WEBVTT 00:00:10.619 --> 00:00:13.419 Thanks for tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on 00:00:13.419 --> 00:00:31.379 the air shortly. Please stand by. Thanks for 00:00:31.379 --> 00:00:34.140 tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on the air shortly. 00:00:34.380 --> 00:00:52.219 Please stand by. This episode of HamTalk Live 00:00:52.219 --> 00:00:56.000 is brought to you by Tower Electronics. For connectors, 00:00:56.280 --> 00:01:02.079 cables and more, call 920 -435 - 2973 or visit 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:07.620 pl -259 .com and buy the ham station get your 00:01:07.620 --> 00:01:13.519 new radio or antenna by calling 800 -729 -4373 00:01:13.519 --> 00:01:51.219 or go to hamstation .com It's episode number 00:01:51.219 --> 00:01:55.459 33, the Bouvier Island De -Expedition with Ralph 00:01:55.459 --> 00:02:00.379 Fedor, KZeroIR, recorded live on Thursday, September 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:06.319 29th, 2016. I'm your host, Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:09.560 Thanks for tuning into this episode of HamTalk 00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:12.539 Live. Tonight we'll be joined by Ralph Fedor, 00:02:12.539 --> 00:02:16.840 KZeroIR, one of the co -leaders of the upcoming 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:20.430 Bouvier Island De -Expedition. and we will take 00:02:20.430 --> 00:02:23.990 your calls live with Ralph in just a few minutes. 00:02:24.689 --> 00:02:28.409 Last week on the show, Christian Kudnick K0STH 00:02:28.409 --> 00:02:31.629 was here to talk about the 100 watts and a wire 00:02:31.629 --> 00:02:34.650 fallout on October 8th and 9th. And if you missed 00:02:34.650 --> 00:02:38.050 that show, you can listen anytime at HamTalkLive 00:02:38.050 --> 00:02:42.030 .com or you can download the podcast from iTunes, 00:02:42.310 --> 00:02:44.509 Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, SoundCloud, or 00:02:44.509 --> 00:02:48.569 you can listen to us over on YouTube. Before 00:02:48.569 --> 00:02:51.710 we go to break do you have a message that we 00:02:51.710 --> 00:02:56.509 receive from John? Amadeo in in 6ja the producer 00:02:56.509 --> 00:03:00.030 of the TV show last man standing He dropped us 00:03:00.030 --> 00:03:02.629 an email about a chance to work the set of last 00:03:02.629 --> 00:03:06.009 man standing coming up in two weeks Now they 00:03:06.009 --> 00:03:07.909 normally operate, but they're going to be on 00:03:07.909 --> 00:03:12.729 D star on October 11th And they will have a couple 00:03:12.729 --> 00:03:17.710 of special guests aim Ed and Amy Woodrick will 00:03:17.710 --> 00:03:20.389 be visiting the Last Man Standing show. So Ed, 00:03:20.389 --> 00:03:26.930 W -A -4 -Y -I -H and Amy, K -E -4 -I -K -F will 00:03:26.930 --> 00:03:31.990 be on the D -Star Reflector 30 Charlie. Again, 00:03:32.069 --> 00:03:38.430 it's D -Star Reflector 30C from the Mike Baxter 00:03:38.430 --> 00:03:42.310 office set on the Last Man Standing stage in 00:03:42.310 --> 00:03:44.770 Studio City, California. The crew of the show 00:03:44.770 --> 00:03:48.330 usually operates from the set. during their Tuesday 00:03:48.330 --> 00:03:51.370 night shoots during the dinner break which is 00:03:51.370 --> 00:03:55.509 usually about $22 .45 UTC and they're usually 00:03:55.509 --> 00:03:58.530 on for about an hour so be sure to give them 00:03:58.530 --> 00:04:02.289 a call and right now get all your questions ready 00:04:02.289 --> 00:04:05.449 to go for Ralph Fedor. After the introduction 00:04:05.449 --> 00:04:09.710 you can call us on Skype and the username hamtalklive 00:04:09.710 --> 00:04:15.330 or by telephone the number is 812 NET ham1, that's 00:04:15.330 --> 00:04:21.250 812 -638 -4261. You can also tweet us a question. 00:04:21.649 --> 00:04:25.670 Our Twitter handle is at hamtalklive and you 00:04:25.670 --> 00:04:28.910 can also post a comment right there on the website 00:04:28.910 --> 00:04:32.009 as you're listening. So I'll be back with Ralph 00:04:32.009 --> 00:04:35.750 K0IR right after this word from the ham station 00:04:35.750 --> 00:04:39.740 right here. on HamTalk Live. This episode of 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:42.879 HamTalk Live is brought to you by the HamStation. 00:04:43.100 --> 00:04:45.519 For 35 years, the HamStation has brought new 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:48.399 and used radios, antennas, accessories, and equipment 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:51.180 to the amateur radio community. Give Jeff or 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:58.100 Dan a call at 1 -800 -729 -4373 or order online 00:04:58.100 --> 00:05:01.279 at hamstation .com. HamStation carries all the 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:04.379 major brands like Icom, Yezu, and Kenwood. Shop 00:05:04.379 --> 00:05:07.660 from a wide selection of radio scanners, MFGA 00:05:07.660 --> 00:05:11.339 accessories, HileSound products, Mirage and Ameritron 00:05:11.339 --> 00:05:14.920 amplifiers, Cushcraft antennas and more. Easy 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:17.379 online shopping and fast shipping are waiting 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:23.160 for you at HamStation .com or call 1 -800 -729 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:28.300 -4373. The HamStation, proud to sponsor this 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:31.930 episode of HamTalk Live. The grass may be greener 00:05:31.930 --> 00:05:34.170 on the other side, but at least we don't have 00:05:34.170 --> 00:05:36.970 to mow it. You're listening to HamTalk Live with 00:05:36.970 --> 00:05:52.209 Neil Rapp. Welcome back to HamTalk Live, the 00:05:52.209 --> 00:05:54.810 ham station as you covered for both new and used 00:05:54.810 --> 00:05:58.870 equipment. Give Dan or Jeff a call at 800 -729 00:05:58.870 --> 00:06:03.529 -4373 or go to hamstation .com and tell them 00:06:03.529 --> 00:06:06.970 you've heard it on HamTalk Live. Be sure to listen 00:06:06.970 --> 00:06:09.829 to HamTalk Live every Thursday night at 9 p .m. 00:06:09.990 --> 00:06:12.870 Eastern time, right here on hamtalklive .com. 00:06:13.269 --> 00:06:14.870 And if you missed the show, you can download 00:06:14.870 --> 00:06:17.889 the podcast from the website and most popular 00:06:17.889 --> 00:06:23.250 podcasting sites. Ralph Fedor, K0IR lives near. 00:06:23.449 --> 00:06:26.310 St. Cloud, Minnesota has been licensed since 00:06:26.310 --> 00:06:30.350 1962. Ralph's passions have been DXing, contesting, 00:06:30.949 --> 00:06:34.230 and DXpeditions. Ralph's been on several trips, 00:06:34.329 --> 00:06:37.230 including Navassa, Amsterdam Island, Malpello. 