A
DX-PEDITION COMES TRUEby
Moshe (Seth) Levitats 4X1DX Email:seth73@hotmail.com
IT
SEEMS THAT FATE MEDDLES NOT JUST WITH OUR DAILY LIVES, BUT ALSO
SPECIFICALLY
WITH US, RADIO AMATEURS.
IT
ALL STARTED A FEW MONTHS AGO AFTER I HAD GOTTEN A TELEPHONE CALL FROM MY
FATHER
(4X1DR). HE HAD MET AMNON (4X1DF) BY CHANCE, AS THEY WERE BOTH
WAITING
IN THE RAIN FOR AN OUTDOOR SHOW IN ITALY. THEY HAD HEARD EACH OTHER
SPEAKING
HEBREW AND GOT INTO A CONVERSATION. TURNED OUT THAT THEY ARE BOTH
LICENSED
HAMS. AMNON MENTIONED TO MY FATHER THAT HE WAS ORGANIZING A
DXPEDITION
TO AN ISLAND IN THE INDIAN OCEAN. MY FATHER TOLD ME
ENTHUSIASTICALLY
ABOUT THIS DXPEDITION AND OF THE GROUP FORMING TO GO TO
THIS
ISLAND AND OF THE FACT THAT THEY WOULD LIKE SOME MORE OPERATORS TO COME
ON
BOARD. A MONTH PASSED AND THE IDEA WAS JUST IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD, NO
REAL
PLANS TO JOIN OR CHECK IT OUT. I WAS VERY BUSY AT THE TIME WITH MY WORK
AND
NEW FRONTIERS IN MY PERSONAL LIFE. IT ALL CHANGED WHEN I GOT ANOTHER
PHONE
CALL FROM MY FATHER AND ZVIKA (4X4CQ) REMINDING ME OF THE EXPEDITION.
IT
GOT THE "DX BUG" IN ME MOVING.
I
STARTED THINKING OF JOINING THIS 3 WEEK MISSION SERIOUSLY. I MET WITH
4X1DF,
WHO GAVE ME ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLANS FOR THE DXPEDITION TO
AGALEGA
ISLAND (3B6).. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I REMEMBER ASKING AMNON WAS:
"HOW
BIG WILL THE PILEUPS BE ? AND WILL THERE BE ENOUGH OF A DEMAND FOR US
FOR
A 2 WEEK DXPEDITON ?. AFTER THE MEETING THERE WERE MANY THINGS TO
TAKE
INTO
ACCOUNT REGARDING JOINING: BEING AWAY FROM HOME AND THE MRS. FOR SO
LONG,
BEING AWAY FROM WORK FOR THE PERIOD AND IN GENERAL THE DIFFERENT
ASPECTS
OF GOING ON SUCH A MISSION.
ABOUT
MYSELF
I
HAVE BEEN LICENSED SINCE THE AGE OF 14 (1980) AND SINCE THEN I HAVE BEEN
VERY
INTERESTED IN DXING AND CONTESTING. ESPECIALLY DURING THE YEARS OF HIGH
SCHOOL
AND ARMY SERVICE I PARTICIPATED IN MANY CONTESTS, WORKING THE PILEUPS
AND
CHASING THOSE RARE DXPEDITIONS. I ALWAYS WONDERED WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE
OPERATING
FROM THE OTHER SIDE AND NOT WAITING TO BREAK THE PILEUP. WONDERED
WHAT
IT WOULD BE LIKE TO HAVE THE WORLD LOOKING FOR YOU AND LISTENING FOR
YOUR
QRZ.
PREPARATIONS
IT
DIDN'T TAKE LONG, AND AFTER CONSULTING THE MRS. I DECIDED I AM GOING ON
THIS
DXPEDITION. I MADE ALL THE FLIGHT ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FLIGHT TO
ZURICH,
WHERE THE TEAM WOULD BE GATHERING. I STARTED TO GATHER ALL THE
"SURVIVAL"
EQUIPMENT I WOULD NEED ON THE ISLAND LIKE WATERPROOF TENT,
SLEEPING
BAG, APPROPRIATE CLOTHING AND OTHER CAMPING GEAR. THIS ALONE WAS
GREAT
FUN, AND THE EXCITEMENT STARTED TO BUILD.
