Ok guys it is official, I will be in Iceland from sept 3rd till the 15th, will be QRV on HF IOTA freq and if I can get the gear together will also be operating FT8. At this point we will operate a FT-817 for the trip, trying to see if I can get an FT-857D but no luck at this time. I got a Budipole on order should be here this week. I am shopping for a very low cost very small laptop and talking to mfg to see if they can help with getting us on air in FT8 and RTTY modes. Will land early on 3rd in Reyjavik, spend a couple of days there and go around the island (Clockwise), should be back in Reyjavik on 10th, meeting with IRA (Iceland Radio Ass) on 11th and back home on 15th. operations will probably be early morning and evening local time, mostly 20m and 40m, if conditions are good 10m and 15m. mostly on IOTA or DX when on phone, and FT8 if we can get the setup together. look for facebook page TF/VE2DX Hope to catch you their 73 Richard VE2DX for more information please follow us on facebook group TF/VE2DX https://www.facebook.com/groups/2012402158779308/
Great time of year to visit a Great Place... Worked a TF8 on FT8 a week or so ago !!! Have a couple of GULL BEERS and Cheers .. Best Regards Ted/W6VXP in So.Cal
Not too match time left. Based on my E51BCP DX-pedition experience I suggest to setup and test and practice with FT8, before you will go. I don't expect that manufacturer will help you in getting in the air with FT8 and RTTY. I installed WSJT-X on my laptop, and K0UA helped me to setup IC-7100 and WSJT-X for FT8. Everything seems worked fine. However, when I went to E51 - I experienced Murphy law Accidently I tripped over USB cable that connects radio to computer. I did not know that it changed WSJT-X Audio settings from CODEC to Microphone/Headphone. Because of this, I was able to log only few FT8 contacts. Please make sure that you will not have something similar.
Don't forget to have a lamb dog there with the mystery sauce.Was there in the 80s when the nato base was there.Good luck look forward to working my old stomping ground.
Be sure to have the "Pilsur" (Hot Dog) with Onion crisps and French Fries down in Reykjavik. Operated 2yrs as WB4FGE/TF. Lot of 80m into Norway and Russia, some 20m...Have Fun !! 73 Norm N5EES & Helga KB2LZP
Thanks guys, yes will have land dogs and Gull Beer been testing the Buddipole, talking to suppliers for end fed antenna, but cash is running low, started some of our station testing, will be doing it in the field in july to test REAL performance of Buddypole vs end fed antenna and out real travel kit, at this time it all fits in carry luggage except for the Buddipole kit and the fiberglass pole... Hope to catch all of you from TF land please keep
As suggested we did test F/H FT8 mode on july 7th and results were very good. We are also testing all different antenna configs and station setup, we are about third of t he way through the testing Still lots of work and we are trying to learn from our MANY gremlins... 73 Richard TF/VE2DX www.facebook.com/tfve2dx