Ducie info

News #16- 2008 Feb 15
Directly from Ducie Island:

ARRL DX CW contest starts soon. VP6DX will participate in a limited
fashion:

* On the CW contest bands 160, 80, 40, 20 15 and 10, we probably
will not be at the "normal" frequencies. Operators will pick a
frequency based on band conditions. Each operator will make his own
decisions about split vs simplex operation, depending on the situation
at the time.

* We will answer ALL callers (USA/VE and others), and send our
contest exchange and log the exchanges received from contest participants.

* We won't be chasing multipliers and will not be able to handle
pass requests. If another band is open at all, we should have a signal there.
Quick
QSYs to check non-open bands are time-consuming (manual filter and
antenna
changes) and not a good use of our time on the island.

Meanwhile, other radios will be on non-contest bands and band
segments; e.g., 20m SSB or 30m RTTY. These non-contest segment
operations will continue as they have the last few days: split
operations, with priority to difficult propagation paths.

We anticipate no 20m RTTY or 40m SSB during the contest.

The contest ends at Feb 17/2359z and it will be late afternoon (4pm) here.
40m will be just opening to Europe, and the low bands will open during the
next three hours.