1. Sound starts after calling up the next slide

2. Perseverance DX Group (PDXG) DXpedition to Ducie Island (OC-182)
October-November 2018

3. Why Ducie? The plot was hatched at Visalia 2017…
#19 Clublog Most Wanted DXCC list, 2018
Last DXpedition VP6DX Oct, 2008
Potential interest from previous transportation partners
Potential for good
propagation worldwide:
Big Radio Fun!

4. DXpedition Goals ATNO to as many as possible
Make lotsa Q’s! Band fills are good!!
Larger team/longer duration than previous PDXG trips
RTTY / FT8 – ride the digi wave
6 m EME – something new for PDXG

5. Where is Ducie?
Map from National Geographic expeditions

6. Ducie Island Geography
Approximately 500 km east of Pitcairn
Coral atoll built up on volcanic seamount
1 .5 x 2 km
Acadia is main island,
3-5 m ASL
Surface mostly coral rubble
Gaps in reef provide possible landing sites or entry points 

9. View south-west across the Ducie lagoon
Coral bench, lagoon-side. This was our route between the camps.

10. Ducie Island History - Discovery
Although Polynesians lived on Pitcairn and nearby Henderson Island for several centuries there is no evidence of habitation on Ducie, which lacks fresh water.
European discovery of Ducie 26th Jan 1606, by expedition of Pedro Fernandez de Quirós – “A small island of about two leagues, level with the sea, well wooded… There was a sandy beach all around it” - Fray Martin de Munilla.
Next recorded visit was by HMS Pandora in 1791 on a mission to hunt down the Bounty mutineers
First landing in 1827 by Hugh Coming on the Discoverer – “low coral lagoon islands not 10 feet above the level of the sea: has a number of trees and a small stunted grass…”

11. Ducie Island History – Wreck of the Acadia
5th June, 1881, in calm seas and with a bright moon, the brig Acadia ran aground on the northern reef at Ducie Island
The crew took to the boats, and reached Pitcairn two weeks later – two of them later went back to Pitcairn to live

12. Acadia anchor, now at Bounty Bay, Pitcairn
Memorial plaque for the Acadia, north shore, Ducie Island

13. Ducie Residents – Murphy’s petrel
Estimated 250,000 pairs on Ducie (!)
90 % of the world’s population

14. Ducie Residents – White terns, frigate birds

15. Ducie Residents – Boobies

16. Ducie Residents – Crabs

17. THE VIDEO WAS TOO HUGE, IN THIS PPP IS IT EREASED
Sharks video

18. Middle: Rob, N6QT – Gene, K5GS – Les, W2LK
Rear: Steve, W1SRD – Laci, HA0NAR – Walt, N6XG – Vadym, UT6UD – Ricardo, PY2PT – Mike, WA6O – Dave, K3EL
Middle: Rob, N6QT – Gene, K5GS – Les, W2LK
Front: Heye, DJ9RR – Jacky, ZL3CW – Chris, N6WM – Arnie, N6HC

19. Planning and Logistics – Permissions
Request to visit approved by the Pitcairn Island Council, 11th July 2017
List of team members and copies of passports required for formal landing document
Excerpt from Island Council meeting minutes

20. Planning and Logistics – License
Radio license also handled through Pitcairn
List of operators and copies of their licenses needed – ops are listed on the license document

21. Planning and Logistics – Transportation
Stoney Creek Shipping has lots of experience working with the Pitcairn Islanders
Repositioning costs split between us and birding trip immediately afterwards… made the Braveheart affordable

22. Planning and Logistics – Equipment Preparation at N6XG QTH
Packed and ready to ship!
Steve W1SRD – network setup
Dave K3EL, Eric WA6HHQ, Madelyn Elecraft

23. VP6D Station Configuration
station-in-a-box

25. Planning and Logistics – Antennas
To maximize # of QSOs, use two separate camps with full set of antennas at each (minimize interactions between stations)
Island is perfect for “team vertical” style operation
CW (plus digi) camp
160 m inv-L, 80 m vertical
40, 30 m 4-sq
20 m switchable VDA, m monoband rotatable VDAs
Beverage RX
SSB (plus digi) camp
40 m 4-sq
30 m vertical (added for digital operations)
2-ele m Steppir
6 m Yagi (EME – moonrise only)

26. Rotary and Switchable VDAs

28. Planning and Logistics – Loading Braveheart, Tauranga, NZ

29. Team Assembles in Tahiti

30. Travel to Mangareva
Air Tahiti:
Papeete – Hao – Mangareva

31. Braveheart at Mangareva

34. Life Aboard

35. VP6D/MM

37. Arrival at Ducie

38. Landing and Making Camp

40. Sleeping tents

43. Main Camp

46. Preparing lunch

47. Sleeping tents

49. The weather was
not always great…

50. Other facilities…
Outdoor shower
View from “the throne”

51. CW (plus digi) camp
160, 80 m verticals
40, 30 m 4-sq
20 m switchable VDA, m monoband rotatable VDAs
Beverage RX
SSB (plus digi) camp
40 m 4-sq
30 m vertical (added for digital operations)
2-ele m Steppir
6 m Yagi (EME – moonrise only)

52. SSB camp: 20 m SVDA,
15 and 17 m VDAs

53. SSB camp:
17 m VDA
15 m VDA
20 m SVDA
12 m VDA
40 m 4-sq
30 m vertical

54. 10-20 m Steppir at
the SSB camp

55. SSB camp: 40 m 4-sq

56. CW camp: 40 m 4-sq

57. CW camp:
80 m vertical
15 m VDA

58. CW camp: 160 m inv-L

59. 6 m EME 28 EME QSOs Moonrise only
N6XG working on the 6 m beam
6 m beam – 8M6GJ
28 EME QSOs
Moonrise only
Tnx to W7GJ for advice and loan of the antenna

60. Screenshot of 6 m EME QSO with HA0DU

61. Operating schedule – 2x4-hour shifts per day
LOCAL
UTC
Dave
Chris
Arnie
Jacky
Laci
Walt
Mike
Les
Vadym
Rob
Heye
Steve
Gene
Ricardo 8 1 9 2 10 3 11 4 12 5 13 6 14 7 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

62. CW Camp
HA0NAR
ZL3CW
DJ9RR

63. Thanks to KK6EK, W6OP and KY6R for allowing us to use DXA and supporting us while on-island

64. SSB Camp
K5GS
N6HC and N6XG

67. Time to leave Ducie…

68. THE VIDEO WAS TOO HUGE, IN THIS PPP IS IT EREASED
Departure video

69. Farewell BBQ Aboard Braveheart

70. Time to Leave the Braveheart

71. VP6D Statistics 112,042 QSOs 24,944 Unique Calls (22.3%)
24,469 FT8 or JT65; 5,685 RTTY

72. VP6D Contacts by Continent

73. VP6D Top-10 Countries

74. Corporate Sponsors

75. 1600+ Individual donors

77. Over 3,500 Individual Donors thru VP6D.com, Cash or OQRS

79. Pilot Team

80. Thanks to the Global DX-community that made this project possible!

82. © N6QT – Gene
WA6O – Dave
W1SRD – Laci © Presentation Management Dokumentationsarchiv Funk Tonaufzeichnung und Post production: Christoph Hubner und Jakob Mohl