[HCDX] MW DXpedition madness and RRI Fak Fak on 774

["Craig Edwards" <nutritionandsports@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Guys and Gals

Well just returned from a crazy month of DX. 

In early February I managed a few mornings DXing at dawn while on a business trip to Mount Isa in western Queensland. Then a couple of weeks later I finished up my job in Townsville, Queensland.

Next day in mid February started almost a week at Balgal Beach near Townsville in a tent chasing North American MW DX. 

Then 2 days later the wife and I watched the removalists take away our household items so they can be freighted off to South Australia to complete our final move from Townsville, Queensland.

Next day my wife and I started our big drive from Townsville to Mount Isa (Queensland) and then through the Northern Territory to Tennant Creek, up to Katherine, back down to Tennant Creek, to Alice Springs to Uluru (Ayers Rock), to Erldunda and across the Northern Territory/South Australian border to Coober Pedy and finally to Adelaide. This drive involved 14 days, 12 dawn listening sessions trying for Africa/Europe/Middle East (and Asia), and 6000km travelled in the car - and lots and lots of tapes.

Now I'm in Adelaide and my wife and I are staying with my mother in law ............

Next week I start my new job in South Australia and in mid-May the tenants in our house will finish their rental lease so we'll get our beautiful house back.

So everyone you'll have to excuse my lateness when I eventually get out reports and trails for the Mount Isa trip, the Townsville beach trip and then the Northern Territory 2 week trip. After all this is only a hobby and not a job so the deadlines aren't a huge priority considering we have just moved across the country, living in a family members house as all our stuff is in storage for 2 months and we're both starting a new job.

BUT!! there is a bit of news I wanted to pass on, even though all the dates, times, etc aren't complete - the unid RRI Indonesian listed in Bruce Portzer's PAL (what a brilliant resource!) on 774 kHz is indeed active still and ID'ed as RRI Fak Fak. This was heard very nicely at Northern Territory sunset in Tennant Creek (not heard in Katherine due to Hot 100 on 765 kHz) around 1000 UTC at very good levels, equal in strength to regular RRI Merauke on 810. ID'ed on March 4th and well heard during mid-March from Uluru, Erldunda and Coober Pedy. Only really looked at this once the following week during my local sunrise as I was busy chasing African/Middle East and Europe Trans-Indian MW DX. However on March 15 noted it around 2000 UTC (sorry for vagueness of time, doing this from memory) and it was // 4790v. So it appears RRI Fak Fak is up and running nicely for now on 774. Get in quick though, remember when RRI Wamena on unlisted 1395 was really strong and noted regularly in Townsville last year from but I haven't heard a thing from them since before January this year.

Again guys, I'll try and get the results of these DX trips out ASAP - Mount Isa business trip stuff should be out by next week.

cheers

Craig

Craig Edwards
ex Townsville, Queensland, Australia
now Adelaide, South Australia,  Australia
Phone 0411 966633
email nutritionandsports@xxxxxxxxxxx

International Mediumwave DXer
Icom R75, EWE antennae
ex Crocodile DX Hunter......
http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/townsville2004.dx
http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/townsville_2004_09.dx
http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/townsville_2004_10.dx
http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/mountisa_2004_10.dx
http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/townsville_2005_01.dx
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