On Tuesday the 7th day of February 2023, I travelled to Troubridge Island with Marija VK5MAZ, Adam VK2YK, Andy VK5LA, Chris VK5FR, and Ivan VK5HS. We spent three nights on the island and operated as VK5TIL (Troubridge Island Lighthouse) ona mini amateur radio DXpedition.

This was our first trip away together as a group and we were definitely displaying ‘Learners plates’ when it comes to DXpeditions. We all know each other socially and we all had our own particular areas of expertise and interests in the hobby of amateur radio.

WHERE IS TROUBRIDGE ISLAND?

Troubridge Island is located in the southwestern corner of Gulf St Vincent in South Australia. It is a small sand atoll and is only 2 hectares in size.

Above:- Map of Australia showing the location of Troubridge Island. Map c/o Google maps.

The island is about 8 km offshore from the town of Edithburgh on the Yorke Peninsula, and about 80 km southwest of the city of Adelaide across the water.

Above:- Map of Adelaide and the lower Yorke Peninsula, showing the location of Troubridge Island. Map c/o google maps.

WWFF and IOTA.

Troubridge Island qualifies for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program and Islands On The Air (IOTA). The island is the Troubridge Island Conservation Park VKFF-1108 (WWFF) and IOTA OC-139. This was our reason for travelling to Troubridge Island – to activate it for WWFF and IOTA, and at the same time have a lot of fun.

The island is part of the Troubridge Island Conservation Park.  ​The park was proclaimed in 1982 to conserve sea-bird rookeries and to preserve the heritage values of the lighthouse and the associated keepers’ cottages. About 60 native bird species have been recorded on Troubridge Island.  This includes 21 species of conservation significance and 22 species listed as migratory.

Troubridge Island has been nominated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) known as the Troubridge Island Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.  The area supports over 1% of the world’s populations of both black-faced cormorants (with up to 4000 individuals) and silver gulls (with up to 10,000 breeding pairs) as well as supporting significant numbers of the vulnerable Fairy Tern.

HISTORY OF THE ISLAND.

The Narungga aboriginal people have a traditional association with Troubridge Island and other islands in the area. The island and shoal were first named by British navigator and cartographer Captain Matthew Flinders on the 24th day of March 1802, after Admiral Sir Thomas Troubridge.

Troubridge was a Royal Navy officer, who served during the Anglo-French War, the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars.

Above:- Captain Matthew Flinders (left) and Sir Thomas Troubridge (right). Images c/o Wikipedia.

Numerous ships were wrecked or grounded prior to the installation of the lighthouse on Troubridge Island.  Official records state that 33 crews travelling west from Adelaide became shipwrecked in the early 1800s.   It is believed there were many more.

In 1855, the lighthouse was constructed.

The lighthouse was constructed of ten cylindrical cast iron segments which were shipped out from Britain and were bolted together on site.  It is believed that Troubridge Island lighthouse is only one of two towers of this type constructed in Australia.  The lighthouse is 24 metres (79 feet) in height and is 340 tons.  A cast iron spiral staircase runs between the outer and inner walls connecting five rooms at its core.

Above:- c. 1910.  Three men working with spades and a wheelbarrow outside Troubridge Island lighthouse, South Australia.  Image c/o State Library South Australia.

GETTING TO THE ISLAND.

To get to the island we travelled by boat from Edithburgh with Mark and Lois of Troubridge Island Escape. We met Mark and Lois at their property at Wool Bay where we loaded the boat.

We then travelled down to Edithburgh in one vehicle towing the boat and the remainder of the team in a courtesy vehicle. We cannot speak highly enough of Mark and Lois. They were extremely friendly and helpful, not only during the trip but leading up to the trip.

Once we arrived in Edithburgh Ivan and I boarded the boat with Mark and Lois and headed to the island. The remaining four team members, Marija, Chris, Adam, and Andy headed off to get a coffee.

It takes just 15 minutes to get out to the island from Edithburgh. It was a beautiful sunny day and the water was quite calm.

Below is a view of Troubridge Island from the boat as we approached the sandbar. What a beautiful view!

WE HAVE LANDED.

Once the boat was anchored, Mark walked to the island and collected a tractor and trailer and drove back to the boat. We loaded all of our gear onto the trailer and Lois drove us across the shallow water and sandbar to the island while Mark headed back to Edithburgh with the boat to collect the remainder of our team.

Upon arriving on Troubridge Island, Ivan and I offloaded the radio gear. Lois also took us for a tour around our accommodation. One of our first jobs on the island was to clean all the bird poo from the solar panels. Solar is the only power on the island.

