6O0N Somalia 2006
It was March 2005 when we received the bad new that Adan 6OØN died in a car crash. As you remember, Adam was one of the promoter of the dx’spedition in Somalia on 2005. We knew him in Galkayo and he was very friendly.
We think how to celebrate him and we decided to devote him the next dx’spedition.The operation in Somalia was not our major target, we were working for month to activate from a rarely country but we received a denied just close to the dead line.
Unfortunately it was too late to revert in another new and rare place therefore we decided to go in Somalia where we still maintained good connection and we knew we will be very welcome. In the last year expedition we lack to cover properly the low bands and we concentrate here our bigger effort this year. The solar activity is at the bottom therefore good antenna and a CW crew will assure us a good pile up in low bands.
The team was composed by 7 members, I1HJT Alfeo, I2YSB Silvano, IK1AOD Carlo, IK1HJS Carlo, IK2CIO Vinicio, IK2CKR Angelo and IK2DIA Marcello.
After the logistic preparation and packing of 350 Kg of stuff, finally we left North Italy to Paris by the IK2CKR Angelo’ van.
The weather was bad and cold, we had snow in the Monte Bianco tunnel and rain for the rest of the trip. After a full day driving, we arrived to Paris, our fly is scheduled at 22,00 with Daallo Airlines to Djibouti.
It is a 9 hour fly and a strong thermal shock is waiting for us when we land in Djibouti, the temperature was minus 5°C in Paris and it is plus 30°C in Djibouti, too hot after a cold winter in Europe.
From Djibouti to Galkayo an old Antonov AN-24 is in service, it taken off in time and unexpectedly the aircraft lands in advance and Hussein and Hasan 60ØXJ are not arrived yet and we had to face the custom operation. Thanks God all our luggage arrived with us and we can move by car to our guest house, the same we rent one year ago, where we plan to install the SSB station.
The 4 element 6 bands Yagi we left in Galkayo the last year is still there, we have just to collect it and to install on top of the house. We installed also an inverted V for 40m and a dipole for 80m and the station is finally ready to go on the air.
The energy supply is still a problem in Galkayo, even worst than a year ago, the electric power was off for many hours in the day and often the voltage was unstable and below 200V. It was necessary to rent a gen set to assure our power need.
The SSB operators IK1AOD, IK1HJS, IK2DIA remains to operate from this location and we decided that a CW operator will turnover here in the night.
Our original planning foreseen to install three stations, therefore once the first site is ready, we went to inspect the second location, the Galkayo University. Immediately we realize that the yard was not big enough to allow us to install a beam therefore we desist and we moved toward the Medical Centre, 5 km far from the city.
This is a wonderful site for our operation with a big yard where to lay the radials of the vertical antenna.
The Medical Centre is an hospital and it was inactive in the period of our previous expedition last year, there is a lot of space available inside and outside.
At the sunrise we begin to install the 5 element 7 bands beam on top of the roof, a vertical for 30-40-80m, an inverted V for 40m.
Late in the morning the setup is ready and the Battle Creek is still to be erected but the weather is getting worst, a strong wind blows and black clouds seems wants to rain. In fact some rain drops and it was an exceptional event, no one of the local inhabitants records rain on this season, is it the effect of the radio frequency?
After some complication and some moment of panic the Battle Creek is erected, it is a 15m tall antenna dedicated to 80 and 160m. To improve the efficiency we laid a number of radials, 1000 meter of wire was on the ground at the end of the job.
Last we installed two EWE used for low band receiving, one directed to the USA the other to Japan.This antenna has been strongly recommended by Vinicio IK2CIO which experienced it during the IH9P operation, we have to admit that it was the key of our brilliant result in low bands.
It was really hot and the sun very strong, we dressed with the minimum, the result was that our skin, at the end of the day, was red and burned! Because the hot, we were walking with open slipper on the foot, just at the end of our job some inhabitant told us that a number of big scorpions were leaving under the stones! And just few days later, at the sunset, a big black mamba has been seen close to our building! The Medical Centre is not connected to the local electric network therefore a 10 KW gen set have been used for our purpose. Normally the lighting service in the hospital is covered by a solar panels which, of course, were not sufficient for our requirements.
