OC-273 Gorong and Watubela Islands - NEW IOTA

http://www.yf1ar.com/2014/01/oc-273-gorong-and-watubela-islands-new.html

OC-273 Gorong and Watubela Islands

YF1AR/8 and YB0AI/8 
OC-273 Gorom aka Gorong aka Goram aka Goran Island - NEW IOTA

January 25-31 extended February 2,2014

131'24" E 3'58"S  PI56qa CQ28 ITU51

Variant forms of spelling for Kepulauan Gorom (Goran) or in other languages: Gorong Islands, Pulau-pulau Gorong, Goram-Eilanden, Goram Group, Gorong-eilanden, Goram Group, Goram-Eilanden, Gorong Islands, Gorong-eilanden, Pulau-pulau Gorong.

On Thursday, February 6, 2014 3:01 AM, Roger Balister <> wrote:

Dear Budi

Many thanks for sending me the logs of your OC-273 operation and the link to the validation material on your website. I have now had time to look at everything. It is all fine and I can confirm the issue of OC-273 to the Gorong and Watubela Islands IOTA group on the basis of your operations with the calls YF1AR/8 and YB0AI/8. Congratulations on the 2,500 contacts, that’s a big score.

It was a great pleasure to have contacts with both of you. You had good signals at the time. Thank you on behalf of the IOTA community for putting these remote islands on the air.

Best regards

Roger
Roger Balister, G3KMA
RSGB IOTA Manager

On Friday, January 3, 2014 7:53 PM, Roger Balister < >;; wrote:

Hello Budi

That’s great news. I am sure the IOTA Community will be very excited at another new one in Indonesia. The Spice Islands sound a very remote and beautiful area of your country.

Many thanks for the scans of the tickets. You are aware of our requirements (minimum number of QSOs etc), so I do not need to repeat them, hi!

I hope everything goes well with good radio conditions and also weather.

Take care and a safe journey and return.

Roger, G3KMA

Maluku: The Spice Islands of the East

Scattered between Sulawesi, Timor and Papua, and long known in the West as the "Spice Islands", whose once unique cloves and nutmeg drew visitors from all over the world for centuries, Maluku is made up by over a thousand beautiful tropical islands with lush vegetation and unique fauna, stunning beaches and marine life, and very friendly, hospitable people. Overshadowed by more famous and accessible Indonesian islands like Bali, Java or Sumatra, remote Maluku receives very few visitors nowadays. On my trips around the archipelago, I never met more than half dozen foreigners in a month, and sometimes not a single one in a 2 months long trip. More than any other region in Indonesia, this is the ultimate destination for those who like island-hopping well off the beaten track!

Maluku today is divided into 2 provinces. "North Maluku" province with its majority Muslim population and its capital Ternate stretches from Halmahera and Morotai to the Sulas and Obi. Confusingly named, majority Christian "Maluku" province encompasses the central and southern regions of Maluku from Buru and Seram to the Arus and Wetar, with its capital being Ambon. Both provinces are equally beautiful and share similar history, culture and attractions.

Seram: The Mother Island of Central Maluku

Seram is the largest island in southern Maluku Province, and according to local beliefs it is the "Nusa Ina" or Mother Island where all the people of Central Maluku once came from.
The island is very mountainous and includes 3027m Gunung Binaya, the highest mountain in all Maluku.
Needless to say, it offers excellent (but hard) trekking opportunities, the best known of which is a long trek right across the island through Manusela National Park.
An added bonus is the island's unique birdlife which includes several endemic species, though is not always easy to spot.
For the less energetic, Seram's main attraction is beautiful Sawai village on the northern coast, with its gorgeous setting at the foot of towering cliffs, nice accommodation, good snorkelling and interesting off-shore islands.

East of Seram: From Geser to Teur

A scattering of tiny, mainly Muslim islands stretching from the eastern tip of Seram towards the Keis form Central Maluku's most remote and least accessible corner. None of these islands has played a significant role in history, none have any outstanding attractions, and they offer almost no facilities to visitors whatsoever. To tour them you will need lots of time, a knowledge of Indonesian, and a high tolerance of filthy, overcrowded Perintis ships.

Geser
Geser is a tiny atoll island at the eastern tip of Seram. It is nevertheless an important, historic trade centre of the region. It is a very quaint place with an old-fashioned feel to the town, and decent beaches right on the atoll, however it is best used as a base for exploring the neighbouring Seram Laut islands and eastern Seram itself.