It is about a 15-minute boat ride from Edithburgh to Troubridge Island. So after about an hour, the remaining four team members Marija, Adam, Andy, and Chris arrived safely on the island.

ACCOMMODATION.

Our accommodation on the island was one of the old lighthouse keepers’ cottages.

SETTING UP ANTENNAS AND STATIONS.

Once on the island, we commenced setting up. We set up four operating stations.

We established four separate stations located in both of the cottages and erected an array of antennas including linked dipoles, a vertical, an end fed, and a small 2-element beam.

Below is a photo of the end fed and the 30m vertical on the beach.

Above:- the end fed and the 30m vertical on the beach – at sunset.

Below are some photos of the 2 element yagi.

Below is a photo showing the 20/40/80m linked dipole.

Improvisation was the name of the game. We had not been to the island before so we had to play everything by ear. The lighthouse keeper’s cottage that we slept in was clean and tidy. But the second cottage which is normally used for storage was not ideal, so we just set up one station in there.

Above:- One of the stations set up on the front verandah of the lighthouse keeper’s cottage.

HOW MANY QSOS DID WE MAKE?

Our first QSO was with Peter VK3PF.

Our final QSO was with Ted VK6NTE.

During our stay on the island, we made a total of 2,123 QSOs and worked 65 different DXCC entities. Below is a map showing our contacts around the world.

Above:- Map showing our contacts around the world. Map c/o QSOMAP.org

We had some nice openings into Europe and the United Kingdom on Wednesday and Thursday on the long path on SSB, along with numerous FT8 & CW contacts into Europe.

Above:- Map showing our contacts into Europe. Map c/o QSOMAP.org

We also made numerous contacts into North America.

Above:- Map showing our North American contacts. Map c/o QSOMAP.org

And of course we made numerous contacts around Australia.

Above:- Map showing our VK contacts. Map c/o QSOMAP.org

The majority of our contacts were on the 40m band (594), followed by 20m (582) and then 30m (328).

Above:- Graph showing our contacts per band. Graph c/o meta-chart.com

We operated on SSB, CW and FT8 during our time on Troubridge. The majority of our contacts were on FT8 (974), followed by SSB (926), and then CW (133). We also made contacts on AM, 70cm DMR, 70cm FM, 70cm SSB, 2m DMR, 2m FM, and 2m SSB.

Above:- Graph showing our contacts per mode. Graph c/o meta-chart.com

WE ARE UNDERWATER.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning (our first night on the island) I was awoken by a large bang. A few of us went out to investigate to note that the wind had significantly picked up and had knocked over the 6m yagi. But worse, our 30m vertical was lying on its side flapping about in the water, and the end fed was also underwater, but was still standing. The tide had come in a lot further than we had believed it would. Fortunately, no damage was caused to the antennas.

Above:- The end fed. Take note of the seaweed up the top. The tide had started to go out when this photo was taken.

BANDS WORKED & MODES.

We operated on 70cm, 2m, 6m, 10m, 15m, 17m, 20m, 30m, 40m, 80m, & 160m.

We operated on SSB, FT8 & CW.

Below is a video showing one of our FT8 stations.

SUMMARY OF EACH BAND USED.

Below is a breakdown of our activity per band.

160M BAND.

On Wednesday afternoon (8th February) we set up a linked dipole that Ivan VK5HS had put together. It included the 160-metre band.

We ran the legs of the 160m dipole along two sandy paths at the rear of the cottages. The legs of the dipole ran west and southeast.

Above:- Aerial shot of Troubridge Island, showing the 160m antenna.

A total of 29 QSOs were made on the 160m band into VK2, VK3, VK5, and VK6. Our longest distance QSO on 160m was with Brian VK6LO in Western Australia.

The majority of our contacts on 160m were on SSB. But we also made a handful of contacts on AM and FT8.

• 3 – AM
• 3 – FT8
• 23 – SSB

Above:- Map of Australia showing the location of the 160m band contacts. Image c/o Log Analyzer.

The video below shows Ivan VK5HS on 160m.

80M BAND.

We made a total of 84 contacts on the 80m band into VK1, VK2, VK3, VK4, VK5, VK6, and VK7. All of these contacts were on LSB, excluding one AM contact with John VK5BJE in the Adelaide Hills.

Above:- Map of Australia showing our 80m contacts. Image c/o Log Analyzer.

Our 80m SSB station consisted of a Yaesu FT857, 100 watts, and a linked dipole which ran north-south along a wooden boardwalk. The antenna was in an inverted vee configuration and was supported by a 7-metre telescopic heavy-duty squid pole.

Above:- The linked dipole, supported on a 7m squid pole.

