K1N Navassa Island DXpedition 2015

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

22 October 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From The KP1-5 project
RE: Navassa Island (KP1) Operation
Dated: 22 October 2014

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has notified the KP1-5 Project that they will be the team to activate Navassa Island (KP1) in January 2015.

The DXpedition will be a maximum of fourteen days. The exact dates in January will be determined by USFWS mission requirements and weather windows.

Our experienced team of fifteen is complete and is ready for the challenge. The weeks ahead will be extremely busy as the team has less than 90 days before the DXpedition comes on the air.

January is the month of minimum bird nesting activity and this is the primary reason USFWS is asking that the operation be completed during that month. However, the weather is unpredictable in January and because Navassa is surrounded by cliffs, this may preclude a safe landing by boat. For safety reasons and in order to maximize our time on the Island and on the air, a helicopter operation is planned. Navassa is over 100 miles (160 km) from the nearest helicopter staging point and as many as ten round trips will be required at the beginning and end of the operation. Obviously, this means that there will be a significant cost for activating this #1 ranked DXCC entity.

In the next few weeks, we be working with USFWS and as details firm up, we will issue periodic press releases. Check our webpage, the KP1-5 Project (http://kp1-5.com/new/index.htm) for more details of the operation and how you may financially support this DXpedition.

The KP1-5 Project team has committed to fund 50% of the total costs. We are hopeful the DX community will fund the remainder.

- for The KP1-5 Project,

Bob Allphin, K4UEE, President
Glenn Johnson, WØGJ, Vice-president
Mike Thomas, NA5U, Secretary

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

29 October 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From The KP1-5 project
RE: Navassa Island (KP1) Operation
We are pleased to announce that the new Navassa 2015 DXpedition website is up and running. It can be found at http://www.navassadx.com.

Also, it is official...our call sign will be K1N.

Team members are: AA7JV, KØIR, K4UEE, K5AC, K9CT, KT4TTT, N2OO, N2TU, N4GRN, N6MZ, NA5U, NM1Y, WØGJ, W6IZT, WB9Z.

We will update the website often as more information becomes available. We are working closely with the USFWS and are pleased with their "can do" attitude. We should have specific dates shortly, but the team has cleared their schedules to be available for the two week operation starting in late January 2015.

Fundraising has begun. If able, we encourage you to financially support the project.

73,

for the DXpedition team
Bob K4UEE, Glenn WØGJ, Mike NA5U

[IK0ZCW]

Bob-K4UEE, George-N4GRN, and Gregg-W6IZT were assisted by Wes-W3WL, Randy-K4ODL, Ron-K4DS, and Wey-K8EAB ... the gear from FT5ZM was inventoried, checked, and sorted prior to packing up for Navassa ... the site was warehouse space at Belevedere Plaza in Decatur, GA ...

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

Recently, the KP1-5 Project announced plans to activate the #1 most-need DXCC entity – Navassa Island (KP1). This is the same group that conducted the highly successful DXpedition to Desecheo Island (K5D) in 2009. This operation is scheduled for 14 days and will occur in late January, 2015.

The DXpedition leaders, Bob Allphin, K4UEE and Dr. Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, have assembled a terrific team of great operators with many years of DXpedition experience. They are: Lou – N2TU; Ralph – K0IR; Jeff – NM1Y; Gregg – W6IZT; Mike – N6MZ; George – N4GRN; Tim – K5AC; Tomi – KT4TTT (HA7RY); Jerry – WB9Z; Bob – N2OO; Mike – NA5U; Craig – K9CT; George – AA7JV. Included are four members of the CQ DX Hall of Fame: W0GJ, K0IR, N2OO and K4UEE.

The last major operation from Navassa Island was 1993…a generation ago! Since then, Navassa Island has climbed steadily back to the very top of the most wanted list. Our goal is to give everyone who needs a contact for an all-time new one (ATNO) at least one QSO. Secondarily, we will provide band/mode contacts for those chasing the DXCC Challenge and other awards.

The team will be QRV 24/7 on 160m-6m CW, SSB, and RTTY modes. The operation will be based around the lighthouse area on the island. We plan eight stations….all using Elecraft K3?s, a full complement of antennas, and 500 watt amplifiers.