Seram Laut Islands
The Seram Laut Islands just east of Geser are a bit larger and hillier than the atoll with which they share the same language and culture. They are also inhabited, but less crowded, and have some very beautiful beaches.

Gorom Islands
Southeast of Geser and Seram Laut, the three main islands of the Gorom archipelago share the same language and culture with them - all Muslims here, too. This is another area to find fine beaches well off the beaten track. The main island, at least around its main settlement, was somewhat underwhelming though, so you must be prepared to go a bit further than that. Its only attraction was an unusual army monument, and a surprisingly good selection of shops for these remote parts.

Watubela Islands
On the border of Central and Southeast Maluku, the remote Watubelas, consisting of inhabited Kesui, Teur and Watubela islands and a few smaller uninhabited ones, hit the world headlines during the years of the conflict. Today they are as peaceful and quiet as any in Maluku.

Red Lory.

The Red Lory aka Moluccan Lory (Eos bornea bornea aka Eos rubra bornea) is endemic to the Ambon, Saparua, Buru, Seram, Goram, Seramlaut, Indonesia, Watubela and the Kai Islands (also known as Kei Islands) - found in the south-eastern part of the Maluku Islands in Indonesia.
The Black-winged or the Blue-streaked Lories are also sometimes referred to as Red Lory.

This monument to commemorate the event along with the departure of 53 members of the Pioneer 9 volunteers from the village Kataloka, Gorom Island by Anton Soedjarwo KP II, Detachment Commander Pioneers on August 8, 1962 at 17:00. The troops landed safely in Cape Fatagor, West Irian safely, after a voyage across the sea as far as 100 miles deep and fierce. OPERATION TRIKORA: Indonesia Giant Military in 1960s and Liberation of W. Papua

View Larger Map

Equipment

YF1AR/8 Radio Yaesu FT 450D with tuner FC 707 power 100W

Antenna Vertical 43 feet 40 m band and HB9CV 20-15-10 m band

YB0AI/8  Radio Yaesu FT950 power 100W

Antenna Vertical 43 feet 40 m band and Yagi 5 bander 20-17-15-12-10 m band
 

Mode mainly on Phone as well as on CW n Digital

QRV 10m - 40m band

QSL Info :

special qsl card design for dxpedition will be issued

YF1AR/8

QSM via N2OO Bob Schenck

www.yf1ar.com

www.qrz.com/db/yf1ar

http://www.qsl.net/n2oo/history/qsl-n2oo.htm

YB0AI/8

QSM via Homecallsign

www.qrz.com/db/yb0ai

Donation

please use yf1ar@yahoo.com for Paypal account

 

your donation is welcomed, the fund will be also used for the next DXpedition, TNX

Sponsor :

  

 

  

 

  

Personal Sponsor : YB2TJV, W2FB, JF4VZT

KISAR ISLAND - IOTA DXPEDITION 2013

http://oc272yb4ir.blogspot.com/2014/01/kisar-island-iota-dxpedition-2013.html

KISAR ISLAND - IOTA DXPEDITION 2013

KISAR Island (OC-272) 21-26 December 2013 by Imam YB4IR

There are many islands in Indonesia, which has never been activated and it has long time for me and maybe for others of some amateurs radio in Indonesia had plans to QRV on these islands. The main problem is the difficulty of transportation to reach of the Island locations. One is the island Kisar. Fortunate that the range of the island has been reached by regular air transportation by aircraft cassa type with total passengers only 18 people. Thus allowing us to be able to come to the island .

On 19 December 2013 at 15:15 UTC (local time 22:15) my flight from Palembang city (Sultan Mahmud Badarudin II Airport) I am going to Jakarta and arrived in Jakarta (Soekarno Hatta Airport) around at 16:10 UTC.

I must wait about 5 hours before to Ambon because my flight at 22:00 UTC from Jakarta to Ambon city with transit around 25 minutes in Makasar city .

Dated December 20, 2013 at 04:20 UTC my flight arrive in Ambon and stay one night in Ambon before going to the Kisar island on tomorrow afternoon.

During my harness in Ambon city, I try to visit several locations in Ambon and buy souvenirs including some pearls for my wife and my 2 daughters . This is original pearls from sea in Ambon areas.