There were times when the high tide came in, and half of one leg of the 80m section of the dipole was underwater, and yet it still seemed to perform well.

Above:- Aerial shot showing the orientation of the linked dipole, running north-south. Image c/o Google maps.

The 80m station was set up in a room in the second lighthouse keeper’s cottage. The room had a lot of echo, so we had to improvise and use some old mattresses to dampen the echo effect.

Above:- Adam VK2YK and Marija VK5MAZ on air on 80m SSB.

The majority of our contacts on the 80m band were around South Australia (VK5) – a total of 50. This was followed by Victoria (VK3) with 17 and then New South Wales (VK2) with 9.

Above:- Graph showing our 80m contacts per State/Territory. Graph c/o meta-chart.com

40M BAND.

We made a total of 593 QSOs on 40m. The majority of those were on SSB (419), followed by FT8 (61), and then CW (53).

Above:- Graph showing the number of contacts made on 40m per mode. Graph c/o meta-chart.com

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We worked the following 25 DXCC on the 40m band:-

• Asiatic Russia (FT8)
• Australia (SSB, CW, FT8)
• Austria (FT8)
• Canada (SSB, FT8)
• Canary Islands (SSB)
• China (FT8)
• Czech Republic (FT8)
• England (FT8)
• European Russia (SSB)
• Federal Rep of Germany (SSB)
• Finland (CW, FT8)
• France (FT8)
• Greece (FT8)
• Hungary (FT8)
• Indonesia (FT8)
• Italy (SSB, FT8)
• Japan (SSB, CW. FT8)
• New Zealand (SSB, FT8)
• Northern Ireland FT8)
• Panama (SSB)
• Poland (SSB)
• Sweden (SSB)
• Ukraine (SSB, FT8)
• United States of America (SSB, CW, FT8)
• Willis Island (SSB)

The map below shows our contacts around the world on the 40m band.

Above:- Map of the world showing our 40m band contacts. Image c/o QSOLOG.org

A highlight on 40m was working Sands VK9WX on Willis Island on SSB. Willis Island is a tiny sand atoll and is ranked as 36 on the DXCC Most Wanted List.

Above:- WIllis Island. Image c/o VK9WX QRZ.com page

Our 40m SSB station was in the same operating spot as our 80m SSB station, in one of the rooms of the second lighthouse keeper’s cottage.

Above:- Paul VK5PAS on the mic at the 40m SSB station.

The 40m CW and FT8 station was set up under the front verandah of the cottage in which we were staying. This was the pick of the operating spots as it overlooked the ocean.

Above:- Andy VK5LA on CW making contacts and Paul VK5PAS on FT8.

30M BAND.

We made a total of 328 QSOs on the 30m band. These were all on FT8.

Our 30m station consisted of a 30m vertical kindly provided to us by Grant VK5GR. It was erected on the beach in front of the lighthouse keeper’s cottage.

The 30m station was set up in the back room of the lighthouse keeper’s cottage. It consisted of an Elecraft KX3.

Above:- Adam VK2YK (left) and Chris VK5FR (right) at the 30m FT8 station.

We worked a total of 58 DXCC entities on 20m.

• Asiatic Russia
• Australia
• Azores
• Belize
• Canada
• Canary Islands
• China
• Denmark
• East Malaysia
• England
• European Russia
• Fed Rep of Germany
• Finland
• France
• Greece
• Hawaii
• Indonesia
• Italy
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• New Caledonia
• New Zealand
• Philippines
• Portugal
• Rep of Korea
• Romania
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• USA

The map below shows our contacts around the world on 30m FT8

Above:- Map showing our 30m FT contacts. Map c/o QSOMAP.org

20M BAND

We worked a total of 583 QSOs on the 20m band. A total of 301 of those were on SSB, 252 on FT8, and 30 on CW.

Above:- Graph showing the number of QSOs per mode on the 20m band. Graph c/o meta-chart.com

We worked a total of 58 DXCC entities on 20m.

