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TX3X Chesterfield Islands DX Pedition

Alan AD6E, David N6HD, Arnold N6HC, Walt N6XG, Pista HA5AO, Gene K5GS, Ross K6GFJ, John K6MM, Kevin K6TD, Stu K6TU, Tom ND2T, Steve W1SRD, Les W2LK, Mike WA6O will be active from Chesterfield Islands 1 - 12 October 2015 as TX3X.
They will operate on 160 - 10m CW, SSB, RTTY.
QSL direct Chesterfield Expedition, P.O. BOX 1100, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2YT, England, OQRS, LOTW.
Pilots:
W4HK Chief Pilot, Pilot North America.
Africa - V51B
Asia - 4L5A
Europe - HA5XA
Japan- JA1WSX
Oceania- VK3HJ
South America- PT7WA

TX3X Chesterfield Islands DX Pedition News 16 December 2016.

The TX3X QSL went to the printer earlier this week.

With the holidays just around the corner we'll post them from the UK in January. We're using a folded four sided color card that will be mailed and a traditional color card for overflow QSOs and the Buro.

73,
TX3X Team

Chesterfield Island TX3X DX Pedition QSL

Chesterfield Islands TX3X DX Pedition QSL Card Back side

TX3X Chesterfield Islands News 12 December 2015.

TX3X LoTW / QSL Card Status:

- Not in Log and busted call inquires have been researched and answered.

If you did not receive a reply to an inquiry please send only one

e-mail: to k5gs@pdxg.net with the details of the missing Q.

- Several "Not in Log" call signs were reported to be found in the logs of other DX-peditions or a Cuban Special Event station that were active at the same time as TX3X.

- The complete log will be uploaded to LoTW in May, 2016.

- Individuals that donated to the project at any time, your LoTW was uploaded.

- OQRS PayPal requests are processed daily, please allow 24 - 48 hours for LoTW upload.

- If you made a donation or processed an OQRS using PayPal and are missing an LoTW send an e-mail to: k5gs@pdxg.net All others, please wait for the complete log to be uploaded.

- Direct cards should be mailed to the address in the United Kingdom as shown at TX3X.com Those who send direct cards - your LoTW will be uploaded when we enter the contact information into the system. QSL requests received with insufficient funds will be sent via the Buro.

- We're finalizing the QSL card design and will send to the printer by December 18th. Cards will be mailed from the UK in January.

- We hope to see you at Visalia, Dayton or Friedrichshafen.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year TX3X Team

TX3X Chesterfield Islands News 1 October 2015

Greetings from Chesterfield Islands,

After 3 full days at sea we arrived at the island at 10:15 (local) on 1 Oct, we had good weather throughout the sea voyage. The skipper brought the boat as close to the island as possible, about 500 meters.

We began loading the Zodiac and ferrying equipment to the island at about noon. All the equipment is now on the island, we raced against sunset to get as much done before we returned to the boat for the evening. We have several tents installed and two antennas, but not enough for the team to spend the night. The wind was intense which made it difficult to install the tents.

We will return to the island at 06:00 on Friday morning and expect to have one CW and one SSB station on the air soon after.


TX3X News 25 September 2015
Six members of the TX3X team are now in Noumea, New Caledonia, five arrived by air and one by sea.

The boat arrived on Thursday 23 Sept and is docked at the Port Moselle Marina with a crew of 6. She had a relatively comfortable ride from New Zealand, with some moderate seas north of New Zealand and then the seas settled down which made for a smooth ride, total time at sea 7 days.

The other 6 team members are scheduled to arrive Noumea on Saturday, 26 Sept.

This is a holiday weekend in New Caledonia, many businesses and government offices are closed. We are planning to depart for the reef on Monday 28 Sept after Customs and Immigration formalities are processed.

We will send out an update just before we leave Noumea.

Cheers,
Team TX3X Chesterfield Islands DX-pedition


News 1 September 2015

1,090 kg of TX3X equipment was processed through New Zealand Customs on Monday, 30 August and is now at our equipment consolidation point in Auckland. The gear was packed in Pelican cases and barrels, then wrapped in cardboard / plastic by the shipping agent.

