Editor’s Note: Every month, DX Engineering features QSL cards from our team members’ personal collections. Usually we showcase ones from entities that are currently active or will soon be QRV. However, with so many DXers homebound these days and the number of DXpeditions reaching all-time lows, we’ve altered the rules. Until things change, you can expect a bit of everything from our stockpiles of QSL cards, including the rarest of the rare, personal favorites, and recent QSLs of historical significance.
Earlier this year, we showcased the QSL card from the DX Engineering-sponsored VP8PJ South Orkney Islands 2020 DXpedition. It was the latest in a long list of DXpeditions that DX Engineering has supported over its 20-year history.
Today, we’ll be looking back at the QSL card from another DX Engineering-backed venture, Chesterfield Islands TX3X 2015, which included some members of the South Orkney DXpedition team.
At the time of the DXpedition to Chesterfield Islands—a group of 11 islets and numerous reefs off the coast of Australia—the DXCC entity ranked as the 22nd most wanted, according to Clublog. Today, the rarely visited spot stands at number 26.
Largely uninhabited but flush with nesting seabirds, hermit crabs, and sea turtles, Chesterfield Islands has been the site of biological studies, makeshift military bases, and temporary weather stations. But nearly five years ago, this island group in the Coral Sea was the center of the Ham world as 12 intrepid amateur operators set up stations in early October on Anchorage Inlets, a precarious stretch that is less than two meters above sea level at high tide.
After 10 full days of battling troublesome propagation conditions and inclement weather, the operators managed to log more than 50,100 CW, SSB, and RTTY QSOs. Among those who received the following QSL card were Hams from DX Engineering, who made the rare entity an All Time New One.
DX Engineering Gear Made the Trip
Even more important than working the DXpedition, DX Engineering played a major role in making sure TX3X’s stations were well-equipped. DX Engineering supplied its Hexx Beam antenna—a huge benefit due to its 20-10 meter versatility, compact size, and ease of use. The team also received a matching DX Engineering Maxi-Core® choke and mounting kit (read about DX Engineering’s upgraded Maxi-Core® 20 baluns and feedline chokes here). The stations used a Samlex Switching Power Supply to provide the necessary 13.8 Vdc. To ensure excellent reception, operators relied on a DX Engineering RF-PRO-1B Active Magnetic Loop Antenna. A Rohn Telescoping Mast helped put the antennas in the air.
Want to upgrade your DXing capabilities? The Elmers at DX Engineering are here to lend an ear. Reach out to them at Elmer@DXEngineering.com. Find everything you need at DX Engineering to up your game, including transceivers, antennas, amplifiers, headsets, and more.
