PJ4/K5WE Bonaire DXpedition
July 2011
Operator: Jeff Martin – K5WE
The DXpedition
PJ4/K5WE
Op: Jeff Martin – K5WE
QTH:
Rincon
Bonaire
CQ 9 – ITU 11
IOTA – SA-006
Grid – FK52
PJ4/K5WE – Bonaire DXpedition
Although I had operated vacation style from KH6 and Belize, PJ4/K5WE was really my first DXpedition operating experience. I went with my son, Erik, N5WR. We had a great time! Erik and I operated from Bonaire as PJ4/N5WR and PJ4/K5WE from 3Jul2011 to 11Jul2011. QSL info is via our home calls.
We rented the PJ4G Contest Station near the settlement of Rincon. Equipment included Yaesu FT1000 radios with Ameritron KW Amps and big rotatable yagis on towers.
I didn’t know how to operate N1MM at that time. So, PJ4/K5WE operated with all manual CW Keying and write it down on paper logging. After that experience, I promised myself I would get proficient using N1MM software!
Saturday afternoon/Sunday morning I took most of one day off so Erik could do the IARU HF Contest single op as PJ4C.
I built a 30 meter dipole and hung it as an inverted V up about 25 feet off of one of the towers. From a small island in the Caribbean, 30 meters with a dipole was magical with world-wide propagation.
My first DXpedition was definately a success! I’m hooked… Thanks for all the QSOs. Thanks to my son Erik – N5WR for sharing this experience with me. Hpe CU from the next one… 73, Jeff – PJ4/K5WE