N9GGO Website

 
IOTA
Amateur Radio Islands on the Air (IOTA) Expedition
2005/2006 New Years Holiday Activation
Golden Island Expedition  
Three Islands in Eight Days
31 December until 7 January 2006


Amelia Island             31 Dec-2 Jan


Jekyll Island             Jan 3-7


St. Simons Island     Jan5




What an adventure on the Golden Islands!

My wife Kathy and I are grateful for your QSO during our "Islands on the Air" (IOTA) Expedition - our first & not the last!  We operated on three islands in eight days:  Amelia Island, FL (Dec 31-Jan 2), Jekyll Island, GA (Jan 3-7), and St. Simon Island, GA  (Jan 5). Our main QTH was from our 2nd floor hotel balcony on the Atlantic Ocean. At Amelia, our 16 ft - 18 gauge wire antenna was on the balcony above us with 1 ground radial along the balcony.  On Jekyll, our wire antenna was 20 feet from the building straight up a palm tree with 3 ground radials.  Since many operators asked if we operated from a lighthouse, we were motivated to operate mobile at St. Simons Island Lighthouse on Jan 5.

We would like to thank the members of Motorola Amateur Radio Clubs, KM0TO and N9MOT, for their guidance and encouragement. Thanks to IOTA and the DX publications we were able to quickly communicate our expedition plans.  Most importantly, we thank you in the HAM community for your interest & personal contact. 

Many blessings across the miles to you and your families in this new year!
73 until we meet again on the bands,
Kathy (KC9HIF) & Jerry (N9GGO)

Radio: ICOM 706, 100w.
Antenna: 16ft vertical mono wire with ground radials

(:To see larger view of picture, click on photo :)

Operation from Amelia Island:


Antenna on Balcony


Kathy & Jerry operating while overlooking the Atlantic Ocean


Jerry making contacts

Operation from Jekyll Island:


Antenna in Palm Tree


What a pair!


Kathy calling CQ

Jekyll Island

The First Transcontinental Telephone Call was transmitted by a telephone instrument of this type on January 25, 1915.  Mr. Theodore N. Vail President of American Telephone and Telegraph Company, talked from Jekyll Island to D. Alexander Gramham Bell, inventor of the telephone, in New York. Thomas Watson, assistant to Dr. Bell spoke from San Francisco to President Wilson in Washington D. C.  The telephone is displayed at the Jekyll Island Club.


Phone used in 1st  transcontinental call


Theodore Vail & Friends for first call from Jekyll Island Club - 1915


Description of call

Lighthouses on the Island
The St. Simons Lighthouse:
Built in 1872, it stands 104 feet in height. The cottage houses The Coastal Georgia Historical Society Museum.  The original lighthouse built of "tabby" in 1810 by James Gould was destroyed during the Civil War.

The Lighthouse is 104 feet tall and is still used as a navigational aid to the busy port of Brunswick.  The original 1872 Fresnel lens being used today produces a bright beam by concentrating and magnifying the light which can be seen up to 25 mile out to sea.

The Coastal Georgia Historical Society offers a chance to climb the 129 steps to the top for a spectacular view of the area.


Lighthouse on Amelia Is 


St. Simons Lighthouse


Mobile Operation

Island Photos


Islands from the Air


Amelia Island


Christmas in Florida

Click here for more Trip Photos posted on Shutterfly Website

QSO's
During our Island On The Air Expedition we had many exciting contacts from all around the world, below are just a few of our comments and surprises:

Total QSO's 162
Largest pile up of calling stations occurred on our last day, Saturday January 7.  We were to check out of the hotel at 11:00, we stayed until 12:30.  The most contacts we copied in one hour was 32, this was with Kathy logging and Jerry talking.  Jerry had never experience this many calling stations it was so excited it took both of us to copy the calls :)

QSO's from Friends:
N9EP, K9UQN, KG9JP, KM0TO, KG9X, K9KM, AA5UK

QSO's  to name a few: 
(we paper logged contacts)

DX Countries (14 Countries):
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
France
Germany
Italy
Indoniesia
Portugal  
Puerto Rico
Russia
Spain
Ukraine

SWL Cards:
DE0DKR-Dieter from Kirchheim in Bavaria-- Southern Germany near Heidelberg, my grandparents were from Rothis Germany
KCA6RC Bob in New Mexico

US Contacts (26 states):
AR, AZ, CT, DE, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, MO, MN, NH, NJ, NY, NV, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TX, VT, WA, WI

(:To see larger view of picture, click on photo :)


Amelia Island antenna


Jekyll Island antenna


St. Simons Island

IOTA Details:

Expedition to Amelia Island, IOTA NA-138, Saturday 31 December 2005 until Monday 2 January 2006 during the hours ranging 12:30 UTC (7:30 AM EST) until 16:00 UTC (11:00 AM EST).

