OY/EA8DBM (IP62oa) Faroe Islands
oy/ea8dbm
For those interested in the OY 23 cm band, I have some news! From July 28 to August 1, 2024, I plan to operate from the Faroe Islands. I'll be using the same equipment and antenna setup as in my previous EA9, E7, and 4O expeditions: 200 watts and a 2.4 m dish.
I will arrive on July 28 late in the evening, around 23:00. I'm not sure if I'll have time to set up that night, but I'll do my best, especially if the weather is favorable with no rain or strong winds. I will be on 1296.100 MHz, 1-st CFOM, 1000 Hz, as usual.
The weather forecast for our stay is quite unpleasant - rain every day and a strong south wind at 40 km/h. I had to change QTH from the south to the northern part of the islands, hoping the mountains will provide some shelter from the wind. The ferry arrives late in the evening, and if the moon isn't visible, there's no point in installing the antenna since it will be impossible to aim it properly. Therefore, the plan is to deploy on Monday morning, July 29, if the wind allows me to do so.
Everything was as usual, nothing new. After lunch, I arrived at the club station OY6FRA, access to which was kindly provided by Reggy OY1R.
Despite the fact that I arrived at the peak of the season—during the national Faroese holiday, St. Olaf's Day—Reggy helped me install the antenna and get everything ready. The noise test, sun to cold sky, showed the standard 5 dB. Nothing particularly outstanding, but nothing very sad either. Everything was ready for MR, which was scheduled to be in 5 hours.
Reggy and I sat smoking cigars and drinking wine as the weather gradually became "standard Faroese." First, it started to drizzle, and then the wind began to pick up. I covered the amplifier under the antenna with a small tent specifically bought for this occasion. I tried to fold my "umbrella antenna," but the wind was so strong that even the two of us couldn't manage it. At this point, I should have taken a closer look at the photo attached above—do you see the sad face that the back wall of the tent has turned into? That's exactly how the first moonlit night went! The wind picked up to 40 km/h with unexpected gusts.
The moon rose above the hill. I took the antenna off the leash and didn't have time to turn it to the desired azimuth before catching a gust of wind that cut off the worm on the elevation gearbox. Grandpa Murphy made his trump move, and I was left without a configured controller with a rotator! My counter move was simple: in the wind and rain, I had to fold the antenna, disassemble it, remove the rotator, and install last year's manual rotator. All in all, it took about 40 minutes. The moon came out from behind the clouds, and I could aim visually. The first QSO was surprisingly fast, but then nothing worked out. The crosswind changed the geometry of the dish, causing the focus to be lost and it "shot" in an unknown direction, but not at the moon.
A typical QSO looks something like this: you aim a little to the right and above the moon, standing behind the counterweight to hold the antenna steady so it doesn’t sway too much or take off into the Faroese fjords. After the transmission and reception cycle, I quickly run to the shack to check if anyone is calling. If they are, I click the response button and sprint back to the antenna (which by then has usually turned about 90 degrees). Then Q65 does most of the work for you, and you just need to hold the parabolic antenna by hand for four cycles. This process repeats, which is why I asked everyone to call on Tx2—it saved one sprint. By doing this, I managed to secure a few QSOs.
Reggy checked how everything was going still dressed in full national costume after local festivities.
But Reggy had to return to the festival , and I needed to continue with the real reason I came to OY. So he left, and I stayed behind.
After some time, my so-called godfather, Murphy, complicates the task a bit: the sky is completely covered with clouds, the moon is not visible at all, and it starts to rain. After forcing out several QSOs, I take a break to rest and drink some coffee, as I have almost no strength left.
It gets light early in OY, and the wind gradually begins to die down. I can try to continue working.
It seems that I can hear and they can hear me, things are slowly getting better. But then this beauty swims up and seems to turn on the radar, which completely
clogs my LNA. There is clicking and crackling on the air, everyone can hear me - but I can't hear anyone.
Sometimes the radar turned off and during the breaks I managed to make a couple of QSOs.
