From: dxcoffee@alt119.net.remove-ws5-this   
      
   31 October 2015   
   TX3X Chesterfield Islands 2015, the Team with DxCoffee Flag!   
   "The Staff of DxCoffee thanked the TX3X team !"    
      
   ***************************************   
   17 October 2015, 4PM local   
   The Team informs DxCoffee Readers:   
   Saturday 17 Oct.   
   The boat arrived in Noumea on Friday afternoon, Arnie N6HC rode the boat till   
   the bitter end. The skipper reported the ride was a rough one. Arnie looked   
   fine, with a big smile on his face, happy to have had the total sailing   
   experience.   
   The logs are uploaded and OQRS is operational at TX3X.com   
   We appreciate the kind words we';re receiving in e-mails and on the forums.   
   The donations coming in through OQRS and via the Donate button at TX3X.com   
   will help offset the project cost. We know several areas are having trouble   
   getting to the website, the    
   domain registrar is investigating the issue.   
   The incorrectly logged PSK31 contacts were corrected.  We are receiving your   
   e-mails regarding busted calls and Not in Log situations, they will each be   
   investigated when we have stable and fast Internet connections, this process   
   will take time. Please    
   do NOT send multiple e-mails for the same problem or write a long explanation   
   of the problem, just include the specifics of the contact(s) in question.   
   On the first day we had a significant web site outage caused by our web   
   hosting supplier, you all saw the effects. With the help of John Miller K6MM   
   the web hosting supplier restored our service.   
   Over the next 48 hours the team members will begin their long journey home.   
   The boat will return to Auckland, New Zealand where we will offload the   
   equipment and arrange for its return to the USA.   
   A top priority of the DX-pedition organizers is to get everyone home safely   
   and in good health. Other than a few scrapes and bruises (and some motion   
   sickness) we';re happy to report we met that goal.   
   Thanks to the DX community for your understanding, we were happy to provide   
   all the new ones and band fills.   
   Team Chesterfield Islands DX-pedition   
   ************************************************   
   15 October 2015, 4PM local   
   The Team informs DxCoffee Readers:   
      
   Update 13#   
      
   Half the team arrived back in Noumea after a 6 hour bus ride.  The others   
   will arrive in about 3 hours.  One intrepid DXer decided to ride the boat   
   back to Noumea, he will arrive sometime in the night.   
   Everyone is in good health, a few bumps and bruises, but nothing serious. Dr.   
   Arnie tended to everyone in the highest traditions of the medical profession,   
   especially when it came to dispensing medications for motion sickness.   
   There are hundreds of e-mails asking for a "log check".  I';m sure you   
   realize this requires a solid Internet connection, which we don';t have at the   
   hotel, and many hours of someone';s time to research.   
   All the logs have been uploaded to the server.   
   Team Chesterfield   
      
   *******************************************   
   14 October 2015   
   The Team informs DxCoffee Readers:   
      
   Update 12#   
   On the morning of 12 Oct we got a break in the weather and were able to   
   dismantle the camps in about 3 hours and get the equipment back to the boat.   
   It took several more hours to store everything and prepare to get under way.   
   At 2PM local we set sail for    
   Noumea and quickly found ourselves in very windy conditions and "confused   
   seas". With 2 - 3 meter seas, coming at us from different directions and heavy   
   winds the boat and passengers took a significant beating. On the night of 14   
   Oct the skipper decided    
   to take the boat to the port of Koumac, New Caledonia. The weather forecast   
   indicates conditions will get only worse and the risk of trying to make Noumea   
   wasn';t worth taking.   
   We are currently in Koumac, the plan is to find alternate transportation to   
   Noumea today.   
   We';ll upload the last of the logs today.  I know there are many e-mails   
   asking about contacts and busted calls. We';ll begin the process of working   
   through the NiL and busted calls when we';re near a reliable internet   
   connection. This will probably not    
   be until 19 Oct.   
   The boat will return to Auckland where the Advance Team will unload the   
   equipment and turn it over the customs broker.   
   Team Chesterfield DX-pedition   
   *************************************************   
   10 October 2015   
   The Team informs DxCoffee Readers:   
      
   Update 11#   
   Last night we experienced even stronger winds than what is now typical. One op   
   reported his bed was moving during the night from the wind that was lifting   
   his tent.  We think he was dreaming as it was really several hundred hermit   
   crabs carrying him to    
   their nesting area.   
   Last report we have shows: SFI=80, A=56, K=3, the quality of the signals on   
   this end have been marginal. We know that you are hearing us better than   
   we';re hearing you. With the A having been as high as 77 it';s a miracle you   
   hear us at all.   
   Last night we opened to NA on 40 SSB while competing with an "Over the Horizon   
   Radar"  that was about the same signal strength as most NA signals and   
   atmospheric noise. This continued for about 2 - 3 hours before NA started   
   building. Similar situation    
   with EU, weak signals and radar interference. We appreciated Asia standing by   
   during the NA and later EU openings. We had similar weak signal challenges on   
   30 meter CW, with signals out of EU mostly in the noise. We had good openings   
   on 80 CW. We also    
   had excellent openings on 20 CW to the UK, Nordics, and other northwest EU   
   countries. Until now there';s been very little to no  propagation to that   
   region.   
   The ops are reporting working these long hours under the current conditions is   
   very tiring and not much fun.   
   Since we';re in Asia';s back yard they have propagation the vast majority of   
   time.  They have about 44% of the contacts because we hear them during your   
   propagation lulls, its a simple choice, work Asia or work nothing. While some   
   of you think we';re    
   ignoring NA and EU in favor of AS, the reality is propagation is erratic.   
   Openings are not as obvious to us while we';re working what we can hear. We   
   always call for NA - EU when we hear an opening to those geos.   
   All equipment and the generators continue to work very well. The Evohe crew   
   has been very helpful with guy inspections and maintenance.   
   With 2 operating days remaining we';ll continue to look for NA and EU, and ask   
   all geographies to call if only an All Time New One on any band.   
   Team Chesterfield Island DX-pedition   
      
   ÿ   
   *********************************************************   
   9 October 2015   
   The Team informs DxCoffee Readers:   
      
   Update 10#   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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