PR0T Team will be active from Trindade and Martim Vaz Archipelago, IOTA SA - 010, Brazil, 16 - 19 November 2023.
Team - PY6RT, PY1ZV, PT2IC.
They will operate on 40 - 10m, 80 and 160 only if local condition allow, CW, SSB, FT8.
QSL via M0OXO, ClubLog OQRS, LOTW.
Information from PR0T team:
The team will stay in place for about 3 days during the change crew of the Brazilian Navy that resides on the island. We will be on the air from 10 to 40m. 80 and 160m only if local conditions allow. Due to the limited time of the dxpedition, we will use vertical multiband antennas. The operation will be held with 3 operators on land for CW/SSB and 9 remote operators for FT-8.
Remote operators - PY4AZ, PY8WW, PY7RP, PY5EG, PY2XB, PY5KD, PY2WAS.
In the Atlantic Ocean lies the Brazilian archipelago of Trindade e Martim Vaz (Arquipélago de Trindade e Martim Vaz), which consists of 5 islands of volcanic origin. They belong to the state of Espiritu Santo and are officially considered uninhabited, but are famous for their pristine nature and diverse wildlife. Tourists come here to find the treasure that, according to legend, was once hidden here by a famous pirate named Benito Bonito.
PR0T Trindade and Martim Vaz News 20 November 2023
PR0T is QRT
The operations began on November 16th 2003z and finished on November 20th 0600z.
That means a total of 84 hours or 3 days and 12 hours of full on-the-air operation.
The team, consisting of 3 on the island operators and 13 remote ops made a total of 18,702 QSOs.
On the last night the team prepared a surprise to all chasers, showing up on 80m SSB and CW!.
The team is already onboard and on their way home.
All the team want to express their gratitude for all QSO´s, Sponsors and Supporters.
This was an amazing experience and the results are well expressed on the numbers, including a the great number of uniques worked – almost 50%! of all QSO´s.
QSL Manager is M0OXO.
PR0T Trindade and Martim Vaz News 18 November 2023
Another log update to Clublog. Now QSOs up to 1200z of Nov 19th are available.
Very good progress was made yesterday on the 1st night of FT8 operations on 30m band.
The propagation on 12m has been excellent, probably the best band with a lot of ATNOs!.
Expected QRT: QRT still expected to happen between Monday 0300z to 0600z. So, more 18 hours to go.
Higher bands stations will be passing QRT along the day. The last to be dismantled will be 30m just in time to jump into the ship.
PR0T Team.
PR0T Trindade and Martim Vaz News 18 November 2023
We have reached 50% of the operation time of 72h.
A new log update was made into Clublog. Now, you can search for QSOs done up to November 18th @ 1300z.
Planning changes: The team have decided to operate on 30m/FT8 instead of 30m/CW. So, attention for 30m/FT8 operation on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Expected QRT: The actual expected QRT is between Monday 0300z to 0600z.
PR0T.
PR0T Trindade and Martim Vaz News 17 November 2023 Part 2
A PARTIAL log for the first 24h of operations has been uploaded to Clublog.
This first bunch of QSOs includes QSOs done within Nov 16 @ 2012z to Nov 17 @ 2003z (all bands and all modes).
PR0T.
PR0T Trindade and Martim Vaz News 17 November 2023
Still within the first 24h of operations, some progress has been done. Two fully operational stations are on the air. A fully remote FT8 station and a local SSB/CW station. All the operation till now is being run in low power. Later today, the team hope to have HP available. The goal is to keep on exploring the maximum of 12m and 17m on FT8 and the other bands on SSB/CW. The team is aware of some technical problems regarding the delay on the realtime logging. The IT team is already dealing with that.
PR0T.
PR0T Trindade and Martim Vaz News
PR0T QRV.
PR0T Trindade and Martim Vaz News 16 November 2023. 18.52 UTC
Release #5 – November 16th @ 1852z
Team safely disembarked on Trindade Island at 1846z. Now working on the stations setup. More infos soon.
PR0T.
PR0T Trindade and Martim Vaz News 16 November 2023 Band Plan
PR0T Trindade and Martim Vaz Archipelago News 16 November 2023
In a short QSO on 20m SSB, Beto PY6RT/MM reported: “the trip has been nice, still 150NM to reach Trindade Island. The weather forecast is still good and estimated time of arrival (ETA) is around 1400z. The Brazilian Navy kindly will let us to have priority on disembark (the disembark will be made by zodiac boat) , this means the firsts signals should be heard some hours after that. At least two stations will be setup in the first evening on 10m and 12m”.
PR0T Trindade and Martim Vaz Archipelago News 14 November 2023
Release #2 – November 14th 1807 UTC
“So far around 300 nautical miles already done. Still 450 more to go. We have had good times with the Navy team and reseachers aboard. Still in high spirits and all team in good shape – already used with the ship swing!. We have made some QSO´s on HF but the noise level is very high. Tonight we will make a short presentation of the PR0T radio operation to all Navy members and researchers onboard”.
PR0T Team
Description of the archipelago Trindade and Martin Vaz
Trindade e Martin-Vas is 1,200 kilometres from the mainland coast and covers an area of 10.4 square kilometres. The name of the archipelago consists of 2 parts, denoting two island groups:
Trindadee Islands - this name was given to them in honour of the feast of the Holy Trinity. This is the largest piece of land, which has the shape of a rectangle and is a stratovolcano. Its age is estimated by researchers at 2 million years. The entire coastline here is riddled with rocks, and the relief is represented by mountains. The highest point is called Di Moraes and reaches 620 metres above sea level. The total area of Trindadee is 10 square kilometres.
Martin-Vas Islands - this name was given in honour of the explorer and navigator Martin Francisco Vas. The islands are about 50 kilometres from Trindadee and are steep cliffs with impregnable shores. They have a total area of 0.3 square kilometres. Martin Vasa includes islands such as:
- Rochedo da Angulha - is a cliff with gentle shores and a flat top;
- Racha (Martin-Vas) - it is the largest in this group of islands and has gentle shores that are studded with rocks and boulders;
- South - considered the most inaccessible part of the land and is a sheer cliff;
- North - known for its rocky and inaccessible coastline.
Tourism development
The Martin-Vas Islands were discovered in 1501 by the navigator João da Nova, and Trindadee was discovered a few months later by Esteveo da Gama. The archipelago became part of Portugal and was under its authority until Brazil gained independence. People could not live on this territory for a long time, because of the remoteness it was difficult to provide them with everything they needed. Nevertheless, it attracted pirates and conquerors, scientists and vagabonds, and today the UN has declared the area uninhabited. However, about 150 people live here on watch.
They are mostly Brazilian sailors who keep the naval base alive. Also on Trindadee there is a scientific oceanographic station, where scientists conduct various studies. Tourists were only allowed to visit the archipelago in 2007, but due to its remote location and lack of infrastructure, it is not very popular. Currently, less than half a thousand travellers have visited it.
Wildlife
Tourists usually only visit Trindadee Island, which is famous for its lush greenery. Currently, 124 species of vascular plants have been officially registered here, 14 of which are endemic. The main representative of the flora in the archipelago is considered to be the giant fern. Sea green algae and lichens can be seen on the rocks, which are able to survive during low tides.
Among the animals on Trindade e Martin Vas are the feral animals (pigs, goats, etc.) that were once brought here by settlers. There are also various seabirds, including petrels and frigates, as well as yellow crabs living on the coast and in the mountainous areas. The coastal waters are home to a variety of fauna such as the green turtle, black spinorogue, lemon shark and yellow and white shark.