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During our dxpedition to JM79VQ in April 2006, Frank and I already discussed possible dxpedition sites for 2007. We soon decided for a combined Meteor Scatter and EME activity from Gibraltar.
From earlier dxpeditions to Gibraltar we knew that the Caleta hotel http://www.caletahotel.com/ which is based at the East side of the rock is the only choice for serious VHF work on MS and EME. To our amazement it was no problem to get in writing an approval for installing antennas on the roof. In fact, the reply from the Caleta was that they were used to radio amateurs working from the hotel. Also our request for a room as close as possible to the roof was accepted. Excellent!
Few days before we left we received an email that the North wing was under refurbishment and we could only get a room in the South wing. However, the manager said this would also work perfectly for our activities. Though we were somewhat concerned, he was very much right. Actually, the South wing was even better for installing an antenna as there were many more fixing points for the antenna.
Frank DH7FB travelled from Berlin to DF2ZC's site on 17 April. Straight after he arrived we loaded all equipment into my car - very much to the astonishment of my neighbours who watched us putting loads of aluminium in the trunk and wondered about this. They were told before we would go on holiday and now said that it would much more look like we'd go to work. Correct...that was a serious dxpedition, no holiday. The weeks before Frank and I had prepared all equipment so that it could be dismantled and all tubes were only 1,50 m max so they fit either in the trunk or from trunk to passenger compartment - without obstructing the driver/passnger. After that work was finished, we had a barbecue together.
2600 km in 2 days
On the 19th at 4am local time we left and travelled to Barcelona via Mulhouse and Lyon. After 1400 km we arrived there around 6pm and later we had dinner with Josep EA3DXU and his wife (many thanks for the invitation, Josep!). After a warm night in the hotel (the air condition didn't work properly) we left for the remaining 1100 km to Gibraltar, via Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, Granada and Malaga. At 6pm we arrived in the hotel and immediateley checked local circumstances. We had room number 402 in the South wing, straight below the roof. Access to roof was easy and indeed that was a perfect place for installing antennas. Also take-offs were superb, via Tropo/MS as well as EME. Before it got dark we at least managed to put up a single 17 elements without elevation for working MS the next morning.
On the 20th we indeed made our first MS contacts and also started EME when we had moonrise: Every moonrise of the dxpedition we had a sked with Nick ZL1IU to establish a new world record 19860 km though no positive window at either side. However Nick has a negative elevation at the moonset as we had during moonrise in ZB2 but though we did never copy one another. Later on we started some CQ calls but though being copied well from several stations as we were told later, no QSO was established. And then we started installing the 2nd 17 F9FT and also EL and AZ rotors. Now Murphy visited us for the first time: Though all equipment had been thoroughly tested before, the AZ rotor wouldn't work. We checked all cabling but everything was perfect. Presumably the bedstop got stuck somehow. So all AZ needed to be set manually during the dxpedition. Luckily our hotel wing was exactly in N/S-direction, so manual aiming was relatively easy. The EL rotor worked o.k., only our max elevation was about 60 deg only before reflectors touched the roof. On the other hand, there was no RFI problem at all. And there were many loose cables for TV lying on the roof, straight below the antennas.
Trouble with Amplifiers
Later that afternoon when everything was installed we noticed the borrowed solid state amp getting burning hot though it was just running in standby mode for 1 hour or so. You couldn't even touch it...so we switched it off since in rx mode with that amp the transistors don't get any airflow anyway. When it had cooled down it delivered only 300 W max instead of 800 - 1000. Also my own 300 W solid state amp didn't work for unknown reasons. It worked perfectly at home before (and now works again at home, it was a minor thing but couldn't be repaired on site). So that was a very depressing situation that evening and we seriously discussed aborting the operation. We didn't but opted for trying with 250 watts out only - and it worked as the EME QSO numbers show. All MS QSOs were made with one of the two yagis only.
