C6ARM Bahamas 2008
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Date: August 18-26, 2008 Grid: FL16ht IOTA: NA-080 Zone: CQ-08, ITU-11 |
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We decided that spending some time with our girls in the Caribbean would be a great way to end the summer again. After running a quick search
for cheap, easy flights, we set our sights on the Bahamas. Never having been there before, Treasure Cay seemed like a good option since it's
far away from the usual "tourist traps" around Nassau. And, the Sand Dollar Villa, which has hosted many ham operations in the past, came with antennas,
saving me the hassle of lugging my own through the airports this time!
I planned to be active on 80-10M SSB and RTTY. Having just come off my best operation yet in Montserrat only a month earlier,
I was charged up about getting back on the air again from the Caribbean. What a difference a month can make! I had never
experienced band conditions so poor...that I actually kept checking to make sure the antennas were still connected! Shortly
afterwards I learned why, as several reports came out calling August "the month without sunspots"...the first time in 100 years!
To make matters worse, after I arrived I found that someone with a vendetta against antennas took a hacksaw to the HF6V and its coax.
Fortunately after a few trips to the hardware store, I was able to "MacGyver" it back together. Oddly enough, it turned out to be
the antenna that netted the most contacts!
I would like to thank Matt Smith, owner of the Sand Dollar Villa, and Ms. Chizelle Whyms, the Public Utility Commission's Licensing
Officer, for being so responsive and helping pull this off on such short notice!
Results
| Band | SSB | RTTY | Total |
| 80 | 30 | 24 | 54 |
| 40 | 15 | 84 | 99 |
| 30 | 0 | 138 | 138 |
| 20 | 2 | 108 | 110 |
| Total | 47 | 354 | 401 |
Unfortunately those totals are correct! After a week of operating, only 401 QSO's made it into the log. Conditions were so poor on the higher HF
bands, that I wound up pulling the plug in frustration nearly every day and headed to the beach. Even on 20M I was hardly able to copy anyone from
outside of the Americas, and SSB was so difficult to work that I gave up and stuck mainly to RTTY on the low bands.
I was grateful that the bubble gum and band-aid patched HF6V worked well, because the low bands were fair in the evenings, especially on 30M where
I made 138 contacts on RTTY.
There's not much else I could say about these results; however, I am grateful for everyone's patience. Many times I had to ask for several repeats until
conditions were strong enough to allow me to copy a full callsign between the QSB.
Equipment
Rigs:
n Icom IC-706MkIIG
n LDG Electronics AT-100Pro Autotuner
Antennas:
n Cushcraft R-6000
n Butternut HF6V
QSL Information
QSL cards can be sent direct or through the bureau to my home callsign. Direct requests must include an SASE or SAE with either an IRC or $2US for return postage. Additional
details can be found on my QSL Information page.
All logs have been uploaded to LoTW and ClubLog.
Accomodations
We stayed at the Sand Dollar Villa, a rental villa in Treasure Cay, which is located on the east coast of Great Abaco Island. This is the same villa that was previously owned by Steve, N4JQQ/C6AFP and home to many DXpedition and contest operations over the years. The current owners are not hams; however, they continue to provide antennas and miscellaneous gear to support ham operations. Additional information about the villa and equipment can be found on their website.
Conclusion
In spite of the poor band conditions and time spent on antenna repairs, we still had a great time! Treasure Cay is very quiet and low key. Just a few feet down the road from the Sand Dollar is one of the most beautiful beaches (National Geographic's "Top 10"). Three and a half miles of white sand...and many times we were the only ones on the entire stretch! Treasure Cay is also well-known as a vacation haven for yachters and provides a number of boat rentals to explore the nearby islands. We were fortunate to befriend a "neighbor" from Fairfax, Virginia who graciously took us on his boat to explore Great Guana Cay and the Abaco coral reef, which is the third largest in the world.
As far as the bands go...well, lets just say that C6ARM will return to "conquer" the Bahamas again another day!
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