[NEWS UPDATE] – Our station build is coming along nicely. We have 2 RiB’s and 2 local stations currently on air. We intend to get 80m and 6m antennas up tomorrow morning local time.
We have overcome some local challenges, so you can now expect to see us ramping up our operation in the next few days.
[NOVEMBER 16] – by Jamie, M0SDV for team 3D2Y:
On Friday 15th November 2024, we woke up at 4am to depart Fiji bound for Rotuma. We arrived in Rotuma approximately 10:00 local time. Greeted by our host we made the short drive to our QTH where we participated in Mamassa, a traditional ceremony which welcomes us to the island. Soon after we got to work on the station.
The weather here is hot, which makes working during the middle of the day very challenging. Nevertheless, we’ve been able to make extraordinary progress on the station build in a short amount of time. We spent some time organising the equipment, staging antennas and building the shack on the inside, and by 15:00 local time we were on air with one of our NexGen RiB’s, shortly followed by two local stations on 15m and 12m. We immediately made a number of test QSOs, experiencing our first Rotuma pile ups. During our testing phase we became aware of some issues with the live log uploads which we are addressing and you can expect to see this issue corrected by tomorrow.
Up to this point we have been able to put up vertical dipole antennas for 20m up to 10m, and 2x RiB antennas. These have been situated on the beach front that runs along the length of our QTH. We will be working on 160-30m and 6m antennas in the coming days, using the enormous palm trees around the property which are taller than any pole we had packed, enabling us to review our antenna options for maximum efficiency.
The commercial power here on Rotuma is provided by a generator which covers the entire district. Due to this we have some down-time which we’d like you to be aware of. At 13:00 hours local time, (01:00 UTC) we are without power for 1 hour. Rather than running a generator during this hour, we have decided to use this time as a daily maintenance window where we can focus on repairs, updates, log uploads etc.. we will also use this time to hold team discussions so we can continue to develop throughout our stay here.
The team is in good spirits and we are excited to get on air at maximum capacity as soon as we are able to.
You can see our progress, photos and real time updates by following our social media. Follow Rotuma 2024 on Facebook.
Looking forward to work you guys on SSB!
Now QRV on 18095 S/F.
Good luck to all the operators and crews of 3D2Y. Have a lots of good ones fellow hams. 73, DU9IV.
We would like to ask for your cooperation.
We would like to inform you about the 160/80m band in accordance with Korea’s Radio Act, and ask that you reflect this when planning your operating frequency.
In accordance with the Korean Radio Law Act, the 160/80m band is out of the FT8 in
international public designated frequency 1840/3573 or 3567KHz. Probably India (VU) and some Asian countries know as well.
Korea can only operate at 160m (1800~1825KHz) and 80m (3500~3550LKHz).
When QSO in FT8 Mode, Korea always does QRV on 160m – 1810KHz and 80m – 3547KHz. Also, 1810 / 3547KHz simplex QSO is possible. Please be sure to remember. Additionally, we request that the 160 meter band CW Mode be operated at 1820~1822kHz UP1-3KHz.
If necessary during operation, split 1840 ( DX’s TX ) / 1810KHz (HL -TX – ODD Time) or 1810KHz(Simplex) , 3567 or 3573 (DX’s TX) / 3547KHz (HL , TX – ODD Time) or 3547KHz(Simplex), 160m CW 1820~1822KHz // UP1-3KHz.
I hope Korean HAMs (HL) will be given the opportunity on 160/80 meter QSO.
For reference, I ask that other DX-Peditions also recognize the situation in Korea’s 160/80 meter band and reflect the frequency operation.