View Full Version : Sandy Island...well guess who's responsible for undiscovering it?
ki4itv
03-16-2013, 10:21 AM
This was an unexpected surprise...
Ham Radio Enthusiasts Ask, "Where Is It?"
Actually, someone did. In 2000, a bunch of ham radio enthusiasts were looking for the most remote place possible to transmit a radio message. This is something ham radio folks do. They compete to send signals from faraway places. A group in Australia found a bunch of reefs, rocks and islets called the Chesterfield Islands in the Coral Sea, and thought they might go there to compete. But a few maps included a much bigger 24-square-mile mass (that would be Sandy Island) very close by.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/03/15/174203234/pacific-island-bigger-than-manhattan-vanishes
It was all about the DX. :lol:
:snicker:
This is why I think some DXpeditions are silly.
If no one lives on some rock in the Pacific (or Atlantic) who cares?
This kind of crap is just a way for the QRO types to show how big they are, or the losers that THINK they're hot shit to show off.
Complete FAIL.
ki4itv
03-16-2013, 11:03 AM
Well, there goes that thread.
Let the ham niche bashing begin! :irked:
This is why I think some DXpeditions are silly.
If no one lives on some rock in the Pacific (or Atlantic) who cares?
This kind of crap is just a way for the QRO types to show how big they are, or the losers that THINK they're hot shit to show off.
Complete FAIL.Then, don't work them. Problem solved.
And for my next trick... World Peace...
This was an unexpected surprise...
Ham Radio Enthusiasts Ask, "Where Is It?"
Actually, someone did. In 2000, a bunch of ham radio enthusiasts were looking for the most remote place possible to transmit a radio message. This is something ham radio folks do. They compete to send signals from faraway places. A group in Australia found a bunch of reefs, rocks and islets called the Chesterfield Islands in the Coral Sea, and thought they might go there to compete. But a few maps included a much bigger 24-square-mile mass (that would be Sandy Island) very close by.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/03/15/174203234/pacific-island-bigger-than-manhattan-vanishes
It was all about the DX. :lol:
:snicker:So what took NPR so long? This isn't news. It was news back in November.
Couple of hundred links. Just Google (or if you prefer, Chandler, er, Bing) "Sandy Island Disappears"
And, take note of this: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/12/new-zealander-solves-mystery-behind-googles-disappearing-island/
Lighten up a bit, Janet. You're beginning to sound a lot like Burt.
Yeah, I agree that there's a certain amount of "look how cool I am!" involved in DXpeditions and I find the multiple pages in QST given over to people who don't write particularly well about them tedious in the extreme but there's room for all kinds of pursuits in ham radio. Just because one of those pursuits happens to be something you're not interested in doesn't mean it's silly for someone else to do it. Plus, you never know when your opinion might change. As an example, for the life of me I could never figure why anyone would want to participate in the ARRL's frequency measuring challenge. Now I'm thinking about gearing up to give it a try next year.
Yah, I used to thinking walking was silly too. Not anymore.
http://i48.tinypic.com/2whnu5d.jpg
KK4AMI
03-16-2013, 12:17 PM
This is why I think some DXpeditions are silly.
If no one lives on some rock in the Pacific (or Atlantic) who cares?
This kind of crap is just a way for the QRO types to show how big they are, or the losers that THINK they're hot shit to show off.
Complete FAIL.
I think its just a case of an age old male tradition. Whether it be a HF radio, fishing pole, firearm or camera, it's usually just an excuse to get away somewhere with a cooler of beer and without the spouse! :lol:
ki4itv
03-16-2013, 12:41 PM
So what took NPR so long? This isn't news. It was news back in November.
Couple of hundred links. Just Google (or if you prefer, Chandler, er, Bing) "Sandy Island Disappears"
And, take note of this: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/12/new-zealander-solves-mystery-behind-googles-disappearing-island/
I knew about Sandy island not existing as the story broke, but this is the first article I've noticed that mentioned the ham radio DX'er connection.
Late to the party I guess.
I'll be lurking...maybe.
ki4itv
03-16-2013, 12:42 PM
I think its just a case of an age old male tradition. Whether it be a HF radio, fishing pole, firearm or camera, it's usually just an excuse to get away somewhere with a cooler of beer and without the spouse! :lol:
Sounds like a total win to me.