00:06:37.529 --> 00:06:41.629 Bhutan, Peter One, and Saba Island, just to name 00:06:41.629 --> 00:06:45.389 a few. Ralph is currently organizing and fundraising 00:06:45.389 --> 00:06:49.029 for the Bouvet Island De -Expedition, which he 00:06:49.029 --> 00:06:51.709 will be talking to us about tonight. Ralph is 00:06:51.709 --> 00:06:54.550 a retired doctor and radiologist and an extra 00:06:54.550 --> 00:06:57.910 class operator. He's operated from 27 different 00:06:57.910 --> 00:07:01.610 countries. He's a member of multiple radio societies. 00:07:02.379 --> 00:07:05.860 And he's on the board of the directors the International 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:09.920 DX Association and has been elected to the DX 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:13.379 Hall of Fame Ralph Thanks for joining us tonight 00:07:13.379 --> 00:07:16.439 on ham talk live. Well my pleasure Neil. Thank 00:07:16.439 --> 00:07:20.279 you for asking me Yeah, now as I was putting 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:25.180 together a list of guests for the show Originally 00:07:25.180 --> 00:07:33.019 I had noted that Your plan was to go to Crozet 00:07:33.019 --> 00:07:37.680 Soon, but then I saw that had changed to Bouvet 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:41.519 Island, so Tell us about the switch there and 00:07:41.519 --> 00:07:46.519 why that happened Okay, Neil. Well the Crozet 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:50.579 Island is in the southern Indian Ocean It's managed 00:07:50.579 --> 00:07:54.439 by the French the organization that manages manages 00:07:54.439 --> 00:07:59.990 it is called TAF In 2014, we did a de -expedition 00:07:59.990 --> 00:08:02.550 to Amsterdam Island, again, one of the French 00:08:02.550 --> 00:08:05.930 islands. We had developed an excellent relationship 00:08:05.930 --> 00:08:09.050 with TAF and the French team that was on Amsterdam. 00:08:10.189 --> 00:08:12.189 It was a very successful de -expedition. I think 00:08:12.189 --> 00:08:16.170 we netted 170 ,000 QSOs. And at that time, we 00:08:16.170 --> 00:08:18.850 were almost encouraged to do a de -expedition 00:08:18.850 --> 00:08:21.569 to Crozet. And we started planning for that. 00:08:22.329 --> 00:08:27.439 But things change. TAF renews and rotates its 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:30.300 staff every couple of years. We lost some of 00:08:30.300 --> 00:08:32.700 the contacts that we have there, some new people 00:08:32.700 --> 00:08:37.139 came on board who didn't know us, and so we were 00:08:37.139 --> 00:08:41.700 unfamiliar to them again. Crozet is a very pristine 00:08:41.700 --> 00:08:43.960 environment, and the French have done a wonderful 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:47.139 time, or have done a wonderful job of keeping 00:08:47.139 --> 00:08:50.559 out non -native species and preserving the island, 00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:54.220 and understandably, when a new group of administrators 00:08:54.220 --> 00:08:57.039 have something like a de -expedition plan across 00:08:57.039 --> 00:09:00.620 their desk, they get a little concerned. This 00:09:00.620 --> 00:09:03.480 is unfamiliar territory for them. And they ask 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:05.879 some questions like, will biosecurity of the 00:09:05.879 --> 00:09:09.440 island be preserved? Is wildlife going to be 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:13.379 affected? How are 14 ham radio operators coming 00:09:13.379 --> 00:09:15.779 on this island going to change the lives of the 00:09:15.779 --> 00:09:19.360 15 people who are on staff there? And, you know, 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:21.559 what threat are these people going to bring? 00:09:21.700 --> 00:09:23.659 They're arriving from seven different countries. 00:09:24.580 --> 00:09:26.799 What possibly could they bring with them that 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:29.919 would harm the island? So they had a lot of concerns. 00:09:30.120 --> 00:09:32.519 Some of them were just because they didn't understand 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:36.200 and know. But in the end, the new staff at TAF 00:09:36.200 --> 00:09:38.919 didn't feel comfortable granting us a landing 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:42.440 permit, and they denied it. And so we had to 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:45.519 refocus on something else, and that something 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:50.980 else is now Bouvet Island. Which actually if 00:09:50.980 --> 00:09:54.740 I have my geography correct isn't all that much 00:09:54.740 --> 00:10:00.960 of a Location change is that right? It is Relatively 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:05.139 the same latitude it is probably maybe a couple 00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:09.460 thousand miles from from Crozet Maybe a little 00:10:09.460 --> 00:10:13.440 less than that, but it's you know it's in the 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:17.220 same Weather, environment. Well, I guess the 00:10:17.220 --> 00:10:22.360 weather's a little harsher on Bouvet. But, you 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:24.740 know, it's one of the sub -Antarctic islands, 00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:29.580 as is Crozet. Okay. Well, tell us a little bit 00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:33.200 about your new location, Bouvet Island, and some 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:36.919 of the challenges that you expect to face on 00:10:36.919 --> 00:10:41.179 this trip. And the Peter Wine Island expedition 00:10:41.179 --> 00:10:47.120 was kind of... big deal to me because I was friends 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:49.899 with one of the crew and we actually talked to 00:10:49.899 --> 00:10:53.700 them from our high school ham radio club that 00:10:53.700 --> 00:10:57.399 I sponsor and you know was able to talk to Gary 00:10:57.399 --> 00:11:01.799 down there and then the video oh and his and 00:11:01.799 --> 00:11:04.919 his nephew was actually in in the club at the 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:08.559 time and then the video kind of inspired the 00:11:08.559 --> 00:11:12.809 young ham of the year Padraig a few years later. 