VK9MT Mellish Reef 2014

[IK0ZCW]

PRESS RELEASE #1

After their successful operation from Campbell Island in December 2012, six members of the ZL9HR team, and additional operators, are today announcing their intention to activate Mellish Reef in early 2014.

Mellish Reef is located in the Coral Sea, approximately 1100km north-east of Brisbane, Australia. Currently number 24 on ClubLog’s Most Wanted List, Mellish Reef was last activated in 2009. An international team will operate for 12 days, using 6 stations with linear amplifiers and vertical antennas.

Discussions are underway with the appropriate authorities and potential transport suppliers. Additional information will be available on the team’s soon to be activated web site after the documentation is finalized.

Currently signed up for the project are: Pista HA5AO, Dave K3EL, Glenn KE4KY, Jacky ZL3CW, George HA5UK, Gene K5GS and Les W2LK. As the project progresses we will announce additional operators and details.

Please direct questions to: Mellish2014@gmail.com

73,

Team Mellish 2014

[IK0ZCW]

Press release #2

Planning continues for the previously announced Mellish Reef DX-pedition scheduled for late March – early April, 2014.

Landing Authority:
Australia’s "Commonwealth Marine Reserve Operations Department" reviewed our DX-pedition project plan and requires that we follow their documented environmental protection regulations. Effective July 1, 2014 Mellish Reef becomes part of Australia’s new Coral Sea Marine Reserve proposal which implements additional restrictions to further protect the area’s ecology; we appreciate the Australian government’s cooperation and spirit of partnership in making this DX-pedition possible.

Call Sign:
VK9MT recommendation received from WIA and filed with ACMA.

Boat:
Several vessels with the appropriate survey and permit for operating in the Coral Sea have been identified.

Support Team Named:
As previously announced, this project was initiated by several members of last year’s Campbell Island DX-pedition. We are happy to announce that the Chris Chapman VK3QB, President of the Oceania DX Group (of Australia) signed on to assist with in-country administration. We welcome ODXG’s cooperation in this endeavor.

Joining the team as pilots:
Stan KH6CG, Oceania
Andre V51B, Africa
Col MM0NDX, Europe
Ralph W4HK, North America
Lee ZL2AL, New Zealand / Australia

Tim Beaumont M0URX joined the team as QSL manager. Tim is held in high regard by DX-peditioners and DXers for his outstanding performance and attention to detail.
We’re proud to have these fine gentlemen on the team.

Financial Management:
We will exercise full financial transparency in all aspects of the project. When the books are closed cubs and foundations that supported the project will receive a financial accounting.
Team members will pay all up-front expenses to get the project launched. Any surplus funds will be evenly distributed to team members who funded the project. Contributions whether from clubs, foundations or individuals will only be used to offset project costs. Team members will pay their own living expenses in, and travel to, Australia.
Critical Success Factors include managing costs; we estimate a project budget in the range of $110,000(USD).

Donations are welcomed through the web site: vk9mt.com

73,
Team Mellish 2014

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE - Heye DJ9RR and Luigi IV3YER recently joined the team.

[IK0ZCW]

DJ9RR , HA5AO , HA5UK , IV3YER , K3EL , K5GS , KE4KY , VK3HJ , W2LK will be active from Mellish Reef ( Heralds Beacon Islet ) 28 March - 9 April 2014 as VK9MT
They will be active on 160-10m CW , SSB , RTTY
QSL via M0URX , OQRS

[IK0ZCW]

Press Release #4

Many activities are underway as planning continues for the Mellish Reef DX-pedition scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014.

Joining the On-island Team:

We are happy to announce that Mike Shapiro WA6O joined the team.

Mike, originally from Moscow, Russia, has lived in the USA for the past 22 years. First licensed as UA3AIW, he operated mostly from UK3ABF, UK3ACL, and other club stations in Moscow. In 1998 he received AD6GY and WA6O in 1999. He’s a member of Northern California Contest Club, and 40m captain in N6RO contest team.