I think its just a case of an age old male tradition. Whether it be a HF radio, fishing pole, firearm or camera, it's usually just an excuse to get away somewhere with a cooler of beer and without the spouse! :lol:
Make it a cooler of margaritas and Halle Berry, and I am so there. :drool:
AE1PT
03-16-2013, 05:10 PM
I know these fools that _______________. What they do is so: a) stupid; b) expensive; c) dangerous; d) lame. I don't like it because _____________.
Who cares what the do? got the money and the time--do whatever the hell you want and piss on the burts. Time is too short for bullshit people and ideas.
Written from a bed in ICU at Corning Guthrie Hospital... :fever:
VE7DCW
03-16-2013, 05:57 PM
I know these fools that _______________. What they do is so: a) stupid; b) expensive; c) dangerous; d) lame. I don't like it because _____________.
Who cares what the do? got the money and the time--do whatever the hell you want and piss on the burts. Time is too short for bullshit people and ideas.
Written from a bed in ICU at Corning Guthrie Hospital... :fever:
I'll bite at this one as I am always concerned about another fellow hams health and welfare......
Holy Cow Patrck!! ......i'm sorry to read about your illness severe enough requiring hospitalization!! ....... definately get well quick!!! :yes:
I know these fools that _______________. What they do is so: a) stupid; b) expensive; c) dangerous; d) lame. I don't like it because _____________.
Who cares what the do? got the money and the time--do whatever the hell you want and piss on the burts. Time is too short for bullshit people and ideas.
Agreed.
Written from a bed in ICU at Corning Guthrie Hospital... :fever:
If that wasn't from a laptop, I'm envious. I can never get the smilies working from my tablet.
Get well soon Patrick. Hope it's nothing to worry about.
K7SGJ
03-16-2013, 07:14 PM
You can't bullshit me Pat. A DXpedition from CGH. Whada concept. By the way, get the fuck out of there and go home to your bench where you belong. And get well quickly.
AE1PT
03-16-2013, 08:07 PM
You can't bullshit me Pat. A DXpedition from CGH. Whada concept. By the way, get the fuck out of there and go home to your bench where you belong. And get well quickly.
I can't even hit any of the club repeaters from here with an HT...
Flu ran me over on tuesday--down solid until Thursday. Stopped on friday to see my internist and next thing i know its the emergency room. I did drive there with a fillet o' fish in one hand and a Pall Mall menthol in the other. Supraventricular tachycardia 150-160 bpm, with echocardiogram showing ~25% right ventricle enlargement and failure...
Had I know I would live this long I would have taken a lot better care of myself... Hopefully my escape will be made good on Monday. Because they started me on a Cardizem drip, their protocols said i had to be monitored in the ICU. Now that its back in the 70s they moved me to a regular cardiac floor.
K7SGJ
03-16-2013, 08:13 PM
I can't even hit any of the club repeaters from here with an HT...
Flu ran me over on tuesday--down solid until Thursday. Stopped on friday to see my internist and next thing i know its the emergency room. I did drive there with a fillet o' fish in one hand and a Pall Mall menthol in the other. Supraventricular tachycardia 150-160 bpm, with echocardiogram showing ~25% right ventricle enlargement and failure...
Had I know I would live this long I would have taken a lot better care of myself... Hopefully my escape will be made good on Monday. Because they started me on a Cardizem drip, their protocols said i had to be monitored in the ICU. Now that its back in the 70s they moved me to a regular cardiac floor.
That must be some great shit if it took you back to the 70s. See if they have something that can get me back to the 60s, and I'll catch the red eye tonight. I wonder where I put those hippy dippy clothes of mine? Glad you're doing better. Far out man
KC2UGV
03-16-2013, 09:10 PM
I can't even hit any of the club repeaters from here with an HT...
Flu ran me over on tuesday--down solid until Thursday. Stopped on friday to see my internist and next thing i know its the emergency room. I did drive there with a fillet o' fish in one hand and a Pall Mall menthol in the other. Supraventricular tachycardia 150-160 bpm, with echocardiogram showing ~25% right ventricle enlargement and failure...
Had I know I would live this long I would have taken a lot better care of myself... Hopefully my escape will be made good on Monday. Because they started me on a Cardizem drip, their protocols said i had to be monitored in the ICU. Now that its back in the 70s they moved me to a regular cardiac floor.
