• [NEWS @ 0800z]- 

Team now has over 41K QSOs. They are QRV from Sao Tome until November 20th. Check the log here. Livestream here. 

  • [NOVEMBER 15] – 

With over 30K QSOs in the log, the S9Z team continues to be very active on various bands and modes. Pictured below is the QO-100 set up / station (courtesy of CT1END)

  • [NOVEMBER 11 @ 2115Z] – by S9Z team

The hot, tired, jet-lagged team has been on the air for just over 24 hours. The equatorial heat and humidity is almost unbearable for those not accustomed to it so set-up, especially antenna work, has been slower than we had hoped. The good news is that propagation is amazing on the higher bands and we’re trying to maximize our QSO rates there.

Setting up the EME station on the top of the so called “heart attack” hill on Sao Tome. (Credit: N5NHJ for DX-World)

We have sporadic power failures which affect the Club Log real-time uploads. If you don’t see your QSOs in Club Log’s search please work us again. Of course our QSL manager will handle discrepancies for you after we complete operations. 

  • [QRV, NOVEMBER 10 @ 1530Z] –

The team arrived Sao Tome yesterday (Nov 9) with a view to setting up the first of antennas this morning (local). Shortly after 1500z they were QRV on 18m FT8, followed by 20m CW.

CHECK THE S9Z LOG

A reminder of their request below:

We are requesting that for the first two days those DXers who do not need S9 please standby to allow us to work those DXers who usually are among those battling for that Q.

Team in Lisbon prior to departure (Nov 8th)

  • [NOVEMBER 8] – S9Z – SAO TOME, NOVEMBER 10-20, 2024

The first contingent of team members are in Porto and are working on final preparations for departure to Sao Tome on Saturday, 9 November. Staged equipment already in Porto along with other recently arrived equipment is ready for transport to the island. The remainder of the team will arrive in Lisbon by late Thursday and early Friday morning. On Friday evening a team dinner and business meeting will allow in-depth discussions that are intended to mold the team into a single efficient effort to give DXers the QSOs they desire.

The long journey to the small island nation of Sao Tome is almost complete. On Saturday, 9 November the team will board a TAP Air Portugal flight for the 7-hour flight to Sao Tome – arriving late that same day. Assembly of the stations will commence early Sunday with the hope of a presence on the air by late afternoon. Then the fun begins!

S9Z and FT8

With the surprising effectiveness and success of FT8 over the past several years came a very different and certainly unexpected form of DXing. Whether you agree or disagree about FT8 you must admit it is allowing some DXers, who usually fight tooth and nail for a QSO, to have a very good chance to successfully work ATNOs and fill band spots.

You may be wondering what the underlying message is here and how it connects with an operation from a small entity not necessarily high in demand. Here’s how!

Not all DXers are alike because of many factors – station and equipment differences that include power and antenna capabilities; available time on the radio and other shortfalls that often make it difficult to take advantage of what DXpeditions offer the DX world.

All DXpeditions have one mission – give out QSOs and this one is no different. This is where FT8 will come into play.

FT8 with operational features will raise the effectiveness of these DXers who usually must fight for QSOs. Now DXers with low power and less than fully effective antennas will have a fighting chance. The S9Z team will take full advantage of the FT8 phenomenon including the use of the latest version of Super Fox by looking for all Dxers no matter the decode levels. However, we are requesting that for the first two days those DXers who do not need S9 please standby to allow us to work those DXers who usually are among those battling for that Q.

You can read and see more information on the S9Z website.