Over the years he participated in many CW contests from DX locations – with “Team Vertical” from Jamaica, Fiji, Bahamas as 6Y2A, 6Y8A, 6Y9A, 3D2XA, 3D2OK, C6AAW. He also operated from HC8N, Galapagos. Since 2003 he held a CQWW CW NA record in Single Op/Single Band (15)/Low power category. His non-contesting DX-trips include: CE0Y/WA6O, FO0SHA, and ZK1WAL. Most recently he was part of the Clipperton 2013 DX-pedition team.

In his professional life, he is a software engineer with a Ph.D. degree in computer science. He works for HP Labs in Palo Alto, CA; Mike is married and has two sons.

Joining the Pilot Team as South American pilot:

We are also happy to have Luciano Sampaio De Souza PT7WA on the Pilot Team.

Luciano entered ham radio in 1966, his first call was PY7VNY, and in 1977 he received PT7WA. He operates CW/SSB and has worked all but one DXCC entity on CW, the elusive P5. Luciano is also an IOTA enthusiast having over 975 islands confirmed. He is the QSL manager for Dx-peditions by PS7KM, PT7AA, PT7BZ, PT7NK, PY2XB and PY8AZT as well for PT7AG, PW7T and ZY7C. His many other operating awards include: 5BWAS, IOTA-900, DXCC totals: 360/340 Mixed 357/340 Phone 348/339 CW. He is the IOTA Checkpoint for Brazilian stations, PW7T Contest Station Team Member, QSL Manager for 45 stations and the PT7 QSL Bureau Manager.

Mellish Reef Landing Permission:

A question asked by the ARRL and most all major sponsors is: “ Do you have landing permission? “

We have written approval to land on Mellish Reef from the Australian government. In July we contacted the appropriate agency and asked for permission to use the reef. After about 5 weeks, and a few rounds of Questions and Answers, the agency concluded (in writing) that we do not need a permit.

Our detailed project plan was reviewed and we were asked to adhere to their documented environmental protection conditions to use the reef. Of future interest to DXers: is: on July 1, 2014 Mellish Reef will fall under a new “Coral Sea Marine Reserve Management Program.” Based on what we were told, use of the reef after that date will require a landing / use permit.

Corporate Sponsors:

Signing on as a sponsor is FoldingAntennas.Com whose “folding (hex) beam antenna” will join our antenna lineup. We are also happy to have both Elecraft and SteppIR as corporate sponsors.

Fund Raising:

We began actively raising funds in October.

We are honored to have received significant recognition from: The Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF), Oceania DX Group – Australia (ODXG), International DX Association (INDEXA), The Mediterraneo DX Association (MDXA), The Carolina DX Association (CDXA), Chiltern DX Association (CDXA), The German DX Foundation (GDXF), The European DX Foundation (EUDXF), The Lone Star DX Association (LSDXA), Southwest Ohio DX Association (SODXA), Northern California DX Club (NCDXC), and other organizations. We also began receiving assistance from individual DXers.

With a total budget of ~$127,000(USD) we certainly appreciate the recognition and look forward to hearing from interested DXers, especially those that need Mellish Reef for an All Time New One.

Donations are welcomed through the web site: vk9mt.com or by check / money order in US dollars to:

Mellish Reef 2014 DX-pedition
Gene Spinelli, Treasurer
PO Box 189
Divide, CO
USA 80814

For our friends outside the USA please use PayPal or e-mail for wire transfer instructions: info@vk9mt.com

For additional information please e-mail: info@vk9mt.com

73,

Team Mellish 2014

[IK0ZCW]

Press Release #5

Mellish Reef 2014
December 23, 2013

Mellish Reef DX-pedition is scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014.

Addition to the On-island Team:

Norbert Meyer DJ7JC Joins the Team
Norbert was first licensed in 1961 as DJ7JC. He spent his professional career in electronics, beginning with radio / television technical training and later electronic engineering-microwave research development, including teaching RF-communication techniques. He spent 35 years on all levels of management up to 15 years at CEO level of a training and research center.

