Update Sep,24: Video available We are now back from Saint Brandon 3B7A since 4 months. Time has been spent getting all equipment back home, cleaning and packing everything. QSLs have been designed then printed and sent. LoTW has been uploaded. All these are the “main” tasks, but you can imagine there has been so many others.
According to all feedback we have received, everyone is happy and has appreciated our efforts. We hope you, as a “sponsor”, are proud to be part of this success.
Today we would like to share with you the story of this wonderful adventure. Of course you can use it for your websites, bulletins, etc. You can download some high quality pictures here.
For the moment we are still working on the video, it will be uploaded later on You Tube when ready.
3B7A will be represented in Tokyo Ham Fair at the end of the month, and some team members we be joining other club meetings/conventions: Dx Feile in EI, CDXC in F, and certainly some others depending on the opportunities.
One more time, very sincerely, we would like to thank you very much for your support and your trust in our team.
Best 73’s
Seb, F5UFX for the entire team.Update Apr,15: Conditions were sad enough for this day of departure, so a little in tune with our state of mind as we leave Saint Brandon. The weather was very bad with heavy rain, wind, and a local phenomenon of mini tidal waves. This constrained us to QRX the time to secure our antennas and equipment.
The propagation was also capricious all day long with high bands not quite open until mid-afternoon. The surprise of the day will undoubtedly that we have been able to contact some NA stations on 12m! This gives us some hope for the latst night with the whole team. We will continue our efforts until the departure of the boat at sunrise. A new symbolic cap of 70,000 Qso seems to be in the line of fire!
The 80 and 160m antennas were dismounted this morning after a good last night on these two bands. Some JA were able to be contacted on 160 with very good signals coming at the time of our sunset, as for the NA they had to wait for our SR but many could again be logged.
To summarize now the overall planning 3B7, 6 members of the team leave the South Island tomorrow Monday at dawn, this marks the first end of the expedition. However, 3B7A will remain sporadically on the air for two days as F4FET Guillaume and F4HAU Diégo will take another boat on Wednesday morning. They will keep with them antennas for all bands (except 80/160) and two stations. They will no longer be able to update the log and it will be necessary to wait until Thursday to find the final version on ClubLog. After corrections, we will open QSL requests via OQRS.
Last night so for the majority of us, I immediately return to the pile-ups to continue to give you an opportunity to contact Saint Brandon.Update Apr,14: The 60,000 Qso bar has just been crossed! We did not set a target quantity but quality and we are very happy. With only 8 operators for 9 days, it confirms that we were not idle. This of course taking into account that we also manage the maintenance of the generators and the camp in general, the food, the tuning of the antennas, etc. we did not sleep much.
Our transmissions continue and the number of “unique” goes up gradually. This will remain our focus until the end, especially by keeping on air a permanent station on 20m SSB. Still based on the information of our pilots we are testing new slots of opening to South America particularly, sometimes with success. This again emphasizes the importance of the information you provide them.
We will begin the dismantling of some antennas tomorrow during the day while keeping a maximum of active stations. This night will be the last on 80 and 160m.
Count on us not to let go and give all our strength in this last straight line!Update Apr,13: We are in the final stretch! On Monday morning the first 6 team members leave Saint Brandon to go to Mauritius. This weekend is the last outstanding point of the expedition. Gil, F4FET and Diego, F4HAU will stay one more day on the island before also leaving with all the material. From Sunday our facilities will diminish gradually before QRT, which will be the night of Monday to Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the motivation remains high and we all mobilized to contact you. We will maximize the chances of giving opportunities in the bands most favorable as 20m. Not specifically ask those who need an “ATNO”, the number of QSOs made at this point, makes the more modest configurations can now make contact. We also continue, of course, to direct traffic by geographical area according to the information spread and passing by our pilots.Update Apr,12: Big rains accompanied by strong winds generated a lot of parasitic noise and did not allow us to be present on 160m yesterday. However the 30 / 40m and sometimes the 80m were excellent, especially with the Americas. This area is currently the most difficult to contact and will remain the target of our efforts. The openings are relatively short compared to Europe or Japan. We sometimes hear a bit of frustration from Europe when we ask for NA Only but we have to understand that the EU openings are much longer, many and with much better signals. The NA QSOs currently represent 16% against 25% JA and 57% US.
