Some Stats & Photographs

Hamish & myself are busy writing up both the flight report & the radio report for the Dawn to Dusk challenge. These have to be collated & submitted within 21days of the challenge.

Here are some brief stats:

• 9 islands activated on HF radio (SSB/CW)
• 28 lighthouses photographed
• 8 Hours 36 minutes airborne
• 16 Hours 56 minutes in total
• 692.5 nautical miles covered
• 1 can of DEET spray used
• 10 cups of tea consumed

I plan to publish a comprehensive library of photographs but in the mean time please view these photographs for now.

73

Bob
DEQ

The Trophy.

Stuart (Orkney Crystal) presents Hamish with the GB4DTD "Dawn to Dusk" trophy at Kirkwall airport upon completing the challenge.

Sincere thanks to Orkney Crystal for providing the commissioned trophy & the personal crystal memento's.

The GB4DTD "Dawn to Dusk" trophy.

The winner of the trophy worked GB4DTD

on 5 different islands:

Islay, Jura, Colonsay, Papa Westray & Westray.

Congratulations - M0OVL/M

Jon, please get in touch: info@gdram.com

Back Safe & Sound

We eventually got back yesterday after having to leave the Orkney Islands a little earlier than planned due to wx. Sad to leave early but glad to be back home safe & sound.

The above was taken by a visitor to our operation at Barra which has a licenced beach as an airstrip. What a view....

Radio Beef ... ?

Budding radio beefs queue up to get on air for our final transmissions of the day ....

We have just landed on Westray (ATA20.29 and 20sec) after a gruelling long haul hop from Papa Westray (1min 10secs) .....

We've made up some time by doing two 40minute island stops, and we have now logged 8hrs 5min of airborne time .... All that remains is a 15 minute transit back to Kirkwall Airport to land on schedule at 2130 local .... and then a well earned pint !

Thanks for supporting us, making us coffee and following our adventure - it's been huge fun, a huge challenge and a huge success (we think) :)

Ham and Bob

Amber and Robyn hijack a plane ...

Fair Isle welcome party

Amber, Angela, Mark, Dave, Bunter and Robyn :)

Bob's talking to Italy ! And Amber and Robyn are thinking of having a shot too ...

Orkney Times

Diversions due to Danger Area activity at D802/803 and R610A .... Regained route at Kyle of Tongue. Decided to check original planned site at Hoy and found it suitable .... So down we went with the chance to was the Barra sand off the wheels. On the loch from 1611 til 1656
Recalculations show we have been airborne exactly
6h1m ..... Need 2hrs in the air., so off to Fair Isle ETA1758 .... Then will try and fit in a Sumburgh leg ... But this will mean a couple of quick 45 min turnarounds ....

Mystery island ATA1527

Name that island .....

Stornoway ATA1341

Skipped one lighthouse to catch up 10miles headwind, and rerouted via 2 more - Monach and Haskeir. Spotted St Kilda 35 miles to the west and got a superb ATC service from D watch at Scottish Centre.

John (ops 3 at Stornoway) lets us know his views on D2D.

BP might not be everyones friend these days but when Ian has fuel to give .... they're my best pals.

Fisheries Protection ReimsCessna F406 G-SMMA taxis in after another day at sea.

St Kilda

Taken from overhead Haskeir 1246 local time .. Heading for the Flannan Isles ...ETA1310

Barra

Life is grand ...... Land on the sand ! Wind 070/10kts so looks like headwinds all the way to Orkney and Fair Isle from here. Quite a crowd has come out to see us (and the Loganair Twin Otter schedule from Glasgow)

Bob is busy and has just got his first transatlantic contact (K1IK)

I'm heading to pay the landing fee and order 2 bacon+egg rolls!

First contact with Russia (RU3SE) !

Toodle pip !

Oigh skeir lighthouse ATA1052

As they say in "Chewing the Fat" ...... Gonnae no dae that.......

Barra

On air soon.

-- This was sent from my mobile phone during dawn to dusk challenge --

Jammy Dodgers

Quick refuel at Oban and some very generous avgas sponsorship by Paul at TLC - cheers Paul!

Strengthening 20kt headwind meant we had to up the power but still starting to run a couple of minutes late.

Decision taken to cut out Berneray lighthouse and regain 20 miles/15min. Save us chasing our tails after Stornoway.

Must dash - Barra next ...

Colonsay ATA0752

Caught up a few minutes on Jura with speedy aerial erection. Colonsay is bathed in sunshine and a 10kt northeasterly = no midges !!

The air is filled with the sound of skylarks, morse a.d HF chatter !

Next stop Oban for tea and jammy dodgers and avgas!

MIDGES !!!!

Arrived Finlaggan on Islay 3min late ATA0537 - stunning morning - midges (+deet) out in force. Transmitted from the 14th cent ancient seat of the Lord of the Isles - 2way with Netherlands, France, Slovakia and Kilmacolm! Now arrived at Loch Righ Mor on Jura ATA0648- 5min behind schedule. Photos of Finlaggan attached...... Must dash...

Mid channel

Airborne on time , passed ailsa craig 0445 :)

Ready for the off......

Sunday 2030. Aircraft fuelled, serviced and ready to go. Liferaft and radio gear loaded. Weather + notams checked. 30% chance of morning mist at 0430, good after 0630. D801/802/803 active, D701 cold. T minus 8 hrs and counting .....

Mobile phone blog Test

Ryryryryryryryryryryryry

-- This was sent from my mobile phone during dawn to dusk challenge --

Final Planning Stage

Most of the planning is now complete including accommodation booked on the Orkney Islands, Orkney Crystal finishing the engraving of the challenge trophy & BBC Scotland has been in touch to do a final piece on the challenge.

Still outstanding is the mobile phone blog facility which is not posting blogs 100%. As you can appreciate, this type of challenge will be difficult to inform you all of our exact wherabouts at specific times so it would be great for the mobile blog to work. With that said, below is the list of proposed islands that will be activated using the special callsign "GB4DTD" with approx times.

I will be operating on 40/20/15/10m SSB mainly with some CW on or around the IOTA frequencies - 7.055/14.260/21.260/28.560MHz SSB & 7.030/14.040/21.040/28.040 CW.


Approx Times (GMT) & Proposed Island List

(04:34Hrs) Islay - [NR388681] [NH22] [EU008]
(05:43Hrs) Jura - [NR540854 ] [NH21] [EU008]
(06:50Hrs) Colonsay - [NR358932] [NH19] [EU008]
(10:17Hrs) Barra - [NF694056] [OH11] [EU010]
(12:41Hrs) Lewis - [NB460331] [OH01] [EU010]
(15:25Hrs ) Stronsay - [HY634299] [OR08] [EU009]
(17:01Hrs) Fair Isle - [HZ211721] [SH09] [EU012]
(18:23Hrs) Papa Westray - [HY490519] [OR03] [EU009]
(19:19Hrs) Westray - [HY460519] [OR02] [EU009]
(20:30Hrs) Kirkwall - [HY481078] [OR01] [EU009]

73

DEQ

GB4DTD Final Route

Hamish has been very busy charting our final route. He has incorporated some detours overflying numerous lighthouses (which we will photograph en route) & some beach landings too. We are also particularly keen to see the Flannan Isles.

This map gives our final intended route indicating the islands that GB4DTD will be activating. Finally, I am delighted to report that I will be operating from Fair Isle. For more clarity, I will publish a full island list later.

DEQ


View GB4DTD - Final Scottish Islands Route in a larger map