Special thanks to Don Greenbaum N1DG for his help in arranging the shipping logistics for TX3X and Jim Sansoterra K8JRK for providing the Pelican cases.

Boat loading is scheduled for Sept 13 - 15, 2015 at Bayswater Marina, Auckland, NZ.

Tnx

Gene K5GS

News 18 September 2015

The Expedition Yacht Evohe sailed for Noumea, New Caledonia on Thursday afternoon (New Zealand time). Expected sailing duration 6 - 7 days.

Aboard the boat is a crew of 5 and one amateur, Pista HA5AO. She's following the New Zealand northeast coast and will soon be on a course to Noumea. The remainder of the radio team will assemble in Noumea between 25 - 26 September, with a planned departure date to Chesterfield on 28 September.

We appreciate the support we've received from around the world, and especially the from the New Zealand firms and individuals that assisted with the project and provided invaluable support.

73,

Team Chesterfield Islands 2015

Chesterfield Islands TX3X

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TX3X Chesterfield Islands DX Pedition comments forum

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Rating
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21 Comments

100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-10-17 05:36:49
Saturday 17 Oct. The boat arrived in Noumea on Friday afternoon, Arnie N6HC rode the boat till the bitter end. The skipper reported the ride was a rough one. Arnie looked fine, with a big smile on his face, happy to have had the total sailing experience. The logs are uploaded and OQRS is operational at TX3X.com We appreciate the kind words we're receiving in e-mails and on the forums. The donations coming in through OQRS and via the Donate button at TX3X.com will help offset the project cost. We know several areas are having trouble getting to the website, the domain registrar is investigating the issue. The incorrectly logged PSK31 contacts were corrected. We are receiving your e-mails regarding busted calls and Not in Log situations, they will each be investigated when we have stable and fast Internet connections, this process will take time. Please do NOT send multiple e-mails for the same problem or write a long explanation of the problem, just include the specifics of the contact(s) in question. On the first day we had a significant web site outage caused by our web hosting supplier, you all saw the effects. With the help of John Miller K6MM the web hosting supplier restored our service. Over the next 48 hours the team members will begin their long journey home. The boat will return to Auckland, New Zealand where we will offload the equipment and arrange for its return to the USA. A top priority of the DX-pedition organizers is to get everyone home safely and in good health. Other than a few scrapes and bruises (and some motion sickness) we're happy to report we met that goal. Thanks to the DX community for your understanding, we were happy to provide all the new ones and band fills. Team Chesterfield Islands DX-pedition
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-10-15 04:50:13
15 Oct 4PM local Half the team arrived back in Noumea after a 6 hour bus ride. The others will arrive in about 3 hours. One intrepid DXer decided to ride the boat back to Noumea, he will arrive sometime in the night. Everyone is in good health, a few bumps and bruises, but nothing serious. Dr. Arnie tended to everyone in the highest traditions of the medical profession, especially when it came to dispensing medications for motion sickness. There are hundreds of e-mails asking for a "log check". I'm sure you realize this requires a solid Internet connection, which we don't have at the hotel, and many hours of someone's time to research. All the logs have been uploaded to the server. Team Chesterfield
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-10-14 20:01:08
On the morning of 12 Oct we got a break in the weather and were able to dismantle the camps in about 3 hours and get the equipment back to the boat. It took several more hours to store everything and prepare to get under way. At 2PM local we set sail for Noumea and quickly found ourselves in very windy conditions and "confused seas". With 2 - 3 meter seas, coming at us from different directions and heavy winds the boat and passengers took a significant beating. On the night of 14 Oct the skipper decided to take the boat to the port of Koumac, New Caledonia. The weather forecast indicates conditions will get only worse and the risk of trying to make Noumea wasn't worth taking. We are currently in Koumac, the plan is to find alternate transportation to Noumea today. We'll upload the last of the logs today. I know there are many e-mails asking about contacts and busted calls. We'll begin the process of working through the NiL and busted calls when we're near a reliable internet connection. This will probably not be until 19 Oct. The boat will return to Auckland where the Advance Team will unload the equipment and turn it over the customs broker. Team Chesterfield DX-pedition
