Update November 30, 2024: FW7AA is now QRT. We made 15K+ contacts which is an average rate of 1K+ QSOs/per day. It’s like Field Day that goes on for 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone in the pileups. OQRS will be enabled when we get home next week.
Bob and I are currently in Nadi, Fiji at the Club Fiji Resort. We arrived well after dark, and will setup our 2 Elecraft K3 stations + 2 DX Commanders tomorrow morning our time. After some discussion we decided not to erect our 160 antenna. We would only get 2 nights usage from it, and it is tine consuming to setup and teardown.
Look for 3D2NB on the air, we have an excellent location right on the water.
Update November 28, 2024: We have 2 days remaining in our FW7AA expedition. Bob and I feel this has been a great experience, with the highest CQ WW CW score we have had to date. We have over 13K QSOs in the log and expect another 1 or 2K before we leave.
However, the band conditions have been worse than our previous trips to Tonga, Lord Howe, and Vanuatu. It’s been difficult to get a long run of EU QSOs, especially western EU. We continue to look for western EU, east coast USA and Caribbean as they can be hard to work from the Pacific.
We have received a number of requests for 160 or 80M QSOs. 80 has shown some promise and we will be on again for the next 2 nights. 160 has proven difficult. We have a basic inverted L antenna and propagation just isn’t happening. Watch your DX spotting networks as we will announce our freqs.
Saturday morning (our time) we tear down the stations and head to Fiji. We will then be active as 3D2NB for 3 days. We expect better 160 conditions as out inverted L will be right on the beach.
Update November 18, 2024: Things are going relatively smooth at FW7AA. We have almost 4000 Q’s in the log. We have (2) Elecraft K3 stations with KPA500 amps running, with DX Commander Signature 9 and Classic antennas. We’re working on getting the 160 inverted L and beverage on the ground up. Both W7YAQ and I agree that band conditions have not been that good, especially to EU. Not nearly as good as our VK9LAA and A31DL trips. This morning at my local sunrise we could copy EU for the first time on 30M FT8 and had a good run. It’s been raining a lot but today is sunny and good for some outdoor pics.
Bob/W7YAQ and Al/K7AR will be QRV as FW7AA from Vaimalau, Wallis Island (OC-054), on November 16-29, 2024. Activity will probably be geared for the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 23-24th), so watch for operations on 160-6 meters.
After the contest, operators will head to Nadi (OC-016), Fiji, and be QRV as 3D2NB from November 30 to December 2, 2024.
QSL both callsigns via W7YAQ, ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW.
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