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G3LDI > DX 14.05.08 10:51l 89 Lines 4559 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 43258-GB7LDI
Read: GUEST
Subj: Chatham Island Adventure
Path: IZ3LSV<IK2XDE<DB0RES<DK0WUE<7M3TJZ<ZL2BAU<N4JOA<VE3KPG<N9PMO<GB7LDI
Sent: 080514/0943Z 43258@GB7LDI.#35.GBR.EU [43259] FBB7.01.35 alpha $:43258-GB7
From: G3LDI@GB7LDI.#35.GBR.EU
To : DX@WW
Radio Weekend on Chatham Islands, New Zealand.
Operating as ZL7M, Prepared by David Burger VK2CZ ( k3hz@ieee.org )
Holding a number of engineering and radio volunteer positions this year
has affected my ability to do some choice radio trips in 2008, so a
decision about ?when? to operate was the driving force, rather than
picking a radio event and altering my schedule around that.
May?08 was looking like a quiet month, and having secured a number of
callsigns in and around Australia, the choice was the popular VK
Transtasman 80m SSB event. This event is the best patronised of the four,
is a very short duration sprint, and simple antennas can be made to work
effectively and I currently hold the event record meant that I could relax
and have some fun and do something a bit different.
First choice was using my VK8 callsign from Alice Springs, but a major
horse rodeo event had the Alice fully booked out. The only other callsign
I had that was eligible for this event was ZL7M for the Chatham Islands.
Luckily just under 3,000km from Sydney, so quite manageable for a weekend
away.
Booking flights was a major challenge, as travel agents cannot book the
Chathams leg of the trip. Finally arriving at a solution where I accessed
the Chathams via Wellington turned out really well, had a 3 hour walk
around Kilbirnie and the Evans Bay marina and a big yellow weather needle
under construction there.
The flight to the Chathams was on a 1956 Corvair 580 aircraft, a little
like an Indiana Jones movie set. With just 6 passengers on the outbound
leg, many looking like Antarctic expeditioners and amazing legroom that
business class passengers would pay for, the adventure of just flying
would have satisfied many travellers.
Originally booked into the Chatham Lodge, I was bumped to a homestay
option just hours before my arrival, as the Lodge owners had just closed
it down for major renovations. This was a bonus with the number of people
I met on the island, with little compromise with radio antennas. Sure
there was some 11kV power lines close by, but it turned out that lighting
QRN was more significant.
Having equipped the trip to accommodate 80m (non DX window) and 20m
operation allowed me to keep weight to a minimum. The excess baggage rates
were really odd, AUD$18 per kilo outbound, NZ$2.20 per kilo on the Chatham
legs, and NZ$17 per kilo inbound to Sydney.
Finding the start of the contest a small challenge, time zone of UTC+12:45
threw me, and I kicked off 15 minutes late on the first hour. It was
surprising to have ZL?s really strong and VK signals all over the place..
Only missed VK1 and VK9, and nothing heard from ZL5 or ZL6 either. I did
have a few tell me on air that ZL7 was out of bounds.. but I think that
was computer issues rather than interpreting the rules.
Surprisingly it was much warmer than I'd thought - as it seems impossible
to get Chatham Island weather off the internet, and not even the ZL
Maritime weather broadcasts tell it either ! The weather peaked at about
22C during both days I was there, and overnight of 7C.. but 100% humid, so
it was a very penetrating cold.. no wind either, something the locals
said was odd. My guess probably similar weather to Christchurch which is
at the same latitude.
I did have a couple of contacts which I would put forward as the 'longest
distance ever' in this event... and that was with Barry VK6ADI.. at
5,590km's !! The longest possibly allowed under current rules would be
between VK9C and ZL7, but the chance that both these are active at the
same time would be very very rare indeed...
Outside the TT80m event, generated some quick pileups on 20m, even with
low power, it only too a few seconds for beams to get re-directed.. First
time I have been forced to run split on 20m too. Managed around 500 QSO?s
in the 3 or so hours I was on outside the 80m event. My trips are not 100%
radio by the way..
On non-ham related things, I did get to meet some key people on the
island, including a VHFer ham Ian who has a ZL2 license, some of the major
land owners on the island and some maritime trainers/examiners doing radar
and radio certificates.
Managed about a 100 photo?s of the island and the people, some amazing
bridges, even more amazing vehicles, and there were few places on the
island where the views were less than spectacular. Some good close-ups of
the Tsunami warning beacon and some wild chicken type birds that some call
dinner and other call a pest.
Worth the visit ? a definite yes !
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