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| Zoom PowerPoint with Madison DX
Club summarizing this DXpedition is HERE. AN OPERATION TO ACTIVATE ANOTHER DXCC FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 6M EME Pro Temotu
Province is the most eastern part of the
Solomon Islands. It has never been
activated on EME (Earth-Moon-Earth, or
"Moonbounce") on any band, and remains
quite rare around the world on the 6m
Amateur Band. This will be my 20th 6m
EME DXpedition and is one of the most
challenging operations.
INTRODUCTION
Continuing in the effort to provide
the first ever 6m EME contacts from rare DXCC,
this is destination provides the added attraction
of never having been contacted by anyone in North
America on the 6m band by any means of
propagation. Although this time of year is not
optimum for ionospheric propagation, the dates
chosen are expected to afford good conditions for
EME. This operation period does
include the lowest EME Degradation days of
the month and during a time of year when
interference from ionospheric effects is
less likely. I am also pleased that
there are times during which my EME
operation will be during the middle of the
night my local time, which is
the ideal time to avoid high TEC
interference when operating EME
from locations so close to the
geomagnetic equator. And I have
included operation over two weekends,
so callers will not have to take time
off from work! One of the
reasons this location
is so rare is because
of the difficulty in
getting there -
ESPECIALLY from
Montana! Because of
the numerous different
airline flights, the
excess baggage
expenses for this
DXpedition are three
times what I typically
have encountered on my
previous DXpeditions.
In addition, to
connect with the
flights, it is
necessary for me to
stay overnight twice
in hotels on the
way! The high
travel costs and
expenses involved in
staying at this remote
location for such a
long time combine to
make this one of the
most expensive
undertakings I have
embarked on so far.
Also, just the travel
itself is going to
present quite a
physical challenge, as
well as an unusually
high risk of equipment
damage/loss during the
long and complicated
trip. Fingers crossed! LOGISTICS
As you know, a
good location can mean everything to the success
of one of these DXpeditions. Ideally, the site
must be quiet, provide enough open space to erect
and operate the large antenna and - especially
from a location as distant from potential contacts
as H40 - must provide a good view of the moon
rising and setting. Site selection in tropical
regions is often quite difficult due to dense
jungle growth. I am hoping this site on the north
end of Pigeon Island will provide a large enough
clearing in the jungle to permit the antenna to be
aimed at the moon during periods of lowest
Degradation. Although there will not be a negative
horizon toward moonrise, the very low
horizon should provide adequate clearance for some
ground gain lobes in that direction. A
negative horizon out over the ocean toward the
west should provide excellent ground gain at low
elevations in that direction. Ability to rotate
the antenna south for ionospheric contacts is not
anticipated and I will be beaming through trees in
all directions. The location on the northeast tip
of the island is shown on the map above. The other maps show where in the world
this remote place is located. I hope you
will make the effort to look for me! 
EQUIPMENT
As you can see from reviewing the results from my previous 6m EME DXpeditions, many contacts were made with single yagi horizon-only stations. The smallest station contacted from all the 6 EME DXpeditions so far was N3CXV with his single 6M5X yagi. If you have a good yagi, good ground gain, a quiet QTH, good power and lots of patience, we should be able to complete! This is especially true in the situations in which we both have ground gain at the same time! A complete description of all the equipment being used on this DXpedition can be found here. OPERATING SCHEDULE
My tentative
operating schedule as an Excel spreadsheet
is here.
The H40 local time is UTC +11
hours. My
ability to elevate between 45 and 65
degrees will depend on whether I
will have enough space in the
antenna clearing to utilize my full
24' high mast. I know that many of
the NA moonset windows will require
me to elevate quite high. On
the tentative EME operating
schedule, I have shown that I will
not be available when the moon is
over 65 degrees high; please check
on this page and the ON4KST EME CHAT
page for updates regarding my
activity and ability to elevate
above 45 degrees. Otherwise,
please just keep watch on 50.223
and I will try to stick to the
published schedule as closely as
I can. A file with my moon
positions during the trip is here.
