Date

Entry

Monday March 10 to Wednesday March 12.

Life consists of operating shifts, eating meals were you can fit it in, help with the daily offloading of supplies from Shogun to keep us supplied with the necessities of life. Sleep is something that comes an hour here or an hour there......

The pileups are enormous...no matter what band we operate on, there is tremendous activity. Our primary focus has been to maximize the number of contacts into Europe on each band. Being in the lowest part of the solar cycle isn't making this easy, however we have had some great runs on many bands. What becomes a challenge is trying to pull weak signals out of the air and having to deal with the thankfully small number of US and European stations who chose to not respect our request to stand down while we try to exploit a short opening to a specific area of the world. Add to that the noise from the numerous wind storms/squalls that blow through and it makes for a tough time on the bands....welcome to DXpeditioning.....

Tuesday was a real challenge for the CW ops....we started taking lightening strikes so close that we had to unplug all the antennas 3 times over the course of the afternoon.....Oh yeah... the wind stayed in the 20 knot range with bursts up to 35 - 40 knots a number of times during the day.

well... time for another CW shift... more later....

Friday March 7 to Sunday March 9th.

The last few days have been a total blur.....Up early...haul all the gear from the beach to the operating locations, install antennas, setup tents and equipment, stay hydrated, eat a meal, avoid Boobie bombs, deal with the heat and then repeat all of the above!!

Temperatures in the antenna field were well over 35 - 40C... in fact a temperature reading taken where a firepit as being built indicated well over 40c .... around 117F. Not a nice temperature to be doing heavy work in at all.

Then, just as you were thinking you'd finally die of the heat a wind would pickup to 30 or 40 knots, the heavens would open up and the rain would fall like I've never seen before. I've been in many parts of the world over the years but I can safely say that the weather here is unbelievable.....

The big kahuna came on Sunday just as we were getting ready to begin operating....a squall blew through with winds in the 40+ knot range, ripping tents, flooding everything and soaking anyone exposed....I have to tell you that was one hell of a storm......I've been sailing on the tail end of hurrcane force winds and that was childs play compared to this storm.

One of the less obvious things here is that things don't dry out as fast as one would expect. Wet clothes, sleeping bags, equipment and shoes take a day or more to dry...assuming you don't get caught in the numerous squalls that happen each day. The humidity is relatively high and everything stays damp.

Conditions in the operating tents are fierce...the heat is in the high 90's, when the squalls roll through the tents whip back and forth and shake like crazy...the noise is so extreme it can be tough to hear stations even through headphones....during one big  downpour, we had a river flow through the CW tent at one point...

Our antennas have sufferred during the winds as well... once the bigger squalls pass through we have to take a quick look to see if anything is on its side or out of place...this has become a daily routine.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

We're finally here.

After a complete circuit of the island to look for safe landing sites, we were fortunate enough to find that landing at our preferred site on the North side of the Island was the best and safest option for us. Bob and I put on life jackets, jumped in the skiff with the Shogun crew and headed for the island. It was an interesting and exhilirating ride to the beach. You have to picture a whole bunch of large waves, breaking over a hidden reef. The skiff crew timed the approach to rise in on the back of a large swell that broke ahead of us. The wave gave us the extra clearance to ride over the reef and safely approach the beach.

It was a great moment to finally stand on the beach and shake Bob's hand. We started planning a Clipperton trip in 2004 that was cancelled due to booking problems with Shogun. It was a great feeling to finally finish what we started 4 years ago.

While the skiff started the next of many trips from the boat to shore carrying people and equipment, Bob and I scouted out the locations for the SSB and CW camps. We were very fortunate to have been able to safely land on the North side of the island. This gave us the best location to install the antennas we brought, giving us a clear shot out over salt water in the direction of the major areas of the world we wanted to focus our efforts on. The SVDA's we built perform incredibly well adjacent to salt water. Over an optimal ground like this location has, the SVDA's will focus most of their energy at low wave angles, typically around 6 degrees. This should translate to long reach and strong signals.

