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

Wed Apr 13 19:06:39 EDT 2022

Did I mention it was turnkey?  Most of us are not getting any younger.  
Turnkey can be a very good thing, considering the alternative.

On 2022-04-13 6:04 PM, Mark Beckwith wrote:
> 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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