Retired since 2005 Norbert is a well known DX-pedition participant. His interests include CW, DXing, SSB and digital modes, contesting, DX-peditions and traveling around the world or with his mobile home in Europe. His DX-peditions include:

TI9KK, TI7/DJ7JC, 3D20CR, FK/DJ7JC, VU4RG, VU3NLF, A31JC, 5W0NM, A31A, E51NAA, ZL/DJ7JC, W6/DJ7JC, TJ9PF, PJ4C, PJ4M, 5X8C, V84SMD, S21ZBC/S21ZBB, CQ3L, CR3L, CT9/DJ7JC, CS95A, CT8/DJ7JC, LX0HQ, LX7I, LX0RL, OH0CE, OH0/DJ7JC, TK4A, TK7JC, VK2IAW, VK2/-, VK5/-,VK6/-,VK7/- ,VK8/DJ7JC

Norbert brings many years of DX-pedition experience to the team, we welcome his participation on Mellish Reef.

Corporate Sponsors:
Signing on as sponsors are:

- DX Engineering who is fulfilling our coax requirements

- Astrid’s Embroidery who is providing our hats, tee-shirts and polo shirts

We welcome these 2 excellent firms to the project.

Boat Scheduling:
We confirmed the sailing schedule with the Evohe’s skipper, Steve Kafka. Evohe will arrive in Mackay, Australia one week prior to our departure for the reef. A DX-pedition advance team arrives at Mackay shortly after the Evohe to begin the process of consolidating and testing equipment. Depending on the weather and sea conditions our planned arrival at the reef is approximately March 28th. Radio operation will begin as soon as the HF stations are installed. Low band antennas will be installed on the 2nd day for operation beginning that night. After the DX-pedition is completed several team members will remain in Mackay to repack and ship equipment, as required.



Propagation Forecasting:
Thanks to Stu K6TU for his outstanding job in developing customized propagation prediction tools.

Please feel free to use his propagation forecasting tools to predict conditions towards VK9MT based on your location and your equipment. This prediction brought to you as a free service at K6TU.NET

https://www.k6tu.net/?q=node/add/dx-prediction-vk9mt

Or from the VK9MT.COM web site, Operating Plan tab.
◾You DO NOT need an account on Stu’s system to run this prediction.
â—¾If you would like to try other features on K6TU.NET, please go to his site and click on the Create New Account link

Fund Raising:
Donations are welcomed through the web site: vk9mt.com, please use the Donate Button on the web site to insure your name is added to the donor list automatically, or by check / money order in US dollars to:

Mellish Reef 2014 DX-pedition
Gene Spinelli, Treasurer
PO Box 189
Divide, CO
USA 80814

For our friends outside the USA please use PayPal or e-mail for wire transfer instructions: info@vk9mt.com

For additional information please e-mail: info@vk9mt.com

73,

Team Mellish 2014

[IK0ZCW]

Special Press Release

To better distribute the workload and keep as many stations on the air as possible the Mellish Reef 2014 DX-pedition team will add one additional operator to the team, bringing the total to 12.

We are seeking an experienced SSB and RTTY operator. The pile-ups will be energetic and, at times, challenging. Candidates must have the "Determination – Time – Finances" to join this exciting DX-pedition.

As with all projects of this type the team will share in the cost to launch the project. Each operator is putting up about $12,000(USD) to pay the costs associated with this DX-pedition. Surplus funds will be evenly divided across the team after the books close. Each operator will pay their own way to and from Australia, as well as their living expenses before and after the DX-pedition.

Previous DX-pedition experience is preferred but not required. We welcome a seasoned DXer who is capable of operating over an 11 day period on a rotating shift schedule. The team will sail to Mellish Reef on a 25 meter (crewed) passenger vessel with previous DX-pedition experience. You would need to be at Mackay, Australia no later than March 23, 2014 and plan to leave Mackay on April 16, 2014.

