I will be active from Moldova from September 5th to 9th.

The first two days will be on 1296 and 2320 MHz (just in time for the ARRL EME contest). Then, on the evening of September 6th, I will switch over to 144 MHz for a couple of days. If I find a suitable QTH, I might also get on the air before the contest on September 3rd or 4th.

Good news: I managed to find a solid additional QTH, so I'm heading out a bit earlier and will be active from September 2nd to 9th.

As many of you probably already know, from August 6 to 11, thanks to the help and support of the Unió de Radioaficionats Andorrans (URA) and Joan (C31US) personally, as well as the enthusiasm of Jean-Jacques (ON7EQ), we will be activating Andorra on EME and HF bands.

• C31US (Joan), C31KC (Beli), ON5OO (Jack), and ON6QS (Gilbert) will be active on the HF bands.

• ON7EQ (Jean-Jacques) will be operating on 432 MHz.

• EA8DBM (Alex) will be active on 144, 1296, and 2320 MHz.

The main page with all the details regarding the activation and QSL information can be found at: https://www.qrz.com/db/C37EME

I was hoping to finish my portable 10 GHz setup in time for this trip, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a suitable portable dish, so I will only be running 3 bands on my end.

My main focus will, of course, be 23 cm. On Sunday, August 9, I will also give the 13 cm band a try for a while during the day. On 144 MHz, I can operate at elevation angles up to approximately 60 degrees.

The trip started, as usual for me, with a few minor hiccups.

My “portable shack” is at an altitude of 2000 meters in Natural Land. I arrived at the parking lot in front of the hotel, and I needed an internet connection to find my reservation. I pulled out my portable Starlink, set it down in front of the car, and waited for the connection to establish. I turned away for just a second, and some idiot drove their car right over my Starlink… “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see it!”

The parking area where I was planning to set up is quite far from the hotel, so the Wi-Fi naturally doesn’t reach. I need a way to sync time for WSJT-X operation and post in the chat—without internet, it’s a total nightmare. I quickly found and activated a random eSIM. The connection is spotty and slow, but at least it’s something.

Moonrise occurs at 01:30 AM, but due to the surrounding mountains, the minimum elevation is about 10 degrees.

The plan is to assemble and mount the 144 MHz Yagi and start on that band tonight, then switch to 23 cm once the main pileup dies down. However, in the afternoon, heavy rain and thunderstorms set in, forcing me to delay installation until 5:00 PM local time.

Assembling and setting up the new tripod and antenna usually takes about two hours if everything goes according to plan… but it never goes according to plan. In the end, everything was installed and checked by 11:00 PM local time. That left only a couple of hours for sleep, but that’s not what matters most. The main goal is to activate C31 on the VHF bands to the absolute maximum.

Activity was low during the night, but things picked up towards morning, resulting in 44 QSOs on 144 MHz in the log. I believe this is a new DXCC for many.

2026-08-07,00:38:00,2026-08-07,00:42:00,UA3PTW,KO93,144.141001,Q65,-28,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,00:42:00,2026-08-07,00:46:00,7K3LGC,QM06,144.141001,Q65,-20,-26,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,00:52:00,2026-08-07,00:56:00,JP3EXR,PM74,144.141001,Q65,-24,-28,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,01:24:00,2026-08-07,01:46:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,144.141001,Q65,-31,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,01:46:00,2026-08-07,01:50:00,OH3AWW,KP11VJ,144.141001,Q65,-19,-28,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,01:54:00,2026-08-07,01:58:00,OK1UGA,JO80DD,144.141001,Q65,-27,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,02:34:00,2026-08-07,02:38:00,JH0BBE,PM97LG,144.141001,Q65,-28,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,04:12:00,2026-08-07,04:16:00,PA3DZL,JO21LS,144.141001,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,04:28:00,2026-08-07,04:32:00,SM5KWU,JO89IP,144.141001,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,04:44:00,2026-08-07,04:48:00,S54AC,JN86,144.141001,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,04:50:00,2026-08-07,04:54:00,I2FAK,JN45OB,144.141001,Q65,-15,-16,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:09:00,2026-08-07,05:12:00,OH3KLJ,KP21PI,144.141001,Q65,-22,-28,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:12:00,2026-08-07,05:16:00,ZS4TX,KG30BW,144.141001,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:19:00,2026-08-07,05:22:00,I3MEK,JN55,144.141001,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:24:00,2026-08-07,05:28:00,IK2DDR,JN55GN,144.141001,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:36:00,2026-08-07,05:40:00,RD6F,LN05,144.141001,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:40:00,2026-08-07,05:44:00,G4BWP,JO02FH,144.141001,Q65,-24,-16,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:48:00,2026-08-07,05:52:00,DK5EW,JN48MB,144.141001,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,05:58:00,2026-08-07,06:02:00,OH1MA,KP10,144.141001,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,06:02:00,2026-08-07,06:06:00,OH1NIL,KP11,144.141001,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,06:18:00,2026-08-07,06:22:00,DF1NP,JN58,144.141001,Q65,-24,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:14:00,2026-08-07,07:18:00,9H1TX,JM75FU,144.141001,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:18:00,2026-08-07,07:22:00,S51ZO,JN86DR,144.141001,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:22:00,2026-08-07,07:26:00,SM5DIC,JO89JT,144.141001,Q65,-22,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:26:00,2026-08-07,07:30:00,G4YTL,IO92MB,144.141001,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:30:00,2026-08-07,07:34:00,PY5KD,GG54IO,144.141001,Q65,-20,-27,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:32:00,2026-08-07,07:36:00,SM4GGC,JO69RK,144.141001,Q65,-22,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:36:00,2026-08-07,07:40:00,S52LM,JN65TX,144.141001,Q65,-26,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:40:00,2026-08-07,07:44:00,SM6NOC,JO68,144.141001,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:44:00,2026-08-07,07:48:00,SK5AA,JO89JT,144.141001,Q65,-26,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:48:00,2026-08-07,07:52:00,R1NW,KP71,144.141001,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:52:00,2026-08-07,07:56:00,R2PX,,144.141001,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,07:58:00,2026-08-07,08:02:00,OM4CW,JN88,144.141001,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:02:00,2026-08-07,08:06:00,OG4X,KP10,144.141001,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:06:00,2026-08-07,08:10:00,IK4ICZ,JN64,144.141001,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:10:00,2026-08-07,08:14:00,OK1DTC,JO60TO,144.141001,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:18:00,2026-08-07,08:22:00,G4SWX,JO02PB,144.141001,Q65,-18,-27,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:22:00,2026-08-07,08:26:00,IW4ARD,JN64FD,144.141001,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:26:00,2026-08-07,08:30:00,YO4GJH,KN35XG,144.141001,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:30:00,2026-08-07,08:34:00,KG6NK,DM03,144.141001,Q65,-25,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:38:00,2026-08-07,08:42:00,OZ5QF,JO44UX,144.141001,Q65,-23,-15,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:44:00,2026-08-07,08:48:00,WQ5S,EM13CI,144.141001,Q65,-24,-29,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:48:00,2026-08-07,08:52:00,SM2BYC,KP25AX,144.141001,Q65,-15,-16,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,08:54:00,2026-08-07,08:58:00,WA6LOL,CM97TX,144.141001,Q65,-32,-25,,,,,,,

Once I seemed to have worked everyone interested, I moved to 23 cm, where a fantastic pileup was waiting for me! I ended up with 40 QSOs on 23 cm in the log.

2026-08-07,10:24:00,2026-08-07,10:26:02,UA3PTW,KO93,1296.101001,Q65,-25,-13,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:26:00,2026-08-07,10:28:00,PA3DZL,JO21LS,1296.101001,Q65,-14,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:29:00,2026-08-07,10:31:00,NC1I,FN32OB,1296.101001,Q65,-12,-13,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:32:00,2026-08-07,10:34:00,OE9ERC,JN47VL,1296.101001,Q65,-09,-03,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:34:00,2026-08-07,10:36:00,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.101001,Q65,-16,-13,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:36:00,2026-08-07,10:38:00,G4CCH,IO93QL,1296.101001,Q65,-15,-14,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:38:00,2026-08-07,10:40:00,ON4AOI,JO21BA,1296.101001,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:40:00,2026-08-07,10:42:00,DF3RU,JN59UL,1296.101001,Q65,-15,-16,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:42:00,2026-08-07,10:44:00,OK1UGA,JO80DD,1296.101001,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:44:00,2026-08-07,10:46:00,RA4HL,,1296.101001,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:46:00,2026-08-07,10:48:00,I2FAK,JN45OB,1296.101001,Q65,-20,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:48:00,2026-08-07,10:50:00,RY4C,,1296.101001,Q65,-15,-15,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:50:00,2026-08-07,10:52:00,PA3FXB,JO33KC,1296.101001,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:52:00,2026-08-07,10:54:00,VE6TA,DO33GS,1296.101001,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:54:00,2026-08-07,10:56:00,DL4DTU,JO60TS,1296.101001,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,10:58:00,2026-08-07,11:00:00,HB9Q,JN47CG,1296.101001,Q65,-12,-14,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:00:00,2026-08-07,11:02:00,N5TM,EL29DS,1296.101001,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:02:00,2026-08-07,11:04:00,SP5GDM,,1296.101001,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:04:00,2026-08-07,11:06:00,DG0FE,JO62UN,1296.101001,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:06:00,2026-08-07,11:08:00,G0LBK,IO93JK,1296.101001,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:08:00,2026-08-07,11:10:00,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.101001,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:10:00,2026-08-07,11:12:00,ON4QQ,JO20FS,1296.101001,Q65,-27,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:11:00,2026-08-07,11:13:04,AA6I,RD73,1296.101001,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:13:00,2026-08-07,11:15:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.101001,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:15:00,2026-08-07,11:17:00,PE1L,JO32BW,1296.101001,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:17:00,2026-08-07,11:19:00,OK1USW,JN69UN,1296.101001,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:19:00,2026-08-07,11:21:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101001,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:21:00,2026-08-07,11:23:00,DM2CFH,,1296.101001,Q65,-16,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:23:00,2026-08-07,11:25:00,PA0BAT,JO31FX,1296.101001,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:25:00,2026-08-07,11:27:00,DL1HUH,,1296.101001,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:28:00,2026-08-07,11:30:00,SM6CKU,JO67,1296.101001,Q65,-12,-15,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:30:00,2026-08-07,11:32:00,OZ9AAR,JO45TS,1296.101001,Q65,-14,-17,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:36:00,2026-08-07,11:38:00,CT1FFU,IM59KJ,1296.101001,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:42:00,2026-08-07,11:44:00,PA0TBR,JO21SL,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:53:00,2026-08-07,11:56:00,DF2VJ,JN39LI,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,11:56:00,2026-08-07,12:00:00,LZ4OC,KN33,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,12:00:00,2026-08-07,12:04:00,G4RGK,IO91ON,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,12:04:00,2026-08-07,12:08:00,EA8/RD4D,,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,12:18:00,2026-08-07,12:22:00,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-26,,,,,,,
2026-08-07,12:24:00,2026-08-07,12:28:00,IK3COJ,JN65BN,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

That brings it to a total of 88 QSOs for the first day. Not bad at all, if you ask me!

Despite the high level of QRM at his QTH, Jean-Jacques ON7EQ also did quite well, logging 24 QSOs on 432 MHz.

My plan for tomorrow is as follows: at sunrise (assuming no thunderstorms and provided I don’t oversleep), I’ll start on 23 cm, run that for a few hours, and then switch to 13 cm. After that, I’ll most likely move to 144 MHz. Of course, the weather and circumstances might adjust the plan along the way.

+++++++++

There was a thunderstorm and heavy rain during the night, but fortunately, as moonrise approached, the weather cleared up. The plan was to work 23 cm, then move to 13 cm, and after that choose between 1296 MHz or 144 MHz depending on demand. I left the dish deployed and drove the car over to the hotel, where they kindly let me recharge my 10.5 kWh capacity.

I managed to wake up when the moon was already at about 20 degrees elevation. Unfortunately, it was already a bit late for VK, there were still no active ZL stations on 23 cm, but there was plenty of time left for JA.

The moon is shining brightly, there is no wind, making operation pure pleasure—I can hear everyone, and everyone can hear me.

I added 25 QSOs on 1296 MHz to the log, and once I worked everyone there, I switched to 13 cm.

2026-08-08,02:58:00,2026-08-08,03:02:00,JA6AHB,PM53CP,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-27,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:02:00,2026-08-08,03:06:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.100999,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:06:00,2026-08-08,03:10:00,G4YTL,IO92MB,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:16:00,2026-08-08,03:20:00,IQ2DB,,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:20:00,2026-08-08,03:24:00,JQ3JWF,,1296.100999,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:24:00,2026-08-08,03:28:00,JS6UJS,,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:28:00,2026-08-08,03:32:00,UA9FAD,LO88AA,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-15,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:32:00,2026-08-08,03:36:00,ZS4TX,KG30BW,1296.100999,Q65,-19,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:36:00,2026-08-08,03:40:00,DL1AT,JO61SF,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:44:00,2026-08-08,03:48:00,IK7EZN,JN90DG,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:48:00,2026-08-08,03:52:00,UA1ALD,,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:54:00,2026-08-08,03:58:00,RX3DR,,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,03:58:00,2026-08-08,04:02:00,BA7NQ,OL63NA,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:02:00,2026-08-08,04:06:00,OK1IL,,1296.100999,Q65,-16,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:06:00,2026-08-08,04:10:00,JH3AZC,,1296.100999,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:10:00,2026-08-08,04:14:00,ON5GS,JO21VD,1296.100999,Q65,-17,-13,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:14:00,2026-08-08,04:18:00,ZS6JON,KG33VV,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:18:00,2026-08-08,04:22:00,DL8FBD,,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:22:00,2026-08-08,04:26:00,9H1BN,JM75GU,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:26:00,2026-08-08,04:30:00,OM4XA,,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:32:00,2026-0808,04:36:00,UA9YLU,MO92HX,1296.100999,Q65,-26,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:36:00,2026-08-08,04:40:00,ZS5Y,KF59JR,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,04:58:00,2026-08-08,05:02:00,KA1GT,FN54UJ,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,05:04:00,2026-08-08,05:08:00,DK5AI,JO51GO,1296.100999,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,05:26:00,2026-08-08,05:30:00,IK2DDR,JN55GN,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,

I added 10 QSOs on 13 cm to the log, but there were no more takers. I spent a couple of hours calling CQ, but people were working each other in the contest, and Andorra didn't generate much interest, so I switched back to the 23 cm band.

2026-08-08,05:48:00,2026-08-08,05:52:00,PA3DZL,JO21LS,2320.100999,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,05:52:00,2026-08-08,05:56:00,OK1DFC,JN79GW,2320.100999,Q65,-19,-05,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,05:56:00,2026-08-08,06:00:01,OK1KIR,JN79,2320.100999,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:02:00,2026-08-08,06:06:00,HB9Q,JN47CG,2320.100999,Q65,-09,-17,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:06:00,2026-08-08,06:10:00,PA0BAT,JO31FX,2320.100999,Q65,-17,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:11:00,2026-08-08,06:14:00,OE9ERC,JN47VL,2320.100999,Q65,-11,-13,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:14:00,2026-0808,06:18:00,OH3LWP,KP11WK,2320.100999,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:18:00,2026-08-08,06:22:00,G4CCH,IO93QL,2320.100999,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:22:00,2026-08-08,06:26:00,OH1LRY,KP11,2320.100999,Q65,-15,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,06:28:00,2026-08-08,06:32:00,DG5NFF,JN59,2320.101000,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,
Added in log 11 QSO

2026-08-08,08:36:00,2026-08-08,08:40:00,OK2DL,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-17,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,08:40:00,2026-08-08,08:44:00,IK2CDI,JN55GN,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,08:44:00,2026-08-08,08:48:00,F6KAR,JN36,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,08:50:00,2026-08-08,08:54:00,R1NW,KP71,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,08:54:00,2026-08-08,08:58:00,OT7K,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-14,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,08:58:00,2026-08-08,09:02:00,N4BAA,EM79HU,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-27,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,09:02:00,2026-08-08,09:06:00,ON4BCB,,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-16,,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,09:10:00,2026-08-08,09:14:00,CT1WO,IM58,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,09:14:00,2026-08-08,09:18:00,DJ2DY,,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,09:18:00,2026-08-08,09:22:00,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,09:32:00,2026-08-08,09:36:00,K6EME,DM06DK,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-15,,,,,,,

after more 3 QSO on 13 см

2026-08-08,09:56:00,2026-08-08,10:00:00,PA7JB,JO22MD,2320.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,10:20:00,2026-08-08,10:26:00,DF3RU,JN59UL,2320.101000,Q65,-18,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,10:26:00,2026-08-08,10:30:00,SP9VFD,JN99XN,2320.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

And then picked up another 10 QSOs on 23 cm.

2026-08-08,11:58:00,2026-08-08,12:00:05,KG0D,CN88,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-27,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:06:00,2026-08-08,12:08:05,IK5VLS,JN53GU,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:14:00,2026-08-08,12:16:04,KB2SA,DM13,1296.091000,Q65,-25,-30,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:26:00,2026-08-08,12:28:03,K3SK,FM07,1296.091000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:29:00,2026-08-08,12:32:15,KB7Q,DN54FW,1296.091000,Q65,-24,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:34:00,2026-08-08,12:36:01,KH6FA,BK29CB,1296.091000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,12:39:00,2026-08-08,12:42:03,W5AFY,EM04ID,1296.091000,Q65,-24,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,13:02:00,2026-08-08,13:06:00,K6FOD,DM04,1296.091000,Q65,-25,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,13:30:00,2026-08-08,13:34:00,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.091500,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-08,13:34:00,2026-08-08,13:38:00,N0FJP,EN34,1296.091500,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

In total, for this moon pass: 46 QSOs on 1296 MHz (bringing the total to 86 QSOs), 44 QSOs on 144 MHz, and 13 QSOs on 2320 MHz.

For the next moon pass on August 9th, I want to dedicate more time to the 144 MHz band in the morning. If there are requests closer to noon and the weather permits, I can switch to 1296 and 2320 MHz. Then, in the afternoon, I’ll likely head back to 144 MHz.

+++++++++++

I started the morning on 144 MHz. The result wasn't very impressive, but as I came to realize, closer to the evening I can only receive when the antenna is pointing away from the solar panels. Normal noise level is around 55 dB, but when the antenna turns toward the panels, the noise jumps to 69 dB. Of course, with an added 14 dB of noise, any EME operation is out of the question.

2026-08-09,02:48:00,2026-08-09,02:52:00,OZ7UV,JO65DH,144.141000,Q65,-21,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,03:00:00,2026-08-09,03:04:00,OZ1HDF,JO55,144.141000,Q65,-24,-32,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,03:12:00,2026-08-09,03:16:03,DK4RC,JO60EQ,144.141000,Q65,-23,-20,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,03:19:00,2026-08-09,03:24:00,JE3GRQ,PM75SR,144.141000,Q65,-24,-26,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:06:00,2026-08-09,04:10:00,UX0FF,KN45NI,144.141000,Q65,-29,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:28:00,2026-08-09,04:32:00,LZ1KU,KN32,144.141000,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:30:00,2026-08-09,04:34:41,UA9YJM,NO13VM,144.141000,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:46:00,2026-08-09,04:50:00,DL1SUZ,JO53UN,144.141000,Q65,-26,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:50:00,2026-08-09,04:54:00,R5BI,KO86,144.141000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,04:54:00,2026-08-09,04:58:00,G8RWG,IO91,144.141000,Q65,-22,-18,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,05:02:00,2026-08-09,05:06:00,DF7DX,JO42,144.141000,Q65,-18,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,05:10:00,2026-08-09,05:14:00,F5AQX,JN27,144.141000,Q65,-27,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,05:14:00,2026-08-09,05:18:00,S57M,JN76PO,144.141000,Q65,-25,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,05:20:00,2026-08-09,05:24:00,S56P,JN76SN,144.141000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,05:28:00,2026-08-09,05:32:00,OZ1LPR,JO44UW,144.141000,Q65,-13,-28,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:06:00,2026-08-09,07:10:00,IK4WLV,JN54XK,144.141000,Q65,-17,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:12:00,2026-08-09,07:16:00,IK2CDI,JN55GN,144.141000,Q65,-17,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:16:00,2026-08-09,07:20:00,DK5YA,JN49,144.141000,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:20:00,2026-08-09,07:24:00,PA3FYC,JO31,144.141000,Q65,-28,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:26:00,2026-08-09,07:30:00,F1HQM,JN23LV,144.141000,Q65,-23,-31,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:32:00,2026-08-09,07:36:00,SP8NR,KO12,144.141000,Q65,-23,-29,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,07:36:00,2026-08-09,07:40:00,UY5BC,KN29,144.141000,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,08:06:00,2026-08-09,08:10:00,NJ9R,EN62,144.141000,Q65,-26,-31,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,09:32:00,2026-08-09,09:36:00,DL6ZG,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,09:36:00,2026-08-09,09:40:00,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-25,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,10:06:00,2026-08-09,10:10:00,RA4HL,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,11:50:00,2026-08-09,11:54:00,W2HRO,FN20NG,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,11:58:00,2026-08-09,12:02:00,VE4SA,EN19,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,12:04:00,2026-08-09,12:08:00,M0FXX,IO91,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-24,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,12:24:00,2026-08-09,12:32:00,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-26,,,,,,,
2026-08-09,13:52:00,2026-0809,13:56:00,SM5DGX,JO89NW,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-19,,,,,,,

So today’s tally is 23 QSOs on 144 MHz (67 total) and 7 on 1296 MHz (93 total).

The plan for tomorrow: at sunrise, I'll stay at the current location and dedicate the whole morning to 144 MHz, as there are a ton of requests. Closer to noon, when the moon moves in the direction of the solar panels, I’ll pack up the entire setup and try to find a quieter spot. If I get lucky, I'll be able to work the western direction during moonset.

+++++++ 10 august

For the first time since I arrived, there was no rain or thunderstorm during the night. The previous night, it was impossible to sleep: a herd of about 30 cows, with bells the size of 8-liter buckets around their necks, wandered right onto the Naturland property. From about 2:00 AM on, the herd walked around the grounds and scratched themselves, clanging those giant cowbells. Sleep was impossible, even with the windows shut tight.

Thankfully, tonight it was horses and ponies instead—blessedly bell-free, just emitting the occasional friendly whinny ))) So I actually managed to get a good night’s sleep. Woke up at 4:00 AM, and by the time the moon cleared the mountain, I was fully set up and ready to go.

The noise level in the direction of moonrise is 51 dB (compared to 69 dB yesterday at moonset!)—absolute paradise. However, activity is very low; it seems like everyone in Europe is asleep.

Nevertheless, 11 QSOs were added to the log:

2026-08-10,04:42:00,2026-08-10,04:46:00,UT9UR,KO40XD,144.141001,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,04:52:00,2026-08-10,04:56:00,YO6DBA,KN36,144.141001,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,05:28:00,2026-08-10,05:32:00,UC1I,LP52,144.141001,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,05:40:00,2026-08-10,05:44:00,YU7SMN,KN05,144.141001,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,06:58:00,2026-08-10,07:02:00,K1DG,FN42JU,144.141001,Q65,-20,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:10:00,2026-08-10,07:14:00,DL8DAQ,JO31,144.141001,Q65,-24,-30,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:14:00,2026-08-10,07:18:00,PA0V,JO33II,144.141001,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:22:00,2026-08-10,07:26:08,IK2DDR,JN55GN,144.141001,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:34:00,2026-08-10,07:38:00,W9IP,FN12,144.141001,Q65,-21,-24,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:40:00,2026-08-10,07:44:00,HB9SHD,JN37,144.141001,Q65,-23,-28,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,07:46:00,2026-08-10,07:50:00,F4HBY,IN97,144.141001,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,

Then, as the heading to the moon drifted closer to the solar panels, the noise and hash spiked to the point where receiving anything became impossible. Over the next hour, I dragged the antenna array 50 meters down the road, further away from the panels—and the band turned crystal clear like spring water again, with the noise level right back at 51–52 dB. Consequently, I easily logged whoever managed to catch me: 12 QSOs.

2026-08-10,10:34:00,2026-08-10,10:38:00,W5ZN,EM45DH,144.140924,Q65,-22,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,10:38:00,2026-08-10,10:42:00,LY2IJ,KO25TF,144.140924,Q65,-25,-19,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,10:56:00,2026-08-10,11:00:00,K3SK,FM07,144.140924,Q65,-27,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:06:00,2026-08-10,11:10:00,K6EME,DM06DK,144.140924,Q65,-23,-30,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:12:00,2026-08-10,11:16:00,RW9FT,LO89,144.140924,Q65,-28,-31,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:18:00,2026-08-10,11:22:00,KB9TVR,EM49,144.140924,Q65,-26,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:22:00,2026-08-10,11:26:00,LY1G,KO05,144.140924,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:28:00,2026-08-10,11:32:00,OZ7MHZ,JO44,144.140924,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:35:00,2026-08-10,11:38:06,OK1VVP,JO79DO,144.140924,Q65,-27,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,11:52:00,2026-08-10,11:56:00,N0AKC,EN44GU,144.140924,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,12:22:00,2026-08-10,12:26:00,DF9YF,JO42GE,144.140924,Q65,-22,-15,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,12:30:00,2026-08-10,12:34:00,VA3DIF,FN04,144.140924,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

Then the moon moved to a 270-degree heading—pointing straight toward the solar panels from my position. The noise level shot back up to 61 dB, and as expected, I couldn’t hear a thing.

My only hope is that once the moon moves another 20 degrees or so further west, the noise will drop. Moving the setup a third time today and trekking somewhere else is out of the question—I’m completely out of energy.

As the saying goes, “first come, first served.”

2026-08-10,14:36:00,2026-08-10,14:40:00,ND4X,EM57TC,144.140924,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,14:48:00,2026-08-10,14:52:06,UT7QF,KN77NV,144.140924,Q65,-23,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,14:52:00,2026-08-10,14:56:00,IK4GNG,JN64,144.140924,Q65,-27,-24,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,15:00:00,2026-08-10,15:04:00,NH6V,BK29MJ,144.140924,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,15:08:00,2026-08-10,15:12:00,KC2HFQ,FN02,144.140924,Q65,-25,-32,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,15:58:00,2026-08-10,16:02:00,W4ZST,EM84,144.151001,Q65,-25,-15,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,16:08:00,2026-08-10,16:12:00,DD0VF,JO61,144.151001,Q65,-28,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,16:24:00,2026-08-10,16:28:00,KK8X,EM99,144.151001,Q65,-27,-29,,,,,,,

2026-08-10,16:38:00,2026-08-10,16:42:00,NX9O,,144.151001,Q65,-26,-25,,,,,,,

The DXpedition has practically come to an end. Tomorrow, August 11th, I can still spend a few hours on 144 MHz during moonrise in the morning. The antenna array is set up, and the remaining battery charge sits at 30%—about 3 kWh, which should easily cover a few hours of operation. So if anyone hasn't managed to make a contact yet, tomorrow is your chance to add Andorra to your log.

2026-08-11,05:04:00,2026-08-11,05:08:00,LZ2XF,KN33CI,144.141001,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

2026-08-11,05:10:00,2026-08-11,05:14:00,IW0RNA,JN62,144.141001,Q65,-20,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-11,05:50:00,2026-08-11,05:54:00,OZ7UV,JO65DH,144.141274,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2026-08-11,05:56:00,2026-08-11,06:00:00,IV3VEA,JN66,144.141274,Q65,-28,-26,,,,,,,

2026-08-11,06:10:00,2026-08-11,06:14:00,YL2FZ,KO37QI,144.141274,Q65,-25,-21,,,,,,,

2026-08-11,07:54:00,2026-08-11,07:58:00,F5AQX,JN27,144.141001,Q65,-28,-24,,,,,,,

The DXpedition has come to an end—huge thanks to everyone!

