3 March 2025 – Antipodean Antenna Adventures by Bob Bower, GM4DLG

The presentation

Bob’s one-man DXpedition to ZL, ZL7, VK9L, VK9N and VK7, which took place in January to March 2024, is currently being serialised in RadCom. The first part was published in the February issue, with parts two and three to follow in March and April. This Tonight@8 presentation complements these, and will include additional information such as personal anecdotes.

Bob operated on 20, 40 and 80m with 100W SSB into vertical positions of his own design. His holy grail was a valid 80m greyline QSO with Great Britain. Did he achieve it?

About Bob

One of Bob’s other hobbies is yachting, so it will come as no surprise that all of his DXpeditions over the past 30 years have had close associations with the sea and islands. His first was sailing to Greenland with Robin-Knox Johnston, where he had his first taste of operating /MM. His next was also /MM, but this time across the Caribbean on the Australian replica of Captain James Cook’s Endeavour.

Another square-rigger /MM trip followed, to Antarctica in the footsteps of Shackleton. The three DXpeditions that followed were all island-based, being the Falklands, Maldives and Saint Helena – but in close proximity to the sea. His most recent was a return to /MM in the Caribbean on the square-rigged cruise ship the Royal Clipper.

Watch live

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Category: Tonight @ 8