The first thing that struck me when we hit the beach was the heat. The sand is white and reflected the heat with a fierce intensity. As we started hauling the mountain of gear from the Shogun to the beach and then to the operating locations, the sand and heat made life difficult for all of us. The biggest problem we faced for the day was dehydration and over exposure to the sun. It was tough enough moving the gear through the sand, but we damn near lost our own body weight in sweat.....This poor Canuck is used to cooler temperatures and I can tell you I looked like a lobster after the first couple of hours on the beach.

First priority was enough survival gear to keep us alive in the event the seas built up to the point where Shogun was unable to resupply us for a couple of days. After that we focused on operating equipment such as antennas and coax. The bulk of the radios and amps were to follow the next day.

It was a strange feeling to look down the strip of beach we were unloading on to see Boobies flying one after another straight at us.....finally lifting a bit and passing overhead they seemed completely oblivious to our presence. Although not completely comfortable with our interference in their daily rituals, they don't seem to be overly frightened of us and seem to grudgingly accept sharing the island with us for a while.

One of the things we have been careful not to overly disturb are the nesting areas. Towards the lagoon are large areas where Boobies can be seen sittin on and egg or a newly hatched chick. Chicks of all sizes are visible. I don't know if the birds bear young at one particulr time of year or if it's a continuous process.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

After a long day at sea, we have finally arrived at our destination. We were escorted to Clipperton by a group of Spinner Dolphins. I counted 12 at one point. They really enjoyed riding the bow wave of Shogun and did a considerable amount of jumping out of the water. Every so often one would roll on its side and take a look at those of us hanging over the railing of the boat watching them. No doubt they were looking for signs of intelligent life on board...

It was also interesting to see phophorescence in the water. Every so often the dolphins would hit a patch and I'd see a burst of light... just like our home waters on the BC coast.

We arrived at Clipperton late in the evening. Although the Island was shrouded in darkness, we could make out the faint outline of the surf line....

Time for bed and get ready for an early morning ride landing.

Tuesday March 4, 2008

Anticipation of our arrival is beginning to mount amongst the team. As we approach the island, little signs appear that suggest land is not far away. A single Boobie hitches a ride on Shogun, later to be joined by 3 more. They find a safe perch on the top of the crane boom. The downside is that we soon find out why Clipperton was used for guano mining years ago. The boobies churn our considerable quantities of the white stuff, coating the deck and anyone unfortunate enough to walk underneath then at the wrong time.

At night the stars are incredible. Once away from the light pollution of major cities and civilization as we know it, one begins to realize just how incredible the evening skys really are. Not only are the stars extremely bright, but there are a whole bunch more up there than a city dweller is used to seeing. In fact, the Milky Way is clearly visible and the Magellanic Clouds.

As always, the food on Shogun is great. I think I'm gaining weight.....great....

Monday March 3, 2008

Another day in paradise...... the air temperature is noticeably warmer now and becoming humid. It’s easy to tell we are entering the tropics. What’s surprising to me is the absence of shipping traffic in this area. We are far enough off the normal shipping lanes that we haven’t seen another vessel yet, other than the Coast Guard vessel we saw last Thursday.

We spent the day repacking a few things in preparation for the landing. Harnesses were made up for lifting the generators, cables cut and connectors fit for the Beverage antennas and carts assembled and tires inflated. These carts and wagons are going to be indispensible once we hit the beaches. Carrying all that equipment by hand in the tropical heat would be tough.

Just before sunset, a few of us sat on the bow on Shogun, shared a bottle of wine and watched the sunset....what an incredible moment.... it was breathtaking.... better yet, I expect we’ll see a few more like this one before the trip ends. Steve gave us a short lesson in astronomy and pointed out some of the notable constellations visible from this location.

After dinner Laurent, F6FVY, gave the entire team an overview of Wintest, the logging program he co-wrote and the program we will be using on Clipperton. I’m very impressed with its capabilities and ease of use.

Just before bedtime we watched the BS7H DXpedition video. Talk about extreme conditions....Yikes.

Sunday March 2, 2008

The days have settled into a routine now...eat, snooze ....repeat if necessary!! We spend some time assembling equipment for the Island where required and reorganizing our personal gear so we take only the minimum required for comfort once we get there.