• 144 MHz: 105 QSOs

• 1296 MHz: 93 QSOs

• 2320 MHz: 13 QSOs

• Total: 211 EME QSOs

Special thanks to those who supported us with donations:

PA3FXB, KB7Q, OK1IL, N4BAA, DF2VJ

All of these funds will be donated to a local pediatric oncology charity project.

QSL management for this expedition (covering all QSOs across all bands) is handled by ON7EQ. Please find the QSL policy and details on the QRZ page: https://www.qrz.com/db/C37EME

73! Alex

I would like to run a small survey regarding activity and operations on the 13cm band. I’ve grown quite fond of this band and feel right at home there, but the activity level remains very low. This might be because I don’t announce my activations enough, focusing instead on 23cm where things are naturally busier and more exciting. Lugging an extra 10 kg of gear on a plane doesn’t make much sense if it only yields 7–10 QSOs. However, when I travel by car, taking the amplifier along is much more feasible.

For instance, here in Lithuania and Latvia, there is a widespread LTE network operating on Band 40, which runs exactly on 2320 MHz. Near major cities and highways, the 2320 MHz noise floor is completely obliterated—there’s a solid 59+20 dB roar. That said, it is possible to find a spot in the middle of nowhere, away from roads and down in a valley, to try and “hide” from the cell towers by driving some 20–30 km away from them.

But the main question is: does anyone actually need this?

I am planning my upcoming trips for this autumn and next summer, and I want to know which DXCC countries you would be interested in on 13cm. Please send your wishes to my email: ea8dbm@gmail.com

Feel free to use any format that suits you—whether it’s just a list of prefixes or a log file in ADIF or TXT format. I will feed this data into an AI prompt to generate a breakdown table of the most wanted countries.

By the way, we can do the same analysis for other bands too, anywhere from 144 MHz up to 10 GHz. So feel free to send your complete logs containing all bands. I believe this summary table might be interesting for you as well. Data confidentiality will be strictly maintained (for those to whom it matters).

Looking forward to your emails.

73, Alex EA8DBM

All of us who are active in EME naturally use chats for coordination, and today these are N0UK for 144 MHz and HB9Q for all higher bands. Many have grown accustomed to them, but they do have certain inherent limitations and inconveniences that I have tried to fix.

For many years, people have been using EMEchat on 144 MHz and are probably well used to it by now. However, thanks to Dan, HB9Q, who wrote an API and made it possible to connect to his platform, we now have the opportunity to add all the other chats for the “upper” bands, from 432 MHz up to 10 GHz.

https://www.emechat.com/asp/index.asp?#

EMEchat is a web application designed for Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) enthusiasts to communicate, schedule skeds, and coordinate contacts.

The platform seamlessly integrates with the historically established N0UK (for 144 MHz) and HB9Q (for 432 MHz and above) chat systems. All messages are cross-posted in real time: anything sent in EMEchat is mirrored to N0UK/HB9Q, and vice versa. This approach ensures full backward compatibility without disrupting the existing EME information ecosystem.

Key Features & Functionality

• Real-time EME Data (Top Right): Displays current Sun and Moon positions for your QTH locator, Moonrise (MR) and Moonset (MS) times, lunar declination, UTC time, and the estimated degradation level for the 144 MHz band.

• Log Integration: You can upload your logs in ADIF format to automatically track and highlight new DXCC countries, initial contacts (inits), CQ zones, and QTH locators on your selected band.

• Station Monitor & Bandmap (Right Side): Displays a list of currently online stations and a live bandmapshowing who is calling CQ and on which frequency.

• Quick Macros (Below Chat Window): Features dedicated macro buttons pre-configured with the most common EME phrases to save time when sending standard messages.

• Smart Chat Input: Clicking on any callsign automatically inserts it into the message input field, making it clear who your message is addressed to.

• Interactive Callsign Tooltips: Hovering over a callsign opens a pop-up window containing:

  • The station’s setup details (antenna and output power).

  • A direct link to their QRZ.com profile.

  • Their local Moonrise/Moonset times and current Moon position.

  • An “Add QSO” button to manually log a contact on the fly without re-uploading the entire ADIF file, instantly marking them as worked.

• Infinite History & Search: The entire chat history is stored indefinitely. Older messages load automatically as you scroll down. A dedicated “Search” button allows you to filter messages by callsign or text fragments.

• Auto-Refresh: The chat automatically refreshes every 5 seconds. A countdown timer inside a rotating circle in the top right corner indicates the refresh cycle.

Top Menu Configuration

1. “My Data”

Consists of four sub-sections:

• My Data: Manage your callsign, name, email, password, and active operating bands.

• My QTH: Manage your uploaded logs. You can maintain multiple logs for different QTH locators or DXCC entities (e.g., for DXpeditions), or separate contest logs to easily spot new multipliers.

• My TX/RX: Specify your hardware setup details for various bands, antennas, and amplifiers.

• HB9Q Chat: Enter your HB9Q messenger credentials to enable cross-posting to the HB9Q system (applicable for 432 MHz bands and above).

2. “Settings”

Allows you to customize the color-coding for messages and callsigns. For example, you can set a red highlight for a new DXCC country, and different colors for new Locators, Inits, or Zones. You can also enable audio alerts whenever your callsign is mentioned in the chat.

3. “Follow”

Allows you to track specific callsigns (e.g., upcoming DXpeditions). The system will send you a notification as soon as the selected stations appear or are mentioned in the chat.

4. “Manage Logs”

A dedicated interface to link, switch, and manage your different log files.

5. “SMS Alerts” (Currently Disabled)

Designed to send SMS notifications to your mobile phone whenever a new DXCC country, QTH locator, or Initial contact appears in the chat.

P.S. EMEchat is currently in the process of a major backend rewrite to a new platform, so a few sections are temporarily unavailable. This includes SMS alerts, the PSKreporter spot map for bands starting from 6m (to evaluate terrestrial propagation), the logging system, and password recovery. The work is estimated to take about two months.

If you have any ideas, suggestions, or bug reports, please feel free to drop me an email at: ea8dbm@gmail.com

73! Alex

Huge thanks to Jac, PA3DZL, for his persistence and patience! This was our third attempt, and the QSO is finally in the log.

On my end, the setup consisted of a portable dish covered in aluminum foil, a brand new 150W amplifier from Petr (AG6EE), and an IC-905. On Jac’s end, he was running a 4-meter dish and 400 watts. His entire station, as always, performed flawlessly.

Our first attempt was made a year ago, but back then, neither I nor Jac could hear a thing. My suspicion was that the first stage of the SG Labs transverter had gone into self-oscillation. After that, I decided to steer clear of that Bulgarian-made gear and switched over to the IC-905.

On May 20th, I aimed the dish at the sun, but the sun-to-cold-sky ratio was basically non-existent—only about 1 to 1.5 dB, compared to the usual 7 dB I get on 23 cm. The antenna pattern was slightly skewed to the left by about 3 to 4 degrees (just like on 23 cm), but I’m aware of this quirk of my dish, and since the moon was clearly visible to the naked eye, I compensated for it by manual aiming.

Right away, I saw an excellent path and decodes from PA3DZL—a stable -23 dB every single period. I kept my fingers crossed, but unfortunately, Jac couldn’t hear me at all—literally zero! After half an hour of “voodoo dancing,” I realized that the 10-meter transmit cable (13 mm from Messi & Paoloni) might be introducing massive losses. So, I went QRT, rescheduled with Jac for the next day, and went to build a new, short 4-meter cable so I could move the amplifier right under the antenna for tomorrow’s run.

The next morning, I quickly put everything together with the amp positioned right under the dish. But while testing the PA, a new curse struck—the PTT line stopped working. It would key up manually, but over the 6-meter control line, there wasn’t enough current anymore. By the time I figured out what was wrong, the moon was already high up. I decided to hold off on soldering a new reed relay until tomorrow and instead attempted to complete the QSO manually, keying the PTT by hand every single cycle.

Just like the day before, I saw PA3DZL stably at -22 to -24 dB, and today—eureka!—the QSO is in the log. I believe this is the first-ever 13 cm QSO between EA8 and PA.

+++++++++++++++++

For me, this band has always been somewhat “cursed.” The whole saga started back in the autumn of either 2016 or 2017—I can’t even remember exactly anymore.

I had a 4.5m dish, a 270W amplifier, and an SG Labs transverter hooked up to my good old Elecraft K3. We were rushing to get ready for the autumn leg of the ARRL EME 13 cm contest. As the moon cleared the horizon, several excellent signals popped up on the waterfall—the dish and the G4DDK preamp were working beautifully. I got my first decode, hit the TX, and upon switching back to RX, I realized that the LNA was completely dead. It had left our mortal world and “gone to heaven.”

Further investigation revealed that the SG Labs unit features a built-in VOX that wasn’t documented anywhere—with the predictable outcome.

+++++++++

I was hoping to do some operating with the portable setup this past winter, but during my expeditions to Albania and Turkey in the autumn of 2025, the amplifier stopped putting out power. Huge thanks to Petr, AG6EE—this spring, he shipped me a brand new replacement amplifier, which safely reached me.

Now, the plan is to swap out the feed on my 4.5m dish and hook up my 270W amplifier. But that will have to wait until after the EME conference.

I’m glad to announce my 36th mini DXpedition! From June 12th to June 17th, 2026, I plan to visit the Saint Pierre and Miquelon islands and activate the 2m and 23cm bands via EME. The only way to get to the islands from Halifax (Canada) is by a small ATR-72 aircraft, which comes with strict weight limits: only 4 suitcases of 23 kg each. If I have any space left, I’ll also bring a 13cm amplifier (but this will only be clear after I finish packing all the equipment and antennas).

To my knowledge, the last 23cm activation from these islands was back in 2013, so I believe this should be of great interest to many of you. For 23cm and 13cm, I’ll be using the same setup as before. For 2m, I’ll have a 2x9 Yagi and a 1 kW amplifier.

As usual, please check this page for any updates or changes. Unfortunately, updates on this blog platform are not announced automatically (email notifications are only sent for the initial post).

++++++++++ Update: June 8th

Everything seems ready! I’ve managed to pack 3 bands into four 23 kg suitcases and one 15 kg bag.

The schedule is now set in stone: I arrive by ferry from Saint Pierre to Miquelon on Friday, June 12th at 19:00 local time. By then, the moon will have already set.

I will have about 6 hours to assemble my entire setup and be ready for moonrise (MR) at 4:00 AM. Since my maximum possible elevation on 144 MHz is limited from 0 to 45 degrees (due to the tripod height), the plan—which usually doesn’t survive first contact with reality—is to start on 144 MHz. Once the moon climbs higher, I’ll switch to 23 cm and 13 cm, and then go back to 144 MHz when the elevation allows.

If it’s cloudy and I can’t visually aim at the moon, I’ll set up the 23 cm gear first, and then “aim” it during the day using the sun.

I plan to run one MR and one MS on 23 cm to give JA and VK stations a chance to work me. On Monday, June 15th, the sun will be positioned close to the moon, so I will most likely stay on 144 MHz only.

My return ferry ticket is booked for the evening of June 16th, so I will be active across all bands for half of that moon pass.

I tried mounting the 144 MHz antenna on my “fly-away” portable rotator, but the leverage is way too high, and I’m afraid it wouldn’t last a day. Because of this, I’m packing an extra manual rotator/elevator and will swap it out specifically for 2-meter operation. Also, I can change the polarization from horizontal to vertical (or vice versa) within just a couple of minutes if Faraday rotation gets “stuck” for too long.

See you on the air!

+++++++++ update 12 June 18.15 utc

I have safely landed on Saint Pierre Island! As it turns out, there are no taxis waiting at the airport unless you book one in advance by phone. However, the locals are incredibly friendly and helpful; they saw us—outsiders with a massive pile of bags and suitcases—and kindly made a call for us. A taxi arrived just 10 minutes later.

The weather is fantastic—sunny, calm, and by local standards, it’s a scorching +12°C! In an hour and a half, we take the ferry to Miquelon Island.

Something else is making me a bit nervous, though: while on the plane, I spotted the tiny house I rented in a promotional brochure, and it features that dreaded phrase—eco-cabin with solar panels. I just hope I won’t end up there with no electricity or stuck with a 100-watt hourly limit... Well, everything will be clear in a couple of hours!

+++++++++ 13 June 04.20 utc

I made it to the location! My fears turned out to be completely groundless—the house is powered by both solar panels and the main grid. The western and eastern horizons are more or less clear. It’s only 12°C outside, but all the locals are walking around in shorts, telling me how warm it is! )))

The original plan was to set up the dish for 23 and 13 cm, do a quick check, and then assemble the 144 MHz station, as that setup usually takes a good two to three hours of tinkering.

I quickly put the dish together and started with 13 cm. RX was fine, and TX was pushing about 140 watts. Then I quickly swapped the septum feed for 23 cm, turned it on—and got zero reception. I changed the cable, but to no avail. I tried switching to TX and only saw the driving power coming from the transceiver. Literally the day before the flight, everything had been tested and packed into the suitcases only after a successful check. It looks like something broke off during airport handling due to high G-forces. I wasted several hours trying to figure out what happened, but with no luck. It seems like 23 cm is going to be a no-go.

I tried assembling the 144 MHz station in the dark, but after half an hour, I realized that doing this with no light and the temperature dropping to around 3–5°C outside was simply impossible. It is now 3:00 AM local time, and I am completely exhausted. I’m going to get some sleep, and as soon as it gets light at dawn, I’ll get to work assembling the 2-meter setup.

++++++++++++++++++

A Day Full of Adventures

Today was packed with events and adventures. In the morning, I figured that if working 23 cm from Miquelon just wasn’t meant to be, I should at least activate 13 cm. Plus, I thought some guys might still be interested in FP on 2 meters, even though there was another expedition here a year ago.

I mounted the 13 cm septum feed on the dish (a huge thank you to Zdenek, OK1DFC, for this gift!). I aimed it using the sun, and it performed quite well: Cold Sky vs. Sun gave me around 4 to 4.5 dB.

I managed to put 4 QSOs in the log:

2026-06-13,12:41:00,2026-06-13,12:45:56,W5LUA,EM13QC,2304.101000,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,12:52:00,2026-06-13,12:54:03,OK1KIR,JN79,2304.101000,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,13:01:00,2026-06-13,13:05:56,OK1USW,JN69UN,2304.101000,Q65,-22,-26,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,13:24:00,2026-06-13,13:28:00,PA0BAT,JO31FX,2320.101000,Q65,-15,-20,,,,,,,

There was no one else around, and since I don’t have a working amp for 1296 MHz, I moved on to installing the 2x9 element Yagis for 144 MHz. That took a solid two hours. Since the weather was completely calm, I decided to mount the whole assembly onto the rotator so I wouldn’t have to constantly “chase” the correct azimuth manually later on.

I powered it up, and voila... I didn’t hear the expected 25 dB jump from the preamp. It was the exact same story as yesterday with the 23 cm amplifier. When turning the LNA power on, I only noticed about a 1 dB difference in noise floor.

And right then, it finally hit me! The Icom IC-905 has a single N-connector output for 144, 432, and 1296 MHz, while 2320 MHz uses a separate SMA. To avoid carrying multiple cables on this trip, I had screwed a supposedly “proven” adapter onto that N-connector. If that adapter went bad, it perfectly explains the complete lack of both RX and TX.

Here is the little bastard:

I threw away that piece of Chinese garbage, put on a randomly found, super-long jumper cable, tested it, and… eureka! I have both RX and TX! I’m slightly underdriving the amplifier, pushing out about 250 watts at the output, but while the moon hasn’t set in Europe yet, I quickly jumped on the air.

I managed to put 29 QSOs in the log:

2026-06-13,15:15:30,2026-06-13,15:16:31,ON4AOI,JO21BA,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:17:30,2026-06-13,15:18:34,OZ9AAR,JO45TS,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:18:00,2026-06-13,15:20:00,OK1UGA,JO80DD,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:23:30,2026-06-13,15:24:49,NC1I,FN32OB,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-14,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:25:30,2026-06-13,15:26:25,EA8/RD4D,,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:27:30,2026-06-13,15:28:39,SP9VFD,JN99XN,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:28:00,2026-06-13,15:30:00,DL4DTU,JO60TS,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:30:00,2026-06-13,15:32:00,PA3FXB,JO33KC,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:32:00,2026-06-13,15:34:00,K5DOG,EM00WH,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-18,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:34:00,2026-06-13,15:36:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:36:00,2026-0613,15:38:00,OH3LWP,KP11WK,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:38:00,2026-06-13,15:40:00,N5TM,EL29DS,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:41:30,2026-06-13,15:43:58,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:47:00,2026-06-13,15:48:57,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:48:00,2026-06-13,15:50:00,KB2SA,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:50:00,2026-06-13,15:52:00,I2FAK,JN45OB,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,15:52:00,2026-06-13,15:54:00,PE1L,JO32BW,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,16:07:00,2026-06-13,16:09:28,G4YTL,IO92MB,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,16:08:00,2026-06-13,16:12:00,F5KUG,JN03,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,16:12:00,2026-06-13,16:14:59,KN2K,FM18,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-25,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,16:14:00,2026-06-13,16:18:00,G4CCH,IO93QL,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-13,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,16:18:00,2026-06-13,16:22:00,GW4ZHI,IO82AH,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-25,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,20:04:00,2026-06-13,20:08:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,20:10:00,2026-06-13,20:14:00,W5LUA,EM13QC,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,20:14:00,2026-06-13,20:18:00,JQ3JWF,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,20:36:00,2026-06-13,20:40:00,W2HRO,FN20NG,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,20:44:00,2026-06-13,20:48:00,JS6UJS,PL24,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,20:56:00,2026-06-13,21:00:00,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-13,21:16:00,2026-06-13,21:20:00,JH3AZC,PM85,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-23,,,,,,,

Once I cleared the pileup, I moved the antenna and tried working on 144 MHz. Everyone could hear me perfectly with my kilowatt signal, but on my end, I couldn't get a single decode!!! The LNA seems intact; there was no reason for it to blow out. The only explanation I could come up with is that the antenna was pointing directly toward the neighbors' solar panels. When I rotated the antenna away by about 20 degrees, the noise floor dropped by a whopping 12 dB! It’s highly possible that the LNA is simply overloading on RX. But by that point, I had absolutely no energy left to troubleshoot, so I’ll leave it for another day. The antenna is still assembled for now, just sitting off to the side.

In the morning, as soon as moonrise begins (my eastern horizon is blocked, so I can only start operating once the elevation reaches about 10 degrees), I will be on 23 cm first. After I work everyone there, I’ll switch over to 13 cm. Once that's done, I'll try to figure out what’s wrong with 144 MHz—by then, the azimuth will be pointing toward the sea rather than the solar panels.

++++++++++++++++

Moonrise (MR) here is slightly blocked by a hill, but I can start operating once the elevation hits about 8 degrees. There was no wind—just a bit of drizzle, but nothing to worry about.

I started on 23 cm and worked everyone who wanted a QSO within 3 hours. After that, I quickly switched over to 13 cm. The dish performs beautifully, and I added 3 more QSOs to the log. Unfortunately, there was no one else around.

Next, to investigate the trouble I had on 144 MHz yesterday, I quickly took down the dish and put up the 2-meter Yagis. I turned it on and noticed that from this specific heading, the noise floor was at 58 dB, compared to yesterday’s 68 dB when pointing at 260–270 degrees. I called a quick CQ and managed to sneak in 3 QSOs before the moon’s reflectors were already resting on the ground. So, I decided to postpone 144 MHz until the evening when the moon reaches 50 degrees elevation.

I put the dish back up, screwed on the 23 cm septum feed, turned it on, and… dead silence.

I couldn’t hear any LNA noise. There was absolutely no reason for it to blow out, so I took it down and realized that the cable output jack had been completely ripped out at the root. Opening it up is impossible because, like a fool, I had sealed it with silicone to protect it from moisture. And I didn’t bring a spare on this trip due to running 3 bands and dealing with severe baggage overweight across all suitcases. So, my operation on 23 cm is officially over—as the saying goes, “the early bird catches the worm.” I put the 13 cm septum feed back on, but it seems everyone already has Saint Pierre and Miquelon on that band. I calibrated the azimuth using sun noise (was happy to hear the sun at 5 dB), and then went to take down the dish to put up the 144 MHz Yagis. On my way through the bushes, I tripped over a cable and completely ripped out and broke the rotator connector. So now I’m left with no elevation readout. But that’s fine, as I can just check it periodically with a manual inclinometer.

I managed to add another ten QSOs on 144 MHz to the log. I kept working until the moon drifted back into yesterday’s noisy sector. The baseline noise floor jumped by 10 dB, and consequently, I stopped decoding anyone.

2026-06-14,08:20:00,2026-06-14,08:24:00,ZS5Y,KF59JR,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,08:26:00,2026-06-14,08:30:00,JA6AHB,PM53CP,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,08:30:00,2026-06-14,08:34:00,SP5GDM,,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,08:34:00,2026-06-14,08:38:00,IK5VLS,JN53GU,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,08:38:00,2026-06-14,08:42:00,OK1IL,JN69,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,08:42:00,2026-06-14,08:46:00,DM2CFH,JO61,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,08:46:00,2026-06-14,08:50:00,UA9FAD,LO88AA,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,08:50:00,2026-06-14,08:54:00,DK0ZAB,JO61,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,08:58:00,2026-06-14,09:00:00,ZS4TX,KG30BW,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:00:00,2026-06-14,09:02:00,DF2VJ,JN39LI,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:02:00,2026-06-14,09:04:00,RA4HL,,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-12,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:04:00,2026-06-14,09:06:00,OK2DL,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-07,-13,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:06:00,2026-06-14,09:08:00,ON5GS,JO21VD,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-10,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:08:00,2026-06-14,09:10:00,OK1USW,JN69UN,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:10:00,2026-06-14,09:12:00,PA0TBR,JO21SL,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:12:00,2026-06-14,09:14:00,IK3COJ,JN65BN,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-14,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:14:00,2026-06-14,09:16:00,RX3DR,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:16:00,2026-06-14,09:18:00,YO2LAM,KN05PS,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:18:00,2026-06-14,09:20:00,DL8FBD,,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:20:00,2026-0614,09:22:00,UA9YLU,MO92HX,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-14,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:22:00,2026-06-14,09:24:00,R1NW,KP71,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-16,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:24:00,2026-06-14,09:26:00,RW9OG,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:26:00,2026-06-14,09:28:00,RW6HM,LN14,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:28:00,2026-06-14,09:30:00,DL1AT,JO61SF,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-16,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:30:00,2026-06-14,09:32:00,DL6ZG,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-14,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:32:00,2026-06-14,09:34:00,G0LBK,IO93JK,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-13,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:34:00,2026-06-14,09:36:00,OM4XA,,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:36:00,2026-06-14,09:38:00,IQ2DB,JN45,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:38:00,2026-06-14,09:40:00,PA0BAT,JO31FX,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,09:42:00,2026-06-14,09:44:00,UA3PTW,,1296.101000,Q65,-06,-23,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,10:00:00,2026-06-14,10:02:00,SM6CKU,JO67,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-06,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,10:02:00,2026-06-14,10:04:00,DJ2DY,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,10:05:00,2026-06-14,10:07:00,G4RGK,IO91ON,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,10:12:00,2026-06-14,10:16:00,F4BLE,JN23,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,10:16:00,2026-06-14,10:20:00,PH0V,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,10:22:00,2026-0614,10:26:00,HG5BMU,JN97NQ,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,10:28:00,2026-06-14,10:32:00,UA1ALD,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,10:40:00,2026-06-14,10:42:00,PA1PS,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,10:43:00,2026-06-14,10:45:00,SV3AAF,KM17,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,10:46:00,2026-06-14,10:48:00,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-17,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,11:03:30,2026-06-14,11:05:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,11:12:00,2026-06-14,11:16:00,DG0FE,JO62UN,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,11:18:00,2026-06-14,11:22:00,K3SK,FM07,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-27,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,11:22:00,2026-06-14,11:26:00,ZS6JON,KG33VV,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,11:28:00,2026-06-14,11:32:00,CT1WO,IM58,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,11:32:00,2026-06-14,11:36:00,N4BAA,EM79HU,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,12:02:00,2026-0614,12:06:00,OH3LWP,KP11WK,2304.101000,Q65,-14,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,12:08:00,2026-06-14,12:12:00,OK1DFC,JN79GW,2304.101000,Q65,-13,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,12:16:00,2026-06-14,12:20:00,G4CCH,IO93QL,2320.101000,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,13:02:00,2026-06-14,13:06:00,I3MEK,,144.141000,Q65,-25,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,13:12:00,2026-06-14,13:16:00,I2FAK,JN45OB,144.141000,Q65,-19,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,14:06:00,2026-06-14,14:10:01,UA3PTW,,144.141000,Q65,-27,-23,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,18:18:00,2026-06-14,18:22:00,WA6LOL,CM97TX,144.141000,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,18:24:00,2026-06-14,18:28:00,G4SWX,JO02PB,144.141000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,18:28:00,2026-06-14,18:32:00,SM2BYC,KP25AX,144.141000,Q65,-17,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,18:34:00,2026-06-14,18:38:00,K1DG,FN42JU,144.141000,Q65,-24,-28,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,18:38:00,2026-06-14,18:42:00,KG6NK,DM03,144.141000,Q65,-23,-28,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,18:42:00,2026-06-14,18:46:00,OH4LA,KP20,144.141000,Q65,-25,-29,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,18:52:00,2026-06-14,18:54:05,VE7PS,DN09SA,144.141000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,19:02:00,2026-06-14,19:06:00,K6EME,DM06DK,144.141000,Q65,-26,-28,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,19:12:00,2026-06-14,19:16:00,JH2COZ,PM94,144.141000,Q65,-26,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-14,19:22:00,2026-06-14,19:26:00,KD2LGX,FN13,144.141000,Q65,-26,-25,,,,,,,

Total : 95 QSO in log.

Plans for tomorrow: I will start operating on 144 MHz right at my moonrise, keeping at it until the moon rises to about 60 degrees. I’ve checked the noise levels, and thankfully, it seems completely quiet from those headings. After that, I’ll take a break while the moon transitions, and then I’ll have one more hour to catch it before it drifts back into the interference sector.

+++++++++

Quick update: I managed to crack open the 23 cm LNA and pull off a temporary fix! So, I will be back active on 1296 MHz tomorrow after all!

As planned, I started the morning on 144 MHz. There was zero noise from the east, and I was able to operate until the moon reached about 55 degrees elevation—that was the absolute limit allowed by the tripod’s height. For the next expedition, I’ll definitely need to modify the tripod with an extendable center column so I can work up to at least 70 degrees elevation.

Once the moon’s reflectors were resting on the ground, I mounted the dish back on the tripod. At the request of DL4DTU, we pulled off a quick and easy QSO on 13 cm. It’s a very interesting band; it’s just a shame that activity there is so low.

Next, I swapped the feed to 23 cm, screwed on the LNA that I had soldered back together last night, and worked everyone who was looking for a contact on 23 cm.

