LU6W IOTA expedition to Escondida Island SA-096 NEW

[IK0ZCW]

The following info is from Cezar, VE3LYC

We are pleased to announce that an IOTA expedition to Escondida Island (SA-096) is scheduled to take place in early January 2013 under the auspices of the Radioclub de Puerto Madryn. A team of four operators, including Cezar/VE3LYC , Johan/PA3EXX and two LU radio amateurs will attempt to maintain two stations on the air for up to 4 days. Escondida means hidden in Spanish, as the small rocky island is virtually covered by the sea in high winds, which can start suddenly. The rocks are home to large colonies of sea lions and cormorants, generating intense ammonia smell, which creates serious breathing problems. Landing and camping on the rocks are extremely difficult and require careful logistics.

The project is based on 16 months of logistical work, with support from numerous LU hams, non-hams and Government of Chubut officials. We are especially indebted to Jose ( LU2WAZ ), his colleagues from the Radioclub de Puerto Madryn, Federico ( LU6KK ), Carlos ( LU1EBR ) and Cristian ( LU1WCR ). We would also like to express our appreciation to Simon ( IZ7ATN ), Ezequiel ( LU1EEZ ) and Mark ( LU7CAW ), who independently were keen to embark on a similar project 5 months ago and graciously stepped down when they became aware of our plans. Thank you guys for your great sportsmanship!

Our scope is to give everyone around the world a chance to log us. However, we would like to underline that the operation will depend entirely on the weather conditions. Since in case of emergency the team cannot leave the island at night – if staying on the rocks after dark will be deemed unsafe, this will reduce our daily operating time, as the team will have to travel day-light hours between mainland and the island. At this time we have applied for a special callsign, and a website is under construction.

QSL cards will be available through Cezar/VE3LYC , either direct or via the bureau. A call for financial support will be posted on the expedition website in due course.

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE: Following the "breaking news" on October 27th with regards an upcoming expedition to Escondida Island , SA-096 by Cezar VE3LYC , Johan PA3EXX and others, the team now have a website detailing their plans.

We have applied for the special callsign LU6W

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE: Cezar VE3LYC and Johan PA3EXX have purchased their plane tickets. They will travel together from Buenos Aires on Dec 31, arriving in Puerto Madryn early afternoon. Alex and Luc will arrive in Puerto Madryn the same day, and so the operating and logistical teams will spend the afternoon and evening together, going over the equipment, logistics and contingency plans.

LU6W hopes to be operating between Jan 2 and 6, 2013.

Once again, the team would like to remind everyone that this expedition includes some very difficult logistics. Consequently, the above dates are approximate and can change depending on the weather conditions. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the team will be able to land. Rest assured the safety of everyone involved is paramount.

NB: On November 21, 2012 a recon mission to Escondida took place. You can see some images here http://lu6w.yolasite.com/galleria.php

Website: http://lu6w.yolasite.com/

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE: Cezar and Johan have received their LU licences, valid until January 10, 2013. The boat rental has been confirmed, and all camping and power equipment has been purchased or rented. Food and water supplies will be purchased after the team gathers in Puerto Madryn. Landing on Escondida will require some swimming, so all the team members will were wet suits.

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE: All operators arrived in Puerto Madryn and met at the Radioclub with the logistical team. Everyone is in high spirits, despite the fact that the two ICOM transceivers and one antenna, which were part of Cezar’s luggage, didn’t make it to Buenos Aires. The airline located the respective luggage and indicated that it will arrive in Buenos Aires on Jan 1. They will have the equipment shipped to Trelew by air during the day. There are no flights to Puerto Madryn tomorrow, but there are two to Trelew. As such, we have to go there and pick it up sometimes in the evening.

The weather is windy and very unsettled. It was often changing from sunny to overcast, with torrential showers and… hail! We rented the wet suits, and plan to go to the coast tomorrow to have a close look at the island. All shops are closed on Jan 1, so food, water, and remaining articles will be purchased on Jan 2. The weather forecast appears good for Jan 3, and if so we will attempt landing. Happy New Year from Patagonia to all island chasers and DXers, as well as their loved ones!