During the evening, after dinner we watch DVD movies of some of the previous expeditions to Clipperton as well as some scientific expeditions to the Island. All are helpful in giving hints to what we can expect as far as conditions are concerned. Our hope is to land our equipmenton the NE side of the island to optimize out shot to NA, EU and AS directly over salt water. Our SVDA’s like salt water. The primary determining factor for a landing site will be safety however, as the island is a tough one to land on depending on sea conditions.

Saturday March 1, 2008-03-01

It’s another beautiful day on Shogun with calm seas and blue sky above. As usual, Mark our cook served up some great breakfast goodies.....fresh fruit, omelettes and coffee.....I’m definitely going to gain weight on this trip.

Team members are starting to practise the use of Win-Test the software we’ve chosen to do our logging of contacts. It looks like we’ve worked 2,230 people so far from our maritime mobile station using the call FO5A/MM. Not bad for 100w, a simple trap vertical and hundreds of KM of seawater!

It’s hard to describe the feeling looking out across the ocean and realizing there isn’t anything visible out there except waves, whitecaps and the occasional bird. A couple of team members watched some dolphins playing on our bow wave earlier in the trip, however not much action for the last little while. Even though the water is relatively calm and the boat not rolling much, we are experiencing some fairly big swells. Fortunately they are widely spaced and not a problem for those of us that get seasick easy....did I already mention the inventor of the Trans Derm Scop V patch should get the Medal of Honour!! :)

The outside temperature is noticeably rising now. Leaving San Diego, the evening air was chilly. Walking the deck last night I noticed the temperature was far warmer and very comfortable. Once we get to Clipperton the heat will really hit. One of the main things we have to watch out for while setting up on the island is too much exposure to the sun and the heat. With the trade winds blowing it’s easy to get burned to a crisp or dehydrate before you notice it.

Friday February 29, 2008

The seas were so calm last night we all slept like babies.  After a big Shogun breakfast Steve, K6SGH and I worked on bring the BGAN sat link. After a few gremlins were removed from the system it worked like a charm, notwithstanding the fact Inmarsat said it won’t work while underway.

Having a Sat link with reasonable bandwidth capabilities will be a big benefit to us for uploading logs, pictures, videos and emails to loved ones and folks back home. Gotta love technology when it works!!

Steve tells me we may even have a webcam that uploads pictures from the island during parts of the operation

After another fantastic Shogun dinner we watched a Cousteau production about Clipperton Island. It provided a lot of insight into the fresh water lake/lagoon at the center of Clipperton. Once open to the ocean and filled with salt water, storms have since closed the entrance and the lagoon is now predominately fresh water at the surface and very saline at depth.

Worse yet, after years of rotting vegetation dropping to the bottom of the lagoon, hydrogen sulphide gas is prevalent and creates a heavily acidic environment. In fact Cousteau and his dive mate found their hands and eyes burning from the water. After the divers returned to the surface, they found their weight belts and air tanks had discoloured from exposure to the acidic water at the bottom. Interestingly, Cousteau made comment that the fresh water on the surface was drinkable........an observation I have no desire to validate one way or the other.

Everyone on board has settled into a routine now. Excitement is mounting and my favourite question to everyone is “are we there yet”. Well, once around the deck to look at the incredible array of stars visible in the sky and then off to bed to read for a while and then off to sleep. The ocean has been very calm the last day or so, making sleep very easy.

Thursday February 28, 2008

Our first full day at sea has been a bunch of fun. Shogun’s crew is taking great care of us. The food is excellent and the team is bonding well. We had a US Coast Guard vessel track us for a period of time while they chatted to and checked out Captain Norman. Later we were circled by a US Coast Guard helicopter, no doubt fascinated by whatever was stored under the big blue tarps on the rear deck of the Shogun. Or perhaps it was the topside activity putting up a multiband vertical that we will be operating maritime mobile with.

Well, the first contacts have now been made maritime mobile using FO0A/MM. Interest seems pretty high and the pileups are building.

After an excellent dinner of Ahi Tuna and all the trimmings, we watched the FO0AAA expedition DVD. What a great way to generate excitement for the team. Another few days and we will set foot in the same place!!

We then watched a DVD created for us by Don, N6IC , containing pictures  and previously unseen 8mm movie footage of the 1978 Clipperton DXpedition. What a fantastic send off gift for the 2008 Clipperton team on this 30th Anniversary trip.

