ZCZC AE05
QST de W1AW
DX Bulletin 5 ARLD005
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT January 24, 1997
To all radio amateurs
SB DX ARL ARLD005
ARLD005 DX news - Heard Island

Heard Island team racks up the Qs

"Go and get them, fellas." With those words of encouragement (if any were needed) via the Internet, John Devoldere, ON4UN, sicced the madding crowd on VK0IR on Heard Island. At 0645 UTC on January 14, VK0IR hit the bands running. The result has been huge pileups on HF and excitement on a level rarely seen among the Amateur Radio ranks. With yet another week to go, the team has racked up more than 55,000 QSOs, the majority on CW--most of them in Europe, the Eastern US and Japan.

Two high-power operating positions apiece are set up in two radio tents. A storage tent houses a fifth high-power station that will be used mostly on the low bands. VK0IR is active on CW, SSB, RTTY and on Oscar 10. Operators are working split, but at some point later in the DXpedition, they may invite calls on their own frequency. Details and frequencies for subbands (Novice, VHF, etc.) and specialized modes are available on the Heard Island home page, http://www.ccnet.com/~cordell/HI/.

Here is the general announced schedule of HF modes and operating frequencies (subject to change as conditions dictate) for VK0IR: CW: 1.822, 1.8265, 3.5045, 3.5095 (Europe), 7.007, 7.022, 10.1035, 14.024, 18.074, 21.024, 24.894, and 28.024 MHz; SSB, 3.798, 7.0475, 7.0525, 7.0575, 7.065, 14.195, 18.145, 21.295, 24.945, and 28.475 MHz; RTTY, 7.030, 10.140, 14.085 and 21.085 MHz.

Given the short duration of the DXpedition and the intense pressure to work VK0IR from around the world, the team asks stations to follow its guidelines for working Heard Island. Operators typically will announce the split (eg, "QSX 5" or "up 5") and have been sending QRZ or TU as an invitation for stations to call. Stations should refrain from tail-ending and from calling while VK0IR is working another station.

VK0IR logs have been available via the Internet on the Heard Island home page.

The QSL manager for the VK0IR and the preceding TO0R operation from Reunion Island is John Parrot W4FRU, Box 5127, Suffolk, VA 23435.

The VK0IR team expects to leave Heard Island at month's end. On the return sail, the team will stop at Kerguelen Island "for about one day," according to John Devoldere, ON4UN, who called the chances of any Kerguelen operation "minimal."