ABOUT
THE ISLAND
AGALEGA
ISLAND (3B6) IS LOCATED IN THE INDIAN OCEAN, ABOUT 1000KM NORTH OF
MAURITIUS
(3B8). AGALEGA CONSISTS OF TWO ISLANDS IN TOTAL 20km LONG BY 4.5km
WIDE
WITH A POPULATION OF ABOUT 350 PEOPLE. IT BELONGS TO MAURITIUS AND
COUNTS
AS A SEPARATE COUNTRY TOGETHER WITH ST. BRANDON (3B7). THE LAST TIME
THIS
ISLAND WAS OPERATED FROM WAS IN 1981 BY 3B8CF.
THE
JOURNEY TO THE ISLAND- A LESSON IN SURVIVAL
THE
JOURNEY STARTED OUT VERY EASILY WITH A GENERAL GATHERING OF MOST OF THE
OPERATORS
IN ZURICH ON 28.4.01 AT THIS TIME THERE WAS ALREADY AN ADVANCE
GROUP
IN MAURITIUS MAKING PREPARATIONS AND TRYING TO SECURE OUR TRANSPORT
MEANS
TO AGALEGA. THIS POINT TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT OF
ASPECTS
OF THIS EXPEDITION. ORIGINALLY WE WERE SUPPOSED TO FLY OR SAIL
DIRECTLY
TO AGALEGA, BUT FOR VARIOUS REASONS THIS WAS IMPOSSIBLE. THE ONLY
WAY
TO GET THERE AT THE END WAS TO FLY TO SEYCHELLES (S79), FROM THERE FLY
TO
A SMALL S79 ISLAND CALLED COETIVY (45m FLIGHT) AND FROM THERE SHIP TO
3B6.
THIS OF COARSE MEANT MORE TRAVEL, MORE WASTE OF TIME AND MORE EXPENSES
FOR
THE EXPEDITION. THE FINAL LEG OF THE JOURNEY WAS MADE ON A 32m LONG
CARGO
SHIP NAMED "LADY ESME." THIS WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. MOST OF US WERE
SEASICK
AND COULD BARELY WALK AROUND THE SHIP. I MYSELF SPENT 90% OF THE 23
HOUR
JOURNEY TO AGALEGA IN "HORIZONTAL" POSITION IN MY SMALL BUNK. NO ROOM
TO
MOVE, NO AIR, NOT MUCH COMFORT, BUT THIS WAS THE ONLY POSITION I DIDN'T
TURN
GREEN IN... THE ONLY FOOD I HAD FOR MOST OF THE JOURNEY WAS SOME DRY
BREAD
AND WATER, MY STOMACH JUST COULD NOT TAKE ANY MORE. ONLY IN THE
MORNING
AS WE WERE APPROACHING THE ISLAND AND THE SEAS HAD CALMED, DID I
HAVE
THE COURAGE TO HAVE SOME TOAST, EGGS AND TEA. WHEN THIS JOURNEY WAS
FINALLY
OVER AND WE TOUCHED LAND, I APPRECIATED THE STABILITY OF SOLID
GROUND.
I CRIED "AGALEGA" AND "LAND" AS I WALKED DOWN THE PIER OF THE
AGALEGAN
PORT. FROM THIS EXPERIENCE THE TEAM AGREED ON A SLOGAN, WHICH FOR
MY
OPINION, SAYS IT ALL: "IT'S NOT A DXPEDITION IF YOU DON'T GET THERE BY
SHIP".
WE WERE TRANSPORTED FROM THE PORT (WHICH CONSISTS OF ONE PIER AND
CRANE)
TO THE MAIN VILLAGE. THE LOCALS GREETED US QUITE NICELY, AND WERE
SURELY
WONDERING WHY 21 FOREIGNERS HAVE LANDED ON THIS GOD FORSAKEN ISLAND.
AFTER
23 HOURS ON THE SHIP I PEELED OFF MY CLOTHES AND WAS READY FOR A
SHOWER.
