VU4RG / VU3NLG

In February 2008 I’ve got an email from DL4KQ, he looked for members for an IOTA-expedition to India after the celebrations for the 25.birthday of the NIAR in Hyderabad.

Just for this time of the year I had already booked our yearly holidays in Majorca (EA6).

It was a charmfull idea, to be active from an Indian island, and after the holidays would be enough time for such a trip. I hopeful thought, that I could be a member of the expedition  team after the celebrations of the NIAR.  Primary I would take the chance to apply       for an amateur radio-licence in India,      because it is a very difficult procedure, impossible without help by Indians.
But at this time I didn’t know about the order of events……

The Indian Government needs the application-form 7 times. An application contains 7 sites of paper. Every application needs 2 passport-photographs.  That means 49 sheets and 14 passport-photos!

In July 08 I’ve got the first email inquiry from the NIAR:
“Thank you for registering for NIAR Silver Jubilee Celebrations during 18-20, October, 2008 at Hyderabad, India. Your applications are in final consideration in the concerned Ministries of Govt. of India. Please give your final confirmation to us so as to take the final permissions to operate amateur radio stations from Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands as well as Lakshadweep Islands. Also, send us your valid Visa copies to NIAR.”

My DL4KQ request regarding the IOTA-activation resulted in a cancellation of the expedition.  So, what should I do?     Cancel my trip too, or go to VU4 or VU7…?

I like low bands, so there was no question for me: VU4 haven’t been activated too much in the last years, and there will be enough to do. I missed it myself, when it was activated in 2006.

The VU4RG-expedition should start already October 24, at the date I left EA6. The only possibility getting a member of the team was to travel some days later.  I thought, better later than never.
Because the issue of the licence by the Indian Government needs a lot of time and were delayed, many of the interested hams cancelled their trip to India.
At least only DJ7JC and me travelled to the Andaman’s to get on the air.

Norbert (DJ7JC) visited than the celebrations of the Silver jubilee in Hyderabad, where he got all the licences. 

After this meeting he flew to Port Blair and started at the 22. Oct. to built up antennas, and began to work on the bands Oct. 24.

DJ7JC
starting to build up the beam

DJ7JC prepairing the spiderbeam

Final problems we cleared by some QSO’s on 30, 20 and 17m.

Norbert (VU4RG)   (DJ7JC)   on his station

AIRPORT Port Blair

At Oct.26 I flew from Munich via Dubai, Chennai to Port Blair and began to build up the G5RV for 80/160m at 27.Oct. in the afternoon.

The analyser result of the G5RV was depressing.  The SWR was not better than 1:2, all activities to solve the problems failed. A few SSB-QSO’s on 80m with Europe this night was all I could get.

Just removed the G5RV,  the 80m GP  is ready now,  still an 160m antenna for the next night is needed!  Temperatures all the time 35 degrees and a high Air-humidity

Next day we first removed  the G5RV and we build up an inv. L–antenna for 160m and a groundplane for 80m. This decision was right, because the roof of the hotel was a corrugated iron-roof, much better for groundplanes than for dipoles!

Viev from the metal-roof of the hotel to Ross-island (direction JA)

In the background the antennas for 160,80,40 and 30m                                

So it was not difficult, to achieve my ambition to work more than 600 QSO’s on 160m.The Pile-ups were great, and the bands quit and opened to Europe, Japan and Oceania.The tropical QRN was really low. It was a great pleasure to contact so many friends at home, and give them a new bandpoint for their DXCC.

The compleat VU4-teams:  from left VU2MYH, DJ7JC, VU2BL, VU2YAM, DL5DSM

DL5DSM  (VU4RG) working Pileup

The QTH of VU4MY :                   (VU2BL; VU2MYH; VU2YAM)     It was in the MEGAPODE-Nest,   6km away from our QTH in the Hotel  "Sinclairs"

The VU4RG team:    Helmut (DL5DSM) and Norbert (DJ7JC)

Layout of the QSL  VU4RG

After 8 days of activity I was really happy to get more sleep then 3-4 hours all the time.Two operators with 2 stations, that’s a bit too much stress!

After the activation we removed all antennas at the 4.Nov. to get our flights to Goa at the morning of the 5th.       But the 9-oclock-flight to Chennai was cancelled!
We had to buy new tickets to reach a flight with Kingfisher at 12.30 o’clock.
But this flight was also delayed, and we did not arrive as early as necessary to get our flight in Chennai to Goa.
Indian Airlines was very cooperative; we could still go by plane in the evening to Bombay, spend the night there in a hotel to get the first flight in the early morning to Goa. With 15 hours delay we reached Goa.

But than we were pleasantly surprised, the Prainha was very well endowed accommodation, with friendly staff.

Resort           
Prainha   DonaPaula   GOA       

Didier (VU2DM) clarified with the managers before we came to India, that we could use our equipment and also the construction of antennas on the top of the resort.
Once again many thank Didier!
(Note:  In India it is necessary to have a permission called “Change of location” for every QTH, you want to be QRV.  This permission we had to apply before we came to India.)
A special thank also once again to Roly and Manju (VU2ROE and VU2SMS), helping to reinstall all antennas, and bring me to the airport.
Also thanks to Didier (VU2DM); Cyril (VU2CY) and Tony (VU2AME) for their warm hospitality.

Beautiful Cottages      to rent

Roly VU2ROE and me in the restaurant of the Prainha

Norbert DJ7JC and Manju (VU2SMS)  negotiating about the price for a transport into the city of Panjim

VU2SMS  Manju and his family

Manju on the roof with his homemade Yagi

DJ7JC,  VU2ROE, VU2SMS  (and me) on the way to the    Chapora-Fort 

View from the Chapora-Fort to north

Refreshment after the fort-visit

Didier VU2DM at his station in Panjim     (in front VU2ROE) 

Disscussion in Didiers garden

OLD GOA    the biggest christian church in Asia

Roly's HAM- check  (VU2ROE)

GP on Roly's terrace

VU2CY, Cyril and his station

from left: VU2DM , DJ7JC, VU2CY+XYL, DL5DSM

On the roof of  Tony's house (VU2AME) (in the middle)

Colva-Beach DJ7JC, VU2ROE, VU2AME

Antennas on the roof of the PRAINHA

Pool and restaurant of the PRAINHA

 Layout of the VU3NLG-QSL

LY3VJ and me

At least, I still had a very interesting meeting with LY3VJ (Vitas) at the International Airport Bombay, where he waited to get his flight with his wife to Amsterdam.

He travelled with his wife through the Himalaya. We had a lot to talk, thank you Vitas!

So the time passed away quickly…….  At the 15th November at 12.40 I was back at Munich-Airport, where my daughter already waited.

 

Thank you all and cul from other destinations!

 

Helmut

DL5DSM   VU4RG   VU3NLG