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Author Topic: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July  (Read 6326 times)

Offline loul

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Planned for Saturday 24 June 0430utc - 0800utc at a highly secret location on New Zealand's East Coast. I plan to keep an ear on 6.850 - 7.000 MHz and any other frequencies folk would care to suggest. If the weather forecast looks atrocious on the 23rd I may need to post a postponement email (although it was somewhat rugged last time and only the bamboo props at each end of the dipole fell over...)  UPDATE: postponed to Sat 1 July (any further modifications will be posted...)
« Last Edit: June 18, 2017, 0622 UTC by loul »

Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, Saturday 24 June
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2017, 0644 UTC »
Which east coast of NZ? North Island or South Island? Just curious.
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Offline loul

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, Saturday 24 June
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2017, 0619 UTC »
South Island East Coast - though there is an online Kiwisdr receiver on the East Coast of the North Island and some keen listeners up there too. However, I am having to postpone the planned DXpedition due to another appointment, and plan to reschedule to Saturday 1 July.

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2017, 0842 UTC »
Why is it "highly secret"?

Planned for Saturday 24 June 0430utc - 0800utc at a highly secret location on New Zealand's East Coast. I plan to keep an ear on 6.850 - 7.000 MHz and any other frequencies folk would care to suggest. If the weather forecast looks atrocious on the 23rd I may need to post a postponement email (although it was somewhat rugged last time and only the bamboo props at each end of the dipole fell over...)  UPDATE: postponed to Sat 1 July (any further modifications will be posted...)

Offline Pigmeat

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2017, 1234 UTC »
It's where the Penguins are holding your beloved Amelia Earhart, Al. I can't say which island.

 The man is trying to do you a favor and all you can do is ask silly questions?

Offline Josh

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2017, 1605 UTC »
Highly secret as it's the kiwi version of Pine Gap.
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Offline loul

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2017, 1201 UTC »
The "highly secret" seems to fit nicely with "HF Underground", and it might just be that some of the transmitters on the 6.85-7.0 MHz area might also have their own highly secret locations (even though they are filling gaps left by official broadcasters pulling the plug on their official transmissions...) However, I can confirm that the comment about penguins is not far from the mark.  Although I have not been accosted by any they aren't far away...

Offline Pigmeat

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2017, 1540 UTC »
That'll teach him, loul. I know my penguin habitats. Well, not always.

I had an Uncle who worked for a defense contractor in Australia and lived in Melbourne for several years in the 80's. On my first visit, he was off at whatever secret location he worked when I arrived so my cousin's boyfriend and I went knocking around the city regularly. One late afternoon he asked me if I wanted to "Go see the penguins?" I figured it was the Aussie version of a "snipe hunt" and told him it was going to get better bait than that to get me out that house than going looking for Australian penguins. My Aunt and cousin's assure me if we went to a nearby pier, the penguins came in just before dark to their nests in the rocks and the jetty. I relented and off we go.

We get down there, and there's a good sized crowd of people. I start to think, "Hmm... they're surely here for some reason?" I ask a woman, "Are there really penguins here?" She says "Not yet, but they'll be here soon." We grab a spot and wait. A guy with binoculars shouts, "Here they come!" and we start scanning the waves. Within minutes they come riding in on the waves and waddling up on the rocks, little penguins about a foot or so tall heading for their nests. I said, apparently fairly loud, "I'll be damned, penguins in Australia! What's next polar bears?" Some guy behind me shoots back ,"We've already got those at the zoo, Yank." I laughed so hard I thought I'd cry.

Offline loul

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2017, 1205 UTC »
I suspect the penguins might land at dusk the same time as the good radio signals so I might miss them... the penguins, that is.

Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2017, 0651 UTC »
Just watch out for the Moas, though. I've heard they're dangerous.
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The usual Realistic culprits on SW (and a Panasonic).

Offline loul

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #10 on: June 26, 2017, 0633 UTC »
Forecast good for putting up the antenna; might need the guylines out though, looks like wind increasing into the evening and could be damp packing things away. The plan is to test Icom R75 versus Elad Duo-R. (Last time was Elad Duo-R versus Lowe HF-150 and overall there wasn't much difference, with both those receivers having their pros and cons.)

Offline loul

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #11 on: July 01, 2017, 0147 UTC »
On the road (and hence offline) to the secret location (Penguins included, but more likely to have seals to respectfully avoid).Am anticipating some activity on the airwaves... And, as a p.s., there is the Kiwi SDR network online at sdr.hu (try Firefox if Safari won't open the individual sites) - there is one available in the Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand if one scrolls down the list of receivers. However, they have a capacity of 4 users at a time.

Offline loul

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #12 on: July 01, 2017, 1238 UTC »
Conditions were soggy out on the coast tonight and loggings of interesting stations somewhat spartan. It was great to hear Channel Z for around 45 minutes; Verdad R; Shanwick and Gander (the latter two are usually reliably received). Once I have checked the sound clips I will do a final post with comment on Icom R75 versus Elad Duo-R versus Lowe HF-150.

Offline loul

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #13 on: July 02, 2017, 1157 UTC »
Sound clips taken with cellphone recorder were very patchy due to stuffing cellphone mic end into headphones. However, all 3 receivers got Channel Z radio. Best point that I like, to date, about Lowe HF150:audio quality and speed of travelling around the dial; about the Elad Duo-R: the very large filter selection; about the Icom R75: don't have to hang on to it with one hand while driving it with the other - and a good range of easily navigable functions.

Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: Midwinter DXpedition, New Zealand East Coast, now Sat 1 July
« Reply #14 on: July 07, 2017, 2305 UTC »
What is "Channel Z"? Just curious.
An AM radio Boombox DXer.
+ GE SRIII, PR-D5 & TRF on MW.
The usual Realistic culprits on SW (and a Panasonic).