Glad to hear it's being managed well. Hope to see you posting from NOT the ICU soon.
Lighten up a bit, Janet. You're beginning to sound a lot like Burt.
That's a bold statement, Il Papa. Not in complete agreement, but point noted.
If all entities were easy to work, might as well just print out a big stack of certificates and hand them out at hamfests, no QSOs or QSLs required.
Some I can agree are ridiculous though, BS7 comes to mind. That one is just a few rocks barely above sea level. It only became a DXCC entity because ARRL BoD said so.
If all entities were easy to work, might as well just print out a big stack of certificates and hand them out at hamfests, no QSOs or QSLs required.
Some I can agree are ridiculous though, BS7 comes to mind. That one is just a few rocks barely above sea level. It only became a DXCC entity because ARRL BoD said so.
This is a rare moment when we are in agreement about something. I feel the earth..move..under my feet.
kb2vxa
03-17-2013, 11:43 AM
"Some I can agree are ridiculous though, BS7 comes to mind."
Well, after all it >is< BS.
If all entities were easy to work, might as well just print out a big stack of certificates and hand them out at hamfests, no QSOs or QSLs required.
Some I can agree are ridiculous though, BS7 comes to mind. That one is just a few rocks barely above sea level. It only became a DXCC entity because ARRL BoD said so.This is a rare moment when we are in agreement about something. I feel the earth..move..under my feet.I hear you. One more step towards the coming of the Final Days. Next thing you know, my sister will call up and invite us over for a family gathering.
Seriously...
Part of the problem today with the existing DXCC list is that so many entries are "grandfathered", from years or decades previous, when the rules were different... and often a DXCC country (they weren't entities yet) was on the list because someone decided it would be a good idea, rules or no rules.
The last overhaul / rewrite, the so-called DXCC 2000 rules currently in effect, was supposed to put a stop to a lot of that. Of course, it didn't quite work out that way, as the Law of Unintended Consequences took hold. The "history" of Swains Island making the list, and the continued efforts to put Kosovo on it, are examples of that.
Politics will always rear it's ugly head.
This is why my personal goals are not now and never have included "Honor Roll". My goals were 5BDXCC & 300 countries/entities confirmed. Now my goal is 9BDXCC (8 confirmed, 1 to go). And then we'll see.
I want to activate P5. Just imagine the pile-ups on that one.
I want to activate P5. Just imagine the pile-ups on that one.Go for it. In fact, you should have a talk with The Locust (K6VVA)
P5/K6VVA - IOTA AS-197 Expedition (Pending "CW Only"Activation Proposal
INFO UPDATE #2
This is a new supplement to my initial P5 "CW ONLY" and IOTA AS-197 Activation Project Proposal general information prior to INFO UPDATE #1.
If you have not read the general information page and/or INFO UPDATE #1 (http://www.k6vva.com/p5/p5infoupdate1.pdf (http://www.k6vva.com/p5/p5infoupdate1.pdf)), please do so before continuing.
Unfortunately due to Net Criminal activities, the p5changeme and p5deleteme email addresses provided in INFO UPDATE #1 have been disabled. There are also several Psychopathic Deviants who are attempting to thwart this P5 Project in various ways.
Now into a year #7 of seeking permission from the D.P.R.K. authorities, one thing I have learned is "patience". A "No" today does not necessarily mean "No" forever !!!
The new very creative and unique win-win proposal was submitted last July to D.P.R.K. officials (my NGO has ongoing communications with), shortly after the survey results reached 90% of the "Threshold" amount which I personally set. While continuing to assemble various supplemental materials, we anticipated a possible initial "QRX" response. My NGO contact was scheduled to go to the D.P.R.K. in September to monitor the distribution of medicines to various rural hospitals. The plan was for him to also hand-carry the full proposal supplements and to discuss things in-person with his longstanding official contact in Pyongyang before returning to the U.S.
Due to various delays, his trip did not take place until late November, and the official was unfortunately out of the country at the time (an opportunity to learn even more patience). The materials have been routed by other means, and we were hoping for the previously anticipated discussions to take place after the first of the year. Due to the uniqueness of the proposal, there will be multiple D.P.R.K. Governmental approvals required. But the scope of the extremely win-win nature of the proposal to all parties justifies the additional administrative burden and work which my NGO contact is fortunately willing to do.
