TX7EME – Moorea, Tahiti – 144MHz EME DXpedition
IF YOU LOOK FOR UPDATES ON THE DXPEDITION, GO TO THE BLOG PAGE…
Hi!
A long dream of mine is about to come true.
Being a professional Tour Operator, focused on the pacific ocean area (see www.kiaoraviaggi.it ) I’ve always wanted to have a go at EME from the other side.
French Polynesia had to be the natural choice, and here we are!
It take a good deal of effort to organize an EME Dxpedition, lots of stuff to bring abroad, careful planning for dates and location, and technical skill in order to reach a good result.
Looking at the best in the business (A Team) I started to plan everything since november 2014, trying to match the family, professional and hamradio requirements.
Basing on the VY good “Moonsked” software from GM4JJJ I selected the timeframe between 3 and 10 of september 2015 to be active, with good declination and skynoise, paying attention to the max EU window possible, since the location on FO allows only a little time for common moon window.
Next step, of course, had to be the choice of the location.
Several contraints applied:
1) Good Take off, especially at moon rise
2) AC available 24/7
3) Reachable from Tahiti International Airport not only by flight (weight contraints)
4) Internet Connection
The choice has fallen over Moorea Island, precisely at Moorea Golf Lodge where a beach front bungalow has been booked.
Here is the exact location.
Moon rises a few degrees north of Tahiti Island, right over the ocean.
Once asked and obtained the license from ANFR, I really started to put plans into action.
The aerial will be composed by two 9 elements crossed yagi I3DLI design, over an alu/fiberglass crossboom, on a 3 mt high alu mast.
Tracking will be dealt with by pstrotator, driving a nice AZ/EL rotor .
Polarization switching will be manual, and I will be using an ITALAB amplifier for the necessary power.
I am working on the LNAs, RIG will be an Elecraft K3 with internal transverter.
To be continued on the blog during the DXpedition…….