K3LP/KP5 and N3KS/KP5 Desecheo Updates
Unfortunately Bernie, W3UR has removed all updates from the website he set up to bring news about the K3LP/KP5 & N3KS/KP5 DXpedition to Desecheo Island. Right now you only find some general information about Desecheo Island.
Update February 20th 2006: K3LP/KP5 and N3KS/KP5 have been approved by DXCC
The following is approved for DXCC credit:K3LP/KP5 and N3KS/KP5 Desecheo Island
Operation from 16-17 December, 2005
7e es DX!
Bill Moore NC1L
DXCC Branch Manager
Below you will find the information what was posted during the DXpedition. It think one should conserve this information.
Below is the latest news received on the current Desecheo Island operation.
December 17th 1730ZAt 1730Z today the KP5 Amateur Radio expedition came to an end. The last QSO was on 20 meters SSB between N3KS/KP5 and N3ST, Brian. The zodiac boat has made it to shore and now the two must take down all the equipment, tents and antennas. The team estimates it will take 15 trips from shore to their boat, that’s after lugging 1,000 pounds of equipment 300 yards to get to the Zodiac. One of the operators said just before shutting down they expect to go back in the future!
December 17th 1630Z
Those working K3LP/KP5 and N3KS/KP5 please QSL to W3ADC. Don’t forget the new US postage rates that will take effect on January 8, 2006. Your return SASE (Self addressed stamped envelope) should have 39 cents postage (new US to US rate), 84 cents (DX) or 63 cents (to VE or XE). QSL cards for this operation will probably not go out until sometime after the new postage rates. (tnx W3JJ for reminder) By the way as of this posting K3LP/KP5 is on 24945 and N3KS/KP5 is on 14022, both listening up!
December 17th 1220Z
I just spoke to K3LP/KP5, Dave, on 17 meters SSB. They apparently ran out of steam and took a few hours off to sleep. N3KS/KP5, Kam, is operating 10107 and Dave is on 18152. Both of them are listening up. Dave gave some good news/bad news. Seems the waves are too high at the moment to get off the island safely. So they will continue operating for a while. I could tell Dave was very tired. He also said it is going to take about 6 hours to tear down everything. There seems to bee enough gas for the generator(s) to continue activity until tonight.
December 17th 0320Z
Wow things have taken a serious change since our last report. To those who called me on the phone and sent emails thanks for the heads up. Here is what I have found out. There are two boats off shore of Desecheo. One is the boat of the KP5 team. The other is the Police, as Dave said. Late after noon or early evening on December 16th the Police served the KP5 team some kind of official documentation that apparently has the word lawsuit. It seems the police served some kind of paper work that supposed came from Washington DC demanding the KP5 team leave the island immediately. The team was able to delay this as it was either dark or getting dark and the take down of antennas and other equipment would take six or so hours. So they are able to stay and operate until their gas runs out or sunrise. Then they must take down everything and leave the island. Dave was on 40 meters and hypothesizing that the KP1-5 team (see www.kp1-5.com) is possibly the ones who brought up this lawsuit. After talking to Dave I immediately called K4RT, Brad Farrell. Brad knew nothing about this and he would be the one in this group who would know as he has been working with the KP1-5 group and is a lawyer. There are a lot of rumors floating around and a lot of finger pointing. I would suggest to everyone that they hold off on their accusations and wait for the facts to come out, which I think they will, but unfortunately this will be after KP5 goes off the air. Let me also state that the USFWS has been reading www.dailydx.com/kp5.htm I did ask Dave (K3LP/KP5) if it would be possible for the police, on board the second boat, to radio back to the mainland to police headquarters and ask them to send a copy of this lawsuit/documentation so that we can get some kind of lawyer to look it over and see exactly what and who is involved. No I don’t need any lawyers to contact me as I already have one on standby. The problem is the police on that second boat are asleep and Dave, wisely, is not going to wake them but rather keep working the Deserving for their first QSO! There is obviously a lot more to this, but QRX for now. In the mean time Dave did say he and Kam were going to try and stay awake all night and continue to run the pileups. I’ll try to get another update in the morning (my time).