As with all DXpeditions to “Top Ten” DXCC entities, this is a costly venture. The expenses total just over $300,000 – due to the necessity of using helicopters. Each operator must contribute a minimum of $7,500 plus personal expenses by paying their own way to/from the helicopter departure point. They will be away from work, home and family for three weeks and are all prepared for the financial and physical risks inherent in a major DXpedition of this magnitude.

The DXpedition team has committed to pay 50% of the total costs. The KP1-5 Project needs the support of the worldwide DX Community to pay the other half of the costs. We believe this is a fair arrangement for the team and DXers alike.

INDEXA has made an extremely generous contribution to the project and was first to offer support. Now, other DX Clubs have offered support as well but we need broad participation on the part of DX Clubs worldwide. We also need the help of individual DXers, not only from North America, but also from Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania.
Since the DXpeditions is planned for January 2015, time is quite short to raise the necessary funds. So, please consider a generous contribution to this project. To have your club or organization’s logo included with the QSL card please contribute $500 or more; or $250 to have your club’s name included with the QSL card. Individual contributions of $100 or more will be listed with the QSL card. Everyone who supports the DXpedition will be listed and properly recognized on our website.

We encourage you to visit the Navassa Island website http://www.navassadx.com and donate via the PayPal link. It’s free and easy. Or you can contribute with a major credit card, even without a PayPal account. If that is not convenient, you may make a check or money order payable to The KP1-5 Project and mail to Mike Thomas NA5U at to the address shown below. Remember to put your clubs name on the “for” line.

Please mail all contributions to:
The KP1-5 Project
C/o Mike Thomas, NA5U
5717 Puerto Vallarta Dr.
North Richland Hills, TX 76180

[IK0ZCW]

UPDATE

A K1N teammember stated today that K1N will most propably active in window 25 Jan - 13 Feb, so no time/freq conflicts with #EP6T

https://twitter.com/RockallDX/status/532996924954411008

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

4 December 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From The KP1-5 project
RE: K1N Navassa Island DXpedition

The KP1-5 Project and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have been working together on preparations for our joint 14 day visit to Navassa Island NWR. Although the actual dates may still vary, it now appears we will begin transport to the Island during the last week of January 2015.

Our container of equipment and supplies will depart late in December enroute to our helicopter staging area. All of our equipment is being assembled, tested and packed.

We have visited and contracted with the largest helicopter operations group in the Caribbean to transfer personnel and equipment to the island. Our window of opportunity, dictated by USFWS, is during the period of least bird nesting. But it is also the time of the most treacherous seas, making a safe sea landing of all our equipment and people all but impossible. The famous "ladder" used to access the island at Lulu Bay was removed when the U.S. Coast Guard turned administration over to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. For safety reasons, the USFWS uses helicopter transport to the island and we will too. Consequently, and as one might expect, the costs of this DXpedition are quite high. The team has contributed approximately half of the total cost. Foundations such as NCDXF and INDEXA have been very generous, as have a number of DX Clubs and individuals, and for this generosity, we are deeply grateful!

The particulars of this DXpedition require more "up front" payments than most DXpeditions and we have a "cash flow timing" situation that needs to be addressed. The helicopter contractual agreement requires all charter costs to be paid prior to the conclusion of the project. Many older hams need a mode or band fill from Navassa, but an entire generation has grown up without Navassa being on the air. Hence, it has risen to the #1 Most Wanted on the ClubLog list. If you need Navassa for an all-time new one (ATNO), or for a particular band or mode, we could use your financial help. If you plan to help support the DXpedition, we ask that you do so now, not later.

We have an excellent team of fifteen operators who will be manning eight stations 24 hours/day, dedicated to giving out as many contacts as possible over the two week period.

Your generous financial gift will help insure a most successful DXpedition for all!

Please visit http://www.navassadx.com for details.

For the KP1-5 Project,

Bob Allphin, K4UEE, president
Glenn Johnson, WØGJ, vice president
Mike Thomas, NA5U, secretary

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

30 December 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From The KP1-5 project
RE: K1N Navassa Island DXpedition

It is now about four weeks before K1N goes on the air. The exact date of departure from the staging area will be dependent upon a combination of the date U.S. FWS transportation is available and upon weather windows. It is looking like K1N will be QRV the first two weeks of February.

Most of the team have their bags packed and are ready to go. Because of the helicopter logistics, this will be a no-frills-minimum-comfort operation for the team. Meals will be MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). The container has been organized for a quick camp setup and quick radio/antenna setup to take advantage of every moment. It is estimated there will be two full days of helicopter shuttles to get everything needed to start operations. A small team of FWS personnel will accompany us, including armed Federal Law Enforcement Officers.

