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73,
Rich KY6R
vk0ek.org 
I am very excited about this DXpedition. Early in the Planning stages I spoke to Bob Schmieder KK6EK about possibly joining the team. I thought my chances were slim to none. Being a very new ham, I figured this to be the most long shot of all, but I sent the e mail anyway. To my surprise Bob replied that he could get me on the team. (As a junior scientist of sorts….Most likely a grunt guy, but who would care!) It was unreal to here this. Unfortunately I was not able to afford the per team member amount needed to join the team. Still just getting a chance to join was a thrill. I was not even disappointed. In any event I have been following the planning for a long time, and I have tracked the Braaveheart all the way. I am very happy the team has made it safely to the Island, and beginning what will be a great experience. I wish you all the very best on your adventure. Good Health, good DX, and a safe trip home. I will be doing my very best to get into your log. All of us in the NCDXCC / SCDXA and other clubs also wish you guys the best of trips. THANK you all for your sacrifices / time / and hard work to bring us the chance to get VK0EK in our logs!!
Bob C
ND7J
I worked the VK0IR DXpedition back in 1997. Took me three days working through major pileups on a barefoot Kenwood TS520 analog. Also spinning that dial back and forth like a madman trying to get it to land on the split frequency was quite the accomplishment back then for me. Still have the QSL hanging on the wall.
To boot a friend of mine picked up my coffee cup you were giving away at Dayton Hamvention and it got accidentally went in his friends car to Kentucky… Long story short he finally ran across the cup, sent it back to my friend in Ohio and my friend delivered to me. Just a couple years ago.
73 KB8RTN
The US Air Force moved me in the spring of 1997 from Wichita, KS to Biloxi, MS and I missed the VK0IR DXpedition. My log shows that I got back on the air 3 months later in May 1997. Who would have imagined that Heard Island would therefore wind up being the LAST ONE needed to reach #1 Honor Roll? Well, 19 years later at 0255z on 24 March 2016, K2FF put VK0EK in the log on 30m during their first day of operations and within the first 1,200 Q’s. Thanks to everyone who had a hand in making it possible!
#332 for the HR CW … T U VK0EK 73 Dwight NS9I
and just how does one include a picture?
73 Dwight NS9I
email to rholoch@comcast.net
73,
Rich KY6R
I though the expedition was very well organized. Unfortunately, it seems to be extremely biased to CW, nothing wrong with CW, but there are many who need it in phone. The propagation index is out of whack for VK, never have I worked that part of the world according to the index. I can hear them easily on CW, yet not once have I heard them on phone and I monitor the cluster. Considering they are suppose to have two base camps to ensure majority of the world can get a chance, some how I don’t think this is going to happen. Peter One Island which was rarer and was totally easier by all standards. If this is the standard to be expected from Dxpeditions, don’t see much chance of funds coming forward in the future. Now these guys cant be expected to change propagation etc, and working in thick environmental suits makes things more difficult, (yes I worked in -35C), so can appreciate. Lets just hope the Heard Island team can give phone a decent try and realize lots of people are trying.
73s
Finally I get my first QSO with VK0EK this afternoon on 30m CW ; an ATNO for me ; I was following the signal improvement on a 30 minutes period and it was not too difficult to found the receiving strategy (moving slowly in a 500 Hz window between 10.114 and 10.114.5 !). A typical small pistol rig here : 100 watts from a kx3 and a dipole between trees at 10 m.
A special qso for me because I stayed 18 months on Kerguelen island as FB8XV in 1979/1980 …
73s de Chris F6FTB / ex FB8XV