top of page
Jun 266 min read

CY9C - St Paul Isl.


CY9C Update (Sep 03)


As of 1000Z on Tuesday, CY9C has 91,828 contacts in the log.  There is a 40-meter log which will be uploaded to Clublog.  Those with missing contacts on 40 please be patient as that log will be uploaded soon.


The wind on the island is strong today but, so far, no issues have been encountered.  Another load of non-essential gear was sent back to Dingwall, Nova Scotia this morning.  The team continues to prepare for a Thursday departure from St Paul.



CY9C Update (Sep 02)


As of 1400Z on Monday the CY9C team had a total of 81,637.contacts.  Band conditions were much improved on Monday and the team took advantage with all six FlexRadio's in operation.  The team will continue to operate non-stop until Wednesday evening local time.  If you still need CY9C, please work us in the next two days.  The team plans more SSB activity during that time.



CY9C Update (Sep 01)


As of 1900Z on Saturday the CY9C team had 66,400 Qs in the log.  The Leaderboard was opened on Clublog.  Band conditions continue to be a challenge, especially on 10 and 12 meters.


The team installed a 60 meter antenna on Saturday and is active on that band.  There will be a little more SSB activity in the coming days.  All FT8 activity continues on the regular Fox/Hound mode.


All team members are well and will be working hard to get everyone in the log



CY9C Update (Aug 31)


The CY9C DXpedition Team has switched from SuperFox FT8 to the regular Fox Hound on FT8.  The team is trying to work the weaker stations, especially JA and VK/ZL.  This strategy has worked as many weaker stations are making it into the CY9C log.  At this point, we will assess the situation and be flexible and adapt to changing band conditions.


On Friday, the team moved the 12 meter monoband Yagi to a much more favorable location 400 feet away from the camp.  A fuel supply run was made on Friday and another fuel supply run will be made on Saturday while the weather is favorable.



CY9C Update (Aug 28)


ClubLog has been updated as of 1440z today, 28 Aug.  Missing CW contacts from prior days have been accounted for.  We inadvertently duplicated some entries and will fix that in a future upload.  We are not doing LiveStream.


CY9C will primarily use FT8 SuperFox mode and switch to FT8 Fox/Hound mode as conditions warrant, particularly on the low bands and for marginal band conditions.


Donations to help offset the high cost of the two helicopters and the boat are much appreciated and can be made HERE.



CY9C Update (Aug 25)


We encountered a little delay in the helicopter operations, but the problem was successfully resolved.  The FlexRadios along with K9CT and K9NW took off for St Paul Island at approximately 1435Z.  The team members on the island have made good progress with the tents and generators.  The weather remains excellent for all operations  All team members and gear should be on the island by the end of the day.  More updates to follow, as needed.


Donations to help offset the high cost of the two helicopters and the boat are much appreciated and can be made HERE.



CY9C Update (Aug 24)



The St Paul CY9C DXpedition helicopter operations have begun.  Team members WØGJ, WØPR and NE9U were on the first trip to the Northeast Island around 1245 Z.  The slinging of gear began at 1345Z with 800 lbs of gear on the first sling.  The weather is very favorable today. Matt with Breton Air is an awesome pilot, so we are very fortunate to have his services.  We are using both baskets and netting to sling gear.  The second helicopter (Air Dolan) will be arriving later this afternoon.  Will continue to send updates.


Helicopter operations for today concluded at 1930Z with five of the eleven team members on the island.  Those on the island have been extremely busy sorting through all the gear and erecting tents.   Those on the island are WØGJ, WØPR, NE9U, N2TU and W4DKS.  It has been a very long day, and everyone is exhausted.  The Air Dolan helicopter should arrive in Dingwall, Nova Scotia by 2100Z.


Helicopter operations are scheduled to begin again on Sunday at 1200Z.  The first priority on Sunday morning is to transport all of the FlexRadio equipment to the island.  All team members except for Adrian KO8SCA should be on the island by 1700Z.  Adrian will be arriving at St Paul on Wednesday, August 28 by 2200Z.


Pictures from today: click HERE.