00:11:13.110 --> 00:11:15.870 So that the expedition has always been very special 00:11:15.870 --> 00:11:19.649 to me and I suspect this one's going to be kind 00:11:19.649 --> 00:11:22.629 of similar at least as far as the weather goes. 00:11:23.509 --> 00:11:27.049 Yeah it will be. Bouvet is a little farther north 00:11:27.049 --> 00:11:30.070 so you would expect it to be perhaps a little 00:11:30.070 --> 00:11:34.509 bit milder but it really isn't. It's at about 00:11:34.509 --> 00:11:38.049 54 degrees 24 minutes south and 3 degrees 22 00:11:38.049 --> 00:11:41.220 minutes east. And we've heard the term the roaring 00:11:41.220 --> 00:11:45.059 forties of Bouvet is in the furious fifties. 00:11:46.360 --> 00:11:48.940 It's about 19 square miles in size. It's about 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:54.039 95 to 97 % ice covered. It's the most isolated 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:56.840 island in the world. If you were to draw a circle 00:11:56.840 --> 00:12:00.279 around it with a radius of 1 ,000 miles, there 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:03.019 would be no other landmass within it and very 00:12:03.019 --> 00:12:06.710 few people. Narrow that circle to 500 miles, 00:12:06.830 --> 00:12:08.529 and there are almost certainly no other people 00:12:08.529 --> 00:12:13.129 in it. The island is basically surrounded by 00:12:13.129 --> 00:12:16.990 ice and rock cliffs. Strong winds produce high 00:12:16.990 --> 00:12:20.730 surf. Temperatures that we will encounter will 00:12:20.730 --> 00:12:23.870 be within a few degrees plus or minus freezing. 00:12:24.990 --> 00:12:28.590 It's windy. We can expect winds of 70 miles an 00:12:28.590 --> 00:12:33.000 hour or more, so we need adequate shelters. It 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:37.460 can snow and sleet and drizzle. It's surrounded 00:12:37.460 --> 00:12:40.919 often by low clouds and fog, which presents a 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:43.019 problem for helicopter flying, which we will 00:12:43.019 --> 00:12:47.559 have to do. A lot of the easy, and I use easy 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:50.980 as a relative term, a lot of the easier places 00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:55.740 to access are off -limits or restricted. So our 00:12:55.740 --> 00:13:00.080 permit grants us helicopter access to the Slackallet 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.639 Glacier. on the east side of the island. We'll 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:06.620 be based there at about 600 feet above sea level. 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:10.159 We've looked at the topographical maps and so 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:13.279 on to find the flattest area that we can to minimize 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:16.860 the risk of avalanches and crevasses. But we 00:13:16.860 --> 00:13:20.340 are exposed and very much like we were on Peter 00:13:20.340 --> 00:13:23.539 1. So there are similarities. Both of them are 00:13:23.539 --> 00:13:28.240 tough. Bouvet may challenge us even more with 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:32.250 the clouds and fog situation. Yeah, and I remember 00:13:32.250 --> 00:13:37.470 on Peter 1 the fog was definitely a concern there 00:13:37.470 --> 00:13:43.549 and so that scares me that you're expecting it 00:13:43.549 --> 00:13:46.730 to be even worse. Just be glad you're not the 00:13:46.730 --> 00:13:51.110 helicopter pilot. Yeah, yeah, I guess so. Well, 00:13:51.110 --> 00:13:54.850 so have you picked out some equipment yet or 00:13:54.850 --> 00:13:57.950 are you gonna go with something a little different 00:13:57.950 --> 00:14:01.940 with equipment this time or what? What are your 00:14:01.940 --> 00:14:04.899 what are your plans so far on on the rigs and 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:07.679 on antennas? Well, we're doing a little groundbreaking 00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:12.080 there We're taking flex radios the SDR software 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:15.340 -defined radios and this will probably be their 00:14:15.340 --> 00:14:20.139 first airing on a major de -expedition Our antennas 00:14:20.139 --> 00:14:23.059 are basically going to be our our standard venue. 00:14:23.059 --> 00:14:26.340 We'll use the Aggies on the high bands and verticals 00:14:26.340 --> 00:14:30.029 on the low bands We want to do a no compromise 00:14:30.029 --> 00:14:34.129 operation as much as we can with adequate power, 00:14:34.490 --> 00:14:38.029 adequate antennas, because trips like this can't 00:14:38.029 --> 00:14:40.789 happen very frequently, maybe every 15 years 00:14:40.789 --> 00:14:43.870 or so, simply because they cost so much. So we're 00:14:43.870 --> 00:14:46.450 taking the best equipment that we can to try 00:14:46.450 --> 00:14:49.950 to do the best job we can. If there's an open 00:14:49.950 --> 00:14:52.289 band, we'd like to have two stations on that 00:14:52.289 --> 00:14:55.929 band, one on sideband and one on CW or RTTY, 00:14:56.509 --> 00:14:59.169 so we can get as many people in the log as possible. 00:15:01.629 --> 00:15:05.389 Well, that sounds great. And I'm interested to 00:15:05.389 --> 00:15:08.769 hear that you're going to try the flex, because 00:15:08.769 --> 00:15:12.259 we've had a lot of guests on the show. We've 00:15:12.259 --> 00:15:15.320 talked about de -expeditions, other de -expeditions, 00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:17.460 and we've talked about contesting and some of 00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:23.399 those things. That interests me, that you're 00:15:23.399 --> 00:15:28.320 going to take that leap and give it a shot. Well, 00:15:28.340 --> 00:15:30.659 I think we can do some interesting things with 00:15:30.659 --> 00:15:34.179 them. We can put the radios off to the side, 00:15:35.620 --> 00:15:38.659 stack them up on a box or a table or something. 