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Following is a story of Uostadvaris
Lighthouse activation on 2003 ……We put on sails early in the morning 9:20 AM
(considering a fact that it was weekend’s morning). So far our crew consisted
from: LYR346, his XYL, and his son, all packed in Russian jeep VAZ 2103;
LY2UF, his XYL, and me, LY1DF. Although LY1DF could hardly fit at the back
seat of LY2UF’s Opel Vectra, somehow we did not need to throw away any radios
as ballast and started just on time. Weather was fine as always is in LY-land
during summer months- warm refreshing breeze. After the first 30 miles of
driving the engine has stopped: distilled water was missing (because of a
leaking hose somewhere under the engine) therefore gas reducer was covered
with ice! It was August, so five
minutes to melt, a couple of minutes to buy additional 5 liters of stuff to
fill in the tank. We kept on going. After another 30 minutes of trip one more
tank of additional 5 liters consummated. |
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The next involuntary stop was announced when
leaking water has reached LY2UF’s knees (a limit when driving becomes really inconvenient).
Now the crew consisted from: 1) previous participants; 2) a pile of bottles
and tanks with mineral and distilled water; 3) a raft for those sitting on
the front seats of the car not to sink. At 12:40 PM QTH»Silute, a few miles left until our
final destination, here we met LY2FY’s crew aboard Nissan Patrol escorted by
rain with heavy clouds. At 13:00 PM, finally, QTH=Uostadvaris Lighthouse,
LIT007! It was raining buckets. When the wind has
reached 59+40 and the ground has mixed with the sky, we have
volunteered to go up the trees and the lighthouse tower to hook wires, as
anyway we all were already sopping wet. Meanwhile LY2UF checked 2 m FM, and
found LY1CM/LGT (Already there!!!) from Cape Vente Lighthouse. LY1CM, who
arrived earlier, was already drinking brandy in his temporary lighthouse
tower radio room and making QSOs on HF/VHF. That has inspired us - within 20
minutes LY2FY has already hooked 80m band dipole, while LY1DF, 2UF and LYR346
were still about to hook up 160 m band dipole. |
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A historical event was announced by LY2FY -
first QSO from LIT007 by LY2FY on 20 m band with 80m band dipole tuned with
IC-775 AT, SWR=1.2:1. No champagne, sorry, only some smoke, Icom’s antenna
tuner has blown out right after the contact! When 160m band dipole was finished, SWR
measured to be ideal, it was time for W3DZZ made by LY3IT. Afterwards LY2UF’s
TS-850 was attached to a legal kilowatt PA, pumping RF juice to W3DZZ. While
we continued with the other antennas, LY2FY was shaking 20m band with this
set up. Pace was growing 240 QSOs/hour, then 270 QSOs/hour. We felt that we
were needed on the bands! While LY2FY kept on pile-up, LY1DF and LY2UF
continued with antennas, until it has become dark. A rain was our compulsory
companion, of course. While we continued with antennas, LY2FY visited us atop
the tower with another sad news- PA has died L. Now we had only barefoot LY2FY’s IC-775
200W without AT, and TS-850 with 100W output left. We all felt like the God
has finally left us. No more 300 QSOs per hour pile-ups, we
thought. A first QSO on 40m band - Japan, 20m band was still open to US. 15m
was already closed. But still there were pile-ups on 80m band with many LY
and EU stations! Taking turns, all of us made many QSOs that evening.
Everything was the way expected. Lottery for the night shift: LY346 on 160,
LY2UF on 80, 40, 20, LY1DF go sleep. At 04:00 AM the next shift. The next day
after breakfast XYLs initiated attraction- a visit to another Lighthouse,
Cape Vente, to meet LY1CM/LGT team and to see the Ornithological Centre
(that’s what Cape Vente is famous for). Uostadvaris was left safely
controlled by two maniacs, LY2UF and LY1DF. New day, new antennas. LY1DF
unfolded spare feeder, - why not to make it into anything that works on WARC
bands? First QSO on 10Mhz with 8S6LGT, exchanged reports 569-589. Solder-less
extension of cable works just fine on HF. What’s today for our lunch?
-Russian RDA contest on all but the WARC bands! We did not expect that. WARC
dipole was made just on time. Meanwhile our crew has returned from Cape Vente
Lighthouse - they said their trip went fine, if not to mention petrol
drinking in the middle of a marsh- LYR346 told us the story: “..On our way to Cape Vente we have stopped at
petrol station. Just to add some fuel and to buy fresh newspapers. LY2FY has
also stopped but did not step out of the car (those who read this, do
not miss this moment). Afterwards we continued towards cape Vente. We
were friendly met by the locals who maintain the lighthouse, because we
carried donuts? Locals showed us where LY1CM/LGT temporary resided. Warm
welcome, short excursion around the lighthouse area. While LY2FY made several
QSOs from LIT008, XYLs and me, LYR346, tried some brandy. LY1CM recommends
visiting Minges village, similar to Italian Venecia, just a difference that
Minges is a village with only few granges, surrounded by water and
marshlands. What a fantastic view! (Why
didn’t you make some pictures then for the rest of the World to see it?). On our way back, somewhere in the off-roads, LY2FY’s
car stops as both the gas and petrol was finished (for those who
still read this, recall the above described moment at petroleum
station). Luckily, LYR346’s car followed afterwards. Unfortunately, no
one had neither a fuel tank, nor a pump to do the job. Decision was made fast
- disassembled pump for tires, but the rubber hose was too short.