Off to bed now. The seas are calming down and tonight should be a good sleep.

Wednesday February 27, 2008

Wednesday morning was spent loading the last few items we needed for the trip. The amount of gear we are taking is enormous. This became very apparent when we were unloading the truck and trailers at the marina and loading the equipment onto Shogun. Shogun was about 2 feet lower in the water after all the gear and crew was aboard. You can see how much gear we’re are taking with us by viewing the photo section of the website.

During the afternoon a number of hams from the San Diego DX Club visited us on Shogun. What a wonderful experience to meet so many hams I’ve worked and heard of by reputation over the years. Of particular note was the opportunity to meet N6IC, Don and Charlie W6KK, who were among the hams to visit Clipperton previously. On that same 1978 trip with Don was Alan, F6BFH, a member of our current 2008 DXpedition. Alan has an enormous collection of Clipperton memorabilia.

Don kindly put together a DVD with many pictures and 8mm movies from the 1978 expedition.  We’re all looking forward to watching this DVD during this 30th Clipperton Anniversary trip to the Island.

After Captain Norman reviewed all the safety requirements and things we need to pay attention to while onboard Shogun, we settled down to a quick bite to eat. Once dinner was out of the way, an hour or so was spent rearranging all of the exposed equipment on the rear deck of the boat. No point in exposing any of the critical electronics to the risk of seawater contamination.

It was later Wed evening I decided that whoever invented the Trans Derm Scop V patches for seasickness deserves the Medal of Honour.

Tuesday February 26, 2008

An early start it was with Bob cracking the whip to get up at 6:30!! The morning was spent picking up some additional antenna components, the afternoon involved a quick (yeah sure) trip to Ham Heaven (HRO) and  a stop at WAL–Mart to pick-up some long sleeve shirts and shorts to protect against the heat and sun on Clipperton.

No matter how carefully you pack, something is always forgotten. More importantly the conditions on Clipperton are hot, hot, and hot! No place for a person like me that burns at the drop of a hat....so protection from the sun is the name of the game.

Tuesday evening Steve and I had a wonderful dinner with a number of the French and American team members who were staying near the marina where Shogun, the vessel we chartered to take us to Clipperton, was moored.

Monday February 25, 2008

Mondays drive,  the final leg of the trip down , is going to be roughly 780km. First was a stop in Santa Barbara to pick up Steve Hammer in Santa Barbara. After a short break and a piece of Amy’s (Steve’s wife) homemade pizza, we loaded up Steve’s bags and drove the rest of the distance to Bob Gimmick, N6OX’s  place in Fallbrook arriving mid evening. The total trip involved a distance of 2400km. By the way, I may never forgive Steve for eating the other pieces of Amy’s pizza that she was saving for me.

After a dinner of Pizza and tall DX stories at Bob’s place Monday night, we hit the hay planning on an early start Tuesday morning.

Sunday February 24, 2008

The Sunday morning drive to San Jose, CA turned out to be the longest leg of the trip at a distance of 1250km. Thank god for cruise control. Although the roads were clear, signs of recent snowfalls were evident through the mountain passes between Oregon and California. It’s been over 30 years since I last drove this route and it’s amazing to see how much growth has occurred in some areas, yet how much undeveloped land still exists in both Oregon and California. One of the really awe inspiring areas was the agricultural area in the Salinas Valley.

The size of some of these farming operations is enormous, similar to some of the large wheat farming operations in the Canadian Prairies. The drive started at 9:30am and finished at 10:00pm......a long day but well worth it. After a wonderful Internet video conference with my friend Andrea in Brazil it was lights out and try to catch some sleep before the next leg of the journey.

Saturday February 23, 2008

Well, the long awaited trip to Clipperton Atoll has finally begun. After spending a number of late, late nights installing radio equipment in my new vehicle, collecting the last few essentials for the trip and packing (and repacking) clothing, computers and radio parts in waterproof bags, I finally departed Vancouver late Saturday night, registered the bulk of my equipment with Canada Border Service, tried to explain what a DXpedition was to the US Border Service and then drove 330km to Tumwater, WA, the first stop on the road.