The days follow each other and are not alike. The high bands are much better than yesterday with long openings to the EU and Asia up to 10m. Strong tides forced us to a little maintenance on the antennas a little too close to the shore. We have further refined our different reception systems for the low bands.
For tonight and tomorrow we will renew our efforts on 17 and 20m until their closure, then 30 and 40m. The 80 and 160 will also be activated from our SS to give new chances to the JA.
We remain focused on our objectives and adapt our strategy on a daily basis to increase the number of “unique” codes, and give a chance to the most difficult areas. At the same time we will be on the low bands as much as possible.
The team starts of course to feel the fatigue related to lack of sleep, shifts radios, maintenance of the site, but we are more than ever extremely motivated!Update Apr,11: The propagation is sometimes capricious on the higher bands. This day was less intense especially on 10 and 12 with much weaker signals. During the coming night we will continue to operate on 17 and 20m until they close with NA, before switching to the lower bands. Last night was good on 160m with in particular with many JA at their SR. We will renew the same plan tonight.
This day we met the Mauritian coast guard stationed on Saint Brandon. The South island is not big but we had not yet had the time to venture to the other side. We were able to share with passion and share with him our experiences of Tromelin and Juan de Nova. Those expedition’s conditions were quite similar in terms of fauna and flora.
We are now about halfway through the expedition. The efforts are paying off and the results are in line with our objectives. As from the beginning we will continue to give everyone the opportunity to achieve at least a qso with Saint Brandon.
The plan will be clarified in the next few days, but it is likely that we will partially dismount the antennas on Sunday 15 in the day. Six members of the team will take the boat to Mauritius on Monday the 16th while 2 operators will stay in Saint Brandon one more day with a minimum setup.Update Apr,10: Again a very good day on Saint Brandon. The propagation is generally correct even if the conditions are uneven from one day to another. Our facilities in the water are probably also for many in these good results.
We continue to insist on increasing the number of QSOs with the most difficult areas, especially the relatively short NA slots. Once again, thank you all for your cooperation. Our schedules are updated according to the openings of each day and your information to our pilots.
Regarding the 160m, we started our emissions as soon as we went to the sun to increase the chances for Japan. Some QSOs could be realized at that time. Advancing in the night we then switched EU / JA every 10/15 minutes to SR JA which allowed us some QSO 3B7-JA. We will try again tonight. Luckily, the static level is low on the low bands since the beginning of the operation. Let’s hope it stays to the end.Update Apr,9: Very good day on Saint Brandon. After the heavy work done the days before, we were finally able to devote almost 100% to QSOs.
All facilities are operational and no problems to report. The different reception antennas installed for the low bands are generally satisfactory and help as expected.
Last night was excellent on 80 to all continents. 160 remains a little more difficult with all the same many EU and some NA. We will try to come earlier tonight to maximize the chances with the JA.
On all the bands, we continue as planned following our propagation predictions to optimize the openings with the most difficult zones, generally with success. Thank you all for cooperating well and follow the instructions of the operators.
After so much work to arrive at this moment, know that we take a lot of pleasure to contact you! Let’s hope it’s the same for you.Update Apr,8: Second full day on site with a lot of work done. Several additional VDAs have been installed in order to be able to traffic other bands and thus optimize openings. The spread was different from yesterday, the high bands remained almost silent. We will be available again this evening on 80/60 with an improved setup and new receiving antennas. The previous night, although complicated, allowed us to achieve many QSOs on the low bands. The information coming from our pilots – we take your remarks into account. This day was also the occasion for us to wish Patrick F2DX a happy birthday, what a beautiful place for such an event!