Efficiency is not just for the team, but also for the DX community. It has been over 22 years since Navassa was activated and USFWS will not allow another operation for at least ten more years. This is a ONCE IN 32 YEARS opportunity to work Navassa! Everyone can make the most of this opportunity by LISTENING to the operator's instructions and following the cadence of the operator. We will not be working all modes on all bands, but limiting most bands to a specific mode, so that we can work the pileups down to the last little pistol.

Fund raising has been going well. The team has contributed about half of the total budget. For those in the U.S., it is possible to make a year-end tax-deductible donation, directed through the Northern California DX Foundation. See http://www.navassadx.com/ncdxf.htm.

We have a Facebook page to watch and a Twitter feed (@navassa2015) to follow along.

For the KP1-5 Project,
Bob Allphin K4UEE
Glenn Johnson WØGJ
Mike Thomas NA5U

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

17 January 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From The KP1-5 project
RE: K1N Navassa Island DXpedition

Navassa: A once in 32 year opportunity!

Within two weeks the K1N Navassa DXpedition should be QRV with up to 7-8 stations. Our exact departure date will be decided at the last moment by USFWS and weather windows. The team will be arriving at our staging point a few days before the earliest possible window and will be ready for a rapid deployment. As soon as USFWS has landed on the island and declared it is safe to proceed, we will start the helicopter flights and commence operations. We hope to have a basic camp established by the end of the first day and if things go extremely well, we hope to have several stations on the air by nightfall on the second day. Helicopter deployment will continue for a total of three days before the camp is fully established. A boat landing is not possible this time of year and also helicopter sling loads off our standby vessel are impossible. So, additional equipment and supplies will be moved ashore with manpower. This will not be an easy project!
The K1N operation is your only opportunity in 32 years to work this #1 Most Wanted Entity. It has been 22 years since the last operation and USFWS will not permit another operation for at least ten years. For these reasons, and in the spirit of worldwide cooperation and good will, we ask that if you already have QSOs with Navassa on certain bands from a previous operation, PLEASE DO NOT CALL US ON THAT BAND! ClubLog Leader Board will be turned off for obvious reasons.

The latest details and pictures can be found at http://www.navassadx.com. This web page is now available in 44 languages, including, of course, Klingon! We are leaving no one out of this DXpedition because of its rarity. Our stations will be at "the usual" DX frequencies, listening up, but in some cases, down, for certain parts of the world's band plan. It is absolutely necessary to listen to the instructions of the DXpedition operator. We have a Facebook page to watch and a Twitter feed (@navassa2015) to follow for instant updates. We will be listening in the U.S. General/Advanced bands.

Band modes will be somewhat limited in an all-out effort to work the bands down to the last station (and Klingon) for this unique opportunity. At least one station will be on 20 meters 24 hours/day. 160M and 12M will be CW only and 10M will be SSB only. Other bands will in some pattern, alternating CW & SSB. At least one station will always be on RTTY, and we will operate RTTY on no more than three bands. N2OO Bob, is our chief pilot. HK1R Jorge, is our South American pilot, JA1ELY Toshi, (assisted by Yuki JH1NBN) for Asia, MMØNDX Col, for Europe, V51B Andre, for Africa and ZL2AL Lee, for Oceania. Nodir EY8MM is our deep Asia pilot where propagation will be weakest. Our U.S. pilots are K2SG Tony, and KF5NYQ Brandon, is our youth pilot. You can contact your pilot via email; each pilot's address is on his team bio page on our website. Pilots are your way to provide important feedback to the team on the island. Be concise and make your comments pertinent. The worldwide feedback will be prioritized, summarized and forwarded to the Island. Pilots will attempt to answer questions if they are able to do so. Pilots will NOT have access to the logs so do not ask about busted calls, log entries, etc. Logs will be uploaded several times daily to ClubLog.

As you can see in the following propagation prediction diagram for North America, we will have high grade communication on several bands 24 hours daily. The same is true for South America.



Contrast this to the predicted propagation to Japan and India:

-

Europe has some variability, but Poland shows an "average" propagation for the European continent. There should be 24 hours of daily propagation to Europe…on some band!