On April 23rd we terminated operations, broke down station and loaded everything into the car again. The next morning we travelled via Madrid to Biarritz (there is nearly zero toll on this route!) where we stayed for the night and on the 25th we drove from Biarritz to JO30RN, which made it to 5300 km in total. And after a 30 minutes break Frank DH7FB went on on the 25th 8.30 pm to Berlin where he arrived on the 26th 3am. He is a tough guy...
Why do only few poeple read the Manual?
To our amazement a good number of hams had problems setting their WSJT version properly to accept the ZB2 prefix since only ZB is preinstalled. This resulted in a fair number of potential QSOs not being made because the suffix of the caller's callsign was truncated. We couldn't reply those calls. "How To" is perfectly explained in the WSJT manual as Joe K1JT has programmed such a modification feature into the software: one only needs to set DXCC to "ZB2" in Setup/Options/Miscellanous. It is as simple as that. And if that doesn't work one should wonder if one should not use capital letters for ZB2 instead of zb2. It is also unbelievable some hams still don't use the latest WSJT version which has that feature built in. It is such a pity that many QSOs were impossible due to truncated callsigns.
Absolute Highlights: 2 x 70 cm with QRP
Highlights were the two QSO we made on 432 MHz. Dan HB9Q had asked us if we could take a small 70 cm gear with us. So we brought a 19 ele F9FT and a 100 watts brick. ANd indeed we completed with HB9Q though we had trouble with the amp which did not work remotely below the mast. So with Dan we used only 25 watts at the dipol but yet it worked within one hour. I had also arranged a CW sked with Jan DL9KR. And the 2nd try on the 23rd was successful. Though we had only 50 watts at the dipole now Jan copied us with his superb station and we made the 2nd 70 cm contact.
Where to go in 2008?
We are very happy for the QSOs and on the other side very sad for those who did not make it though calling su so often. We did our very best to make contacts possible but some stations simply had very bad luck. At least there is a perspective: The are rumours that within the next months another dxpedition to ZB2 will be conducted. WE however are now looking for a place for 2008. Suggestions are welcome, with the precondition it needs to be at a warm place as we plan again around end of April. We are very sorry but no CW calls were noticed here though we always monitored our communicated CW RX frequencies.
Lessons Learned
There are many lessons from this activity:
- I will modify my old 3CX800 for portable work since a triode amp is very simple built and as long as the tube doesn't die, often can be repaired on site.
- We will try to aquire a real portable station so that the home station doesn't always need to be dismantled for a dxpedition.
- Though the mechanics worked perfectly we will invent a lighter but yet solid solution to make the whole construction lighter.
- many minor improvements
Equipment
144 MHz: TS2000, MGF 1302, 300...800 W, 2 x 17 ele F9FT (around 15,8 dBd)
432 MHz: FT847, 100 W, 19 ele F9FT
Acknowledgements
We thank Dit DF7KF for lending us the AZ and the EL rotor as well as the I0JXX Linear amp.
For QSL routes please see log book column.
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17 April: Car is being packed with all essentially necessary equipment (see the beer cases).
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18 April: After 1400 km having dinner in Barcelona with Josep EA3DXU (from left DH7FB, EA3DXU, DF2ZC)
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...on the road, eating kilometers
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Looking a little tired?
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Yes, dxpeditions are not always dead serious. We had a lot of fun.
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Ups...now it is obvious who really made the QSOs.
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The Caleta hotel viewed from top of the Rock. The antennas are installed on the left half of the right building.
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DF2ZC with antennas.
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The weather was not always bright sunshine in ZB2...
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The two F9FT-17s for 2m and the F9FT-19 for 70 cm pointing to main reflection area.
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Another view on the antennas.
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...and yet another view. "Scratching" the hotel would be around 360 deg azimuth.
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On the hill slopes live wild dogs.
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The Rock at night, viewed from the hotel.
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View from top of the Rock (to the West)
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The Rock.
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We could always see a bulk of ships on anchor right before our balcony.
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Excellent tropo takeoffs (here to 045 deg)...though we worked only 3 EA7 stations on tropo.
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