News
team update #13
news 09/03 11:00 utc
The 3b7m team arrived safely from St. Brandon this morning to Port Louis. They are now staying at the hotel. Picture with the St. Brandon local support staff.
New photos here 3b7m.
120 k QSO in LOG!
team update #12
news 07/03 08:00 utc
We are heading to the end. Only 2 x VDA and 2 x verticals 40,30 antennas will be in the air. We will finish the operation at 00UTC and start packing antennas. We have to be on the ship in the morning at 05UTC.
The weather has improved today, and we are all ok, but the fatigue is getting to everybody.
New photos here 3b7m.
team update #11
news 06/03 12:30 utc
Yesterday we were hit by a strong storm which damaged our antennas. There was mighty wind and heavy rain disaster. 1x spider broken, vertical on 80m, and 1 x VDA fell. Besides that, there was a lot of water everywhere in the ham shack, we had to shut down everything, and at night we went in limited operation only on 30 and 40m. In addition to that, there were also problems with other antennas.
We are starting to pack slowly, and tomorrow morning everything will go down gradually except 30,40m, and at night we will be only 30,40 cw. We must be on the boat Wednesday morning, so Wednesday 02.00 UTC QRT. We have to board, and the journey to 3b8 starts.
The pile-ups are strong, and we really can’t satisfy everyone. 20m is not a priority because there are always 10m coming in till night. Today we are activating 20m a little bit, but everything is impossible. In addition, we should work on 160,80m tonight. We will see. I am sending photos after the thunderstorm to see what it was like here. Disaster at night, we almost didn’t sleep. It was a matter of life rather than transmitting.
New photos here 3b7m.
team update #10
5/3/2023 14:30 utc
We reached 100,000 qso a while ago. See please photo in the gallery!
Today it is very windy, and it got cold. A big storm is coming, and maybe we will QRT for a long time all night, perhaps even tomorrow.
New photos here 3b7m.
team update #9
04/03/2022 05:30 utc
In log 80k QSOs. Yesterday we went fishing with locals and OK6DJ, OM5ZW, OM4AYL. David caught a giant fish. We had a 2m shark near the QTH.
Problems with low bands. After a strong storm, the 80m vertical fallen. We didn’t operate CW due to high SWR but only FT8. It’s fixed now. 160m is still a big disaster. Strong interferences from the aggregates. Again only a few QSOs FT8. The low bands are a problem here. Neither Beverage nor EWE is listening. There’s a mess from the generators. But the priority is the upper bands. 10m is open till 02.00 local times. Incredible pile-ups on 10,12m.
Over the weekend is ARRL SSB. We will be only 17,12 SSB and 10,15 CW.
QRT info
we start packing antennas on Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning, we will be on with only 2xvertical 30,40m and 2xVDA. Wednesday morning QRT.
Still very warm, and the wind starts to blow quite strongly.
The team is in a good mood and has had no significant health problems.
New photos here 3b7m.
team update #8
02/03/23 07:00 utc
We started lower bands 160m and 80m. The problem is that every night there are storms and big QRN, which prevents us from receiving on low bands. On RX we have EWE and Beverge 260m.
We have solved the electrical problems, which seem stable now.
Food portions are now regulated. We are not sure if we will last with food so that the guys will have better photos toward the end of the expedition..🙂
Yesterday lovely openings on 10m and 12m, and 15m. In the USA it is the 32nd most wanted. Therefore we will prefer USA and not EU for the opening of the band!!!
Today we made another spiderbeam. In total we have 2x VDA 12,10m, 2xSpiderbeam, 1xvertical 40m, 1`xvertical 30m, 1x vertical 80m, 1xdxcommander
A vast storm flooded our ham shack at night, and we had to sweep the water out of the ham shack. These are combat conditions as we have little space and the only functional building on the island.
So far, everybody is healthy, except for the standard sunburns we have no severe health problems. We have massive pileups on 10,12m. It would be good to have more discipline because the stations are undisciplined and on 28mhz ssb up to 50khz pileup.