Dated December 20, 2013 at around 23.57 UTC I was awakened by the ringing sound of my Handphone and it was from Budi YF1AR . Budi YF1AR has arrive in Ambon (Pattimura Airport) and then he going to the Inn where I was staying overnight .

On 21 December 2013 around 04.00 UTC we going to the airport and do for cek in. It turns out the schedule flight departure delays at 07.00 UTC .

Around 07:15 UTC we started to fly and travel about 2 hours . At 09.30 UTC we arrived on the Kisar Island (John Bakker Airport) .

The process of unloading luggage at John Bakker Airport is still done by hand human power so that the trunk -making process took almost 2 hours .. we lost quite a lot of time but already lost interest and wanted to say hello to the world QRV from the Kisar Island.

Finally, all our luggage was finished and we were lucky meet with Mrs Meri (She is a natives people in Kisar Island) that one plane with us from Ambon. She ask her son to drive us in their car to get to some of the locations that we think fit to set up the station for QRV.

Initially we will set up a station in the airport area because of its position on the north of island but the problem there is no flow of electricity and the location is very far from the population so that it becomes the last option.

We tried to go to Mrs Meri 's house which in the house stay only her mother and her son but her house locationsis not approriate for our antennas, many houses in the location and very near from the traditional market wich many people in the location so we decided that this location is not suitable for the QRV location

Then we go to the sea port on the west coast of the island of Kisar. In the port sea location there is public electrical and it turns on for 22 hours and there are 2 hours to die for charging the fuel in diesel engines power plant, which is from 09:00 UTC to 11:00 UTC.

Once we determine the location in the sea port (the sea port's name is Nama/Pelabuhan Nama) we both requested permission from the head of the harbor and it turns out he was also a member of amateur radio and is no longer active and amateur radio license also expired 5 years, since he was never a member of amateur radio so it is makes it easy to ask for permission and we were allowed and given the location in one of the offices are not in use.

Starting from 12:30 UTC, I start to unload all the equipment and the first one I started to compile a series of mini multi yagi antenna HX52A about 30 minutes completed and the antenna directly established with a wooden pole with a height of approximately 5 meters from the ground sand .

Likewise with Budi also already finished building 43 ft vertical antenna.

Promptly at 13:55 UTC I started CQ on 21.010 MHz and the first station that goes in my log is YB0BNX and then at 14:02 and 14:04 UTC followed JR6RLV A65BR and than followed at 14:05 by VK2DX and subsequently started in pileups on average, every single minute of my berQSO with 3-5 stations . Very nice 

Still on the date of December 21, 2013 at 13:55 UTC from 15M band then I moved to 20M, and 30M to approximately at 18:34 UTC CQing on 40M and on the first day of QRV not only from Europe but also from North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania began to attack me and it has reached 5 continents and in 40M propagation has begun to close and finally at 18:08 UTC I moved to 17M and back in an assault by all the friends from all over the world especially from NA and JA are dominating in the 17M band and 17M QSO in my last closed at 00:25 with JA7FEX QSO. I mean the first day of non-stop QRV for 11 hours .

After a break of about 1 hour 30 minutes to wash my face, brush my teeth and breakfasted with instant noodles (the time in our location at around 8:30 am) I back to make CQing on 15M.

At the date of December 22, 2013 At approximately 01:40 UTC I started call QRV until around 02:11 UTC 15M the propagation began closing and made ​​several CQ calls and does not respond, so it makes me feel very tired and toosleepy. Finally I decided to take a break to sleep until 05.00 UTC .

At 05.01 UTC until around 06:59 UTC I QRV on 12M and most of the stations of the JA entry in my logbook .

Dated December 22, 2013 in the evening it rained very heavy and accompanied by lightning and the sound of the waves roaring. The weather was very bad and there was a storm of the west wind that strikes our location. Suddenly my FT-950 difficulty to communicate and I replace theYagi antenna to G5RV and continue the communication with normal. I feel there is problem in my Yagi.

Dated December 23, 2013 in the morning I see the yagi mini multi HX52A has collapsed and fortunately nothing is broken. Finally I returned resetting each element and back go up the mast with the addition some of rocks to make as a strong foundation in the mast ground .