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:45.080 and just have the computer and a paddle on the 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:49.320 operating desk so we can have a lot more compact 00:15:49.320 --> 00:15:51.279 stations. We don't have to have as much stuff 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:54.460 in front of us. And, of course, the radios are 00:15:54.460 --> 00:15:57.720 renowned for their performance, so we're looking 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:02.480 forward to that. Yeah, I'm really anxious to 00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:05.899 hear how that goes, and that could well be a 00:16:05.899 --> 00:16:10.240 groundbreaking thing for the future. The expeditions 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:13.879 that may follow suit on that so be interested 00:16:13.879 --> 00:16:16.480 to hear how that goes Well, tell us a little 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:18.740 bit about raising the money because this isn't 00:16:18.740 --> 00:16:22.039 cheap. So tell us about raising the money and 00:16:22.039 --> 00:16:26.019 and how people can Contribute to the cause and 00:16:26.019 --> 00:16:30.179 help you out to get that That all important QSL 00:16:30.179 --> 00:16:36.039 card and getting the log Okay. Well It is expensive, 00:16:36.039 --> 00:16:40.240 as you alluded to. We have a budget of $610 ,000. 00:16:42.059 --> 00:16:46.080 50 % of that cost will be borne by the 20 team 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:48.879 members. This is something we've done in previous 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:52.179 DXpeditions where the team pays half the cost 00:16:52.179 --> 00:16:55.980 and then we hope that the DX community will help 00:16:55.980 --> 00:17:00.399 us with the other half. This comes from clubs, 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:04.470 from foundations. We get equipment from commercial 00:17:04.470 --> 00:17:08.529 sponsors and then individuals, whether they contribute 00:17:08.529 --> 00:17:16.369 $5 or $5 ,000. You know, it all helps. This primarily 00:17:16.369 --> 00:17:20.470 comes through us, through spreading the word 00:17:20.470 --> 00:17:27.710 on our website, which is www .bouvadx .org, through 00:17:27.710 --> 00:17:31.160 newsletters, bulletins, and word of mouth. And 00:17:31.160 --> 00:17:33.640 we try to make this as easy as possible with 00:17:33.640 --> 00:17:36.640 all the stuff you need on our website and PayPal 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:41.720 and so forth. Our experience with working with 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:44.819 the DX community with this agreement, the 50 00:17:44.819 --> 00:17:48.619 -50, has been very positive in the past. And 00:17:48.619 --> 00:17:51.400 our support has been excellent on previous de 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:54.779 -expeditions. And since we've gone public, which 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:57.940 is probably, what, a month, five weeks or something 00:17:57.940 --> 00:18:02.089 like that, we've had a lot of interest and very 00:18:02.089 --> 00:18:05.990 enthusiastic support so far. So the numbers are 00:18:05.990 --> 00:18:09.630 very big. Transportation and the helicopter are 00:18:09.630 --> 00:18:14.589 the big ticket items in there. And so far we're 00:18:14.589 --> 00:18:17.470 encouraged, but we have a long way to go. Yeah, 00:18:17.470 --> 00:18:21.329 now I did notice on some of the new sites that 00:18:21.329 --> 00:18:26.069 just in the last week you made a big announcement 00:18:26.069 --> 00:18:28.630 toward this. So tell us a little bit about that. 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:35.180 Well, let's see We have Let me back up a little 00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:39.559 bit. We started this process in 2007 after we 00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:43.640 completed the peer 1d expedition We submitted 00:18:43.640 --> 00:18:48.099 a request for a permit to land on bouvet that 00:18:48.099 --> 00:18:54.259 was approved and That was the easy part getting 00:18:54.259 --> 00:18:57.720 getting a permit and the license is actually 00:18:57.720 --> 00:19:02.210 easy You have to define the scope and scale of 00:19:02.210 --> 00:19:05.089 the operation, which involves transportation, 00:19:05.329 --> 00:19:07.890 landing, location, the infrastructure you're 00:19:07.890 --> 00:19:12.569 going to bring with you, the footprint of your 00:19:12.569 --> 00:19:15.250 operation, the number of people, how you're going 00:19:15.250 --> 00:19:17.869 to mitigate against adverse effects on the environment, 00:19:18.089 --> 00:19:20.529 your safety precautions, contingencies, and so 00:19:20.529 --> 00:19:23.690 on. This is all time consuming, but it's doable. 00:19:25.890 --> 00:19:27.869 And after you've got the permit, the license 00:19:27.869 --> 00:19:30.740 is kind of a no -brainer. But the hardest part, 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:33.920 and the one that takes the time, is finding the 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:37.619 reliable, safe, affordable transportation that's 00:19:37.619 --> 00:19:40.980 available at the right time, with the right ship 00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:43.839 to be in the right place, and so forth. And this 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:45.900 has to be during the bouvet summer when the weather 00:19:45.900 --> 00:19:50.660 is, in quotes, good. Throw in the need for a 00:19:50.660 --> 00:19:53.500 helicopter because beach landings are very hazardous. 00:19:55.579 --> 00:19:57.960 It's difficult enough to get people ashore, let 00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:02.359 alone equipment. And this process took us eight 00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:04.559 years before we could find the right combination 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:12.160 of ship time and cost. So hence that permit process 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:15.980 dating back to 2007. Took us eight years to do 00:20:15.980 --> 00:20:19.640 that. We put together a team in eight days. So 00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:22.440 that tells you a little bit about how difficult 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:29.359 it is. Yeah, wow. So this this announcement was 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:33.299 that you know, everything's coming together Yeah, 00:20:33.319 --> 00:20:36.980 and we we do have our pilot team in place I think 00:20:36.980 --> 00:20:40.960 since the announcement we decided to add a VK 