TY1TT, Benin DXpedition

Plans :
Arrive in the evening in Lomé,Togo, sat 25 feb.
One night sleep in Abodagfro (Togo), one hour driving from Lomé.
Sunday 26 january travel (2 hours) by taxi to Grand Popo (Benin), and set up antenna and shack.
Operation starts sunday 26st at the evening, if there are no problems.
Previous other dxpeditions in Benin were mostly active on 20m ssb/cw.
Therefore i’am goiing to try to be actif on the higest possible band depending propagations.
Thanks to my girlfriend and future fiancee Cendy.
She helps carrying half of my 112kgs (247 lbs) luggage with us to Benin.
Few clothing many equipment.

28/12/2013:
Plans: Clublog is a fine tool, but this year: OQRS qsl: Yes, but…
But no more clublog leaderboards.
Why? Leaderboards stimulate friendly competition between primary the big gun DXers to work DXpeditions on all possible bands and modes (‘slots’).
DXers who have worked the same number of slots are ranked according to the time they took to fill the slots (quickest first, or “first past the post”).
Some amateurs feel that leaderboards encourage the big guns to work the DX again, and again, having already worked the DX many times before, on many bands and modes, and got their confirmations. So it seems something like a dxpedition contest !
The argue is that this “selfishness” makes it harder and difficult for the little pistols and novice DXers to work the DX.
That is why is am not goiing to use the clublog leaderboards this time during TY1TT.
And more: i am goiing to stay and make more qso’s on 1 or 2 particulairy bands in one mode to give the little pistols a chance to work TY.
I hope this will be appreciated, and understood by the dx community.

27/12/2013:
Finaly i have my TY1TT callsign and license from the Benin telecom authorities.
Was not easy, took me a longest time and most expensive ever to get a callsign.
Now i can plan flights and lodging beginning 2014 in Benin. Yes finaly.

2 december 2013:
I had a eyeball meeting with my friend Fabrice and his wife in Grand Popo.
He needs some help with his smoked damaged ic-7000, and i need help with my license as it was still not ready when i had to go back to EU after 15 days in Africa.
I am planning to go back to Benin in januari 2014, when the license is ready, taken a radio for Fabrice with me.

26 november 2013:
I went to Togo and made a trip to Coutenou, (Benin) to get my TY1 callsign papers.
But once i arrived there were no callsign papers due to a fire in the artpg telecom building.
I had to apply again for my license, and it could take up to 2 – 3 weeks.
That is as long as i could stay in Africa in 2013, so i went back to Togo were i used my Togo callsign 5V7TH during 10 days or so, and made +8000 qso’s.

PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK/COVER MAKING YOUR CALL ON TOP OF A QSO
That means : DO NOT SHOUTING YOUR CALL WHEN I COME BACK FOR AN OTHER STATION !!
WAIT FOR MY GENERAL CQ CALL PLEASE!!!
AND ANSWER ONLY WHEN CALLED BACK TO YOU !!!
PLEASE CHECK SPLIT SETUP !
PLEASE DO NOT TUNE ON RX or TX FREQUENCY,
This tuining is selfisch, and realy bad for my ears or others who are listning on my tx freq.
THANKS GUYS! Make urself a good operator and ex-Lids.
HAVE FUN AND ENJOY THE DX….

TY1TT

Operator: Wim, ON6DX
QSL via: ON6DX

Equipment:
Icom IC-7000,
1/4 verticals with many ground radials for 30&40m,
MicroHAM Micro-Keyer RTTY-CW
Wintest logging program.
6-band SP7IDX Broadband hexbeam (G3TXQ design)
Operating Frequenties and Modes :
Band SSB QSX SSB CW QSX CW RTTY QSX RTTY

Band	SSB	QSX SSB	CW	QSX CW	RTTY	QSX RTTY
6 m	50.120	up 5	50.100	up	50.200	up 1-5
40m	7.070	7.195	7.000	up	7.042	Up 1-5
30m	——-	—	10.103	up	10.142	Up 1-5
20m	14.190	Up 5-10	14.000	up	14.082	Up 1-5
17m	18.132	Up 5-10	18.068	up	18.102	Up 1-5
15m	21.292	Up 5-10	21.000	up	21.082	Up 1-5
12m	24.972	Up 5-10	24.890	up	24.922	Up 1-5
10m	28.492	Up 5-10	28.025	up	28.090	Up 5-10 !

Changes on this plan depends on other dxpeditions, and qrm.
Important: in SSB, Please call me ONLY with the INTERNATIONAL SPELLING CODE
That means Alfa,bravo,chralie,delta,echo,foxtrot,golf,hotel,india,julliet,kilo,lima,mike,november,oscar,papa,etc..
This is much easier to copy for me in the pile up !

SUPPORT:
Managing a dxpedition to Benin is a expensive thing to do for me.
I travel with my XYL and she also has to carry lots of equipment.
Alone it is almost not possible to take al these antenna’s, liniar, 2x50m coax, pwr supply, trx, micro keyer, laptops, 6m long supporting mast,ropes, etc.
Especially for the extra-suitcases costs, extra traveling coast from Togo to Benin and back to obain the callsign taking the extra’s of my budget.
Every single donation permits to carry a better setup.
Please feel free, but think about support the effort!
Thanks for your support.