The group of Martti, OH2BH; Pertti, OH2PM; Veijo, OH6KN; Antti, OH7EA and Juha, OH8NC from Radio Arcala (OH8X) will escape the Nordic ice and snow to provide you with a 5R8 on low bands and a zone 39 multiplier. Their destination will be Antananarivo, the Republic of Madagascar, and the callsign 5R8X will hit the bands from October 26 – November 10,  2010, including the CQWW SSB Contest.

 The Arcalians - OH2BH, OH2PM, OH6KN, OH7EA and OH8NC - are traveling to this island nation in the Indian Ocean not only to provide a dual multiplier but to do a variety of things at once. In CQWW, they will be multi-op, single-TX while also making sure, with their awesome lineup of LF antennas, to offer a 5R8 on the low bands for those in need. Their low-band activity will last for two weeks, including CQWW plus the following weekend, with two stations expected to be on at prime hours.

OH2PM and OH6KN will dedicate their efforts to 160M and 80M. This activity is primarily targeted to satisfy global demand on the low bands. The team will be using a large field and a setup of vertical antennas on all low bands. WARC activity will also be provided. The 5R8X team will be using lightweight K3 radios by Elecraft and appreciate their support and cooperation. This operation will be conducted in collaboration with Ake,  5R8FU.

From left to right: Antti, OH7EA;Veijo, OH6KN;Juha, OH8NC; 5R8FU's Wife;Pertti, OH2PM; Martti, OH2BH; Ake, 5R8FU

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November 1, 2010

5R8X - THE LATEST FROM MADAGASCAR


Now that the 2010 CQWW SSB Contest is history, the low-band operation at 5R8X will get seriously underway on Monday,  November 1. The low-band site was built but not activated for CQWW because of a severe bout of stomach
problems afflicting the group. Also, extended power outages limited 5R8X activity during the past weekend.

So, starting tonight, 160, 80, 40 and 30M will be activated for the dark hours every night. During the week, a specific pattern may be established for the bands. Activity will run for 8 days, until Tuesday, November 9. OH2PM and OH6KN will be at the helm. They did preliminary tests with USA and Japan, and everything is in order.

They plan to use 1822.5, 3505.5, 3525.0, 7005.5 and 7025.0 and 10105.5 MHz CW almost exclusively. From the base camp, they plan to focus on 24 MHz. The distance between the sites is 15km or 1 hour.

The team remain in good spirits and have passed the 7000 QSO mark.

QSL via OH2BH.