Inside the exotic island of Grande Terre, in the heart of the Pacific, the Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) is excited to introduce to you 172DA161 Patrice.
A world-renowned ham radio operator, elite Freeband DX connoisseur and social guy, Patrice connects with the club in July 2024 from his home in the French collectivity that is ‘New Caledonia’.
Achieved through past stints with the Sugar Delta (SD) and Romeo Charlie (RC) clubs respectively, Pat’s incredible DX stats place him in the top echelon of DX Hunters, regardless of the band.
In fact, this Nouvelle-Calédonie big gun easily satisfies DA-RC Membership requirements in this category with well over 200 DXCC entities worked and confirmed over the past 40 years.
See: https://www.delta-alfa.com/about/membership/
According to the World Atlas, New Caledonia (172 Division) is found in the south-west Pacific Ocean, roughly 1500 km east of Australia (43 Division) and south of Vanuatu (197 Division).
It includes the island of Grande Terre, where the capital, Nouméa, is located; the Loyalty Islands; the Bélep Islands; and the Île des Pins.
For IOTA Hunters, New Caledonia (Nicknamed “Le Caillou” which literally means “the stone or the pebble”) also includes a number of far-flung uninhabited islets which appear occasionally on the bands.
They include Huon (OC-058) and Surprise islands in the D’Entrecasteaux Reefs, the Coral Sea atolls of the Chesterfield Islands (OC-176) and the Bellona Reefs, Walpole Island (OC-033), Beautemps-Beaupré Atoll, and Astrolabe Reefs.
Sharing the IOTA reference OC-032 with several other islands (such as Baaba, Balabio, Koutoumo, Maitre, Ouen, Pins & Yande), Grand Terre is by far the largest of the group and contains about nine-tenths of the population, including 172DA161 Patrice and his family, and a host of other prominent DX-Men such as 172AT101 Philippe.
This World IOTA Program listed island is surrounded by a remarkable UNESCO World Heritage coral reef that extends from Huon Island in the north to the Île des Pins in the south.
Except for the central part of the west coast, which is bordered only by a fringing reef, it’s regarded as a true barrier reef enclosing a large lagoon.
Here, there are numerous passages in the reef, usually at the mouths of rivers, where fisherman such as Patrice can take to the open waters.
172DA161 Patrice’s home city, Noumea, is situated on an irregular, hilly peninsula near the southeast end of the country, on a protected deep-water harbour that serves as the chief port.
It’s known to be the home to the majority of the island’s European, Polynesian (Wallisians, Futunians, Tahitians), Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians, Ni-Vanuatu and Kanaks who work in one of the South Pacific’s most industrialized cities.
Google Earth indicates that the Grande Terre mainland is divided in length by a central mountain range whose highest peaks—incredible Summits On The Air (SOTA) dxstinations—are Mont Panié (1629 m) in the north and Mont Humboldt (1618 m) in the southeast.
Most of the island, furthermore, is covered by wet evergreen forests, while savannahs dominate the lower elevations.
New Caledonia’s population of 271,407 is of diverse origins and varies by geography.
In the North and Loyalty Islands Provinces, the indigenous Kanak people predominate, while the wealthy South Province contains significant populations of European, Kanak, and Polynesian origin, as well as smaller groups of Southeast Asian, Pied-Noir, and North African heritage.
As you’d expect for a DX Hunter of this status, a world class station—with a distinct Yaesu feel—occupies 172DA161 Patrice’s radio shack.
On closer inspection, a Yaesu FTDX 101 MP with Heil PR-781 mic, Yaesu FTDX 5000 MP with Heil PR-781 mic and a Yaesu FTDX 1200 with Yaesu an M-70 mic are his DX implements of choice.
Acom A-2100, Kenwood Tl 922 and Mercury IIIS HF/6m amplifiers provide TX enhancements that ensure his signal is always punching through pileups of rare dx stations or reaching far away destinations, even when propagation is at its lowest ebb.
As shown by the pictures, a cubical quad antenna, erected on the top of a homemade 22m high telescopic tilt over mast, guarantees the best possible podium for DX success.
You can also see other exciting options for transmissions on ham bands which explains why this guy gets out so well!
Now retired, 172DA161 Patrice enjoys the quiet life his paradisical QTH offers such as camping visits to white sand beaches and turquoise lagoons, which boast rich marine biodiversity reserves.
“My main hobby is radio communication,” he says, “but I also perform radio repair, make and test antennas such as delta-loops, ride quad bikes and enjoy watching TV.”
In his country’s subtropical WX and year-round precipitation, 172DA161 Patrice is a known boat enthusiast—some time maritime mobile operator—and keen fisherman.
The Diahot River is the longest river of New Caledonia, flowing for some 100 km and this reportedly is a great spot for fly fisherman and boaties.
Our DX guy also enjoys off-shore game fishing where tuna, mahi-mahi, jacks, kingfish, mekoua, wahoo, and even marlin quite often end up on his dinner table!
With solar cycle 25 now in full swing, 172DA161 Patrice looks forward to extending his DX bank account with new DXCC—hopefully at the hands of fellow DA members through their commitment to dx adventure—but wherever opportunity presents.
On the world’s best HF DX band, eleven meters, 172DA161 Patrice monitors the international call frequency, 27.555 MHz USB, where the world’s population of IOTA Hunters are at his fingertips.
To confirm any contact with his IOTA Station, please send—with the required contribution of $3.50 US or Euro + a self-addressed envelope or sticky label—to DA-RC HQ OC (See below).
QSL INFOS
Bonjour. Ayant fait contact avec Patrice 174 DA 161 ce matin 29/11/24 à 09:07 utc sur 27.610 il est vraiment dommage qu’il n’accepte pas les QSL via Cluster dx alors qu’il y ait inscrit. Encore une fois de plus, un OM qui demande une contribution? J’avoue être quand même être un peu déçu quant à cette manière de procéder que je n’approuve pas. Tant pis pour moi donc de ne pas avoir une QSL de sa part. 73s. Joël/14PAT3483.