Right around that time, the moon’s elevation allowed me to put the 2-meter Yagis back on the tripod and do some more work. As usual, the noise was pouring in from this heading, but luck was on my side today—it dropped out occasionally, which allowed me to sneak in a few more QSOs:

2026-06-15,08:52:00,2026-06-15,08:56:00,ZS4TX,KG30BW,144.141000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,08:58:00,2026-06-15,09:02:00,OE3NFC,JN88EA,144.141000,Q65,-20,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,09:02:00,2026-06-15,09:06:00,DF1NP,JN58,144.141000,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,09:10:00,2026-06-15,09:14:00,7K3LGC,QM06,144.141000,Q65,-21,-32,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,09:16:00,2026-06-15,09:20:00,JP3EXR,PM74,144.141000,Q65,-25,-27,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,09:26:00,2026-06-15,09:30:00,DL8DAQ,JO31,144.141000,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,09:32:00,2026-06-15,09:42:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,144.141000,Q65,-25,-29,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,09:42:00,2026-06-15,09:46:00,G8RWG,IO91,144.141000,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,09:46:00,2026-06-15,09:50:00,S52LM,JN65TX,144.141000,Q65,-20,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,09:50:00,2026-06-15,09:54:05,JQ3JWF,,144.141000,Q65,-31,-29,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,10:22:00,2026-06-15,10:26:00,SP8NR,KO12,144.141000,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,10:36:00,2026-06-15,10:40:00,IK2DDR,JN55GN,144.141000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,10:44:00,2026-06-15,10:48:00,UA9YJM,NO13VM,144.141000,Q65,-26,-30,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,11:18:00,2026-06-15,11:22:00,S51ZO,JN86DR,144.141000,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,12:10:00,2026-06-15,12:14:00,OH1MA,KP10,144.141000,Q65,-24,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,12:16:00,2026-06-15,12:20:00,SM4GGC,JO69RK,144.141000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,12:26:00,2026-06-15,12:30:00,OH3AWW,KP11VJ,144.141000,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,12:52:00,2026-06-15,12:56:00,YO4GJH,KN35XG,144.141000,Q65,-27,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,13:04:00,2026-06-15,13:08:02,YU7SMN,,144.141000,Q65,-25,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,13:10:00,2026-06-15,13:14:00,UY5BC,KN29,144.141000,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,13:14:00,2026-06-15,13:18:00,LZ1KU,KN32,144.141000,Q65,-23,-29,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,13:24:00,2026-06-15,13:28:00,PA0V,JO33II,144.141000,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,13:28:00,2026-06-15,13:32:00,UT7QF,KN77NV,144.141000,Q65,-27,-25,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,15:34:00,2026-06-15,15:38:00,DL4DTU,JO60TS,2304.101000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,16:02:00,2026-06-15,16:06:00,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-12,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,16:08:00,2026-06-15,16:12:00,CT1FFU,IM59KJ,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,16:14:00,2026-06-15,16:18:00,SP3TLJ,JO82,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,16:18:00,2026-06-15,16:22:00,DF3RU,JN59UL,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-17,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,16:24:00,2026-06-15,16:28:00,SP3YDE,JO82UM,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,16:48:00,2026-06-15,16:52:00,DL1HUH,JO61,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-13,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,17:08:00,2026-06-15,17:16:00,OK2AQ,JN89EU,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-28,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,17:40:00,2026-06-15,17:48:00,W3TI,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-35,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,18:11:00,2026-06-15,18:13:59,PE1LWT,JO22VA,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,18:16:00,2026-06-15,18:24:00,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,18:50:00,2026-06-15,18:54:00,W5AFY,EM04ID,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,18:58:00,2026-06-15,19:02:00,LU1HKO,FF78VN,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-31,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,19:22:00,2026-06-15,19:26:00,KG0D,CN88,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-27,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,19:28:00,2026-06-15,19:32:00,K3SK,FM07,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-25,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,20:12:00,2026-06-15,20:16:00,SM5KWU,JO89IP,144.141000,Q65,-29,-29,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,20:46:00,2026-06-15,20:50:00,SM5DIC,JO89JT,144.141000,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,21:22:00,2026-06-15,21:26:00,ND4X,EM57TC,144.141000,Q65,-25,-32,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,21:30:00,2026-06-15,21:34:00,JH0BBE,PM97LG,144.141000,Q65,-26,-26,,,,,,,

2026-06-15,21:38:00,2026-06-15,21:42:00,NJ9R,EN62,144.141000,Q65,-26,-27,,,,,,,

Bringing the total to 43 QSOs for this moon pass.

Total : 138 QSO in log.

Tomorrow, right at my moonrise, I will be on 144 MHz—there are still plenty of unworked stations left out there. I only have half a day, though, because the ferry leaves at 6:00 PM, and before that, everything needs to be torn down, sorted out, and packed into the suitcases. Therefore, I will be active from around 10:00 to 14:00 UTC. After that, it’s a high-speed packing session and a taxi ride straight to the port.

+++++++++++

The weather forecast didn’t let me down—the morning started with a beautiful, sunny, and calm moonrise (MR). The noise floor also dropped significantly down to 52–53 dB (compared to the 57–59 dB I saw in previous days). However, operating on 2 meters was highly challenging; I was literally squeezing out every single QSO. Everyone seemed to hear me well enough, but on my end, it was near-catastrophic. I’m definitely out of practice on 144 MHz (it’s been about three years since my home 4 x 12 element Yagi array came down), and I completely forgot that my portable antennas sit less than 2 meters above the ground, which heavily distorts the radiation pattern, tilting it sharply upward. As I mentioned earlier, a couple of days ago I ripped out the elevation wires from the rotator at the root, so I had to adjust the elevation manually. At one point, I forgot to realign the antenna’s azimuth, and the moon “escaped” about 5–7 degrees above the antenna’s heading. Right then, a nice little pile-up started! But soon after, the rear part of the antenna with the reflectors got too close to the ground, and as far as I can tell, the antenna pattern completely fell apart. Because of that, many stations just couldn’t manage to bust through to me.

I’ll be thinking about how to improve the performance of my 2m setup for the next expedition. First, I need to increase the tripod height—getting it further off the ground will make it work better and will also allow me to operate at higher elevation angles. I also need to build a quick polarization-switching mechanism and cut the phasing lines down to half their current length. Lastly, I need to bench-test the LNA; it was acting suspiciously, throwing random noise levels for no apparent reason. In the end, I added 22 QSOs to the log from the most patient, persistent (and probably lucky! 😉) operators.

Once the moon rose to 52 degrees and was basically “scraping its belly on the ground” relative to my setup, it was time to wrap up the expedition and pack everything away. An hour later, the elements truly unleashed—the wind picked up to such a force that it was impossible to even close the cabin door. At that moment, it became crystal clear that we got wildly lucky with the weather during this trip.

After four hours of packing, it was a mad dash to catch the ferry from Miquelon back to St. Pierre. During the 1.5-hour crossing, I even managed to get a bit seasick. Tomorrow morning, we fly out to Halifax, followed by a 12-hour layover, then a flight to Madrid, and a few hours later, we’ll finally land in warm Tenerife to finally thaw out! ))

2026-06-16,10:13:00,2026-06-16,10:15:04,IK2CDI,JN55GN,144.141000,JT65,-24,,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,10:24:00,2026-06-16,10:28:00,OH2BC,KP30TX,144.141000,Q65,-22,-32,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,10:28:00,2026-06-16,10:32:00,OK1DTC,JO60TO,144.141000,Q65,-26,-19,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,10:50:00,2026-06-16,10:54:00,BX4AP,PL04IE,144.141000,Q65,-25,-28,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,11:12:00,2026-06-16,11:13:49,DF2ZC,,144.140999,Q65,-24,-25,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,11:42:00,2026-06-16,11:46:00,OM4CW,,144.141000,Q65,-25,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,11:48:00,2026-06-16,11:52:00,DL8DAU,JO40,144.141000,Q65,-23,-27,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,11:56:00,2026-06-16,12:00:00,IK7UXY,JN90EC,144.141000,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,12:00:00,2026-06-16,12:04:00,DK7CM,,144.141000,Q65,-25,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,12:03:00,2026-06-16,12:07:57,S54AC,,144.141000,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,12:06:00,2026-06-16,12:10:00,TA2NC,KM69,144.141000,Q65,-32,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,12:12:00,2026-06-16,12:16:00,LY2IJ,KO25TF,144.141000,Q65,-25,-27,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,12:18:00,2026-06-16,12:22:00,DL1KDA,JO30EP,144.141000,Q65,-27,-28,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,12:24:00,2026-06-16,12:28:00,ZS6JON,KG33VV,144.141000,Q65,-15,-20,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,12:28:00,2026-06-16,12:32:00,9H1PA,JM75FV,144.141000,Q65,-28,-22,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,12:40:00,2026-06-16,12:44:00,OH1NIL,KP11,144.141000,Q65,-29,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,12:44:00,2026-06-16,12:48:00,KK8X,EM99,144.141000,Q65,-22,-15,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,12:56:00,2026-06-16,13:00:00,DF7DX,JO42,144.141289,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,13:02:00,2026-06-16,13:06:00,HA6NQ,JN98WA,144.141289,Q65,-25,-23,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,13:06:00,2026-06-16,13:10:00,RW3QJA,KO90,144.141289,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,13:10:00,2026-06-16,13:14:00,IK7EZN,JN90DG,144.141289,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2026-06-16,14:14:00,2026-06-16,14:18:00,AB4GS,EM84BK,144.141001,Q65,-27,-31,,,,,,,

Bringing the total to 22 QSOs for this moon pass.

144 Mhz - 63 QSO

1296 Mhz - 89 QSO

2304 Mhz - 8 QSO

Total : 160 QSO in log for expedition.

A huge thank you to everyone who was able to donate:

KB7Q, NC1I, OK1IL, PA3FXB, N4BAA, DF2VJ, PA0BAT, ZS4TX, IK3COJ, JH0BBE, K1DG

The weekend passed, a new work week began, but the airport staff has the same old story: “We don’t know anything, we have nothing here, basically — bugger off.”

Then I remembered Nathan, ZL1NJR, who was active from the North Island a few years ago. I got in touch, and he kindly let me borrow his 1.8m collapsible mesh dish to give it a shot. However, based on my experience, the silver coating on those mesh antennas degrades very quickly, especially near geothermal or volcanic areas (and we’ve got plenty of those here). There’s a good chance the antenna might be “dead” by now.

But with few options left, I rented a car and dashed to Nathan’s place and then to a hardware store, racing to get on the air before my MS (Meteor Scatter/Moon Schedule) window. Four hours later, everything was assembled and fired up. I tried to do a Sun noise test, but unfortunately — nothing. It’s possible I’m just missing the focus since the cables aren’t routed through the center and are just fed from the side. Plus, the Sun had already dipped behind the neighbor’s house.

Time to stop guessing and try it on some real signals.

2026-03-23,06:28:00,2026-03-23,06:30:57,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-23,,,,,,,

2026-03-23,06:46:00,2026-03-23,06:59:17,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-28,,,,,,,

2026-03-23,07:02:00,2026-03-23,07:06:00,OK1KIR,,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-15,,,,,,,

2026-03-23,07:09:00,2026-03-23,07:11:08,RW6HM,LN14,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-18,,,,,,,

2026-03-23,07:44:00,2026-03-23,07:48:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-25,,,,,,,

2026-03-23,08:00:00,2026-03-23,08:04:00,RY4C,LO42,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-18,,,,,,,

2026-03-23,08:04:00,2026-03-23,08:08:00,DG5CST,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-23,08:08:00,2026-03-23,08:12:00,RD4D,,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-18,,,,,,,

8 QSO

++++++++++++++++

As soon as the sun came up, I made a quick run to the hardware store. I had to replace the tape measure that went missing with my luggage, and I also picked up a pipe for the counterweight and several rolls of adhesive aluminum foil.

And then, on the way back to the shack, a miracle happened: the airport called and asked where they should deliver my missing luggage. Bingo! Miracles do happen.

While waiting for the delivery, I set the optimal focal length on Nathan’s dish and did a cold sky vs. Sun noise measurement. The result was catastrophic: only 0.5 dB, whereas it should be around 5 dB given the current SFI (Solar Flux Index).

Rotorua, a town famous for its hot springs and geysers, is only about 100 km from Hamilton. The travel guides even warn you not to be surprised by the smell of hydrogen sulfide in the air. I’m certain the silver-plated mesh suffered the same fate as my gear did back in Tenerife and during the Montserrat expedition. The sulfur in the volcanic atmosphere quickly turns silver into non-conductive silver sulfide.

So, I’ll be waiting for my own foil-covered antenna to arrive and will work with that instead.
+++++++++++++

After waiting half the day for a courier who never showed up, I decided not to risk missing the moonset. I jumped in the car and drove back to Auckland Airport myself to rescue my “Pelican” case and antenna.

That’s an hour and a half each way, plus an hour for the setup. Finally, at 18:40 UTC, I announced my CQ on the logger.

I keyed the TX, fully expecting a massive pile-up, only to see the SWR hit 1.8... Not surprising, since in the rush I’d forgotten to connect the feeder from the PA to the septum! Thank God I noticed it immediately—the amplifier survived unscathed.

2026-03-24,06:48:00,2026-03-24,06:52:00,UA3PTW,,1296.101000,Q65,-07,-10,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,06:56:00,2026-03-24,06:59:56,W1AW/KH6,,1296.101000,Q65,-07,-18,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,07:02:00,2026-03-24,07:06:00,RA4HL,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,07:14:00,2026-03-24,07:16:02,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,07:18:00,2026-03-24,07:20:03,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-24,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,07:30:00,2026-03-24,07:34:00,SM5DGX,,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,07:36:00,2026-03-24,07:40:00,JA4LJB,,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-14,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,07:42:00,2026-03-24,07:46:12,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-23,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,07:50:00,2026-03-24,07:54:00,OK1USW,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,07:58:00,2026-03-24,08:02:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,07:59:00,2026-03-24,08:03:56,PA1PS,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,08:02:00,2026-03-24,08:06:00,G0LBK,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,08:09:00,2026-03-24,08:11:49,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-26,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,08:10:00,2026-03-24,08:14:00,OK1DFC,,1296.101000,Q65,-11,-09,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,08:14:00,2026-03-24,08:18:00,IK7EZN,,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,08:27:00,2026-03-24,08:29:09,OK1IL,JN69,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-26,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,08:32:00,2026-03-24,08:36:00,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,08:42:00,2026-03-24,08:46:00,OE9ERC,,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-09,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,08:43:00,2026-03-24,08:47:00,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-09,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,08:48:00,2026-03-24,08:52:00,G4CCH,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,08:52:00,2026-03-24,08:56:00,IK2DDR,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,09:00:00,2026-03-24,09:04:00,G4YTL,IO92,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,09:04:00,2026-03-24,09:05:53,R1NW,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-18,,,,,,,

2026-03-24,09:02:00,2026-03-24,09:06:10,I2FAK,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-18,,,,,,,

24 QSO

Total: 32 QSO

++++++++++++++

Today, March 25th, I’ll be active during my moonrise to catch the US stations. My eastern horizon is blocked by trees, so I need about 10 degrees of elevation. I expect to be on the air around 02:30 UTC.

Yesterday was an absolute nightmare. During my moonrise, I calibrated the antenna using the Sun and slewed it toward the Moon. Unfortunately, the path was blocked by a massive, towering tree that added a frustrating 3 dB of noise.

Despite the obstruction, I managed to squeeze out two QSOs with “big guns.” After that, the band went dead for me—I had to wait a couple of hours for the Moon to gain elevation and drift further North.

But during that wait, a cyclone hit with fierce wind gusts. The sky was completely blacked out by thick clouds—not a single break. To make matters worse, a gust of wind actually wrenched the antenna, causing it to slip in the rotator mount. Since the Sun had already set, finding the Moon’s azimuth again became a near-impossible task.

By some miracle, I found it and managed a few more QSOs, but then another massive gust spun the antenna again, and a sudden downpour drenched the entire setup. My “shack” is organized under a small lean-to just to keep the cables long enough to reach the tripod, so I had to scramble and pull the plug immediately.

After a 90-minute forced pause and some blind searching for the signal, I somehow managed to find the azimuth again and added a few more QSOs to the log. It was a brutal session, but we made it happen!

2026-03-25,02:31:00,2026-03-25,02:35:56,NC1I,FN32,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-15,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,02:38:00,2026-03-25,02:42:01,VE6TA,DO33,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,07:35:00,2026-03-25,07:39:57,UN6PD,MN69,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,07:40:00,2026-03-25,07:44:00,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,07:45:00,2026-03-25,07:49:56,BA7NQ,OM89,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,08:24:00,2026-03-25,08:26:04,OK2DL,JN79,1296.100425,Q65,-11,-16,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,08:24:00,2026-03-25,08:28:00,UA9FA,LO87,1296.100425,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,08:39:00,2026-03-25,08:43:56,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.100264,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,08:48:00,2026-03-25,08:50:02,DL0SHF,JO54,1296.100264,Q65,-12,-09,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,08:54:00,2026-03-25,08:58:00,DM2CFH,,1296.100264,Q65,-15,-15,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,09:00:00,2026-03-25,09:04:00,DG0FE,,1296.100264,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,09:02:00,2026-03-25,09:06:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.100264,Q65,-12,-14,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,09:08:00,2026-03-25,09:12:00,RX3DR,KO85,1296.100264,Q65,-13,-15,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,09:10:00,2026-03-25,09:14:00,DK0ZAB,,1296.100264,Q65,-12,-14,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,09:17:00,2026-03-25,09:21:56,SA6BUN,JO78,1296.100264,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,10:08:00,2026-03-25,10:12:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.100264,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,

2026-03-25,10:19:00,2026-03-25,10:19:09,SP5GDM,KO02,1296.100264,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,

17 QSO

Total: 49 QSO

This morning, March 26th (NZ time), my rental at the current house came to an end. This place was a last-minute find after the Chatham Islands trip was cancelled, so now I have to pack up all the gear and move again. The new QTH is about 300 km to the north, locator RF73FX.

It looks like the northeast direction (for my MR) is much more open there, though there might be a small hill to the northwest towards my MS. I’ll know for sure in a few hours. The weather forecast isn’t great—stormy with high winds and rain—but I’m hoping it settles down by evening so I can be on the air for my moonrise.

++++++++++

After a 4-hour drive, I’ve finally arrived. The weather kept getting worse and worse along the way. Upon reaching the site—which, by the way, is excellent, with a completely clear MR and a nearly unobstructed MS—I was greeted by heavy rain and gale-force winds around 50 km/h.

Deploying any kind of antenna is totally out of the question right now (well, maybe a 28 MHz Ground Plane at most, LOL). So, I’m definitely skipping today’s moonpass. The forecast for tomorrow looks good, though.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

27 march 11.30 local time ( 26 march 22.30 UTC )

The storm cleared out overnight, and this morning we have perfect weather—not a breath of wind, not a drop of rain, just bright sun and blue skies. I managed to get the antenna up in a couple of hours, and everything seems to be intact.

I checked my Sun/Cold Sky ratio, and it’s around 7–7.5 dB, which is ideal. The northeast direction is perfectly clear, with the antenna looking straight out over the ocean. I’m a bit worried about the west—I expect a cutoff at about 3 degrees elevation due to some high hedges, but there are no other options here.

I’ll be on the air for my moonrise (MR) at 03:00 UTC. There is a very tight window of about 10 minutes between ZL1 and CT, EA, and G stations. To my friends in the USA: please wait about 20 minutes after my moonrise to give the Europeans a chance. See you on the air!

I started my session when the moon was still at -1° elevation over the sea, but surprisingly, things went very poorly at first. I couldn’t hear anyone, and no one seemed to hear me. Even though the moon was clearly visible and I was aiming right at it, I only managed to squeeze out 6 QSOs. Then came a long silence.

Finally, Europe started to open up, and to my delight, I saw OK1KIR calling me at -28 dB. During the QSO, I quickly peaked the antenna by moving it left-right and up-down, tracking the signal by ear to find the sweet spot. It turns out my beam pattern was off by 5° to the right and 2° up. Once I applied the offset, business really picked up!

2026-03-27,03:43:00,2026-03-27,03:45:46,W2HRO,FN20,1296.101002,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,04:00:00,2026-03-27,04:02:53,N1AV,DM43,1296.101002,Q65,-22,-26,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,04:04:00,2026-03-27,04:08:00,K5DOG,,1296.101002,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,04:31:00,2026-03-27,04:35:56,KH6FA,BK29,1296.101002,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,04:50:00,2026-03-27,04:51:05,AA6I,DM06,1296.101002,Q65,-28,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,05:27:00,2026-03-27,05:35:57,K1WHS,FN43,1296.101002,Q65,-27,-25,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,09:38:00,2026-03-27,09:40:02,RW6HM,LN14,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,09:44:00,2026-03-27,09:48:00,JA4LJB,,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,11:18:00,2026-03-27,11:20:56,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,11:23:00,2026-03-27,11:25:03,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,11:24:00,2026-03-27,11:28:00,OK1USW,,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,11:33:00,2026-03-27,11:35:24,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,11:36:00,2026-03-27,11:40:00,SM6CKU,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,11:42:00,2026-03-27,11:46:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-10,-17,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,11:46:00,2026-03-27,11:50:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,11:48:00,2026-03-27,11:52:00,SA6BUN,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-14,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,11:52:00,2026-03-27,11:56:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,12:02:00,2026-03-27,12:04:59,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,12:04:00,2026-03-27,12:08:00,DK4RC,,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-15,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,12:12:00,2026-03-27,12:16:00,G0LBK,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-18,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,12:16:00,2026-03-27,12:18:47,DG5CST,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-14,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,12:18:00,2026-03-27,12:22:00,G4CCH,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,12:22:00,2026-03-27,12:26:00,SP5GDM,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,12:28:00,2026-03-27,12:32:00,DF7KB,JO30,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-24,,,,,,,

2026-03-27,12:41:00,2026-03-27,12:42:30,OT7K,,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,

25 QSO ( 17 Inits)

Total: 74 QSO

+++++++++++++++++++

Today, March 28th, my Moonrise (MR) is at 03:50 UTC, and I’ll be active right from the start. First, I’ll be looking for CT1FFU and EA8DBM, followed by the US stations.

For my Moonset (MS), I have an elevation cutoff of about 3–4 degrees due to a hedge, so I’ll be active until approximately 13:30 UTC.

2026-03-28,03:58:00,2026-03-28,04:00:59,NC1I,FN32,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-08,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,04:02:00,2026-03-28,04:04:46,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-28,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,04:07:00,2026-03-28,04:09:12,VE4SA,EN19,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,04:11:00,2026-03-28,04:14:00,N0LWF,EN10,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,04:12:00,2026-03-28,04:16:00,K6EME,DM06,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,04:30:00,2026-03-28,04:32:01,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-30,-24,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,04:35:00,2026-03-28,04:39:56,N5TM,EL29,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,04:45:00,2026-03-28,04:47:04,LU1HKO,FF78,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,05:04:00,2026-03-28,05:08:00,KB2SA,DM13,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-15,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,05:08:00,2026-03-28,05:12:00,VE6TA,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-16,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,05:16:00,2026-03-28,05:20:00,N4BAA,EM79,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,08:49:00,2026-03-28,08:53:56,JA6AHB,PM53,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,08:56:00,2026-03-28,09:00:00,JS6UJS,PL24,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-15,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,09:03:00,2026-03-28,09:09:56,BV3CE,PL04,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-23,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,09:22:00,2026-03-28,09:28:00,VK3WRE,QF31,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-26,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,09:44:00,2026-03-28,09:48:00,UA9YLU,MO92,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-18,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,11:39:00,2026-03-28,11:43:56,BG7XWF,OM89,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,11:47:00,2026-03-28,11:51:57,A71AW,LL55,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,12:00:00,2026-03-28,12:04:04,RW9OG,NO14,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,12:19:00,2026-03-28,12:23:56,OK1UGA,JO80,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-22,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,12:28:00,2026-03-28,12:32:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-23,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,13:00:00,2026-03-28,13:04:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-17,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,13:02:00,2026-03-28,13:06:00,R1NW,,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-19,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,13:06:00,2026-03-28,13:10:00,UA3PTW,,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-09,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,13:22:00,2026-03-28,13:23:02,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-09,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,13:23:00,2026-03-28,13:28:58,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-26,,,,,,,

2026-03-28,13:49:00,2026-03-28,13:53:56,OZ9AAR,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,

27 QSO

Total: 99 QSO ( initial 78 )

++++++++++++++++++++

The lunar window was quite good; a bit of light rain didn’t hurt, and most importantly—there was no wind. I started working right at 0° elevation during my Moonrise (MR) and immediately received some solid reports.

While waiting for Tony (CT1FFU), I managed a second QSO with my own remote shack, EA8DBM. Despite the low elevation of only 2° on both ends, it was an easy QSO with -22/-22 dB reports. Unfortunately, Tony didn’t show up. After a few more contacts, I took a nap for a couple of hours to wait for the European window.

I got up at 3:00 AM local time, turned the antenna, and realized it wasn’t going to be easy. As the moon’s declination decreases, the Moonset (MS) is shifting from the Northwest further toward the West. Now, starting from about 10° elevation, my beam pattern is being obstructed by the corner of the house and the porch roof.

Therefore, this morning I’m moving the antenna further away. Luckily, I have a 5m TX cable extension and 10m of RX and control cables specifically for such cases. I’ll lose about 0.5 dB in power, but that’s a “lesser evil” compared to having half the antenna blocked by a building.

2026-03-29,04:50:00,2026-03-29,04:54:00,KA1GT,,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-16,,,,,,,

2026-03-29,06:08:00,2026-03-29,06:16:00,KV7E,CN84,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-24,,,,,,,

2026-03-29,06:25:00,2026-03-29,06:29:57,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-29,13:44:00,2026-03-29,13:46:03,R1NW,KP71,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-18,,,,,,,

2026-03-29,13:46:00,2026-03-29,13:50:00,YL2GD,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,

2026-03-29,14:03:00,2026-03-29,14:07:56,DG0FE,JO62,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,

2026-03-29,14:24:00,2026-03-29,14:28:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-21,,,,,,,

2026-03-29,14:42:00,2026-03-29,14:46:00,DL6ZG,,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,

2026-03-29,15:03:00,2026-03-29,15:05:34,DL1HUH,JO61,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

9 QSO ( initial 5 )

Total: 108 QSO ( initial 83 )

Moved the antenna this morning. I’m a bit concerned because the new spot is on a hill behind the house, fully exposed to the gusty winds coming off the sea, but there are no other options.

I’ll be trying for CT1FFU again during my Moonrise (MR). After that, I’ll get some sleep, as I have about 5–6 QSO requests lined up for the Moonset (MS) window.

+++++++++++++

I tried to work during my Moonset (MS) tonight, but heavy rain and strong winds arrived, and a gust actually knocked over my antenna. I had to call it a day and get some sleep. The gusts were reaching 40 km/h, which makes it nearly impossible to aim and work smaller stations.

I repaired the antenna this morning and I’m getting ready for the next MS window. If the wind stays down and the moon is visible enough to aim, I’ll be active starting around 16:00 UTC.

Luck was on my side for the final lunar pass — the wind died down and the full moon emerged from behind the clouds. Once the elevation dropped below 12 degrees, a hedge started to block part of the dish, but there was no other choice of position. Managed to add 2 more QSOs to the log!

And with that, my New Zealand trip comes to an end. A long journey home lies ahead: two 12-hour flights plus a final 3-hour leg. Hope to be back home in a couple of days.

2026-03-31,15:36:00,2026-03-31,15:40:02,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.101000,Q65,-32,-24,,,,,,,

2026-03-31,15:48:00,2026-03-31,15:52:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-23,,,,,,,

Total: 110 QSO ( 85 inits )

Grateful for the support from: NC1I, DL7UDA, PA3DZL, OK1IL, G0LBK, IK3COJ, N4BAA, AA6I, DL4DTU, PA3FXB

During the planning phase, I had the idea to operate on 144 MHz as well. For this, I urgently bought two 9-element Yagis and an LNA with relays from “Antennas-Amplifiers” in Serbia, plus a brand new 1 kW amp. Unfortunately, the amplifier didn’t survive the flight to Tenerife in my checked baggage, and all my attempts to fix it during the last two days before departure led to nothing. It’s a real shame.