• Algeria (FT8)
• Asiatic Russia (FT8)
• Australia (SSB, FT8, CW)
• Austria (SSB)
• The Balearic Islands (SSB, FT8)
• Belgium (SSB, FT8)
• Brazil (FT8)
• Bulgaria (FT8)
• Canada (FT8)
• Canary Islands (SSB)
• China (FT8)
• Croatia (FT8)
• Czech Republic (SSB, FT8)
• Denmark (FT8)
• England (SSB, FT8)
• Estonia (SSB, FT8)
• European Russia (SSB, FT8, CW)
• Federal Rep of Germany
• Finland (SSB, FT8, CW)
• France (SSB, FT8)
• Greece (SSB)
• Hong Kong (FT8, CW)
• Hungary (FT8)
• India (FT8)
• Indonesia (SSB, FT8)
• Ireland (SSB)
• Israel (FT8)
• Italy (SSB, FT8, CW)
• Japan (SSB, FT8, CW)
• Kazakhstan (FT8)
• Lebanon (FT8)
• Lithuania (SSB)
• Netherlands (SSB, FT8)
• New Caledonia (SSB)
• New Zealand (SSB, FT8)
• Northern Ireland (SSB)
• Norway (FT8, CW)
• Pakistan (FT8)
• Philippines (SSB, FT8)
• Poland (SSB, FT8, CW)
• Portugal (SSB)
• Republic of Korea (FT8)
• Reunion Island (FT8)
• Romania (SSB, FT8)
• Scotland (SSB, FT8)
• Serbia (SSB)
• Slovak Republic (SSB, CW)
• Slovenia (SSB)
• South Cook Islands (SSB)
• Spain (SSB, FT8)
• Sweden (CW)
• Switzerland (SSB, FT8)
• Thailand (FT8)
• Ukraine (SSB, FT8, CW)
• United States of America (SSB, FT8, CW)
• West Malaysia (FT8)
• Willis Island (SSB)

The graph below shows our contacts per country on 20m. The big yellow spike is Australia (VK) with 140 QSOs. This is followed by Japan (blue Line) with 64 QSOs, and then the USA with 46 QSOs(the blue line to the right of the graph).

Above:- Graph showing our contacts per country on the 20m band.

The map below shows our contacts around the world on the 20m band.

Above:- Map of the world showing our 20m band contacts. Image c/o QSOLOG.org

On Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th, there was a nice opening into Europe/United Kingdom on 20m SSB. The short video below shows Paul VK5PAS working some of the pile-up.

One of the highlights on 20m was working Dave G4AKC bicycle mobile, Steve G4NVF backpack mobile, and David M0DAD pedestrian mobile. Below is a short video of those contacts.

Another highlight on 20m was working Sands VK9WX on Willis Island on SSB for a second band. We also worked Sands on 40m SSB.

Above:- Sands VK9WX operating from Willis Island. Image c/o VK9WX QRZ.com page.

17M BAND.

We made just three (3) contacts on the 17m band. Two on SSB with Paul VK2HV and Gerard VK2IO, and one on FT8 with Daryl VK3AWA.

15M BAND.

We made a total of 227 QSOs on the 15m band. Thirty (30) of those were on SSB, 145 on FT8, and 52 on CW. The majority of the 15m SSB contacts were made using the 2-element beam, while the CW and FT8 contacts were made using the end-fed antenna.

Above:- Graph showing the number of QSOs made per mode on 15m. Graph c/o meta-chart.com

We worked a total of 15 different DXCC entities on 15m.

• Asiatic Russia (FT8, CW)
• Australia (SSB, FT8, CW)
• China (FT8)
• France (CW)
• Hong Kong (CW)
• Indonesia (FT8, CW)
• Italy (CW)
• Japan (SSB, FT8, CW)
• New Caledonia (SSB)
• New Zealand (SSB)
• Philippines (FT8, CW)
• Republic of Korea (FT8)
• Thailand (FT8)
• Ukraine (CW)
• United States of America (FT8, CW)

The graph below shows our contacts per country on 15m.

Above:- Graph showing our contacts per country on the 15m band.

The map below shows our contacts around the world on the 15m band.

Above:- Map of the world showing our 15m band contacts. Image c/o QSOLOG.org

We were a little surprised that we did not work more Japanese stations on 15m SSB. We certainly worked numerous JA on 15m on FT8 (88).

10M BAND.

We made a total of 179 QSOs on the 10m band. The vast majority of those were made on FT8 (180). We made just 3 contacts on SSB, 2 on CW, and 1 on FM.

Above:- Graph showing the number of QSOs made per mode on 10m. Graph c/o meta-chart.com

We worked a total of 22 different DXCC entities on 10m.

• Alaska (FT8)
• Asiatic Russia (FT8)
• Australia (SSB, FT8, CW)
• Bulgaria (FT8)
• Canada (FT8)
• China (FT8)
• European Russia (FT8)
• Federal Republic of Germany (FT8)
• Greece (FT8)
• Hawaii (FT8)
• Indonesia (FT8)
• Japan (FT8, CW)
• Kazakhstan (FT8)
• Mexico (FT8)
• Poland (FT8)
• Republic of Korea (FT8)
• Romania (FT8)
• Slovak Republic (FT8)
• Slovenia (FT8)
• Thailand (FT8)
• Ukraine (FT8)
• United States of America (FT8)

The graph below shows our contacts per country on 10m.

