Grenada QRV in March
The Belgian J38R DXpedition to Grenada, the 153rd Most Wanted DXCC Entity per Clublog as of February, kicked off in early March. Were you able to make contact with this island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea? All of us at OnAllBands and DX Engineering hope you were able to add Grenada to your DXCC conquests. Check out the J38R website for DXpedition updates.
Among the gear that made the trip to Grenada was the microHAM DXP Portable Digital Mode and Radio Control Interface. The device is available at DXEngineering.com along with other microHAM equipment, including the ARCO Advanced Rotator Controller.
The lightweight and portable DXP Portable Digital Mode and Radio Control Interface offers improved decoding of the received audio signal because of its high dynamic range. Its low-noise 24-bit audio ADC and DAC for all digital modes improves the ability to pick out weak signals when strong signals are nearby and is useful for phase-modulated signals like FT-8, JT-65, PSK-31, or FSK. CW operation is supported by version 3.1 of the popular WinKey CW processor developed by K1EL with full FSK support, making it easy to key the transceiver.
The built-in 24-bit USB sound card offers a variety of benefits:
- Improved signal-noise ratio
- Greater dynamic range (>105dB)
- Lower noise floor
- Improved weak-signal decoding compared to standard 16-bit audio interfaces or USB-enabled transceivers
The DXP also provides a jumper-free rig control interface for CAT, CI-V with a built-in level converter for Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu, Elecraft, Ten-Tec, and other rigs with ready-made cables (below) available for over 20 different transceiver types.
Quick Facts about Grenada
- The island was given its first name in 1498 by Christopher Columbus, who spotted it on his third voyage to the area and called it “La Concepcion” in honor of the Virgin Mary.
- Grenada consists of the Island of Grenada itself and two smaller islands (Carriacou and Petite Martinique) plus several other islands which are part of the Grenadines.
- An English merchant ship carrying a few nutmeg trees introduced the spice to the island in 1843. Today, Grenada supplies 20% of the world’s annual crop of nutmeg (second only to Indonesia), according to a 2020 article in Forbes magazine. The article noted that the crop provides income to approximately 30% of Grenada’s population. The spice, nicknamed “black gold” by locals, is highly vulnerable to the weather, resulting in declining production in the face of hurricanes (its shallow roots can easily be uprooted by high winds). Further, the nutmeg tree takes up to six years to bear fruit and 20-plus years to reach full production. How important is nutmeg to Grenada’s economy? Just look at its flag, which includes a nutmeg symbol in its left triangle.
QSL Cards
The active hams at DX Engineering have had great success contacting Grenada over the years (a good reason to contact them for help with your gear if you’d like to do the same). Here are a few of the QSL cards from their collections.
Mark, W8BBQ, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, earned QSL cards from J3/PE1IGM in February 2011 (40M SSB) and J38A.
Scott, N3RA, DX Engineering sales manager, earned this card from J35X in November 2019 (80M CW).
Wayne, K8FF, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, worked J340 in November 2014 on 15M CW.
George, K3GP, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, contacted J3/SP9PT back in November 2005 on 40M CW.
Tom, KB8UUZ, DX Engineering technical writer, received this card from J37K.
Dave, K8DV, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, reached J3A from Saint Georges in October 2007 (15M SSB) and November 2007 (40/15M CW). St. Georges is the capital of Grenada (population 34,000) and a popular tourist destination, featuring a horseshoe-shaped harbor and an old volcano crater that forms a hill surrounding the town. St. Georges’ temperate tropical climate allows the production of nutmeg, cocoa, mace, cloves, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger to flourish, giving Grenada the appropriate moniker, “The Island of Spice.”
Want to upgrade your DXing capabilities? Find everything you need at DX Engineering, including transceivers, amplifiers, antennas, headsets, and more.
Editor’s Note: Every month, DX Engineering features QSL cards from our team members’ personal collections. To highlight upcoming DXpeditions, we’ll be displaying a few of our favorite cards along with details about what it took to make these contacts. We’re excited to share some of the special cards pulled from the thousands we’ve received over the years. We look forward to seeing your cards as well!