The South island exceeds so little of the horizon that it is necessary to wait for the last moment to discover how beautiful it is when the boat approaches it finally. It was mid-afternoon on Friday, we finally reached Flo F5CWU and Pasal F5PTM arrived earlier with the first boat trip. After a 26 hours boat ride, we were also very happy to have a meal before continuing immediately. Our two friends of the “pre-team” had already set up all the VDAs and the 30m Four Square. We took advantage of the last hours before the night to install the 40m Four Square. We also hoped to complete the installation of the 160m antenna to start during the first night, but the wind decided otherwise. At the end we installed the stations during the night and began operating just after. Despite the fatigue of the first day, the operators took their turns all night long and more than 3000 qso were in the log early in the morning.
For this new day, the installations of the remaining antennas were resumed, while maintaining a maximum of active stations. The setup is now complete for both transmission and reception. The rythmn will now be fully reached.
Regarding the island, it reminds us Tromelin and Juan de Nova very much, both in terms of fauna and flora. Based on these previous experiences, we have been able to avoid disturbances for birds as much as possible, and select the right areas for the antennas. Many terns incubate their eggs and toddlers barely open their eyes. It really looks like heaven.
We are fortunate to share the island with Mauritian fishermen friends who are very willing to give us a hand, and even share the results of their catch.
With this first communication also comes the first online log. We ask you to make this expedition a success by providing helpful information to our pilot stations.Update Apr,6: Activity started at about 1700z on 15-40m CW/SSB.Update Apr,5: Flo F5CWU and Pascal F5PTM have now landed on Saint brandon. All equipment has been unloaded and is safe on the island. The rest of the team will leave Mauritius in a few hours. Do not expect any signal from 3B7A before the 6th late in the night.Update Apr,4: After some difficulties of air transport, the whole team arrived yesterday in Mauritius. We went straight to the port where the first boat was to be loaded.
It was an opportunity to receive our boxes arrived a few weeks before us. All the material was checked again and pointed out before loading. The work was completed at night and the boat was anchored as planned around 8 pm local time.
Flo F5CWU and Pascal F5PTM are on board and should land at Saint Brandon on the 5th in the morning. The rest of the team is currently collecting the latest equipment in Mauritius and PC configuration before boarding tomorrow morning.
The team is extremely motivated and can not wait to find you on the air as early as 6 late at night.
Our satellite tracking device is now activatedUpdate Apr,2: After a near 24 hour delay due to aircraft issues, the 3B7A team finally took-off. Next stop 3B8.Update Mar,31: We are now only a few hours from the beginning of the journey to Saint Brandon. We will stay a few days in Mauritius, just time to collect the remaining equipment like tables, guying anchors, etc.
Let’s remind we will only have a limited (and expensive!) satellite internet connection. It will be used once a day to upload logs and exchange information with our Pilot Michel F6AGM.
We invite you to read the QSL Info page. Our QSL manager Flo F5CWU is part of the operators, so any request will only be answered when we’ll be back home.
3B7A team member, Vincent F4BKV, is already QRV from Rodrigues as 3B9/F4BKV.Update Feb,24: In about a month we will be joining Saint Brandon. After a year of intense working, we are quite satisfied and impatient to finally make our plans concrete.
700Kg of equipment is actually on the way to Mauritius. It will then be loaded on the boat with generators before sailing to Saint Brandon with two 3B7A team members on April 3rd.
The rest of the team will use a second boat (on the 5th) as scheduled. This new option allows us to remove some constraint with the weight of our equipment and improve security by adding some redundancy with transportation. This, has of course, cost a bit but it seems very important to us.