Nevertheless, LY2FY tried to help the situation by blowing air by his
mouth…and suddenly the reverse direction…(later that evening he has tried a
lot of beverages to kill the A-92 petrol in his stomach). Suddenly an idea
came to LYR346’s head- why not to disassemble VAZ 2103 carburetor? It
contains internal pump, which could be connected to the rubber hose to make a
fuel pump. This way, a result was 4 liters of petrol for LY2FY’s car to keep
going“. So they have reached the camp. |
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LY2FY tried to dispel our worries
by proposing to fix the blown PA. Optimism can add a few needed dBs, if
applied on time! LY2FY disassembles PA. Then LY1DF announces the diagnosis-
PA is possible to fix, a failure reason – blown PA anode rectifier
capacitors. LYR346 proposes solution: local aboriginal tribes may have some
old TV sets for sale at symbolic price. LY2FY and LY2UF with spark in their
eyes have left the camp. While they hunted for anything like capacitors,
LY1DF right in the bushes behind the Lighthouse excavated remnants of an old
vinyl disk player, dated back in 1960s, with capacitors that looked like
suitable!Meanwhile
LY2FY and LY2UF went through village after village. It looked like there was
no one alive in these marshes... Finally in one shack they found someone,
sleeping deep August sleep, woke him up and 5 minutes tried to explain what is
amateur radio, what is TV, how the capacitors look like, and that it could be
easily converted into hard currency if anyone would find any. No chances, it
looks like everyone cares about pollution and are local “green peace”. The
next village turns out to be inhabited by a ham! LY2BGX, has surely
understood the importance of the moment, and mobilized everyone who cares.
Result- an old TV set “motherboard” with 5 (!) capacitors. |
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LY1DF
tested capacitors, some were good, but not enough of them, only for
1700V voltage, so we’d apply only part of a secondary anode transformer turn
then. That will work. LY2FY can’t stand watching LY1DF testing, plugs
soldering iron and here we go- first trial with 900V secondary voltage-
attention- no smoke - it works! The next trial – 1300V – attention- it
works! Ready, steady, go- first QSO and we are back on the air
„calling LY…. from lighthouse
LIT007“. Get reply from VKxxx, also from a lighthouse. Nice! Afterwards make
many EU, or to say more precisely, DL and DK, and few UA9’s. LY1DF gets
nervous, when someone sends QSLL… Inspired with PA revival, LY2FY tries to
play with his ill IC-775. When the smoke comes out of the back panel, it is
absolutely clear that das ist alles. Expedition finished for
IC-775, it was disconnected and packed back to the box. |
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An evening has come and LY2FY decides to go
back home. LY1DF/LGT and LY2UF/LGT stay on the air. LYR346 meditates on the balcony
and watches LY2FY jeep’s backlights disappearing in the darkness of marshes.
After 20 minutes passed, still seeing his backlights, got a telephone call
from LY2FY “..hi, it looks like our car is broken.. something is wrong with
the gear box..”. Certainly a lucky day for LY2FY! It has coincided so that
the same weekend LY VHF Championship took place. We have decided to give a
rare locator to the others in LY-mainland. Around 22:00 UTC we hike the
tower. On the top of the tower, at the open cabin, wind blows 59+40.
After 20 minutes of intense calling first QSO with LY2BGX/P, we exchange
reports, ours No. 001 and his 013. Someone out of the noise call us in
Russian.. UA2, of course, I reply happily, but it looks like he’s just
speaking to his next block neighbor in Kaliningrad…After another 20 minutes
of calling, made a qso with Nida Lighthouse - LY2FN/LGT, who has officially
activated the Nida Lighthouse for the first time in LY radio history, with
LY3NTW, LY2DX and LY1FW. Due to a slow pace we have decided to forget VHF and
climb downstairs to HF. |
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The night shift was operated by LY1DF. LY2UF
asked to wake him up at 03:00AM, but as he did not sleep during the daytime,
all LY1DF’s invitations to come and operate were not responded by snoring
LY2UF. Having 20m, 40m, 80m, 160m open through the night, with US coming
599++, LY1DF felt like in heaven until the sleep has come. At 05:30 LT Sunday morning LYR346 found no
operators alive… Of course I can’t miss mentioning here a fact that LY346 is
responsible for 160m band operations in our LY7A club. So there’s no doubt
what band he has chosen for this expedition. From what LYR346 has told us in the afternoon: …”I slowly navigate
through 160. QRN’s disappeared, at 1823kc I hear - CQ CQ de XQ6ET, XQ6ET...and once again CQ CQ XQ6E. My blood
has come to the boil. I try to call him, but he only QRZ? QRZ? de
XQ6ET....only one second separates us from establishing a contact, but
suddenly here comes a strong and s l o w …..CQQQQQQ CQQQQQ de DLxxxx....DX ONLY... “ While I fold back night antennas – 160m and
80m, and change LY2UF at the shack, LYR346 and LY2UF examine his car.
Decision: repair might be complicated, and time-consuming. We better take
additional amount of distilled water and stop more |
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often, but until we leave, we would make some
more QSOs. That’s the ham-way of thinking, hi-hi. The last contacts, and
after symbolic lunch, we say adios Uostadvaris Lighthouse! – see you
the next summer or January – WW DX 160 m CW contest. |
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Expedition was finished with some 6 000 QSOs
per two days. Lessons learned:
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