UTC
| SSN: | 061 |
| SFI: | 103 |
| A: | 6 |
| K: | 2 |
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VP6T – Pitcairn Island 2012Wednesday Feb 01, 2012
February 1, 2012: Vincent F4BKV informs the group went final QRT at 16:40UTC today. Antennas were being dismantled soon afterwards. He looks forward to hopefully making more QSOs as TX6T/p from Mangareva (OC-063) by the end of the coming weekend, weather dependent.
January 31, 2012: After 11.5 days continuous operation, the VP6T Pitcairn DXpedition will now go QRT at around 17z on Wednesday 1st February. This is one day earlier than previously expected. Our skipper has advised that it would be better to set sail from Pitcairn earlier in order to avoid the deteriorating weather expected on the three-day sail back to Mangareva (FO). There will be no 160m during the final night of operation.
January 27, 2012: Nigel G3TXF on Pitcairn informs:
We are now about half way through the VP6T Pitcairn operation. The exact close-down time will depend on the weather forecast for the three-day sail from Pitcairn back to Mangareva in French Polynesia. But at a guess, we’ll probably be starting to pack up in the morning (local time, i.e around 1700z) on Thursday Feb 2.
The 34,800 VP6T QSOs made so far have all been uploaded regularly to both ClubLog and LoTW. It’s interesting to see that the “QSL” percentage on LoTW is well over 25% within a few hours of each up-load. The LoTW up-load process itself has speeded up massively of late. It now only takes a minute or so for our daily batch of 5,000 QSOs to up-load.
Jacques F6BEE, Michel FM5CD, Vincent F4BKV and Gilles VE2TZT are all making huge efforts on both 80m and 160m. However, sadly (apart from the first night) Top Band has been very frustrating with only a handful of European QSOs. But they will keep trying every night!
Meanwhile, we have located the old 5-el 50 MHz beam left behind on Pitcairn by Jukka OH2BR (VP6BR) and we will be trying to make a few contacts on Six if time and conditions allow. Please do not bombard us with E-mail requests for 6m skeds — our main focus remains in maximising the number Pitcairn QSOs we can hand out on the nine HF Bands!
January 23, 2012: Monday is a national holiday on Pitcairn. It’s called Bounty Day. The five VP6T Ops will be taking part in the celebrations on Monday evening local-time [and hence expect to be QRT from about 01z to 05z on Tuesday 24]. Logs with 14,000 QSOs have been loaded to both ClubLog and LoTW. 73 – The VP6T Team.
January 22, 2012: Nigel G3TXF reports the team received a visit from Betty Christian VP6YL (VR6YL) the XYL of Tom VP6TC (VR6TC).
Uploads to LoTW and Clublog will continue whenever time and internet coverage permit. Over 4000 QSOs were made during the first day of activity. VP6T is now active 160-10m.
Now QRV:
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January 20, 2012 – Team have arrived Pitcairn. They will spend the rest of today preparing antennas and hope to be QRV by Friday evening (Pitcairn local time). They say the location is great!
January 11, 2012 – Since we received many requests asking for 6m operation, EME, SSTV, 60m, etc we would like to clarify the following:
We are a small team of 5 operators, and are very limited in baggage weight and size, mainly on the Air Tahiti domestic flight. So we had to make choices. While most of us are 6m operators, we decided not to spend much of our precious time and effort on this band. No antenna will be taken for 6m, as well as no time slot booked in our operation schedule (it will already be very hard to keep 3 HF stations running 24/7 with 5 operators).
On the other side, we are aware there is potentially an old 5ele Yagi 6m antenna (probably left by OH2BR). If time permits, we will try to locate it and if it is still in good shape after 12 years spent on the island, then we may install it and make some tests on 6m, using conventional modes (CW and/or SSB). In that case, it will be announced on the VP6T web site, or on air by the HF operators.
So to summarize, 6m operation from Pitcairn has not been on our agenda since the early planning stage, as well as all others bands/modes that are not specified on the web site. Thank you for your understanding.
December 12, 2011 – Exactly one month from now, the VP6T team will start its journey to French Polynesia, with the first stop in Tahiti for 3 days before taking a small airplane to Mangareva Island, the closest airstrip to Pitcairn. From there, we will sail for approx. three days and expect to start transmitting on around January 20th (weather dependent).
Despite recent issues with boat transportation, we now secured this last critical leg of the trip, and the good news is that we will extend our stay on the island for one extra week. Therefore, instead of the initially planned 20-29 January operation, we will be on air until February 4th, giving one more week the opportunity to contact us.
We remind you that the entire trip and stay on the island is paid in full by each of the five operators and that any contribution/support will help us to offset the high logistical costs: due to airline restrictions we had to ship all masts, antennas and heavy items in advance by plane and ship from France to Mangareva. We would like to thank all individuals and especially the Foundations and Clubs as well as equipment suppliers that already support us.
Additionally, we plan to be active from Tahiti and if time permits from Mangareva (Gambier islands – IOTA OC-063) with callsign TX6T.
QSL for both VP6T and TX6T via Nigel G3TXF.
More info is available on the VP6T website.
