4W8X Team will be active from Timor Leste, IOTA OC - 148, in November 2023.
They will operate 160 - 6m, CW, SSB, FT8 including activity in CQ WW DX CW Contest, 25 - 26 November 2023 in Multi Multi Category.
Recent DX Spots 4W8X
4W8X Log search They will operate also EME on 144, 432, 1296 mHz.
QSL via DJ4MX.
4W8X Timor Leste News 26 September 2023
4W8X News #16 - 26 September 2023
Highlighting today: EME operation on the VHF bands 4W8X also wants to make the VHF moon guys happy: We have a 3.0m foldable dish in the container which can be used on 432 MHz and 1296 MHz, two long Yagis for 144 MHz, and a 7-ele OWA Yagi for 50 MHz, plus the necessary amps and preamps. Our moon OP is Sebastian, DG5CST.
The coastline at our location (PI21QK) doesn't quite cooperate in the beginning. In the first days, we can see the moon only after a while when it comes up (and goes down) over the in-land hills. But in the second half of the operation we should have a clear shot over the ocean right in the directions of moonrise and moonset. For comments or questions about 4W8X and EME, please use the contact form on our website.
4W8X Timor Leste News 30 August 2023
Highlighting today: Working North America and South America During our 4W1A scouting trip in April we experienced how easy it is to work into Europe and Asia, but how difficult it is to reach North America and South America. Signals from/to to the Northern US/Canada East Coast and a large part of South America must pass through the respective polar regions. It is very challenging to reach W1, W2, VE1, VE2, VE9, VO1, VO2, VY2, other countries in the Arctic and a large part of South America. South America is even more challenging: the terrain is rising in that direction, with mountains as high as almost 3000m.
4W8X will have the right antennas and operating concept to be heard well in the Americas – on all bands and at the right times. We'll pay special attention to "difficult areas" and – rest assured – we'll work hard to get as many NA and SA stations in our log as possible.
We have one request: At 4W1A in April, we only had Vertical Dipoles => not any directional antennas. It was difficult to say, from which direction signals were really coming in... Short Path, Long Path or Skewed Path? If you are an active DX guy and you can remember for the month of November, on what bands and and what times to expect Long Path propagation between 4W and W/VE (at best compared with YB/Indonesia or VK8), please send us your hints through the contact form on our website.
4W8X.
4W8X Timor Leste News 18 August 2023
News #14 - 18 August 2023
Highlighting today: Cables and Electricity at 4W8X "Amateur Radio is a wireless hobby" - but for 4W8X we'll have to roll out several kilometers of Coax, Rotor and Control cable. Big Thanks go to Messi & Paoloni for sponsoring their Airborne-10 coax cable.
To improve reliable log synchronization over the exciting Club Log Livestream feature, all Computers in the 4W8X DXLog Logging Network will be hard wired to network switches, and the two operating sites are connected with a >500m long Fiber Optics cable, sponsored by Lemka GmbH. WiFi is only available for personal use in the leisure areas - in a different VLAN, keeping the WiFi traffic away from the Logging Network.
During our 4W1A scouting trip in April we experienced unstable electricity mains, jumping from 150V to 300V during working hours on weekdays. So we better bring our own Diesel Generators - to protect our OM Power amplifiers and other sensitive devices: "Peace of mind" for a reliable 24/7 operation.
[REMINDER]: 4W8X, Timor-Leste will be activated in November 2023 by a team of 20+ skillful and highly experienced DXers and Contesters from Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary under leadership of Lagunaria DX Group.
100% QSL !! – Club Log OQRS will bring you a printed QSL card and immediate LotW uploads right after our activity. Free LotW uploads for everybody else within 1 year. If you want to support 4W8X with a donation, please use this Donate link on Club Log (same as 4W1A).
