S9DX - Sao Tome & Principe expedition

[AF3Y]

From the DXWorld site: 
A team consisting of DL2JRM, DM2AYO, DL7VEE, DD2ML, DK1AX, DF1AL and DM5TI plan to be active from February 3 – 17, 2011 from Sao Tome & Principe as S9DX. Activity all bands, CW/SSB/RTTY. QSL via DL1RTL

[KB3LIX]

Sao Tome has been very quiet since Charles S9SS retired.
It will be good to hear the island again, AND I may get some
more modes. Charles was mostly a phone guy. I never heard
him on CW or any of the digi-modes.

[AF3Y]

I worked Sao Tome, S92LX on 20 & 40 CW last year, but need them on other bands and SSB. Should be easy to make these fills.

[DL3OCH]

This is a good crew. DL2JRM is an excellent CW pile-up operator, you all will have fun to catch him on the bands. I wish I could join them. ...but qrl keeps me too busy.

73 de Bodo, BW/DL3OCH
HB9EHJ, KT3Q, 5N7Q

[W2IRT]

Yeah, Charles was an amazing operator and handled the pileups pretty well, too. Only band I don't have S9 on is 160, so here's hoping. Might be a little too early in the year for clear sigs on topband, especially from that part of the world.

[K9NW]

> Might be a little too early in the year for clear sigs on topband, especially from that part of the world.

Not sure I understand.  Early Feb is a fine time for DXing on 160, particularly from a North American perspective.  S9SS is in my Topband log on a couple occasions in February, as are 5N, 5U, and a few other equatorial African stations.

Charles filled in everything for me on SSB and CW except for 12m so I'll be on the lookout there!

[W2IRT]

Oops. You're quite right - I didn't notice the dates and thought it was firing up around now. Yes, February is ideal indeed. Africa is never great for me due to terrain issues but I managed to get 5A7A as well as most of the African west coast entities on 160 so S9 shouldn't be too difficult if they have a good setup.

[N3ZC]

FYI..
They are loud & easy now (0100 UTC) on 40M SSB..were loud on 20M SSB today earlier...

           73'..Tom N3ZC

[N6ORB]

I just love the Superbowl. Just as the game started, the pileup on 20M phone began to thin out. Within a few minutes I got through with my 100 Watts and a portable wire antenna.

Dave
N6ORB

[N3OX]

Got 'em yesterday on 20CW for a new band country.  What a signal.

[K0RS]

I worked these guys on 40 CW last night.  Watch out for wider than normal splits on CW.  They were listening up 10 kHz or more and moving their listening frequency after every Q.  Listen closely to see which way he's moving his RX frequency.  I found this a tougher pile-up to break than any of my Qs with VP8ORK.  You East Coast guys oughta have an easier time of it.

One problem with low band Q's from the USA is gonna be that dawn in Sao Tome coincides with grey line prop right thru the middle of EU.  I could hear these guys fine on 80 CW last night too, but couldn't bust the obviously loud EU's.  A few US stations were making it, but my Hy-Tower wasn't enough to get it done.  Maybe at his dawn he'll periodically listen for NA.  They were using large splits on 80 too, transmitting on 3511 and listening as high as 3520.

Edited 1630Z on Monday 07-Feb:  Just worked on 18086 listening up 3.

[KE4JOY]

FYI..
They are loud & easy now (0100 UTC) on 40M SSB..were loud on 20M SSB today earlier...

           73'..Tom N3ZC

Loud and wide... whats with the huge splits? I heard calls above, on, and below their frequency. 

[AB8MA]

I just worked them on 20 meters CW with a split of only 700 Hertz.

Nice to know I am still getting out. I was beginning to wonder.

[W4HFK]

They're working Generals right now on 21.275. Almost no pileup.

Go get 'em boys

[K5TEN]

Yeah, Charles was an amazing operator and handled the pileups pretty well, too. Only band I don't have S9 on is 160, so here's hoping. Might be a little too early in the year for clear sigs on topband, especially from that part of the world.

Charles is one of my favorite DX'ers.  The guy has class.

I was working the ARRL 10M Contest in 2002.  By Sunday afternoon the contacts were coming VERY slow, and most of the contacts were weak scatter contacts.  I was using a 6 element cubical quad on a fixed boom at 65' and it "heard" extremely well.  I call CQ contest for what seemed to be the 5,000,000th time when a call comes back so loud that I literally had to rip the headphones from my head.  I pull the cans plug out and call QRZ?  "Sierra Nine Sierra Sierra"-- The guy was almost 30 over and the local a mile away isn't that loud.  "KA9SOX, Sierra Nine Sierra Sierra, you are 5/9 PLUS+30 Arkansas, Alpha Romeo."  "Sierra Nine Sierra Sierra--you are 5/9 #140".  "You are so loud I had to rip the headphones off"  He chuckles..."Thanks, 73".

It was eight years later and I QSL him via is manager.  I get a personal, hand written response from Charles that he is extremely sorry but he can't find me in the log for 12/15/2003.  I emailed the QSL manager again (THAT guy has class as well) if he could re-inquire again because the contact was for 2002 and I remember it like it was yesterday.  I get a next day reply email from Charles saying he DID find me in the 2002 logs that parts had not been uploaded...and that a QSL was on the way.  I replied same day saying no QSL should be on HIS dime....but the QSL manager (remember I mentioned class) had already sent the QSL.  I re-QSL'ed anyway because even though Charles probably has 3 garages full of cards, I really wanted him to have mine...plus an SASE that the QSL manager could use for other purposes.

It's one of the TOP QSLs in my book.

HATS OFF to DX'ers with REAL class.

I wish all DX'ers and all QSL managers were like that.  It sets the standard.