Estimate operating period March 18 to March 31 approximately - first stop HI7 Dominican Republic, IOTA NA096. Will try to cover most modes - like CW, SSB, PSK and RTTY. Bands as conditions permit. Will favor IOTA frequencies and check in daily to YL ISSB System on 14332 KHz for messages. QSLs to home call.
Equipment is ICOM
IC706MKIIG with all filters, a SEC1223
switching power supply (110 and 220 V), MFJ-1668
Screwdriver antenna with 12 foot rod, MixW
Tiny Rigexpert USB and audio interface for the digital modes, Mini
Paddle from Palm Radio for CW, Dell M60 PC running Hamradio
Deluxe for rig control and PSK, DXBase
2005 for logging and MRP4060
for CW. In addition I have with me precut dipoles/inverted vees and a backup
Screwdriver antenna with Tripod from Superantennas
used last year on the South America trip. Will use some local yagis as well.
Febr 15, 2005 telcon with Melesia Charles at NTRC St Lucia. My application has been approved by the Regulatory Commission and has been forwarded with a positive recommendation to the Minister. Now awaiting ministers action. Nothing can be done to accelerate - no specific time frame given. Must wait some more.
Febr. 27, 2005 all licenses except for J6 received. Still
working on the J6 license in St. Lucia, Senator Rosemond Clery who is also J69BB
is working on my behalf too. March 8, 2005 gear is almost ready, J6 license not yet here. This is frustrating.
Applied in December 2004 with all forms and money orders. Made a few more expensive
phone calls to St.Lucia including the National Telecom Regulatory Commission
and even talked to the Minister himself, the Hon. Felix Finisterre, Minister
for Communications, Works, Transport and Public Utilities. He said he was not
sitting on it and promised to get right on it. We shall see.
March 9, 2005 received an email St. Lucia NTRC needs to know serial numbers
of rig (was already provided on page 2 of their form in December - this smells
like another delay. Also need hotel info. All provided again.
March 10, 2005 more stupid questions via email from NTRC in St. Lucia - I give
up - this is getting ridiculous. After 3 months, and having sent 2 photographs,
copies of rig specs, copy of license, copy of passport, 25 EC$ via International
Money Order and a 4 page form and made 5 phone calls and sent multiple emails
they still want more. This has to be the most inept and inefficient administration
I have experienced in over 40 years of DXpeditioning. I used to have a license
in St. Lucia when it was still a British Colony (VP2LAG) and then it took only
2 weeks to get one.
March 12, 2005 just precut some more wire antennas and packed everything -
emailed DXBASE folks to activate calls on my logging program. Ready to go otherwise.
March 13, 2005 Jack from Scientific Solutions (DXBASE) emailed me the activiation
key for the loggig program with the new calls - that was fast!
March 18m 2005 on our way .. sequence will be HI7, VP2V, V44, J7, J6, V2 and
FJ.
March 31, 2005 I am back from the trip. It was great. Never got a license in
J6 but at least met some of the hams there including Senator Clery who is J69BB
and was just organizing a Caribbean Hamboree on St. Lucia. The station worked
almost flawlessly everywhere, got some RF into the USB interface when operating
15 and 40 meters and then either the RTTY or the logging program worked but
not both. Thanks to the dive shop, taxi office, harbor administration, realtor
and J73Z club home for letting me operate. Thanks to Captain Jahn Rye of the
MV Regatta and Oceania Cruises for their permission to let me operate aboard
ship on the high seas as V73FA/mm.
April 1, 2005 QSLs ordered from my usual trusted supplier Tony, LZ1JZ. Please
send SASE or IRC or 80 cents for stamps if you want direct QSLs. All others
will go out via the ARRL QSL bureau. If you want a peek at the QSL design, click
here.
May 10, 2005 all QSLs are either on the way via mail (if SASE received) or
on the way via the ARRL Outgoing QSL bureau to overseas and the ARRL US QSL
bureaus for US hams. I have established a Web Site for the DOMINICA
AMATEUR RADIO CLUB INC. (www.j7hams.com). Come and visit.
73 es DX PS ground radials make an excellent "fence" to keep unwanted nosy
visitors away!
Karl N1DL
