Welcome to 224DA065 Ata
January 21, 2009 by Darren
The Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) is delighted to herald the new signing of 224DA065 Mr Ata from Western Kiribati’s stunning Tarawa Island (OC-017). Formerly with the International Radio Group as 224IR065, Ata is looked upon as one of 224 Division’s most illustrious Freeband DXers and is a regular in the logs of Oceania Contest stations, as well as many major International DXpeditions.
Tucked away in the central Pacific Ocean, Ata lives in the small Buariki Village on the remote northern part of the island (close to the Aranuka Airport which is less than one kilometre away from his home). So remote is Ata’s village, in fact, that there is no electricity in this part of the island and the town is about one and a half hours by boat from the main towns of South Tarawa as well. As a result of this isolation, the local villagers have maintained much of their traditional customs and skills which they use in their everyday lives.
With just 692 people, 224DA065 Ata’s peaceful village is also the home of the charming Mauri Paradise Resort which is just a few metres from the edge of a very serene lagoon. This is a popular choice of accommodation for visiting amateur radio dxpedition teams who visit the island every few years.
When he’s not working some of the most hunted DXpedition stations in the world on his ICOM 718 and vertical antenna almost 20 metres above his hut, Ata enjoys spending time in the tropical island sun reef fishing, as well as scuba diving the underwater world of WWII wrecks littered on the ocean floor.
DA-RC’s newest Oceanic member also enjoys outrigger canoeing, playing cards, making baskets, fans, or mats with coconut leaves and riding his bicycle down the perfect gravel road to Marenanuka or visiting friends in the nearby villages of Abatao and Tabiteuea. Even though there is also no road connecting South-Tarawa and North-Tarawa it is possible, as indicated by Ata, to cross the channels by low tide on a bicycle.
Like many of his fellow island operators, Ata is often found speaking to his many friends on the different islands that comprise Central, Eastern and Western Kiribati in his native Melanesian tongue. He is also a regular visitor to the International Call Frequency where his CQ DX calls send monitoring stations into a spin.
On behalf of everyone, welcome to the Dx Adventure Radio Club, Ata. We are proud to have you as part of the team and look forward to securing one of your special 224 Division IOTA QSL cards in the near future!
Welcome to 43DA1210 Anna
January 19, 2009 by Darren
Joining the rapidly increasing ranks of 43 DA-RC is 43DA1210 Anna from Australia’s tropical Far North Queensland. Formerly active as Unit 121 from the majestic Philippine Islands (79 Division) in the Coral Sea, Anna is now with the Dx Adventure Radio Club as an Honorary member and a four letter callsign, joining her partner 43DA120 Geoff as yet another tightly knit DA-RC husband and wife DX team.
In addition to an affinity with radio communications – particularly the social element which sees her battling husband Geoff for the microphones of their IC-718 and FT-747 GX rigs and working the 43 Division locals – Anna is a master of the kitchen, possessing an amazing number of extraordinary recipes gleaned from her years living in 79 Division.
“Traditional Asian cuisine,” according to Geoff, “is her specialty”, though Anna’s expertise also extends to Italian and Indian dishes which “make for immensely satisfying shack snacks” says 43DA120.
When she’s not logging DX contacts or treating her family to culinary delicacies, Anna enjoys singing and listening to music, as well as relaxing in the garden or by the water where she and Geoff often spend time on the weekends fishing.
Like her spouse, 43DA1210 Anna is excited by DA-RC’s numerous contest events and has already committed herself to many hours on the microphone in the 2009 XYL Contest. Anna has also offered her services as a DXpedition chef when Geoff and some of the other 43 DA-RC Team travel across to close by North Head Islet as 43DA/OC-160 in the near future. When she’s not on the radio, that is!
On behalf of the World Headquarters Team and all DA-RC members, it’s a very warm-hearted welcome to 43DA1210 Anna. We look forward to working you many times on the band in the coming years and hope you can wrestle the microphone from Geoff as often as possible!
