Here is a brief synopsis of our weekend trip to SM, OH0 and OJ0.

Olof G0CKV met me at Stockholm's Arlanda airport on Thursday 10th July at 1115 local time. We then headed to Grisselhamn to catch the ferry to Aland island, OH0. This is a 90-minute trip and I made best use of Olof's fantastic mobile set-up to make 22 CW QSOs on 20 metres, signing SM/G3SXW/M, whilst on the move. This included M0AAC, G3IAF, G3GJX, G4IRN, G5LP. We were then QRT for the ferry journey, just two hours to Eckero, time for a spot of lunch. By 2100 local we were well watered and fed so I fired up as OH0/G3SXW/M from our overnight log cabin accommodation and made another 27 CW QSOs, including G4PTJ, G5LP as well as DX in the form of 7Z1HL (Saudi Arabia) and A61Q (Dubai). Olof's mobile set-up is so effective - we were being heard very well by all stations.

Olof also has a very effective APRS set-up. I knew the concept but had not previously experienced it. It is completely automated: just switch on the VHF rig and our location was fed via GPS to a web-site. I know that several friends were tracking our movements, as I had done the previous day as Olof drove from UK to Kiel and across to Sweden. What a hoot!

The next morning it was 30 minutes in a speed-boat, at over 30 knots, to Market Reef. The weather, also on the return trip, was perfect with flat seas, so landing was easy. By this time we had been joined by Seppo OH1VR, Markus OH3RM and Bob W6RGG. There was a LOT of gear on that boat! We set up antennas and stations and made 1,850 QSOs in the IARU Contest, signing OJ0A. We then retraced our steps on Monday, back to Eckero and to Arlanda.

Abiding memory, apart from the fun amateur radio, was the beauty of all these places, lots of space and quiet. Lapping waves, sea-birds and CW: what a perfect combination! Market Reef is flat rocks, just a little above sea-level, almost devoid of vegetation. There is no tide and the water is only brackish. I will try to write a longer description of this trip for CDXC Digest.

73 de Roger/G3SXW.

The VooDoo Contest Group plans to do CQWW CW in November from 3X, Guinea. We will move our one tonne of equipment overland from Mali where we have been TZ5A for the past two years.

The eight-man team this year is AA7A, G3SXW, G4BWP, G4IRN, GM3YTS, K4UEE, K5VT, KC7V. The contest call-sign and personal call-signs will be announced later. QSL manager for the contest will be G3SXW. QSLs for personal call-signs go to the home-call.

As usual, we will enter the Multi-Multi category of the contest with mono-band antennas for all six bands and kilowatt amplifiers. This time we will be immediately beside salt-water, a real luxury!

Immediately before and after the contest we expect to be on the bands with personal call-signs. Also, AA7A + KC7V will do EME for several days.

See here for full report Roger, G3SXW