FT5XO
Kerguelen
The 2005 Microlite DXpedition to The Kerguelen Islands is now history. 11.5 days of operating netted almost 68,000 QSOs using the callsign FT5XO. The operators for this DXpedition were AG9A, GIØNWG, HB9ASZ, MØDXR, N6MZ, NØTT, SP5XVY, VE3EJ, VK6DXI, W3WL, W7EW and 9V1YC.
In an effort to equitably cover the variety of openings, bands, and modes available, the team actively reviewed the QSO stats each day and adjusted the operating plan accordingly.
| Mode | QSOS | Percentage |
| CW | 45687 | 68% |
| SSB | 19903 | 29% |
| RTTY | 2358 | 3% |
| EME | 6 | |
| 67954 |
Band-Mode breakdown:
| Band> | CW | SSB | RTTY | Total |
| 160m | 1173 | 16 | 0 | 1189 |
| 80m | 3578 | 957 | 0 | 4535 |
| 40m | 9643 | 2774 | 160 | 12577 |
| 30m | 9683 | 0 | 616 | 10299 |
| 20m | 4012 | 4640 | 327 | 8979 |
| 17m | 5144 | 2168 | 497 | 7809 |
| 15m | 4485 | 3964 | 758 | 9207 |
| 12m | 4411 | 3499 | 0 | 7910 |
| 10m | 3558 | 1885 | 0 | 5443 |
| 6m EME | 6 |
| Europe | 53% |
| Japan | 21% |
| USA | 17% |
| Other Asia | 5% |
| All others | 1% or less each |
The operation took place from an old abandoned whaling station at the center of the island called Port Jeanne d'Arc, which is approximately 30km southwest from the French base at Port Aux Francais. The operating site was close to the seashore with good take-offs in most directions.
Antennas consisted of half-wave vertical dipoles for 20m and up, quarter wave verticals for 30m and 40m (with 2 elevated radials each), and two Battle Creek Specials for 80m and 160m. With the exception of the Battle Creek Specials, all antennas were designed and built by ZS4TX.
Radios consisted of three Kenwood TS50s, a Yaesu FT897, an ICOM 756 ProIII, and one Yaesu FT1000MP. We also had several small amplifiers for the low bands.
Because we broke from tradition and chose the Austral mid-autumn for this DXpedition we were able to take advantage of excellent 10 and 12 meter equinox openings which would have otherwise been impossible during the Austral summer (when most of these types of Antarctic DXpeditions usually take place). The drawback is that Kerguelen drops far below the Antarctic convergence at this time of year bringing with it a noticeably cooler and harsher climate.
The weather during our stay was typical for islands below the convergence, with strong wind, rain, sleet and even heavy snow alternating throughout the day. In fact, during the space of just one hour the weather changed many times from calm and sunny to a 45 knot howling blizzard. Winds could come from any direction, but the prevailing trend was usually from the southwest.
Static from snowstorms often produced S9+40 noise, forcing us to abruptly stop operations until it died down. The intensity of these snowstorms also caused the antennas to develop kilovolts of static voltage across the coax connectors (something we learned the hard way when a large voltage spike from one of the antennas destroyed a power supply and transceiver during an antenna switchover).
The last QSO was made at approximately 0200 UTC on 31 March. With calm weather throughout the morning the teardown went smoothly and on schedule. The ship is now on its way to Fremantle (Perth) Western Australia and should arrive on the morning of April 11. The total sea travel time for both legs of the journey is about 22 days. Operating time was just over 11 days, which works out to a 2 to 1 ratio of travel to operating.
We purposely advanced minimal publicity about this trip in the hope that the chase would be more of a challenge. With good operating skills combined with attentiveness to both propagation and band openings it is our belief that FT5XO should have been available to all who wanted a QSO. For our part, a great effort was made to work the weakest of stations and cover as many openings as possible within our limited time frame. Reading some of the feedback and looking at the final QSO stats we stand firmly behind the belief that it is mainly skill, not hardware, that makes a successful DXpedition. Small teams, light gear and strong operators are the key. We hope that your call made it into our log on at least one band.
With the extremely high expense and travel time necessary to reach these remote Antarctic islands we wish to say thank you in advance for all contributions sent with your QSL cards.
Special thanks to ZS5BBO and all the members of the Highway Amateur Radio Club in Durban, South Africa who made our air to sea transit exceptionally smooth. Thanks also to TAAF (Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises) for their kind support for our adventure.
And finally, we would especially like to thank our sole organizational sponsor, the Northern California DX Foundation. Their continued support for DXpeditions to the far reaches of the world helps to keep one of the most exciting aspects of amateur radio alive. Without the NCDXF, this trip would not have been possible.
73, and see you on the bands.
The Microlite Penguins DXpedition Team