New photos here 3b7m.
team update #7
01/03/23 10:15 utc
Yesterday we finally built all antennas, so we should be QRV. 3xSpider, 2xvertical 40,30, DXcommander, Vertical 80m, vertical 160m beverage, EWE
We have big electrical problems. Generators are overheating. At lunchtime, it’s almost 40C in the sun and 32 in the shade.
The power supply cable from the generator room to the ham shack has burnt out. We had to fix the replacement cable, but we’re fine. There are terrible rain and storms here. There are storms every day. That’s why there are so many operation outages.
From today, we will focus more on low bands. ft8 on 80m will operate on 3567 kHz. Yl Sisa is doing a lot qso on 10m SSB with Ruda OK2ZA
The team is in good health shape.
New photos here 3b7m.
team update #6
team update - pilot #5
Feb 26, 2023 23:00 utc
Important information:
– FT8 is via MSHV software. Identical or similar way as from TN8K. GPS clock synchronization will be on a regular base (JA window & EU radar QRM on 80m reported)
– the log is to be uploaded gradually to the clublog as the 3b7m team will provide it
– Log correction ONLY after the expedition. Request send directly to the expedition QSL manager OK6DJ. During the expedition, no log modifications. Please check your band slot after the log update.
– operation on QO100 is planned earliest for the second half of the expedition
– There is a satellite connection to the team via inmarsat – bgan. It is possible to transmit to the 3b7m team your Facebook and the 3b7m web form significantly abbreviated information
team update #4
Feb 26, 2023 09:10 utc
Delay in departure due to obtaining additional permits. The cruise and crew pick-up from the North Island took about 34 hours. The original house, where the previous French expedition was, is destroyed (not during the latest cyclone). They are in a smaller place, which is not so comfortable. During the trip, some got seasick even though they took pills. In the evening, they started at 30m, and in the morning, they continued at 15 and 12m. With extreme sunshine during the day, they can’t build anything. They want to build 1 x VDA and 1 x Spiderbeam later today.
The whole team is in good health
team update #3
Feb 24, 2023 08:30 utc
All clearances received. The ship has been refueled and is underway. You can follow the ship’s route and position here
The journey will lead first to Raphael Island (also known as the North Island). There they pick up the island crew, evacuated earlier before the cyclone, and sail to Saint Brandon Island (also known as the South Island). The total length of the cruise is approx 26-28 hours
team update #2
Feb 23, 2023 15:00 utc
The Albatross fishing ship loading today (departure is postponed 24 hours) gallery link
team update
Feb 23, 2023 12:00 utc
The delay on departure is 24 hours because the minister of the blue economy did not permit us to go to sea due to the ongoing cyclone in the area so we will sail a day later; we rebooked departure flights by 48 hours; which cost us a lot of money, the radio operation will be extended by 2 days until 8.3., greetings from the team
Facebook - 3B7M Saint Brandon 2023 group
Feb 22, 2023
We have a Facebook group 3B7 Saint Brandon 2023.
OIDC green light
Feb 13, 2023
A new member to our team
Jan. 15, 2023
EUDXF supported us with a grant
Dec. 12, 2022
DX expedition trophy 2023
Dec. 02, 2022
LOTW Certificate
Dec. 01, 2022
QO 100 from 3B7
Nov. 27, 2022
Stay tuned!
NCDXF is a general sponsor
Nov. 24, 2022
I want to inform you that Northern Californian DX Foundation – NCDXF has become a general sponsor of our DXpedition and their fund help us with our DXpedition. The expedition costs are very high in these days and every fund is warmly welcome to decrease our own sources. Thanks a lot!!!
DX-pedition: Saint Brandon 3B7M
Nov. 17, 2022
Members of OM7M contest club and CDXP would like to inform that from 24th of February until 5th of March 2023 an expedition to the #55 most wanted DXCC in the world will take place to Saint Brandon 3B7. There will be 4 stations in operation during 24-hour operation. We will work CW, SSB, RTTY as well as FT8.
Special attention will be paid to NA stations on the upper bands as well as FT8 operation since it has not been activated yet from the island.