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
John
  • Callsign: K6MM
  • 2015-10-14 17:48:54
At 4:30 AM this morning got a call from Ross (K6GFJ). They're safely back in New Caledonia but because of rough seas had to land in Koumac on the NW shore instead of Noumea on the SE shore of New Caledonia. A few sea-sick folks aboard, but happy to be on land again. They'll take a 5-hour bus ride today from Koumac to Noumea and should still be on schedule for their booked flights home. The online log will be updated very soon. I complimented the team for a job well done, especially under difficult propagation and weather conditions.
60%
Rating: 3 of 5
Frank
  • Callsign: N4SLR
  • 2015-10-11 03:41:56
Poor conditions this sunspot cycle. Maybe next time from FM19BG. I could not bust the pileups and evenn with a 300 foot look. 73 N4SLR Frank
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-10-10 05:26:26
Last night we experienced even stronger winds than what is now typical. One op reported his bed was moving during the night from the wind that was lifting his tent. We think he was dreaming as it was really several hundred hermit crabs carrying him to their nesting area. Last report we have shows: SFI=80, A=56, K=3, the quality of the signals on this end have been marginal. We know that you are hearing us better than we're hearing you. With the A having been as high as 77 it's a miracle you hear us at all. Last night we opened to NA on 40 SSB while competing with an "Over the Horizon Radar" that was about the same signal strength as most NA signals and atmospheric noise. This continued for about 2 - 3 hours before NA started building. Similar situation with EU, weak signals and radar interference. We appreciated Asia standing by during the NA and later EU openings. We had similar weak signal challenges on 30 meter CW, with signals out of EU mostly in the noise. We had good openings on 80 CW. We also had excellent openings on 20 CW to the UK, Nordics, and other northwest EU countries. Until now there's been very little to no propagation to that region. The ops are reporting working these long hours under the current conditions is very tiring and not much fun. Since we're in Asia's back yard they have propagation the vast majority of time. They have about 44% of the contacts because we hear them during your propagation lulls, its a simple choice, work Asia or work nothing. While some of you think we're ignoring NA and EU in favor of AS, the reality is propagation is erratic. Openings are not as obvious to us while we're working what we can hear. We always call for NA - EU when we hear an opening to those geos. All equipment and the generators continue to work very well. The Evohe crew has been very helpful with guy inspections and maintenance. With 2 operating days remaining we'll continue to look for NA and EU, and ask all geographies to call if only an All Time New One on any band. Team Chesterfield Island DX-pedition
20%
Rating: 1 of 5
LALO
  • Callsign: CX3AT
  • 2015-10-10 03:50:51
every night listening 6.30 UTC to 7.30 UTC on 21.285, 18.130 and 14.185 MHz and never call SA ! yours signals 55 to 57 ..What's up ?
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-10-09 05:10:29
Oct 9th The wind continues to blow with high intensity. The tents are holding up very well although the noise from the wind and shaking tents sounds like a never ending freight train, all we're missing is the train whistle. Fortunately, the RadioSport headsets provide a high degree of noise blocking with excellent sound quality. The operator positions are shaking along with the tent. This morning one op commented that he has complete confidence in the tents - as he was trying to get some sleep last night the tent was shaking around him as it continued to withstand the constant beating. We had rain squalls for the first time last night and at the moment it's raining, we're surrounded by clouds and the sea is unsettled. Walking to the antennas is a challenge because of the sand depth and high wind. The antennas are holding up very well. We're just a few meters from the ocean on both sides, salt spray covers everything. We're inspecting the antennas daily and washing salt build-up off the insulators. To date, there have been no equipment or generator failures. We've experienced high atmospheric noise levels, the Elecraft K3 noise reduction system works extremely well. We're receiving space weather reports, even the sat phone service was impacted. This morning even the skipper had problems downloading weather maps. We began taking unused and non essential equipment back to the boat today. Our plan is to take down the stations first thing in