From: tony.cadney@...
Date: 15 January 2025 at 12:40:33 GMT
To: Suzanne Cadney G0LUZ <suzanne.cadney@...>
Subject: Mid Atlantic

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Hello fellow radio ops,

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The memsahib and I are now 1200miles west of the African coast with about 1900miles to go before our next port of Bridgetown Barbados on Sunday. We are on a course of 238 degrees at 18knts.

Present location is 22.7N 35.1W Locator square: HL22NT (Plenty more rare locators to come)

WX is fair with calm seas (3mts swell) the ambient temperature is 24c.

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My thanks to Colin G0UJK and Peter G7ULL for their recent QSOs after following me round the bands on the RBN. Also to Scott M0BLH from Norwich who just started calling CQ 18.132 MHz as I tuned up from 18.130 MHz, Scott is a regular user of my local the 2mtr repeater in Norwich and is on our /MM mailing list.

Our problem is finding a band which has ideal propagation. It is very different from the predicted conditions back in the UK, more so when you are at sea in the middle of the Atlantic. To add to the confusion, we keep changing time zones the ship’s time is now 2 hours behind GMT.

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Today we will be starting around 1300hrs GMT on 15m around 21.058 or 21.285. Then later on 24.906 or 24.950 later in the afternoon we may try 18085 or 18.130. If time allows we may move to 10.116 Mhz as Colin would like the opportunity of a 30m contact. All frequencies are +/- 5Khz

Do check the Reverse Beacon Network as an indication of which band we are working.

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Sorry I cannot be time specific as every day seems to bring a new set of conditions.

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When we change bands I or Suzanne have go up to deck12 and change the resonating coil on the antenna which situated on the edge of an open air restaurant………This sometimes causes some alarm and despondency among our fellow passengers………..And requires? some delicate handling and presents an opportunity to console the worried parties with our explanatory leaflets. It all takes time so a quick band change can take more than half an hour if we are challenged.

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Hope to catch you on the wireless.

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73 de Tony es Suzanne.

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PS. Please note we are using both BT & G-mail as BT is becoming less reliable.