Then came the news from Air Chathams that my morning flight to the island was canceled. I will only arrive there on the evening of March 21, which is already after moonset. So, minus one moon window.

On Tuesday, I flew to Madrid, since my connecting flight through central China was scheduled for Wednesday morning. In the evening, I had a glass of beer at the bar and went to sleep with a light heart, but something was subconsciously bothering me.

And in the morning, just 4 hours before my flight, it suddenly hit me: in the stressful rush of the last few days of packing, I completely forgot to apply for the New Zealand NZeTA (their equivalent of the ESTA)!!!! And without it, they won’t let you board the plane. Actually, they won’t even let you check in.

“Combat berserker” mode activated: I frantically start searching for where I can urgently fill out and pay for this NZeTA (which normally costs about 20 euros). I stumbled upon some site called iVisa — they promised to do it in a couple of hours for 400 euros! With no other choice, I filled out the form, paid the crazy fee, and rushed to the airport.

At the check-in counter, naturally, they turn me away and say they can’t let me fly without the New Zealand visa. Bingo — I’ve never had an adventure quite like this before. I asked for an airline representative and somehow managed to convince her that I could at least fly to China, since they recently introduced a visa-free transit for up to 6 days. The downside was that my checked baggage would only go as far as China too. I’d have to collect it there and go through immigration into the city, but having no real choice, I happily nodded, dropped my bags, and sprinted to the gate.

Literally the moment I passed security, I got a message that New Zealand had approved my NZeTA and I was good to enter.

Upon arriving in Chongqing, it took me a couple of hours to get through customs and find the luggage storage room. But as they say, you have to pay for your own stupidity!

Tonight is my flight to Auckland, an overnight stay there, and on the afternoon of March 21, the final flight to Chatham. If nothing else gets lost and I don’t “pull off” any more crazy stunts, I plan to be on the air by the morning of March 22.

March 20 Update: As experience shows, when a trip starts going sideways, it just keeps going sideways.

I arrived in Auckland. Three of my checked bags with the equipment made it, but the box with the antenna is lost. Tomorrow, March 21st, I have my flight to Chatham, and I have no antenna.

The airline promises that if they find it, they will forward the case directly to Chatham. However, considering that flights to the island only operate on Saturdays and Sundays, there is exactly one chance left to receive it: the day after tomorrow.

Fingers crossed, hoping for a miracle. Otherwise, this DXpedition can be considered dead in the water.

March 21 Update: This morning, I visited the lost baggage department at Auckland Airport. Since it’s the weekend, no one is working. The only answer I got was: “We know nothing, and we can’t help you.”

The next flight from Hainan—where my oversized baggage was most likely left behind—doesn’t arrive until Sunday evening, March 22nd. This is after the last flight of the week departs for Chatham Island.

Because of this, I have canceled my tickets to the island. My new hope is that I can at least activate the main island of New Zealand (ZL). That is, of course, assuming the luggage isn’t lost forever.

March 22 Update: The update is... that there is no update. A flight just arrived from Chongqing-Haikou, but my missing gear is nowhere to be found. Still no antenna, still no luck.

The next destination on the map is Chatham Island. I plan to be active from March 21st to 26th, 2026, as ZL7/LY3UM(QTH loc: AE16rb).

On the morning of March 27th, I’ll fly back to Auckland and will operate as ZL1/LY3UM for a couple of days. I haven’t found a place to stay yet; the last thing I want to do is navigate the traffic of a 1.7-million-strong city with left-hand driving. That will probably be my toughest challenge! )))

The ZL7 window with Western Europe is very short — only 30 to 60 minutes on both MR and MS. Therefore, G, PA, and ON stations are my top priority.

I will start as usual on 1296.100 in 30B mode. I’ll keep the QSOs as brief as possible: I’ll first respond to those calling with a report, send a return report (e.g., R-22), and as soon as I receive “RRR”, I’ll move straight to the next caller. Please do not crowd at 1000 and 1500 Hz. Instead, spread out at 200 Hz intervals to allow more stations to get through.

To keep things interesting, I’m also bringing a 144 MHz setup: 2 x 9 el (17 dBi) and an 800W PA. Chatham Island is known for very strong winds, and I’m afraid my mesh dish will struggle in these latitudes. If the weather permits, I will focus primarily on the 23 cm band. However, if the wind gets too strong, I’ll switch to 2 m, as the antenna has a much lower wind load. That said, during my MS and MR, I will prioritize 23 cm whenever possible.

As always, check this page for updates. Once I reach New Zealand, I’ll post logs and comments for each location.

73 to all!

Alex, EA8DBM (LY3UM)

I plan to set up and test everything on the morning of January 29th. Moonrise is around 19:30 UTC, and I’ll do my best to be QRV by then.

My last day of activity will be Sunday, February 1st. Then, on Monday the 2nd, I’ll quickly tear down the station and head to Santo Domingo airport for my evening flight to Madrid.

+++++++

I finally reached my destination, and it was almost trouble-free—well, almost! My gear case, packed with the antenna, tripod, all the poles, and water bags, was stubbornly over the 23 kg limit. To save weight, I decided to take the 60cm aluminum adapter tube (the one connecting the tripod to the rotator) in my carry-on. It weighs about a kilo.

On the first leg from Cusco to Lima, no one batted an eye. My main luggage was checked through to the final destination. However, during the transfer from Lima to Punta Cana, things got tense. I was kicked out of the ‘clean zone’ and sent back through security. I saw my backpack being pulled aside for a manual search. I wasn’t worried at first, thinking they just wanted to inspect the transceiver as usual. But no—the first thing they pulled out was my ‘aluminum club,’ and they told me it was strictly prohibited!

This was a disaster—without that tube, I can’t mount the rotator on the tripod. I tried everything, even throwing a ‘signature tantrum,’ explaining that they were ruining a scientific expedition. I even asked them to hand it to the captain to keep in the cockpit (like they do with weapons), but they kept saying no. It was too late to check it as extra luggage since registration had closed. Finally, I demanded to see a supervisor. I explained the situation again, showed my previous boarding pass from Cusco, and a miracle happened! He said, ‘Fine, just wrap it in some clothes, put it deep in your bag, and go...’ Talk about a close call!

I arrived at the location by 7 PM. Everything looks promising. There’s a large lawn in front of the house with a tall palm tree in the middle, but it’s positioned where the Moon reaches its peak, so it shouldn’t be an obstacle. To the East, it’s almost clear; there’s a low hedge of young palms, but luckily there’s a gap right at 90 degrees. I think I can start working from 5–7 degrees of elevation. To the West (270–300 degrees), there’s a small mango tree, but I should be fine up to about 10 degrees.

After all the flights, I’m too exhausted to set everything up tonight. I’ll start first thing tomorrow morning and hope to be QRV by Moonrise.

+++++++++++++++

Started working first thing in the morning after a cup of coffee. The weather is perfect—sunny, no wind, and around 26°C. Ideal conditions.

I’ve powered everything up, checked, and tuned the system. I’m hearing 8 dB of Sun noise today. The radiation pattern is slightly off, but I’m afraid to keep it keyed for too long to avoid melting the septum mount. I’ll fine-tune it later by ear using signals from big stations—I’ve had enough practice with that technique by now.

The OE5JFL controller is being a real headache and causing some inconvenience. It has finally ‘gone crazy.’ It needs troubleshooting, but that’s not something I can do in the field; I’ll deal with it back home. So, while it still shows the azimuth, I’ll have to run outside and measure the elevation manually, just like I did in Peru.

The Moon will be up in a couple of hours. I’ll be on my MR (Moonrise) as usual: 1296.100, 30B, 1st sequence. Later, I’ll switch to 60C

The pile-up was fantastic—activity was through the roof! I started out in 30B mode. It’s been quite a workout: I have to handle the QSOs, keep running outside to check and adjust the antenna’s elevation and azimuth manually, and still try to confirm the contacts in the chat. The chat is definitely my lowest priority right now, and I don’t always have time to say ‘thanks’ for the QSO. Please don’t take it as arrogance; it’s simply a matter of a very tight schedule!

I got incredibly lucky with the weather. Crystal clear skies, not too hot, and not even a whisper of a breeze. The Moon is shining bright—it’s pure magic!

2026-01-29,19:39:30,2026-01-29,19:40:30,OK1DFC,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,19:40:00,2026-01-29,19:42:00,UA3PTW,,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,19:42:00,2026-01-29,19:44:00,OE9ERC,,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-07,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,19:44:00,2026-01-29,19:46:00,DG5CST,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-14,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,19:50:30,2026-01-29,19:51:32,ON5GS,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,19:51:00,2026-01-29,19:53:00,RD4D,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,19:53:30,2026-01-29,19:55:59,RY4C,LO42,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-11,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,19:57:30,2026-01-29,19:58:41,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-12,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,19:59:30,2026-01-29,20:00:41,RW6HM,LN14,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:00:00,2026-01-29,20:02:00,G4CCH,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-12,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:02:00,2026-01-29,20:04:00,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:04:00,2026-01-29,20:06:00,PA0BAT,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:07:00,2026-01-29,20:09:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:09:00,2026-01-29,20:11:00,I2FAK,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:11:00,2026-01-29,20:13:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.101106,Q65,-18,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:14:00,2026-01-29,20:16:00,DK4RC,,1296.101106,Q65,-11,-12,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:16:00,2026-01-29,20:18:01,ON4BCB,,1296.101289,Q65,-13,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:18:00,2026-01-29,20:20:00,RA4HL,,1296.101301,Q65,-14,-13,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:20:00,2026-01-29,20:22:00,IK2DDR,,1296.101301,Q65,-18,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:23:00,2026-01-29,20:25:00,PY2BS,GG66,1296.101301,Q65,-15,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:26:00,2026-01-29,20:28:00,IK2CDI,,1296.101526,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:28:00,2026-01-29,20:30:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.101526,Q65,-12,-14,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:30:00,2026-01-29,20:32:00,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.101532,Q65,-16,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:32:00,2026-01-29,20:34:00,NC1I,,1296.101543,Q65,-12,-12,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:34:00,2026-01-29,20:36:02,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.101543,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:37:30,2026-01-29,20:38:33,R1NW,KP71,1296.101549,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:38:00,2026-01-29,20:40:00,ZS5Y,KF59,1296.101592,Q65,-21,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:46:00,2026-01-29,20:48:00,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:48:00,2026-01-29,20:50:00,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:50:00,2026-01-29,20:52:00,IQ2DB,JN45,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:52:00,2026-01-29,20:54:00,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:55:30,2026-01-29,20:57:59,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,20:57:00,2026-01-29,20:59:05,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:01:30,2026-01-29,21:02:49,YL2GD,KO37,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:02:00,2026-01-29,21:04:00,G0LBK,,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:04:00,2026-01-29,21:06:00,OK1USW,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:08:00,2026-01-29,21:10:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:10:00,2026-01-29,21:12:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:12:30,2026-01-29,21:14:59,GW4ZHI,IO82,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:14:30,2026-01-29,21:16:59,PE1LWT,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:16:00,2026-01-29,21:18:00,W2HRO,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:18:00,2026-01-29,21:20:00,DG0FE,,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:21:00,2026-01-29,21:23:00,DJ2DY,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-02,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:23:30,2026-01-29,21:25:59,W1FKF,FN43,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:25:00,2026-01-29,21:27:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:28:30,2026-01-29,21:30:59,KA6U,EL87,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:30:30,2026-01-29,21:32:59,DL6ZG,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:34:30,2026-01-29,21:36:59,OK1IL,JN69,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:36:30,2026-01-29,21:38:59,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:39:00,2026-01-29,21:41:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-11,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:46:00,2026-01-29,21:48:56,G4YTL,IO92,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:50:00,2026-01-29,21:52:22,PA1PS,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:55:00,2026-01-29,21:57:12,SP5GDM,KO02,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,21:59:00,2026-01-29,22:01:03,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:04:00,2026-01-29,22:06:02,A71AW,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:07:00,2026-01-29,22:11:56,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:13:00,2026-01-29,22:15:10,LB6B,JP20,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-26,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:14:00,2026-01-29,22:18:10,N5TM,EL29,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:19:00,2026-01-29,22:23:56,W5LUA,EM13,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:23:00,2026-01-29,22:27:56,N1AV,DM43,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:27:00,2026-01-29,22:31:56,G4RGK,IO91,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:30:00,2026-01-29,22:34:00,LA3PNA,JO59,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:33:00,2026-01-29,22:37:56,N0LWF,EN10,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:37:00,2026-01-29,22:41:56,VE6TA,DO33,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:41:00,2026-01-29,22:45:56,OZ3Z,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:46:00,2026-01-29,22:50:00,HB9Q,,1296.101000,Q65,-05,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:48:00,2026-01-29,22:52:00,KG0D,CN88,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:56:00,2026-01-29,22:57:56,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,22:57:00,2026-01-29,23:01:56,M0FXX,IO91,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,23:02:00,2026-01-29,23:06:00,LA3EQ,JO28,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,23:07:00,2026-01-29,23:11:56,W3TI,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-26,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,23:16:00,2026-01-29,23:20:00,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,23:30:00,2026-01-29,23:32:00,G4CCH,1296.101000,CW, 549, 539 ,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,23:40:00,2026-01-29,23:42:00,OE9ERC,1296.101000,CW, 559, 559 ,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,23:47:00,2026-01-29,23:51:56,NY1V,EM69,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,

2026-01-29,23:51:00,2026-01-29,23:55:56,AA6I,DM06,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-25,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,00:00:00,2026-01-30,00:02:15,K3SK,FM07,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,00:04:00,2026-01-30,00:08:00,KB2SA,DM13,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-26,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,00:09:00,2026-01-30,00:13:56,KD5CHG,FN31,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,00:50:00,2026-01-30,00:54:00,SM5DGX,,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-12,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,00:55:00,2026-01-30,00:59:56,KD2XN,FN13,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,01:00:00,2026-01-30,01:08:13,K6FOD,DM04,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-28,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,05:08:00,2026-01-30,05:12:00,KA1GT,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,05:20:00,2026-01-30,05:22:10,KH6FA,BK29,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,05:23:00,2026-01-30,05:27:56,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,05:35:00,2026-01-30,05:39:56,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,05:41:00,2026-01-30,05:45:56,JH3AZC,PM85,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,06:42:00,2026-01-30,06:48:00,JA6AHB,PM53,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-29,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,06:56:00,2026-01-30,07:00:00,JA4LJB,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,07:20:00,2026-01-30,07:28:00,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.101000,Q65,-35,-24,,,,,,,

Total: 90 QSO + 2 QSO CW (90 inits)

+++++++++++++++

2026-01-30,21:32:00,2026-01-30,21:34:00,PE1L,,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-19,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,21:35:00,2026-01-30,21:37:00,PA7JB,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,21:37:00,2026-01-30,21:39:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-18,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,21:42:30,2026-01-30,21:43:38,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,21:43:00,2026-01-30,21:45:00,OH2DG,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,21:46:30,2026-01-30,21:48:00,PH0V,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,21:48:00,2026-01-30,21:50:00,OM4XA,,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-23,,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,21:54:00,2026-01-30,21:58:00,RX3DR,KO85,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-19,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,22:04:00,2026-01-30,22:08:00,F5AOL,JN38,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-23,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,22:13:00,2026-01-30,22:17:56,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-09,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,23:03:00,2026-01-30,23:06:56,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,CW,-539,529,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,23:12:00,2026-01-30,23:16:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-20,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,23:23:00,2026-01-30,23:27:56,K5DOG,EM00,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,
2026-01-30,23:30:00,2026-01-30,23:34:00,OE9ERC,,1296.101000,Q65,-04,-05,,,,,,,

2026-01-30,23:40:00,2026-01-30,23:44:56,G3LTF,,1296.101000,CW,-529,539,,,,,,,

2026-01-31,00:17:00,2026-01-31,00:21:56,DJ7FJ,JN48,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-23,,,,,,,
2026-01-31,01:15:00,2026-01-31,01:23:57,LU8ENU,GF05,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-29,,,,,,,
2026-01-31,01:42:00,2026-01-31,01:46:11,VE4SA,EN19,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-15,,,,,,,

16 QSO + 2 QSO CW (16 inits)

Total : 110 QSO ( 106 inits )

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2026-01-31,22:25:00,2026-01-31,22:29:56,OK1UGA,JO80,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-31,22:31:00,2026-01-31,22:35:56,DL0SHF,JO54,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-12,,,,,,,

2026-01-31,23:34:00,2026-01-31,23:56:00,RW9OG,NO14,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2026-02-01,00:01:00,2026-02-01,00:05:38,N4BAA,EM79,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

2026-02-01,00:50:00,2026-02-01,00:53:38,OK1KIR,EM79,1296.101000,CW,519,439,,,,,,,

2026-02-01,01:26:00,2026-02-01,01:30:00,XE1XA,EK09,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-17,,,,,,,

2026-02-01,01:44:00,2026-02-01,01:48:03,DC1RDB,JN58,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-17,,,,,,,

6 QSO + 1 QSO CW ( 6 inits )

Total : 117 QSO ( 112 inits )

My mini-expedition has come to an end, and I feel it was quite successful. I could have had more QSOs, but it seems the very snowy and cold winter in the Northern Hemisphere deprived many of the chance to work HI.

I got very lucky with the weather — no wind at all for all three days, the Moon was perfectly visible, and it was sunny during the day. Then, right at the very end, just 30 minutes after my QRT, it started raining and didn’t stop all night and all day. It looked something like this

My overall impressions of the Dominican Republic today are simply wonderful, especially compared to other parts of the Caribbean and Latin America. Having lived here for several years fifteen years ago, I have a clear point of reference.

The changes and progress are evident; today, it is a truly worthy destination for a vacation with family or friends.

A big thank you to everyone who supported me financially to the best of their ability:

PA3FXB, IK2CDI, IK3COJ, DF2VJ, DK4RC, OK1IL

I arrived in Madrid for my layover, and they had already announced boarding for the Lima flight. My luggage was on the plane, the boarding pass was in my hand, and then came the announcement: Iberia has an overbooking, and a few passengers won’t be flying today, but 24 hours later. Naturally, I was among the “lucky ones” and had to head to a hotel, feeling pretty gloom. Nobody cared that my Lima–Cusco flight for the next day was going to be wasted... Nothing to do, no one to complain to.

The next day, I bought a new ticket from Lima. Just in case, I left a 6-hour gap for any further “surprises.”

On Wednesday morning, January 21st, I landed on schedule. My luggage arrived, customs had no questions, and 6 hours later, I was on a LATAM flight from Lima to Cusco. After an hour and a half in the air, the gear went down for landing, but a minute later, I heard the wheels retracting as the plane gained altitude again. The captain announced strong winds and said we were heading back to Lima. They didn’t let us off the plane there, and after 4 hours, they announced we were taking off again. Instead of 2:00 PM, we finally landed at 7:00 PM. The luggage comes out: two cases of equipment are there, but the antenna is missing. Bingo!!! They promised to find it and send it on the next flight.

Late that night, I arrived at my rented QTH. The place seems decent—there’s a clear area in front of the house, though sunrise and sunset are blocked by trees. Luckily, since the Moon will be high, I think only the JA stations might face some difficulties, but I’ll know for sure once I’m set up.

On Thursday afternoon, January 22nd, I got a call from the airport—luckily, my case with the tripod and antenna was found, and I could pick it up. I’m planning to deploy everything and start operating this Saturday, January 24th, during my moonrise... provided nothing else goes wrong!

++++++++++++

Antenna is assembled, everything is connected. I’m hitting a snag with the amplifier output — I can’t push it past 300 watts. If I go higher, the IC-905 loses connection with the RF module. I added a couple of ferrite snap-ons, but it didn’t help much. On the bright side, a 10-meter cable run from the amp to the septum was enough, so I don’t have to leave any gear outside.

The sun popped out, so I did a quick sun noise check — got 7-8 dB with the newly resurfaced dish. I pressed the two buttons on the OE5JFL controller to calibrate and save the data. Everything seemed fine until I tried to lower the antenna to cover the connectors and LNA with rain protection. That’s when things went haywire.

When I press the “elevation down” button, the dish physically moves down, but the controller shows the elevation increasing. The azimuth readings are perfectly fine. The only thing that comes to mind is that being in the Southern Hemisphere might be triggering a firmware bug that hasn’t been tested with the OE5JFL controller before.

However, the Moon is already at 5 degrees and I’ve already lost three days, so there’s no time for troubleshooting. I’ll just have to run out and manually correct the elevation every 5 minutes.

At moonrise, there is a house standing right in the way, so I think I’ll only be able to operate starting from 15 degrees of elevation. At moonset, there are several pine trees growing nearby, so I expect the minimum elevation to be 15 degrees there as well.

So, JA and VK stations don't have much of a chance, but I’ll do my best. The Moon is behind the clouds, so I can't see where to aim. I called CQ, but no one saw me—which means my azimuth is off. A gust of wind must have shifted the settings I did earlier by the sun. I asked Sebastian, DG5CST, to start calling me with his 10-meter dish. I managed to find the correct azimuth right in the first sequence, and things finally started moving

2026-01-24,17:20:00,2026-01-24,17:22:07,DG5CST,JO60,1296.100994,Q65,-13,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:23:00,2026-01-24,17:25:00,UA3PTW,,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-14,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:26:00,2026-01-24,17:28:00,RA4HL,,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:28:00,2026-01-24,17:30:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:29:00,2026-01-24,17:31:01,RD4D,,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:34:00,2026-01-24,17:36:00,OK1KIR,,1296.100994,Q65,-12,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:36:00,2026-01-24,17:38:00,SM5DGX,,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:38:00,2026-01-24,17:40:00,DK4RC,,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-13,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:41:30,2026-01-24,17:43:59,OK1UGA,JO80,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:43:00,2026-01-24,17:45:00,G4CCH,,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-13,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:46:00,2026-01-24,17:48:00,DF3RU,JN59,1296.100994,Q65,-13,-11,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:48:00,2026-01-24,17:50:00,OE9ERC,,1296.100994,Q65,-09,-07,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:50:30,2026-01-24,17:52:59,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:53:00,2026-01-24,17:55:00,YL2GD,,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:55:00,2026-01-24,17:57:00,ON5GS,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:57:00,2026-01-24,17:59:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,17:59:00,2026-01-24,18:01:00,I2FAK,,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:00:30,2026-01-24,18:02:59,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:02:00,2026-01-24,18:04:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-13,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:04:00,2026-01-24,18:06:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:07:30,2026-01-24,18:08:32,NC1I,FN32,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-12,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:08:00,2026-01-24,18:10:00,W2HRO,FN20,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:10:00,2026-01-24,18:12:00,DG0FE,,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:13:30,2026-01-24,18:14:29,SP7EXY,,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-17,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:14:00,2026-01-24,18:16:00,HB9Q,,1296.100994,Q65,-05,-09,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:17:30,2026-01-24,18:19:59,ZS5Y,KF59,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:19:00,2026-01-24,18:21:00,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:21:00,2026-01-24,18:23:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:23:00,2026-01-24,18:25:00,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:25:00,2026-01-24,18:27:00,IQ2DB,JN45,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:27:00,2026-01-24,18:29:00,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:29:00,2026-01-24,18:31:00,PA0BAT,,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:31:00,2026-01-24,18:33:00,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:33:00,2026-01-24,18:35:00,OK1USW,,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:36:00,2026-01-24,18:38:07,G0LBK,,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:39:00,2026-01-24,18:41:03,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:41:30,2026-01-24,18:43:59,OK1IL,JN69,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:43:30,2026-01-24,18:45:59,N1AV,DM43,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:47:00,2026-01-24,18:49:00,N5TM,EL29,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:49:30,2026-01-24,18:51:59,G4YTL,IO92,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:54:00,2026-01-24,18:56:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,18:57:30,2026-01-24,18:59:59,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,19:05:00,2026-01-24,19:07:01,W5LUA,EM13,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,19:10:00,2026-01-24,19:12:00,W1FKF,FN43,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,19:15:30,2026-01-24,19:17:59,SV3AAF,KM17,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,19:17:30,2026-01-24,19:19:59,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,19:19:30,2026-01-24,19:21:59,DJ2DY,JN39,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,19:27:30,2026-01-24,19:29:59,N4BAA,EM79,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,19:33:00,2026-01-24,19:37:56,PE1CKK,JO22,1296.100994,Q65,-28,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,19:40:00,2026-01-24,19:42:07,KA6U,EL87,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-25,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,19:42:00,2026-01-24,19:46:00,IK2DDR,,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,19:49:00,2026-01-24,19:53:56,VE6TA,DO33,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,20:00:00,2026-01-24,20:02:07,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,21:31:00,2026-01-24,21:35:56,N0LWF,EN10,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-28,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,21:35:00,2026-01-24,21:39:56,PA1PS,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,21:42:00,2026-01-24,21:44:02,N4BAA,EM79,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,21:50:00,2026-01-24,21:54:00,KG0D,CN88,1296.100994,Q65,-28,-26,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,21:58:00,2026-01-24,22:00:05,W1FKF,FN43,1296.101926,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-24,23:54:00,2026-01-24,23:58:00,K6FOD,DM04,1296.100994,Q65,-26,-27,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,00:12:00,2026-01-25,00:14:05,KH6FA,BK29,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,00:33:00,2026-01-25,00:35:21,NC1I,FN32,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-12,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,00:44:00,2026-01-25,00:46:54,KB2SA,DM13,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-25,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,00:53:00,2026-01-25,00:57:56,PY2BS,GG66,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-27,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,01:45:00,2026-01-25,01:47:56,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,01:51:00,2026-01-25,01:55:56,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,02:06:00,2026-01-25,02:08:00,JH3AZC,PM85,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-25,,,,,,,

Total for the first pass: 66 QSOs (65 inits).

I started in 30B mode — it’s very fast. Considering I have to constantly run outside to check the azimuth and elevation, I simply didn’t have time to write in the chat or confirm QSOs. On top of that, many people were messaging me on WhatsApp simultaneously. In the heat of the pile-up, I just pushed the chat laptop aside and focused entirely on the radio. My apologies for that.

It rained during the night, but everything seems fine and still working. I hope to be back on the air in about 4 hours.

++++++++++++++

It was pouring rain all night, but luckily it calmed down by moonrise. Today, I took my time to check the takeoff angles, and unfortunately, at low elevation, the antenna shoots right through the trees. The signal only clears the treetops starting from about 25 degrees. This means for those in Siberia or anyone with low power, working me will require a lot of luck.

I’m not very happy with how the antenna is performing on this trip — the radiation pattern is skewed down and to the left. It seems the Lycra fabric, which is covered with aluminum foil, is simply losing its stretch. It has about 20 patches on it now, and I’m afraid it’s no longer holding its shape.

I was actually preparing to fly with an antenna made from car sunshades (the reflective ones used on dashboards). However, I only managed to get half of it done because the seamstress I hired ran into some issues and took a three-week leave. As a result, I had to urgently patch up the old Lycra and rush the foiling process.