On December 24th 2013 the weather was not so good. Heavy rain and wind continued to attack our location . The sky was overcast, but I keep trying to do QSO in some band that allows me to communicate. Luckily I brought a multiband antenna types and including antenna G5RV for 30M and 40M and it does not make me lose communication because I can work and choose a band that is open from 40M to 10M band .

Dated December 25, 2013 morning I was informed by phone from the airline staff that today no aircraft flying into Kisar because of bad weather that delayed until the date of December 26, 2013 .

Due to bad weather also makes propagation and also close most of my friends in the world of amateur radio in church worship is being run so that the number of stations on Christmas Day is very little compared to the previous days ,

On Christmas day we took the time to drive around the island Kisar. We visited some of the buildings that once used during the occupied Dutch VOC in Kisar island. We also visited the ruins of the castle and the former church at the time of the Dutch occupation in the range of the island .

Kisar island very close to the position of dean of Timor Leste and if using a speedboat trip only takes about 30 minutes compared to the Ambon city with aircraft still to be 2 hours .

On the last night 25 December 2013 I returned to the CQ until the 26 December 2013 and QRT at 14:00 UTC as 4 hours later I had to rush to the airport to return to the home .

This trip very memorable, especially because of the influence of bad weather and flight delays that can not be ascertained, and it makes some uncertainty .

I get information from airport officials that our flight is the last flight and there will be more flights to the Kisar island until March 2014. We are very fortunate to have traveled at the end of 2013 with very impressive .

See you again at the next expedition .

73 de YB4IR Imam

S9v43 Vertical Antenna

http://www.ldgelectronics.com/c/252/products/16/62/2

S9v43 Vertical Antenna

Description 

  

The S9v43 is a heavy-duty, telescoping, self-supporting fiberglass vertical designed for Amateur Radio use from 80 through 6 meters. The S9v43 weighs under 9 pounds, making it the lightest tall vertical on the market.

The S9v43 is just over 42' tall and has the same 50 Ohm resonant frequency of 5.44 MHz as some traditional 43' telescoping aluminum verticals.

The S9v43 must be ground-mounted using a 54-inch section of standard 1-1/2" galvanized plumbing pipe (1.9" max OD - not provided). The S9v43 base tube simply slips over the pipe for a simple and elegant deployment. (A mechanical connection from the antenna base tube to the pipe is neither required nor desired.) A stainless steel pipe mount clamp is included with the antenna to keep the base of the antenna off of the ground.

The antenna requires a manual or automatic antenna tuner either in your shack or remotely located at the antenna feed point. (Most internal rig auto tuners do not have adequate range to match the high impedances presented by S9v43' at various HF frequencies.) 

In addition to great HF performance, the S9v43 offers surprisingly performance on the 6 meter band, assuming your antenna tuner covers 6 meters. In casual testing, a ground-mounted S9v43 with an efficient radial ground system consistently outperformed a mono-band 6 meter Slim Jim elevated at 40 feet. With the S9v43, you will enjoy solid local 6 meter coverage plus the thrill and excitement of 6 meter DX when Sporadic E propagation occurs.

Using a weatherproofed remote antenna tuner at the S9v 43 feed point ensures absolute lowest signal loss and best overall multi-band performance. 

For optimum performance, the S9v43 should be used with at least 16 radials (32 preferred), with each radial at least 0.2 wavelength at the lowest operating frequency. If you have the time and resources, 32 or more radials at least 0.2 wavelength long (or longer) should be considered.

There is no precise formula to calculate the length of ground-mounted radials because everyone has different soil and soil tends to change the electrical length of the radials. That said, the following table contains suggested lengths for 0.2 wavelength radial wires:

Band Frequency Minimum Radial Length

160 Meters 1.8 MHz 104 feet long

80 Meters 3.5 MHz 53.5 feet long (53 feet, 6 inches)

40 Meters 7 MHz 26.75 feet long (26 feet, 9 inches)

Loading coils to extend the range of the antenna can be built by the user. The 160M coil is 21 turns of #12 AWG insulated wire on a 5" PVC coupler. The 80M coil is 8 turns on a 4" PVC coupler.

It is highly recommend that you use the optional S9RP Aluminum Radial Plate to connect and organize your ground radials. The radial plate is also used to provide the critical ground connection for the coax shield, unun, balun or remote antenna tuner.

