Despite unfavourable solar conditions and a string of technical setbacks, the Knollehof DX team welcomed a special guest from Tunisia and still managed a handful of memorable catches during a challenging winter DX-pedition in Veurne.
Ash’s journey was not without complications. A railway strike was ongoing that week, adding another layer of uncertainty to his travel plans. Fortunately, everything went smoothly in the end. Ash arrived on schedule and was collected by Dave from the hotel where he had stayed overnight.
Once on site, field work progressed efficiently. Thanks to Ash’s enthusiastic help, all six Beverage antenna directions were installed before nightfall. In addition, the utility team erected several antennas for shortwave monitoring, ensuring that the setup was fully operational by the time darkness set in.
Medium-wave conditions were generally disappointing, yet the first night offered a welcome highlight. No fewer than eleven new stations were logged on the Argentine Beverage alone. This was largely the result of the recent closure of Radio Nacional de España’s medium-wave transmitters at the end of last year, which opened up several frequencies towards South America. Among the more notable catches was Radio La Red, Villa Udaondo (Argentina) on 910 kHz at 0205 UTC on 31 January, received right next to the powerful BBC Radio 5 Live on 909 kHz, located only about 200 km from our DX site.
Another pleasing signal came from Radio Monte Carlo, Montevideo (URG) on 930 kHz on 31 January at 0149 UTC, and several other Latin American stations were noted during the session.
Sadly, the following nights were mostly unproductive. This underlines one of the inherent limitations of short DX trips: with only a few listening nights available, success depends heavily on timing and propagation. DXers in less densely populated areas of Europe are often in a better position, as they can leave Beverage antennas in place all-year-round and operate their listening posts remotely, waiting patiently for the right conditions.
To make matters worse, we encountered some very earthly problems as well. Local wildlife had taken an interest in our antennas: rabbits had been nibbling at the wires. As a result, the North American Beverage snapped shortly after midnight, only a few metres from the balun, rendering that direction virtually useless for the remainder of the night.
On the final night, when other DXers were reporting promising conditions towards southern Africa, our Africa BOG was hit by severe QRM, effectively blocking reception along that path.
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| Dave and Ash exchanging DX expieriences - Ash at his listening post |
Technical misfortune also made an appearance. Frank Hughes’ home-built NAVTEX receiver, which had been performing flawlessly throughout the year at his home QTH, refused to cooperate at the DX site. Despite extensive troubleshooting, we were unable to restore its operation during the expedition.
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| Frank and Jan trying to figure out what’s wrong with the NAVTEX receiver. |
Not everything revolved around antennas and receivers, though. Together with Ash, we also took a short break to visit the picturesque town of Veurne, just before picking up our Chinese takeaway dinner — a small but welcome moment of sightseeing and relaxation amid the technical challenges of the expedition.
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| Dave and Ash in Veurne city centre |
All in all, this DX-pedition was a classic reminder that even the best preparation cannot overcome unfavourable propagation and unexpected setbacks. Still, the camaraderie, the shared effort in the field, and the few memorable catches made the trip worthwhile — and, as always, left us looking forward to the next opportunity when conditions may be more favourable. n
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| Participants Guido, Dave, Ash, Jan and Frank. |
