This is Dietmar DL3DXX, the lonely topband operator from Timor Leste.
station situaton:
Lauhata beach about 20 miles west of Dili, village with several thousand people
no industry, no agriculture, some fishing and living what the tourists spend at
the beach.
QTH for hamradio is more or less OK, but not enough space for 80m 4-square.
27m high Titanex vertical direct at the beach, today at spring tide the water
reached
the food point but not the feeding box and not the feeding, so close enough to
sea to work.
48 ground radials attached, SWR 1:1.2 at 1826. 250m low loss cable to reach the
shack.
4 beverages about 180m long hitten by domestic helpers with machetes into the
jungle
4 days hard labour, with heat up to 48C, wild bee´s, aggressive ants and all the
dangerous stuff, you find in jungle. Nothing for sissies.
NE to EU - almost clear, noise level 160m abt s5
SE reverse direction EU - some noise level at s6
NE direct path tu US - some line noise around S6
SW reverse direction to US beverage, clear but not much heard so far (2x VK6 s9
loud)
On Vertical the noise is s9+10 with 300Hz filter in CW. Tried first night
without RX ants
because beverages were not ready but it was hopeless.
We are running about double output what is allowed in US and most parts of the
world.
We brought own bigh Diesel generator to feed up to ten stations with amplifiers.
Thatswhy you may hear us much better as we hear you.
How to work 4W8 on low bands:
We are aware that from this location we are crocodiles with no ears. The last 3
nights
rain showers came over from the south and the mountains in the background south
are
full of clouds and rain. The rain here covers lot of electricity, even withoug
lightnings
electrical discharge makes ist almost impossible to hear weak signals.
There is not much we can do else
- switching off ?
- changing to FT8 ?
FT this is not my world, but maybe someone will try when I cannot do anymore
QSOs
I like the difficulties and challenges, thatswhy I am here. I like sitting all
nights
at the radio listening into the noise. Will not miss it at all!
I know you girls and guys want a contact and you are trying for hours, as well,
as I do every night.
Signals must jump over a decent point that I can hear you. If I am weak you can
stop calling.
I never will hear you. If my signal comes up try again. QSB is incredible.
Signals comes up out
of the noise for seconds and are back in the noise seconds later. If I dont get
the call in the first
try seldom there is a second chance to complete call.
Propagation is unpredictable, yesterday the band opened suddenly into US W4 and
5 and so it closes.
You have to watch all night long to make sure you are there at the right moment.
I cannot assure we can make the QSO with you. All I can is to assure, that I am
there
when the propagagion is there. In case you make it it will be a hard deserved
contact
made after nights of pain and difficulties, but it will be one of the contacts
MADE IN A LIVETIME you will remember for years.
Thatswhy I still believe in traditional CW operation with all its pain but also
highlights.
FT stuff is just switching on the software on and looking the next morning if
the robot
have make the magic contact. You may agree or not - but this is my view.
Here just some notes I send to W4ZV about last night traffic:
It started suddenly with WT1L clear like a bell, then
K5RK, N5KD, KY7M, K5VMM (took a while to got his call)
K8PT easy QSO, W9OO, K5PI then I think KV0Q (not sure
if he confirmed but logged him anyway - will see) W4NU,
K4PI, N7TY, N6JV, W9AJ, then a K7??X, maybe K7SCX what
I logged but deep in noise, K7ZV, WF4U easy copy,
N0CWR, W5XO, W5IO (I think), W5IZ, K5RT,
K0KX ?? not sure . All I heard was K0?X.
Found out it was K0XP after I had logged it wrong - corrected.
Last US W3YX (QRZ.COM says PA?), so call is wrong or he
transmitted from somewhere else.
I missed a few, I think W5XX was calling and it took me
almost 10 minutes to get his call, but suddenly found out
it was a weak DS3EXX who was a dupe so I lost the W5:-((
I also was called by a W??DXX and having the same suffix I
tryed so hard to get his call but unfortunately could not.
I am aware that hundreds were calling and some called
me deaf and having no RX. I know that from this location
it is tough copy. NA came up and down, you can see it
nicely looking at the reversebeacon network, filter for
call 4W8X on 160m hrd by WA7LNW. With signal strength above
10dB I am able to hear some NA, so this will be a good
indicator if it is worth to try.
About 50 more JAs were logged in the time without US.
Most of them we not even have worked on 80 and 40m
so I wonder what antenna and power they used :-)
After 13z the band closed before sunrise in W6, W7
without any QSO, so I looked at the skimmers, only
spotted in JA with 4..5 dB is not good to work anybody.
Now sitting here on an totally empty band. 80m is not
much better. It only can become better, just some more
days here until we leave at Dec 7.
Rest of the night worked about a dozen of Qs.
In my understandig we will leave 160m station as the
last station to operate from and remove it at the last ever moment.
This was an emotionally night, I will not forget for long time.
Maybe FT robot would have contacted more, but robots have
zero emotions, they only contact and they dont care about dupes
or what stations they contact. They have no relations to the person
behind the call, just a lifeless piece of silicon and software.
Thats for now, more to come later
73 DL3DXX
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