If this opportunity interests you please send a short biography of your ham radio experience to: info@vk9mt.com

As the time is short, we would appreciate hearing only from candidates who can commit to the project before January 15, 2014.

We hope to hear you in the pile-ups.

Team Mellish Reef 2014

[IK0ZCW]

Press release #6

Mellish Reef 2014
January 25, 2014

Mellish Reef DX-pedition is scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014.

Status:
We are on schedule and will soon be on autopilot. Team members booked their travel to Mackay, Australia, local contacts in Mackay are established, as well as suppliers to assist with project logistics. Generators were ordered and will ship later in February from Sydney, Australia. One of the biggest logistical challenges will be purchasing 1,400 liters of petrol. The skipper of Evohe, Steve Kafka, agreed to handle the sourcing and take delivery of the petrol removing from the team another challenge.

Antennas from SteppIR, coax / accessories from DX-Engineering and folding hex beams from foldingantennas.com will be air shipped to Australia shipped in early February from the USA. Another shipment from Hungary is also scheduled for February, some equipment will be hand carried. Joining the antenna farm is a 4 Square provided by Norbert DJ7JC.

Update to the QSL Policy:
We are happy to announce that anyone donating $50(USD) or more to VK9MT will automatically receive their QSL for all QSOs, free of charge. These donors do not need to request QSL cards or take any action to redeem the QSL. Our QSL manager, Tim Beaumont M0URX, will post the cards to all $50 donors as soon as the cards are ready, thank you Tim for this wonderful service.

Global Pilot Team:

The pilot team will manage all DX community communication between the island team and DXers. Prior to sailing we’ll update the web site with process details and e-mail addresses. While on the island we will not be checking personal e-mail accounts. Please direct operational suggestions to the pilot designated for your region.


Fund Raising:
Like all DX-peditions to rare and semi-rare DXCC entities, donations are welcomed through vk9mt.com please use the Donate Button on the web site to insure your name is automatically added to the donor list,or by check / money order in US dollars to:

Mellish Reef 2014 DX-pedition
Gene Spinelli, Treasurer
PO Box 189
Divide, CO
USA 80814

For our friends outside the USA please use PayPal or e-mail for wire transfer instructions: info@vk9mt.com

We appreciate the generosity of the foundations, clubs and individuals who have already made a donation or a commitment.

At the completion of the DX-pedition a financial summary will be sent to all club / foundation donors.

For additional information please e-mail: info@vk9mt.com

73,

Team Mellish 2014

[IK0ZCW]

Press release #7

Mellish Reef 2014
February 20, 2014

Congratulations to the FT5ZM team for their excellent operation.

Mellish Reef DX-pedition is scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014.

Status:
20140221 113627
Our equipment is on the way to Australia and the team is making last minute preparations for their journey to Australia. An advance team will arrive in Mackay, Australia on March 18th to begin the process of retrieving equipment from storage and preparing for the sea voyage. We’ll be assembling several antennas for final tuning and to verify all the parts arrived. The generators will be tested and prepared for sea shipment. We’ll have 2 small generators, 1.5KW each and 4 new 4KW inverters. Antennas will include two 18 meter SpiderPoles w/auto-tuners in the water using specially designed bases loaned to us by George Wallner, AA7JV who was on Mellish Reef with the 2009 DX-pedition, 2 folding hex beams, and several SteppIR BigIR and CrankIR antennas. We have an Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) satellite terminal for uploading logs daily to our QSL manager, as well as photos - if time permits. LoTW will be uploaded shortly after we return home.

Donation to local Boy / Girl Scout Council:
At the conclusion of the DX-pedition locally purchased items such as tents, tarps and tools will be donated to the Mackay City Central (Boy / Girl) Scout Council. We’ve arranged for them to help us with the disposition of gear that would be too expensive to ship to EU or the US.

Leaderboard:
After a team discussion the Leaderboard will not be used for VK9MT. We will be uploading to Clublog so you can check whether you're in the log. We decided that the optional Leaderboard function would not help in achieving our stated goal of providing an ATNO for as many as possible.