You should be grateful to have others standby while we work YOU for an All Time New One. It is only fair to ask that YOU stand by while work others for an All Time New One. As can be seen on the European diagram, we ask for patience in Europe while we work into deep Asia and other areas, as the band openings are nearly simultaneous. Please LISTEN to the operator's instructions. We will not work stations from outside the area we are calling. With cooperation, everyone will get into our logs FASTER!
Deliberate QRM has been a major hindrance on both ends of the pileups in recent years and is worsening. There is a tab on our website where you can help us identify QRMing stations. This tab will not be active until the DXpedition comes on the air. By entering the data requested, and if enough data is entered, even with crude or rough beam headings, a "heat map" can be produced with mathematical analysis of the data. This was covertly tested during the recent FT4TA Tromelin DXpedition and even with limited data input; several deliberate QRMing stations could be identified within a very small area! Again, the more data that is provided the more accurate the "heat" can be put on offending stations. The QRM problem is one reason we are not publishing our operating frequencies, but we will be on or near the "usual" DXpedition frequencies. If we do experience QRM, we have planned tactics to minimize the malicious interference. Hint: Listen, LISTEN and LISTEN MORE for us….we might try to "wiggle" out of it! We will also try hard to keep our splits narrow as possible to avoid annoying non-DXers who have been known to "bother" a pileup.

K1N QSL information/manager:

Bob Schenck, N2OO
P.O. Box 345
Tuckerton, NJ 08087 USA

U.S.A. Direct: Minimum S.A.S.E. (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope)

World Direct: S.A.E. (Self-Addressed Envelope) plus minimum $2 or 1 IRC

OQRS Direct and bureau: via CLUBLOG

Regular Bureau: via N2OO c/o the W2 QSL Bureau

LOTW: Sooner rather than later.

We greatly appreciate the generous contributions from individuals and DX clubs around the world! We are just shy of meeting our transportation obligations and have yet to meet the cost of "the rest" of the DXpedition. As always, we encourage contributions to help meet the uncovered expenses. The team has contributed basically half of the entire cost and would appreciate any possible help. U.S. donations could be tax-deductible through NCDXF. (See instructions on our website.)

The next press release will be when the landing operations commence. After that, daily progress and pictures will be posted on the website.

From the K1N Navassa Team:
Bob K4UEE, Glenn WØGJ, Mike NA5U, George AA7JV, Ralph KØIR, John K6MM, Craig K9CT, Tomi KT4TTT, Lou N2TU, George N4GRN, Mike N6MZ, Jeff NM1Y, John W2GD, Gregg W6IZT & Jerry WB9Z

….we hope to see you in the logs!!!

[IK0ZCW]

Preparations for the K1N Navassa DXpedition 2015

PowerPoint presentation for SEDXC January 2015 (converted to video)

Hamnation #180 K1N

Bob K4UEE interview by Val NV9L on Ham Nation on http://www.twit.tv


News / Updates

22 January 2015

Three team members sailed for Navassa aboard "Electra" very early this morning. George AA7JV, Tomi HA7RY, Mike N6MZ and crew made it across the Gulf Stream and are safely in the Bahamas for the night. It's ON!
Pictures HERE.

Photos

Heading for the Island!

January 22, 2015:

The "going by boat" team left Miami Beach at 0330 EST. They crossed the Gulf Stream and arrived at Chub Cay in the Bahamas around 3:30p local.
Aboard are George AA7JV, Tomi HA7RY, Mike N6MZ, and the crew. Here's crew member Mike showing his passport with his very first stamp; this is Mike's first trip outside the US:



Here's the "Electra" in the marina at Chub Cay in the Bahamas:

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

January 24, 2015:

Skipper Roy looking for a good spot at which to anchor for the night:



Here is Suzette preparing to drop anchor:

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

January 26, 2014:

After an uneventful overnight passage we arrived at Great Inagua this morning. George AA7JV wasted no time in getting into his wetsuit to do a little free diving. The result was a nice lobster which will supplement Suzette's wonderful supper:


Left to right: Tomi KT4TTT, George AA7JV, Mike N6MZ
(in some pretty great looking shirts!)

