PRESS RELEASE #7

To: DX Editors
From: 3B7C 20th September 2007

3B7C passed the 100,000 QSO mark earlier today. Our DXCC total is also at 187 - quite remarkable. We have been posting occasional updates on our web page, but felt this was a good moment for a more complete update. Our data link with the outside world is limited to a satellite uplink and the priority has been daily log uploads. We are very pleased with the feedback on our web page, especially the novel features on the log lookup and the band/mode listings.

The team is in good spirits and all equipment and antennas are working well. We are particularly pleased at the way we have been able to run two modes simultaneously on both 80 and 20 right from the start. In the last few days we have also added a limited capability to do this on 15 and 17 to make the most of limited band openings. The disappointment has been that band openings have been somewhat more limited than we had hoped and propagation on all bands varies substantially from day to day so we ask forbearance from the DX community - we try to hit all major band openings when conditions permit. Noise levels also vary substantially from day to day on the LF bands - yesterday was good and we were able to work a number of US stations on 160 SSB.

The good news is that we have some real successes, for example working the US West Coast on 160 at our sunset, and consistent West Coast openings both short- and long-path on 80 and 40. We started RTTY operations last weekend and currently have about 3.5k RTTY QSOs in the log, many stations telling us that 3B7 is new for them on that mode. However, and with some reluctance, we have decided not to work PSK31 as we feel this will very much be a repeat of those stations we have already worked on RTTY (and bearing in mind that the RTTY DXCC does not differentiate between data modes), whereas there is still a huge demand on all the traditional modes. Indeed, this is perhaps the greatest surprise - that with so many QSOs made from 3B7 in recent weeks the pile-ups remain at a very high level when bands are open.

Our beacon has been running continuously on six meters, but we have no reports of reception apart from VQ9. Nonetheless we will keep trying as this will be a new one for the Deserving.

We will be very QRV over this coming weekend, trying to work round the SAC SSB contest where possible (e.g. by working RTTY and/or CW on those bands during the 24 hours of the contest). Station break-down will start on Monday 24th, though we will try to keep at least some stations QRV until shortly before our departure for Mauritius at first light on Wednesday 26th (i.e. around 0200 GMT). We have already been making efforts to work US General Class licencees in their limited band segments and will, as promised, be looking for QRS CW stations during the last few days of activity.

Keep checking the website, http://3b7c.com for the latest news, and expect more backgrounds, statistics, photos, etc, on our return to our various home countries.

Don G3XTT, Don G3BJ, Neville G3NUG (on behalf of the 3B7C team)