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:45.880 ZL pilot so he is now on board so we've got a 00:20:45.880 --> 00:20:51.140 chief pilot and six sub pilots to Be an interface 00:20:51.140 --> 00:20:54.660 between the DX audience and us on the island 00:20:55.920 --> 00:21:00.099 Sounds like things are coming together very well 00:21:00.099 --> 00:21:04.500 and so Hopefully that will continue and everything 00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:08.920 will go just fine on that Well, it's time to 00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:12.019 pay some of the bills, but we'll come back and 00:21:12.019 --> 00:21:16.740 we'll take your calls so get ready to call in 00:21:16.740 --> 00:21:20.400 and I'll tell you how to do that after this word 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:23.990 from tower electronics right here on HamTalk 00:21:23.990 --> 00:21:26.849 Live. This episode of HamTalk Live is brought 00:21:26.849 --> 00:21:29.910 to you by Tower Electronics. Tower Electronics 00:21:29.910 --> 00:21:33.250 has been the Ham's dime store since 1978, bringing 00:21:33.250 --> 00:21:35.849 connectors, antennas, cables, and other parts 00:21:35.849 --> 00:21:38.509 to the world. Scott and Jill travel the country 00:21:38.509 --> 00:21:40.990 bringing their store to you at HamFest, but you 00:21:40.990 --> 00:21:46.630 can also order online at pl -259 .com or by calling 00:21:46.630 --> 00:21:53.809 920 -435 -2973. Stock up on those supplies like 00:21:53.809 --> 00:21:57.549 PL259 and end connectors, audio cables, mobile 00:21:57.549 --> 00:22:00.549 antennas, and hamsticks. Their silver -plated 00:22:00.549 --> 00:22:03.190 end connectors are even in use on the International 00:22:03.190 --> 00:22:06.130 Space Station. Tower Electronics is a dealer 00:22:06.130 --> 00:22:10.769 for MFJ, Comet, Daiwa, OPEC, Workman, and HamPro 00:22:10.769 --> 00:22:14.269 technologies. Tower Electronics, online at PL 00:22:14.269 --> 00:22:18.990 -259 .com, proud to sponsor this episode of HamTalk 00:22:18.990 --> 00:22:31.230 Live. HamTalk Live with Neil Rapp. My shack are 00:22:31.230 --> 00:22:36.549 yours. Join the conversation. Call us on voice 00:22:36.549 --> 00:22:39.609 with Skype at HamTalk Live or give us a call 00:22:39.609 --> 00:22:46.650 at 812 -NET -HAM -1. That's 812 -638 -4261. Now 00:22:46.650 --> 00:22:50.789 here's more HamTalk Live. Thanks once again to 00:22:50.789 --> 00:22:53.190 Scott and Jill at Tower Electronics for sponsoring 00:22:53.190 --> 00:22:56.170 the show tonight to help bring you HamTalk Live. 00:22:56.400 --> 00:22:59.460 They are in Belton, Texas right now. They'll 00:22:59.460 --> 00:23:02.940 be at the HamFest there on Saturday and then 00:23:02.940 --> 00:23:06.180 next weekend they will be in Melbourne, Florida. 00:23:06.779 --> 00:23:09.680 So give them a call if you're not in one of those 00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:17.160 places. 920 -435 -2973 or visit their website 00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:22.200 at pl -259 .com and tell them you heard it on 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:25.519 HamTalk Live. and be sure to listen to the show 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:28.519 every Thursday night at 9 p .m. Eastern Time 00:23:28.519 --> 00:23:31.380 at HamTalkLive .com. Check out our Facebook page 00:23:31.380 --> 00:23:34.819 and our Twitter feed also. Just search for HamTalk 00:23:34.819 --> 00:23:38.099 Live. Well, it's time now for your calls. If 00:23:38.099 --> 00:23:40.920 you have a question for Ralph K0IR, the phone 00:23:40.920 --> 00:23:46.779 number to call is 812 -NET -HAM -1. That's 812... 00:23:47.079 --> 00:23:52.339 six three eight four two six one You can also 00:23:52.339 --> 00:23:55.500 get us directly on Skype. The Skype name is ham 00:23:55.500 --> 00:23:59.960 talk live You can also tweet us a question at 00:23:59.960 --> 00:24:04.339 ham talk live On Twitter and you can also post 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:08.140 a comment on the website So if you have any questions 00:24:08.140 --> 00:24:11.279 about the bouvet island the expedition or for 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:15.150 Ralph why? Send those on in again the phone number 00:24:15.150 --> 00:24:19.509 probably the easiest way eight one two net ham 00:24:19.509 --> 00:24:25.710 one So we'll we'll see if we get some calls here 00:24:25.710 --> 00:24:29.289 While we're waiting on that. I'm gonna ask you 00:24:29.289 --> 00:24:33.750 about the cold now It seems like you've been 00:24:33.750 --> 00:24:38.109 on an awful lot of these polar region the expeditions 00:24:38.109 --> 00:24:41.180 is there Is there a preference there for the 00:24:41.180 --> 00:24:46.480 cold? Well, let's see. I'm from Minnesota, so 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:52.299 I guess I'm kind of used to that. And if you're 00:24:52.299 --> 00:24:55.740 looking for rare entities or rare DX places to 00:24:55.740 --> 00:24:58.839 go, they seem to be divided into two categories, 00:24:59.220 --> 00:25:02.160 the geographically isolated and the politically 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:05.940 isolated. And to me, the geographically isolated 00:25:05.940 --> 00:25:08.900 is a lot safer than the politically isolated. 00:25:09.880 --> 00:25:12.640 And a lot of the geographically isolated places 00:25:12.640 --> 00:25:15.359 happen to be in the sub -Antarctic, so that's 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:18.940 kind of how that has come to be. And I guess 00:25:18.940 --> 00:25:20.859 I'm a little more comfortable in the cold than 00:25:20.859 --> 00:25:23.420 I am the heat, because you can only take off 00:25:23.420 --> 00:25:26.460 so much clothing, but you can always put on more. 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:31.799 Well, that's true. So I guess that's that's kind 00:25:31.799 --> 00:25:34.480 of why I I've ended up in the polar places a 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:39.900 little bit more Sounds sounds fair eight one 00:25:39.900 --> 00:25:42.539 two net ham one is the phone number again eight 00:25:42.539 --> 00:25:47.720 one two net ham one We're talking bouvet island 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:52.279 the expedition tonight with Ralph Fedor k0i are 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:58.900 so How do you deal with this extreme cold? Now 00:25:58.900 --> 00:26:02.680 again, I go back to Peter Wan. I look at that 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:05.740 video and I see what you guys had to go through 00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:11.819 on that island and how much wind and cold. So 00:26:11.819 --> 00:26:14.440 what are some of the things that you have to 00:26:14.440 --> 00:26:22.400 do to be somewhat comfortable in that cold environment? 