The proposal is for multiple operators and stations for a longer time frame than the "worst case scenario" previously outlined (which would be just myself for a period of 4 days). I am fully prepared and always packed ready-to-go if the latter is all that can be approved. As previously set forth, I am also aware of several groups seeking approval from D.P.R.K. authorities for a P5 DX-Pedition. But it could also take 3 to 5 years (or maybe another 7 years) for any of us to obtain approval, due to all of the factors involved. It is what it is.
Recent "circumstances" in P5 during the last several months have made this Project even more challenging, for obvious reasons. Yet a new alternative route to potential success has also materialized, and I decided to unleash the full "long term" plan, which has been to activate ALL of the four P5 IOTA Designators (AS-195, AS-196, AS-197 and AS-198 .
Regardless of what operating venue might result when approval is obtained, I think we all realize any P5 QRV - especially on CW ONLY - will result in "The Mother of all Pileups". Reiterating that Amateur Radio is (supposed to be) about "International Goodwill and Friendship", over the past several years I have been appalled at the pileup operating behaviors by many which are completely the opposite of "International Goodwill and Friendship". And this "Anti-Social Behavior" continues even today worse than ever. Especially, all the profanity being spewed forth on a DXpedition's operating QRG.
IMHO, a good Doctoral Thesis Project for a major University Psychiatric Department student would be: A Psychiatric Anatomy of DX Pileup Participants.
Fortunately, over the past 18 months, I have been privileged to be part of a very small discussion group with N7NG and G3SXW, (Founders of DX UNIVERSITY), ON4UN and ON4WW (Authors of Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio Amateur), W6SJ (Action Promoter of both The DX CODE of CONDUCT for DX Chasers, and The DX CODE of CONDUCT for DXpeditioners), ST2AR (S53R) and several others - all with considerable DXpedition and/or DX QTH operating experience.
We have spent considerable time in analyzing and discussing the observed cause and effect relationship between the operating "styles" (and errors) of many Major DXpedition operators, which always result in the same predictable anti-social behaviors and chaos occurring in all pileups. We also utilized on-air recordings as the basis of our many discussions, to include formulating more effective DXpedition operating techniques to substantially mitigate much of the resulting pileup caller "Anti-Social" behavior.
Each of my last two IOTA Expedition trips have been to also "test" some of the theories and new strategies, which after review, have undergone a few additional refinements. I plan to produce a web viewable video soon, summarizing my perspective of the reality of things, which will also be the basis for any P5 operations and "Pileup Management".
For DX Chasers *AND* DXpeditioners not familiar with DX UNIVERSITY, I encourage you to visit: http://www.dxuniversity.com (http://www.dxuniversity.com/). You can find the DX CODE of CONDUCT (For DX Chasers) and DX CODE of Conduct (For DXpeditioners) at http://www.dx-code.org (http://www.dx-code.org/).
Regarding any future P5 operations, I have not yet made a final decision about whether or not to implement my growing "Blacklist" of the repeat offender "Anti-Social Pileup Bullies" I continually observe in every pileup on the bands these days. They are easy to spot if one listens to the DXpedition operator *and* inside the Pileup at the same time.
An additional INFO UPDATE may be forthcoming when and if deemed appropriate.
73, Rick, K6VVA * The LocustAnd if you wonder if he's for real, or if he's full of... gorgonzola, a lot of people are wondering the same thing (I'm going for the latter, not the former)
Go for it. In fact, you should have a talk with The Locust (K6VVA)
And if you wonder if he's for real, or if he's full of... gorgonzola, a lot of people are wondering the same thing (I'm going for the latter, not the former)
I'll believe it when I see/hear it. Until that time, it's all BS.
I'll believe it when I see/hear it. Until that time, it's all BS.No, BS is Scarborough. P5 is DPRK. [cue: rimshot]
Seriously, I think he's just pulling our leg, or at least trying to. Of course, you never know, but I'm not exactly holding my breath on this one.
kb2vxa
03-19-2013, 05:38 PM
There are no known hams in North Korea, gee, I wonder why. Not much is known outside of North Korea how amateur radio is regulated, although a foreign amateur was asked to appear before the "Radio Regulation Board" in 2002. Also, North Korea's Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries recently issued an operating permit, which was countermanded by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Posts. Right, don't hold your breath because evolution takes a long time. Maybe pigs will grow wings? Maybe not.
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