Specifications

Weighs Under 9 Pounds - Fast and Simple Deployment
Covers 80 - 6 Meters
1500 Watts Rated Power
80 and 160 Meter Coverage with User made Coil
Legal Limit Power Rating
Telescoping Fiberglass with Stainless Steel Screws
Self-Supporting - No Guys
No Expensive Mount to Buy
Includes Stainless Steel Pipe Mount Clamp
No Lossy Traps or Coils
Collapses to 58"
Unique, Double Insulated Design - Safe for Children and Pets
No Corrosion; Completely Weather-Proof
No Hose Clamps or Messy Joint Chemicals Required
"Neighbor-Friendly" Forest Green Finish

KIMAAM Island (OC-275)

http://www.yf1ar.com/2014/01/kimaam-island-oc-275.html


KIMAAM Island (OC-275)
W2FB Stephanus D J Busono

Indonesia, dengan jumlah pulau lebih dari 13.000 adalah kepulauan terbesar di dunia, sayangnya belum pernah terlaksana program penghargaan untuk pulau-pulau Indonesia sampai berapa saat sebelum ini. Di tahun 2012, ajang ‘Nusantara Indonesian Islands Award’ diluncurkan, ini menghasilkan munculnya banyak operasi dari area YB dan dari berbagai IOTA berbeda yang telah berhasil diaktivasi semenjak awal peluncuran program ini.

Sampai saat ini, dua IOTA baru telah berhasil diaktivasi: OC-275 dan OC-276. Berikut adalah wawancara dengan tiga operator yang berpartisipasi dalam aktivasi OC-275 yang terjadi tanggal 10-16 September 2013: Taufan, YB0AI; Budi, YF1AR, dan Lucky, YDR9QX.

Pelaksana wawancara ini adalah Dr. Stephanus J D Busono, W2FB. Beliau mendapatkan surat ijin beroperasi di tahun 1983 sebagai YD0DBH. Pada tahun 1984, beliau dan keluarga pindah ke California, Amerika Serikat. Semenjak itu beliau mendapatkan surat ijin beroperasi sebagai N2MAU, yang pada akhirnya diubah menjadi W2FB di tahun 2001. Beliau selalu aktif dalam pencarian pulau-pulau YB semenjak taun 1991. Bersama dengan Adhi, YB3MM, pada tahun 2012 mereka mendirikan Grup Pemburu Pulau Indonesia (Indonesian Islands Hunter Group), grup ini merupakan salah satu sponsor program Nusantara Award. Steve ialah sosok manajer QSL bagi Lucky, YD9RQX/P, selama operasi pulau Kimaam ini berlangsung.

W2FB: Bagaimana mula-mula ada ide untuk ke OC-275?
YB0AI: Waktu ngobrol-ngobrol di rumah dengan Budi, YF1AR, tercetus rencana kalau mau buka IOTA baru, cuma dimana karma ada 2 di call area 9, dan 3 di area 8. Mulai cari di google beberapa pulau/rumpun pulau yang sudah memiliki nomor IOTA. Tetapi belum di gunakan untuk memancar dari pulau tersebut. Setelah melihat lokasi melalui google maka di putuskan untuk pulau-pulau disekitar kota Merauke, karena di salah satu pulau bernama pulau Yos Sudarso cukup luas dan ternyata pulau ini mempunyai beberapa nama seperti “Dolok”, “Kemaam”, dll.
Disamping itu, pulau ini ada lapangan terbang dan biasa mendarat pesawat terbang perintis seperti maskapai merpati telah lebih dulu ada jadwal rutin 2 kali seminggu yaitu senin dan rabu. Penerbangan dari Merauka ke pulau Kemaam dengan pesawat terbang perintis di tempuh dalam waktu 45 menit. Maka kita putuskan untuk membuka IOTA baru di pulau Kemaam OC-275 south papua coastal island.