00:26:22.599 --> 00:26:27.160 Okay, well let's start with the skin and kind 00:26:27.160 --> 00:26:30.559 of work our way out. One of the things that you 00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:33.559 need to be doing is to wick away any moisture 00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:38.799 in the form of perspiration. So you need to have 00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:41.359 undergarments that will wick that moisture away, 00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:46.019 usually polypropylene, silk, or wool would be 00:26:46.019 --> 00:26:50.000 the garments of choice. Cotton is known as death 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:54.589 cloth in the Antarctic. because it stays wet, 00:26:55.029 --> 00:26:58.970 does not discharge moisture, and of course, if 00:26:58.970 --> 00:27:02.170 you're cold and you're wet, hypothermia comes 00:27:02.170 --> 00:27:03.950 along and you're gonna have all sorts of serious 00:27:03.950 --> 00:27:08.130 problems. Over top of this wicking material, 00:27:08.470 --> 00:27:11.269 it's a matter of layering, and that depends on 00:27:11.269 --> 00:27:14.319 how cold it is, how many layers you put on. And 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:16.480 then your outer layer has to be something that's 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:18.920 windproof and it definitely needs to be waterproof. 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:21.559 It needs to be a fabric similar to Gore -Tex 00:27:21.559 --> 00:27:24.480 so that you will not let moisture through but 00:27:24.480 --> 00:27:27.480 it will still breathe and you can remain comfortable. 00:27:28.220 --> 00:27:30.380 I always tell people there's two things they 00:27:30.380 --> 00:27:33.000 have to pay particular attention to. One is their 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:36.640 feet and one is their head. If your feet get 00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:41.480 wet and cold early on, you're not going to have 00:27:41.480 --> 00:27:44.950 a very good time. and the head is one of the 00:27:44.950 --> 00:27:47.829 major sources of heat loss because of the rich 00:27:47.829 --> 00:27:51.109 vascularity of the scalp. So managing what you 00:27:51.109 --> 00:27:53.670 have on your head is important. You need to either 00:27:53.670 --> 00:27:57.490 preserve heat by keeping a warm lid on your head, 00:27:57.930 --> 00:28:00.309 or if you're getting a little bit warm, taking 00:28:00.309 --> 00:28:03.009 that lid off helps your body dump the heat that 00:28:03.009 --> 00:28:05.390 you're building up. For example, if you're working 00:28:05.390 --> 00:28:08.349 hard or something, take your hat off and let 00:28:08.349 --> 00:28:11.730 that blood radiate that excess body heat into 00:28:11.730 --> 00:28:15.359 the air. In a nutshell, that's kind of it, I 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:19.500 guess. You have to pay attention to what's going 00:28:19.500 --> 00:28:21.960 on. Be aware of what the signs of hypothermia 00:28:21.960 --> 00:28:25.299 are. Watch your buddies and make sure your buddies 00:28:25.299 --> 00:28:30.259 are watching you. Now, what about your operating 00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:34.779 tents and the equipment? How do you take care 00:28:34.779 --> 00:28:39.579 of that? Okay. We will likely have four shelters 00:28:39.579 --> 00:28:43.450 on the island. One shelter will be our operating 00:28:43.450 --> 00:28:45.569 site where we will have all the stations and 00:28:45.569 --> 00:28:50.210 where people go to do their shifts. This will 00:28:50.210 --> 00:28:54.589 be heated to some extent. We will also have a 00:28:54.589 --> 00:28:56.829 kitchen area and we've come to refer to this 00:28:56.829 --> 00:29:00.049 as the MEG, meeting, eating, greeting, where 00:29:00.049 --> 00:29:03.309 you go to eat and kind of hang out. And that 00:29:03.309 --> 00:29:06.109 will have some heat. The sleeping shelters we 00:29:06.109 --> 00:29:09.730 will not heat. For safety reasons if someone 00:29:09.730 --> 00:29:12.750 stumbles or gets out of bed or moves the wrong 00:29:12.750 --> 00:29:16.410 way and they knock a heater over Fire is a real 00:29:16.410 --> 00:29:18.970 danger and you don't want to do that. So our 00:29:18.970 --> 00:29:22.410 sleeping quarters will not be heated which introduces 00:29:22.410 --> 00:29:26.529 another problem because when you are Breathing 00:29:26.529 --> 00:29:30.829 you exhale moist air that moisture will then 00:29:30.829 --> 00:29:33.750 condense on the roof of the shelter and you will 00:29:33.750 --> 00:29:36.589 have rain inside the shelter, water dripping 00:29:36.589 --> 00:29:39.490 down, getting you wet. So you need to have waterproof 00:29:39.490 --> 00:29:41.569 sleeping bags when you're in these shelters. 00:29:42.529 --> 00:29:45.710 And sometimes you can put a little liner or something 00:29:45.710 --> 00:29:48.289 between the ceiling or just below the ceiling, 00:29:48.710 --> 00:29:50.789 and the moisture will collect above that liner 00:29:50.789 --> 00:29:53.470 and run down the sides. So there's a number of 00:29:53.470 --> 00:29:56.509 things to think about. But basically, four shelters, 00:29:56.690 --> 00:29:58.910 two for sleeping, which will not be heated. One 00:29:58.910 --> 00:30:01.569 for operating, which will be heated, and one 00:30:01.569 --> 00:30:03.950 for meeting, eating, and greeting, which will 00:30:03.950 --> 00:30:09.029 also be heated. 