This year - 2013, I was lucky enough to be D44TXP, August 27 until September 11 from the Isle of Sal, Cape Verde Islands using a homebrew three band CW transceiver, 10m fishing pole, dipole and a sealed lead acid battery plus a SMP.
Operation was from the beach 1km west of Santa Maria ( near the turtle hatchery ) and also from the hotel apartment. A three band dipole ( 10, 20, and 40m ) was used for beach operating and a half wave end fed for 20m was used at the apartment. Of all the bands used, 20m was by far the most successful, 40m proved disappointing - only a few weak Brazilian stations were heard. After a few days of operating I confined all operation to the hotel apartment using an end fed half wave with a homebrew L-match for 20m, this combination has always given good results. Europe, Japan, Africa, Ukraine and Brazil were all worked with ease.
The radio used had a TX power of twenty Watts, a total of 133 QSO's were had through out the holiday and I was delighted to have some UK contacts. Twenty meters was open every evening I used the radio, best time was 8pm - 10pm UK time ( Cape Verde is two hours behind this ) so operation was usually for half an hour or so before the evening meal.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tim Beaumont M0URX for his endless help and expertise in obtaining the admin for D44TXP QRZ page
and offering to be my qsl manager for this call, without him there would be no D44TXP QSL's.
Beach operation
Appartment 20m antenna
L match and counterpoise etc.
What clothes driers are really for
View of the beach
Coconuts galore!
Bananas ( or Plantains? )
Barry Zarucki M0DGQ
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