73 de DL6FBL for the 4W8X team
4W8X Timor Leste News 6 August 2023
4W - East Timor
News #13 - 04 August 2023
Highlighting today: The 4W8X High Band Antennas 10/15/20m will have two antennas each: One 3-ele resp. 4-ele Monoband Yagi (sponsored by Momobeam, many thanks) – and one Spiderbeam (monoband versions). The Momobeam Yagis are on robust 12m high plug-in masts (75mm / 3" diameter) which can be rotated from the shack. The lightweight Spiderbeams are on regular 14m HD telescopic masts and can be rotated by hand. For each band 10/15/20m, Momobeam and Spiderbeam are connected to a StackMatch, controllable from the shack. This allows us to cover one or two directions at the same time – with antenna gain.
12m/17m will use Spiderbeams or WILMA VDAs or a combination of both.
Momobeam has also provided two Penta10 Yagis, which have two active elements on 5 bands: 10/12/15/17/20m. We plan to use them together with Triplexers and High Power Band Pass Filters from VA6AM and 4O3A.
73 de DL6FBL for the team
4W8X Timor Leste News 28 July 2023
Highlighting today: The 4W8X Low Band Antennas 4W8X will have a 80m 4-Square (controller and cables sponsored by DXEngineering, many thanks). 160m will use a well-proven Titanex V160 Vertical with extensive Radials. Both antennas as close to the ocean as possible.
For Receiving, we’ll have two Beverages (~250m long) plus filtering/switching network to listen in four directions, independently on 160m and 80m:
• Europe (short path)
• North America (short path)
• Africa, same as North America (long path)
• South America, same as Europe (long path)
4W8X will also have two 40m 4-Squares and two 30m 4-Squares, TNX to DXEngineering.
We'll not only have the equipment, we'll also have the right operators to make the best out of it. Low Band captain is Dietmar, DL3DXX. And we have quite some other Low Band freaks in the team.
[REMINDER]: 4W8X, Timor-Leste will be activated in November 2023 by a team of 20+ skillful and highly experienced DXers and Contesters from Germany, Austria, Poland and Hungary under leadership of Lagunaria DX Group.
100% QSL !! – ClubLog OQRS will bring you a printed QSL card and immediate LotW uploads right after our activity. Free LotW uploads for everybody else within 1 year. If you want to support 4W8X with a donation, please use this Donate link on ClubLog (same as 4W1A).
73 de DL6FBL for the 4W8X team
East Timor - a small state with a bloody history
East Timor is located in the southwestern Pacific. The state occupies part of the island of Timor, midway between New Guinea and Java. It is a piece of land of volcanic origin. It is a part of the Malay Archipelago, a part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East Timor has a mountainous terrain and a wide strip of coastal plains. The country's population, as of 2016, is about one million three hundred thousand people. Most of the inhabitants belong to the Austronesian and Papuan peoples. About 97% of them practice Catholicism. There are also Muslims, Buddhists, Protestants, and representatives of other religions. In the country the agriculture is developed. Bananas, vanilla, coffee, cotton, coconuts, mango, tobacco and other cultures are grown. Artisan crafts are widespread: carving souvenirs from sandalwood and ivory, pottery, basket weaving. There are also woodworking, textile and other industries. Oil production is actively developing with the help of Australian companies.
Timor Leste. Authors - Sara and Daniel Pedersen.
Climate, fauna, flora, and other features of East Timor
The state falls within the subequatorial zone with an abundance of monsoons. Floods and landslides are not uncommon. Precipitation is low. Mountainous areas are famous for their sandalwood forests. In lowlands there are valleys with plenty of eucalyptus and coconut palms.
Vegetation is quite extensive. Tropical jungles occupy one-third of the territory. The south is filled with evergreen forests, the north - a small strip of savannas, various lush vegetation and mangroves, which fill the coast.
The trees are actively being cut down. In their place are formed heathlands, savannas with a mixture of eucalyptus and acacia, as well as rice paddies.
Animal life is abundant in the mountain forests. There are a huge number of birds, reptiles, various species of monkeys and other fauna. On the plains, by contrast, only bats and cattle raised by farmers and peasants are found.