IN TURNS WE SHOWERED IN THE GUESTHOUSE. WE WASHED IN COLD RAINWATER,
COLLECTED
BY THE LOCALS, AND WERE HAPPY ENOUGH FROM THESE CONDITIONS FOR AS
LONG
AS THE SHOWERS ENABLED US TO RECOGNIZE EACH OTHER…. SHORTLY BEFORE IT
GOT
DARK OUR TEAM LEADERS SHOWED US THE CAMP LOCATION AND WE SET UP OUR
PERSONAL
TENT FOR THE NIGHT. I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT NIGHT: IT MUST HAVE
BEEN
28C-30C AT 90% HUMIDITY. I WAS LYING IN MY TENT JUST IN MY UNDERWEAR
AND
SWEATING AS IF I WAS IN A SAUNA. AT THIS POINT THOUGHTS OF ME BUILDING
A
RAFT,
GETTING ME OUT OF THIS PLACE, REALLY MADE SENSE…
SETTING
UP
THE
NEXT MORNING (6.5.01) WE STARTED ERECTING OPERATING TENTS AND ENDLESS
ANTENNAS.
THIS WENT ON FOR ABOUT 3 DAYS. ALSO DURING THIS TIME WE SET UP OUR
KITCHEN
TENT, OFFICE, WAREHOUSE, SHOWERS AND TOILETS. THE WORK WAS ENDLESS
AND
DEMANDED FROM ALL OF US A LOT OF EFFORT, MUTUAL HELP, UNDERSTANDING AND
DISCIPLINE.
BASICALLY WE SET UP 4 OPERATING TENTS WITH 8 STATIONS.
EVERYTHING
FROM 6m TO 160m, SATELLITE, RTTY,SSTV,PSK AND 10m FM. IT WAS
AMAZING
FOR ME TO SEE HOW EVERY DAY OUR ANTENNA FARM WAS GROWING. THE
ANTENNAS
WE USED WERE: FORCE 12 C3S AND WARC, TITANEX VERTICALS FOR LOW
BANDS,
HF6V AND OTHERS. THE MAIN EQUIPMENT WAS YAESU MP1000 WITH LINEAR.
THE
MOST AMAZING WAS THE INSTALLATION OF THE 160m (27m HIGH) TITANEX
ANTENNA.
IT TOOK TEN PEOPLE AND A LOT OF COORDINATION TO GET THIS UP
STRAIGHT.
BUT WHEN IT WAS UP IT WAS THE HIGHEST POINT ON THE ISLAND. IT WAS
ALSO
THE HIGHEST SATISFACTION FOR RIKI, OUR 160m "MEGA OPERATOR"
FIRST
QSO'S AND PILEUPS
AT
ABOUT 1400 GMT OUR DXPEDITION MANAGER AMNON 4X1DF MADE THE FIRST QSO IN
SSB
ALONG WITH THE HEAD EUROPEAN PILOT HB9DLE IN SWITZERLAD AND A FEW OTHER
FRIENDS.
AMNON ANNOUNCED TO THE WORLD THAT 3B6RF WAS READY TO GO. I WAS
LUCKY
TO BE GIVEN THE HONOR TO START THE FIRST SHIFT IN SSB. I REMEMBER IT
VERY
CLEARLY: IT HAD JUST GOTTEN DARK AND WE HAD JUST FINISHED PUTTING UP
THE
FIRST SSB ANTENNA. WE WERE ALL EXCITED AND WONDERING HOW MANY HAMS WERE
WARMING
UP THERE STATION TO GIVE US A SHOT. I GOT POSITIONED IN THE
OPERATING
SEAT, PUT ON THE HEADPHONE SET AND LISTENED TO MY TRANSMITTING
FREQUENCY
14.195MHZ. FLOODS OF ADRENALINE RUSHED THROUGH ME, AS IF I COULD
HAVE
ACTUALLY HEARD ALL THESE ANXIOUS HAMS WAITING FOR US. I GAVE OUR CALL,
MY
NAME AND MY LISTENING FREQUENCIES 14.200-220 AND THEN QRZ. WHAT CAME NEXT
WAS
A LOUD ROAR "WALL TO WALL" ON THE COMPLETE WINDOW OF 20KHz. I COULD NOT
BELIEVE
MY EARS! I HAD WORKED MANY DXPEDITINS BEFORE BUT HAD NEVER HEARD
SUCH
A PILEUP. I PUT THE AUDIO ON LOUD SPEAKER AND TURNED TO AMNON AND SAID:
"YOU
GOT TO LISTEN TO THIS, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE." I STARTED TO WORK THIS HUGE
PILEUP,
WITH STATIONS CALLING FROM ALL CORNERS OF THE WORLD.