NB: On November 21, 2012 a recon mission to Escondida took place. You can see some images here http://lu6w.yolasite.com/galleria.php

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE: Beautiful weather today..on the mainland! Too windy and too much swell to put the boat on water. However, we have very good news to communicate: Cezar’s luggage arrived with the two ICOM IC-7000 rigs and one antenna, and we picked it up in Trelew.

We met with Chicho, the boatman, who appears supportive of our attempt. We maintain the plan to head out to the island on Jan 3.

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE: The team arrived on the island – but only two of the six crew left the elements for radio stations. They returned to the coast due to health problems of the owner of the boat. All team members are well. Today they will return to the island and assemble the stations.

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE: Alex and Cezar landed with difficulty on January 3. On next transport, the boatman suffered an accident and was taken to hospital in Trelew for stitches.

The emergency boat was too small to bring necessary and additional supplies so both Alex & Cezar had to return leaving gear on the island. Protection against very aggressive "lobos marinos" very difficult.

The team tried to land again during the morning of January 4 but were unable due to swells. On the return trip another accident occurred and Jose went to hospital with a bruised leg. They will try again..

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE: Now QRT due problems:

The members of the expedition have had another problem. They have suffered the loss of two ICOM’s and one of the two antennas that were inside a PVC tank. They had left the items on the island and the next day they were floating in the water. Also, bad weather is expected, so they are forced to end the activity. QRT 20:00z.

[IK0ZCW]

Post expedition summary

It is not our intention to present here a detailed account of this very eventful operation. However, for the record, we would like to offer a brief summary. After having taken a couple of accidents (Chochi – the boatman, and Jose/LU2WAZ), and after abandoning the primary gear intended for the operation (two rigs, many accessories, waterproof laptop, a tent, etc.), we succeeded to return to the island in the evening of Jan 4. Alex and Cezar landed first, swimming hard against the tidal current and hull, while avoiding the shallow rocks. After a quick check, we noticed that our fears materialized and everything we had left behind a day earlier was lost. We knew that this was likely to happen, but had no choice. As such, we asked Johan and Miguel (LU2WMM), who came with a second transport, to bring the spare rig and antenna.

Pablo (Jose’s son) was phenomenal in identifying the most convenient swimming path and landing spot through the foamy waters, securing our position on the sharp rocks, and pulling the heavy drums from the water. Landing is possible when the tide decreases toward the minimum, and it can only be done on daylight in the evening. By the time we had everything on the island we were left with only half an hour to spare. We worked very hard to make a pathway through the “lobos marinos” (which are different than sea lions). It was Miguel’s determination and ingenuity which allowed us to get on top of the island just in time. We made a huge noise using two whistles and an improvised drum, and kept a heavy rope and a boat paddle handy.

The antenna was set up using flashlights and head-lamps. We decided to operate under the open sky, and keep the little tent we had with us for rest. During our stay on the island we only had water, a few cereal bars, and a couple of apples. Within half hour we worked on 20 m stations from five continents with was indicative of the good propagation conditions. Since the spare rig didn’t work with our only electronic key left, we had to remain in SSB. However, this allowed us to maximize the number of different stations logged. At any time we used one operator, two guys as guards, while resting one person. After 17 hours of operation, the team had to go QRT. Having already had a couple of accidents, the logistical team wasn’t keen to take any chances. Everyone returned safely to the mainland.

We had definitely intended a longer operation, so that we can give more chasers the possibility to put SA-096 in their logs. Unfortunately, a series of circumstances prevented us from doing so. Nevertheless, we made over 2,050 QSOs with stations in 6 continents. We take full responsibility for the decisions made, including those which led to so many valuables being lost at sea. This being said, any donations, any support from the IOTA community at large that will help us continue to defray some of our expenses, and replace our equipment will be highly and publicly appreciated on the DXpedition website. It is our belief that future attempts to operate from Escondida Is. will benefit highly from this experience.