812 -NET -HAM -1 is the phone 00:30:09.029 --> 00:30:13.930 number, 812 -NET -HAM -1, or send us a tweet 00:30:13.930 --> 00:30:18.109 at HamTalk Live, or you can comment on the site 00:30:18.109 --> 00:30:21.809 here. And seeing some tweets out there, but I 00:30:21.809 --> 00:30:27.230 don't see any questions. So send us some questions 00:30:27.230 --> 00:30:34.880 about these Antarctic region trips that that 00:30:34.880 --> 00:30:43.440 Ralph's been on The Other thing that we probably 00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:46.500 should talk about and I always ask this whenever 00:30:46.500 --> 00:30:50.539 any you know Bob or any of the the expedition 00:30:50.539 --> 00:30:56.240 people come on the show is always What's your 00:30:56.240 --> 00:31:00.180 advice to the people that are? Here that are 00:31:00.180 --> 00:31:03.460 trying to get you in the log down there what? 00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:07.900 What piece of is of what pieces of advice do 00:31:07.900 --> 00:31:12.440 you have? To those operators that are that are 00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:14.839 trying to get a hold of you down there, okay 00:31:14.839 --> 00:31:18.480 Well, I guess first of all listen to what the 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:21.319 DX operator is telling you as far as instructions 00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:24.500 worries listening and so forth The other thing 00:31:24.500 --> 00:31:27.200 that I think, let me give you this scenario. 00:31:27.539 --> 00:31:31.299 If I'm standing in the middle of a NFL stadium 00:31:31.299 --> 00:31:34.980 and everyone in the stands is shouting their 00:31:34.980 --> 00:31:37.259 name at me and I have to try to pick out a name, 00:31:37.380 --> 00:31:40.240 that's kind of what it's like being on the DXpedition 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:44.420 side of the operation. And the only way I can 00:31:44.420 --> 00:31:48.039 pick that name out sometimes is if you're a little 00:31:48.039 --> 00:31:50.740 different, something that separates you or makes 00:31:50.740 --> 00:31:55.099 you different from everybody else. And in DXing, 00:31:55.299 --> 00:31:58.200 that difference may be the speed at which you're 00:31:58.200 --> 00:32:01.319 sending. It may be that you shift just a little 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:04.140 bit off frequency from where everybody else is. 00:32:04.619 --> 00:32:07.420 And on voice, that may be why YL's get an extra 00:32:07.420 --> 00:32:13.819 3 dB. There you go. There you go. So, try to 00:32:13.819 --> 00:32:17.299 make yourself different in some way. If you're 00:32:17.299 --> 00:32:19.240 slugging it out in the middle of the pile up 00:32:19.240 --> 00:32:22.420 and that's not working for you, Try to go to 00:32:22.420 --> 00:32:25.559 the edge a little bit. We've got these wonderful 00:32:25.559 --> 00:32:28.920 flex radios. So if we see this little signal, 00:32:28.920 --> 00:32:31.740 you know, bleeping up and down beside the pile 00:32:31.740 --> 00:32:34.180 -up, we may just say, hey, you know, there's 00:32:34.180 --> 00:32:37.519 a QRP guy, let's go get him. So be different, 00:32:37.660 --> 00:32:43.339 stand out. Very good. Some good tips there to 00:32:43.339 --> 00:32:48.400 do. What about the call signs? Do you like the 00:32:48.400 --> 00:32:53.400 whole call sign? Partial call signs? What's your 00:32:53.400 --> 00:32:58.819 take on that? Whole call signs. I think just 00:32:58.819 --> 00:33:02.279 about everybody will tell you that. If I get 00:33:02.279 --> 00:33:04.779 a partial, sometimes that's all I'm going to 00:33:04.779 --> 00:33:07.440 get and I have to work with that. But every time 00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:09.940 I get a full call sign, I can almost guarantee 00:33:09.940 --> 00:33:12.559 there's an extra QSO coming because I don't have 00:33:12.559 --> 00:33:15.240 to go back and get the rest of that call sign. 00:33:15.559 --> 00:33:18.039 So if I get the whole call sign the first time, 00:33:18.250 --> 00:33:20.670 I'm probably going to get an extra person in 00:33:20.670 --> 00:33:26.130 the log because of that. Very good. 812 NatTam1 00:33:26.130 --> 00:33:31.490 is the phone number for Ralph Fedor, K0IR. And 00:33:31.490 --> 00:33:34.789 how many of these trips have you been on now, 00:33:34.970 --> 00:33:39.910 Ralph? Let's see. I think this will be number 00:33:39.910 --> 00:33:44.680 15. Now, some of these had multiple locations 00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:48.779 or two stops, like when we went to South Sandwich 00:33:48.779 --> 00:33:51.519 in South Georgia. Actually, I've made that route 00:33:51.519 --> 00:33:55.019 twice. I've only counted that as one de -expedition, 00:33:55.059 --> 00:33:58.180 but there were more than one stop. So I think 00:33:58.180 --> 00:34:08.550 this will be my 15th. Real trips, you know? And 00:34:08.550 --> 00:34:11.670 you're the doctor, so you're the retired doctor, 00:34:11.889 --> 00:34:17.510 so what are the medical risks of going on one 00:34:17.510 --> 00:34:19.530 of these trips? I mean, you know, you're not 00:34:19.530 --> 00:34:25.550 gonna pick up the phone and call 911. You can, 00:34:25.590 --> 00:34:27.409 but it's not gonna do any good. That's right, 00:34:27.409 --> 00:34:29.329 they're not gonna be able to help you too much. 00:34:30.889 --> 00:34:34.730 The minor things we have to be aware of and we 00:34:34.730 --> 00:34:39.739 can deal with them. Major problems. If somebody 00:34:39.739 --> 00:34:42.619 has a heart attack, somebody throws a pulmonary 00:34:42.619 --> 00:34:46.099 embolus, somebody has a dissecting aneurysm, 00:34:46.179 --> 00:34:49.039 or something like that, we're not an intensive 00:34:49.039 --> 00:34:51.679 care unit, we're not a coronary care unit, nor 00:34:51.679 --> 00:34:54.940 will we ever will be. And about all we can offer 00:34:54.940 --> 00:34:58.539 in that situation is comfort. There are inherent 00:34:58.539 --> 00:35:02.300 risks in this. We encourage everybody to have 00:35:02.300 --> 00:35:06.179 a thorough physical examination. We collect medical 00:35:06.179 --> 00:35:09.239 histories from people. If we see something there 00:35:09.239 --> 00:35:13.639 that we think places that individual at additional 00:35:13.639 --> 00:35:17.019 risk and the team at additional risk, we have 00:35:17.019 --> 00:35:22.579 a discussion about that. So we have to think 00:35:22.579 --> 00:35:26.239 about all the scenarios ahead of time. Sometimes 00:35:26.239 --> 00:35:28.699 we have to tell people, you know, this just really 00:35:28.699 --> 00:35:32.300 isn't a wise decision on your part. You're on 00:35:32.300 --> 00:35:36.989 anticoagulants or you have a condition that if 00:35:36.989 --> 00:35:40.130 it erupts, we just can't deal with it out there. 