There are 20 QSOs in the log:
2024-07-30,00:42:00,2024-07-30,00:46:08,SP5GDM,KO02,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-20,,,,
2024-07-30,01:17:00,2024-07-30,01:20:00,IQ2DB,,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-32,,,,
2024-07-30,01:24:00,2024-07-30,01:31:56,JA4LJB,PM74,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-24,,,,
2024-07-30,01:47:00,2024-07-30,01:58:00,G0LBK,,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-21,,,,
2024-07-30,01:57:00,2024-07-30,02:04:00,OK1IL,JN69,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-26,,,,
2024-07-30,02:04:00,2024-07-30,02:10:00,IK2DDR,,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-21,,,,
2024-07-30,02:14:00,2024-07-30,02:17:58,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,
2024-07-30,03:11:00,2024-07-30,03:24:12,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-20,,,,
2024-07-30,04:34:00,2024-07-30,04:40:00,UA3PTW,,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-18,,,,
2024-07-30,08:28:08,2024-07-30,08:28:08,NC1I,FN32,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-23,,,,
2024-07-30,09:49:00,2024-07-30,09:51:00,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,
2024-07-30,09:54:00,2024-07-30,09:54:00,DG5CST,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-19,,,,
2024-07-30,09:54:00,2024-07-30,09:57:00,OK1DFC,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,
2024-07-30,10:01:00,2024-07-30,10:05:00,DK4RC,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-21,,,,
2024-07-30,10:05:30,2024-07-30,10:07:01,SM6CKU,,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,
2024-07-30,10:34:00,2024-07-30,10:34:00,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-23,,,,
2024-07-30,10:42:00,2024-07-30,10:45:56,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-28,,,,
2024-07-30,10:46:00,2024-07-30,10:48:01,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-19,,,,
2024-07-30,11:34:47,2024-07-30,11:34:47,KB2SA,DM13,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-24,,,,
2024-07-30,12:29:00,2024-07-30,12:32:00,PA3DZL,,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-23,,,,
During the day I turned over the “eaten” gear in the rotator and now there is control from the controller again for elevation from 0 to about 60 degrees, so I hope
today's “moon window” will be more successful.
++++++++++++++
The lunar window on July 31 turned out to be surprisingly calm and productive. There was almost no wind, so I set up the dish without any problems. I slightly adjusted the azimuth according to the visible moon, and basically, everyone who wanted to was able to make contact.
There are 28 QSOs in the log:
2024-07-31,00:12:00,2024-07-31,00:16:00,YB2MDU,,1296.101000,Q65,-26,-25,,,,
2024-07-31,01:24:26,2024-07-31,01:24:26,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-25,,,,
2024-07-31,01:43:59,2024-07-31,01:43:59,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-27,,,,
2024-07-31,02:04:00,2024-07-31,02:15:57,JQ3JFW,PM75,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-29,,,,
2024-07-31,03:18:00,2024-07-31,03:18:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-21,,,,
2024-07-31,03:32:00,2024-07-31,03:35:57,JH3AZC,PM85,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-24,,,,
2024-07-31,03:37:00,2024-07-31,03:40:00,DL4DTU,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-23,,,,
2024-07-31,03:44:00,2024-07-31,03:51:58,DL1AT,JO61,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-23,,,,
2024-07-31,03:51:00,2024-07-31,03:56:00,G4YTL,IO92,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-30,,,,
2024-07-31,05:40:00,2024-07-31,05:43:56,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,
2024-07-31,05:45:00,2024-07-31,05:53:56,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-22,,,,
2024-07-31,05:57:00,2024-07-31,06:02:00,DK3WG,,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-25,,,,
2024-07-31,06:06:00,2024-07-31,06:12:00,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-27,,,,
2024-07-31,06:20:00,2024-07-31,06:23:58,G0LBK,JO03,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-24,,,,
2024-07-31,07:00:00,2024-07-31,07:03:56,RA4HL,LO43,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-19,,,,
2024-07-31,07:16:00,2024-07-31,07:21:56,ON4QQ,JO20,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-21,,,,
2024-07-31,07:22:00,2024-07-31,07:25:56,RD4D,LO42,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-17,,,,
2024-07-31,07:30:00,2024-07-31,07:39:56,ZS1LS,JF96,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-26,,,,
2024-07-31,07:41:00,2024-07-31,07:44:00,YO2LAM,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-23,,,,
2024-07-31,08:16:00,2024-07-31,08:19:56,DF7KB,JO30,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-23,,,,
2024-07-31,08:26:59,2024-07-31,08:26:59,UA4AAV,,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-22,,,,
2024-07-31,08:27:00,2024-07-31,08:29:57,PA3HDG,JO31,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-23,,,,
2024-07-31,09:10:00,2024-07-31,09:15:56,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,
2024-07-31,09:22:00,2024-07-31,09:25:56,N5TM,EL29,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-32,,,,
2024-07-31,09:29:00,2024-07-31,09:33:56,DJ2DY,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,
2024-07-31,09:35:00,2024-07-31,09:39:56,DG0FE,JO62,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,
2024-07-31,10:26:00,2024-07-31,10:29:56,OK2DL,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-21,,,,
2024-07-31,13:01:00,2024-07-31,13:06:02,EA8DBM,IL18,1296.101000,Q65,-30,-28,,,,
+++++++++ 2024-08-01+++++++
In my experience, the last day of activation is the hardest and most boring, everyone who wanted to work has already worked with me, fatigue is accumulating, and there is the daunting task of disassembling and packing everything up, making sure nothing rattles or rumbles on the long 1800 km journey.