Above:- Graph showing our contacts per country on the 10m band.

The map below shows our contacts around the world on the 10m band.

Above:- Map of the world showing our contacts on the 10m band. Map c/o QSOMAPS.org

We were a little surprised that we did not make more contacts on 10m SSB. However, this may have been due to us being busy on other modes and other modes, and not dedicating enough time to 10m SSB.

6M BAND.

We made a total of 4 QSOs on the 6m band.

Above:- Map showing our 6m contacts back into Adelaide. Map c/o Log Analyzer.

The 6m station was set up in the loungeroom of the lighthouse keeper’s cottage where we were sleeping. It was coupled with the 2m/70cm station.

Above:- Ivan VK5HS on the 6m band.

The 6m antenna used was a home-brew 3-element yagi put together by Ivan Vk5HS.

The video below shows Adam on 6m in contact with Barry VK5KBJ.

2M and 70CM BANDS.

We made a total of 58 QSOs on 2m SSB and FM. Our 2m and 70cm station was set up in the lounge room of the lighthouse keeper’s cottage where we were sleeping.

The map below shows our 2m contacts. The green dots are the SSB contacts. The purple dots are the FM contacts.

Above:- Map showing our 2m contacts. Image c/o Log Analyzer.

Our 2m and 70cm antennas included a vertical mounted on a tripod and an Arrow yagi on a tripod.

Above:- Our 2m and 70cm antennas.

We made a total of 22 QSOs on 2m SSB and FM. The map below shows our 70cm SSB and FM contacts.

Above:- Map showing our 70cm contacts. Image c/o Log Analyzer.

We were very happy to work John VK5BJE on 2m SSB and 2m FM on Wednesday. John was activating the Scott Creek Conservation Park VKFF-0788. Some nice Park to Park contacts on 2m with John.

Above:- John VK5BJE in the Scott Creek CP. Image c/o John VK5BJE.

We also worked John VK5HAA on Thursday on 2m FM. John was activating the Cleland National Park VKFF-3185 & SOTA Mount Lofty VK5/ SE-005.

SATELLITES.

Adam VK2YK made 3 contacts on the satellites using his handheld and the Arrow antenna. Those worked were Dallin VK2USA, Damien VK2XDL, both in New South Wales, and Mark VK5QI.

Contacts were made via SO-50 and one ISS crossband repeater QSO.

MEALS AND DRINKS.

We did not starve on the island. Meals were all part of the planning before the trip. We had three meetings together on Skype to discuss logistics.

Marija prepared some beautiful chilli con carne and a pasta meal and brought those over to the island with us. On the remaining night we had a BBQ.

A significant amount of red wine and other beverages were consumed.

HEADING HOME.

It was now Friday 10th February and it was time for us to leave beautiful Troubridge Island. We were able to make a handful of contacts using a battery on Friday morning on the 40m and 15m bands, before packing up all of our gear and awaiting the arrival of the boat.

We enjoyed three fantastic nights on Troubridge Island and we will be back!

Mark and Lois arrived with the boat at about 1.00 p.m. and we loaded all of our gear onto the trailer. Ivan and I made the first trip out to the boat and loaded our luggage and radio gear onto the boat.

Mark then returned to the island and collected Marija, Chris, Andy, and Adam. Below is a short video showing of them arriving at the boat.

We headed back to Edithburgh enjoying another beautiful sunny day.

Once back at Edithburgh, we drove back to Wool Bay and loaded our vehicles. We all then drove down to Port Vincent where we had something to eat at the Port Vincent Cafe, which we highly recommend. We then all made our own way back home.

THANKYOU.

Firstly, THANK YOU to everyone who called us.

We would also like to thank Mark and Lois from Troubridge Island Escape. They were brilliant.

Thanks also to Grant VK5GR who loaned us the 30m vertical and bandpass filters.

LESSONS LEARNED.

As this was our first trip, we learnt a lot. This includes improving our logging system, better antennas, and various other issues We plan to have a debrief in the coming weeks.

QSL CARD.

Remember that we QSL via our QSL Manager Charles M0OXO (Direct and Bureau), and Logbook Of the World (LOTW) and eQSL.

Our hard copy QSL card is a full-colour 4-page foldable card.

MORE INFORMATION.

More information can be found on our website at…….

https://www.troubridgeisland.com/

PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE.

If you did work us during our trip, please leave a message on our website. Here is a link to the Comments page…..

https://www.troubridgeisland.com/comments.html

WHERE TO NEXT?

I am already planning our next VKFF/IOTA DXpedition. Once finalised I will let everyone know.