Global Pilot Team:

The pilot team will manage communication between the island team and DXers. While on the island we will not be checking personal e-mail accounts. Please direct operational suggestions to the designated pilot for your region. The Pilots will not have the logs so please do not ask them to verify QSOs. If you think your call is missing or busted while we are on the reef please work us again. After we leave the reef direct all logging questions to our QSL Manager, Tim M0URX tim@m0urx.com

Chief Pilot and North America Pilot: Ralph, W4HK w4hk@windstream.net

Europe: Col, MM0NDX dxer59@gmail.com

New Zealand & Australia: Lee, ZL2AL leezl2al@gmail.com

South America: Luciano, PT7WA pt7wa@globo.com

Oceania: Stan, KH6CG stan@models.net


Africa: Andre, V51B anro@iway.na

Upcoming Hamfest Season:
Several members of the VK9MT on-island team will be attending the Dayton Hamvention and the Friedrichshafen Ham Radio - International Exhibition for Radio Amateurs, as well as local ham club meetings and conventions.

Fund Raising:
We are honored to receive a grant from the ARRL’s Colvin Award Committee. The Colvin Award is funded by an endowment established by Lloyd Colvin, W6KG (SK), who, with his wife Iris, W6QL (SK), logged more than 1 million contacts during their world travels, and assembling one of the largest QSL collections in the world.

Like all DX-peditions to rare and semi-rare DXCC entities, donations are welcomed through vk9mt.com please use the Donate Button on the web site to insure your name is automatically added to the donor list,or by check / money order in US dollars to:

Mellish Reef 2014 DX-pedition
Gene Spinelli, Treasurer
PO Box 189
Divide, CO
USA 80814

For our friends outside the USA please use PayPal or e-mail for wire transfer instructions: info@vk9mt.com

We appreciate the generosity of the foundations, clubs and individuals who have already made a donation or a commitment. At the completion of the DX-pedition a financial summary will be sent to all club / foundation donors.

For additional information please e-mail: info@vk9mt.com

Beginning on, or about, March 19th we will send regular updates to the DX bulletins as we consolidate the equipment load the boat and set sail for Mellish Reef.

73,

Team Mellish 2014

[IK0ZCW]

Mellish Reef 2014 UPDATE

Mellish Reef DXpedition is scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014.

During the period of time that the VK9MT Team will be travelling both to and from Mellish Reef, and while involved in radio operations upon the reef, there will be no communications with the Team except via the established pilot network. All comment sections on Facebook, and our webpage, will be turned off. The auto publish function of the Guestbook entries will also be deactivated temporarily.

Should there be any comments or suggestions one wishes to send to the Team, please direct those comments to the appropriate Pilot for your geographical area.

Also, Pilots will have no access to the log during, or after, the DXpediton. All inquiries of this nature should be directed to the QSL Manager once the operation is QRT. As always, if unsure of a QSO, please work the Team again.

VK9MT Team

[IK0ZCW]

Mellish Reef DXpedition is scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014.

The Advance Team leaves for Australia on Sunday, March 16th, arriving Tuesday, March 18th. All equipment arrived in Australia and is at our partner firm. During the time we are at sea and during radio operations there will be no personal e-mail communications with the Team. Look to the DX bulletins for updates. We plan to update them using a satellite data terminal. If sea conditions permit there will be Maritime Mobile operation.

Comment sections on Facebook and our webpage will be turned off. The auto-publish function of the Guestbook entries will temporarily deactivated. Please direct comments / suggestions to the Pilot for (or closest to) your area. Pilot assignments and e-mail addresses are posted on vk9mt.com

Pilots will not have the logs during, or after, the DXpediton. All log inquiries should be directed to the QSL Manager (M0URX) once the operation is QRT. If unsure of a QSO, work us again. Radio operations will use split, please follow the operator’s instructions. We are not arranging skeds. There will be no EME or planned 6 meter operation.

