrictions could certainly 
>> influence any
>> plans, but hopefully things will get better rather than worse... Feel 
>> free
>> to respond online or send me an email...
>>
>> 73,
>> Jeff - K5WE
>>
>>
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