Skipper Roy a-fishin':



Score: Shark=1, Roy (and little blackfin tuna)=0:

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

27 January 2015

Electra is anchored on the south side of Great Inagua, 170 nautical miles north of Navassa. The weather is slowly deteriorating with winds at 15 knots (at 09:00 AM). Winds are expected to increase during the next three days to 25 - 30 knots. We will move today to find a more comfortable anchorage ahead of the stronger winds.
The forecast for the period of Jan 30 - Feb 03 is not favorable. Winds in the Windward Passage (between Cuba and Haiti) are forecast to start blowing from the north-east at 20 knots on the 30th, increasing to 25 to 30 knots on the 31st. Winds will remain strong in the passage until Feb 02. Around Navassa, winds are likely to be lighter, around 15 knots, the afternoon of Jan 31 and on Feb 01. (It appears that Navassa is somewhat in the wind shadow of the mountains of Haiti.) Feb 02 - 03 are forecast to have very light winds around Navassa, but a strong swell will start building up from the south-east, reaching 2.5 meters by Feb 03. Because of the swells, we are likely to have only Feb 01 and 02 to unload gear and supplies.

Our current plan is the following:

We plan to sail from Great Inagua the afternoon of Jan 30 in a north-easterly 20 knot weather. Winds will be mostly blowing from the aft quarter, which, we hope, will make the conditions tolerable. We will skirt the western tip of Haiti and hope to stay in the lee of the island during the night of the 30th and most of the 31st, when winds will be reaching 30 knots in the Windward Passage. We will then approach Navassa from the north east and review the conditions at the island. Hopefully, Lulu bay will be tenable and we will be able to spend the night there. We plan to start off-loading the afternoon of Jan 31 and during the day on Feb 01.

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

28 January 2015

Ten team members arrived in Jamaica today and the final two (coming by air) are expected tomorrow. The work begins at 7a processing the container under oversight of Jamaican officials. Tomorrow will be a work-intensive day.

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

29 January 2015

Today was spent unloading the container, staging and dealing with Jamaican government officials.

Today was spent at the Ian Fleming Aerodrome emptying the container, inventorying, managing Jamaican official inspections; lots of heavy lifting:





Here's the team at the end of the day:


Left to right: Glenn WØGJ, Gregg W6IZT, George N4GRN, Bob K4UEE, Lou N2TU, Craig K9CT, Jerry WB9Z, Ralph KØIR and John K6MM.
Photo by Mike NA5U

[IK0ZCW]

AA7JV , K0IR , K4UEE , K6MM , K9CT , KT4TTT (HA7RY), N2TU , N4GRN , N6MZ , NA5U , NM1Y , W0GJ , W2GD , W6IZT , WB9Z from Navassa Island in February 2015 as K1N
They will be active during 14 days
QSL via N2OO

Pilots:
N2OO Chief Pilot
EY8MM - Central Asia
HK1R - South America
JA1ELY - Asia Zone 25
K2SG - North America
KF5NYQ - Youth pilot
MM0NDX - Europe
V51B - Africa
ZL2AL - Oceania

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

29 January 2015

Today the staging at Ian Fleming International Airport went very well. All Jamaican officials seemed satisfied and we are cleared to depart when ready. The helicopter arrived ahead of schedule, benefitting from a strong tailwind.
Tonight we'll have a wonderful Jamaican dinner that includes seven members of the Jamaica Amateur Radio Association, who will drive several hours for the dinner. The flight crew will join us as well.

The excitement is building!!!

Today was spent emptying the container, inventorying, managing Jamaican official inspections; lots of heavy lifting:


Yes, that Ian Fleming..


Mr. Dudley Beek allowed us to use his hanger for staging; thank you!


Getting security passes allowing us on the tarmac


Jamaican inspectors


Opening the container for the first time since Atlanta


Jamaican inspectors donning protective gear prior to inspecting the container


George AA7JV opening an MRE box for the inspectors


Inspecting MREs (Meals Ready to Eat)


Our helicopter arrives (early!)


Helicopter weight chart; no room for error


Helicopter loads #1 and #2 staged and ready to go! (in a couple of days..)


We have a LOT of stuff!


Half our water..


Half our gasoline

Here's most of the team at the end of the day:


Left to right: Glenn WØGJ, Gregg W6IZT, George N4GRN, Bob K4UEE, Lou N2TU, Craig K9CT,
Jerry WB9Z, Ralph KØIR and John K6MM.
Photo by Mike NA5U


Heliodosa pilots joined us for dinner


Nigel 6Y5HN, President of the Jamaica Amateur Radio Association at dinner

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

30 January 2015

Electra" had to run for cover. The remnants of the huge storm hitting the NE US are now sweeping across the Caribbean. Yesterday "Electra" diverted to Port Antonio on the NE Jamaica coast to escape 20 foot seas. Everyone is fine. And the team from "Electra" joined us at the Ian Fleming International Airport.
The staging at Ian Fleming International Airport went very well yesterday. All Jamaican officials seemed satisfied and we are cleared to depart when ready. The helicopter arrived ahead of schedule, benefitting from a strong tailwind.