The generator room were rather far from our location and a certain voltage drop occurs during our operation, the supply never exceed 200V under load consequently the amplifier Acom 1000 output was lower than what expected.
As soon we start to transmit we realize the pile up is huge and we decided to turnover to avoid to stop the operation during the lunch and dinner time, as the restaurant was in the city centre and it was necessary to go there by car. We just stop one hour in the early morning for the gen set service, After the sunrise all the bands were off for at lest for an hour and it was possible to stop the transmission without our qso rate suffers too much.
The Atlas was constantly in operation to keep under control the grey line, we punctually were ready to call West Coast long path, to give them a new one and a new zone. USA West Coast area is almost at the antipodes from Somalia and the contacts on low bands are possible just for less then one hour during our sun set which correspond to the sun rise there. We started calling on 40m then moving to 80m CW and sometime on 75m SSB. It was amazing to realize that the station we were working were just on the grey line, starting from W6 and W7 and moving north toward VE. It was not possible to work in this way every day, sometime the noise and static was too high even for the EWE antennas and it was hard also to operate on 40m.
The low solar activity affected negatively the propagation on the high bands, just a little activity on 10 and 12 meter was possible and we had no condition for the 6 meters. Nevertheless in the second week of activity we add a further station in the Medical Centre to cover some spare time we had sometime. Using a IC 706 and a dipole tuned on 15 m and looking carefully to band opening we put on log almost 1000 qso CW barefoot!
We found a good internet point in Galkayo, it allowed us to download the email and especially what sent daily by our pilot station Gianni IS0VSG which have been very helpful giving us some feedback from Europe. It was also possible to upload the log on line every two days.
An amazing email we received from Casale Monferrato ARI section which informed us that the Space Station ISS was looking for a sked. On the mail we got the frequency and the time schedule for the most suitable orbits for Somalia. The ISS operator, Commander Bill Mc. Arthur, NA1SS, is looking for the DXCC from the space and Somalia was of course a new one for him. Only three orbits were suitable for us and at the due time we were ready; the qso was logged at the first attend with a good signal.
The unexpected visit by the Mayor of Galkayo community made us proud, we were invited for a dinner to the Taar Hotel, the most prestigious in the town, to demonstrate us the friendliness of the Galkayo community.
During the dinner Isak 6OØMY director of SARFEN gives the life Somali Radio Ham Licence to the newcomer, Alfeo 6OØHT, Vinicio 6OØIO, Angelo 6OØKR, Carlo 6OØJS ,Carlo 6OØOD and Silvano 6OØN.We were guest in the Medical Centre as it is not in operation since Doctor Abdul is in Italy to work looking to earn money and to come back to Somalia to support the local hospital. In the while there is no one which can hold the hospital responsibility. Because the forced hospital inactivity a number of children can not be cured and dozen of them are without hope.
We met Doctor Jama, the Medical Centre Director which record a video on which he thanks all the radio amateur which sent help to the hospital and he invite them to pursuits on this solidarity opera. https://www.i2ysb.com/comsed/index.htm
Finally the dx’spedition is over, after dismantling and packing our stuff we were ready to the airport under the AN24 waiting for the departure when many soldier and cars arrived, not because us but as the Somali president aircraft is landing.
Hasan 6OØXJ told us that he knew about our visit and he invited three of us to move to him; when he arrived close to us he shocks our hands and asked us in a good Italian if all is ok.
Now that the dx’spedition is over, we received many positives comments on the air, on the qsl and on the mail.
The log contains 35,000 qso approx, most of them for Europe but also many USA and JA are on the log.
We want to thank all friends and sponsors: NCDXF, INDEXA, EUDXF, GMDX,
GDXF, CDXC, DANISH GROUP, SWODXA, MDXC, MARCONI CLUB,
WESTERN NEW YORK ASS., DX 425 NEWS, A.R.I., A.R.I. CASALE M.,
A.R.I. BERGAMO, A.R.I. SANREMO, A.R.I. BRONI/STRADELLA, A.R.I. SCANDICCI, thanks to their generosity it was possible to leave to Radio Galkayo some spare electronic tubes for the A.M. transmitter, antennas, an HF radio and a Acom 1000 amplifier which it will help them to enlarge the covered area of their broadcasting.
73, 6O0N Team