W2FB: Apa langkah pertama yang dilakukan? Merekrut operator? Apa bisa berbagi cerita sedikit mengenai rapat strategi/logistik di Jakarta?
YF1AR: Kejadian begitu cepat. Pertengahan bulan Agustus, YB0AI mematangkan persiapan OC-275 dengan syarat dana cair dari proyek YB0AI di Maluku awal bulan September. Ternyata akhir Agustus dana YB0AI sudah OK, sehingga kita berdua rapat dan langsung bikin pengumuman di seluruh dx-news. Karena mendadak, saya tidak ada persiapan dana tetapi YB0AI akang mengcover dulu dan akan digantikan dari donasi yang akan didapatkan nantinya. Kita hubungi YB3MM ternyata Adhi berhalangan. Tetapi mohon dicantumkan namanya sebagai anggota team buat membantu penggalangan dana. Kemudian juga YB8XM membantu dalam hal pemberitahuan kepada Lokal Merauke, Orda Papua, dan Orpus, sehingga kami cantumkan juga sebagai anggota walaupun dari awal tidak bisa gabung karena beliau membantu pelaksanaan Ujian Nasional AR di pulau Masohi, Maluku. Demikian juga putra daerah YB9WZJ dari Sorong; YC9XOZ dari Merauke, dan YD9RQX, Jayapura kami undang, walaupun akhirnya hanya YD9RQX yang bisa hadir. YB4IR gabung pada awal September, tetapi karena ada rapat mendadak di Jakarta, akhirnya batal juga tempat QRV alternatif 1. Bandara Kimaan karena area terbuka 2 mercusuar Kimaan karena dekat pantai 3 YC9YUZ di Kabonji, yang mana ternyata jauh lokasinya dari Kimaan.

W2FB: Setelah matang dan diumumkan bagaimana perjalanan ke Merauke dan dari sana bagaimana ke Kimaam? Apa ada yang menarik dalam perjalanan ke sana?
YB0AI: Dari Jakarta awalnya direct to Merauke via Makasar, tetapi dua hair sebelum keberangkatan kita rubah beli tiket via Jayapura baru ke Merauke dengan harapan akan ketemu YD0RQX/Lucky, kita tidak ketemu tetapi Lucky ada dalam pesawat Jayapura to Merauke yang kami naiki, kami ketemu setelah tiba dan turun dari pesawat di Merauke.
Sampai di Merauke kita hubungi contact person yang akan membelikan tiket Merauke to Kemaam, ternyata contact person kita minta bantuan Kapolsek Merauke untuk carikan tiket ke Kemaam, setelah tiket dapat sambil tunggu waktu kami ngobrol-ngobrol di cafeteria dan teman-teman dari Orari Lokal Merauke datang dan ketemu teman lama pak Sami, YB9XOS, yang ternyata Wakapolres Merauke. Marilah cerita macam-macam disitu. Penerbangan ke Kemaam dengan pesawat merpati dengan waktu tempuh 45 menit.
YF1AR: Perjalan ke MKQ dilakukan mendadak sekali, karena selama 2 minggu kami mencari tiket MKQ-KMM tidak dapat karena pesawat perintis terbatas sekali, hanya 16 bangku dengan penerbangan senin dan rabu. YB0AI dan YF1AR tiba di Merauke masih belum pegang tiket ke KMM tetapi YD9RQX mennjanjikan apabila hari minggu tanggal 8 tiba dan menghadap ke merpati diusahakan akan dibantu oleh kapolsek bandara atas perintah kapolres merauke yang mana sudah dihubungi YD9RQX terlebih dahulu. Akhirnya kami dapatkan 3 tiket.


W2FB: Setiba di Kimaam apa yang dilakukan? Bagaimana setup? Dimana tempat QRV?
YF1AR: Pada saat digedung merpati Merauke, kami bertemu tentara yang akan ke kota Kepi (pedalaman Papua). Ybs merujuk ke pos militer di Kimaan. Pada saat tiba di bandara KMM, kami sudah dijemput truk militer dan langsung menuju mercusuar jarak 10km dan pada pertengahan jalan kami mampir di pos militer. Ternyata kami bertemu dengan pak ADam pemilik warung/toko satu-satunya di mercusuar dan bersedia untuk kami tinggali. Begitu sampai lokasi, melihat tower 30m dan p Adam mempunyai 2 generator 10KW serta punya panjat tower dan ditempatkan di puncaknya. YD9RQX bawa dipole 40/80m langsung saya pasang pada ketinggian 20m karena terbatasnya kabel coaxial. yB0AI bawa 3 band lagi, dipasang pada dermaga, pada alat pengaduk semen. Yang ini dirubah tinggal menjadi 2 el 20m pada saat wae contest dan dipasang pada ketinggian 20 m.
YB0AI: Tiba di pulau Kemaam contact person kami sudah menjemput dengan mobil truck membawa kami dan semua peralatan ke posko Yaled, kebetulan DanPos sedang ke Merauka, setelah berbincang-bincang dengan mobil truck kami menuju pelabuhan kapal laut Kemaam karena disana ada menara mercusuar. Setelah kamis survey kondisi menara bagian bawah layak di tempati sebagai radio room dan menaranya sendiri dengan tinggi 30m dapat kami pasang antenna vertical di puncak nya menara tsb, karena kami mau memancar bersamaan di beberapa band, antena dipole 7mc dan 3.8mc kami pasang di tengah-tengah tinggi menara mercusuar tsb kira-kira pada 17m dan antena 3 band 14mc, 18mc, dan 24mc kami pasang berjauhan kira-kira 20m dari menara mercusuar, waktu merakit antena tsb di bantu oleh Lucky, YD9RQX, satu jam selesai dengan tinggi tiang antenna 4m.

