October has produced some good operations and DX Expeditions for all of us during the month. To name a few outstanding operations are VK9DLX, multi band operation, ZK3Q and ZK3E, YJ0X, T30D, TY1AA, E51NOU all have been on regularly and on several bands. Thus giving many stations around the world the opportunity to work that rare, or needed one for their DXCC total.
I was looking forward to the Christmas Island operation and hoping to work VK9XSP on 15 and 10, but I have to wonder and scratch my head over this one. It seems not much in the way of operating has taken place, on for five minutes, vanish, then back again in an hour on for minutes, vanish again.
Cat and mouse games drawing remarks on DX web sites about the lack of chances for this Island. Not sure what the problem is maybe bad weather, or lack of fuel, maybe some of the gear just did not make it? However, this is not the first expedition or so called one that has resorted to these tactics.
Odd VK9DLX is in the same area and has been very active, great signal and on for extended periods of time. Difference being these ops went there to operate from a rare entity. Not sure about the purpose of the other one.
Anyone remember the VU4 operation about a year ago, on for five minutes a day, one frequency, laxity of operation and no qsl card received as of this date. Same with XZ1 also the same type of operation.
Only yesterday I read some complaints about VK9XSP having propagation to North and South America, yet trying to work Europe, quite a few comments to the negative about this one.
So for good expeditions the first ones I listed, I think I will pass up XSP for now and wait until a real operation goes there and activates several bands for lots of hours.