the morning Oct 12 (local). We expect it will take the better part of the day to ferry equipment back to the boat and prepare to get underway. The skipper will decide when to leave based on available sunlight and wind conditions. We're surrounded by submerged coral so he must be able to see the underwater obstacles to navigate to the open sea. We know all too well the frustration some of you may be experiencing. Propagation has been a real challenge, with unexpected openings occurring during times we're working another geography. Yesterday I was called by a W6 on 40 meters long past his sunrise. When we hear these unexpected openings we take advantage of them. And finally, we know there are PSK31 log entries that should be either SSB or CW and a few other problems. We are discussing alternatives to fix the log from the island. We appreciate everyone's understanding. We can assure you, the conditions in your shack are far superior to those on the island. Team Chesterfield Island DX-pedition
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-10-07 21:02:47
1. The wind is still very strong. 2. While the 80 meter is antenna installed, under these windy conditions we are unable to install the 160 or 6 meter antennas. 3. Conditions are erratic, signals have been weak to moderate with some really strong openings. 5. We are not hearing some parts of EU. 6. The PSK31 log errors will be corrected in the final log. We believe there was an N1MM+ interface error, restarting N1MM resolved the problem. 7. All stations are operational - but with conditions as they are we're losing operating hours waiting for propagation. 8. Last night we had good openings on 15, 17, 40, and 80. 9. We plan to begin taking down the stations on 12 Oct. 10. Some equipment has been already been returned to the boat. 11. Everyone is in good health, we wish propagation was better. Team Chesterfield Islands DX-pedition
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
John
  • Callsign: G3XHZ
  • 2015-10-07 04:39:09
Hi Team. Tnx very much for ATNO. In current poor HF condx please start on LF earlier on your SS and SR. It seems a wasted opportunity a the moment.
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Martinus Jap
  • Callsign: YB2LSR
  • 2015-10-06 09:33:52
Dear TX3X Team, Please consider to call sometime for OC , there are not so many ham radio QRV on HF band, but still over there some. or when you call NA / EU in priority , sometime you heard OC ( YB-land especially ) please accept them. thanks for your support 73
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-10-06 05:16:40
We know the TX3X.com web site is down. We've been in contact with the web hosting firm and have knowledgeable radio and web resources in the USA working the problem. No estimated time of restoration at this moment. Although its intensity down the wind is still a problem. However, it's still too strong to install additional antennas, the tents are holding up well. The boat crew did work on the tent stakes to better secure them to the shifting sand. The antennas are also holding up well. We've had no serious equipment problems. We know that some contacts on the first day were logged as PSK31, we will fix the logs. Because of the high wind it is not possible to install the 6 meter antenna any time soon. This morning we had outstanding 10 and 15 meter openings to North America. Last night we had good openings on 15 to Europe, unfortunately 40 meters was not in good condition. The pilots are receiving far too many e-mails asking that we check the log for your contacts(s). This is a very time consuming process and will not be done until we're back home. We know there's a high reliance on log search and we see the dupe rate climbing. It would be far more productive if you made your "insurance" on another band. Please keep in mind the team is living and working in very difficult conditions. We'll do our best to get you in the log but we need your cooperation. Thanks for your patience. Team Chesterfield DX-pedition
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Al
  • Callsign: 4L5A
  • 2015-10-04 13:38:57
Dear Angelo! Your message is received and pilot of Africa Andre V51B will contact team All the very best my friend
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-10-04 08:59:50
