TX5K Clipperton Island Dxpedition

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http://www.cordell.org/CI/index.html

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UPDATE

The March, 2013 DXpedition to Clipperton Island has received the callsign TX5K to be used during the operation. With the addition of Luis XE1L, Dave WJ20 and Giovanni I5JHW, the team has 23 members. One space remains available for another operator, scientist, or other supporter who wishes to join the DXpedition.

We are proud to announce that the QSL manager will be Bob N2OO. Offsite team member Dean N7XG is developing new software to help automate some of the operations at the QSL manager and his team.

The expedition will use DXA, the system that enables real-time web display of the log data, first used on Kure Atoll K7C 2005, to provide confirmation of valid QSOs in about 1 minute after they are made. We will also make use of ClubLog and LotW.

The DXpedition will be active on all HF bands and modes for about 10 days. In addition to the radio operations, the team will carry out numerous scientific projects of environmental science, especially involving studying invasive and undiscovered species that have potential for catastrophic disruption of the Clipperton ecosystem. The team will study vortex winds produced by the island, and will document foraging by congenitally deformed birds. Advisor Robert Pitman reports that a significant portion of the masked boobies are deformed and apparently are fed by their parents their entire lives.

The DXpedition is very pleased to acknowledge a personal gift from a world-famous ham of $10,000. While preferring to remain anonymous, the donor hopes that his gift will stimulate others to support the project. A particularly interesting activity will be the real-time Internet video connection with students. After the expedition the students will write essays for a compendium to be titled “Saving the World, by We the Students.” The publication is designed to be the first of a series of “Saving the World, by…” The team also will collect and remove plastic debris from the island. You can help in these efforts by making a donation through the link on the website.

Complete information about the project is available on the website. The project is being organized and will be led by.

Bob KK6EK KK6EK[at]Cordell.org,
Chris DL1MGB Chris[at]DL1MGB.com.

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UPDATE: During the weekend of Dec. 10, the European members of the team gathered in Goch, Germany, at the super contest station DR1A, to assemble and pack most of the equipment for the two HF operating sites on Clipperton.

The gear includes ten full HF stations; the 6m station will be shipped from the U.S. The effort was led by co-organizer Chris DL1MGB. The gear includes 6 x 7kW generators and 50 large Pelican cases of equipment.

We welcome Markus van Bergerem, DJ7EO, to the team. He has made arrangements for the generators (six 230 VAC 7 kW). The total team is now 25 persons.

We are pleased to announce that we will receive a Colvin Award Grant of $5000, and also support from the German DX Foundation of 1400 EUR.

We have received the landing permit from the French authorities in Tahiti. Please go to the splash page and click on DOCUMENTS. The radio operating permit was received last month.

Two French scientists will join us on the island. They are Professor Christian Jost and Jean Morshel from University of French Polynesia. Prof. Jost and a colleague published a recent study of Clipperton: Jost, C.H. and S. Andrefouet, 2006, “Long term natural and human perturbations and current status of Clipperton Atoll, a remote island of the Eastern Pacific,” Pacific Conservation Biology 12, 3 pp. 207-218. The scientists will be taken to the island from a French naval vessel.

We have received a request from the French TV series THALASSA to accompany the expedition and make a feature film about the research, and we have tentatively accepted their offer. They will support the project by paying the normal participant cost for each of the two filmmakers.

We are pleased to report that the scientific work by the team has already begun. The two Ukrainian team members Roman US5WDX and Igor US0VA were able to obtain samples of water from a salt lake in the Ukraine that was known historically to contain a microscopic alga, Ochromonas triangulata, which has a flagellum and an eye spot, unusual structures for a plant! The samples were transferred to a specialist, Dr. Robert Anderson, who reports that they do contain the Ochromonas algae, and that the sample may help to resolve a mystery of genetic relationship of the genus. We expect many additional interesting scientific observations during our stay on Clipperton.

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UPDATE: Nearly all the equipment has been assembled, and most has been packed. Transportation will be by truck on 12 Feb 2013. The boat (Shogun, San Diego) will be loaded on Friday, Feb 15.

We have implemented a new domain for the expedition. We have also implemented a BLOG where you can read and enter comments.

We have completed development and emplacing of DXA (version 2). It can be accessed by the link on the TX5K home page, or directly at http://www.dxa2.org. Until the DXpedition goes QRV, the display will be a simulation. Comments on the blog before, during, or after, are most welcome.

The webmaster during the DXpedition will be Rich, KY6R. Please send any news stories or other interesting information to him for possible sharing on the blog or general publicity.