The DXCC Dilemma
January 10, 2009 by Darren
For the large majority of Eleven Metre DX enthusiasts around the globe, the fundamental aim of our hobby is to work and confirm as many DXCC entities as possible. For most radio operators, working a new DXCC is one of the most invigorating moments our pastime can provide, surpassed only perhaps by the aforementioned QSL card turning up in the PO Box a few weeks later.
As you might imagine, working new DXCC entities in the current band climate, as we move into Cycle 24, is highly unlikely for those who have been around since the peak of Cycle 23 and even prior to that; experienced Eleven Metre radio operators who have made the most of the ‘good times’ on 27 MHz and 26 MHz and cashed in on them.
On this note, most of the more experienced Eleven Metre DXers will have amassed a healthy number of DXCC in the log – but now await for improved conditions to spurn DXpedition parties to rare and most wanted counties in order to complete the missing entries in their QSL album.
Despite the prospect of cyclical dividends in the future and greater accessibility to a wider range of contacts, several of the world’s Eleven Metre DXers have reached a point in their career as DXCC accumulators where the future as ‘paper collectors’ looks bleak. “Why bleak?” you might say. “Sounds a little cynical, Darren…”
In my opinion, one of the biggest and certainly one of the most frustrating challenges sure to affect more and more Eleven Metre radio devotees over time will be conquering DXCC entities accessible only to ham operators and this brings us to the crux of this article…
Rightly or wrongly, hams have an enormous advantage over Eleven Metre DXers because their licence, like a passport, enables them to venture to places where the common man cannot. Island sanctuaries, foreign controlled atolls, sovereign land, etc. are all far more accessible to the Ham – not just because of the government issued licenses too but also because of the extensive resources available to Ham DXpedition parties willing to tackle Most Wanted DXCC. By resources I mean equipment sponsorship from amateur radio companies such as ICOM and Yaesu, as well as large financial donations from DX Groups and individuals sometimes totalling over the $100,000 US mark.
Ask yourself this question, “Would an Eleven Metre DXer be afforded that same support?” Not likely. Does he deserve it? Some might say, “YES!” Others would say, “NO!”
Despite the fact individuals in the Eleven Metre DX Community contribute significantly to the retail communications market by way of $$$, getting any recognition from these companies to help fund Eleven Metre DXpeditions will probably never happen, for my part, until operations on Freeband frequencies are legalised. Ask anyone of these companies off the record though and they will tell you that Eleven Metre DXers have their support 100%. Note the emphasis on “off the record though…”
While many Eleven Metre DXpeditions in the past have been carried out by Ham DXers under the guise of Ham DXpeditions, this behaviour has been frowned upon in the Ham Community to such an extent that any future activities paraded as Ham but ending up on 27 or 26 MHz could result in licenses being terminated and hefty fines issued. This method of obtaining accessibility then is fast evaporating…as it almost certainly should.
A massive dilemma facing Eleven Metre DXers in the future therefore will be accessing the remote regions of the world (ie. Most Wanted DXCC); DXCC such as Scarborough and Mellish Reef, Johnston Atoll… Some might argue that any Freeband activity from these places will never eventuate and with good reason too. Are changes to the DXCC listing required in view of that? I’m not convinced. Or should everyone put their heads together to devise a way that such out of the ordinary places can be activated and ticked off in the QSL album? The future will tell.
73 de Darren 43DA010Welcome to 224DA101 Taakei
January 9, 2009 by Darren
The Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) is pleased to welcome its second member from the isolated west-central Pacific Ocean nation of Western Kiribati (Gilbert Islands), 224DA101 Taakei.
Formerly with the International Radio Club as 224IR027, Taakei lives on a small coral atoll named Butaritari (previously known as Makin, Pitt Island, Taritari Island or Touching Island) which has a total land area of just 13.5 square kilometres. The Kuma Village, in which Taakei lives, is one of five small settlements on the island which include Butaritari, Keuea, Tanimaiaki and Tekabetete.
