Dave AA7EE, fellow QRPer and blogger writes about how a member of the T32C DXpedition team read his blog and commented on their 80 Meter QSO. Good job on both ends, IMHO, and his blog entry is definitely worth the read.
A fantastic job was done by the T32C team - and as far as I am concerned they have lifted the bar for DXpedition operations. I am afraid that in my own mind at least, that it was their effort that I will use as a comparison for other DXpeditions that I encounter in the future.
And a really fantastic job by Dave, too. He is currently in possession of three monoband rigs, a NorCal 2N2/40, a Ft. Tuthill 80, and an NT7S CC-20. He made contacts with T32C with each rig, each time using less than the "QRP Full Gallon" of 5 Watts.
A decent antenna and a good QRP operator on one end and a utterly superb DXpedition team with fantastic ears on the other end made for a "once in a lifetime" memory. These are the things that you fondly and warmly remember, even after many, many years behind the dial.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Honestly, I can't say enough good things about the T32C team. I'm still a very new ham and terribly unexperienced, but I have never heard any operation as smooth as them. They are so professional and courteous even in the roughest of circumstances.
ReplyDeleteThanks Larry. It was such a thrill to work them on 80M with my compromise antenna for that band.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the T32C team have set something of a standard for future DXpeditions. I wonder if anyone was shooting video there? I would love to see a fully-produced documentary on how a DXpedition like this was conducted - from the initial planning stages, picking the team, procuring the sponsorships and equipment, planning antennas, booking the hotel, the pre-DXpedition exploratory trip, the sheer logistics of getting all the equipment to the destination, coverage of how the team dealt with the realization that the container wouldn't reach the island, as well as footage of the actual event itself, including the morning pep-talks.
A production like this could act as a "How To Do It" guide for all would-be DXpeditioneers. Not every DXpedition will last a whole month or have the lofty goal of 15 stations on the air simultaneously, but the same principles can be applied to even the smallest of operations.
I think a lot of hams would be keen to watch such a documentary - if the story were well-produced and well-told.
Dave
AA7EE
After leaving the last comment, I found out that FSDXA did indeed write a book after their first DXpedition as 9M0C, called "DXpeditioning: Behind The Scenes".
ReplyDeleteI'd still love to see a film about T32C though!
Dave
AA7EE