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UPDATE: All the California equipment has been assembled and is on the truck. It will be transported to San Diego on Wednesday, Thursday, 13 Feb 2013. The boat (Shogun, San Diego) will be loaded on Thursday-Friday, Feb 14-15. The first half of the team will board on Monday, Feb. 18, and the boat will sail for Cabo San Lucas, to put up the rest of the team.

We expect to arrive at Clipperton Island on Feb. 28. It will take at least one day to land and get the camp set up, so QRV should not be expected before March 1. Please watch this site http://tx5k.org/, the BLOG, and various news outlets for the anticipated start of operations.

We look forward to having a rewarding DXpedition, and seeing you at the conferences later this year. We will be hosting a Courtesy Suite after the DX Dinner at Dayton and a similar party at Friedrichshafen, so plan to come see us!

Good luck to all who want a contact with TX5K! Be sure to watch it in real time with DXA and write to the BLOG http://www.ky6r.com/

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UPDATE from KY6R: I just talked to Bob, KK6EK and Luis, XE1L on 20M, and they said that the seas were calm and the weather great. They are 9 grid squares away http://ky6r.com/2013/02/24/9-grid-squares-away/

They are travelling at 9 knots – so basically “full steam ahead”. The Team is busy training on software and procedures for offloading to the island and also getting to know each other. It sounds like they are having fun – and everyone is in good spirits and doing well.

The island is in Grid Square DK50, and you can use this wonderful interactive map ( http://www4.plala.or.jp/nomrax/GL/DK.htm ) to find out where Clipperton is. This is very useful for 6 meter operators as well.

Good luck to all who want a contact with TX5K! Be sure to watch it in real time with DXA http://www.dxa2.org/ and write to the BLOG http://ky6r.com/

Download the TX5K Handbook (8.0Mb)
http://www.cordell.org/CI/CI_Documents/TX5K_Handbook.pdf

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UPDATE: The team is doing fine and they continue to steam ahead under great conditions. They will arrive at Clipperton tomorrow at 2100 local (9 PM PST and 0500 UTC). They will not attempt to make a landing then, but at daybreak on February 27. This is right on schedule.

The team has been prepped and is ready to roll. They will send an advance team to the island and have a coordinated effort and plan where they will move a small cities worth of gear to the island. The first “wave” will include supplies for the advance team (food, water, shelter from the sun) followed by the Arctic Cat ATV and trailer / carts – to make offloading all of the many Pelican cases off the boat and up the coral reef. [more]

Download the TX5K Handbook (8.0Mb)
http://www.cordell.org/CI/CI_Documents/TX5K_Handbook.pdf

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UPDATE: The TX5K Team arrived at Clipperton at 8:30 PM PST – or 0430 UTC. It is dark there now (and even with a full moon they can only just make out the island), so offloading onto the island won’t start until day break.

No one got sick on the way – all are doing well and have enjoyed the wonderful food and hospitality of the Shogun Crew.

They will take about 2 hours to search for just the right landing spot tomorrow, and if the surf cooperates, they will need all day tomorrow and a good part of the next day to offload and set up. This means the expected start of the DX-pedition going QRV is late in the day (Pacific Time) on February 28th (it will most likely be March 1st in some time zones) – which is as planned.

The team sends their thanks to everyone for your support of this DX-pedition and send their love to their families.

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UPDATE: Landing on Clipperton by the TX5K team has been delayed due to high surf & tide.

They spent hours circling the island deciding best spot to attempt a landing and have come to the conclusion that the east side may provide best opportunity by tomorrow.

More info http://ky6r.com/2013/02/28/no-landing-today-rough-surf/

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UPDATE: This is the first area that they are set up in, and it offers shade:



(Photo by Dave, WJ2O)

They are going to spread out on each side and have radio operations tents separated – as well as the antennas.

Stay tuned!

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UPDATE II - First status report from the island
http://ky6r.com/2013/03/04/first-full-status-report-from-bob-kk6ek/

TX5K started operations on 40m SSB @ 06:15UTC on March 2, 2013.

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OFFICIAL UPDATE

We have recovered 9 cans (5 gal ea) of gasoline left on the beach by the Shogun. This was done by using the ATV and wagon to drive the 1.5 miles to the drop-off point, which was midway between Bouainville and Clipperton Rock. This gasoline will suffice for today to keep the stations running today.

We are holding 3 cans in absolute reserve. The Shogun is searching the coast for another feasible landing. In front of us the breakers are between 5 and 8 ft, so there is no possibility here. They will return to the south side and wait for higher tide. Now that we have some gas our goal is to obtain food and water.

We have backup and emergency food, so at the moment that is no threat. We are using lagoon water (filtered) for washing. WX is breezy, sunny, warming. Probably will be very hot mid-morning to afternoon.

Bob KK6EK, Team Leader TX5K

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