Last evening we had a wonderful Jamaican dinner that included seven members of the Jamaica Amateur Radio Association, who drove several hours for the dinner. The flight crew joined us as well.

The excitement is building!!!

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

30 January 2015

After inspection yesterday, all the gear was reloaded into a container and re-sealed. This morning we get to open it again to get ready to stage (again):




Yep; still all there!


More heavy lifting


Loading the first load into the helicopter (in the rain)








Then the requisite "milling about"


Here's the team, raring to go! (tomorrow)
(Click the image to see it larger)
Left to right: Jerry WB9Z, Craig K9CT, Lou N2TU, Ralph KØIR, John K6MM, John W2GD, Gregg W6IZT,
Glenn WØGJ, Jeff NM1Y, George N4GRN, Bob K4UEE, Mike NA5U, Mike NM6Z, Tomi KT4TTT
not pictured: George AA7JV

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

31 January 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From The KP1-5 project
RE: K1N Navassa Island DXpedition

Navassa: We're on the way!

As you know, our plan was to begin helicopter trips this morning as soon as USFWS gave us the go-ahead. We hoped to get in as many as three trips in today.
Because of the presence of a congressional delegation in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, air services prevented the first of the two Navassa-bound USFWS helicopter flights to take off until 1830z. The first flight carried three of the six USFWS personnel, so the helicopter had to return to Guantanmo Bay and return with the remaining three USFWS people. It's about an hour each way so all of the above equals delay.

We received the call at 1830z with the OK to start our trips. Our first flight left a few minutes later at 1900z and should land about 2030z. It's a two-hour round trip between Jamaica and Navassa so we won't get but one flight completed today.

The first flight contained infrastructure materials and three K1N operators: George N4GRN, Glenn WØGJ and Jerry WB9Z.

Flights will resume at first light tomorrow and we should get most of the material and men ashore tomorrow (Feb 1st). Building the camp will be time-consuming and labor-intensive but we hope be able to get one or two stations on the air tomorrow evening. It will be another day or so before we're fully operational on all bands.

Because of the weather issues encountered this week by our supply vessel "Electra", we decided offload all the MREs, gasoline and water in Jamaica and transport it all via helicopter. More trips, more $$ but in the interest of safety.

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

31 January 2015

Today's the day! Even with the delay getting the USFWS folks from Gitmo to Navassa, at least one helicopter flight is going to Navassa today. Here's George N4GRN patiently waiting to be the first of three onto the island:




First Helicopter flight, gear and three ops aboard.

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

1 February 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From The KP1-5 project
RE: K1N Navassa Island DXpedition

Navassa: Progress being made

Real progress! We're on the air!

The first helicopter flight of the day (the second overall) took off at sunrise this morning. It contained only cargo, health and welfare supplies and no operators. The second flight today has Team Members Gregg W6IZT, John W2GD and Ralph KØIR along with gear. It landed on Navassa at 1800Z.

The next (and probably last) flight of the day will include radios and two Team Members Craig K9CT and Lou N2TU.

There is a strong possibility that we will have two or three stations on the air tonight -- smack in the middle of Super Bowl XLIX!

The team on the island reports strong winds, very hot temperature, rats as large as cats, scorpions, Black Widow spiders, and some Haitians. Despite all that, progress is being made building the camp infrastructure.

After the last flight today, there will be eight Team Members on the island leaving six still in Jamaica. Our last Team Member George AA7JV and "Electra" remain in port in Jamaica awaiting improving weather.

Today's last flight departed Jamaica at 2115Z .. landed on Navassa at 2229Z. Because of the lateness of the hour, the helicopter pilots will generously spend tonight on Navassa.

[IK0ZCW]

Heading for the Island!

This page is now organized from the latest photos to the earliest.

February 1, 2015:


This may be the last flight today to Navassa, but..

..but along with Craig K9CT and Lou N2TU -- this one has RADIOS!