Total in the log today:

2026-01-25,17:35:00,2026-01-25,17:39:56,RY4C,LO42,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,17:41:00,2026-01-25,17:45:56,RW6HM,LN14,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-27,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,17:49:00,2026-01-25,17:53:56,DL6ZG,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,18:05:00,2026-01-25,18:07:10,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.101495,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,18:10:00,2026-01-25,18:14:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.101495,Q65,-24,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,18:14:00,2026-01-25,18:18:00,SM6CKU,,1296.101495,Q65,-16,-13,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,18:16:00,2026-01-25,18:20:00,SP5GDM,,1296.101495,Q65,-20,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,18:18:00,2026-01-25,18:22:00,PE1L,,1296.101495,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,18:22:00,2026-01-25,18:26:00,DJ7FJ,JN48,1296.101495,Q65,-25,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,18:32:00,2026-01-25,18:36:33,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.101495,Q65,-17,-23,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,18:36:00,2026-01-25,18:40:00,OH2DG,,1296.101495,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,18:45:00,2026-01-25,18:49:56,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.101495,Q65,-27,-25,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,19:02:00,2026-01-25,19:06:00,IK2CDI,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,19:10:00,2026-01-25,19:14:00,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-14,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,19:25:00,2026-01-25,19:29:56,PA7JB,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,19:39:00,2026-01-25,19:43:56,SP3XBO,JO81,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,19:50:00,2026-01-25,19:54:00,IK2DDR,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-15,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,19:55:00,2026-01-25,19:59:56,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-26,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,19:58:00,2026-01-25,20:02:00,KA1GT,,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-19,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,20:04:00,2026-01-25,20:08:00,PH0V,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,20:08:00,2026-01-25,20:12:00,OM4XA,,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,20:27:00,2026-01-25,20:31:56,N0CTR,EN26,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,20:33:00,2026-01-25,20:37:56,G4RGK,IO91,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,20:54:00,2026-01-25,21:02:00,GW4ZHI,,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-25,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,21:39:00,2026-01-25,21:43:56,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-27,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,21:54:00,2026-01-25,21:58:00,OE9ERC,,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-07,,,,,,,

2026-01-25,22:05:00,2026-01-25,22:11:00,OE9ERC,,1296.101000,CW, 549/529,,,,,,

2026-01-26,01:46:00,2026-01-25,01:48:00,XE1XA,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,

27 QSO + 1 QSO CW: 28 QSO (25 inits)

Total: 94 QSO (90 inits)

+++++++++++++

During my moonset, I didn’t manage to make a single QSO with JA or VK. To make matters worse, at power levels above 200W, the IC-905 RF module kept disconnecting. I put every ferrite snap-on I could find on the Ethernet cable between the controller and the RF module, but it didn’t help. I initially blamed the heavy rain, the wet forest in the antenna’s path, and the low elevation, but the truth turned out to be much more mundane. More on that later.

As usual, it rained heavily all night. In the morning, a couple of hours before my Moonrise (MR), I checked everything (or so I thought). I aimed at the sun, but the radiation pattern seemed extremely “blurry.” Moving 5-10 degrees in any direction (left/right/up/down) didn’t show much difference in signal strength. I inspected everything again — everything looked okay, so I just patched up some loose foil.

Then I figured out the power issue: I swapped the Ethernet cable, and BINGO! I’m back to 400 watts.

By noon, the weather worsened; rain started, and the wind picked up. Once the Moon reached 15° elevation, I started calling CQ, but as expected, no one heard me. Suddenly, a gust of wind spun the rotator mount, and I lost my azimuth. Since the sky was completely overcast, my only option was to re-aim using the sun, which was already in a different part of the sky. As I swung the dish toward me, something looked off — the septum feed seemed to be sitting too deep inside the dish. Even though my focal point marker (a “brilliant” piece of white electrical tape wrapped around the pipe) seemed to be in the right place.

I grabbed the tape measure, checked the focal length, and — oh, the horror! What a massive fail: instead of 30.5 inches, I had 25 inches. The dish was being illuminated halfway at best!

The 3D-printed ring, which holds the bolt that sets and maintains the focal distance, had worn out after three years of active expeditions. At high elevation, it was bearing the full 8-10 kg load of the counterweight. Naturally, the central feed support boom started “sliding in.” On the first day, it was more or less fine, but then it slipped further, and I completely lost focus.

It’s raining and thundering outside, but today is the last day, and I had to find a solution. I tried tightening it with zip ties and duct tape, but it didn’t hold — as soon as I raised the elevation, it slipped again.

Fortunately, I had a heavy-duty metal clamp on the other side of the pipe to prevent the counterweight from cracking the tubing. I quickly partially disassembled the antenna, moved that clamp to the front to lock the pipe in place. It worked! Even at 60° elevation, the feed boom doesn’t budge! The downside is that without the clamp at the back, the pipe under the counterweight cracked immediately, but there was no other choice.

The Moon finally cleared the trees. Zdenek, OK1DFC, started calling me with his massive signal. During our QSO, I quickly tweaked the azimuth by ear, and finally, things started moving!

2026-01-26,20:31:00,2026-01-26,20:35:56,OK1DFC,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-22,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,20:36:00,2026-01-26,20:40:00,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,20:42:00,2026-01-26,20:44:01,CT1FFU,IM59,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,20:42:00,2026-01-26,20:46:00,IK7EZN,,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,20:46:00,2026-01-26,20:50:00,SP7EXY,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,20:55:00,2026-01-26,20:57:01,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,21:05:00,2026-01-26,21:09:56,PA3JRK,JO33,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-20,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,21:32:00,2026-01-26,21:40:07,UA9FA,LO87,1296.101000,Q65,-33,-26,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,21:50:00,2026-01-26,21:56:00,W3TI,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-20,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,22:02:00,2026-01-26,22:04:27,OE3JPC,JN87,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,22:18:00,2026-01-26,22:22:18,W2LPL,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-26,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,22:28:00,2026-01-26,22:30:03,LA3PNA,JO59,1296.101029,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,22:30:00,2026-01-26,22:34:00,KD5CHG,FN31,1296.101029,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2026-01-26,22:40:00,2026-01-26,22:43:00,G3LTF,,1296.101029,CW,539/539,,,,,,,

2026-01-26,22:45:00,2026-01-26,22:49:00,G4CCH,,1296.101029,CW,539/539,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,23:04:00,2026-01-26,23:07:56,OZ3Z,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-20,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,23:15:00,2026-01-26,23:19:56,M0FXX,IO91,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,
2026-01-26,23:24:00,2026-01-26,23:31:56,KC2HFQ,FN02,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-28,,,,,,,
2026-01-27,00:01:00,2026-01-27,00:04:00,KB2SA,DM13,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-25,,,,,,,

2026-01-27,03:38:00,2026-01-27,03:44:00,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.101000,Q65,-32,-20,,,,,,,
2026-01-27,03:48:00,2026-01-27,03:52:00,JA6AHB,PM53,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-24,,,,,,,

2026-01-27,03:54:00,2026-01-27,03:58:00,JA4LJB,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,

24 QSO (21 inits) Total: 118 QSO (111 inits)

Thank you so much for your financial support: NC1I, W6TCP, ZS4TX, PA0DZL, DL4DTU, N4BAA, PA0BAT, G0LBK

I will be active from Peru (Cusco region) from January 22nd to January 27th, operating as OA7/LY3UM. Immediately after, I’ll be flying to the Dominican Republic, where I’ll be on the air from January 28th to February 2nd as HI3/LY3UM.

The fact that Peru has implemented CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01 — eliminating the need for a temporary local license — was a key factor in choosing this destination. In the Dominican Republic, licenses are issued for short terms only, but since this isn’t my first time licensed there, the renewal process was quick and easy.

My main focus will be on Digital modes. However, once the activity levels off, I am open to switching to CW for the “Big Guns” upon request.

Operation on 13 cm is still a bit “up in the air” as my power amplifier is currently being repaired, but there is still a slight chance it will be ready.

I will post separate updates for each trip as usual, including exact dates, QTH locators, logs, and any potential changes.

I hope everything goes smoothly and that “old pal Murphy” doesn’t decide to join me on this journey! ))

I’ll be active from the Maldives from November 3rd to 9th.
I adjusted the schedule to coincide with the traditionally high activity during the ARRL EME Contest.

As far as I know, the last activity from there was 8Q7QQ about 15 years ago — they used a small antenna and made only 14 QSOs. I hope this time the expedition will be more popular and give many a chance to work 8Q7UM.

The QTH on Keyodhoo Island is located on the flat roof of a hotel, providing clear views toward both moonrise and moonset.

This time, I’ll be operating only on 23 cm. I’m also bringing a CW key, so once digital activity slows down, I can switch to CW on request.
++++++++++++++

The flight went smoothly. At Malé Airport, I discovered red stickers on two of my four suitcases: “Check at Customs and Declare.”

I braced myself for a long and tedious conversation with customs. I immediately pulled out a copy of the license I’d received, went to the “red corridor,” placed my suitcases on the scanner, and handed the license copy to the officer. And then—miracle! No questions, no delays. “Take your bags and welcome to the Maldives!”

That’s when I knew: if everything went this smoothly here, something must have gone wrong with the equipment. I’ve seen this pattern before.

No exceptions, no alternatives!!!

At the airport, I was warmly greeted by 8Q7PR Ibrahim Rasheed (“Parker”), who helped me obtain my license and brought the original. A very kind and pleasant man. He got his first license the year I was born! If anyone’s planning to get licensed and operate in the Maldives, don’t hesitate to contact him—he’s incredibly helpful.

The ferry to the island departs in three hours, at 4:00 PM, so I’ll arrive around 6:00 PM—already dark by then. After a 16-hour journey, I doubt I’ll have the energy to set up the station and install the antenna. And indeed, after checking in, I had no strength left to climb onto the roof in the dark and haul four suitcases up there.

The moon rises around 4:00 PM local time, so I went diving in the morning and started preparing around noon. The place isn’t bad, except that the room I’d booked and paid for on the third floor—with direct access to the roof—was occupied, and they put me one floor lower. Which means I’ll now be running up the spiral staircase to the next floor about 500 times a night to check the antenna’s position and condition. :-)

My hunch was right—I started connecting all the equipment. There were two options:

1. Place the amplifier and RF module from the IC-905 on the roof under a tent, or

2. Extend the TX and RX cables and set everything up downstairs.

In the first case, I risk not being able to shut things down quickly if it rains, plus I’d have to take everything down after each moon pass.

So I add a 7-meter TX cable (losing about 1 dB) and find a 15-meter piece of RG58 to extend the RX.

I power it on—no reception! The LNA isn’t working. Since it’s powered through the coax, I realize the extended RX cable is causing a major voltage drop. I quickly power the LNA separately—

Hurray, reception restored!

Then I turn on the rotator controller and realize it didn’t survive the flight. Azimuth works, but the elevation sensor’s gone haywire, probably due to moisture. I’ll have to run to the roof every 5–10 minutes to adjust elevation manually—but I’m used to that ;-)

Luckily, the moon is clearly visible, so I quickly zero in, call CQ, and find there’s no internet. I start anyway, then deploy the Starlink I brought with me.

JA4LJB calls right away, but then… silence. I’m pretty sure I’m hitting the moon, though.

Eventually, I realize the extended RX cable is introducing too much loss.

I remove it, move the antenna closer to the roof edge, and use just the original 7-meter piece—finally, solid reception again!

2025-11-04,13:22:30,2025-11-04,13:24:59,JA4LJB,PM74,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,14:03:00,2025-11-04,14:05:41,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,14:05:00,2025-11-04,14:09:56,RA4HL,LO43,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,14:21:15,2025-11-04,14:21:59,RW9OG,NO14,1296.103000,FT8,-26,-25,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,14:24:00,2025-11-04,14:28:00,UA9YLU,MO92,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:08:00,2025-11-04,15:12:00,UA3PTW,,1296.101000,Q65,-08,-11,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:14:00,2025-11-04,15:18:00,YL2GD,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:18:00,2025-11-04,15:22:00,OK1USW,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:24:00,2025-11-04,15:28:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:32:00,2025-11-04,15:36:00,JS6UJS,PL24,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:34:00,2025-11-04,15:38:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:39:00,2025-11-04,15:43:56,HB9Q,JN47,1296.101000,Q65,-02,-12,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:42:00,2025-11-04,15:46:00,IK7EZN,,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:52:00,2025-11-04,15:56:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:54:00,2025-11-04,15:57:08,IK2DDR,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,15:56:00,2025-11-04,16:00:00,G0LBK,,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,16:03:00,2025-11-04,16:07:56,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,16:06:00,2025-11-04,16:10:00,SM5DGX,,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-10,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,16:12:00,2025-11-04,16:16:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,16:16:00,2025-11-04,16:20:00,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,16:20:00,2025-11-04,16:24:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,16:24:00,2025-11-04,16:28:00,BA7NQ,OL63,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,16:28:00,2025-11-04,16:32:00,G4CCH,,1296.101000,Q65,-11,-14,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,16:35:00,2025-11-04,16:39:56,OK1IL,JN69,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,16:38:00,2025-11-04,16:42:00,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,16:56:00,2025-11-04,17:00:00,ZS5Y,KF59,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:03:00,2025-11-04,17:05:00,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:05:00,2025-11-04,17:07:00,JA6AHB,PM53,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:07:00,2025-11-04,17:09:00,DM2CFH,,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-13,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:10:00,2025-11-04,17:12:00,PE1L,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:12:30,2025-11-04,17:14:59,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-10,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:14:00,2025-11-04,17:16:00,DK0ZAB,,1296.101000,Q65,-10,-16,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:16:00,2025-11-04,17:18:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:18:00,2025-11-04,17:20:00,IQ2DB,JN45,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:20:00,2025-11-04,17:22:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-17,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:22:00,2025-11-04,17:24:00,I2FAK,,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:25:00,2025-11-04,17:27:00,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-17,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:27:00,2025-11-04,17:29:00,DG0FE,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:30:00,2025-11-04,17:32:00,OE9ERC,,1296.101000,Q65,-03,-10,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:32:00,2025-11-04,17:34:00,PA0PLY,JO32,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:34:00,2025-11-04,17:36:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:38:30,2025-11-04,17:40:59,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:40:30,2025-11-04,17:42:59,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:42:00,2025-11-04,17:44:00,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:44:00,2025-11-04,17:46:00,SM6CKU,,1296.101000,Q65,-08,-10,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:46:30,2025-11-04,17:48:00,LA3EQ,JO28,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:50:30,2025-11-04,17:52:59,DL3EBJ,JO31,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:52:00,2025-11-04,17:54:00,SP7EXY,,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-15,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:54:00,2025-11-04,17:56:00,G4YTL,IO92,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,17:56:30,2025-11-04,17:58:59,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,18:00:30,2025-11-04,18:02:59,F5KUG,JN03,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,18:05:00,2025-11-04,18:07:00,SP5GDM,,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-04,18:17:00,2025-11-04,18:21:56,RX3DR,KO85,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,

Total: 53 QSO

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+++++++++++

I’ve been on the air since moonrise to cover the West Coast. It’s around 7 PM local time, so that’s no problem. There’s a full moon, making aiming easy. Unfortunately, as usual, activity from the USA is quite low.

Only AA6I was active, then a couple of VKs, and after that—a lull until the moon rose over Europe.

The antenna seems to be working well, but it’s incredibly frustrating that, since it’s on a slippery rooftop, even the slightest gust of wind can shift it a bit, throwing off my aim. So I have to keep running up the spiral staircase to check whether I’m still pointing at the moon and make corrections if needed.

Here’s what it looks like: I run up to check the bearing—just slightly off. I estimate it’s about 8–10 degrees. I run back down, manually adjust the motor on the controller, and then run back up to check. Okay, now I see I’ve under- or over-corrected. So I run down again to fine-tune the missing degrees, then back up once more to confirm that both azimuth and elevation are right. Usually, it takes three or four of these “runs” to get a good setup. And then I just pray the next gust of wind doesn’t throw it off again.

That’s why it really helps when people in the logger occasionally report my signal, even if we’ve already worked before. It’s also important to understand that if you’re running a small station, I might not see you on the waterfall. In that case, please let me know where you’re calling me. That way, I can enter your frequency into the callsign field and search for you there, instead of double-clicking through the entire 2500 Hz receive band.

That’s exactly how I managed to work GW4ZHI, who’s running a small station.

Bryn mentioned he was calling me at 800 Hz, so I quickly ran up to the roof, adjusted the azimuth, and decoded him for the first time!

By midnight local time, I had no energy left to keep running up and down.

Considering I’d already done two dives that morning, I was completely exhausted. My apologies to the East Coast—I couldn’t make it up for a 4 AM alarm. I’ll be back at my moonset tomorrow, November 6th, and of course, I’ll try to be as active as possible during the ARRL EME contest.

2025-11-05,13:25:00,2025-11-05,13:29:56,AA6I,DM06,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,13:34:00,2025-11-05,13:37:56,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,15:25:00,2025-11-05,15:29:56,RW6HM,LN14,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-15,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,15:43:00,2025-11-05,15:47:57,VK2JDS,QF46,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,16:31:00,2025-11-05,16:35:56,DG5CST,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-11,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,16:47:00,2025-11-05,16:51:56,DK4RC,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-16,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,16:58:00,2025-11-05,17:00:01,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,17:07:00,2025-11-05,17:11:56,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,17:56:00,2025-11-05,18:00:00,PA0BAT,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,18:01:00,2025-11-05,18:05:56,SV3AAF,KM17,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-21,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,18:06:00,2025-11-05,18:10:00,PE1LWT,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,18:11:00,2025-11-05,18:15:56,R1NW,KP71,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-17,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,18:17:00,2025-11-05,18:21:56,PH0V,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,18:24:00,2025-11-05,18:26:04,PE1CKK,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,18:32:00,2025-11-05,18:36:39,GW4ZHI,IO82,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,18:37:00,2025-11-05,18:41:56,SP3XBO,JO81,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-17,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,18:48:00,2025-11-05,18:50:37,DK3EE,JO41,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-05,18:57:00,2025-11-05,19:01:56,DJ3JJ,JN48,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-20,,,,,,,

18 QSO today

Total : 71 QSO

+++++++++++++++++++++

Moonrise — great weather, but almost everyone had already worked me, so it started to get a bit boring. A couple of hours later, light rain began, so I wrapped the rotator in plastic wrap (to avoid a repeat of the Korean incident). Occasionally, someone called in.

Several people had been waiting for CW, and that moment finally came. Reception was surprisingly good.

As usual, I’d forgotten my headphones, so I treated my hotel neighbors to the musical tones of Morse code. Five CW QSOs in the log.

I had about four hours left before the window to the East Coast opened, and I really wanted to sleep. But I decided to prepare anyway and turn the antenna toward moonset—completely forgetting that I’d wrapped the rotator in plastic. I ended up ripping the wires out of the motor and spent two hours on the roof in the dark repairing my poor, long-suffering rotator. ;-))

In the end, I only had about an hour and a half left for sleep and a shower. I barely managed to drag myself out of bed and climb back up to my “station in the sky.”

It seems it was worth it.

2025-11-06,15:19:00,2025-11-06,15:23:56,RD4D,LO42,1296.101008,Q65,-09,-11,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,15:33:00,2025-11-06,15:37:56,UA4AAV,LO21,1296.101008,Q65,-14,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,16:44:00,2025-11-06,16:46:01,VK3VJP,QF12,1296.101008,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,16:48:00,2025-11-06,16:52:00,RX6AIA,,1296.101008,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,17:52:00,2025-11-06,17:56:00,IK2CDI,,1296.100803,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,18:06:00,2025-11-06,18:10:04,OE3JPC,JN87,1296.100994,Q65,-26,-26,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,18:11:00,2025-11-06,18:15:56,RJ3DC,KO95,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,18:49:00,2025-11-06,18:53:56,CT1FFU,IM59,1296.101096,Q65,-21,-27,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,18:23:00,2025-11-06,18:30:56,G3LTF,,1296.101096,CW,539/529,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,18:32:00,2025-11-06,18:36:56,PI9RD,,1296.101096,CW,549/539,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,18:38:00,2025-11-06,18:41:56,OE9ERC,,1296.101096,CW,529/539,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,18:43:00,2025-11-06,18:45:56,G4CCH,,1296.101096,CW,519/529,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,18:57:00,2025-11-06,19:00:07,IK1FJI,JN44,1296.101096,Q65,-14,-27,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,19:16:00,2025-11-06,19:20:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.101096,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,23:15:00,2025-11-06,23:19:56,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.100994,Q65,-09,-08,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,23:23:00,2025-11-06,23:27:56,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-16,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,23:29:00,2025-11-06,23:33:56,W2HRO,FN20,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,23:37:00,2025-11-06,23:41:56,G4RGK,IO91,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-11-06,23:39:00,2025-11-06,23:43:56,CT1WO,IM58,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2025-11-07,00:01:00,2025-11-07,00:03:56,OK1KIR,,1296.101096,CW,539/539,,,,,,,

2025-11-07,00:11:00,2025-11-07,00:15:56,W3TI,FN20,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-28,,,,,,,

2025-11-07,00:37:00,2025-11-07,00:41:56,PA3HDG,JO31,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-07,00:59:00,2025-11-07,01:03:56,N4BAA,EM79,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

2025-11-07,01:06:00,2025-11-07,01:10:00,NC1I,,1296.100994,Q65,-10,-11,,,,,,,

2025-11-07,01:11:00,2025-11-07,01:15:56,K3SK,FM07,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-07,01:33:00,2025-11-07,01:37:56,W5LUA,EM13,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,

26 QSO, 16 inits (total 87)

2025-11-07,14:55:00,2025-11-07,15:03:56,N1AV,DM43,1296.100994,Q65,-26,-27,,,,,,,

2025-11-07,15:07:00,2025-11-07,15:11:56,KH6FA,BK29,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-26,,,,,,,

2025-11-07,17:57:00,2025-11-07,18:01:56,SP3YDE,JO82,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,00:36:30,2025-11-08,00:37:30,OK1UGA,JO80,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-29,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,00:39:00,2025-11-08,00:40:28,RD4D,LO43,1296.100994,Q65,-07,-12,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,00:41:30,2025-11-08,00:42:58,DL3EBJ,JO31,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,00:43:30,2025-11-08,00:44:33,DL1HUH,JO61,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,00:44:30,2025-11-08,00:46:59,SP3YDE,JO82,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,00:51:00,2025-11-08,00:53:00,OE9ERC,,1296.100994,Q65,-13,-08,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,00:54:30,2025-11-08,00:55:37,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,00:56:30,2025-11-08,00:57:32,I2FAK,JN45,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:01:30,2025-11-08,01:03:59,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.100994,Q65,-11,-16,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:05:30,2025-11-08,01:06:31,SP5GDM,KO02,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:06:30,2025-11-08,01:08:59,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-15,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:08:30,2025-11-08,01:10:59,UA1ALD,KO49,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:11:30,2025-11-08,01:13:59,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:24:30,2025-11-08,01:26:59,W2ZQ,FN20,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:29:30,2025-11-08,01:31:59,WA3RGQ,EL97,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:39:30,2025-11-08,01:41:59,W1FKF,FN43,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-28,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:42:30,2025-11-08,01:44:59,KN0WS,EN36,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:44:30,2025-11-08,01:46:59,DF3RU,JN59,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,01:48:30,2025-11-08,01:50:59,KA1GT,FN54,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,02:00:30,2025-11-08,02:02:58,K0PRT,DM88,1296.100994,Q65,-09,-08,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,02:11:00,2025-11-08,02:15:56,AC2AC,EL96,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,02:15:00,2025-11-08,02:19:56,K3SK,FM07,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,02:19:00,2025-11-08,02:23:56,ES3RF,KO29,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,

26 QSO, 12 inits ( total 99 )

Total : 123 QSO

2025-11-08,16:41:00,2025-11-08,16:45:56,RA4HL,LO43,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,16:58:00,2025-11-08,17:01:56,W6TCP,CM97,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-27,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,17:19:00,2025-11-08,17:23:57,KH6FA,BK29,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-27,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,17:27:00,2025-11-08,17:31:56,OK2DL,JN79,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,17:42:00,2025-11-08,17:46:00,DL0SHF,,1296.100994,Q65,-07,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,17:53:00,2025-11-08,17:57:56,OK1KKD,JO70,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,18:04:00,2025-11-08,18:04:11,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-23,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,18:25:30,2025-11-08,18:27:59,VK2JDS,QF46,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,18:31:00,2025-11-08,18:33:00,OK1USW,,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,18:42:30,2025-11-08,18:44:59,UA3MRE,KO97,1296.100994,Q65,-28,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,18:53:00,2025-11-08,18:55:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-17,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,18:59:30,2025-11-08,19:01:59,RX3DR,KO85,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,19:01:30,2025-11-08,19:03:59,OK1IL,JN69,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-26,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,19:26:30,2025-11-08,19:28:59,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.100994,Q65,-13,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,19:31:30,2025-11-08,19:33:59,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-22,,,,,,,

2025-11-08,19:40:30,2025-11-08,19:42:58,OM4XA,JN98,1296.100994,Q65,-27,-28,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,00:29:30,2025-11-09,00:30:48,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,00:31:30,2025-11-09,00:32:39,PA7JB,JO22,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,00:35:30,2025-11-09,00:37:59,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,00:37:30,2025-11-09,00:39:59,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,00:40:30,2025-11-09,00:42:59,ON4BCB,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-11,-15,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,00:48:00,2025-11-09,00:49:29,LA3PNA,JO59,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-29,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,00:55:00,2025-11-09,00:56:02,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,00:55:30,2025-11-09,00:57:59,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,02:33:30,2025-11-09,02:35:59,OK1DFC,JN79,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-16,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,03:01:00,2025-11-09,03:05:56,NC1I,FN32,1296.100994,Q65,-10,-12,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,03:42:00,2025-11-09,03:44:55,K5DN,EL19,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,03:48:00,2025-11-09,03:52:00,YL2GD,,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,

28 QSO 12 inits ( total 111 )

Total : 151 QSO

2025-11-09,17:27:00,2025-11-09,17:31:56,N0LWF,EN10,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,18:06:00,2025-11-09,18:08:03,KL6M,BP51,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-12,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,23:26:00,2025-11-09,23:28:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,23:28:30,2025-11-09,23:30:59,JH3AZC,PM85,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,23:31:30,2025-11-09,23:32:36,PA3JRK,JO33,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,23:33:00,2025-11-09,23:34:29,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,23:34:30,2025-11-09,23:36:59,F5JWF,JN26,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-09,23:44:30,2025-11-09,23:46:59,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-10,00:00:00,2025-11-10,00:00:05,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.100994,Q65,-27,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-10,00:02:30,2025-11-10,00:04:59,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,

2025-11-10,00:06:30,2025-11-10,00:08:59,JA4LJB,PM74,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,

2025-11-10,00:10:30,2025-11-10,00:12:28,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,

6 inits

Total : 163 QSO, ( total inits 117 )

The expedition is now complete, and I’m very happy with the excellent level of activity — including during the ARRL EME contest. It was a challenging trip, as something was always breaking (as usual), but I was extremely lucky with the location.

If anyone is planning a future trip to the Maldives for radio operation, I can highly recommend the WOW Hotel. It has an open rooftop that is perfect for antenna work and is located only 15 meters from the ocean. Keep in mind that this is not a resort but a local island. You won’t find a drop of alcohol for sale, and you will be called to prayer five times a day, starting at 5 a.m. — very loudly!

Getting there is simple: a fast boat runs from Malé to the atoll three times a day, costing 50 USD one way. On the island you can pay in both USD and EUR, and there are plenty of local cafés and restaurants. The hotel is clean, relatively new, with air-conditioned rooms and good food.

If anyone wants to go diving or try big-game fishing, send me an email — I’ll be happy to share the right contacts.

A huge thank-you to everyone who supported me financially during this trip. Your help made this expedition possible:

NC1I, OK1IL, IK3COJ, AA6I, PA0BAT, PA3FXB, DK4RC, PA3DZL, N1AV, DF2VJ

We’ll be operating on 23 cm during the contest (and perhaps making a few QSOs for testing beforehand).

I’m also bringing a 13 cm kit, though I hesitate to announce that band—something always seems to go wrong there… but I’ll give it a try.

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After a long flight, I landed in Seoul. Korea greeted me with clouds and rain. While still on the plane, I checked the weather forecast and realized my first problem was already waiting for me. Wednesday looked sunny, but after that — rain and thunderstorms until my departure.

My old tent has torn over the course of 30 expeditions, and I couldn’t quickly find a proper replacement, so I bought what I could — a small sunshade. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to close the front.