OVER
THE NEXT NINE DAYS OF OPERATION, HAVING COPING EACH DAY WITH TWO SHIFTS
OF
FOUR HOURS, I WAS GREETED WITH THESE IMMENSE PILEUPS. THE PHRASE "THE
WALL"
WAS USED BY MANY OF US TO DESCRIBE THE TREMENDOUS PILEUPS. A TIMETABLE
WAS
MADE UP, IN WHICH ALL OPERATORS WERE GIVEN THEIR SHIFT TIME, BANDS AND
TARGET
AREAS. WE MADE A GREAT EFFORT TO GIVE ALL HAMS OF THE WORLD
A
CHANCE
TO WORK US. AT CERTAIN HOURS WE TARGETED CERTAIN ZONES OF THE WORLD.
FOR
INSTANCE THE USA, AS IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO WORK THIS PATH, SINCE USA TO
AGALEGA
IS FROM ONE SIDE OF THE WORLD TO THE OTHER (A HALF CIRCLE). THE
FEELING
OF RUNNING THESE PILEUPS AND MAKING SO MANY HAMS HAPPY WAS
EXHILARATING.
FOR ME THIS DXPEDITION WAS A DREAM COME TRUE.
LIFE
ON THE ISLAND
OUR
DAY TO DAY ROUTINE CONSISTED OF OUR EIGHT HOURS OF OPERATING AND OTHER
CHORES
REGARDING ANTENNAS, CAMP IMPROVEMENTS ETC. WE SLEPT IN OUR PERSONAL
TENTS
MOSTLY AT NIGHT WHEN THE TEMPERATURES PERMITTED. SLEEP DURING THE DAY
WAS
MOST OF THE TIME IMPOSSIBLE. WE WOULD GATHER FOR LUNCH AND DINNER IN THE
KITCHEN
TENT, WHERE WE WOULD HAVE HOT MEALS THAT WERE COOKED BY TWO AGALEGAN
WOMEN.
IN MY FREE TIME I TOURED THE ISLAND BY FOOT AND WAS AS PEACEFUL AS
POSSIBLE,
AS IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST TRANQUIL PLACES ON EARTH. ONE DAY LEONID
(4Z5FL)
AND I EVEN GOT A CHANCE TO GO SWIMMING ONCE IN A SAFE PLACE POINTED
OUT
BY A LOCAL RESIDENT, SINCE THE WATERS IN THESE AREAS ARE SHARK INFESTED.
MANY
NEW FRIENDSHIPS WERE MADE DURING THE STAY, AND IT WAS AMAZING HOW QUICK
YOU
GET TO KNOW PEOPLE UNDER SUCH INTENSE CONDITIONS. THE ISRAELI GROUP OF
4X1DF,4X4NJ,4Z5FL
AND MYSELF WOULD GATHER TOGETHER ESPECIALLY AT LUNCH AND
COMPARE
OPERATING STORIES AND COMMENTS ON WHICH 4X STATIONS WE HAD ALREADY
WORKED
AND ON WHAT BANDS. WE FELT A GREAT HONOR IN BEING ISRAEL'S
REPRESENTATIVES
IN THIS MULTINATIONAL EFFORT.
PACKING
UP AND THE JOURNEY BACK
ON
THE 9TH DAY WE HAD TO BEGIN PACKING EVERYTHING UP TO BE READY FOR OUR
RETURN
TRIP. WE ALL WERE VERY UNHAPPY WITH THIS, SINCE WE FELT WE COULD GO
ON
FOR ANOTHER WEEK AT LEAST. AFTER EVERYTHING WAS PACKED UP NEATLY AND
SECURED,
WE SAID OUR THANKS TO THE LOCAL ISLAND GOVERNOR AND PEOPLE. WE
CELEBRATED
OUR SUCCESS TOGETHER WITH THEM AT THE GOVERNOR'S HOUSE AND
THANKED
THEM FOR THEIR HOSPITALITY.