Possessing a population of about 3,280 people, the island itself comprises a central lagoon 18 km wide ringed by small islets. Most of the islanders, says Taakei, live on two main islets, Butaritari and Kuma. The central lagoon provides a good deep anchorage for large ships with three narrow passages to the open sea. History tells that this also made it an attractive port for the invading Japanese forces during World War II who occupied the atoll from 1941 to 1943.
Outside of the radio communications hobby, Taakei is a Minister of Religion with the Kiribati Protestant Church (K.P.C.) and his work on the island in areas such as youth work and Sunday School have a powerful impact on the lives of local islanders.
According to Taakei, his Church has its own transport infrastructure, its own communications infrastructure, its own Department of Education, its own press, its own industries or projects, and even its own national public holiday. Despite these developments, the Church in Kuma Village has few, if any, resources and this is one of the confronting challenges which drives Taakei in his everyday life.
In addition to his passion for the Church, Taakei has a love of radio communications and spends much of his spare time DXing or enjoying QSOs with friends and colleagues on islands such as Banaba, Makin, Tab-North, Tarawa, Marakei, Samoa and Tonga. One of the most well known DXers in 224 Division and a participant in the 2009 Oceania Contest, Taakei has an impressive island station with a Ranger RCI-2970-DX 150w transceiver, as well as an Antron 99 vertical antenna by Solarcon and a SY-3 yagi antenna by Syrio.
On behalf of the World Headquarters Team and all DA-RC members, welcome to the Dx Adventure Radio Club, 224DA101 Taakai. We look forward to working your rare IOTA station in the near future and hearing stories of your fantastic Ministerial work on the island.
Welcome to 41DA616 Lou
January 9, 2009 by Darren
The small South Pacific DXCC New Zealand is home to our latest member who is 41DA616 Lou. Formerly 41DT616, 41NY616 and 41AT616 respectively, Lou hails from the small rural town of Wyndham on the country’s South Island (IOTA Ref: OC-134), 45 km east of Invercargill and 25 km south of Gore, and is thrilled to be part of the DA-RC team.
Lou’s QTH is situated on the east banks of the Mataura River, between the Mimihau Stream to the north and the Mokoreta River to the south. Protected now by a floodbank, Wyndham is a service centre for the surrounding districts with a shopping centre, library, museum and hotel and, according to Lou, these “keep him busy in times when the propagation is not so good”.
One of 41 Division’s most distinguished and respected DXers, Lou has been a mainstay of 27 MHz frequencies for more than 20 years and is regarded by many in the Pacific area as the face (or voice) of New Zealand. It’s not surprising then that he has been one of the most sought after stations in the annual Oceania Contest events, having to battle through many a pile up of DX hungry contesters keen to work him as a multiplier for their log.
A retired truck driver, Lou now works as a green keeper at his local golf course and race track, mowing lawns to keep fit and busy and contributing to a local sports scene that also includes baseball, brown trout fishing and basketball. Like many radio communications enthusiasts, Lou also enjoys tinkering with electronic equipment, as well as ham, short wave and citizens band radio and “all things DX”.
41DA616 Lou joins the Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) via the DX Chaser classification and comes highly recommended by good radio mates 43DA050 Geoff and 43DA021 Brian.
On behalf of the team, welcome to your new radio club, Lou. I’m sure you’ll enjoy being a part of the team and working the world with your new DA callsign.
Welcome to 224DA111 Donnie
January 7, 2009 by Darren
The Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) is delighted to introduce to you its latest member from the northern Pacific Ocean area, 224DA111 Donnie. An avid radio communications hobbyist and a former member of the International Radio Group, Donnie operates daily from his primitive straw hut in the Rawannawi Village, a tiny uncomplicated settlement at the northern tip of Marakei Island in Western Kiribati, about 74 km from Tarawa.