December 16th 2130Z Update
K3LP/KP5 has been operating on 15 SSB (21295) since about 1545Z and will be there until the band dies tonight. He will then do 40 meters SSB all night and will look for Europe during their sunrise. N3KS/KP5 has been on 14190 since about 1500Z and will sometime tonight go to 80 meters or possible 30 meters. He is waiting for someone from their boat crew to deliver the gas and TS50 for CW. They are still trying to work as many unique QSOs as possible to give as many as possible their first QSO. Also Dave said they now think they can stay until early Tuesday. Also they will be looking for VK/ZL/JA on 15 SSB around 2200-2330Z. The guys are a little tired but hanging in there. Temperatures today in the tents were about 120 degrees F. Yesterday they moved over 1000 pounds of equipment some 300 yards. Dave does not think they will get the 160 antenna up today.
December 16th 0426Z
They are now QRV. Apparently they had a tuff landing and have not slept well in last 48 hours. So Kam is on 3793 now (0426Z) and will shut down for the night very soon. They had a little trek from there landing site to the operating location! Look for activity probably after their sunrise!
December 16th 0420Z
Desecheo Island is a small rugged mountainous island situated in the Mona Channel between Puerto Rico and the island of Hispaniola (HI/HH). The island is at 18 23 North and 67 29 West and is about 21 kilometers (14 miles) west of Punta Higuero, Puerto Rico. The island is about 1.45 square kilometers (360 acres) in size and the rises to around 700 feet above the water at the highest point.
Traveling through the temperamental Mona Passage can be hazardous because of weather and sea conditions. In fact past operations have been delayed both getting on and off the island. The island is known to have goats, lizards, crabs and rats.
It is thought that Christopher Columbus went to Desecheo during his third trip to the new world. The island name was given by the Taino Indians. In 1912 President Taft claimed the island as a preserve for seabirds. Supposedly in the 1920’s there was some farming taking place. President Roosevelt handed the island over to the Puerto Rican government for the purpose of a forest and bird preserve. The island was then used for bombing practice during WW II. During the 50’s and early 60’s other military activity took place. From 1966 to 1976 a colony of Rhesus monkeys were breed by the Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare. In late 1976 the island was turned over to the Department of Interior, now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Desecheo Island (KP5) was added to the DXCC list upon the recommendation of the DX Advisory Committee (DXAC) for QSOs made after March 1, 1979. The first DXpedition to this entity was by KP4AM/D with operators N4EA, KP4Q, N4ZC, KP4DSD, KV4KV (now KP2A), KP4AM (now W4DN). This operation took place in early March of 1979. KP2A/KP5 was active three times (81, 89 and 91). The 81 operation made 42,743 QSOs. During the second DXpedition a dinghy was turned over in the ruff seas. In 1984 HI3RST/KP5 and WP4ATF/KP5 were active. The Texas DX Society (TDXS) put on the March 1985 NR5M/KP5, K5LZO/KP5 and KA5SBS/KP5 operation netting about 17,000 QSOs. NJ7D and KP4HL operated from Desecheo in January 1988. N1DX and K0BJ were QRV in mid March 1992. Then AA4VK/KP5 was active in late December 1992 and early January 1993.
Wednesday morning around 7 AM EST N3KS, Kam Sirageldin, and K3LP, Dave Collingham flew out of BWI heading for Puerto Rico. The two called your editor that evening to give some back ground information on their trip to Desecheo Island. Then yesterday, while aboard the boat taking them to the island, they called to release the full details of their expedition.