Donations to help offset the high cost of the two helicopters and the boat are much appreciated and can be made HERE.



CY9C Update (Aug 23)


WA4DAN and W4DKS arrived in Dingwall, Nova Scotia on Thursday afternoon.  Four more team members will arrive in Dingwall by early evening on Friday.  The remaining team members will arrive on Saturday.


Breton Air helicopter operations will begin at 1200Z on Saturday, August 24.  The first flight to St Paul Island will be with several team members on board.  The first priority will be sending the tents and other infrastructure gear to the island.  The airlift of gear will take all day on the 24th.  Please be patient as there is a lot of work that must be completed to build the camp.  There is very little soil (ground) on the Northeast Island as it is essentially a large rock.  We may have to drill anchors into the rock to secure our tents and antenna masts.


At this point, the weather looks favorable for the airlift of gear and team members.  The CY9C team will continue to provide updates on our progress here.


Donations to help offset the high cost of the two helicopters and the boat are much appreciated and can be made HERE.



CY9C Update (Aug 20)



N2TU - "Van being loaded with St.Paul gear...Murray, WA4DAN will be driving the load up to Dingwall, Nova Scotia in the next few days.....QRV soon...weather permitting!"



CY9C Update (Aug 15)


Everything still looks good for the August 26 - September 5, 2024 St Paul Island CY9C DXpedition.  The first load of gear was successfully delivered to Dingwall, Nova Scotia on August 6th.  Ironically, the DXpedition gear is safely stored at the St Paul Lighthouse Museum in Dingwall!  Museum staff members helped with the unloading of the gear.  Since all gear will be transported to the Northeast Island at St Paul by helicopter, all gear must be weighed.  This process was completed yesterday and the total weight of the CY9C gear is 7500 lbs.  The Breton Air heavy lift helicopter will be slinging the fuel, water, tents, tables, chairs, coax and all other gear needed to build the camp.  Air Dolan will be transporting the team members along with their personal gear.


The first team members will arrive in Dingwall on August 22nd.  The estimated cost of this DXpedition has now approached $100,000, by far the most expensive CY9 DXpedition.  By contrast, the boat transportation cost for the 1995 CY9 DXpedition with team leader WA4DAN was only $300!  Please note that the main island at St Paul is no longer available for DXpeditions.  The Northeast Island is almost impossible to land on by boat, especially with tons of gear.  As always, the schedule may shift a little depending on weather and flying conditions.


Donations to help offset the high cost of the two helicopters and the boat are much appreciated and can be made HERE.



CY9C Update (Jul 27)


N2TU - "Unfortunately, Jay K4ZLE will not be coming to St. Paul. In his place, a new Team member Scott, NE9U has joined the St. Paul Team. Scott is an experienced DXpeditioner (recently on Temotu) and avid Contester. He participated in the 2022 WRTC. and has many, many contests under his belt. Welcome to Scott!"



CY9C Update (Jul 18)


The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada has executed the license to access the Northeast Island of St Paul. WA4DAN signed the agreement, paid the $500 fee on behalf of the team and returned it to the DFO.  As part of the license, there was a 930 page "Environmental Site Assessment and Human Health Ecological Risk Assessment".  In short, this assessment lists and explains all of the hazards with visiting St Paul Island.  The CY9C team was required to obtain a $1 million dollar liability insurance policy.  Both the license and the insurance are in force from August 21 - September 7, 2024.


The actual dates of the DXpedition are August 26 - September 5.  The team wanted a little buffer in the access time to get gear to and back from the island.  Donations to help offset the high cost of the two helicopters and the boat are much appreciated and came be made HERE.



CY9C


Ops: K4ZLE, K9CT, K9NW, N2IEN, N2TU, W4DKS, W0GJ, W0PR, WA4DAN & WW2DX


Bands: 2M EME & 10M - 160M


Modes: CW, SSB, FT8 & RTTY


Qsl Info: Qsl via WA4DAN (SASE or USD $2), ClubLog OQRS or LoTW


Start Date - End Date: Aug. 26 - Sep. 05




1,892 views

Recent Posts

See All

Comments

bottom of page