The coastal waters of East Timor are rich in a variety of inhabitants. They are home to sea urchins, shrimp, starfish, lobsters, eels, and many other ocean dwellers.
Timor Leste. Author - victory one.
East Timor - from colonization to independence
The first people appeared in this area about 50,000 years ago. They lived in the Jerimalai Cave. A few thousand years ago, Australoid tribes settled on the island. Then the Austronesian Mongoloid peoples who emigrated from Indonesia began to appear there.
In the 16th century, the Tetum people appeared there, which had a strong influence on the further development of the country. They accustomed the local tribes to the cultivation of the land. Thanks to the Tetum people the first rice paddies appeared on the island.
In the 14th and 16th centuries, Timor was often visited by merchants from China, Malaysia, and Java. They came for sandalwood, which was in great demand in Asian countries.
The first Europeans to set foot on the island were the Portuguese. In the 16th century they established their settlements here. The Portuguese brought with them the first Catholic missionaries who started to actively promote their religious teachings. In 1702 Timor became an official colony of that country. Dili, a small town founded in the 16th century, was made capital in 1769.
Nearly a century later, in 1859, the island was divided between the Portuguese and the Dutch. But the final boundaries were established only 45 years later.
When World War II broke out, the island was occupied by the Japanese in 1942 and was liberated in 1945.
After the declaration of independence in 1975, East Timor was rid of the Portuguese colonizers. However, the country was invaded by the Indonesian army. It was declared one of the provinces of that state.
In 1999, at the initiative of the UN, East Timor held a referendum on self-determination. Despite the heavy pressure from the Indonesians, the majority of the population (about 78%) voted for independence. This provoked bloodshed. As a result, international peacekeeping troops were sent to the area. On May 20, 2002 East Timor officially became an independent country.
The country was completely destroyed because the Indonesian army destroyed all educational and cultural institutions: schools, hospitals, administrative buildings, etc.
Because of the poor economic situation, armed clashes between retired army and police broke out over the next few years. Gangs of robbers and looters rampaged.
The situation was somewhat normalized by introduction of peacekeeping contingents of Portugal, Australia, Malaysia, and other states in 2006.
Today East Timor is a republic which is governed by the president elected for 5 years. The legislative work is carried out by the National Parliament. The country is actively restoring after civil and liberation wars; agriculture, gas and oil extraction, and other branches are being developed.
Timor Leste. Author - Yen Ling.
Sightseeing in East Timor
Today, East Timor is not a very attractive destination for tourists. This is due to the weak infrastructure for receiving foreign guests. But the territory of the state has many original attractions. These are relict beaches, magnificent coral reefs and exotic underwater inhabitants, colorful corners of pristine nature.
Many foreigners will be interested to visit the capital - Dili. It is located on the coast of a picturesque bay. The city has preserved the features of the Portuguese colonization - old villas by the roads, colorful building of the military garrison, built at the beginning of the 17th century, the palaces of colonizers. Many beautiful buildings of historical significance were destroyed as a result of armed clashes with the army of Indonesia, and the remaining houses are still riddled with bullet holes.
Foreigners enjoy strolling along the colorful coastal boulevard. There is active commerce, dining and recreational facilities, and locals enjoy picnics.
There are many Catholic churches in the city, and the large statue of Christ atop the promontory resembles a similar iconic sculpture in Rio de Janeiro. There are many grottoes near this monument. Nearby are beach areas with restaurants and other drinking establishments.
Also impressive for tourists is the Santa Cruz Cemetery. There is a majestic necropolis dedicated to the bloody massacre committed by Indonesians to local residents. Foreigners will be interested to see the decorative ancient tombstones and vaults of the colonizers.
To learn more about the life of the locals you can visit the village of Kam. This place has a great little beach and ideal conditions for fishing. Also in Kam is the colorful construction of Powzada Tutuala, built by the Portuguese colonizers. Those who wish can walk around a bit and see the mysterious petroglyphs left on the coastal cliffs.
This is only a tiny fraction of the sights and places of interest in East Timor.