Kam is leading a project performing communications work on Desecheo Island (NA-095) and received formal permission to activate FCC approved radio communications on a “time permitting” basis. They have official landing permission from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Operations were expected to start up by late December 15th. As of press time (0400Z December 16th) they have not been QRV yet. They expect to be able to stay on the island a minimum of 48 hours and for sure will close down by 1000Z Monday December 19th, if not before. This will be based on transportation. They expected to arrive at the island yesterday around 1700Z. They first had to set up two tents and then the antennas and equipment before sunset (2156Z). However I was told by one of the team’s friend (WX3B) they did take some outdoor lighting. It would not surprise me if they were still putting things together several hours after dark set in for the night. Operations were not expected to get start until the campsite and communications equipment was fully installed.
They will be using the calls N3KS/KP5 and K3LP/KP5 on 10 through 160 meters on CW and SSB. This obviously will depend on antenna availability. They realize the rarity of Desecheo (# 8 on the most wanted list) and plan to concentrate on 15, 20, 40 and 80 meters but will be on the other bands. To avoid the big guns working both calls on all bands the guys will be using just one callsign on a given band. If I understood Dave correctly he stated K3LP/KP5 would be used on 12, 15, 17, 40 and 160 meters while N3KS/KP5 would be used on 10, 20, 30 and 80 meters. This would apply to both CW and SSB. There will be no digital modes used during their operations. They will have three radios (one for back up) and two small amplifiers. For antennas they will have two SteppIR verticals for 10-40 meters and an 80/160 meter vertical by K1LZ. They took with them two generators and some 55 gallon drums of fuel.
Just before the guys got out of cell phone range I was able to pass on some times for the KP5 guys to look for JA/South East Asia and VK/ZL. These two areas are going to be very difficult to QSO KP5. Suggested times they may have opens to JA/South East Asia are as follows per band:
80 meters – 1000-1100Z
40 meters – 0800-1100Z
30 meters – 0730-1100Z and 2200-2300Z
20 meters – 1030-1230Z and 2130-2330Z
17 meters – 2130-2300Z
15 meters – 2230-2330Z
Suggested times for VK/ZL Pacific islands are as follows per band:
80 meters – 0800-1030Z
40 meters – 0800-1030Z
30 meters – 0730-1130Z
20 meters – 0500-0600Z and 1130-1230Z
17 meters – 2130-2300Z
15 meters – 2200-2330Z
Dave and Kam want to recognize K1LZ and Acom, W3ARS, and the RF Connection for helping to make this expedition possible. All QSL requests should be sent to W3ADC via his www.qrz.com address. They will have a Web page after the trip. In the mean time watch http://www.dailydx.com/kp5.htm.
December 15th 1906Z
Last night I received a phone call from N3KS, Kam Sirageldin, and K3LP, Dave Collingham. They left Baltimore Washington International Airport yesterday morning and were calling from Salinas, Puerto Rico. I knew this was the call I had been waiting for since the CQ WW CW, as Dave told me he and one other ham were working on something BIG. As soon as I heard Kam’s voice I knew this was the phone call I had been waiting for. Kam is part of a communications project team that will be working on Desecheo Island (KP5). They said they would call me on the phone this morning and give me the full details. The two did call this morning and were on a boat heading for Desecheo Island. At the time they were about 12 nautical miles from the island. Yes they have landing permission and it is from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The two plan to be on the air either late this afternoon or early this evening (their time). Since this is a work assignment they will be QRV as N3KS/KP5 and K3LP/KP5 in their spare time. They have been given a minimum of 48 hours on the island but could stay as late as 1000Z Monday December 19th. Operations will be on CW and SSB on 10-160 meters with concentration on 15, 20, 40 and 80 meters. They realize the high demand (ranked # 8 on the most wanted list) for those looking for their first QSO with KP5 and will put an emphasis on those needing it for an all time new one, but will do the other bands for those fortunate enough to catch them. They have three rigs and two small amps. I will have the complete details in the Friday issue of The Daily DX and will do a special report for The Weekly DX subscribers. I’ll also try to post some info at http://www.dailydx.com/kp5.htm. QSL via W3ADC.
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