September 2 , 2018
VP6D Ducie Island 2018 DX-pedition
(OC-182)
The VP6D – Ducie Island 2018 project is on schedule. The equipment is now at Tauranga, New Zealand, stored in the Braveheart’s warehouse.
A real challenge for DX-pedition teams on uninhabited islands is knowing where in the world they’re being heard. The usual pilot reports tell us what happened, not what’s happening, propagation predictions tell us what might happen.
We understand that propagation may produce only short openings from Ducie Island to many locations around the world. For example, it’s not unusual for
an EU opening to occur but EU callers are covered up by callers from other geographies. Until propagation changes for the better the EU stations can’t get through.
We have therefore augmented our pilot process to quickly identify these openings and get this information to the VP6D operators so they can exploit them. We’re confident this new capability will result in more timely coverage of difficult paths.
No one likes to be continually asked for donations. Today’s reality is DX-peditions to ecologically sensitive and restricted entities are expensive. Our boat and the freight invoices to New Zealand are now paid, the team is hoping to cover ~50% of the project cost.
Our fund raising target plus projected OQRS income should cover the remaining 50%. These bills must be paid whether or not you make a Q. We have a team of A1 operators who have been working on this project for 17 months, they can use your help.
Look for another announcement in the next press release on or about Sept 21st.
73,
Team Ducie – 2018
www.vp6d.com
The EUDXF is proud sponsor of the VP6D Ducie Island 2018 DX-pedition