Expedition to Jekyll Island, IOTA NA-058, Tuesday 3 January 2005 until Saturday 7 January 2006 during the hours ranging 12:30 UTC (7:30 AM EST) until 16:00 UTC (11:00 AM EST).

Expedition to St Simons Island, IOTA NA-058, Thursday 5 January 2005  during the hours ranging 17:30 UTC (12:30 PM EST) until 18:30 UTC (1:30 PM EST).

Operation will be portable, with XYL, KC9HIF, on 20 meters SSB 14.260 plus or minus QRM and Nets.

Call sign: N9GGO
Operators: Jerry N9GGO and XLY Kathy KC9HIF.

QSL via N9GGO direct, or bureau
(SASE Please, for color photo QSL card of the island)
Jerry Breuss
758 Laguna
Crystal Lake IL 60014
N9GG0@yahoo.com

See information on “Island on the Air” IOTA:
www.rsgbiota.org/

Amelia Island NA-138:
www.ameliaisland.com/
One of America's few remaining unspoiled island paradises, Amelia Island is the southernmost of the chain of Atlantic coast barrier islands that stretch from North Carolina to Florida.

Jekyll Island NA-058:
www.jekyllisland.com/
A.T.&T. president Theodore Vail participated in the First Transcontinental Telephone Call from Jekyll Island on January 25, 1915.

Alexander Gram Bell Transcontinental Call:  www.att.com/attlabs

North America Contacts


North America contacts

QSL Cards 

Confirmed

Confirmed

Total

Direct to Me

Rec'd  from SASE

162 / 104 rec'd

53

51

Swl Cards

2 / 2 rec'd

2

DX Cards

21 / 5 rec'd

5

VE Canada

15 / 8 rec'd

8

North America

124 / 89 rec'd

42

47

ARRL Zone

Total Contacts

Direct to Me

Rec'd  from SASE

Rec'd total

1

12

2

5

7

2

27

14

8

22

3

15

2

9

11

4

6

0

2

2

5

12

5

5

10

6

1

0

0

0

7

4

2

1

3

8

11

4

5

9

9

26

9

8

17

0

10

6

4

10

Last Updated

7/02/06

Last Mailing

SASE sent (83)

4/28,5/1(44) 5/20(28)     VE 6/15(11)

ARRL Bureau

Sent  5/6 (19)

East Coast Map


North America East Coast

Global Map


Global Map Contacts

Europe Contacts


Europe Contacts 

QSO Rate

Date

Day

On Air

Off Air

QSO's

Duration

Rate

31-Dec

Sat (25)

7:35 am

8:00 am

2

0:25

1:40h/25r

12:15 pm

1:30 pm

23

1:15

1-Jan

Sun (46)

3:00 pm

5:00 pm

46

2:00

2:00h/46r

3-Jan

Tue (5)

11:30 am

12:15 pm

5

0:45

0:45h/5r

4- Jan

Wed (20)

9:30 am

10:00 am

3

0:30

2:00h/20r

12:20 pm

1:23 pm

12

1:00

4:00 pm 

4: 30 pm

5

0:30

5-Jan

Thu (8)

12:30 pm 

12:45 pm

2

0:15

0:50h/8r

5:10 pm 

5:45 pm

6

0:35

6-Jan

Fri (3)

4:40 pm

5:30 pm

3

0:50

0:50h/3r

7-Jan

Sat (49)

9:40 am

12:15 pm

49

2:35

2:35h/49r

162 total

10:40 hours

 

See information on “Island on the Air” IOTA:www.rsgbiota.org/

N9GGO Island Activation Website click here

NA-138 Amelia Island Website click here

NA-058 Jekyll Island / St Simons Website click here

IOTA N9GGO Websites postings, click on the below web-links:

Island Chasers Web page

DX-News

425 DX News #765

DX Infor 31/12/2005

Hamwave

Ohio / Penn DX Bulletin

A.R.I Bullentin

IOTA Posted in Japan

JA1QXY Home Page Website click here


JA1QXY

 

A Few Favorite QSL CARDS from our many contacts during our expedition


DE0DKR swl  Kirchheim Germany near Jerry's Grandparents birth in Rothis..


N3BEQ -Bud..encouraged us to operate from a Lighthouse.. we visited St Simons


W1AA Whitey .. we are now ARLHS members # 1320..


WA9FWT Phil-- Sent his card printed in 1961, the same year Jerry was born !