The good news is that there’s a small clearing right behind the house, very close to the window, so I might be able to keep the amplifier and RF module from the Icom-905 inside. The downside is that I’ll be limited to an azimuth of about 270° and an elevation of only 30°. Still, that should give me about an hour and a half window toward the westernmost stations (G, GW, EA8), which should be enough. The US East Coast is visible at my sunrise, too.

Another potential issue: it turns out the house I rented is located in the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas, and access requires passing through a military checkpoint. The border fence and guard post are only about 300–400 meters away. Although my license lists this address, questions could still arise. I plan to set up in the evening, under cover of darkness, and take down the antenna in the morning to avoid unwanted attention.

My main concern, of course, is the heavy cloud cover and the fact that I won’t be able to visually align the azimuth — I can already tell I’ll be missing the Moon.

I’m setting up now and hoping to be QRV in time for my MR.

++++++++++++ update 8 oct. 2025 09.00 UTC

The antenna is assembled and tested — seems like I haven’t forgotten anything 😄
There are some minor interferences, probably from a motion sensor, which isn’t too surprising considering the border with Kim is only about 300–400 meters away.
But overall, it’s tolerable — hopefully the NB will handle it.

Since there’s no rain at the moment, I’ve aligned it with the Moon, and in about half an hour I’ll start calling CQ.

I didn’t tune to the Sun because I didn’t want to set up my antenna during the day — I didn’t want to attract attention from the border guards or the locals, especially since I was so close to the border with some rather uneasy neighbors. I only unfolded my “umbrella” once it got dark.

The Moon was hidden behind the clouds. I tried calling CQ — no one saw me. I turned 5 degrees left, then 5 degrees right — still nothing. Turned another 5 degrees, and bingo! I hit the Moon!

My first QSO was with Bill, KB2SA, who logged me using his small 1-meter dish. About an hour later, the Moon briefly appeared from behind the clouds, and I was able to visually fine-tune the azimuth about 3 degrees further to the right. After that, I managed to work everyone who was calling.

2025-10-08,10:36:00,2025-10-08,10:40:00,KB2SA,DM13,1296.100999,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,10:44:00,2025-10-08,10:46:02,AC2AC,EL96,1296.100999,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,10:44:00,2025-10-08,10:48:00,JA6AHB,PM53,1296.100999,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,10:55:00,2025-10-08,10:59:57,W5LUA,EM13,1296.100999,Q65,-13,-16,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,10:58:00,2025-10-08,11:02:00,NC1I,,1296.100999,Q65,-07,-10,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,11:11:00,2025-10-08,11:36:03,NY1V,EM69,1296.100800,Q65,-26,-28,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,12:05:00,2025-10-08,12:09:56,AA6I,DM06,1296.101005,Q65,-14,-14,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,12:12:00,2025-10-08,12:16:00,JS6UJS,PL24,1296.101005,Q65,-18,-13,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,12:29:00,2025-10-08,12:33:56,BA7NQ,OL63,1296.101005,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,13:12:00,2025-10-08,13:16:00,K6EME,DM06,1296.101005,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,14:21:00,2025-10-08,14:25:57,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.101005,Q65,-20,-14,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,14:29:00,2025-10-08,14:33:56,UN6PD,MN69,1296.100967,Q65,-17,-15,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,14:39:00,2025-10-08,14:43:56,UA9YLU,MO92,1296.100967,Q65,-19,-15,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,15:46:00,2025-10-08,15:49:56,KH6FA,BK29,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,15:50:00,2025-10-08,15:54:00,UA3PTW,,1296.100994,Q65,-10,-16,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,16:05:00,2025-10-08,16:09:57,ES3RF,KO29,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:03:00,2025-10-08,17:08:22,RX3DR,KO85,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:10:00,2025-10-08,17:14:00,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.100994,Q65,-08,-14,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:13:00,2025-10-08,17:17:56,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:24:00,2025-10-08,17:26:05,SA6BUN,JO78,1296.100994,Q65,-13,-14,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:30:00,2025-10-08,17:33:00,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:32:00,2025-10-08,17:34:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-12,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:35:00,2025-10-08,17:37:00,SM5DGX,,1296.100994,Q65,-07,-12,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:42:00,2025-10-08,17:44:00,DG5CST,JO60,1296.100994,Q65,-08,-15,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:49:00,2025-10-08,17:51:00,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:55:00,2025-10-08,17:57:00,DK4RC,,1296.100994,Q65,-05,-09,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,17:57:00,2025-10-08,17:59:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.100994,Q65,-13,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:02:00,2025-10-08,18:03:04,SP5GDM,KO02,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-23,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:03:00,2025-10-08,18:05:01,G0LBK,,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:07:00,2025-10-08,18:09:07,DF3RU,JN59,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-11,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:11:00,2025-10-08,18:13:00,G4CCH,,1296.100994,Q65,-11,-15,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:13:00,2025-10-08,18:15:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:15:30,2025-10-08,18:17:59,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:18:00,2025-10-08,18:20:00,RX6AIA,,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:20:00,2025-10-08,18:22:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-15,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:22:00,2025-10-08,18:24:00,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-24,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:24:00,2025-10-08,18:26:00,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:26:00,2025-10-08,18:28:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:28:00,2025-10-08,18:30:00,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:30:00,2025-10-08,18:32:00,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:32:30,2025-10-08,18:34:59,OE9ERC,JN47,1296.100994,Q65,-09,-14,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:34:00,2025-10-08,18:36:00,PA0PLY,JO32,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:38:00,2025-10-08,18:40:00,DG0FE,,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:43:30,2025-10-08,18:45:59,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-25,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:45:00,2025-10-08,18:47:00,PA0BAT,,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:47:00,2025-10-08,18:49:00,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:50:00,2025-10-08,18:52:00,DK3WG,JO72,1296.100994,Q65,-27,-25,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:52:00,2025-10-08,18:54:00,DL3EBJ,,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:54:00,2025-10-08,18:56:00,OK1DFC,,1296.100994,Q65,-12,-05,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,18:58:00,2025-10-08,19:00:00,DK5AI,JO51,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:01:30,2025-10-08,19:03:59,I2FAK,JN45,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:04:00,2025-10-08,19:06:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-23,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:06:00,2025-10-08,19:08:00,PE1L,,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:13:30,2025-10-08,19:14:31,UA1ALD,KO49,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:16:30,2025-10-08,19:18:59,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:29:00,2025-10-08,19:33:56,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:36:00,2025-10-08,19:40:00,IQ2DB,JN45,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-25,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:41:00,2025-10-08,19:45:56,OK2AQ,JN89,1296.100994,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:44:00,2025-10-08,19:48:03,SP7EXY,,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:48:00,2025-10-08,19:52:00,OM4XA,,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:52:00,2025-10-08,19:56:00,CT1WO,IM58,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,19:57:00,2025-10-08,20:01:56,PE1LWT,JO22,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,20:03:00,2025-10-08,20:07:56,F5KUG,JN03,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,20:12:00,2025-10-08,20:16:00,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-24,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,20:17:00,2025-10-08,20:21:56,LA3EQ,JO28,1296.100994,Q65,-29,-22,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,20:23:00,2025-10-08,20:27:57,9H1BN,JM75,1296.100994,Q65,-32,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,20:27:00,2025-10-08,20:31:57,PH0V,JO22,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,20:39:00,2025-10-08,20:43:56,DJ2DY,JN39,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,20:57:00,2025-10-08,20:58:15,DL8YHR,,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,21:17:00,2025-10-08,21:20:00,ON5GS,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-15,,,,,,,

2025-10-08,21:22:00,2025-10-08,21:26:03,SV3AAF,,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-20,,,,,,,

71 QSO

+++++++++

As the weather forecast had promised, a steady drizzle set in after lunch, accompanied by some strong gusts of wind. Around my MR, the wind picked up so much that I was afraid to open the antenna. A couple of hours later, the gusts eased a bit, and I managed to make a few QSOs before the Moon set over the U.S. West Coast.

The rain kept getting heavier, so I hesitated to switch the feed to 13 cm, worrying about water getting into the connectors and the LNA.

Eventually, I found a brief break in the weather and quickly made the adjustment — but alas, I still couldn’t lock onto the Moon. After about 30 minutes of trying, I switched back to 23 cm, ending the session with a total of 15 QSOs.

2025-10-09,13:27:00,2025-10-09,13:31:56,K6FOD,DM04,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,15:25:00,2025-10-09,15:29:56,VE6TA,DO33,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,17:34:00,2025-10-09,17:36:03,OK2DL,JN79,1296.100994,Q65,-08,-15,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,17:36:00,2025-10-09,17:40:00,OH2DG,,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,17:42:00,2025-10-09,17:46:00,YL2GD,,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,17:46:00,2025-10-09,17:50:00,RA4HL,,1296.100994,Q65,-11,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,17:52:00,2025-10-09,17:56:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-26,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,18:20:00,2025-10-09,18:24:00,HB9Q,JN47,1296.100994,Q65,-04,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,20:57:00,2025-10-09,21:01:57,SM6CKU,JO67,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-10,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,21:06:00,2025-10-09,21:10:03,ZS5Y,KF59,1296.100994,Q65,-26,-15,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,21:13:00,2025-10-09,21:17:56,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,21:16:00,2025-10-09,21:20:00,OK1USW,,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,21:37:00,2025-10-09,21:41:56,CT1FFU,IM59,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,21:56:00,2025-10-09,22:00:03,R1NW,KP71,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-09,22:07:00,2025-10-09,22:11:56,PA3HDG,JO31,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,

15 QSO,

Total: 86 QSO

It’s been raining nonstop for two days straight — and “nonstop” is no exaggeration!

I can’t even go outside. I was worried that the LNA and connectors might get wet, but the cling film I wrapped around the septum seems to be doing its job just fine.

During the day, while the Moon was below the horizon, I tried the 13 cm band again — but it seems the amplifier has mysteriously lost power once more, maxing out at only 50 watts. The 13 cm band also requires much more precise azimuth adjustment, and since the forecast calls for continuous rain tonight, I’ve been folding the antenna down during the day to avoid drawing attention from the military. The border and the guard tower are very close here, and I’d rather not have my trip end prematurely. So, I decided to give up on 13 cm once again — this band really feels like a curse for me. )))

I was really lucky (for the first time, actually) to be able to set up the antenna right next to my house and run the 7 m cable directly through the window. That saved me from having to pitch a small tent under the antenna, as you’ve seen in photos from previous expeditions. Otherwise, I’m afraid my activity would have been limited to the first Moon pass — and, as the saying goes, “no one’s there in time, no one’s there.”

Surprisingly, the Moonrise started quite well despite the gusty wind and heavy rain. Of course, I lost about 2 dB on receive and missed a couple of QSOs with stations I’ve worked before — I just couldn’t aim precisely at the Moon. But thanks to my modified rotator, it managed to hold azimuth reasonably well even in the stronger gusts.

2025-10-10,12:03:00,2025-10-10,12:05:19,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,12:06:00,2025-10-10,12:10:00,N5TM,EL29,1296.100797,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,12:11:00,2025-10-10,12:15:56,JA4LJB,PM74,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,12:21:00,2025-10-10,12:25:56,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,12:52:00,2025-10-10,12:58:00,W3TI,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-27,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,19:01:00,2025-10-10,19:05:56,OK1IL,JN69,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-26,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,19:10:00,2025-10-10,19:14:00,RW6HM,LN14,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-15,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,19:15:00,2025-10-10,19:19:56,OK1UGA,JO80,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,19:21:00,2025-10-10,19:25:56,OZ9KY,JO57,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,19:28:00,2025-10-10,19:32:04,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,19:59:00,2025-10-10,20:03:56,RD4D,LO42,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-11,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,20:10:00,2025-10-10,20:12:02,RJ3DC,KO95,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,20:12:00,2025-10-10,20:16:07,OK1DFC,,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-08,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,20:20:00,2025-10-10,20:22:31,SP3YDE,JO82,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,21:20:00,2025-10-10,21:24:00,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-32,-23,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,21:47:00,2025-10-10,21:51:56,OH1LRY,KP11,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-11,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,22:20:00,2025-10-10,22:22:00,G3LTF,,1296.101000,CW,529,549,,,,,,,

2025-10-10,22:23:00,2025-10-10,22:29:00,OE9ERC,,1296.101000,CW,559,559,,,,,,,

Total : 104 init QSO

When you’re running an expedition on 23 cm and above, the question isn’t if something will break — it’s when, how badly, and whether you can fix or work around it. Something will fail or burn out. Absolutely guaranteed!

So when the 13 cm PA suddenly stopped producing power, I was actually a bit relieved — that meant everyone who could (and couldn’t) would have to work me on 23 cm instead! 😄 After all, we’re all a little superstitious.

But luck wasn’t on my side this time.

Several stations — G4YTL, PA7JB, and W2HRO — could only be on the air Saturday evening (which is Sunday morning for me). The Moon was going to be low, but at least it wasn’t raining, and I had fine-tuned the azimuth during the previous Moon pass. I only had to wait another 30–40 minutes.

I went out to the antenna to check the elevation, and suddenly the rotator came alive on its own, turning somewhere toward the east! I ran inside, looked at the controller — and everything became clear: the HH12 sensor was the culprit.

I shut everything down and went to investigate.
After three days of continuous rain, water had slowly accumulated inside the sensor’s protective housing. I’d forgotten to drill a drain hole, and the sensor ended up completely submerged. While unscrewing it and draining the water, I accidentally tore off both the power and sensor wires.

It’s repairable — but only by completely disassembling everything: removing the antenna, the rotator, and resoldering the broken leads. And I had to leave the next morning.

Realizing how hopeless it was, I threw down my tools in frustration and tried to get at least some sleep — it was already 8 a.m., and I hadn’t closed my eyes all night. But I couldn’t sleep, angry at myself for not checking everything during the day. Ten minutes later, my phone started lighting up with messages: “Alex, where are you? We’re ready!”

I apologized, explained that I was in trouble, sent a photo, and offered my sympathy to those who were waiting.

Then I told myself: Never give up — get up and try something!

I remembered roughly where the antenna had been pointed the previous two days — around 270 degrees. I asked Dave, G4YTL, to start calling me, loosened the mounting bolts, and manually rotated the antenna to the approximate direction. And — bingo! I hit the target!

A beautiful signal path appeared on the screen.
Never give up — that’s my motto.

Another 11 QSOs went into the log, 6 of them new initials. In the evening, I’ll try the same “trick” again for my MR with W2HRO.

2025-10-11,13:27:00,2025-10-11,13:29:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.078000,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,13:32:30,2025-10-11,13:34:59,AA6I,DM06,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,13:37:30,2025-10-11,13:39:59,K0PRT,DM88,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,13:42:00,2025-10-11,13:43:29,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-11,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,13:46:00,2025-10-11,13:47:03,K3SK,FM07,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-25,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,13:46:30,2025-10-11,13:48:59,N1AV,DM43,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,13:49:30,2025-10-11,13:51:59,KN0WS,EN36,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,14:03:30,2025-10-11,14:04:31,JS6UJS,PL24,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,14:07:30,2025-10-11,14:08:32,W1FKF,FN43,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,14:10:30,2025-10-11,14:11:43,K5N,EM31,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,14:25:30,2025-10-11,14:27:59,K6EME,DM06,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-26,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,14:30:30,2025-10-11,14:33:30,VA7MM,,1296.096000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,14:40:00,2025-10-11,14:42:29,W2ZQ,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-24,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,16:49:00,2025-10-11,16:51:29,BA7NQ,OL63,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,16:52:00,2025-10-11,16:54:29,KH6FA,BK29,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,17:00:00,2025-10-11,17:02:29,RD4D,LO42,1296.101000,Q65,-03,-10,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,17:03:00,2025-10-11,17:05:29,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-15,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,18:41:30,2025-10-11,18:43:30,DL0SHF,,1296.101000,Q65,-10,-10,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,18:44:00,2025-10-11,18:46:29,RA4HL,LO43,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-12,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,18:47:30,2025-10-11,18:49:30,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,18:50:00,2025-10-11,18:52:29,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,18:55:30,2025-10-11,18:56:35,OK1KKD,JO70,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,19:00:30,2025-10-11,19:01:33,RJ3DC,KO95,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,19:23:30,2025-10-11,19:25:59,DM2CFH,JO61,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-13,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,19:26:30,2025-10-11,19:28:59,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,19:31:00,2025-10-11,19:33:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-23,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,19:38:30,2025-10-11,19:40:59,UA3MRE,KO97,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,19:44:30,2025-10-11,19:46:59,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-11,-12,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,19:47:00,2025-10-11,19:49:00,OK1USW,,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,19:50:00,2025-10-11,19:52:00,OK1DFC,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,20:05:30,2025-10-11,20:10:59,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.101000,CW,539,539,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,20:16:00,2025-10-11,20:18:00,DK4RC,,1296.101000,Q65,-07,-14,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,20:42:30,2025-10-11,20:44:59,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,20:51:30,2025-10-11,20:53:59,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-22,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,21:01:00,2025-10-11,21:03:00,IK2DDR,,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,21:10:30,2025-10-11,21:12:59,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-19,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,21:13:30,2025-10-11,21:15:59,SM5DGX,JO89,1296.101000,Q65,-06,-12,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,21:27:30,2025-10-11,21:29:59,SP3YDE,JO82,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,21:30:30,2025-10-11,21:32:59,DL1HUH,JO61,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-12,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,21:35:00,2025-10-11,21:36:01,R1NW,KP71,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,21:38:30,2025-10-11,21:39:50,SP3XBO,JO81,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-25,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,21:57:00,2025-10-11,22:01:56,OH1LRY,KP11,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-12,,,,,,,

2025-10-11,22:04:00,2025-10-11,22:10:00,OE3JPC,JN87,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:06:30,2025-10-12,00:08:59,G4YTL,IO92,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:09:30,2025-10-12,00:11:59,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:13:30,2025-10-12,00:14:37,SP5GDM,KO02,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:16:00,2025-10-12,00:18:00,PA7JB,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-21,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:19:30,2025-10-12,00:21:59,DJ3JJ,JN48,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:23:30,2025-10-12,00:24:36,JH3AZC,PM85,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:27:30,2025-10-12,00:29:59,G4RFR,IO90,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:31:00,2025-10-12,00:33:00,PA0PLY,JO32,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:37:30,2025-10-12,00:39:59,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-17,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:39:00,2025-10-12,00:41:00,ON5GS,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-13,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,00:41:00,2025-10-12,00:43:00,SP7EXY,,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,

Added 54 QSOs in the contest, including 22 new initials.
Total in the log: 125 initial QSOs.

Sensor repair failed, so I just set the elevation and aimed roughly where the Moon was rising.
Chances were slim, but it worked — 6 new QSOs, 3 of them inits in the log!

2025-10-12,13:15:00,2025-10-12,13:17:32,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-24,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,13:27:00,2025-10-12,13:29:10,N0AKC,EN44,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,13:32:00,2025-10-12,13:34:08,W2HRO,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,13:35:00,2025-10-12,13:39:56,W3TI,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,14:11:00,2025-10-12,14:15:56,K6EME,DM06,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-27,,,,,,,

2025-10-12,14:20:00,2025-10-12,14:22:06,KB2SA,DM13,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

Total in the log: 165 / 127 initial QSOs.

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed and supported this trip!
Your help made this adventure possible, and I truly appreciate every bit of encouragement and generosity.

NC1I, PA3DZL, PA0BAT, OK1IL, ZS4TX, AA6I, PA7JB, PA3FXB, DF2VJ

It was supposed to be a short drive — just 250 km. But somehow, right from the start, everything went sideways. I’d prepared myself for the usual torture at the Turkish border: mentally braced, all papers neatly in order, even printouts of the regulator’s documents in case someone wanted to get picky.

My car, of course, has its “Achilles’ heel” — the rotator control by the sliding door. With a tap of my foot, I can spin the antenna and check the angle. A marvel for me, but for border guards it’s like waving a red flag at a bull: endless questions, suspicious looks. This time, I threw a jacket over it — at crossings it serves as nothing more than a coat hanger. The rest of the gear was buried under blankets ;-) and to top it off, a giant pillow I never use, just to make the whole setup look boring.

The Greeks noticed on entry, but that was to be expected — you’re stepping into the “promised land,” after all. Nobody cares when you leave. No queues, just a couple of cars. I nod politely, smile: yes sir, no sir, of course sir… already rehearsing my answers for the Turkish border.

And then — surprise. As I was leaving Greece, they waved me aside. Two smiling customs officers strolled up, one wearing a German uniform, the other a Portuguese one. And then the grilling began. “Open this. What’s that? Why do you have this? What’s it for?” They poked under the car, into the engine, even the steering column. Two hours later, I was finally free of Greece. The upside? Turkey let me in within ten minutes flat.

But the relief didn’t last long. Almost immediately, the navigation failed. No Internet. Turns out — Starlink doesn’t work in Turkey. I had to find the rental house by following landmarks, and when I got there… well, that was the real disaster. The photos had nothing to do with reality. The place was boxed in by buildings. No sky, no chance.

So, goodbye to the money I’d paid, and hello to a frantic search for another spot. MR was coming up, I needed to be on the air by dawn.

I drove in circles until I stumbled on a tiny clearing next to a small hotel. I ran to the manager, asked if I could park there. “Sure!” he said, cheerfully. The site wasn’t great: pine forest to the east, a massive transformer to the south, the hotel itself blocking the west. But there was no time left.

I set everything up, too drained to even measure the sun. Clear skies above, so I trusted my eyes. Switched on the radio — and immediately, click… click… click. Every 9 seconds across the band. The NB helped a little, but the sync was still a mess. No Internet either — the hotel Wi-Fi didn’t reach, and my phone connection was barely alive.

But somehow, against all odds, it worked. By the end, 53 QSOs made it into the log.

2025-09-09,19:04:00,2025-09-09,19:06:00,UA3PTW,KO93,1296.081000,Q65,-13,-10,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:06:00,2025-09-09,19:08:00,HB9Q,JN47,1296.081000,Q65,-07,-12,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:09:00,2025-09-09,19:11:00,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.081000,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:11:00,2025-09-09,19:13:00,YL2GD,,1296.081000,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:13:00,2025-09-09,19:15:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.081000,Q65,-13,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:15:00,2025-09-09,19:17:00,RD4D,,1296.081000,Q65,-19,-07,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:17:00,2025-09-09,19:19:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.081000,Q65,-21,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:19:00,2025-09-09,19:21:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.081000,Q65,-22,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:21:00,2025-09-09,19:23:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.081000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:23:00,2025-09-09,19:25:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.081000,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:25:00,2025-09-09,19:27:00,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.081000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:27:00,2025-09-09,19:29:00,OK1USW,,1296.081000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:30:00,2025-09-09,19:32:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.081000,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:32:00,2025-09-09,19:34:00,RA4HL,,1296.081000,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:35:00,2025-09-09,19:37:00,ZS5Y,KF59,1296.081000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:38:00,2025-09-09,19:40:00,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.081000,Q65,-21,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:40:00,2025-09-09,19:42:00,JS6UJS,PL24,1296.081000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:42:00,2025-09-09,19:44:00,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.081000,Q65,-12,-15,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:44:00,2025-09-09,19:46:00,I2FAK,JN45,1296.081000,Q65,-15,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:46:00,2025-09-09,19:48:00,G0LBK,,1296.081000,Q65,-19,-16,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:48:00,2025-09-09,19:50:00,G4CCH,IO93,1296.081000,Q65,-13,-12,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:50:00,2025-09-09,19:52:00,OH2DG,,1296.081000,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,19:52:00,2025-09-09,19:54:00,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.081000,Q65,-17,-15,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:01:00,2025-09-09,20:03:00,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.080999,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:03:00,2025-09-09,20:05:00,DK3WG,JO72,1296.080999,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:05:00,2025-09-09,20:07:00,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.080999,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:07:00,2025-09-09,20:09:00,SP7EXY,,1296.080999,Q65,-16,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:09:00,2025-09-09,20:11:00,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.080999,Q65,-17,-15,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:11:00,2025-09-09,20:13:00,JH3AZC,,1296.080999,Q65,-17,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:13:00,2025-09-09,20:15:00,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.080999,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:15:00,2025-09-09,20:17:00,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.080999,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:17:00,2025-09-09,20:19:00,IQ2DB,JN45,1296.080999,Q65,-16,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:19:00,2025-09-09,20:21:00,DG0FE,,1296.080999,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:21:00,2025-09-09,20:23:00,PA0BAT,,1296.080999,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:23:00,2025-09-09,20:25:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.080999,Q65,-11,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:25:00,2025-09-09,20:27:00,OE9ERC,JN47,1296.080999,Q65,-06,-09,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:28:00,2025-09-09,20:30:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.080999,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:30:00,2025-09-09,20:32:00,DM2CFH,,1296.080999,Q65,-10,-12,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:32:00,2025-09-09,20:34:00,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.080999,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:35:00,2025-09-09,20:37:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.080999,Q65,-12,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:37:00,2025-09-09,20:39:00,DG5CST,JO60,1296.080999,Q65,-04,-08,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:41:00,2025-09-09,20:43:00,OM4XA,JN98,1296.080999,Q65,-19,-26,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:43:00,2025-09-09,20:45:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.080999,Q65,-29,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,20:45:00,2025-09-09,20:47:00,PE1L,,1296.080999,Q65,-14,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:26:00,2025-09-09,21:30:00,OK1IL,JN69,1296.080999,Q65,-16,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:30:00,2025-09-09,21:34:00,DK4RC,,1296.080999,Q65,-06,-08,,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:34:00,2025-09-09,21:38:00,ON5GS,JO21,1296.080999,Q65,-15,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:39:00,2025-09-09,21:42:00,G4YTL,IO92,1296.080999,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:42:00,2025-09-09,21:46:00,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.080999,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:46:00,2025-09-09,21:50:00,YU1DA,KN03,1296.080999,Q65,-16,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:50:00,2025-09-09,21:54:00,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.080999,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,21:58:00,2025-09-09,22:02:00,R1NW,KP71,1296.080999,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,
2025-09-09,22:14:00,2025-09-09,22:18:00,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.080999,Q65,-26,-23,,,,,,,

The west is blocked by a building, so there’s no point in waiting until 5 a.m. local time for the States to open up. In the morning I’ll pack everything back into the car and head out to find a new spot where I can set up.

+++++++++

Quick morning pack-up and a 100 km hop east to a new spot. In photos it looks like a huge open lot; in reality… not so much. The good news: there’s a construction site behind it, so I should be able to set up there after work hours—luckily the Moon is rising at night now. Azimuths to both east and west are clear from about 10° elevation, which is plenty with the current declination for JA, VK, and the U.S. West Coast.

If you still need TA, please be on for today’s lunar pass—this will most likely be my last day in Turkey before I head back to Albania. I’ll be on my MR around 18:30 UTC to work whoever still needs me in Europe, then I’ll grab a short rest and return around 04:00 UTC to give the West a shot.

+++++++++++

The location is excellent—clear to both moonrise and moonset, with no noise at all.
The moon is bright, the sky is cloudless, and there’s no wind. I quickly logged six QSOs, but no more takers so far. QRT until 04:00 UTC. Then I’ll work the West and hit the road back to Albania. I’ve got 800 km to drive, two borders to cross, and a good spot to find.