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

2 February 2015

We had a weather delay this morning. Last night the helicopter overnighted on Navassa; they fly VFR and it would have been dark at their return to Jamaica.
Poor weather this AM caused them to delay beginning their return to Jamaica until 1215Z. In a cascading fashion that resulted in only one flight to Navassa today -- and that one carried John K6MM and Mike NA5U (plus cargo). That leaves four of the Team still in Jamaica.

Tomorrow we plan to get the rest of the Team to the island with subsequent flights carrying cargo only.

Deliberate QRM is at expected levels; you are encouraged to fill out a DQRM report to help isolate the location of those transmitters. There's a "DQRM" button on every page of our website. In addition, you can go directly to http://www.dqrmreport.com and file there.

[IK0ZCW]

February 2, 2015:

Only one helicopter flight today. Here are Team members John K6MM and Mike NA5U about to be Team Members #9 and #10 on the island!


Getting briefed..


Up, up and away!

SPECIAL! Several excellent pictures taken by Nelson Antonio Roa Ochoa of the helicopter flight crew.

Photos of Navassa by Nelson Antonio Roa Ochoa


Navassa from five miles out


Sunrise from top of lighthouse


Helicopter next to lighthouse
(from the top of the lighthouse!)


The lighthouse at late afternoon


Artistic version of the lighthouse at late afternoon

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

3 February 2015

@1900Z

Helicopter with Bob K4UEE arrived. We are off air putting up beams...have one more to go. It is 116°F.
This evening will be on in full DXpedition mode!

73, Glenn WØGJ

@1441Z

Weather delays have plagued and delayed deployment. We were hoping to get four helicopter loads in yesterday, but only one made it because of Jamaica weather.
We have ten ops on the island. We have 160M & 80M dipoles at 160 feet from top of light house!!!! ...and other dipoles lower from nearly each window.

It has been VERY WINDY and very hot...and very dirty. We have heavy rains every evening, collected for washing, as we all feel very grubby.

We have four stations QRV, five by the end of the day. SteppIR's going up today.

Seas have been extremely rough and "Electra" has been seeking refuge in Jamaica, but is on her way to Navassa today, as forecast for tomorrow looks good for unloading. Then we'll be able to get more stations on the air.

Everyone is in good spirits and healthy, just hot and dirty!

We have been very pleased with pileup cooperation when working the difficult JA/Asia/Oceana windows. We can hear a din of pileup activity, and at times difficult to pull out individual calls on these long hauls.

Will have more time for a full report after more team arrives today and camp/ops get more established. We're off to a good start and within 24 hours should be in full swing for the next 10-12 days.

73, Glenn WØGJ

[IK0ZCW]

Photos from Navassa Island

2 February 2015


It's warm here..


Bringing in the helicopter


The first CW station - inside the lighthouse!


hree dipoles from the lighthouse!


Helicopter landing


Sunrise flight


SSB -- no, it's not a dungeon!


Cleaning out the lighthouse for CW operations


Unloading


The satellite station


Where's the nearest Radio Shack?


MEG (Meeting, Eating and Greeting) tent and shade setup


Ralph KØIR arrives


Sleeping quarters


CW area


SSB area


SteppIR by sunset


SteppIRs by moonlight


First Team Photo!
Left to right: Helidosa crewman, Mike NA5U, Helidosa pilots (2), Lou N2TU, Craig K9CT, Glenn WØGJ,
John W2GD, Tomi KT4TTT, Jerry WB9Z, John K6MM, Jeff NM1Y, Gregg W6IZT, Bob K4UEE, Mike N6MZ,
Ralph KØIR, two USFWS folks and George N4GRN.

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

4 February 2015

@2215Z

At 2100Z, 22,000+ Qs in the log! Early network problems prevented more frequent log uploads but fixed now so more log entries will find their way into ClubLog.
Tomorrow morning will off-load "Electra" and the next day the Helicopter comes with last supplies and will transfer all gear from Lulu Bay to the lighthouse.

73, Glenn WØGJ

@2000Z

First upload of logs to ClubLog completed and the log page of our website was activated today at 1700z. We're committed to uploading at least once and likely twice each day. The first upload contained more than 10,000 Qs. At sunrises today we had 16,900 Qs
At 0000Z will go to full DXpedition mode. We have seven stations set up. Pileups intense .. as expected. All antennas are up except for Beverages.

