| |
ZS1B > JOTA 13.10.96 09:38l 115 Lines 5718 Bytes #-10952 (0) @ WW
BID : 1239_ZS1B
Read: DH2MBC GUEST
Subj: SEAL ISLAND:ZS23SI:19-20 OCT 96
Path: DB0AAB<DB0SL<DB0RGB<DB0ABH<DB0SRS<DB0ZDF<DB0HOM<LX0PAC<ON7RC<ON1BWP<
ON6AR<F6CNB<KD4IDR<WB0TAX<KA6EYH<PY1AA<PY1CYL<ZL2TZE<ZL2TZE<ZL2VGB<
ZL2WA<ZL2TMQ<ZL2TMQ<ZS6BJU<ZS6BJU<ZS6RO<ZS1ABM
Sent: 961008/1902Z @:ZS1ABM.WCP.ZAF.AF #:41765 [Satgate] FBB7.00a $:1239_ZS1B
From: ZS1B@ZS1ABM.WCP.ZAF.AF
To : JOTA@WW
ZS1B/TPK 1.82 Msg #:1239 Date:08-10-96 Time:20:34Z
FROM ZS1B @ ZS1ABM.WCP.ZAF.AF TO : ALL JOTA STATIONS
Seal Island will be activated for both IOTA and JOTA over the weekend 19
and 20 October 1996. We will be supported by Boy Scout troops from the
towns of George and Mossel Bay over the weekend, so look out for us.
Further information follows........
SEAL ISLAND DXPEDITION : 17 to 23 OCTOBER 1996
----------------------------------------------
Seal Island, approximately 22E and 34S, south of the southern coast of Africa,
will be activated for the first time by Barry, ZS1FJ and a team consisting
of Bud ZS1B, Johan ZS1JM and Dirk ZS1X, from October 17th -23rd October
1996.
The area is listed in the RSGB IOTA directory as " Cape Province - South Coast
Group" between 21 and 24E. The island has been approved by the RSGB IOTA
committee. The number will be given AFTER at least 50 contacts with not less
than 5 countries in terms of IOTA rules. We hope to get this number
allocated during the DXpedition as members of the RSGB IOTA committee will
be on the lookout for us shortly after we come on the air.
The island lies in waters infested with great white and hammerhead sharks,
which feed on the seals inhabiting this island. Landing on the island is by
zodiac type rubber ducky craft in seas with heavy swells and extremely strong
south easterly winds from the Antarctic. We will wear life jackets and use
safety ropes for landings. There are a few metal poles imbedded in concrete
which we will utilise if possible for a rope system to get the generator
and rigs across from the rubber boat to the rocks ! Fortunately the seas are
not known to ever reach the top of the island which is entirely rocky.
This means we will be forced to hammer in climber's pitons to anchor the
bases of the antennas and as anchor points for stays for the masts and the tent.
The team will operate round the clock in tents for 5-6 days on all frequencies.
Rigs include the IC 751 and IC2KL linear amplifier used by ZS1FJ on Kermadec
ZL8 in 1995. The antennas include a Cushcraft A3S 3 element tribander, a W3DZZ
multiband dipole for 80 down to 10 meters, a Cushcraft R7 for the WARC bands,
and a loaded dipole for 160 meters. SSB and CW will be the operational modes.
Depending on interference and de-sensing factors, we may be operating two
rigs simultaneously but this may be only wishful thinking !
A 5.5 KVA generator will ensure maximum legal power output and charge batteries
for the standby Kenwood TS-50 rig and our 2 meter link with the shore and
the FM repeater network along the south east coast of South Africa.
The location is excellent for all beam directions, and the varying zones will be
activated in terms of propagation times and flux predictions. At this stage
a flux of 71 is predicted. Australasia and the Pacific will be concentrated on
from 0500 - 0800z, with the US being contacted both long and short path.
Europe and Asia will feature strongly.
Frquencies on CW will be in the bottom 10 to 20 KHz of each band, but we
will move around a bit when the USA stations come through. On SSB we will be on
approximately 1.835 , 3.760, 7.060, 14.260, 18.160, 21.260, 24.960, and
28.560 MHz, depending on propagation. Should pileups occur on the 20 and
15 meter frequencies, we will work split frequencies, listening 10 KHz UP.
The island is under the authority of the Department of Nature Conservation and
the team had to satisfy some onerous requirements. Fuel may only be in
plastic containers for example ! The seals are fortunately out of the
breeding season and thus not so aggressive ! We have ascertained that we
will all have to get used to the malodorous environment and may be disowned
on our return home !! We will have a chalet on the Mossel Bay beach as a
base, and rubber boats will cater for replenishment of rations, fuel and
change of operators twice a day.
The special callsign ZS23SI is derived from the longitude 23 and Seal
Island. At this stage the callsign allocated is ZS23I, but we aim to have
this error corrected by the SARL and the licencing authorities this week.
The grid square locator for Seal Island is KF15CU. You may remember
the Robben Island callsign was ZS64RI where 64 was the IOTA island area
and the RI denoted Robben Island. Following this precedent, the team we feel
ZS23SI to be appropriate and would add that at some future stage we intend
activating ZS27BI from Bird Island in Algoa Bay, east of Port Elizabeth.
This will be another new IOTA contact to look forward to.
It is hoped that IOTA followers will enjoy contacting Seal Island. Please look
out for us and give us a call. As on Robben Island, we love working pileups at
the rate of 6 contacts per minute !!
QSL information will be given over the air at regular intervals.
As the JOTA weekend takes place over the weekend 19 to 20 October, we have
invited the Boy Scouts from the Mossel Bay and George troops to join us.
We will thus also be looking for JOTA contacts over that period as well.
For further information, contact Barry ZS1FJ at + 021 7624553 or Bud ZS1B
at + 021-752748 (H) or 021-7996247 (W) or at packet address below.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
73 from BUD VOORTMAN ZS1B GRID JF95FW Tel : 021-7996247 (W) 752748 (H)
PACKET ROUTE : ZS1B@ZS1ABM.WCP.ZAF.AF Fax : 021-7614438(W)
ADDRESS:17 TUDOR ROAD, TOKAI, CAPE TOWN.7945. REPUBLIC of SOUTH AFRICA.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