W2FB: Akhirnya yang ditunggu-tunggu tiba hari H dan Jam J, CQ DX new IOTA OC-275, siapa yang mulai CQ pertama dan stn apa yang pertama wkd OC-275 dan di band apa?
YB0AI: Kami QRV pada tanggal 9 jam 12.01 UTC pada 15m dengan YF1AR memanggil CQ langsung HS0ZIV langsung menjawab dan saya mohon ybs untuk spotting di cluster. YB0AI QRV pada jam 16.03 UTC pada 20m memanggil CQ dan YB1/PD1SA langsung menjawab. YD9RQX ada masalah pada kabel coax padahal baru beli di Merauke, akhirnya pada tanggal 10 jam 8.41 UTC memanggil CQ pada 40m dan YC9XAV dari Jayapura langsung menjawab.

W2FB: Bagaimana propagasi di band 40, 20, 15, dan bagaimana pileupnya?
YB0AI: Propagasi hari pertama kami buka di band 21Mc dan 14Mc sangat baik dan di 7Mc cukup baik. Pada saat big..big..pileup saya di 14Mc awalnya tanpa split, karena kewalahan akhirnya saya buka CQ DX dengan split 5 to 10 up. Disini 1 menit dapat 3-4 station. Seru Budi gak kalah serunya kita berdua saling teriak memanggil station-station yang berkerumun memanggil-manggil YB0AI/9 maupun YF1AR/9. Gemetar jari-jari mengetik station yang berhasil saya dengar dan masukan di log. Saat seperti ini tidak ada duanya dengan penuh semangat dan kesenangan penuh saya menikmati pileup ini.
YD9RQX: Sebagai pemula saya sangat bersemangat untuk bisa beroperasi pileup pertama di hidup saya. Sayangnya, saya hanya bisa berpartisipasi untuk sementara dikarenakan adanya keadaan darurat di keluarga saya yang mengharuskan saya pulang ke Jayapura.

W2FB: Bagaimana pembagian jadwal operasi?
YB0AI: Jadwal operasi siang hari Budi, YF1AR, terus memanggil di 21Mc maupun 14.150Mc sesekali ke 28Mc, hanya saja di band ini kurang baik jadi perolehan QSO tidak begitu banyak. Malam hari di 18Mc dan 24Mc tanpa splits karena bisa di handle satu persatu, QSO tidak terlalu banyak propagasi cepat sekali menutup di band ini, pengguna band ini pun terbatas, band 7Mc lebih baik Oceania, Asia, Eropa, dan Amerika dapat pada band ini, band 3.7mc tidak banyak dapat sekitar asia dan oceania.