Next Update from Mackay, Australia.

VK9MT Team

[IK0ZCW]

VK9MT – Mellish Reef 2014 UPDATE

Mellish Reef DXpedition is scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014.

The Advance Team arrived in Mackay on March 18th – 19th. After many connections and over 30 hours of plane / layover time from EU and US we finally arrived at hotel. Next morning we met the owner of the receiving firm and began the task of inventorying the shipments and opening the crates and barrels. We spent the better part of two days at shops around Mackay buying items we thought too expensive to ship round trip from the US and EU.

The boat arrived from Dunedin, New Zealand on the 17th and we visited with the skipper and crew. We have a parking pass and access key for the marina so we’re loading the the boat in small loads rather than hiring a trucking firm to bring everything at once. The crew has been very helpful with the loading process. Other team members will be arriving over the next few days

Today, in between rain showers, we will test the generators, assemble antennas that we received directly from SteppIR and make final tuning adjustments to the folding hex beams that we were unable to do in the US because of the cold and snow. The people we’ve met in Mackay at the various firms we visited have all be very helpful, offering us assistance as we require.

Next update in a few days.

73,
Team Mellish 2014

[IK0ZCW]

VK9MT – Mellish Reef 2014 UPDATE

Mellish Reef DXpedition is scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014.

The full team assembled in Mackay and has been busy with assigned tasks and making preparations for sailing. The boat will have a crew of 5 experienced sailors and 11 passengers. After several days of continuous rain, the boat is loaded with all our radio equipment, stocked with food and other essentials. The humidity has been excessive and very uncomfortable to those of us unaccustomed to such conditions.

Our equipment arrived in Australia in excellent condition. We assembled the CrankIR antennas and made final tuning adjustment to the folding hex beams. All antennas tuned to specification. On Sunday we met with the Mackay Boy / Girl Scout Council who will receive some of our surplus equipment.

Current plan is to take on fuel for the boat and petrol for the generators at about 1000 (local) on March 25th – immediately after fueling we will set sail for Mellish Reef, as scheduled. The team is in good spirits and eager to get underway, seasickness medication in hand.

We ask that everyone please listen for the operator’s directions and we will do our best to get you in the log. We will see you in the pile-ups.

[IK0ZCW]

VK9MT – Mellish Reef 2014 UPDATE

Mellish Reef DXpedition is scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014.

1. After 3 miserable days of nasty seas we arrived at Mellish Reef on March 28, at 1:25PM (Local)

2. Equipment is being taken ashore using the Zodiac

3. Do not expect any operation until sometime on the 29th

4. We run out of sunlight at about 6:30PM and can not (at this early stage of the project) take people back and forth at night.

5. The temperature is 38c with about 65% humidity

6. First casualty is one of the computers which quit at power up

Mellish Reef 2014 Team

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE II – QSL manager M0URX reports:

For your information regarding the various pirate or slim QSOs that appeared on the bands at the weekend. The FIRST QSO was logged on 30/03/2014 at 0434z. Any slims before that please consider as pirate. If all goes well I should receive logs daily and will upload to Club Log. Any logging issues should be directed to myself and not the pilots. If you have a missing Q, always best to try again – or ask me to check log for you. LoTW – I expect to upload to LoTW (full log) shortly after the DXpedition when the certificate has been granted.

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE – We are getting into what will be our routine for the remainder of the operation. The team members are in good spirits, handling their maintenance tasks and operating during their assigned shift. The team is split into two shifts, to give 24 hour coverage. Propagation has been excellent, we’re hearing the world. The high bands in particular are very productive. While we are satisfied with our rates, we believe they can be better with your help..

On SSB do not continually call. Sending your call once or twice when the op calls QRZ is sufficient. What’s happening is far too many of you are calling when you should be listening. Even if the op calls you the chances are you’ll still be calling and miss your chance. This is a real problem with the EU pile-ups. EU pile-ups are very slow and tiring for the ops, especially on SSB.