Whole team has arrived. Davit & hoist have been installed at Lulu Bay and off-loading remaining gear from "Electra" has begun .. more tomorrow. We have one helicopter load of supplies arriving tomorrow morning, then the very last load of supplies a day or two later.

We are hot and tired. This was the hottest day yet .. with a nice breeze.

No bad news, only good news! More reports tomorrow.

73, Glenn WØGJ

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

6 February 2015

@2207Z

A missing file from the early operations on the island was just received. The missing Qs on 160 and 15M from February 4th have been uploaded to ClubLog.
Sorry, everybody!

We should be good from this point forward; thanks for your patience!

@0439Z

Yesterday we had significant problems uploading logs via our satellite phone system, so it was only just now that we were able to get all the logs up and available on ClubLog. If you don't see your Qs by this time tomorrow, it's probably best to work us again. The on-island logs are complete and safe and we think that ClubLog accurately reflects them now.
We'll continue to work on this but please understand the difficulty in getting enough reliable bandwidth to accurately move data off a desert island smoothly.

Because of these bandwidth issues, there were no photos uploaded yesterday. Hopefully we'll have some later today and tomorrow.

Radio operations, on the other hand, are going quite well.

As of 02/06/2015 at 0244Z we have 40,556 Qs in the log.

If you're curious about the date and time of the last Q uploaded to ClubLog, that info is on the "Am I in the Log?" button on every K1N website page.

Thanks for your patience both in the pileups and with the log upload issue.

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

7 February 2015

@1823Z

In the last few days we had an issue when a couple of laptops lost communication with their radio. One station, while operating 20CW, had the frequency recorded on the computer as 17M CW. The timeframe was 3 February from 0148Z to 0221Z and 41 Qs were affected.
The other station, while operating 30M RTTY, had the frequency recorded on the computer as 15M RTTY. The timeframe was 7 February from 0311Z to 0444Z and 67 Qs were affected.

We will correct the logsearch later today hopefully. Be aware that if you worked us in this timeframe, you do NOT need to re-work us if your 30M RTTY Q showed up as 15M RTTY or if your 20M CW Q showed up as 17M. While we hope to be successful in uploading the proper Qs, the erroneous Qs may also continue to show up for a while.

On another subject, satellite bandwidth concerns have stopped uploads of photos from the island. When there are new photos posted, you'll hear about them here.

73, Bob N200, Chief Pilot

@0001Z

We can hardly believe it has been one full week since first helo flight....we are just finishing setting up a more "permanent" living situation, as supplies from "Electra" were off-loaded today with the davit system. One last shelter has arrived at camp to put inside the old lightkeeper's house. There is no roof, and when it rains, we are protected from above, but, of course, the floor gets wet! We save the rain water for attempts at bathing. Tomorrow the helicopter arrives with the last of the water jugs. The helicopter will also transfer loads from Lulu Bay to the light house.
We are in full DXpedition mode now with seven HF stations. 6M antenna is up. Beverages are up.

As of 0000Z we have over 50,000 Qs in the log! Everyone operates a minimum of 12 hours/day, often more.

After initial satellite communication issues, the Raspberry Pi-s are now uploading logs every five minutes or so, then to ClubLog.

It was 117F here today with only a very light breeze, the hottest day yet. Everyone is healthy. We are working hard to get everyone into the logs.

73, Glenn WØGJ

[IK0ZCW]

News / Updates

8 February 2015

@1438Z

BEAUTIFUL day in the neighborhood this morning. Fantastic sunrise, no clouds. Stars were the brightest I've ever seen last night.
Have over 70,000 Qs in log at sunrise. This is about our half-way point. The pileups never thin out except when the bands close. We appreciate everyone standing by while we work our short windows, especially to Asia!

Have worked a few EU on 6M, many NA and some SA. The 6M radio is set up in the MEG tent and has the squelch on. The beacon repeats. With the squelch set any person in the MEG tent can answer...at any time if there is an opening....

We do NOT have a dedicated person sitting there....we have worked about 50 Qs on 6M...we just don't have resources to tend to a 6M station when there are limited openings....

We're all working 12+ hours day on the radio, every radio is manned 24 hr/day. The HIGH dipoles and slopers from the light house are working far better than expected. Beverages are working for low bands.

Everyone is healthy and in good spirits, despite some sleep deprivation.

The MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) are actually good. When you are hungry and camping, about anything tastes good!

See you in the pileups!

73, Glenn WØGJ