Press release #7
Mellish Reef 2014
Mellish Reef DX-pedition is scheduled for March 28, 2014 to April 9, 2014.
Congratulations to the FT5ZM team for their excellent operation.
Status:
Our equipment is on the way to Australia and the team is making last minute preparations for their journey to Australia. An advance team will arrive in Mackay, Australia on March 18th to begin the process of retrieving equipment from storage and preparing for the sea voyage.
We’ll be assembling several antennas for final tuning and to verify all the parts arrived. The generators will be tested and prepared for sea shipment. We’ll have 2 small generators, 1.5KW each and 4 new 4KW inverters. Antennas will include two 18 meter SpiderPoles w/auto-tuners in the water using specially designed bases loaned to us by George Wallner, AA7JV who was on Mellish Reef with the 2009 DX-pedition, 2 folding hex beams, and several SteppIR BigIR and CrankIR antennas. We have an Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) satellite terminal for uploading logs daily to our QSL manager, as well as photos - if time permits. LoTW will be uploaded shortly after we return home.
Donation to local Boy / Girl Scout Council:
At the conclusion of the DX-pedition locally purchased items such as tents, tarps and tools will be donated to the Mackay City Central (Boy / Girl) Scout Council. We’ve arranged for them to help us with the disposition of gear that would be too expensive to ship to EU or the US.
Leaderboard:
After a team discussion the Leaderboard will not be used for VK9MT. We will be uploading to Clublog so you can check whether you're in the log. We decided that the optional Leaderboard function would not help in achieving our stated goal of providing an ATNO for as many as possible.
Global Pilot Team:
The pilot team will manage communication between the island team and DXers. While on the island we will not be checking personal e-mail accounts. Please direct operational suggestions to the designated pilot for your region. The Pilots will not have the logs so please do not ask them to verify QSOs. If you think your call is missing or busted while we are on the reef please work us again. After we leave the reef direct all logging questions to our QSL Manager, Tim M0URX
Chief Pilot and North America Pilot: Ralph, W4HK
Europe: Col, MM0NDX
New Zealand & Australia: Lee, ZL2AL
South America: Luciano, PT7WA
Oceania: Stan, KH6CG
Africa: Andre, V51B
Upcoming Hamfest Season:
Several members of the VK9MT on-island team will be attending the Dayton Hamvention and the Friedrichshafen Ham Radio - International Exhibition for Radio Amateurs, as well as local ham club meetings and conventions.
Fund Raising:
We are honored to receive a grant from the ARRL’s Colvin Award Committee. The Colvin Award is funded by an endowment established by Lloyd Colvin, W6KG (SK), who, with his wife Iris, W6QL (SK), logged more than 1 million contacts during their world travels, and assembling one of the largest QSL collections in the world.
Like all DX-peditions to rare and semi-rare DXCC entities, donations are welcomed through vk9mt.com please use the Donate Button on the web site to insure your name is automatically added to the donor list,or by check / money order in US dollars to:
Mellish Reef 2014 DX-pedition
Gene Spinelli, Treasurer
PO Box 189
Divide, CO
USA 80814
For our friends outside the USA please use PayPal or e-mail for wire transfer instructions:
We appreciate the generosity of the foundations, clubs and individuals who have already made a donation or a commitment. At the completion of the DX-pedition a financial summary will be sent to all club / foundation donors.
For additional information please e-mail:
Beginning on, or about, March 19th we will send regular updates to the DX bulletins as we consolidate the equipment load the boat and set sail for Mellish Reef.
73,
Team Mellish 2014