00:35:41.510 --> 00:35:45.250 Probably the most difficult situation I've had 00:35:45.250 --> 00:35:47.969 to deal with as a physician on one of these trips 00:35:47.969 --> 00:35:52.289 has been psychiatric problems. There's a lot 00:35:52.289 --> 00:35:57.750 of stress. If you're claustrophobic, that may 00:35:57.750 --> 00:35:59.750 bother you because there's not a lot of space 00:35:59.750 --> 00:36:04.449 to share. Panic attacks can occur. And I've dealt 00:36:04.449 --> 00:36:11.150 with that. There's a variety of things. And an 00:36:11.150 --> 00:36:13.429 interesting thing here, I just thought of this. 00:36:14.190 --> 00:36:16.309 We had an individual on one of our trips who 00:36:16.309 --> 00:36:19.730 became psychotic. Didn't know who he was, where 00:36:19.730 --> 00:36:23.389 he was, who the people around him were. Was disorientated, 00:36:23.550 --> 00:36:27.389 time, place, and person. Big strong guy if he'd 00:36:27.389 --> 00:36:30.030 gotten violent It could have been a problem if 00:36:30.030 --> 00:36:32.289 he had wandered out onto the deck and fallen 00:36:32.289 --> 00:36:34.489 over overboard that would have or of course been 00:36:34.489 --> 00:36:38.710 a problem and The issue was the scopolamine a 00:36:38.710 --> 00:36:41.909 little patch that you put behind your ear If 00:36:41.909 --> 00:36:44.789 you think one patch is good, so two might be 00:36:44.789 --> 00:36:47.769 better That might not be a very wise decision 00:36:47.769 --> 00:36:50.869 or if you buy a brand where the absorption rate 00:36:50.869 --> 00:36:54.360 is unknown Perhaps it's from offshore That can 00:36:54.360 --> 00:36:57.539 be a problem. So a lot of things to think about 00:36:57.539 --> 00:37:00.760 and things we, you know, you just don't think 00:37:00.760 --> 00:37:07.320 of right away. Yeah, it's a very, very strenuous 00:37:07.320 --> 00:37:10.360 time, I'm sure. And how long are you planning 00:37:10.360 --> 00:37:14.199 on on making this trip? This will be about a 00:37:14.199 --> 00:37:18.400 seven week window door to door. Most of the time 00:37:18.400 --> 00:37:20.500 is going to be sent getting there and getting 00:37:20.500 --> 00:37:23.219 back. We can figure on two weeks to get there, 00:37:23.260 --> 00:37:26.400 two weeks to get back and two to three weeks 00:37:26.400 --> 00:37:29.639 on the island. Okay, so two to three weeks on 00:37:29.639 --> 00:37:33.139 the island and then getting there and back and 00:37:33.139 --> 00:37:36.679 did I read correctly that you're probably going 00:37:36.679 --> 00:37:43.000 through Chile again? Very likely. If things go 00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:45.480 as planned that will be our departure point. 00:37:45.929 --> 00:37:49.210 We don't know that for sure because the ship 00:37:49.210 --> 00:37:51.969 might get a contract that takes it to another 00:37:51.969 --> 00:37:55.610 part of the world. For example, if they have 00:37:55.610 --> 00:37:58.750 something they can do in Madagascar before they 00:37:58.750 --> 00:38:01.090 pick us up, then it would make more sense to 00:38:01.090 --> 00:38:03.829 go over to Cape Town, South Africa and take us 00:38:03.829 --> 00:38:07.150 from there. But as things stand right now, Punta 00:38:07.150 --> 00:38:09.710 Arenas, Chile is probably where we will depart. 00:38:10.829 --> 00:38:13.940 Very good. Well, Ralph, thank you so much for 00:38:13.940 --> 00:38:18.260 coming on, and again, give us the website and 00:38:18.260 --> 00:38:21.920 how people can donate to help you out with the 00:38:21.920 --> 00:38:27.539 fundraising. Okay, the website is www .bouvet 00:38:27.539 --> 00:38:32.880 .dx. That's B -O -U -V -E -T dot D -X. And if 00:38:32.880 --> 00:38:35.099 you just go on the site, you know, there will 00:38:35.099 --> 00:38:40.679 be opportunities for you to help us out. You'll 00:38:40.679 --> 00:38:44.329 find them. Okay, very good. Well, I hope some 00:38:44.329 --> 00:38:49.050 people can go over there and learn more about 00:38:49.050 --> 00:38:53.329 the the trip and the island and get some Some 00:38:53.329 --> 00:38:56.610 good stuff going up there was on the site the 00:38:56.610 --> 00:39:00.690 other day and then can help out with the funding 00:39:00.690 --> 00:39:05.829 so Head on over there to move adx org, right? 00:39:06.650 --> 00:39:10.199 That is correct. Okay Very good. Well, thank 00:39:10.199 --> 00:39:13.260 you so much Ralph for taking the time to come 00:39:13.260 --> 00:39:16.780 on the show We've had some people asking for 00:39:16.780 --> 00:39:19.880 you and oh actually We've got a call coming in. 00:39:19.880 --> 00:39:21.699 So let me get let me go ahead and we'll squeeze 00:39:21.699 --> 00:39:25.719 this in here We have just a couple of minutes, 00:39:25.719 --> 00:39:29.760 but let me see if we can and now we're running 00:39:29.760 --> 00:39:33.099 into Our technical problems again, maybe not. 00:39:33.119 --> 00:39:42.130 Oh, okay. There we go. Hello. Who's this? hello 00:39:42.130 --> 00:39:49.610 hello oh we lost the call we'll see if we get 00:39:49.610 --> 00:39:54.989 a get a call back here again oh yeah we've just 00:39:54.989 --> 00:39:58.110 got a couple of minutes so we're gonna have to 00:39:58.110 --> 00:40:02.769 wrap things up pretty quickly so okay yeah looks 00:40:02.769 --> 00:40:06.699 like we've lost lost the call there so maybe 00:40:06.699 --> 00:40:11.139 they can send an email to us and we can get that 00:40:11.139 --> 00:40:14.500 question off to you. So again thanks Ralph for 00:40:14.500 --> 00:40:16.960 coming on the show sure appreciate it and best 00:40:16.960 --> 00:40:20.239 of luck on the trip. Okay Neil well thank you 00:40:20.239 --> 00:40:23.039 much for having me and I hope we get you and 00:40:23.039 --> 00:40:25.800 all your listeners in our log not once not twice 00:40:25.800 --> 00:40:29.579 but multiple times. Well I sure hope so hopefully 00:40:29.579 --> 00:40:33.079 we can make that happen. Well, this is a wrap 00:40:33.079 --> 00:40:36.860 for this week's HamTalk Live. Thanks again to 00:40:36.860 --> 00:40:40.320 Ralph Fedor, KZeroIR, and everyone out there 00:40:40.320 --> 00:40:43.019 listening in cyberspace, and I invite you back 00:40:43.019 --> 00:40:46.780 next Thursday night at 9 p .m. Eastern Time when... 00:40:46.699 --> 00:40:50.599 Lou Malchik into our queue. We'll be here to 00:40:50.599 --> 00:40:53.340 talk about the upcoming school club roundup and 00:40:53.340 --> 00:40:56.900 how you can participate even if you're not involved 00:40:56.900 --> 00:41:00.360 with a school. And for a list of all of our upcoming 00:41:00.360 --> 00:41:04.360 guests, visit HamTalkLive .com. So for now, this 00:41:04.360 --> 00:41:09.380 is Neil Rapp, WB9VPG, saying 7 -3, 7 -5, and 00:41:09.380 --> 00:41:27.449 may the good DX be yours. Thank you