Moonrise on Saturday was in the middle of the night, around 2 A.M. It took about 30 minutes to get from our rented house to the position, leaving me about 4 hours for sleep. Despite the tight schedule, I managed to sleep well and rushed to the shack at 3:30 A.M. Unfortunately, this was quite late since VK4CDI Phill had only about 40 minutes left until moonset. It took about 10 minutes to connect the cables and check everything, but the sky was covered with clouds, the sun was still below the horizon, and the wind overnight had likely shifted the azimuth.
I tried calling VK4CDI at random, but the result was as expected – no response. I apologized to Phil in the chat and continued sending CQ calls, but to no avail. Then, I had a "brilliant idea" to check the real elevation with an inclinometer! The result of my haste and accumulated fatigue was obvious – the difference between the real value and what the controller showed was more than 10 degrees. After making the necessary adjustments, things started going well, and I even saw my echo on Q65!
The morning turned out to be surprisingly quiet and windless. Despite the drizzling rain, I logged 15 QSOs. Closer to midday, the wind began to pick up, and the rain intensified, making it impractical to continue working.
With the help of Reggy OY1R and Jon OY9JD, I quickly packed up and was ready for the night ferry.
2024-08-01,06:55:00,2024-08-01,06:58:00,IK3COJ,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,
2024-08-01,07:26:08,2024-08-01,07:26:08,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-26,,,,
2024-08-01,07:44:00,2024-08-01,07:52:03,DK5AI,JO51,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-28,,,,
2024-08-01,08:03:00,2024-08-01,08:10:52,LA3EQ,JO28,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-25,,,,
2024-08-01,08:11:00,2024-08-01,08:24:02,9H1BN,JM75,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-25,,,,
2024-08-01,08:37:09,2024-08-01,08:37:09,UA1ALD,KO49,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-24,,,,
2024-08-01,08:38:00,2024-08-01,08:44:00,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.101000,Q65,-32,-30,,,,
2024-08-01,08:55:58,2024-08-01,08:55:58,DJ7FJ,JN48,1296.101000,Q65,-32,-25,,,,
2024-08-01,09:05:56,2024-08-01,09:05:56,PA1PS,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-23,,,,
2024-08-01,09:11:00,2024-08-01,09:15:57,PA0BAT,JO31,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-22,,,,
2024-08-01,09:19:00,2024-08-01,09:24:43,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-23,,,,
2024-08-01,10:19:00,2024-08-01,10:22:00,K5DN,,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-21,,,,
2024-08-01,10:28:00,2024-08-01,10:33:39,NC1I,FN32,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-13,,,,
2024-08-01,11:54:00,2024-08-01,11:58:00,K5DOG,,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,
Total in the log: 63 QSOs (58 initials)
A huge thank you to everyone who worked with me and sent reports with signal strength assessments. Your feedback is invaluable, especially in tuning the equipment correctly during bad weather and when visible landmarks are absent.
Special thanks to Ivan OK1IL and Jan PA3FXB for their financial support, and to Reggy OY1R for providing the opportunity to use the OY6FRA shack and for his assistance in installing and dismantling the antenna and equipment.
P.S. Your comments and suggestions on the blog are warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated. They help me to better plan future activations.