THE
ROUTE BACK TO S79 WAS THE SAME AS THE ARRIVAL ROUTE BUT WENT A LITTLE
EASIER
FOR US THIS TIME. WHEN WE ARRIVED IN S79 ALL WE WANTED WAS A HOT
SHOWER,
GOOD FOOD AND A REAL BED. WE ALL ARRIVED BACK IN 3B8 ON 19.5.01 AND
THAT
EVENING WE HAD A GREAT PARTY WITH FOOD, WINE AND MUSIC. SOME OF US GOT
UP
AND DANCED AND SHOWED WHAT THE REAL DXPEDITION HAM SPIRIT MEANS.
A
DAY LATER WE ALL FLEW BACK TO ZURICH AND FROM THERE EACH OF US HAD HIS
FLIGHT
HOME. IT WAS SAD FOR US TO HAVE TO SAY OUR GOOD BYES TO EACH OTHER,
AS
WE FELT A REAL TEAM HAD FORMED.
STATISTICS
THE
INTERNATIONALLY CONFIGURED 3B6RF TEAM, MADE 64,239 QSO'S IN 8½
DAYS.
OUT
OF THIS 54.7% EU, 23.6% NA, 18.7% AS, 1.2% SA, 1% OC AND 0.8% AF. WE ARE
ESPECIALLY
PLEASED THAT WE SUCCEEDED IN WORKING SO MANY STATIONS OF THE
AMERICAS.
BACK
AT HOME
AFTER
3 WEEKS OF PURE ADVENTURE I WAS HAPPY TO RETURN HOME TO MAYA (MY
WIFE
TO
BE) AND FAMILY. YES, FATE MUST HAVE STEPPED IN AGAIN, AS IT BROUGHT
MY
MAYA
AND MYSELF ONE STEP FORWARD INTO MARRYING EACH OTHER. IT WAS DIFFICULT
GETTING
USED TO "REGULAR" LIFE AFTER THE GREAT ENDEAVOR OF AGALEGA.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
FOR
ME THIS WAS A GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT AND A DREAM COME TRUE. I AM SURE I
WILL
WANT SOME DAY TO BE A PART OF SUCH AN EXPEDITION AGAIN. I CALL ON ALL
OF
YOU DXERS OUT THERE - MAKE THOSE DREAMS COME TRUE.
THANKS
TO…
MAYA
(MY WIFE TO BE) - FOR HER LOVE, SUPPORT AND ENTHUSIASM FOR THE MATTER
MY
FATHER 4X1DR - FOR MOTIVATING ME TO GO, SUPPORT AND MAKING IT HAPPEN
MY
FRIEND 4X6FR - FOR HIS SUPPORT
MY
FRIEND 4X4CQ - FOR HIS SUPPORT
MY
FRIEND 4X1DF - FOR HIS SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE.
POSITIVE
FEEDBACK
It
is hard to believe that there is an editor of any type of newspaper or
newsletter that isn’t anxious to receive any type of feedback from their
readers – especially a positive one.
In
our previous newsletter, we wrote about Dieter Loeffler, DJ4AM, and his
colleagues’ success working the record distance of over 2000 kilometers
on 10 GHz.If you remember it was
achieved between Netanya Israel on the Mediterranean coast and the Italian
island of Lampedusa, north of Tunisia. We reported it as part of the ham
radio scene in Israel.
I
just returned to Israel from a visit to the Ham Radio 2001 held in Friedrichshafen
on the Lake Constance.My car had
to be returned in the City of Velbert.I
was approached by hams of that town, that DJ4AM was looking for me, and
wanted to meet me.Together with
some other local amateurs we met at a cafe for a chat.Dieter
was overjoyed to report to me, that that specific article we wrote a few
months ago was widely reported of in the States, thus Dieter was invited
to hold some lectures about that achievement. He made my day.Never
before we could report such positive feedback.Of
course, all of the local radio amateurs congratulated Dieter, DJ4AM for
his success as well as our newsletter getting the news item around the
world.(4X1AT)
Shalom
from Ron and Ahron