Falling under the RSGB IOTA reference number OC-017, Marakei Island is located in the North Gilbert Islands covering an area of 13.5 km², with a population of fewer than two thousand people. A small atoll straddling the equator, Marakei’s central lagoon consists of numerous deep basins and is surrounded by two large islands. These are separated by two narrow channels called Baretoa Pass and Reweta Pass which are inaccessible at low tide.
[Note: An atoll is a type of low, coral island found in tropical oceans and consisting of a coral-algal reef usually surrounding an interior body of water called a lagoon].
Normally found on the upper side of 27.335 MHz – his nation’s call and chat frequency – but occasionally venturing to 27.355 MHz and 27.555 MHz in pursuit of International DX – Donnie enjoys conversing with other island stations in the Kiribati region in his native Melanesian tongue, including those in 266 (Eastern Kiribati) and 265 (Central Kiribati) divisions respectively. He is also enjoys testing the capabilities of his Magnum S-9 transceiver and Antron 99 vertical antenna by Solarcon with 41 and 43 Division operators chasing IOTA contacts in the Pacific area.
Outside of the radio hobby, Donnie’s life centres around his family, the church and the sea. He also enjoys folk music involving chanting and body percussion, traditional Kiribati martial arts, hunting and story telling with dances such as the Ruoia’s te kemai, Bino, Kaimatoa and Tirere. Interestingly, the Frigate bird (Fregata minor) on the Kiribati flag refers to this bird-like style of Kiribati dancing, one of Donnie’s favourite pastimes!
On behalf of your new radio club Donnie, welcome! We hope you enjoy your new callsign 224DA111 and look foward to working you in the Kiribati Islands Contests each year.
Welcome to 23DA330 Jeremy
January 2, 2009 by Darren
The Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) is happy to pronounce its most recent affiliate from the diminutive NA island nation of Jamaica…23DA330 Jeremy.
Formerly 23EDX111, Jeremy is one of the most distinguished islands on the air operators in North America and looks forward to conquering many more international DX contacts with his new Delta-Alfa callsign in the future.
Part of the Greater Antilles archipelago, Jeremy’s QTH Jamaica (NA-097) is the third largest island in the Caribbean and is famed for its tropical WX and glorious sun-drenched beaches. Jamaica also lies in the hurricane belt of the Atlantic Ocean and as a result, the island sometimes experiences significant storm damage. It’s convenient then that one of Jeremy’s main hobby interests is designing and building quad antennas which could come in very handy if the severe WX ever happened to destroy his magnificent 5 element quad antenna which stands at a massive 40 ft!
A self-proclaimed ‘serious DX Hunter’ and IOTA DX enthusiast, Jeremy (or Hoody as he is affectionately nicknamed), has tallied up more than 200 DXCC from his small island QTH in the Caribbean Sea, in addition to over 500 worldwide IOTA contacts.
Outside of the comfort of his radio shack, 23DA330 Jeremy enjoys the typical Caribbean sea lifestyle, chasing kingfish and tuna with his brother-in-law and friends offshore among other things. By all reports, the affable rural community thrives on agriculture (although not as much as it used to), mainly sugarcane, as well as other agricultural products such as bananas, coffee, ginger, cocoa, pimento, honey, rice, and bread. The main industries, though, are bauxite and tourism while pastoralism is also practised; the rearing of cattle, horses and mules.
In addition to chilling out with a great book in hand or entertaining friends with the odd party, Jeremy and his wife enjoy putting their culinary expertise and knowledge of fine herbs to the test making delicacies such as samosas, sauces, spice mixes, chutneys and soti - a traditional bread in India and Pakistan made from wheat flour, normally had with curries or cooked vegetables.
On behalf of the DA-RC Community, welcome to your new club 23DA330 Jeremy. It is marvellous having you as part of the team moving into Cycle 24.
