My first DXpedition to the South Cook Islands
By Mark McMullin, KM6HB/ZKlAHB
The pile up - we've all been a part of them, usually trying
to work that "new" one. But what is it like to be on the other
end for a change?
Having worked contests before, I have experienced the "chaos"
of a pile up. But being a "six lander" in California, those
experiences were brief and far between. So I asked myself the time-worn
question. Where do I go from here?
Since I was also planning a family vacation, a location
had to be found with that in mind. A twirl or two of the globe brought
us to the Cook Islands, somewhat off the beaten path but also family friendly.
The currency exchange rate was very favorable and the weather was great
year round. So why not? Reservations were made for 9-18 July 2000 for
what would be my first DXexpedition.
Air New Zealand would fly us into Rarotonga (OC13), then
Air Rarotonga over to Aitutaki atoll (OC83) in the South Cook Islands
group.
As in any endeavor, planning and preparation sets the stage
for success. Research was essential. How do I get a license? What are
the power standards? Will the hotels allow antennas? How much weight can
I take onto the aircraft? Not surprisingly, all the answers were easy
to find and and presented no problems at all.
Getting a Ham radio license is easy in the Cook Islands
- one stop at the local telecom office in Avarui and a $20.00NZ fee. Visitors
are assigned a 2x3 call and in most cases you can pick your last three
letters.
Power in the Cooks is 220v. This presented a small issue
as my computer and rig were 120v. A call to the folks at Teleadapt (877/8353232
or www.telegdapt.com) provided numerous and inexpensive solutions for
voltage conversion.
Next was the weight of all my gear. Air New Zealand had
a 44 pounds per person limit and a 60" length restriction. Fortunately,
if you travel as a family or group the weight total is cumulative. Lo
and behold my Yaesu FT990 weighed almost 30 lbs itself! Regardless, I
was still under the total weight limit. Over the limit charges apply on
most airlines.
I packed my FT 990 and computer in plastic shipping totes,
surrounding both with bubble wrap. My MFJ vertical was shipped using 4-inch
wide plastic irrigation piping capped on both ends. Both were cheap to
buy and I experienced no damage to any of my gear. My cost in totes and
the pipe was under $10 and I wouldn't have used the totes if I thought
for I minute my "veteran FT 990" would have been worse off.
The piping had ample room for coax, a 5foot mast and the
three sections of the vertical. One thing to keep in mind on any trip
to a destination that requires an "island hop" is that the weight
restrictions obviously dif_fer greatly between a Boeing 767 and a twin
turbo prop island hopper. Be prepared to pay extra for being over weight
limits. In my case I didn't have to, but I would have if I had taken a
linear amplifier.
As the day of departure was now rapidly approaching, a trip
out to the garage and RadioShack was necessary to gather up an assortment
of connectors, fuses etc. As it turned out I didn't need much of it but
there was no corner RadioShack on the Cooks I could run to if I had forgotten
something. Be prepared!
Finally, the day arrived and we climbed aboard Air New Zealand
flight 17 to the Cooks via Tahiti then on to Rarotonga.
Rarotonga is the main island in the South Cooks group and
is the seat of government. The Cooks are selfautonomous and are a protectorate
of New Zealand.
We soon arrived at the Rarotonga Beach Resort and were greeted
by a superb and friendly staff. Our room had a spectacular view of the
beach and ocean. After a quick stop at the Telecomin office I had license
in hand!! I was now ZK1AHB!
Back at the hotel I couldn't wait to get on the air. I unpacked
all my gear and had the vertical set up - all in about 30 minutes. I ran
the coax, turned on the rig and listened. Oddly, all the bands seemed
dead, my noise level was zero... hmm, did I have a short in the coax?
High SWR? A quick QSY to 30 Meters and WWV was barely audible! Well it
was the beginning of summer "down under" and it was about noontime
in the Cooks.
I put out a CQ and before long VK's and ZL1's started to
answer. I started to think that perhaps a "solar event" had
occurred because the bands were just too quiet. Eric, ZL2AAG, heard me
ask another station if he knew the latest WWV numbers.
My hunch was correct - he told me the A index was at 30!
And to boot a major solar flare was due to hit the Earth in 6 hours! The
forecast was for possible satellite and power grid disruptions. With stateside,
Europe and Asia nowhere to be found, a new flare wouldn't be much help
either.
The next day WWV was reporting the A index at 300! I was
out of the pile up business. So I reverted to plan B - rag chew QSO's.
Propagation was still open into VK and ZL and I had many many enjoyable
QSO's while overlooking the beach. It took me back to my start in Amateur
Radio in the early 90's when VK's and ZL's would be a daily 5/9 occurrence
on 10 Meters.
The solar flare put a damper on my grandiose DX plans but
I did enjoy two solid nights of super openings into Europe and Asia. 15
and 17 Meters turned out to be my best bands.
All in all it was a fantastic trip and there was much to
do aside from Ham radio. I learned a lot - especially of the need to travel
lighter next time. And to bring an amplifier if possible. All the planning
and equipment sometimes just cannot overcome poor band conditions. This
can happen just as easy to the major DXpedtioner or the first timer. But
most importantly I proved to myself that I could do it and next time it
will be easier. So the question remains. Were do I go next year?
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