If you copy me, please spot me on the DX Cluster so people will know the correct grid locator, as well as the frequency and my status. I will diligently try to be QRV during all my moonrises and moonsets as published on the operating schedule. The antenna should have a good view of the moon through the trees at a height of around 50' over the ocean, and it will soon become clear after a few moonpasses which elevations are best for my ground gain lobes. Please watch the ON4KST EME page and/or the DX Cluster for updates on what people are copying and when. If you have questions as to when we have common moon or when your moonsets/moonrises are going to take place, please install my free GJTRACKER program. CONTACT INFORMATION
I do not expect to have real-time access to the internet while I am operating. However, I hope to be able to periodically take my laptop to an internet access point sometime during local daylight hours. At that time, I will upload a report on my status and updated log of stations worked. Please watch the MAGIC BAND EME email list for updated information. Please also share any updates with others on the ON4KST EME CHAT page. If there is some question regarding a contact, please DO call again. However, once you have confirmed a contact with me, please do not call for a second contact - some of the common moon windows are very limited, and many stations are expected to be calling at certain times! QSL INFORMATIONSorry,
no eQSL or other newfangled ways of confirmation.
I will upload all contacts to LOTW upon my return
home. Please let me know of any logging
discrepancies, as I can correct any errors by
referring to my paper logbooks as well as the
WSJT-X ALL.TXT file. I also will be printing photo
QSL cards. If we have
completed an EME contact, I plan to send you
a QSL card direct to your QRZ.com mailing
address after I return home. Other stations,
please QSL DIRECT
with SASE (foreign stations include $5 USD or via
PayPal for postage) direct to:
Lance Collister, W7GJ P.O.Box 73 Frenchtown, MT 59834-0073 USA FREQUENCY, MODE AND SEQUENCE For EME, I
plan to transmit at 1500 Hz offset on 50.223 MHz. I will always transmit in the
first sequence Q65-60A using "Q65 Pileup"
option
as the "special
operating
activity" in the
most recent
version of
WSJT-X IMPROVED.
Please
call me using either Q65-Pileup or NA VHF
Contest Mode from the most recent
version of WSJT-X . Please DO NOT call me
using any other modes. I
will not be sending signal reports - in
Q65 Pileup and NA Contest Mode, only the
grids are exchanged! So if you want to
get in the log, make sure to spread the
word to get on WSJT-X and operate in NA
VHF CONTEST mode, which is the most
sensitive for me to decode with Q65
Pileup mode on my end, and also results
in faster contacts. And this will NOT
work well with compound callsigns!!
That is why I will have the H40GJ
callsign and I suggest that you just
send me your standard callsign and grid,
even if you are operating portable. Do
NOT call me with a /P or /R or /# after
your callsign - your grid will show
where you are!
Here is the link to download the most recent version of WSJT-X: https://wsjt.sourceforge.io/wsjtx.html Often, more frequent updates are included in the WSJT-X IMPROVED version, which is what I use and can be found here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsjt-x-improved/ Here is my step-by-step checklist to setting up Q65-60A for success on EME: http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/Q65SETUP.pdf And here is a more detailed explanation of the DXpedition procedure I am using: http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/DXpedition%20Procedure%20with%20Q65.pdf Please keep calling me even if you copy me working someone else. As long as you are not on the same frequency as the other station, you will not be interfering with them. This mode averages callers on their particular offset frequencies, so NEVER change your transmit frequency after you start calling - pick a clear frequency nobody else is using and stay on it! With Q65 Pileup, it is very important for me to decode you so you will then go into the current version of my "Active Stations List" so I can decode you during other sequences with maximum sensitivity. Please coordinate your calling frequency with others on the ON4KST EME chat or HB9Q LOGGER pages to prevent interfering with each other - ideally, stations should be spread out every 100 Hz (remember that your doppler shift can be up to 100 Hz