On CW many people send their call 2 – 3 times AFTER the op has called you. The op already has you in the log, if an op isn’t sure of your call sign he’ll ask for a repeat. Do not send your call sign multiple times after being called.

You may wondering why some of the ops standby for VK. Australia is our host country yet its ops have great difficulty breaking through the pile-up because of their proximity to Mellish Reef. Sometimes people don’t understand this and cause deliberate QRM. This behaviour will not be tolerated, if jamming occurs the op will QRT. We heard a pirate using VK9MT during a CW pile-up. What more can we say.

The weather continues to be a challenge. Temperatures during the day are very hot and the wind never stops. We spend time every day repairing antennas and resetting guy stakes. The island is a big sandbar and sinking a guy anchor into a solid base isn’t possible.

The team eager to get you in the log, you can help them by following the op’s instruction.

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE – We know of the recent earthquake in Chile. The boat has an on-board tsunami alert system that tracks our position against the event. The skipper informs us that we are not in any danger whatsoever. However, he did say if we see him running, we would best be right behind him.

We’ve had some e-mail server problems but they now seem to be resolved, we are sending and receiving e-mail. The logs were sent to our QSL manager. If you get duplicate e-mails please delete as necessary. I don’t have the time to fix the distribution lists. The team is now well into a daily operating routine, which, weather permitting, we will follow for the rest of the expedition. The equipment continues to work well. We are aware there was a CW keying issue with one of the stations, this should now be resolved. The 160 antenna is installed and should get a workout tonight. The pile-ups continue to be energetic and fun. We’re getting good cooperation from the DX community, although at times things can get chaotic when the pile-up attempts to control the operator. We know our call sign, please don’t repeat it to us. We want you in the log, so please follow the op’s instructions.

[IK0ZCW]

FLASH NEWS

For immediate release

The skipper is monitoring a tropical depression several days north of Mellish Reef. This severe weather has the potential to disrupt operations. We have at least 24 hours before any decision is made on how to proceed, we have plans to deal with the situation.

At 0700, April 3rd (local) we plan the following:

1. All unnecessary equipment will be removed from the island, leaving just the operating tents, radio equipment, generators and antennas.

2. Depending on the intensity of the weather we may be forced to terminate the operation early. Another alternative is to temporarily leave the island and return when safe.

3. Any decision to modify or terminate the operation is at least 24 hours away. The safety of the DX-pedition team and the crew is the first priority.

4. To better use the time on the island we ask that band fills be suspended and only people that need Mellish Reef for an All Time New One call us.

5. For at least the next 24 hours we will focus our attention to those bands that drive highest rates to maximize ATNOs.

As news develops we will send out additional information.

Team Mellish 2014

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE @0400ut - The wind continues to blow very hard. We will remain on the island for at least 18 more hours. The skipper is watching the weather maps throughout today and into the night. He’ll reassess the situation tomorrow morning and make a decision. The tents are holding up well, but with the wind noise and flapping of the tent walls is quite noisy we’re having some difficulty with the noise.

The antennas continue to play well, however they are somewhat bent over by the high winds and need continual maintenance. The team is holding up very well, other than one cut finger, no other injuries.

We’re working on the logs and will send an update shortly after this bulletin goes out. We’re making about 7,000 Qs a day, propagation drops out several times a day. The productive bands are the usual HF frequencies.

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE @ 12:45ut. The winds continue to be very strong. We experienced antenna damage and are reassessing the situation; we have alternatives. We are running 4 stations tonight due to antenna damage. The generators and radios are doing well. The KPA-500 Power Amplifiers are doing well.

We are on a different operating plan, with frequent breaks because of the weather. You will hear us QRX for up to an hour, then return. We are receiving requests for specific geographic / band operation. Under the circumstances these will be almost impossible to fulfil.

The skipper will assess the weather situation throughout the night and decide if it’s safe to remain at Mellish Reef. At the moment we’re on the island and operating.

