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Author Topic: The Next Big Show In Town?  (Read 1231 times)

WB9LUR

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #30 on: February 17, 2023, 09:57:52 PM »

Nigel G3TXF was great for places like this, he was a CW machine he would work thousands and thousands of QSO's single handed and always put on a great show where ever he turned up in the world, It's a pity he doesn't do much traveling these days,

http://www.g3txf.com/dxtrip/ZD9XF/ZD9.html



Nigel gave us some great CW ATNO's - but I always had fun working him even when it wasn't a new one. G3TXF, a real radio man.

Some cool QSL's too!

Randy / WB9LUR
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AF5CC

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #31 on: February 17, 2023, 10:04:17 PM »

A couple of places ripe for a large scale DXpedition might be FH and S7.  Both are close to D6 land, maybe someone can create D68C success from those entites.

73 John AF5CC
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KM4SII

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #32 on: February 18, 2023, 12:25:41 AM »

A couple of places ripe for a large scale DXpedition might be FH and S7.  Both are close to D6 land, maybe someone can create D68C success from those entites.

73 John AF5CC
Both of those have semi-frequent activity... especially S7 which has some resident hams.  S79KW and S79VU are active, and S79/DL2SBY was QRV last month. FH is certainly a bit less common. My log shows TO6OK in 2018, as well as FH/DJ7RJ a few months later. A DXpedition to there would be welcome.

I also concur with the comments about 8R being unusually hard to work. I have a whopping 2 QSOs with Guyana. One with 8R1/AG6UT and one with 8R1AK. Certainly significantly rarer than their neighbors FY (48 QSOs) and PZ (52 QSOs)!
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WB9LUR

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #33 on: February 18, 2023, 01:16:33 AM »

8R1AK used to QSL via postal mail...






Obviously a personally made card, which makes it even more special to me. I still collect paper cards.

And as I recall it took a very long time to receive this and the envelope looked like it had gone around the world on a slow boat a time or two before making it here.

Randy / WB9LUR
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AF5CC

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #34 on: February 18, 2023, 08:24:47 AM »

8R is one I even have on 6 meters!  And I have a paper QSL from Esmond, 8R1AK as well.  But I concur, it isn't near as active as it used to be.  They speak English there, so it would be a place many US hams could go for a DXpedition without any language barriers.

73 John AF5CC
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WB9LUR

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #35 on: February 18, 2023, 09:00:37 AM »

8R is one I even have on 6 meters!  And I have a paper QSL from Esmond, 8R1AK as well.  But I concur, it isn't near as active as it used to be.  They speak English there, so it would be a place many US hams could go for a DXpedition without any language barriers.

73 John AF5CC

8R1 would make a great QTH for a one or two person op! In 1974 I lugged a Hallicrafters SR-150, with the power supply that weighed as much as a small car - plus some wire, a key and an mic to Jamaica in the Caribbean. As WB9LUR/6Y5 I made many QSO's. Not rare at all but pileups every time I went on the air. I had just turned 19 at the time.

Getting all of the official licensing in place was the biggest challenge.

Randy / WB9LUR
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W1VT

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #36 on: February 18, 2023, 09:16:56 AM »

I only need Guyana on 6M.

How about ZS8 Prince Edward and Marion Island?   As far as I know the recent operations have used a commercial radio and a lossy terminated dipole antenna.

I'd be happy chasing a guy with 100W and good dipole or vertical (no high power broadbanding resistors, please) for a couple months who would do FT8 or split frequency CW.

Zak W1VT
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N0UN

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #37 on: February 18, 2023, 09:36:44 AM »

WB6MID/8R3 (speaking of Guyana)

Who remembers Jim Jones and his Jonestown Guyana Peoples Temple?

tip: don't drink the grape Kool-aid.

Don't need another show like that...

NØUN
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W2LO

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #38 on: February 18, 2023, 09:52:43 AM »

  Several groups over the years have applied for permission for ZS8/Marion and have been turned down citing bird strike and similar issues.
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N0UN

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #39 on: February 18, 2023, 09:55:49 AM »

  Several groups over the years have applied for permission for ZS8/Marion and have been turned down citing bird strike and similar issues.

"Several", but not all (I've "heard").

 :)

As far as Swains - Alex doesn't care who's first to the island - he only cares about who PAYS him first, lol

NØUN
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W2LO

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #40 on: February 18, 2023, 10:05:26 AM »

  I certainly hope someone can activate ZS8. ZS8IR gave it a good single op effort (as I remember) around 1998 with some very welcome cw/ssb  multiband action. It's been pretty much hit and miss since then.
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KJ4Z

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #41 on: February 18, 2023, 10:20:09 AM »

  I certainly hope someone can activate ZS8. ZS8IR gave it a good single op effort (as I remember) around 1998 with some very welcome cw/ssb  multiband action. It's been pretty much hit and miss since then.

My one and only QSO with ZS8 was with ZS8IR on 30 meter CW.  Also, the behavior in those pileups was so bad, I remember he would routinely just go QRT in protest.  Took a while to get him (months maybe) and I sure was excited.
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N0UN

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #42 on: February 18, 2023, 10:25:24 AM »

  I certainly hope someone can activate ZS8. ZS8IR gave it a good single op effort (as I remember) around 1998 with some very welcome cw/ssb  multiband action. It's been pretty much hit and miss since then.

Single op Pierre (ZS8M) and later David (ZS8Z) gave out a lot of Q's during their time on Marion. A multiop, multiband, multimode effort there is probably impossible.

NØUN
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KE4YD

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #43 on: February 18, 2023, 02:53:51 PM »

ZS8 would be a good one and generate a lot of interest. Only one contact with ZS8MI back in 1989 on 20 meter phone.  It is one of two I have left to work on CW, and also need it on digital, plus a lot of band fills.
73, David  KE4YD
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WO7R

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Re: The Next Big Show In Town?
« Reply #44 on: February 18, 2023, 03:51:18 PM »

Quote
"Several", but not all (I've "heard").

You got any activations that actually came off?  With dates and Q counts?

I like to keep track of this stuff and finding anything other than "mega" expeditions is like pulling teeth sometimes.

As for the individual operators you mentioned:

ZS8M's QRZ page includes this discouraging note:

Quote
NOTE:  All QSL cards that arrive within and before the end of 2017 will still be processed. No more cards will be available after Dec 2017.

However, the QRZ.com details says it is an LOTW member, so older Qs might still be matched (or should have been already).  However, the last upload to LOTW was in 2013.  Can't be sure, but it is likely that QSOs stopped by 2013 unless the DX just decided to stop uploading.

ZS8Z apparently ceased operations in 2017.  Is a member of LOTW and eQSL according to QRZ.com.  Cards can still be obtained, apparently.

Anyone know how many Qs they turned out?  I'm pretty active and have a pretty good spot filter.  I don't recall even seeing these guys spotted -- certainly didn't work them.  I do have ZS8 all time, which may help explain that.  Still, I should have been looking.

So, however many QSOs they made, this looks to me like another Macquarie Island case.  Great if we have a resident op or two, shut out if we don't.  Difficult to assess these kind of cases.  Right now, though, both are on the "good" side as both have had activations withing 5 or 6 years back.  Compared to some of these entities, that's damn good.
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