Destruction in Samoa after Tsunami

First videos from Samoa and American Samoa after the terrible tsunami.

Many people are involved and the interested area is very large, there have been another strong earthquake also in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Different DXpeditions are in this area at the moment, I hope all are well. Good news from 3D20CR, Conway reef, they are well and the first station is up on 20m now. We are waiting for other good news.

For other photos and news about this disaster you can visit this blog: http://www.pagopago.com/blog/john/2009/09/29/tsunami

This is news about Sumatra earthquake:

ORARI (Organization of Amateur Radio for Indonesia) is using 7075 Mhz for emergency communications in Sumatra. Please leave clear this frequency, especially during European afternoon when the propagation is open for Indian and Pacific ocean.

Glorieuses isl. update!

Little update about FT5GA:

R1AND Novolazarevskaya Antarctic station

” Novolazarevskaya Station (Russian: Станция Новолазаревская) is a Russian, formerly Soviet, Antarctic research station. The station is located at Schirmacher Oasis, Queen Maud Land, 75 km from the Antarctic coast. It was opened on January 18, 1961 by the 6th Soviet Antarctic Expedition. The maximum summer population is 70. Novolazarevskaya has an airstrip that serves both research-related and commercial flights.” From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Activities from this station are permitted only during summer time due to the difficult conditions during the winter. Radiohams activities was begun since 1999, the first operator was Mikhail Fokin – RW1AI, than from 2000 to 2001 Victor Karassev – RD1AL and, after some years of stand-by from 2007 the operator is Wally Mykitenko – RU1ZC.

The propagation from my QTH to the South pole via the equator in this period is not good and signals are very weak. But, after some days of running after, today the signal of R1AND in 20m CW was feeble but intelligible. Just some calls and the QSO is made!!!

Finally also Antarctica region is in my logbook!!!

For all infos about this research station there is the official web page of the research project .

Glorieuses Island 2009 FT5GA

Glorioso Archipelago :

The Glorioso Archipelago (7 km²) consists of two coral islands: Grande Glorieuse (3 km in its larger diameter) where the human installations are, and Ile du Lys (circular island, 600 metres in diameter) which is desert. The archipelago also includes two rock islets - Roches Vertes and l’Ile aux Crabes – as well as a sand bank more or less above water at high tide. At the East and North east of Grande Glorieuse are a series of dunes reaching a maximum elevation of 12 m. The islands and rocks are surrounded by a reef and a lagoon which is drained dry at low tide. The Glorioso islands are situated 220km North West of Diego Suarez (Madagascar). (Economic Exclusive Zone: 48 350 km²)

The island became French territory in 1930. Around 1912, a French came from the Comoros and planted there a fine coconut palm plantation. Exploited until 1958 by people from the Seychelles, it is currently abandoned. There are also filaos. Fauna consists exclusively of a rather large colony of terns.

The meteorological service of the French colony in Madagascar installed on the island a rather primitive weather station in 1955, which was opened only during the hurricane season from October to April.

Since 1960 the station is open all year round. The importance of this station is clear. It predicts cyclones for the North Madagascar and Comoros area. It ensures safe navigation on the Madagascar-Djibouti-Madagascar and Kenya-Mauritius-Kenya air and maritime routes.

(minister for the french overseas Website)

The French Team is making a very great job at the moment! The pile up is very HOT hihihih… But operators are managing it in very good way.

The time schedule of the Dxpedition is until 5th October. At the moment I have worked it only in 20m usb. But signals on 20m and 15m are very solid during all the day, both in cw and ssb.

FB QSO TO ALL AND STAY TUNED.

Meeting with Mr. PKW Antenne

Thanks to I7GLO Nino for the friendly opportunity! Sauturday we have met the owner of PKW Antenne industry at I7GLO’s home, Mr. Stefano, son of famous I2PKW founder of the company.

It was a beatiful meeting, but full of  interesting informations. It was the occasion to speak about antennas and future projects!

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Un ringraziamento a Nino I7GLO per la sua totale disponibilità, sempre disinteressata, per il bene del radiantismo! Sabato è stata l’occasione dell’incontro, nello shack di I7GLO, con Stefano Martelli, proprietario della PKW Antenne, figlio del noto fondatore Giuliano I2PKW. La lunga e gradevole amicizia che lega Nino I7GLO alla famiglia Martelli ha permesso di intrattenere una serata interessante e fruttuosa per quanto concerne i nostri futuri progetti inerenti ai vari sistemi di antenna.

The two elements 40m Moxon is up!

Hi!

Now also the 40m two elements Moxon is on the tower. I have used the same boom of my Delta.

The KD6WD’s site is a very good resource to build a Moxon antenna. You can download a Win software that provides all measures of the Moxon rectangle.

The Moxon antenna concept is very revolutionary, it consists to fold part of the element in the point of minimum current flow. So the dimensions of the antenna are very compact against a typical yagi dimension. There is  also the possibility to reduce the lenght of the elements introducing coils and I think this is a good trick with a moxon for 40m!

I haven’t use coils, but the length of the two elements are very big; my elements consist of the first part of Alluminium and other 6m with a fiber-glass fishing pole joint with fiber-glass sheet and Epoxy.

So, due to the extreme length of the elements, I think that shortly I will modify the antenna with coils, but there is two possibilities: reduce the moxon with the coils, or build a short yagi with coils and 4.8m of boom.

This the photo of my antenna system at  this moment: