THE DEAD SEA OPERATION

By Jan Misgav 4X1VF

(freely translated ad abridged from Hebrew)

For quite a while we’ve been looking for interesting sites to operate from that will enthuse hams around the world. After working from Akhziv Island and Massada, we set our sites on the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, 411 metres, a quarter of a mile below sea level. To add some spice, we decided to work from two very rare Holyland squares situated between the Dead Sea Works salt evaporation pools close to the Jordanian border.

We were aided by Aaron 4X1FQ who approached his brother who holds a high-ranking position in the Dead Sea Works, whose turf this is. As a result we secured a good location to work from and the suitable amenities. This was the eastern embankment of the evaporation pools, Holyland squares M25BS and M26BS, where one cannot get to without special authorization because of the proximity to the border, and here we would be able to work only with mobile equipment.

We chose the call-sign 4X411A since we were 411 meters below sea level. The operation took place at Christmas time since most hams around the world be on vacation and because there are no international contests scheduled for this period. Announcement of this event was made way in advance so that all DXers would know.

“Santa” 4Z5FI delivering the Christmas presents of QSOs with square L26BS

Our team included Mark 4Z4KX, Ilya 4Z5UF, Reuben 4Z5FI, Shalom 4Z4BS, Ruslan 4Z5LA, and yours truly 4X1VF. We call ourselves the Holyland DX Group. CW is the key to success (this could be adopted as a slogan – ed.) in an operation of this nature under the most severe conditions, and indeed most contacts were made in this mode which still reigns victorious over SSB.

On Friday morning we assembled at the main gate of the Dead Sea Works and received a security and safety briefing.

Our equipment included two complete stations with A3S beam antennas with 40 meter additions, an R5 vertical and 80 meter dipole so we could concentrate on the low bands during the hours of darkness.

Reuben 4Z5FI enlisted his brother-in-law who brought a brand-new looking 12 meter (40 foot) telescopic pole to the site for the beam. The site turned out to be most noisy because of the abundance of high-voltage lines, so the “experts” decided that we exert ourselves and raise a beam instead of the vertical that “suffers” from noise.

Working feverishly we raised the antennas, set up the radios and computers and were on the air around 10:00. Conditions on the bands were very poor, and we had to listen carefully not to confuse callsigns. We set as a goal to make 2,500 contacts and this we achieved.

4X1VF between the salt evaporation pools

Weather was excellent with sun and high clouds throughout the two days of the operation, aiding the high spirits of the group already very much “together” from the previous operations at Massada and Akhziv.

The only equipment failure was the linear amplifier’s power supply at the outset, which limited us to 100 watts output throughout the entire period. This was challenging as it slowed down working through the pile-ups on 80 and 40.

We were surprised by the number of calls from Persian Gulf stations and in general by the great response and number of contacts made in both SSB and CW. The main operation site was Holyland square L26BS where the building housing the fixed gear was located, this square also being rare and much in demand.

On the second day we went out to the salt pools, accompanied by a security guard, and for three hours with a vertical antenna cut for 20 meters SSB, the first CQ of 4X411A/M resulted in a huge pile-up largely from Europe. 400 contacts were made from the these two rare squares, with many stations reporting that we were 20 to 40 dB over S9. The placement of the these salt pools and the saline environment must have acted as a reflector and added strength to our signals.

We returned to our mother base in the late, afternoon and closed the operation and started dismantling at 16:00. Our feeling was that we accomplished our aim. All in all we made 2491 contacts as illustrated in the two following tables:

4X411A BASE STATION:

Band	Total	CW	SSB
80m	188	187	1
40m	642	537	105
30m	37	37	0
20m	1001	393	608
17m	2	2	0
15m	223	217	6
12m	0	0	0

4X411A/m : M25BS and M26BS

Band	Total	CW	SSB
80m	0	0	0
40m	14	0	14
30m	0	0	0
20m	384	0	384
17m	0	0	0
15m	0	0	0
12m	0	0	0
10m	0	0	0

Special thanks to Aaron Slonim 4X1FQ who made this all possible for us, and to all those at the dead Sea Works for their assistance.

QSLs are to be sent via Shalom 4Z4BS. Again, thanks to all the HDX Group for two wonderful days at the lowest spot on the face of the earth.

73 de Jan Misgav 4X1VF

WE GOOFED

In our previous issue we reported that the next International Amateur Radio Union conference was to be held in friendly neighboring Lebanon. It turns out that is not true, and in fact our erroneous reportage showed that our rag reaches the highest amateur radio echelons! The following letter was received by our “”prez”, Israel Amateur Radio Club chairman Joe Obstfeld, 4X6KJ:

Hello Joe,

Reading the IARC magazine I noticed a reference to the next IARU "convention" being held in Lebanon. This is not correct. The 2008 IARU Region 1 Conference will be held in Cavtat, Croatia, near Dubrovnik. Lebanon was a candidate, but Croatia received the most votes.

I believe it will be a good conference. I hope IARC will be represented.

73,
Dave Sumner, K1ZZ

(ARRL Chief Executive Officer)

THE 4X6KJ REPORT

As we traveled to the north, on this family visit, it became colder as we distanced ourselves from our home base. Three hundred somewhat kilometers from the City of New York, we visited the town of Saratoga Springs, tucked away, in the northern part of New York State, at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.

Friends of ours, Barbara N2HEK and Steven K2WE Weinstein, have a summer home there, so we all sat comfortable in the car and made the 2½ hour journey there one morning. We arrived at their home, settled down, and had lunch after which we brought a visit to the town. It is a very picturesque town dating back from the early 1800’s. Many of the buildings have a special plaque attached to the front, stating the year it was built and for whom.

After seeing the main streets with its shops and other beautiful sights, it soon became dark, (winter time) and we found an excellent place for dinner.

Next morning as it was raining slightly, we decided to first tour the more outlying area’s and marveled at the most exquisite homes that are built there in the surroundings.

Of course, we brought a visit to one of the three Synagogues in the town.

Long-time overseas IARC member, Sy Saslow WB2MEW reading the previous issue of this magazine

Once inside the building we received an education, the history of a large Jewish population. At one time a lot of hotels, restaurants and other places of business were owned and operated by Jewish entrepreneurs. Some famous and also less desirables persons of Jewish descent, frequented the town especially in the summer. On one of the streets we found a complex of many structures resembling some sort of factory or something like that, no signs, and no markings of any kind to indicate what it is.

We just could not leave this charming town without bringing a visit to one of our overseas IARC members, Sy Saslow 4X8SY, or locally known as WB2MEW. So we first gave him a call on the landline, he said, “Come on in, the door is open” and so while finishing up on our lunch consisting of “crepes” (blintzes) of all kinds and other delicacies.

Going down Caroline Street, we quickly found the right house, knocked on the door and there he was smiling from ear to ear. Very soon it became apparent that the complex of unknown buildings, we saw earlier in the day, belongs to “Espey Mfg. & Electronics Corp.” a factory that Sy started more than 50 years ago. Being that we had yet a long trip home to NY, we could not stay any longer. But one can not depart without having the obligatory look at the “shack”.

The visit at an end, we took our seats in the car, and were on our way back to New York.

-Joseph 4X6KJ

“This is a science experiment”

Your scribe, “mad scientist” 4X1MK, sets up a one meter diameter “magnetic loop” antenna in the back-yard. Running 25 watts into this one meter diameter piece of 5/8” copper tubing easily yielded CW and SSB contacts with Europe on 20, 17 and 15 meters.

NEWS SCROUNGINGS:

For the first time since our gala 50^th Anniversary social event at the Tel-Aviv Centre for the Performing Arts, we will be celebrating at the Tel-Aviv University on the 18^th of May. This gala social evening will include the traditional raffle and surprises as yet unknown to your reporters (that’s why they’re a surprise).

_ . . . _

An extraordinary general membership meeting took place at the IARC offices on December 5^th with 54 members present. A third member of the watchdog committee had to be elected as per the IARC constitutioin. The only one who agreed to be a candidate for the position was Avner Drory 4X1GE who was then elected.

Other procedural decisions were taken including changing the limit of Executive Council members to between 5 and 9 instead of 7 to 14, limiting the duration of Council membership to 4 years with a waiting period of 2 years before re-election to start another possible 4 years of membership. Voting for the executive or for committees will be able to be done via mail – written or electronic.

_ . . . _

Arieh 4X6UO has made available through the IARC a set of CDs to aid sightless in amateur radio. The CDs includes:

- a complete course in Morse

- procedures and bylaws pertaining to wireless amateur communications.

- The ICAO phonetic alphabet

- International Q signals

- Rules and hints for the correct operation of an amateur station.

- DXCC country prefixes

- A list of the ITU and CQ zones

Special thanks goes to Gadi 4Z5AT, Yehuda Hoffman, Tsachy 4Z4TL, Isaac 4Z5MH, Haim 4X6ZI and Shalom 4X1UN for their helping in putting together this kit.

_ . . . _

As we go to press the IARC Council has met on the proposed Electromagnetic Radiation Law. This has come about as a result of the public outcry against the placement of cellular antennas in populated areas, and could prove a big headache to the Israeli amateur radio operator. In the next issue we’ll bring you the highlights of the Council deliberations on this very hot topic.

73 de Ahron and Ron

HAGAL INTERNATIONAL

January - February 2006