The “early-team” will be in charge of all equipment transit operations, as well as identifying the location for all antennas, stations, generators, etc. If time allows, they will start all installations. Much time must should be saved until the rest of the team land, allowing to be on the air in a very short time. But do not expect any QSO before the entire team is on the island.
You might have read the web page dedicated to propagation forecast on our web site. It shows the best time/bands to contact us depending on where you are located. That kind of schedule will be available at each station position and will drive our traffic. Priority will always be given to the areas with the shortest and most difficult openings.
We renew the organization we had on Tromelin (FT4TA) and Juan de Nova (FT4JA). Five stations, totally similar and flexible, will be available for the 8 operators. Our goal will be to put as many of them on the air at any time, with a priority for the most important hours of the day around our sunrise and sunset, optimizing our resting time.
To stick with our objectives, we have decided not to bring any antenna for 6m. Conditions are so bad that it would be a waste of time for just a few or no contact at all. No antenna for 6m also means no try for EME. To end the short list of things we “won’t do”, we’d like to inform that 60m is not allowed on our license.
Let’s remind Saint Brandon is not a “hotel and regular flights” destination. As soon as we leave Mauritius we will have to do everything by ourself: loading/unloading equipment, managing generator, food, maintenance, etc. This will be a lot of work and tiredness that will come in addition to the hours behind the radios.
Once more, you can trust in our great motivation — we can’t wait starting the pileups!
Please keep supporting our project and visit our website http://www.saintbrandondx.com/en/how-to-help-us/
and follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SaintBrandonDX/ and Twitter @SaintBrandonDX
73’s de F5UFX for the Team Saint Brandon 2018Update Jan,21: An updated most wanted list has been published on ClubLog. It now shows Saint Brandon as the 27th most wanted entity worldwide (#19 NA, #17 SA, #33 AS, #28 OC, #34 AF, #48 EU). This statistics clearly confirms the relevance of our dxpedition, we knew the demand to be high more than 10 years after 3B7C.
Same as with our previous projects, we know a flawless preparation is the key of the success. We are now working carefully on propagation forecast. Of course our experience of this area is a big advantage, we know some specifics tips, possible openings, etc. This forecasts will drive our operations from the first to the very last day, giving priority to the area with the shortest and most difficult conditions.
We would like to thanks our pilot team: Bjorn ON9CFG, Paul N6PSE, Javi LU5FF, Joe JJ3PRT, and our “chief pilot” Michel F6AGM (ex-FM5CD). Please share your experience and all interesting information with your local pilot during the expedition. We will be in touch with them on a daily basis thanks to our satellite phone.
The pilots will NOT have access to the logs ! Questions related to your QSOs should be submitted to our QSL manager through the online form on our website. Do not expect answer until we are back in France.
We would like to take advantage of this communication to wish good luck to our 3Y0Z friends on the way to Bouvet.
Please keep on supporting our project on our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @SaintBrandonDXUpdate Jan,5: Dates: April 5-17, 2018. Operators: Seb F5UFX, Flo F5CWU, Vincent F4BKV, Gil F4FET, Pat F2DX, Pascal F5PTM, Diégo F4HAU & Laurent F8ATM.Update Nov,29: PRESS RELEASE #4
This week two major events occurred and we are very happy to share both of them with you. First of all, we received all papers from the Mauritius authorities and our callsign has been confirmed. You will listen for us as 3B7A next April in your radios!
Then, we are very proud to announce that the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) has joined our project as a major sponsor. By reiterating the trust relationship with our team a great step has been made to reach the overall budget.
This is not yet a closed matter and we hope to receive many supports until our departure. Talking about this, we would like to greet our friends JJ3PRT, JA4BUA, JA4DND and JK1KSB. They are a very efficient relay in Japan for our team and thanks to them a Japanese section of our website is now available.
Our next communications will focus on logistics and radio operations, so stay tuned and follow us on our 1) Website 2) Facebook 3) Twitter
73’s de F5UFX for the Team Saint Brandon 2018Update Oct,21: Press Release #3
Our last communication goes back to several months but we didn’t stay inactive! All tasks are going as scheduled.