during your moonrise and moonset). I will try to contact any callers I can copy, but first priority will be given to people who are copying at that particular time, contributors, and stations with shorter common moon windows. Remember, PLEASE, DO NOT USE A SINGLE RR73 to try to complete a contact with me! Change your messages so you send RRR instead, for as long as it is needed! (Just double click on message # 4 to toggle back and forth between RR73 and RRR). Please check the ON4KST EME CHAT page for news from other hams in case I have to change this frequency due to receiver birdies at my end ! It is very inconvenient for me to switch modes while I am calling CQ or working EME stations, so please do not call me on CW or SSB or FT8 and expect me to switch over to answer you. If you should copy me on some ionospheric mode while I am pointed at the moon and am calling CQ on Q65-60A mode, please answer me in that mode and let's make a quick contact! Please do NOT call me on anything other than EME unless I am calling CQ! Please only contact me once and do NOT interrupt me if I have already contacted you before! Please check my on-line log to make sure you are in it! As previously explained, favorable EME conditions have primarily determined the timing for this DXpedition. However, when I am not aimed up at the moon, I will be monitoring 50.313 on FT8 mode. For this DXpedition, I plan to take a small battery so I can monitor the band with the antenna on the horizon, even when there is no generator power. Therefore, please take the initiative to call my direction when you think there may be ionospheric propagation. If propagation is good and there are many callers, I may switch to FT4 or FT8 F/H on a frequency to be announced. QSL INFORMATIONSorry,
no eQSL or other newfangled ways of
confirmation. I will upload all contacts to LOTW
upon my return home. Please let me know of any
logging discrepancies, as I can correct any
errors by referring to my paper logbooks as well
as the WSJT-X ALL.TXT file. I also will be
printing photo QSL cards. If we
have completed an EME contact, I plan to
send you a QSL card direct to your QRZ.com
mailing address after I return home. Other
stations, please QSL DIRECT
with SASE (foreign stations include $5 USD or
via PayPal for postage) direct to:
Lance Collister, W7GJ P.O.Box 73 Frenchtown, MT 59834-0073 USA CONTRIBUTIONS It is extremely
expensive to haul a 6m EME station halfway around
the world to this location. Too many times, we hear DXpedition
stations say they can't take a 6m beam and/or amp
because "they are already overweight and cannot
afford the excess baggage fees". If you want
to do a good job and are committed to going
halfway around the world to succeed pm 6m EME,
this unfortunately is a large part of the
necessary expense. Although I always keep my
costs as low as possible, my travel, excess
baggage and lodging costs for this operation will
be overwhelming. And there are no amateur radio
clubs or associations that provide funds for EME
DXpeditions (they only support HF DXpeditions).
Therefore, any contributions toward this
DXpedition are greatly appreciated!
If you would like to contribute, please send your contribution by check or cash to my QRZ.com mailing address, or directly via PayPal using the "FRIENDS AND FAMILY" option to my email address, which is my current PayPal account. I am only able to do these long distance 6m EME DXpeditions every year because of the continued generous support from the 6m community and I am extremely indebted to you for your continued support! I have the time and equipment to go more often than once a year to new rare DXCC, but I just don't have the finances available. Many thanks to the following hams who have very generously contributed to this DXpedition,with very special thanks to those who donated before embarking on the operation: MNI MNI
TNX for your continued support!!
 PHOTOS AND UPDATES(more photos and updates may be
available on my FACEBOOK
page) |
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| 2 Feb 2025 - License
application submitted |
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| 29 May 2025 - H40GJ License
received |
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| 30 May 2025 - H40GJ recognized by ARRL for
LOTW |
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| 17 Jun 2025 - replaced rubber caps on the
ends of the fiberglass spreader arm for the boom guy
lines, Replaced corroded 6-32 hardware on the D1 mount.