2025-09-10,19:20:00,2025-09-10,19:23:56,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.100999,Q65,-30,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-10,19:23:00,2025-09-10,19:27:56,BA7NQ,OL63,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-10,19:26:00,2025-09-10,19:30:00,SM5DGX,,1296.100999,Q65,-12,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-10,19:33:00,2025-09-10,19:37:56,VK3NFI,QF31,1296.100999,Q65,-28,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-10,19:59:00,2025-09-10,20:05:56,OK2AQ,JN89,1296.101489,Q65,-27,-26,,,,,,,
2025-09-10,20:28:00,2025-09-10,20:34:00,DK5AI,JO51,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-25,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:14:00,2025-09-11,03:16:02,NY1V,EM69,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-28,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:17:00,2025-09-11,03:19:02,NC1I,FN32,1296.101000,Q65,-07,-07,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:21:00,2025-09-11,03:23:16,W3TI,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:25:00,2025-09-11,03:27:05,N0LWF,EN10,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:29:00,2025-09-11,03:31:18,9H1BN,JM75,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:33:00,2025-09-11,03:35:17,W1FKF,FN43,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:34:00,2025-09-11,03:38:00,N5TM,EL29,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:38:00,2025-09-11,03:42:00,DJ2DY,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-16,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:45:00,2025-09-11,03:47:00,W2HRO,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:48:00,2025-09-11,03:52:00,IK2DDR,JN55,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-11,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:56:00,2025-09-11,03:58:05,KD5CHG,FN31,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,03:58:00,2025-09-11,04:02:00,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-08,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,04:03:00,2025-09-11,04:07:56,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,04:07:00,2025-09-11,04:11:56,LZ4OC,KN33,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,04:16:00,2025-09-11,04:20:00,KB2SA,DM13,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-27,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,04:38:00,2025-09-11,04:42:00,KB7Q,DN45,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-30,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,05:43:00,2025-09-11,05:47:56,KA1GT,FN54,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-11,05:50:00,2025-09-11,05:54:00,OE3JPC,JN87,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

24 QSO - Total : 77 QSO

Many thanks to everyone who supported and donated – much appreciated!

NC1I, DL4DTU, IK3COJ, DL7FBD, PA3DZL, DF2VJ, G0LBK, PA0BAT, PA3FXB, DK3WG, KB7Q

Your support covered my ferry and fuel costs – truly grateful, thank you!!!

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At first, I realized that if I took the ferry to Greece, I wouldn’t have time for anything, since it arrives not at 8 a.m. but at 8 p.m.—as I later noticed. So I changed the plan on the go: leave a day earlier, get to Serbia, and then decide where to turn depending on the weather and traffic. Either head to Turkey for a couple of days, after which I’d need to go to Tirana and then another six hours further south, or, if there’s plenty of time, take the route to Tirana via Macedonia.

Since the road conditions were fine, I decided to be in Tirana by 8 a.m. to pick up the license and then immediately head via Thessaloniki to Turkey. I double-checked—no holidays in Albania, AKEP is open. From early morning I struggled through the packed center of Tirana, somehow parked on hazard lights near the AKEP office, only to be met at the entrance by a security guard who said no one was there: fiesta, come back Monday. I asked him to at least call someone, as I only needed to pick up a piece of paper—but the answer was: not a single person. Perfect—I’d arrived for nothing.

There’s no point in driving 800 km to Turkey and back in three days. So I decided to find something near Tirana for the weekend, set up, and check how everything works. I’ll operate from higher elevations (since both east and west are blocked here). On Monday morning I’ll (hopefully) pick up the license, then head over to Turkey for a couple of days before returning to southern Albania.

So, from September 5–7, I’ll be a bit active on 23 cm as ZA/LY3UM.

Setup is ready: 7 dB sun noise, 500 W at the feed. One limitation though – minimum azimuth here is 160°. So I’ll be able to catch the Moon only starting around 20:00 UTC.

After switching on, I noticed strange QRM – clicks every 9 seconds.

They added up to +7 dB to the overall noise level. A bit lower in frequency the clicks were weaker, and turning on the NB almost completely solved the problem. That’s why I started operating not on my usual 1296.100, but on 1296.060 in fast 30B mode. Later, after working the main bulk of the big guns, I switched to 60C.

2025-09-05,19:27:00,2025-09-05,19:29:00,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.061000,Q65,-14,-17,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:31:00,2025-09-05,19:33:00,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.061000,Q65,-12,-13,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:33:00,2025-09-05,19:35:00,DG5CST,JO60,1296.061000,Q65,-07,-07,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:35:00,2025-09-05,19:37:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.061000,Q65,-12,-11,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:37:00,2025-09-05,19:39:00,UA3PTW,,1296.061000,Q65,-10,-15,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:39:00,2025-09-05,19:41:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.061000,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:41:00,2025-09-05,19:43:00,SP5GDM,,1296.061000,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:43:00,2025-09-05,19:45:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.061000,Q65,-28,-21,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:45:00,2025-09-05,19:47:00,OK1USW,,1296.061000,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:47:00,2025-09-05,19:49:00,G0LBK,,1296.061000,Q65,-19,-15,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:50:00,2025-09-05,19:52:00,HB9Q,JN47,1296.061000,Q65,-04,-07,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:52:00,2025-09-05,19:54:00,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.061000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:54:00,2025-09-05,19:56:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.061000,Q65,-17,-14,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:56:00,2025-09-05,19:58:00,OK1IL,JN69,1296.061000,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,19:59:00,2025-09-05,20:01:00,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.061000,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,20:01:00,2025-09-05,20:03:00,DM2CFH,JO60,1296.061000,Q65,-13,-18,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,20:03:00,2025-09-05,20:05:00,YU1DA,KN03,1296.061000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,20:07:00,2025-09-05,20:09:00,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.061000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,20:09:00,2025-09-05,20:11:00,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.061000,Q65,-20,-15,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,20:11:00,2025-09-05,20:13:00,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.061000,Q65,-16,-16,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,20:24:00,2025-09-05,20:28:00,G4YTL,IO92,1296.061000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,20:28:00,2025-09-05,20:32:00,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.061000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,20:36:00,2025-09-05,20:40:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.061000,Q65,-21,-24,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,20:44:00,2025-09-05,20:48:08,OE9ERC,JN47,1296.061000,Q65,-06,-11,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,20:48:00,2025-09-05,20:52:00,DF3RU,JN59,1296.061000,Q65,-12,-10,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,21:06:00,2025-09-05,21:10:00,SM6PGP,JO67,1296.061000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,22:24:00,2025-09-05,22:28:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.061000,Q65,-17,-15,,,,,,,

2025-09-05,23:10:00,2025-09-05,23:14:00,W2HRO,FN20,1296.061000,Q65,-29,-30,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,00:30:00,2025-09-06,00:34:00,KN2K,FM18,1296.061000,Q65,-26,-23,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,00:40:00,2025-09-06,00:42:00,AC2AC,EL96,1296.061000,Q65,-25,-24,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,00:48:00,2025-09-06,00:50:00,W3TI,FN20,1296.061000,Q65,-25,-24,,,,,,,

A total of 31 QSOs.

But many active stations were absent since the Moon is still very low for a few more days.

In the morning, I adjusted the van a bit so I could start operating from at least 125° azimuth — in that case, I’ll be able to work JA and VK.

Around 18:30 UTC, I expect to see the Moon and start operating.

My calculations proved correct — I worked all the JAs within range, and at the very edge of the Moon I managed to work VK2JDS. Then came three hours of a solid pileup, adding another 28 QSOs to the log.

2025-09-06,18:40:00,2025-09-06,18:44:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.061000,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,18:44:00,2025-09-06,18:48:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.061000,Q65,-19,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,18:48:00,2025-09-06,18:52:00,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.061000,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,18:52:00,2025-09-06,18:56:00,VK2JDS,QF46,1296.061000,Q65,-23,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,18:56:00,2025-09-06,19:00:00,JH3AZC,PM85,1296.061000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,19:00:00,2025-09-06,19:04:00,OK1UGA,JO80,1296.061000,Q65,-14,-13,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,19:06:00,2025-09-06,19:10:00,BA7NQ,OL63,1296.061000,Q65,-24,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,19:20:00,2025-09-06,19:24:00,I2FAK,JN45,1296.061000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,19:24:00,2025-09-06,19:28:00,SM5DGX,,1296.061000,Q65,-10,-12,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,19:28:00,2025-09-06,19:32:00,YL2GD,,1296.061000,Q65,-23,-19,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,19:32:00,2025-09-06,19:36:00,DG0FE,,1296.061000,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,19:34:00,2025-09-06,19:38:00,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.061000,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,19:40:00,2025-09-06,19:44:00,DK3WG,JO72,1296.061000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,19:44:00,2025-09-06,19:48:00,PE1L,,1296.061000,Q65,-18,-17,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,19:48:00,2025-09-06,19:52:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.061000,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,20:00:00,2025-09-06,20:04:00,ZS5Y,KF59,1296.061000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,20:04:00,2025-09-06,20:08:00,G4CCH,,1296.061000,Q65,-14,-14,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,20:08:00,2025-09-06,20:12:00,PA0BAT,,1296.061000,Q65,-19,-16,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,20:12:00,2025-09-06,20:16:00,RA4HL,LO43,1296.061000,Q65,-18,-12,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,20:16:00,2025-09-06,20:20:00,SM6CKU,,1296.061000,Q65,-14,-11,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,20:20:00,2025-09-06,20:24:00,OM4XA,,1296.061000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,20:32:00,2025-09-06,20:36:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.061000,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,20:52:00,2025-09-06,20:56:00,ON5GS,JO21,1296.061000,Q65,-18,-15,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,21:16:00,2025-09-06,21:24:04,GW4ZHI,IO82,1296.061000,Q65,-31,-25,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,21:27:00,2025-09-06,21:29:00,RD4D,,1296.061000,Q65,-13,-08,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,21:31:00,2025-09-06,21:33:00,OE9ERC,JN47,1296.061000,Q65,-11,-07,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,21:38:00,2025-09-06,21:42:00,DK5AI,JO51,1296.061000,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,

2025-09-06,21:47:00,2025-09-06,21:50:00,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.061000,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,

Total: 59 QSO

It seems I've already worked everyone who can manage a contact with such a low lunar declination. The rest will have to wait until September 12–14, when I return from TA1. I’ll try to find a location with an open western horizon, as so far I’ve only been able to work a few stations from the US East Coast.

As I mentioned, I plan to activate 13 cm from ZA during the ARRL contest on Saturday.

Today, Sunday, September 7, there’s no point in waiting for moonrise — it won’t clear the building until around 11 a.m. local time, and I still need to dismantle the antenna and pack everything ahead of the 800 km drive on Monday morning. On top of that, because of the morning traffic jams, I’ll have to go into downtown Tirana to pick up the license. So I’ll pack everything up today. Sorry if someone didn’t manage to work me this time — you’ll have another chance in a week.*

++++++++++++

In the morning, I phoned AKEP. Predictably, the moment they heard English, the line went dead. I wasn’t even surprised. With nothing else to do, I set off for the capital, determined to wrestle my license out of their hands in person.

What an appalling city. A sea of traffic, endless jams, and drivers behaving as if licenses were bought at the corner store rather than earned. No one lets you merge. Signal for a lane change and, instead of making room, they deliberately close the gap—as if it were some kind of national sport.

On the approach to the city, two lanes each way are split by a concrete barrier. I’m in the left lane when I spot an ambulance racing up behind me, lights flashing, siren wailing. No space to pull left, so I flick on my right blinker to edge over and clear the way. In any civilized place, traffic parts instantly for an ambulance. Here? Quite the opposite. Drivers see me trying to move aside and actually speed up to block me. Utter madness. I roll down the window, wave, shout, “Let me through for the ambulance!” In return, I get the classic vacant stare—eyes fixed straight ahead, pretending neither to see nor hear. Albanian reality, raw and unfiltered.

They say the country is on its way into the EU. Honestly, I don’t know how. To me, it feels like a third-world state that, by some geographical accident, landed in Europe. Don’t judge me—that’s just how it struck me.

The deeper into the city, the worse it became. At major intersections and roundabouts, police officers stand there, whistling and waving batons, physically coaxing traffic to move. Without them, the entire city would collapse into a self-inflicted gridlock.

Near the center, there are usually two lanes and a dedicated bus lane. The right lane is unusable—every 50–100 meters, someone simply abandons their car with the hazards on and strolls off on personal business. That leaves the left lane, where drivers will honk indignantly if you dare try to merge.

My navigation cheerfully guided me: “AKEP is just one kilometer away.” I missed a turn, no big deal—the app quickly recalculated. But the streets kept narrowing, sidewalks and every inch crammed with parked cars. Tight corners I couldn’t swing in my 5.5-meter van, mirrors folded just to squeeze through without scraping someone. “Only 200 meters to go!” chirped the navigator.

And then—the inevitable: a road dug up, construction nowhere marked on the map. No room to turn, no way forward. With horror, I realized my only option was to reverse. Mirrors folded, relying on the rear camera, inching backwards like some deranged circus act. Within minutes I was drenched in sweat, muttering every curse I know. Twenty minutes of this “Cirque du Soleil on wheels,” and I finally clawed my way out.

On my second try, I reached the right street. Parking? Forget it. I brazenly blocked an entrance. Out stormed the Friday security guard, recognized me, shook his head, and barked: “Madam Aferdita is not here. Leave. Free the way.”

But I wasn’t about to surrender. I argued, pleaded in English, waving documents, trying to explain I just needed one sheet of paper. Hopeless—he understood nothing. We shouted, gestured, a pantomime of pure futility.

And then—a miracle. Out of the office stepped a kind, beautiful woman on her lunch break. She smiled: “Are you Mr. Alexander? Your license is ready. You can pick it up in the building just across the street.”

In that moment, she was nothing less than a living angel descended from heaven. Bewitched, I asked, “Are you Aferdita?” She laughed: “No, she’s not here today, but I work in her office.”

And tell me—after that, how can anyone not believe in miracles?

I leapt into the van, zipped across the street, dashed inside, and five minutes later—license in hand! Triumph at last. Against all odds, I did it.

The plan is finally coming into focus. A quick dash to Turkey to activate TA1, then back to ZA by the weekend. A few hours in the contest on 13 cm, then switching to 23 cm. Simple enough on paper.

First, though, 200 kilometers of Albanian road “horror show,” followed by 600 kilometers across Greece. Along the way I check the news: Istanbul is boiling—opposition protests, demonstrations, even internet blackouts. That’s the capital, of course, but if border security decides to flex its muscles, who knows if I’ll even be let through. One problem at a time—I’ll face that tomorrow.

The Albanian border? A breeze. The Greek side? An hour of theater. The usual interrogation: Where from? Where to? Why? What for? Show your licenses. Why don’t you have a Greek license? You must have a Greek license. Why no Czech entry stamp in your passport if you passed through? And so on, piling nonsense upon nonsense. Why the sudden obsession with the Czech Republic—a country that’s been Schengen longer than most of us can remember—is beyond me.

In the end, they waved me on when I shrugged and said I was just transiting to Turkey.

By then, twelve hours behind the wheel had wrung me dry. So the Turkish border will have to wait until Tuesday, September 9.

+++++++++++++++

I drove 700 km, stopped for the night in Greece, tomorrow morning I leave for 2 days again to Albania. If everything goes well, then on Friday, September 12, I will be at about 20.00 utc on 23 cm, for the east. Then I will return in the morning of September 13 at about 04.00 utc, for the west and Europe who have not yet worked. Then on the evening MR, I will be on 13 cm, on request I can go to 23 cm. And again in the morning on my MS I will be on 13 and on request on 23 cm. And after that on Sunday I will pack up and finish the expedition.

+++++++++++++++++

Arrived at the location — everything looks fine. The east is blocked by a hill, though I estimate the elevation to be about 15 degrees, so it shouldn’t be a problem. The west is wide open to the ocean. I’ve prepared everything, but haven’t opened the umbrella yet to avoid unnecessary questions from the hotel guests :-)

A couple of hours after sunset MR will begin, and then I’ll reveal myself in all my glory ;-)

I’ll be working from a new square, KM09, in case anyone is interested.

+++++++ latest scary news ++++++ 12 September 21.20 utc

I’m sorry to report that while I was tensioning the antenna, the tension sleeve snapped — a complete disaster. It’s impossible to repair the antenna, at least in the dark. I’ll try to come up with something tomorrow during the day, but I’m afraid that under field conditions it may not be possible.

Update — September 13, 11:00 UTC

In the morning, after calming down and with daylight on my side, I started figuring out what had actually happened. The situation turned out to be unpleasant, but still possible to work around. The plastic sleeve itself didn’t break, but the locking screws had worked themselves loose from all the shaking on Albanian roads. They tore out and bent badly. I managed to screw one back in, and for the other I shoved in an Allen key and taped it with electrical tape. Somehow, I carefully managed to unfold the antenna.

A bigger problem is that the base, which holds both the antenna and the rotator, also lost two bolts on the road. Now it’s barely holding on and wobbling. If the wind stays calm until evening, it might survive. But if it starts to blow, I’ll have to take everything down… For now, it’s still standing.

I’ll try to start on 23 cm with my MR at about 18 degrees elevation — almost everyone there is already worked. Then I’ll switch to 13 cm. After that, I’ll take a break until morning. If anyone shows up on 13 and then later on 23, I’ll come back.

In the evening (on my MR) I managed to get on the air! I estimated the chances of the antenna collapsing at 50/50, but it held up. It was standing on just two support nuts instead of five, tied with every cord I could find in the car. Copy on my side wasn’t great – they heard me, but not very well, as the wind was shaking the antenna in both azimuth and elevation. On top of that, I constantly had to check and adjust the angle and azimuth. Still, I logged 9 QSOs with those who waited patiently and were rewarded for it. I ran around quite a bit and got tired, so I decided to leave 13 cm for the morning, especially since there’s very little activity there anyway.

2025-09-13,22:07:00,2025-09-13,22:11:56,VK2JDS,QF46,1296.100999,Q65,-25,-21,,,,,,,

2025-09-13,22:25:00,2025-09-13,22:32:04,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.100999,Q65,-29,-22,,,,,,,

2025-09-13,22:34:00,2025-09-13,22:36:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,

2025-09-13,22:51:00,2025-09-13,22:55:56,ES3RF,KO29,1296.100999,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,

2025-09-13,22:56:00,2025-09-13,23:00:00,OK1DFC,,1296.100999,Q65,-22,-12,,,,,,,

2025-09-13,23:00:00,2025-09-13,23:01:04,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.100999,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2025-09-13,23:03:00,2025-09-13,23:07:56,DL3EBJ,JO31,1296.100999,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,

2025-09-13,23:58:00,2025-09-14,00:02:00,JA6AHB,PM53,1296.100999,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

2025-09-14,00:03:00,2025-09-14,00:06:00,SP7EXY,KO00,1296.100999,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

Slept for 3 hours and quickly got back to the transceiver. The wind had died down, and things were much calmer.

I logged 18 QSOs, and after working the westernmost KB2SA, I announced that I was switching to 13 cm.

I pointed at the Moon, everything looked fine, and I could see the trace from OK1DFC – so I called…

But with only 12 watts at full drive, it was a complete fiasco. I had checked everything before leaving, so it’s unlikely the output transistor burned out. More likely, a cold solder joint came loose somewhere.

2025-09-14,05:04:00,2025-09-14,05:06:02,N0LWF,EN10,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-26,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,05:05:00,2025-09-14,05:09:57,NC1I,FN32,1296.100999,Q65,-10,-09,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,05:10:00,2025-09-14,05:14:00,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.100999,Q65,-14,-19,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,05:15:00,2025-09-14,05:19:56,9H1BN,JM75,1296.100999,Q65,-24,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,05:23:00,2025-09-14,05:27:56,DK0ZAB,JO61,1296.100999,Q65,-11,-12,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,05:33:00,2025-09-14,05:37:59,YU1DA,KN03,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-25,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,05:40:00,2025-09-14,05:42:18,DM2CFH,JO61,1296.100999,Q65,-10,-10,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,05:59:00,2025-09-14,06:03:56,F5KUG,JN03,1296.100999,Q65,-15,-16,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,06:05:00,2025-09-14,06:07:08,DM7MA,JO61,1296.100999,Q65,-13,-10,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,06:06:00,2025-09-14,06:10:00,UA9YLU,MO92,1296.100999,Q65,-19,-14,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,06:14:00,2025-09-14,06:15:01,N5TM,EL29,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-24,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,06:17:00,2025-09-14,06:21:56,KA1GT,FN54,1296.100999,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,06:25:00,2025-09-14,06:29:56,PE1LWT,JO22,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,06:32:00,2025-09-14,06:36:00,DK3WG,JO72,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,06:38:00,2025-09-14,06:42:00,DA0MA,,1296.100999,Q65,-11,-12,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,06:41:00,2025-09-14,06:42:58,DJ2DY,JN39,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-18,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,06:41:00,2025-09-14,06:45:56,PA3HDG,JO31,1296.100999,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,
2025-09-14,06:48:00,2025-09-14,06:52:00,KB2SA,DM13,1296.100999,Q65,-19,-26,,,,,,,

I didn’t even bother switching back to 23 cm – I believe I’ve already worked everyone there.

Packing everything securely for the 3000 km trip took a couple of hours, making sure nothing rattles on the way.

This session: 27 QSOs
Total: 86 QSOs

Many thanks to everyone who supported and donated – much appreciated!

NC1I, DL4DTU, IK3COJ, DL7FBD, PA3DZL, DF2VJ, G0LBK, PA0BAT, PA3FXB, DK3WG, KB7Q

Your support covered my ferry and fuel costs – truly grateful, thank you!!!

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To request a license from the Albanian regulator, you have to log in on their official website. To log in, you must enter a personal code (naturally an Albanian one) in the required field; otherwise you cannot proceed to the next step. And of course, everything is in Albanian! It took a couple of weeks to get a reply that I could use my Lithuanian code instead. None of the phone numbers listed on the site were answered. I had to use LinkedIn, GPT chat, and social networks just to figure out how to get through. After about a hundred calls, only a few people spoke English. In 90% of cases they picked up, heard a foreign language, and simply hung up. Unbelievable.

Thankfully, Madame Afërdita, who is responsible for issuing licenses, turned out to be a very kind and pleasant woman who spoke English. With her help I was able to fill out and submit the form. Then followed another couple of weeks with no response, and again dozens of calls every day. When I finally got through, the answer was: “You have been denied a temporary license.” Great! When I asked why, the explanation was basically that the country listed as my birthplace hasn’t existed for 35 years, and it’s not considered “friendly,” with its successor seen as even worse. It felt like being told I was born in the Third Reich and must carry genetic responsibility for it.

So I made another couple dozen calls, explaining that I did not choose where I was unfortunately born more than 60 years ago, and that hundreds of thousands of people had been sent to that country without their will. I resubmitted the application, this time changing my birthplace to the old name of the country (where I was unlucky enough to be born). And lo and behold — the application was accepted. After another month of daily calls, finally Mrs. Afërdita informed me that I had been issued a temporary license.

A huge thank you from me and from the entire EME community to her! Without her, none of this would likely have been possible. But there is one catch: the license must be collected in person at the AKEP office — there is no option to receive a scan or photo. Flying to Tirana just to pick it up would cost several hundred euros in connections, so Mrs. Afërdita suggested simply driving across the border during business hours. If customs officers ask questions, I should give them the AKEP phone number and they will confirm that the license is waiting.

I’ll be operating in the south of Albania near Saranda. From there it’s about a four-hour drive to Tirana, so I’ll lose one full day on the air, but there isn’t much choice.

So here’s the plan:

• September 7 (Sunday): I arrive by ferry to Igoumenitsa, Greece. Since it’s a weekend, it’s better not to go to the Albanian border right away, so I’ll head to Turkey (about 700 km). Hopefully on Monday, September 8, I can activate as TA1/EA8DBM.

• September 8–10: The Moon is low (1.8° to 14° above the horizon), but there’s no other option.

• September 10 (Wednesday, midday): Pack up and rush back through Greece to the Albanian border, so that on Thursday, September 11, I can cross in the morning, drive 3 hours to Tirana to pick up the license, then another 3 hours south to Saranda. Moonrise around 21:00 — if all goes well and I still have energy, I’ll try to set up.

• September 12 (Friday): Active on 23 cm. as ZA/LY3UM

• September 13 (Saturday): ARRL EME Contest on 13 cm+. I’ll be on this band; since activity is low, I’ll likely switch back to 23 cm afterwards.

• September 15 (Monday): Last day of activity. After lunch I’ll leave for Greece to catch the 4 a.m. ferry from Igoumenitsa to Venice.

• September 18 (Thursday): Arrive in Prague, and on Friday, September 19, I hope to meet the OK EME community and share the best Czech beer in the world!

On 13 cm (2320), the band is completely clogged by 4G LTE here, but I can operate on 2304 and 2400, where the spectrum is clear. Lunar declination is low, and my QTH only has coverage to the east and west, but once the elevation is above 10–15 degrees, I can work.

If LY is a new country for you, I can go “into the field” where both east and west horizons are open. Contact me by email at ea8dbm@gmail.com or here in the comments, and we can agree on a possible sked. Don’t forget to include your QTH locator and minimum elevation.

If anyone is particularly interested in 13 cm, I can also go out into more remote areas where there are no LTE base stations nearby.

The morning is cold and rainy, but the antenna seems to be working very well.

I started on 23 cm — signals are good, and stations are hearing and responding well.

2025-08-24,07:36:00,2025-08-24,07:40:00,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,07:40:00,2025-08-24,07:44:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,07:54:00,2025-08-24,07:58:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,08:04:00,2025-08-24,08:08:00,I2FAK,JN45,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,08:08:00,2025-08-24,08:12:00,OK1USW,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,08:16:00,2025-08-24,08:20:00,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,08:20:00,2025-08-24,08:24:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-32,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,08:37:00,2025-08-24,08:44:00,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,08:44:00,2025-08-24,08:48:00,YU1DA,KN03,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,08:48:00,2025-08-24,08:52:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,08:54:00,2025-08-24,08:58:00,JS6UJS,PL24,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,09:02:00,2025-08-24,09:06:00,PA0BAT,,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,09:08:00,2025-08-24,09:12:00,OE5JFL,JN68,1296.101000,Q65,-11,-09,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,09:14:00,2025-08-24,09:18:00,OE9ERC,JN47,1296.101000,Q65,-08,-09,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,09:20:00,2025-08-24,09:24:00,BA7NQ,OL63,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,09:24:00,2025-08-24,09:28:00,DK5AI,JO51,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,09:36:00,2025-08-24,09:40:00,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-10,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,09:40:00,2025-08-24,09:44:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,09:46:00,2025-08-24,09:50:00,DJ7FJ,JN48,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,10:18:00,2025-08-24,10:22:00,OK1DFC,JN79,2304.101000,Q65,-25,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,11:06:00,2025-08-24,11:08:04,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,11:10:00,2025-08-24,11:12:03,G4KLX,IO90,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-24,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,11:14:00,2025-08-24,11:18:00,PA3HDG,JO31,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,11:20:00,2025-08-24,11:24:00,G4CCH,IO93,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-12,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,11:26:00,2025-08-24,11:30:00,G4YTL,IO92,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,11:32:00,2025-08-24,11:36:00,LZ4OC,KN33,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,11:36:00,2025-08-24,11:40:00,DK3WG,JO72,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,11:36:00,2025-08-24,11:55:00,G3LTF,IO91,1296.101000,CW,539,569,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,12:10:00,2025-08-24,12:14:00,HB9Q,JN47,1296.101000,Q65,-03,-06,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,12:14:00,2025-08-24,12:18:00,LU8ENU,GF05,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,12:18:00,2025-08-24,12:22:00,RX3DR,KO85,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,12:34:00,2025-08-24,12:38:00,HB9Q,JN47,2304.101000,Q65,-06,-14,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,12:40:00,2025-08-24,12:44:00,OH3LWP,KP11,2304.101000,Q65,-25,-24,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,13:16:00,2025-08-24,13:20:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,13:22:00,2025-08-24,13:26:00,GM4PMK,IO66,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,13:29:00,2025-08-24,13:32:00,NY1V,EM69,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-27,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,13:32:00,2025-08-24,13:36:00,PE1LWT,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,13:36:00,2025-08-24,13:40:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-10,-11,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,13:36:00,2025-08-24,13:48:00,G4CCH,IO93,1296.101000,CW,559,569,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,13:54:00,2025-08-24,13:58:00,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-25,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,13:58:00,2025-08-24,14:02:00,W2HRO,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-25,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,14:02:00,2025-08-24,14:06:00,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,14:06:00,2025-08-24,14:10:00,ZS5Y,KF59,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,14:10:00,2025-08-24,14:14:00,ON4QQ,JO20,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,14:26:00,2025-08-24,14:30:00,PH0V,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,14:42:00,2025-08-24,14:46:00,N0LWF,EN10,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,15:18:00,2025-08-24,15:22:00,G0LBK,JO03,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,15:22:00,2025-08-24,15:26:00,IQ2DB,JN45,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-23,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,15:26:00,2025-08-24,15:30:00,K3SK,FM07,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,15:38:00,2025-08-24,15:42:00,KB2SA,DM13,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,

2025-08-24,15:48:00,2025-08-24,15:52:00,N5TM,EL29,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,

Total: 52 QSOs, including 2 CW and 3 on 13 cm.