The logistical operations are going on and will soon be finalized. Transport to St Brandon has been secured by a 50% deposit. It will be a 24h journey by boat between 3B8 and 3B7.
Once on the islet, we’ll use the small fishermen’s building as radio shack rather than tents. For sure it will be much more comfortable especially with high temperatures. We are working to get a reliable 24/7 electricity supply by generators. We already started to test, and pack all our equipment in the crates previously used for Tromelin and Juan de Nova.
Expert Electronics LLC provided us some of their famous SunSDR2 PRO transceivers.We already have tested this setup with success on Juan de Nova. Now, these SDR TRX will play a major role in our expedition. Thanks also to our regular corporate sponsors Dxengineering, Messi & Paolini, Spiderbeam for their continuous support. We will give you more details about our setups soon.
We already made important expenses and time has come to request assistance from the DX community. Last week, we have contacted many clubs and associations who already supported us in the past. We are delighted to receive already positive answers !
As usual, we are extremely careful with each expenditure, but such project remains expensive. The team will provide more than 50% of the budget, but we need your assistance to balance it.
Please follow us on our website : http://www.sainbrandondx.com , Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SaintBrandonDX/ , Twitter @SaintBrandonDXUpdate Sep,12_ The team will leave Mauritius (3B8) on April 5th, 2018, Operators mentioned are Pat/F2DX, Vincent/F4BKV, Gil/F4FET, Diégo/F4HAU, Flo/F5CWU, Pascal/F5PTM, Seb/F5UFX and Michel/ F6AGM/FM5CD). Activity will be on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY, with seven stations (one for 6m) on the airUpdate Jun,2: They will be also on 6mUpdate May,30: By Seb, F5UFX, Team Leader: Last January, we revealed our new project: a DXpedition to St Brandon archipelago – 3B7. Initially planned on October 2017, it is finally the period of March-April 2018 which was selected. It presents a maximum of favourable conditions.
Since the announcement, we have worked on many subjects by following our usual roadmap. Although we’re already familiar with this kind of preparation, it is far from being routine because each project is different. This new adventure does not make exception, and has its batch of characteristics. That’s all these preparatory tasks achieved during months which will condition success once on the air.
A qualified and very motivated team was made up. Our only and single objective will be to satisfy the amateur radio community. As for Tromelin and Juan de Nova operations, the conditions of propagation, analyzed finely, will dictate our traffic. We know quite well this zone of the world and its characteristics; thus it will be a goal to satisfy the worldwide DX’ers and more especially those of the most delicate areas to contact: West Coast of America, Japan, and Oceania in particular.
We secured the transport by the payment of 50% of the invoice; that marks the point of non-return of the project. We are happy to count right now important actors of the amateur radio community among our sponsors. Soon, we will start contacting the clubs and associations to seek financial support, but as of now, you can support us with in an individual donation. As in the past, we endeavour to maintain the costs to their strict minimum without reducing the equipment engaged, nor the duration of the expedition. However, in spite of this permanent optimization, we need your support in addition to the already important part payed by the operators.
The website is now online, and will be fed in the coming weeks with articles about the preparation. A Facebook and Twitter account is also available. We are impatient to talk with you about this new project during the upcoming hamfests.Seb, F5UFX, Team Leader of FT4TA (Tromelin) and FT4JA (Juan de Nova) says: AFTER OUR SUCCESSFUL DXPEDITIONS TO TROMELIN (FT4TA) AND JUAN DE NOVA (FT4JA), WE ARE VERY HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE OUR NEW PROJET. OUR TEAM WILL BE ACTIVE FROM SAINT BRANDON ISLAND 3B7 IN OCTOBER 2017 FOR A TWO WEEKS OPERATION. MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW SOON!
DX news and calendar: 3B7A
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