All QSL's sent

QSL cards confirming all QSO's were despatched via bureau yesterday.

QSLing

QSL cards came to me from printshop today, so I answered all direct received cards. Bureau cards I hope to prepare next week.

Log already uploaded to LoTW

I have just uploaded my log to LoTW.

QSL's status

I like personaly paper QSL's so I have prepared a paper card from my Phu Quoc activity. It has been already ordered and is being printed. I will answer all direct requests as soon as I get cards from printshop. I will send QSL's via bureau later on too.
I am going also to upload my log to LoTW, however I cannot do it now as I am still waiting for certificate.
Yesterday I confirmed all received e-QSL's requests. I do not use e-QSL but I know that it is a main QSLing way for some hams so I respect it.
Apart from e-QSL's confirming 2-way QSO's I have also received a few SWL reports. I appreciate it but I have to mention that there are some SWL who do not use receivers. Instead of that device they use cluster as a source of information. I have got SWL's e-QSL confirming my (3W4JK) QSO with SP5APW (my home call) based on my selfspot. That was so funny as was so sad. Why someone is playing in our hobby, if he prefers the internet? It was enough to drop me an e-mail and I could even talk to him on Skype. Internet on Phu Quoc worked very well :)

QSL card

Final figures

Total # of QSO's: 578 (incl. 17 dupes): 

340 SSB and 238 digi

Continents:

Asia	428	74,0%
Europe	71	12,3%
Oceania	65	11,2%
Africa	9	1,6%
South America	3	0,5%
North America	2	0,3%

Bands:

	SSB	digi	Total
20m	116	30	146
15m	219	208	427
10m	5	0	5

Back home

I came back home this morning and found in my mailbox first QSL cards:

JA6HLU, OE8TLK, VK4ACE, VK5PAS

Many thanks! However, please be a little bit patient. I need to print cards what will take me a few weeks. I will send it as soon as possible.

Day 3

Total # of QSOs 545:

• AF - 5, AS - 411 (JA - 380), EU - 63, NA - 1, OC - 60, SA - 3
• SSB - 339, PSK - 129, RTTY - 77
• 20m - 121, 15m - 419, 10m - 5

Tomorrow last day QRV

I am sorry for no news but all the time which I do not spend with xyl and friends I am trying to be on air instead of writing blog. At this moment I have more than 500 QSOs in my log. Almost is uploaded to clublog. The most of QSOs is with JA. They are very strong in my QTH however I have to say that Japanese operators are very kind and cooperating. Every time I am asking JA to stand by and calling other station they do not try to disturb me. Many thanks! :)

After second day...

Yesterday I changed Buddipole configuration to 15m and started to work PSK-31. It let me to QSO with Europe. At this moment the total number of unique QSOs is 221:

• AF - 5
• AS - 126
• EU - 47
• NA - 1
• OC - 40
• SA - 2

Very low number :( but I will try to work more. I received some e-mails confirming that digi signal from my antenna was quite strong in Europe.

No Europe at all...

I raised 20m full size vertical built  from my Buddipole set but all day the band was quiet.  It was only a small opening during sunset, so I was able to QSO with JA, VK and South America. No Europe and NA at all today. Even Japan was changing from a light pile-up to a completly silent band. In addition, due to computer crashes I lost a few QSO in my log. E.g. lost QSO with  JR6xxx at 12:00 and another station who asked me to QSY.
I thought that my troubles are over but they still appear... The air temperature is high and my notebook does not like it. The same happens with my mobile which is switching off all the time, hihi.
I feel better beacuse I have learnt how to be cool :)

Already on the island of Phu Quoc

I came today on Phu Quoc and I raised my Buddipole as a 20m full-size vertical. No time to tune however I made a few dozens of QSOs with JA, VK, W, FR, R9, UN and YB with 59 reports. I think antenna works quite good but I hope to check it tomorrow. "My Lan" resort where I stay is on eastern cost of island. Bungalow is located close to the beach. The staff told me that there are no power outages. Nice to learn it :).  

  

 

Some problems are over...

I checked everything twice but on the plane I realized that I left a power adapter to my Toshiba notebook...
So, yesterday, after some searching I found a big computer store and easily bought the missing power supply. I bought the adapter with no problem but when I came to the hotel it turned out that the adapter is out of order :(. Fortunately, this afternoon, after returning from a tour to the Mekong delta, power supply has been replaced by a new one and I have an access to the online world again.
The second small problem concerned my license. It was issued to callsign 3W47K instead of 3W4JK. The problem was smaller but also has been already fixed. I have just got a message from XV2A that the license has been replaced and I can pick it up tomorrow just before flying to Phu Quoc.
I hope that this is the end of troubles and the day after tomorrow I will be available on the air.

Ho Chi Minh City

I am already in Ho Chi Minh City. I am going to fly to Phu Quoc Island on 7th March. See you on air!

Flights already booked...

I have already bought air tickets so dates should not change. I am coming to Phu Quoc on March 7th afternoon and flying back March 13th morning. So, I expect to be on air from 8th till 12th. I also have an answerback that licence will be ready on time.

On air likely March 7-12

Currently the most likely date of operation is March 7th-12th.
My Buddipole arrived last week, so I planned to check it during weekend. However the weather is not nice. Minus 15 degrees centigrade does not spur me on to play with the antenna out of doors. It has to wait some time…

How the idea was born...

As I am an active chaser of IOTA program hunting consecutive islands, often quite exotic, it turned out to be a natural desire to try how it is on the other side of the mirror. In my home country the choice of islands is not too large and their attractiveness is not too much, so for some time I was thinking over the choice of a potential trip destination. Of course I would prefer to appear somewhere in a desirable location on the Pacific, but common sense dictated to select the start of something less remote and to try a completely untested operator skills (or lack of them :)).
The fate made it that about a year ago I had an opportunity to accompany my wife on her journey to Ho Chi Minh City. Since the trip was associated with her participation in a conference, during a day I had enough time to be bored alone. So, one evening, browsing the Internet and looking for potential ideas for spending time in the next day I got the idea to complete a short trip to Phu Quoc Island. It had to be a reconnaissance before possible longest trip in the next year. So, I bought a ticket for the morning flight to Phu Quoc (and afternoon return) and the next day I found myself on the island trying to find a place suitable for my radio frolics and providing the possibility of blissful rest to my wife. Sites proved to be a lot, and the sandy beaches and warm ocean should meet the expectations of my wife. Thus, the initial decision of going to Phu Quoc in the next year had been taken.

Holiday style mini-DXpedition to IOTA AS-128

I am going to visit Phu Quoc Island for a holiday style DXpedition in late February or early March 2012 with my wife and friends. My equipment will be an Elecraft® K3 with microKEYER II™ and Buddipole™ antennas operating on 10m - 40m SSB, PSK31 & RTTY.
I plan also to try to work on 6m, if time and conditions allow.
The exact dates are unknown yet as the trip is still in the process of organizing. My activity will be quite short, not longer than a week
I am waiting for a Vietnamese license. The call sign, I have applied for, is 3W4JK.
Due to the fact that I am not very experienced operator I expect that HAM’s forgive me my faults and mistakes, however I will also appreciate a cooperation in pile-up. Let me have a lot of fun!
I am going to book a beach side bungalow so I hope to put the vertical close to the water. It should help in antenna efficiency.
I will report any progress on this blog.