Closer in, the MS diagram started to catch a large tree and a hedge, but it still works quite well — managed a QSO with KB2SA, who is using a dish only 1 m in diameter.

On 2320 there is terrible QRM from 4G LTE networks — reception is absolutely impossible. On 2304 everything is clear. Tomorrow afternoon I plan to work a bit on 13 cm, and if anyone still needs it, I can switch to 23 cm on request.

4 more QSO on 13 cm.

2025-08-25,13:34:00,2025-08-25,13:38:00,OE9ERC,JN47,2304.101000,Q65,-11,-11,,,,,,,

2025-08-25,13:42:00,2025-08-25,13:46:00,IK3COJ,JN65,2304.101000,Q65,-25,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-26,11:42:00,2025-08-26,11:46:00,DL4DTU,JO60,2304.101000,Q65,-22,-25,,,,,,,

2025-08-26,12:38:00,2025-08-26,12:42:00,G4CCH,IO93,2300.101000,Q65,-18,-20,,,,,,,

and back on 23 cm.

2025-08-26,13:02:00,2025-08-26,13:06:00,OK2AQ,JN89,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,

Total: 57 QSOs, including 2 CW and 7 on 13 cm.

I quickly unloaded and set up the dish, but didn’t even have time to attach the septum before sudden rain and thunder rolled in. I had to drop everything and take cover. About an hour and a half later, the weather calmed down. By then the moon had already “run away,” but the sun was still visible, and within 10 minutes I had everything back in place and the azimuth aligned to the sun.

During the trip, one of the fabric fasteners on the antenna came loose near the edge, but the deflection seems minor and the aluminum tape still holds its shape. Sun noise is around 7.5 dB, which is more or less normal, but I’ll make proper repairs later.

My turning radius covers about 220 degrees, so I can operate from an azimuth when the elevation is around 20 degrees. This will be on August 20, starting at approximately 01:30 GMT.

Here’s the plan: I’ll begin in the morning on 23 cm. When the sun rises (around 06:00 GMT), I’ll switch to 13 cm. Then I’ll return to 23 cm, and if needed, I can switch back to 13 cm on request — it won’t take me more than 10 minutes.

In the evening it started raining with gusts of wind, which (as I suspected) shifted the azimuth a little. Nobody could hear my CQ, and I couldn’t see a single trace. The elevation was measured with a digital inclinometer and was fine, so I began moving the antenna left and right by 5 degrees, trying to “feel” the moon — but with no result, even at ±10 degrees. I checked the iPhone app — the direction looked correct. I opened Google Earth and estimated the azimuth by landmarks — also seemed correct. But still, nothing. At that point I was ready to throw everything aside and just go to sleep!

And then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the frequency on the transceiver — and suddenly one very international six-letter word (starting with D and ending with Y) flashed in my mind. A cute, stubborn animal with big ears. That’s me! The transceiver wasn’t locked, and when I was twisting the cables I must have accidentally brushed the dial and ended up transmitting and listening about 10 kHz off. I corrected it — and then everything started working!

2025-08-20,02:02:00,2025-08-20,02:06:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,02:10:00,2025-08-20,02:14:00,VK2JDS,QF46,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,02:14:00,2025-08-20,02:18:00,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,02:20:00,2025-08-20,02:24:00,JA4LJB,PM74,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,02:38:00,2025-08-20,02:42:00,UN6PD,MN69,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,03:30:00,2025-08-20,03:34:00,JS6UJS,PL24,1296.103000,Q65,-23,-14,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,03:42:00,2025-08-20,03:46:00,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,03:46:00,2025-08-20,03:50:00,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,03:50:00,2025-08-20,03:54:00,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,04:00:00,2025-08-20,04:03:10,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,04:00:00,2025-08-20,04:04:00,VK3NFI,QF31,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,04:04:00,2025-08-20,04:08:00,YU1DA,KN03,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,04:10:00,2025-08-20,04:14:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-11,-11,,,,,,,

After working VK and JA, it was time to switch to 13 cm. I quickly changed the septum,
tuned in on 2320.100 with anticipation… and here’s what I heard:

Just a couple of kilometers from me there turned out to be an LTE base station operating in the 2300–2330 MHz range. The same nightmare on these frequencies as I have back home in Lithuania :-((

Ухожу на 2304 - там чисто, быстро и легко в логе 4 QSO:

2025-08-20,04:52:00,2025-08-20,04:56:00,OK1DFC,JN79,2304.101000,Q65,-17,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,05:08:00,2025-08-20,05:12:00,HB9Q,JN47,2304.101000,Q65,-06,-13,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,05:12:00,2025-08-20,05:16:00,OK1KIR,JN79,2304.101000,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,05:16:00,2025-08-20,05:20:00,OH3LWP,KP11,2304.101000,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,

Back to 23 cm – everything looks good there, the weather is fine and the antenna seems to be working perfectly.

2025-08-20,06:12:00,2025-08-20,06:16:00,OE9ERC,JN47,1296.101000,Q65,-05,-05,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,06:16:00,2025-08-20,06:20:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,06:20:00,2025-08-20,06:24:00,JH3AZC,PM85,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,06:24:00,2025-08-20,06:28:00,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,06:32:00,2025-08-20,06:36:00,BA7NQ,OL63,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,06:36:00,2025-08-20,06:40:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,06:40:00,2025-08-20,06:44:00,HB9Q,JN47,1296.101000,Q65,-03,-07,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,06:44:00,2025-08-20,06:48:00,IK7EZN,,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,06:48:00,2025-08-20,06:52:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,06:53:00,2025-08-20,06:58:00,OK1IL,JN69,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,06:58:00,2025-08-20,07:02:00,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,07:02:00,2025-08-20,07:06:00,DK3WG,JO72,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,07:06:00,2025-08-20,07:10:00,I2FAK,JN45,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,07:10:00,2025-08-20,07:14:00,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,07:16:00,2025-08-20,07:20:00,F5KUG,JN03,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,07:20:00,2025-08-20,07:24:00,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,07:26:00,2025-08-20,07:30:00,G4KLX,IO90,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,07:32:00,2025-08-20,07:36:00,DK5AI,JO51,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,07:36:00,2025-08-20,07:40:00,DJ2DY,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,07:40:00,2025-08-20,07:44:00,G0LBK,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,

I worked everyone who was there without any difficulty, and since there were no more callers — and I hadn’t slept during the night — I lay down to rest. A couple of hours later I woke up to the sound of whistling wind — the weather had drastically worsened, and I barely managed to make a few QSOs:

2025-08-20,10:42:00,2025-08-20,10:46:00,NC1I,FN32,1296.101000,Q65,--09,-08,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,10:50:00,2025-08-20,10:54:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,11:00:00,2025-08-20,11:04:00,PE1L,,1296.101774,Q65,-22,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,11:09:00,2025-08-20,11:10:55,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,11:10:00,2025-08-20,11:14:00,W2HRO,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-26,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,11:14:00,2025-08-20,11:18:00,PA0BAT,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,11:18:00,2025-08-20,11:22:00,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-18,,,,,,,

And I realized I had to take the antenna down, otherwise it would break the rotator — or even fly away completely (which has already happened more than once). Time to take a break.

Right then the power went out in the house, along with the internet… so I just had to wait.

Nearby there’s an abandoned farmstead where, according to the owner of the place I’m renting, nobody has lived for a long time. I decided to take a walk. By the roadside near the farmstead stands an old apple tree, with the ground completely covered in fallen apples. Without hesitation, I pulled out a bag and picked up about a dozen (there must be a million of them lying around). A little snack for now — and something for the road tomorrow.

I called the power company to report the outage. The wind seemed to be calming down, so I thought I could continue operating. Then a minivan pulled up — I happily assumed it was the electricians arriving, so I went out to meet them.

Instead, a man came running toward me, shouting that I had robbed him and stolen a bag of apples, and that he would take my touring bicycle as compensation. At first I was stunned, then I apologized, explaining that I thought the tree was abandoned and offered to return the apples (though I had already eaten a couple) or pay him whatever he wanted. But no — he didn’t want anything except my bike.

“Well, fine,” I said, “take it, but I’m calling the police and we’ll sort it out there.” That seemed to have an effect, and in the end I was able to refocus on my QSOs :-))

Since the antenna was still shaking a lot, I started on 23 cm (the beam is wider there).

2025-08-20,14:08:00,2025-08-20,14:12:00,SM5DGX,JO89,1296.101000,Q65,-10,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,14:20:00,2025-08-20,14:22:00,KG0D,CN88,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-23,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,14:30:00,2025-08-20,14:34:14,DG0FE,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,14:36:00,2025-08-20,14:40:00,K6FOD,DM04,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,

Then a short session on 13 cm – some countries are allowed to operate at 2300. Logged three rare QSOs:

2025-08-20,15:07:00,2025-08-20,15:16:00,OE9ERC,JN47,2304.101000,Q65,-11,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,15:20:00,2025-08-20,15:24:00,G4CCH,IO93,2300.101000,Q65,-17,-23,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,15:30:00,2025-08-20,15:34:00,W5LUA,EM13,2304.101000,Q65,-18,-25,,,,,,,

and then back to 23 cm:

2025-08-20,15:52:00,2025-08-20,15:56:00,KH6FA,BK29,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,16:00:00,2025-08-20,16:04:00,W1FKF,FN43,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,16:04:00,2025-08-20,16:08:00,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,16:16:00,2025-08-20,16:20:00,NC1I,FN32,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-08,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,16:23:00,2025-08-20,16:26:00,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-20,16:28:00,2025-08-20,16:32:00,KB2SA,DM13,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-25,,,,,,,

Total : 56 inits - 49 QSO on 23 cm and 7QSO on 13 cm

Tomorrow, August 21, starting around 05:00 GMT, I’ll be active for a couple more hours.

more 8 QSO:

2025-08-21,04:26:00,2025-08-21,04:30:00,VK2JDS,QF46,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-13,,,,,,,

2025-08-21,04:52:00,2025-08-21,04:56:00,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-08,,,,,,,

2025-08-21,05:04:00,2025-08-21,05:08:00,9H1BN,JM75,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-21,05:10:00,2025-08-21,05:14:07,OK2AQ,JN89,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-21,05:58:00,2025-08-21,06:02:00,SP7EXY,,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-21,06:02:00,2025-08-21,06:06:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-21,06:32:00,2025-08-21,06:36:00,OE5JFL,JN68,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-14,,,,,,,

2025-08-21,06:50:00,2025-08-21,06:54:00,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-14,,,,,,,

Total : 63 inits - 56 QSO on 23 cm and 7QSO on 13 cm

A big thank you to everyone who supported me with donations:

OE9ERC, DF2VJ

(Of course, it would be more accurate to say that I fried the amplifier myself… but let’s be honest who ever blames themselves, right?)

As a result, I decided to skip the high lunar declination period in July and instead prepare more thoroughly for August, September, and October. The two most important things are: the amplifier and the antenna!

Huge thanks to Peter AG6EE, who sent me a new amplifier and within two weeks it had already made its way to Europe!

The antenna, however, has proven to be a bit more challenging. I bought some inexpensive lycra, cut and stretched it, and covered it with aluminum tape. But when I turned it toward the sun, the whole thing melted and started to sag and drip within just 10 minutes.

Another approach I tried was to cut and build a multi-segment, foldable structure using car sunshades. It’s a promising idea for the future, but more complicated than I expected definitely time-consuming. So I ended up washing off the glue and reassembling my old, reliable “rag” reflector, which I’ll reinforce with a fresh layer of foil tomorrow.

I originally had the idea to take the ferry to TF (Iceland) in August, but I didn’t buy tickets until the new amplifier arrived. By the time it did, the cabin tickets were sold out… and I’m not quite ready to spend two days at sea without a cabin, lying on a wooden shelf next to five rugged Vikings. So TF is postponed until July 2026. Maybe by then, I’ll also add a second band 432 MHz to the setup.

Before my longer September trip to the south, I need to test everything closer to home. So I’ve decided to return to the Åland Islands (OH0) for a few days. Fortunately, I received a temporary license from Finnish TRAFICOM back in April to operate on 1296 MHz through the end of 2025.

No special license is required to work on 2320 MHz, which is nice.

My first-ever EME expedition was actually to the Ålands two years ago. I had a small 1.8 m dish back then which I dropped and broke two ribs on, so its radiation pattern ended up being skewed by several degrees in both azimuth and elevation. On top of that, the reflector had spent three years stored in the attic of my shack in direct line of sight to the volcano in Tenerife and had badly degraded. The best solar signal I saw was about 2.5–3 dB. Despite that, I managed to log 38 QSOs, mostly with large stations. But looking back at the log, I don’t see many of the stations I later worked easily on subsequent trips. So I hope there’ll be more interest this time!

I’ll be active from August 14 to 17 the first two days on 23 cm, and then during the ARRL EME contest on 13 cm. Since activity on 13 cm is usually low, I’ll likely be able to return to 23 cm on request over the weekend.

On the way back (August 17 or 18), I’ll make a stop in YL (Latvia) either from KO27 or KO28 to activate the country on 13 cm. I’ll probably also do some 23 cm there. Then I’ll head into LY (Lithuania), where I’ll try to be active for a little while too.

++++++++++

Finally, I had a couple of free days with good weather, so I managed to assemble and double-check everything. Everything is working as usual. On Tuesday, August 12, I’ll head to Tallinn, and on Wednesday, August 13, in the evening, I’ll take a ferry to the Åland Islands.

Since I was lucky with the weather, I was finally able to experiment with the antenna’s focus and see how well CS/SUN signals can be received at different focal lengths.

Many people say the correct focus is 34–36 inches. Of course, each dish and its material are unique, plus measurements should be taken from the start of the parabola—which isn’t always possible. In the end, I realized why my reception had worsened so much on the last trip. I took the time to check signal reception across the entire possible range of the central holder’s length, from 36 to 29.5 inches. It turned out that I had set the focus too far, causing the antenna to overshoot beyond the dish edges.

In my case, the optimal focal length—from the central plate of the antenna to the edge of the septum—is 30.5 inches. Considering that the focal point is about an inch inside from the septum’s edge and about 1.5 inches behind the dish’s center, the actual focal length is approximately 33 inches.

As a result, instead of 5.5–6 dB (on the 23 cm band), I now get 8.5–9 dB. On the 13 cm band, the incorrect focus gave me 2.5–3 dB. I expect an improvement of 1–2 dB here as well, but I didn’t have time to check because the sun went behind a building.

In the diagram, from left to right: distance to the edge of the septum, ground noise, cold sky, and sun

+++++++++++

Morning, August 14

With the ferry docking at 5 a.m., I was already on site by 6. The spot’s not bad at all — the house sits not far from the bay, straight to the west.

A welcoming committee of roughly a billion mosquitoes showed up right on time, buzzing with enthusiasm. )))

The official parking area — a gravel lot — is behind the house, but the west side is blocked off. So I’ll risk parking out front and hope nobody sends me packing. After all, there’s a brand-new “assistant” in the crew now, and that’s got to count for something.

Everything’s ready — about 5 hours to MR, with CS/SUN coming in at 6.5–7 dB.

I misjudged the azimuth a little when I parked. With the antenna’s rotation sector limited to about 200 degrees, a high Moon means I have to pick my battles — either sunrise or sunset. To the east, there’s a wall of pines about 20 meters high; to the west, not many callers… and those few should show up earlier. )))

I tried to park so the antenna would be dead-center in its arc, but I was off just enough that I couldn’t start until the Moon was already up at about 20 degrees.

Still, a solid start — I managed to work everyone who called in.

End result: 22 QSOs logged during the evening/night Moon pass.

2025-08-14,21:20:00,2025-08-14,21:24:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,21:34:00,2025-08-14,21:40:00,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,21:42:00,2025-08-14,21:46:00,OK1UGA,JO80,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,21:50:00,2025-08-14,21:54:00,OK1IL,JN69,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,21:56:00,2025-08-14,22:00:00,VK2JDS,QF46,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-14,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:00:00,2025-08-14,22:04:00,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:04:00,2025-08-14,22:08:00,G0LBK,JO03,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:10:00,2025-08-14,22:14:00,DL1HUH,,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-10,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:14:00,2025-08-14,22:18:00,OE9ERC,JN47,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-12,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:18:00,2025-08-14,22:22:00,JH3AZC,PM85,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:22:00,2025-08-14,22:26:00,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:32:00,2025-08-14,22:36:00,VK3NFI,QF31,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:36:00,2025-08-14,22:40:00,I2FAK,JN45,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:40:00,2025-08-14,22:44:00,G4YTL,IO92,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:44:00,2025-08-14,22:48:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:48:00,2025-08-14,22:52:00,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,22:56:00,2025-08-14,23:00:00,OK2AQ,JN89,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,23:00:00,2025-08-14,23:04:00,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,23:04:00,2025-08-14,23:08:00,JS6UJS,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,23:14:00,2025-08-14,23:18:00,DJ3JJ,JN48,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,23:22:00,2025-08-14,23:24:03,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-26,,,,,,,

2025-08-14,23:24:00,2025-08-14,23:28:00,PA3HDG,JO31,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,

In the morning, new ‘clients’ joined in, which made things livelier, and the antenna seemed to be working well. I quickly worked everyone who wanted a contact, and even easily completed QSOs with two 2.4 m portable dish operators, KB7Q and AC2AC.

A total of 19 QSOs in the morning."

2025-08-15,06:12:00,2025-08-15,06:16:00,DM2CFH,JO61,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,06:30:00,2025-08-15,06:34:00,IK7EZN,JN90,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,06:34:00,2025-08-15,06:38:00,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,06:38:00,2025-08-15,06:42:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,06:42:00,2025-08-15,06:46:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-26,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,06:48:00,2025-08-15,06:52:00,DK3WG,JO72,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,06:54:00,2025-08-15,06:58:00,DG0FE,,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,06:58:00,2025-08-15,07:02:00,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,07:02:00,2025-08-15,07:06:09,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,07:06:00,2025-08-15,07:10:00,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,07:10:00,2025-08-15,07:14:00,AC2AC,EL96,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-25,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,07:14:00,2025-08-15,07:18:00,LU8ENU,GF05,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,07:18:00,2025-08-15,07:22:00,K6DIS,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-15,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,07:22:00,2025-08-15,07:26:00,KB7Q,DN45,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,07:31:00,2025-08-15,07:34:00,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-24,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,07:44:00,2025-08-15,07:48:00,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-10,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,07:52:00,2025-08-15,07:56:00,G4KLX,IO90,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-23,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,08:02:00,2025-08-15,08:06:00,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-15,08:08:00,2025-08-15,08:12:00,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,

Total: 41 QSO

By lunchtime, there was no one left to work, and in my opinion only ZS5Y remained unworked — he was just fatally unlucky. As soon as I saw him, one of the Big Guns dropped right on his frequency… and then Derek’s have moon set. Hopefully, I’ll catch him tomorrow.

The Moon was in full view almost the entire time, and the “sight” hardly drifted at all. When the elevation dropped to around 10 degrees, the Grand Gain kicked in with a huge boost — but by then there was no one left to work. Out of boredom, I checked my own echo, and I liked what I saw. :-)

Looks like the setup’s in great shape.

Tomorrow kicks off the ARRL EME contest for 13 cm and up, so today I swapped in the new septum, set the focal length just right, and did some Sun measurements. For my “compromise” antenna, the numbers look fantastic: ground noise at 2 dB, cold sky/Sun at 5 dB — I’ve never seen it work this well. The PA is pushing 200 W, and with the 7 m cable that’s about a 1 dB drop, so I should have roughly 150 W at the feed. Back in Monaco, with my old long cable, I think I was losing closer to 2 dB.

So I’m really looking forward to the start — if the weather plays along, it should be a blast. The band on 13 cm is wide open here in all directions — EU, USA, JA — crystal clear.

Sunday might be a problem, though: the forecast says worsening conditions and winds up to 80 km/h. So, if you need OH0 in your log, don’t miss the chance on Saturday — it might be the only window.

++++++++++++

On Friday evening, August 15, heavy rain began, but with only moderate wind — so I decided to leave the antenna deployed, waiting for the start of the ARRL contest.

As the night wore on, the gusts just kept getting stronger. By 4 a.m. local time I had no choice but to dash outside, quickly collapse the umbrella antenna, and lash everything down with guy ropes. The wind was already howling at 10–11 m/s (around 40 km/h), and by morning they’re promising up to 17 m/s (60 km/h).

It’s been blowing relentlessly all Saturday and Sunday, with no real break in sight until Monday morning (August 18). If there’s even a short lull, I’ll try to get on the air for a bit — but at the moment, the forecast looks grim.

++++++++++++++

Saturday, August 16, midday — I caught a brief lull and tried to deploy the antenna to get at least a little time on 13 cm. But the moment I started, the side wind from the bay hit so hard that the ribs wouldn’t even open.

In the end, it’s probably lucky I didn’t manage — every short pause was followed by violent squalls. I shot a quick video, but of course it only shows the “quiet” phase; the real force of the wind is hard to capture.

It was obvious there’d be no chance of setting up today — not even in my dreams. So, out of sheer frustration, I wandered into the forest and at least foraged myself some lunch.

+++++++++

August 17, Sunday — the storm raged through the night and morning, but after lunch it slowly began to ease, and I decided to take the risk of opening the antenna. The sky was completely overcast, with neither the Sun nor the Moon visible. I aligned the azimuth using the Sun, but while turning 100 degrees toward the Moon, a gust of wind ripped out the bolt holding the central rod, and the antenna swung 30 degrees off to the side.

By the time I replaced the bolt and re-tuned, I had lost 40–50 minutes. Still, I managed to get it fixed and on the air. The result: 8 long-awaited QSOs on 13 cm. Unfortunately, I couldn’t complete with N1AV, even though he was hearing me. After that, I switched to 23 cm, but by then the Moon was already too low.

8 QSO:

2025-08-17,11:14:00,2025-08-17,11:18:00,OE9ERC,JN47,2320.101000,Q65,-12,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-17,11:26:00,2025-08-17,11:30:00,OK1DFC,,2320.101000,Q65,-19,-27,,,,,,,

2025-08-17,11:30:00,2025-08-17,11:34:00,HB9Q,JN47,2320.101000,Q65,-09,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-17,11:50:00,2025-08-17,11:54:00,OK1KIR,JN79,2320.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-17,11:54:00,2025-08-17,11:58:00,PA3DZL,JO21,2320.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-17,11:58:00,2025-08-17,12:02:00,OH3LWP,KP11,2320.101000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-17,12:02:00,2025-08-17,12:06:00,G4CCH,,2320.101000,Q65,-22,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-17,12:11:00,2025-08-17,12:12:22,PA0PLY,JO32,2320.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

I set the septum back to 23 cm, checked everything, and parked the antenna — the wind has finally died down!

The Moon will be up at 20:30 GMT. If anyone still needs OH0, I’ll be available.

The evening and night turned out to be surprisingly calm and clear — just the kind of weather you dream of for an expedition. The Moon was lighting up half the sky, the air was pleasantly cool… if not for the swarms of bloodthirsty mosquitoes, it would have felt like paradise. :-)

But after the weekend, activity was almost nonexistent. Everyone seemed to be asleep — except me. I logged a couple of QSOs, then, out of boredom, ran an echo test. My echo came back steady at –22 to –24 dB, a good sign the antenna is doing its job. With no one else around, I gave in and decided to catch some sleep.

I’ll be back on in the morning if anyone still needs OH0. By 18:00 I’ll have to hand the house back to the owner and head for the ferry.

2025-08-18,00:32:00,2025-08-18,00:40:00,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.101000,Q65,-30,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,00:46:00,2025-08-18,00:50:00,BA7NQ,OL63,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-21,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,06:44:00,2025-08-18,06:48:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.103000,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,06:58:00,2025-08-18,07:02:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,07:02:00,2025-08-18,07:06:00,NC1I,FN32,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-13,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,07:29:00,2025-08-18,07:32:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-24,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,07:32:00,2025-08-18,07:36:00,SP5GDM,KO02,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,07:50:00,2025-08-18,07:54:00,SP7EXY,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,07:54:00,2025-08-18,07:58:00,M0FXX,IO91,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,08:02:00,2025-08-18,08:06:00,DJ2DY,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,08:06:00,2025-08-18,08:10:00,W2HRO,FN20,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-32,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,08:12:00,2025-08-18,08:16:00,DK5AI,JO51,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,08:18:00,2025-08-18,08:32:00,ON4MU,JO20,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-26,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,08:34:00,2025-08-18,08:38:00,DJ7FJ,JN48,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,08:46:00,2025-08-18,08:50:00,NC1I,FN32,1296.101000,Q65,-06,-08,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,08:52:00,2025-08-18,08:56:00,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-12,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,08:58:00,2025-08-18,09:02:00,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-19,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,09:10:00,2025-08-18,09:14:00,PA0BAT,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-14,,,,,,,

The antenna with the travel septums from OK1DFC works great. On request I switched to 13 cm and logged 2 more QSOs. The antenna gain on 13 cm is lower than on 23 cm, but the beam is noticeably sharper — you really feel it if you “miss” the Moon even slightly.

In Monaco, it took us almost an hour and a half to complete the QSO with PA7JB. Today, however, I just had to aim a bit more carefully at the Moon (as it came out from behind the clouds) and made a quick QSO with a –22 dB report — impressive considering John only has a 2.4 m dish and 250 watts.

13cm band 2 QSO, Total: 10 QSO

2025-08-18,09:42:00,2025-08-18,09:46:00,PA0BAT,JO31,2320.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,10:08:00,2025-08-18,10:12:00,PA7JB,JO22,2320.101000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,

Then I moved back to 23 cm. There were still a couple of hours left on the Moon, but it was already time to start packing for the trip to Latvia.

++++. another six QSOs on 23cm

2025-08-18,10:34:00,2025-08-18,10:38:00,DL0SHF,,1296.101000,Q65,-05,-05,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,10:38:00,2025-08-18,10:42:00,CT1WO,IM58,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,10:52:00,2025-08-18,10:56:00,HB9Q,JN47,1296.101000,Q65,-01,-06,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,11:10:00,2025-08-18,11:14:00,PA7JB,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,11:14:00,2025-08-18,11:18:00,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,11:28:00,2025-08-18,11:32:00,SM5DGX,JO89,1296.101000,Q65,-03,-16,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,11:36:00,2025-08-18,11:40:00,N0CTR,EN26,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-17,,,,,,,

2025-08-18,12:13:00,2025-08-18,12:26:00,NY1V,EM69,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-29,,,,,,,

Total : 13 cm -10 QSO

23 cm - 67 QSO

It seems not bad, now it's time to pack everything up, get on the ferry and try to be in Latvia by tomorrow evening.

Many thanks for the financial support: OK1IL, ZS4TX, PA3DZL, PA0BAT