FT4TA ON AIR NOW

I wish I could have gotten them on one band/one mode, they were never very loud here in Colorado (at least at my place). When they were reasonably strong there was so much QRM on top of them that they were covered up most of the time. Oh well, it's just a hobby for me if I live to be 129 maybe I'll get another chance at them! Of all of the DXpeditions over the last several years this one seemed to have the weirdest/nastiest group of folks hanging around.

Cheers,
Paul

 

I got 5 contacts on 4 bands (I have a 5th band but need to fight them on that). No stacks here. All wires save for the tree slung three element 10 meter monobander.

 

Got TX5K on 5 bands.....with QRP....and a Cushcraft R-8 vertical...from Phoenix.

I can just BARELY hear FT4TA.

 

Not only were they DIRT WEAK (except on the East Coast where they were 599 or 59+) but all these knuckleheads CONTINUOUSLY JAMMED THEM, so no wonder I never heard them coming back with my callsign!

 

They were quite readable most of the time, but never as strong as you suggest.

 

And you know they were "599 or 59+" because you were on the East Coast and heard their signals. And please do not imply that the East Coast "knuckleheads CONTINUOUSLY JAMMED THEM..."

For one, they were NOT "599 or 59+" No one knows who was jamming them. Could have been Europe. Could have been East Coast. Could have been anyone.

 

I never implied it was an East Coast station who was doing the jamming. Just someone from somewhere. Obviously jammers are not going to ID, they just do their thing and make life miserable for everyone. Who knows, might have even been 6s! now one knows!

 

Ya know, I hate to say it, but a lot of Left Coasters made it into the log. I won't talk about the W6YA or K6NA types who worked them on every band from 10 to 80. But, plenty of small city lot guys like K6ZH worked them on at least two or three bands. W6YOO got them on three bands.

So, its not like the West Coast was shut out....

 

I agree .. prop was never very good to FL during the times I could be on the air - and I think the West Coaster's had as many chances as the East Coaster's ... I usually leave my office right at 8PM Eastern (0100 UTC) and almost every night, by the time I got home and switched the rig on, there were still plenty of cluster spots for FT4TA but most were from 5's, 6's and 7's ... if I had to do it over I would have taken a day or two off work ...

 

And even if they did...so what? It's now a crime to have the commitment and the wherewithal to have good gear?

 

Never said that. My comment is that people who don't have "good gear" complain that anyone who does better then they do "must have 'multi-KWamps and stacks of long yagis'" which simply is not correct.

 

I heard them on 4 occasions calling 6/7 s ONLY for hours on many bands and heard many 6/7s
making it into the log, Not ALL are BIG Guns. From where I am , is was difficult and I have
a fairly good station,propagation was the Biggest factor.... LIDS- KIDS and SPACE CADETS made it
worse.. I never did get a cw QSO on 40,Now whos crying >>>>>all my QSOs were ATNOs on each
band and mode-heard them on 160 cw but NADA .

 

At the end of the day we can all say we did our best and we make a fun hobby out of doing so. Onwards to the next one!