The wind continues to blow. If you imagine being in a wind tunnel with a wind speed between 20 - 30 knots, and occasional stronger gusts you'll understand the challenges. Wind and tent noise makes it difficult to hear, even with cans, so we apologize for repeats. Sleeping is difficult because the tents are shaking. The pile-ups are energetic and orderly, THANK YOU. The team continues to be in good spirits and dealing with the situation as you would expect. Safety is a priority - we're being overly cautious when it comes to taking chances with antennas. Today we installed the 2 SteppIR beams and tried to install the Battle Creek Special but the winds were too strong to complete the installation, The SteppIR are withstanding the wind and working well. The tents are holding up well, the very deep sand requires us to pay constant attention to all guy wires and ground stakes.Placing 50 pound (22 kg) sand bags at the most critical guy points has helped immensely. Because of the rough seas the skipper will bring supplies to the island 2 times per day until the sea calms down. We are hoping for a break in the weather in 24 hours. Being on a tropical island you may not think about it being cold, but tonight it is cooling down and we're all wearing layers and jackets, however there has been very little rain. The bands are in good condition, with excellent runs to all geography, we've had excellent openings and hope propagation continues to be favorable. Team Chesterfield 2015
60%
Rating: 3 of 5
Angelo Mendes
  • Callsign: D44BS
  • 2015-10-04 08:52:33
Unfortunately in the countries of Africa are usually always forgotten by dxpedition, except when led by Martin OH2BH. I,m trying for about 7 hours in the 4 diferent bands, CW, but without sucess. I,m 82 years old and if I lose this oportunity I have to wait until completing 100 years old. We will see. I wish a lot of luck and happiness to OMs this dexpedition. 73 from Angelo
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-10-03 07:12:04
Good morning from Chesterfield Island, We experienced extremely strong winds overnight and this morning, with heavy rain this morning. This caused us to lose some time in setting up additional antennas, all the stations are setup waiting for antennas. The team is installing the SteppIR beams and will work on the Low Band antennas next. Those of us that stayed on the island last night had a long sleepless night. The bands were in good conditions to EU and NA, 20 meters had many good openings. We will continue with tent and antenna maintenance. The sand depth is about 1 meter and doesn't hold the tent and antenna guy stakes well, we're using 25 kg sand bags to augment the typical guying and staking arrangements. We have an unlimited supply of sand on the island. The team is in good spirits and is eager to make addition progress today. As you would expect, the temperature is very hot, but the humidity level is comfortable. However, due to the conditions we are behind schedule. The crew of Evohe has been wonderful to work with, they've done a lot of the heavy listing and will return to the island later today to assist with additional setup later this morning. Team Chesterfield 2015
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Juki
  • Callsign: ja1swl
  • 2015-09-29 05:23:53
Hi Team, please more time on 80 and 160m for Asia! 73!
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-09-28 04:29:13
The team will board the boat at 10:30AM (FK - local time), Monday Sept 28th. The skipper plans to be at Customs and Immigration earlier in the morning to clear the boat for sailing. Barring any delays we will leave as soon as possible. Being the first workday after a 4 day holiday we are hoping the formalities can be processed quickly and we'll be underway. Please use the Pilot for your geography (tx3x.com) to send comments to the team. Good luck to all that need Chesterfield, we'll see you in the pile-ups. Cheers, Team Chesterfield Islands DX-pedition
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Team
  • Callsign: TX3X
  • 2015-09-27 05:14:22
The full team is now in Noumea with the remaining ops having arrived late Saturday afternoon. They checked into the hotel and then walked (15 minutes) to the boat to meet the crew. We plan to sail on Monday 28 Sept after Customs and Immigration formalities, expect 3 days+/- to reach the island. The TX3X license is valid for a 15 day period. To allow for flexibility with the license dates we do NOT plan to operate /MM with that call sign on the way to the island. Individual ops may operate with their call sign /MM. Cheers, Team Chesterfield Islands DX-pedition
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
Jack
  • Callsign: W6NF/VE4SNA
  • 2015-09-24 04:58:30
A bunch of fellow NCCC'ers and great operators on this expedition. My XYL (K7MKL) is looking forward to working 'em on RTTY! Jack, W6NF/VE4SNA
100%
Rating: 5 of 5
guy
  • Callsign: va2wt
  • 2015-01-20 07:31:12
Great adds for sure ! here looking for an ATNO on cw regular band !one qso will be enough !donation will follow a cfmd qso ! I will not pau b4 anymore !I just got my lesson with EP6T ! it was the 1st and the last donation b4 ! Wish you all the good things ,and please remember that eastern NA greyline is about same time as west EU !if you don't call for NA only we have no chances ! best time 20 meters: 1300-1430 Z and 10- 15 meters: 1900-2200 Z ! wish u all the best !