Check the latest spots on:
VP6T
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21 Responses to “VP6T – Pitcairn Island 2012”
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Nigel and team, congratulations on this great endeavor. Please look out for Zone 22 – it is never an easy path from VU2 to the Pacific especially since your antennas will be pointed away to other major population areas. Hope to work you for an all time new one.
73 de Prasad VU2PTT
Very nice news!
Difficult territory for EU Russia, but it’s new one for me, and I’m hope to work with VP6T soon…
Good luck to all!
73! Alex, RT3M
Will be trying with my trustee trap dipole in the loft. Not exactly a pile up buster, but you never know!
Good luck and safe journey, I’m very envious!
Merry Christmas too.
Good luck guys, I’m looking for you as all time new one!
Good sailing and all that rot…stay safe in your travels.
Thanks for putting this one the air for other bands!
There was a “doctor” there, working from ZL land, who did some contacts on 20m about a year or two ago…managed to get his card about 8 months later, once he was home..
The QTH looks “well sited” for radio work…is it a rental or do you have to know the owner?
Now…all we need are some sun spots…eh?
73′ and I’ll be looking for you from this “black hole of RF” called Montana..
Mel
KD7DCR
good luck to the team and look forward to working you guys
Regards Tommy vk2ir
these men certainly are not any “johnny-come-lately” they do know what they are doing,and how to go about doing it.so let’s sit back and enjoy the show.remember,this is not a life or death issue this a hobby and if some cannot control themselves or act properly perhaps they should take up golf or something,and allow the rest of us to pursue our hobby peacefully-thank you. greg, w2mya
Hi friends! Please, can You QRV on 17m CW earlier,12:00-14:00 UTC for East Europe ? Many Thanks
Hoping for a 40 m contact, but so far EU only on 40 cw in the evenings. Glad you’re getting the EU demand filled, and will keep watching for an opportunity for NA stations to work you on this band.
i agreed 100 % with af7s !pse give na a chance on 40 meters and stay on the band at least untill 1300 gmt !you are still on the good time for RX !! everybody see that you qrt when band open to NA !here need a 40 meters ,no chance ((((((
You guys are awesome and rock!!! Very professional ops and I’m glad to have made at least 1 qso with you. Hopefully more before QRT.
I finally worked them on 40, but not in the evening when their signals have been quite strong – in the morning with a rather weak signal.
Glad to have the 40 contact, but as I said before I’m also very glad they’re working so hard to fill the European demand. It’s a tough contact from Europe, and I was very happy to simply bide my time until it an opportunity presented itself.
Don’t need them on 20 or 15 due to previous confirmed contacts, so unless I hear them calling CQ with little demand on those bands later in the operation, I’ll let someone else who needs those bands have those contacts.
Thanks for a great operation. Hope you didn’t burn your ship when you arrived!
Bottom line:pleeze allow the one’s who wish ta wrk the dx-pedition the opportunity to do so-if someone calls accidently on their freq. someone will quickly call or send “up” and this shud de enuff-no one is completly perfect!We shud not curse or abuse the individual as he will only defend himself on the freq.making the original infraction worse. For the sickos who intentionally cause qrm-please, this is not the hobby fer you,sell ur gear and use the money to by golf clubs,tennis racket,etc.and choose another hobby and allow those of us who do wish to to persue ham radio alone,so that we may persue ours. Thank You, Respectfully, G.L.MITCHELL-W2MYA
Thanks for truly upstanding DXpedition and the ops are great! Best 73 from Georgia, SW
tkss for very nice dxpedition and new one on 80 meter
73′s Tony
Outstanding DXpedition – you guys proved that it doesn’t take a lot of people and 10 stations running simultaneously to put a rare one on the air – you guys had a lot of stamina and were very dedicated to giving everyone as many bands/modes as possible.
Congratulations! You guys will be getting my vote for DXpedition of the year!
You guys have really rocked the bands those last few days!
Pitcairn is alsways something very special unlike other destinations.
It was a real pleasure to work this professional team.
Thanks for keeping me out of bed at various times and letting me expeirence one more time how it feels to be at work with a maximum lack of sleep several days in a row. It has paid off in the end.
Have a safe trip home. I deeply appreciate all your efforts.
My best regards!
Georg Knöß, DK7LX
I’ll say it too – you guys rocked! Thanks for taking the time and expending the energy it takes to put a rare one on the air. You were a new one for many of us. Safe travels home and looking forward to Qs from the next exotic locale! 73, Vince K4JC
Agreed…it’s hard to believe there were only 5 operators on Pitcairn, because it seemed like you guys were everywhere all the time. Thanks for a new one!
Fantastic operation. I finally managed to get in the log on 40, my solitary contact but am very happy. You must have some ears to hear my cr*ppy 100w signal from a lowly dipole!
Thank you for an all time new one from a very exotic location and even difficult path. We have a lot to learn from you guys. Have a safe trip home and c u agn!
73, Deepak VU2CDP
Nigel G3TXF has posted some pictures of the recent VP6T expedition:
http://www.g3txf.com/dxtrip/VP6T/VP6T.html
and
http://www.g3txf.com/dxtrip/VP6T/VP6T-station.html