Hi!

I received this e-mail on the mail reflector for my local DX club, announcing an expedition to the waters near San Clemente Island off southern California in grid DM02. I just tweeted the text of the e-mail, but will also post it here for those not on Twitter:

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Along with Jim, K6ZH and Phil, N0KE, I am going on a boat trip to activate the FFMA #1 most needed grid - DM02. We are leaving from San Diego on Wednesday, June 10 aboard a 49' sailboat and will be on the air sometime late Wednesday, through sometime on Sunday, June 14, including most of the VHF contest. Unfortunately, we have to leave before the end of the contest because the Navy has scheduled exercises in the area on Monday.

We will be active on 6 M, 2 M, probably 432, 1296 and satellites. Phil is responsible for everything other than 6 M. The easiest way to work us from AZ is via meteor scatter and we will be on that mode every morning and perhaps the evenings, unless there is Es. We understand there is no cell service (even though we will be close to San Clemente Island), so we will be in contact with pilot stations on 2 M FM in order to announce ourselves on Ping Jockey. If you don't use meteor scatter, it's not too late to learn! Otherwise you will have to listen for a very short (distance) Es opening or backscatter or some other nearly impossible propagation mode.

We will be running about 500 W and a 3 el yagi (due to constraints from having to mount the antenna on a sailboat). We will use the call K6ZH. Watch for packet spots announcing our transmit frequency.

Good luck.

73, Bud N7CW

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I have e-mailed N7CW, asking for details on which satellites they are looking to work during this grid expedition. Since K1N was able to have success working FO-29 recently, maybe these guys can follow K1N's lead and make a bunch of satellite operators (along with the 6m ops and those on the other bands) very happy.

Good luck, and 73!

Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ Twitter: @WD9EWK