VP9/K3TRM Bermuda 2005
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Date: August 20-28. 2005 Grid: FM72pi IOTA: NA-005 Zone: CQ-05, ITU-11 |
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After too many years of "too much work, not enough play", my wife almost didn't believe me when I said I was ready
for a "real" vacation. Of course, this was also a perfect opportunity to get my first taste of being on the other
side of a pile-up! After doing a little research, we decided on Bermuda. It sounded beautiful and was a short two
hour flight from Virginia. And, we were able to stay at Tarrafal Apartments, which had its own antenna farm!
Since this was a vacation, I knew that I would not have unlimited "on air" time...if I wanted to remain
married, that is. So I decided to limit my operation to SSB and RTTY on 80-6M. I also wanted to spend more time
on the WARC bands, since I figured there would be more need.
Results
| Band | SSB | RTTY | Total |
| 160 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 80 | 26 | 14 | 40 |
| 40 | 37 | 76 | 113 |
| 30 | 0 | 53 | 53 |
| 20 | 237 | 458 | 695 |
| 17 | 296 | 62 | 358 |
| 15 | 5 | 25 | 30 |
| 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 64 | 0 | 64 |
| Total | 665 | 688 | 1353 |
I made 1,353 QSO's during our nine days on the island. Since this was my first DX operation, I did not have any
goals in mind. But, it was definitely satisfying to surpass the 1,000 mark! Most of my activity was on 20M
and 17M; however, I operated 80-30M several evenings. Unfortunately I made no contacts on 12M and 10M, primarily
because we were touring the island when there was a chance of openings in the morning. I had hoped to make more
QSO's on 80M and 40M as well, but the QRN was S9 every evening as a result of thunderstorms offshore.
As one would expect, most of the activity was from North America and Europe and it did not take many calls to get good pile-ups
going on 17M and 20M. I was surprised to find more activity from Europe on the lower bands, even though propagation to North
America was very good. Shortly after I arrived on the island, I received an email from Sam, 7L1WII, asking me to listen for Japan,
particularly on RTTY, since many JA ops still needed VP9. While none were made on RTTY, there was a nice, short opening on
17M the day before we left and I was able to make about 25 contacts. (Thanks to Paul, K4UJ
for recording one of the 20M pile-ups.)
Being a 6M fanatic, I was hoping for some good band openings during my visit, although my expectations were low since it was late
in the summer Sporadic-E season. The first of two openings was on Friday, August 26th. Conditions were not very good and I only
made six QSO's. The following evening the band opened to most of the North American east coast and I added another 58 stations to
the log. The eastern United States was also open to Europe, but I was unable to copy any stations in Bermuda.
Equipment
Since Tarrafal Apartments provides equipment and several antennas for visitng operators, I only brought my Icom 706MkIIG and
LDG Electronics AT-100Pro antenna tuner. Everything fit nicely into my laptop bag, along with the computer. Surprisingly, I
had no issues getting through airport security and customs.
I had access to several antennas in Bermuda covering 160-6M. The main antenna I used was the Cushcraft A4S for 20/15/10M.
On the lower bands I had a G5RV for 80M and resonant dipole on 40M. The G5RV also worked well on 30M and 17M. The M² 6M5X yagi was
in need of repair, so the G5RV was also used on 6M. Although I did not operate 160M, there was also an Inverted L available.
QSL Information
Photo QSL cards were printed upon our return from Bermuda. QSL's can be sent to my home call with SASE or through the US bureau. Non-domestic SAE's should include $1 US or 1 IRC. Cards with insufficient postage will be returned via the bureau. Additional information can be found on my QSL Information page.
Accomodations
We stayed at Tarrafal Apartments, which are owned and managed by Mr. Ed Kelly, VP9GE. Many hams have stayed with Ed in the past. His QTH is on North Shore Road in Hamilton Parish, a few minutes south of the airport. The apartments are a few hundred feet from the ocean, with a nice water path to North America and Europe. If you're planning a trip to Bermuda, I would highly recommend booking at room at Tarrafal Apartments!
Conclusion
I'm hooked! I really enjoyed being on the DX side of things and am already planning other operations for next year. I had a lot of fun
meeting up with some old friends on the air and making some new ones. And, it was nice to be able to give out a new one to so many good folks!
My wife and I definitely plan to return to the island someday soon. The sights around Bermuda are breathtaking and there are so
many fun things to see and do. The laid back atmosphere was a real change of pace from living in the Washington, DC area. And, the Bermudians
are some of the friendliest people you are likely to ever meet.
Useful Links
Logbook Search
Photos
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