After yesterdays call for Your Stories, here is the list (not in any particular order):
- K2FF, Glenn
- K0AV, Alan
- W3JJ, Ken
- K6KO, Kay
- George, K0GY
- John, W9RPM (and he just made the “3000 Club” too!
- Nice Hat John! (Great shack too!)
- K4SV, Dave
- Ron, W4BP
- Valery, R5AJ
- Larry, W6UB -Thanks to the VK0EK team, my #1 Honor Roll was achieved on March 24 at 0430 UTC on 30 CW. Licensed since 1954, I have find the content of the expedition web site refreshing and educational.73, Larry W6UB
- Andrea, IV3SKB
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Rich, I am on top of the world now after having worked VK0EK on the first day for my FINAL ATNO after nearly 63 years of hamming. It feels great. In fact this day I will pop the cork on a bottle of champagne to celebrate attaining Top of Honor Roll status.Much more amazing is your team’s technologically advanced and fine-tuned infrastructure. Your use of DXA is the best I have seen. Your web site is superb. You are up-to-date with your news and pictures. Your advice on how to work Heard Island was solid. And, of course, the long voyage went smoothly and the setting up of camp seems to have been flawless. I have been on a major DXpedition myself, K5D at Desecheo, so I think I know a little something about the tremendous effort you guys have made. Congratulations.Garry, W8OI,
Huntington, WV
- Alan, K6SRZ – Thank you, thank you, thank you for DXCC counter #340, which puts me at #1Honor Roll. From here on the West Coast, the morning path at 215 deg. (SSW) was definitely the best. On the eastern path last night I couldn’t hear a thing. You were quite loud at 1258 UTC when I heard you start up, but the signal faded pretty fast–propagation from the Antarctic must be tricky. KY6R’s “How to Work VK0EK” was very useful. I hope to make a SSB QSO sometime during the expedition. I’m guessing it’ll be 20 or 40 SSB, maybe from Spit. Great job with serious logistics. Stay safe and warm. 73, Alan/K6SRZ
Alan – K6SRZ – back row all the way to the left – with Cordell’s K7C Kure DXpedition!
- Andy, RG4F
- Jim, K6ZH
- George, HA5UK
- IW0HEX, Pasquale
- Lovell, W7CU
- W4GCK, George
- Giannini, IZ7FLP
- Jan, PA4JJ
- Dwight, NS9I
You could say I have held Heard Island in the palm of my hand, but no luck until yesterday’s contact made it #340 overall. I have had the pleasure of sharing operating with Ralph – K0IR who was a key member of the VK0IR effort. I have seen many of the photographs from that DXpedition, and in one Field Day, Ralph told me the 40 meter yagi I was assembling, was the one used on Heard. If only I could have turned that yagi into a QSL card for myself! Rolling a few years forward, I had the pleasure of Bill AE0EE operating at my station. (See picture). When I found out he was joining the Heard effort, I was excited to have an “inside contact”, (as if that would really make any difference). I am thrilled to be in the log so soon in the expedition. Stay safe and have fun. Mark – WA0MHJ
Thanks for the new band slot (my second) from VK0EK. I worked you guys at 0437Z on 24 March, exactly 33 years after I first worked Heard Island (VK0CW) on 24 March on 20M CW. Thanks for the good work!
73, Bill Goswick, K5WG
I would love to be able to say that Heard took me to top of the honor roll but, alas, it was my next-to-last. I was in one of my inactive periods the last time Heard hit the air, to the detriment of my entity count. Now, I can only hope that a DXpedition to Bouvet will happen before I send my last di-di-di-dah-di-dah! This Heard contact will put me at 350 credits (339 current).
I can’t begin to adequately express my appreciation for the crew. They’ve put themselves through a lot to make magic happen for us DX’ers! Toward the end of the run it gets tough! 73, and a major thank you and pat on the back to every person involved in this!
Gene W5LE
73, Rich KY6R
vk0ek.org 
# 1 Honor Roll
Dave Anderson K4SV
Actually I made #1 Honor Roll. This was a BIG red letter day. Thanks much. Garry, W8OI
No offence but can the webmaster create a page dedicated to news from the team. Success stories are all well and nice but I wonder if this is the best place for it.
73
Just made my last ATNO for HR#1. Great job guys!
George HA5UK
Glad to hear you guys achieving #1 Honor Roll with working VK0EK. I hope to get one QSO. Will be #334 for me.
Ed…KU4BP
Thanks guys for #1 Honor Roll!
George K0GY
I am one happy DXer! 30 CW and 40 RTTY worked this evening. Technically that is #331 though I actually think of it as #330 because I messed up 30 years ago and failed to QSL one that I have never had opportunity to work again.
Heard Island is a “special” one to me in many ways. I heard it in 1983 but was so inexperienced I didn’t fully appreciate the rarity or comprehend that having such rare ones would really matter to me some day. I also lacked the confidence to believe I could get through the pileup and didn’t try. Years later I came to realize the only thing that prevented me from working it back then was lack of confidence. I was then distracted for several years by VHF/UHF DX and EME. I heard VK0IR in 1997 while living in an apartment with a horrible little piece of wire set up for 80 meters only. I tried but did not make it. Probably more than any other single thing in my ham radio activity that was a turning point. I finally understood about rare entities and that they mattered a great deal to me. I have waited a long time for a chance to fix my newbie error of 1983 and antenna inadequacy of 1997. Now it is done! VK0EK is in the log and already confirmed via LoTW! Thank you!
At least three more that I need are said to be coming up in the next year or two. One in just a few days from now…
Worked VK0EK last night, 30&20 CW ATNO, gives me HONOR ROLL #1 MIXED
now need SSB & RTTY Will keep on listening
THANKS GUYS, 73 RON W4BP
Heard put me 4 away from HR #1 & 1 away from cw HR all QRP Tnx team Dan WG5G/QRP
After missing the 1997 VK0IR, I thought I might never get another shot at Heard, spent the first week and a half just trying to hear them, much less work them. Then came the evening of April 1 – April 2 – zulu time, I started hearing them on 20 cw around 0245z- a great sign. Well I just listened as I knew my peak was’nt till about 0500z. As time went by they really started to rock the S meter on my old TS-130V, so I started to look for a place to call, yikes they are working NA & EU and I can’t hear the EU stns to find a place to call, suddenly a N6 works them at 14032, I jump on that freq and call I get W7 W7 W7? My call has been mistakened for a weak W7 mni times, so I knew they at least heard me, sent my call again &
got W7HG, now I knew I had them, sent my call 1 more time & bingo,#344 all time QRP. Heard puts me 4 away from mixed #1 HR & 1 away from cw HR all QRP. Funny thing, never heard them again after that magical night, I’m sure that the Aurora that appeared the next day had greatly enhanced band cdx that night, just glad I kept trying, 73 Dan WG5G/QRP
Greeat post thanks