Added 3 new SS bolts, washers and nylock nuts to boom
hardware bag. Added two new 3/8" OD element extensions for
DE to yagi bag. |
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| 25 Jun 2025 - set up all the equipment and
tested it on the air on home antenna. Tested all the
coaxial cable and packed it along with all the equipment
in waterproof bags inside the suitcases. Three pieces of
50 pound luggage packed. Still have to fill in clothes and
food in with the coax in the final suitcase. Laptop
updated. Amplifier packed in carry-on. |
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| 2 July 2025 - appointment with travel nurse
at County Health Department |
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| 11 July 2025 - Wired payment for the Pigeon
Island lodging, food, generator rental and fuel, boat
transfer to and from the Lomlom Airport |
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| 24 July 2025 - Sprayed my mosquito netting with Permithrin and heavily re-treated my old insect-resistant clothes. Hotel reservations made for Brisbane and Honiara. | ||
| Sunday, August 3 - Flew from Missoula to
Los Angeles and paid $400 in excess baggage for the four
23 kg pieces of luggage. Then flew from LAX to SYD and
paid an additional $500 in excess baggage for the Qantus
flights. |
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| Monday, August 4 - Lost in transit over the
international date line, spent 16 hours cramped in the
seat on the plane. The left side of my left hand and two
fingers were numb... I suspect a pinched nerve or blood
vessels. |
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| Tuesday, August 5 - Arrived at dawn in
Sydney and spent an hour or two locating my antenna bag,
which had been moved to the domestic terminal. I took a
train from the international terminal to Circles Quay in
downtown Sydney and found an outdoor diner featuring
Belgian chocolate in the old part of town near the wharf.
I took the train to the domestic terminal where all my
luggage was ready for the flight to Brisbane. I arrived in
Brisbane and again had to spend some time tracking down my
luggage, but got all and then took a taxi with all my
luggage to the Novotel hotel. MURPHY FOUND ME :-(
When I got back to the hotel and checked my email, I
learned that my "weekly" flight on August 7 from Honiara
to Lomlom in Temotu Province (H40) had been delayed until
Sunday April 10 :-( I decided it would be better to
be in Honiara in case the schedule was changed again and
they maybe even decided to reinstate the flight. |
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| Wednesday, August 6 - After a night spent
in a real bed, I was relieved to find that the feeling had
returned to my left hand ;-) After an early breakfast at
the hotel, I got on the hotel's 8:35 transit bus to the
Brisbane international terminal for the flight to Honiara,
and cleared security with about an hour to spare. We
arrived in Honiara several hours later and I took a taxi
into town to stay at the King Solomon Hotel. I received
several more emails with various departure times for the
Thursday flight to Lomlom, Temtotu Province, with the last
email advising that the flight was now scheduled for
Thursday morning at 8 am. My room was at the fourth/final
tram stop up the hill and ate dinner and went to bed. I
had arranged with my taxi driver for him to return at 5:30
the next morning so I could be at the airport 2 hours
before my scheduled 8 am flight to Lomlom, Temotu
Province. |
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| Thursday, August 7 - I checked my four bags
at the ticket counter as soon as they opened at 0630. I
then waited until the Solomon Airlines agent told me at 8
am that they had decided to cancel the flight. He thought
the flight would probably be rescheduled for sometime over
the weekend. They decided to keep my checked luggage in
storage there at the airport. I returned with my taxi
driver to the King Solomon hotel, and the trip back into
town around 9 am was much slower than it had been 4 hours
earlier! I was pleased to find that the hotel still had my
same room available, and it was easy to get up to my room
with the tram and only my carry-on luggage. I decided to
walk down the half hour down to the TCSI office to check
in with them about the possibility of obtaining a license
to operate from western Solomon Islands next year, in the
event I was brave enough to endure this journey again. I
arrived just before noon and missed Aaron Hopa, who had
just left for lunch. The receptionist at TCSI was kind
