WB6RQN Flight Over Pacific Continues After Engine Problem

Hello.
I've been listening on 40m, 20m, and 17M from the SF Bay area. Not one QSO.
Dan, KK6FTD

 

I've been listening for a good portion of the day on 20M. Haven't heard WB6RQN but have heard a fair amount of Texas stations calling for him.

 

Hi, Tony.
You appear to be right on the beam from Texas. I'm several hundred miles north of you and occasionally hear something faint. Darn.
Dan, KK6FTD

 

I heard both of you calling.
Brian worked a lot of stations earlier in the day on Sunday, mostly 20m and 17m.
Your last chance to work him on this historic flight will probably be August 2nd, 3rd, or 4th when he flies from California to the Amelia Earhart museum in Atchison Kansas, then the final destination in Texas.

 

Video: Brian Lloyd checks out the cockpit controls, HF radio, and data logging systems in the aircraft "Spirit" after his solo flight completing the historic Earhart route at Oakland airport, California, USA, on 31 July 2017. The airplane is a Mooney M20K 231, with modifications to the avionics, communications, and fuel capacity for long distance oceanic flights. Project Amelia Earhart 80th Anniversary Flight.

https://youtu.be/c_AYHEXIpsw


CLICK FOR VIDEO

 

HF belly antenna on Spirit. WB6RQN / Aeronautical Mobile.
Constructed of Dayton-Granger aeronautical antenna hardware.
Photos: 31 July 2017 on the apron of Oakland airport, upon Brian Lloyd's completion of the solo flight of the "Historic Earhart Route" portion of the circumnavigation.


photo ©2017 Bonnie Crystal


photo ©2017 Bonnie Crystal


photo ©2017 Bonnie Crystal

 

Using ALE (Automatic Link Establishment) I called and had a QSO with Brian several times via HF yesterday.
The first contact started at 1705 UTC ( ~10AM here at my QTH in California on 03AUG2017)

We linked via ALE on 14346.0 kHz USB and Brian WB6RQN/Aeronautical Mobile reported by voice SSB that he was flying over the Painted Desert of Arizona.
Lat 35.845148, Lon -110.368522
There was a lot of QSB fading during the voice QSO on 14 MHz, so we closed the ALE link and I tried another scanning ALE call, to see if there was a better band for propagation.

We ended up linked on 18117.5 kHz USB, and the signal strength was significantly better for our voice SSB QSO on 18 MHz.
After a while, 18 MHz faded out, so we re-linked again on 14346.0 kHz.

Several other operators on 14346.0 wanted to contact Brian at that point, so I signed off with him.
He worked other stations while flying over New Mexico, then he landed for a short pit stop in Dalhart Texas.
Brian then flew to Atchison Kansas, the location of the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum.

Today he is in the air again, en route to Kestral Airpark, Texas.
Kestral is his final Round-The-World destination.

 

In preparation to meet Brian at his historic landing at Oakland airport, I had a few paper QSL cards printed for him.
I prepared one of those cards ahead of time for his signature in person: it was for a QSO we had while he was over the Pacific Ocean near Tonga.

Normally, Brian prefers to use eQSL.cc electronic QSLs, rather than deal with paper QSLs.
But, for this event, I thought this paper QSL would be a great memento to keep.


QSL card of Brian Lloyd WB6RQN / Air Mobile confirming HF radio communication at 0415 UTC on 23 July 2017 with Bonnie Crystal KQ6XA on 14346.0 kHz USB ALE photo ©2017 Bonnie Crystal

 

Bonnie, I take it that Brian will be issuing paper QSL cards for the stations that had a QSO with him during the event?

 

I don't know what his plans are for paper QSL.
As far as I know, Brian WB6RQN only uses eQSL.cc
That paper QSL is one of only 3 paper ones that exist so far.
I printed them on a color laser printer just before going to the airport to meet him.
He filled out one of the other cards for another ham who he met during the Oakland stop who had worked him on 14MHz and other freqs.

 

Bonnie, don't forget to mention... (for those that didn't get to QSO with Brian & would still like something to commemorate this amazing achievement)... a flight-patch is available for a small tax deductible donation.

Info here:
https://fundly.com/project-amelia-earhart


Just like the one Brian wears on his flight-suit.

 

Can someone tell me Brian's age?

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

 

62 or 63... (born in 1954) - just a Young Whipper-Snapper !!

 

"There are old pilots, and bold pilots------"

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

 

Bonnie, thanks much for the clarification! It's been an amazing journey for Brian, and I was fortunate to have met him half way thru his adventures, and to work him on HF from both sides of the Pacific.