W2FB: Bagaimana logistik selama di Kimaam, listrik, genset vs PLN, tempat tidur, makan, mandi, dll?
YF1AR: Di dermaga, mimaan tidak ada listrik, kebetulan adam, keluarga yang kami tinggali punya 2 genset 210 KW yang menyala 24 jam bergantian. Kami tidur jika tidak ada propagasi, walaupun radio nyala 24 jam. Tidur kami di operating room dibawah menara mercusuar dengan sleeping bag. Makan pada hari 1 dan 2 disediakan oleh istri P Adam, tetapi karena hari rabu istrinya ke Merauke, jadi saya menjadi koki dadakan hanya bisa masak indomie dan goreng telor mata sapi. Pada hari terakhir, kami adakan perpisahan dengan P Adam dan warga setempat dengan bakar satay dan gulai dari daginng rusa. Aur tawar sangat susah, hanya buat minum, kami tidak mandi selama seminggu, kami tidak mandi selama seminggu, hanya sikat gigi tiap hari.
YB0AI: Selama di pulau Kemaam, tempat ber QSO di bawah menara mercusuar, makan hari pertama, kedua dan ketiga dari ibu haji yang masakkan, hari ke-4 dan seterusnya sampai hari ke-6, POP Mie rebus sendiri dan goreng telur + abon sapi. Biar itu-itu aja juga gak bosen. Karena makannya pas waktu lapar aja. Genset milik pak Adam yang punya rumah dekat menara mercusuar kami sewa 24 jam selama 6 hari, sempat rusak di hari ke-4 dan diperbaiki, jalan kembali, di lokasi ini tidak ada PLN. Tempat tidur di ruang bawah menara mercusuar di alas triplek dan dengan sleeping bed masing-masing gantian tidurnya, mandi 2 hari sekali, karena sulit air tawar disana.

W2FB: Hari terakhir, siapa QSO terakhir dan berapa total QSO?
YB0AI: Hari terakhir Budi, YF1AR QSO di 14mc, setelah digabung total QSO 5147.
YF1AR: Hari minggu tanggal 15 jam 16.14 UTC dengan M0NEX pada 20m band oleh YF1AR. Total QSO lebih kurang 5000 QSO, 150 DXCC, 6 benua pada band 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, 40, 80 mode phone semua, kecuali 30 dan 160 off karena morse.

W2FB: Lelah tapi senang dan puas saya rasa, apa kesan-kesan dari Oc-275 ini?
YB0AI: Buat saya pribadi semenjak pembukaan OC-275 di Kemaam, ada gairah kembali untuk DXing lagi dan contesting lagi (Ingin ngabung di YE2R di kota Grobogan untuk mengikuti contest CQWW 2013) setelah berhenti 5 tahun karena jenuh dan sudah dapat 5BDXCC. Karena selalu dengar noise untuk menyelesaikan phone DXCC di 80m band yang betul-betul melelahkan. Tetapi tidak dipungkiri amatir radio adalah hobby yang menyenangkan.
YF1AR: 1. New IOTA OC-275; 2.Lighthouse ARLHS IDO-148; 3. Pulau terluar- wawasan nusantara; 4. Hadiah ultah YBDXC ke-2.
YD9RQX: Saya berharap saya bisa lebih lama beroperasi tapi saya sangat bangga bisa menjadi bagian dari tim OC-275. Ini merupakan pengalaman DXepedition pertama saya dan pastinya bukan yang terakhir.

W2FB: Taufan, Budi, and Lucky, mewakili Indonesians Islands Hunter Group dan komunitas IOTA, kami sangat merasa bersyukur dan berterima kasih atas kerja dan usaha dalam pengaktivasian OC-275. Semoga beruntung dengan aktivasi pulau selanjutnya.

Caribbean Tour 2014

http://www.sp7vc.dxing.pl/

DXPEDITION PLAN



From 11 to 31 of January 2014 we will be sailing in the area of the Caribbean. We are going to visit many islands and DXCC entities:
FM (Martinique): 11 – 12.01. Calls to be used: FM/SP7VC, FM/SP3IPB, FM/SQ7OYL
J6 (St.Lucia): HAM radio activity not planned

J7 (Dominica): 15 – 16.01 and again 23 – 29.01. Calls to be used: J79VC, J79PB
FG (Guadeloupe): 17 – 18.01. Calls to be used:FG/SP7VC, FG/SP3IPB, FG/SQ7OYL
VP2M (Montserrat): 18 – 22.01. Calls to be used: VP2MPG, VP2MTK
V2 (Antigua): 21.01. Calls to be used: V26/SP7VC, V26/SP3IPB

QSL via our home calls.


EQUIPMENT




Here is the list of equipment we are going to use:


TX-RX:
TS-50 , IC-7000
Antennas:
HEX BEAM SP7IDX Technology
Multiband Vertical R-7000
Inverted L (80 – 160m)
Beverages
4el. Yagi for 6m by YU7EF
Other
PA DENTRON MLA-1200

We will be active on all HF bands + 6 meters. There will be a beacon on 50095,0 MHz (VP2MPG/Beacon and J73VC/Beacon).