enough to suggest a nearby place for lunch, and I had a
nice lunch of fried rice and stir fried pork on a covered
terrace open to a refreshing ocean breeze. On the way back
to the hotel, I stopped by the Solomon Airlines office to
try to confirm if in fact the most recently received email
was indeed correct and that the flight was still on for 8
am departure on Sunday August 10. With that
assurance, I headed back to the hotel. Late in the afternoon, Aaron sent me an email and proposed meeting me around 5 pm at my hotel for a meeting. It was great to connect with him after all the interactions we had had by email and phone regarding the license for Temotu Province. He offered to add an authority to operate from western Solomon Islands to my license, which I could pick up after around 10 am Friday. He also suggested that he thought I might have cell phone coverage from Pigeon Island because there were a couple cell phone towers close to where I would be operating. He suggested getting a Telekom SIM card for my cell phone. |
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| Friday, August 8 - I walked over to the
Telekom cell phone office and spent about an hour there
purchasing a data only SIM card and installing it in my
cell phone. Then I walked over to the TCSI office and met
Aaron again and picked up the new license with the
additional authority to operate from western Solomon
Islands until October 2026. After leaving the TCSI office,
I picked up a toothbrush, mouthwash and an extra AC
adapter plug, since all those luxuries were in my checked
baggage at the airport. It was really hot and humid, and
after lunch back at the hotel, I took a shower and a nap
before heading down for dinner and watching the Friday
evening entertainment in the dining room. The first act
was Solomon Islands dancing and I regretted not having
brought my camera with me to dinner. I went up to bed
around 10 pm, just as the final performers were starting. |
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| Saturday, August 9 - After a great omelet
breakfast, I walked down the street and bought a shirt to
memorialize the trip. I spent time organizing my files and
getting the computer set up for operation on Pigeon
Island. Lunch was a tasty club sandwich. Solomon Airlines
called the hotel to inform me that they have decided to
cancel my Sunday flight. They were not willing to tell me
when they might be able to fly me out to Temotu province,
but suggested there might be a flight to somewhere in
Temotu province on Tuesday. If they won't get me to
Lomlom, but instead to Lata, I may be able to charter an
ocean going boat for a couple hours to get to Pigeon
Island. More information when I know more. |
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| Sunday, August 10 - Since I am stuck here
in Honiara until at least Tuesday August 12, I extended my
stay here at the King Solomon Hotel and purchased 3 more
days of internet. I also sent an email to the Paranguiju
Mtn Lodge south of the airport here, inquiring about the
availability of setting up there. I do have a license now
for H44GJ, so if things look like travel to Temotu is not
going to work, I could use a location here and H44GJ as a
backup. I am not sure I could recover all my the money I
have already paid in advance to stay at Pigeon Island,
though. |
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SUMMARY OF RESULTS
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| FOLLOWING ARE THE
LOGGED 6M CONTACTS DURING the
H40GJ DXPEDITION |
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| 150+ STATIONS WORKED ON 6M
USING Q65-60A IN Q65 PILEUP MODE 3D2AG 9A8A AA6AA AA7A AB3CV AC1UB AD6D AG6EE AJ4F AJ7LL DG1CMZ DK2PH DK8NE DL8YHR ES6RQ F1IXQ F4BKV F5LNU F5UKW F6BKI G4BWP G4IFX G5WQ G8BCG G8VR GM0GAV GM3POI HA0DU HA0UZ HA5OV HA5WA HA7TM HA8CE HA8FK HB9Q I4YRW IW5DHN JA7QVI JE3GRQ JG1TSG K0DAS K1LO K1TO K1UU K1ZM K4AKX K4JWA K4PI K4RX K5VWW K5XI K6EME K6QXY K7CW K7KX K8CX K8VE K9CT K9MU KA9CFD KB7Q KJ9I KK4MA KY7M LY2IJ MM0AMW MM0EAX N0AKC N0LNO N0LWF N0TB N1DG N4BAA N4II N4SIX N6JV N6WS N7IP N7NR N7NW N8DX N8JX N8RR N9IW NE8Z NG7E NJ6P NV9L OG2A OG2M OH1LEU OH1MA OH1ND OH2BC OH2BU OH3SR OH6MW OH7KM ON4AOI ON4GG ON4IQ OZ1DJJ OZ4VV PA3CMC PA5Y PA7MM PY2XB S50A S57RR S59A SM7FJE SP3RNZ SP4MPB SP7VC UT5UGR UW1HM VK2XN VK3BD VK3DUT VK3ZL VK5PJ W0GJ W5WP W5ZN W6OAT W6UC W6XU W7GJ W7JW W8HC W8IW W8OI W8PAT W9GA W9RM WA5VGI WB8CQV WB8YST WB9Z WF4DX WF9Y WQ5S WT8V WW1L WW2DX XE2K XE2X YL2AO ZL3NW ZS4TX ZS6NK |
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Reef
Islands, Temotu Province
This page last revised on 19 October, 2025
