[SixClub] Information I received on EL58

[Jerry Gault]

I thought I would follow-up on my EL58 post. I received this from Bob Dunn
and thought I would share it.

73
Jerry



Hi, Jerry:

As someone who made a "Gridxpedition" to EL58 about 20 years ago, I can
definitely give you the scoop.

There is, indeed, a tiny spit of land at Southwest Pass, the mouth of the
Mississippi River.  The land is sandy marsh with some scrub vegetation.
Mosquitoes and water mocassins are plentiful!

Access is challenging; the road downriver ends at Venice, LA, so there's
definitely no driving to EL58.  The drive from New Orleans to Venice takes
several hours and a boat from Venice to EL58 takes about an hour or so more;
needless to say, a helicopter or seaplane would be a lot quicker, but may
limit cargo (and would be more expensive).

All supplies--food and shelter--must be carried to the site and anyone
making the trip should be adept at primitive camping.

There IS some civilization down there:  an oilfield unit of some sort
(Shell?), the Branch Pilot's Association house (for the pilots who guide the
big ships up that branch of the River), and an unmanned National Weather
Service station/data buoy.  A few years ago I was researching another
expedition to EL58 and was able to get the Branch Pilot's Association to
agree to letting a group of hams camp near their facility, but they weren't
keen on sharing electricity since, as they put it, they're subject to
brownouts.  That, of course, means either battery power or hauling a
generator down.

When we made the trip back in around '84, we camped at the base of a cast
iron lighthouse (built in 1874) and actually set up a station in the top of
the lighthouse!  It was a scary, rusting hulk then--I shudder to think what
condition it's in now!  Which brings up the issue of antennas:  any antennas
and masts most likely would have to be ground mounted.  There really aren't
any trees to speak of and I think using the lighthouse would be a
life-threatening proposition.

Alright...so there are some challenges...what about the positives?

Well, in the last several years EL58 has only been active (to my knowledge)
from shipboard operations.  Whether you operated 6M, 2M, UHF or above, you
would definitely be in demand!  Band conditions permitting, you'd be on the
receiving end of a biiiig pile-up!

Let me know if I can offer further info.  If you'd like to try and make a
larger EL58 expedition, there are quite a few hams in the New Orleans area
who would be happy to participate.

73 de K5IQ
Bob Dunn
V-P GNOARC