[IK0ZCW]

VK9MT IS QRT

Having decided it was unsafe to continue operating, the team went QRT @03:30ut today and will leave Mellish Reef soon.

A full press report will follow later..

[IK0ZCW]

VK9MT IS QRT

Due to the ever worsening weather associated with an impending tropical storm, the team decided in the interest of safety to end the operation early. The last night on the island was extremely difficult. With continued heavy rain and wind, radio operations were nearly impossible. We have set sail for the Australian coast and seek a course to keep ahead of the storm that caused us to leave the reef. Expect 2.5 – 3 days of sailing prior to reaching our port destination.

While the team is disappointed, we realize that you are even more disappointed. We gave one elderly ZS amateur his last one for Top of the Honor Roll, a PP1 his Honor Roll position and many all time new ones. Based on the logs there were many band fills.

We would like to acknowledge the generosity of the clubs, foundations, individual donors and our corporate sponsors. And a special thanks to Steve Kafka and the Evohe crew for their endless runs to the island, help with every logistical task during the trip, and the strong backs of his young crew doing the heavy lifting.

[IK0ZCW]

FINAL PRESS RELEASE

VK9MT Mellish Reef was activated on 30 March at 04:34z with ZL4PW first in the log and went QRT on 4 April at 1353z with JL1MTY closing the log.

Our decision to leave the island didn’t come easily; safety was always the first priority. Just as the last QSO was made it became clear we could not remain on the island another day. It was 01:00 (local) when the rain began. The wind was blowing at about 35 – 40 knots; we had water infiltrating the operating tents and the antennas were taking a severe beating. Over the 6 days we were on the island the weather grew progressively worse each day.

After a short meeting the on-island operators decided to QRT and begin packing the equipment in pelican cases for protection. We spent the next several hours packing equipment using head and hand torches.

When the Zodiac arrived for the 6AM shift change we began taking down the antennas and tents. Once the storm was officially declared Cyclone Ita there was no question we made the correct decision.

Our 10 day goal was 80,000 QSOs and as much RTTY as possible. In 5 days we made 40,000 Qs which put us on track for the original target.

ClubLog QSO summary:

- Europe 36.1%

- Asia 29.8%

- North America 29.1%

- Oceania 3.4%

- South America 1.2%

- Africa 0.4%

Modes:

- CW 61%

- SSB 30.5%

- RTTY 8.6%

All Time New One:

- All modes 26.1%

Unique Calls:

- 32.1%

The team of eleven operators and five boat crew worked well together. The measure of success isn’t how well one follows the plan but instead how we react to the unplanned. The weather required significant plan changes. Until we arrived at the reef the skipper was unable to determine if nighttime travel to and from the reef was possible. As it turned out, because of the many coral heads, the reef could only be travelled during daylight hours when the underwater coral was visible.

We watched Mellish Reef weather for weeks before leaving but Cyclone Ita required us to improvise, adapt and overcome. We knew things would get worse as reports of death and destruction came in from the Solomon Islands.

While disappointed, we are happy to have given ATNOs, band fills and to have put people on the Honor Roll and Top of the Honor Roll.

We appreciate the support from the corporate sponsors, foundations, clubs and the individual donors. When the books are closed we’ll provide an accounting to the clubs and foundations.

The team received many e-mails from the global DX community; we thank you for your concern, kind words and understanding.

Logs, QSLs and LoTW:

Our QSL manager Tim M0URX reports he’s made great progress with busted and missing calls. ClubLog is up to date with the most current logs, and is updated as problems are resolved.

LoTW will be uploaded at the time this Press Release is distributed.

It is estimated that the actual QSL cards will be in the mail by the end of July.

Those donating $50USD or more do not have to request their QSL; Tim will handle this for you.

Upcoming Hamfest Season:

Several members of the VK9MT on-island team will be attending the Dayton Hamvention and the Friedrichshafen Ham Radio – International Exhibition for Radio Amateurs, as well as local ham club meetings and conventions.

For additional information please e-mail: info@vk9mt.com

73,

Team Mellish 2014