2005–2006 - Guinea-Bissau and Senegal - J5UTM and 6W/HA7TM
At the end of March 2006 we accepted an invitation from Péter, HA3AUI/J5UAP, to visit Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, as there was a chance of obtaining a J5 callsign.
My wife and I left on the evening of 9 May. Our first stop was Milan. It was a mad rush, although we already knew the route from our 2005 trip and still had about 30 minutes to make the connection. We made it — our luggage and antenna did not. We discovered in Dakar that they had remained in Milan. Péter was waiting for us in Dakar. After an eight-hour wait we took the one-hour flight to Ziguinchor. From there we transferred to Péter's 4×4 for another 60 km, almost all of it on unpaved roads — and still without our luggage.
We arrived at Cap Skiring on 10 May. We set up my station, although it was rather incomplete because the antenna was still circling the baggage belt in Milan. With a 40 m dipole I started operating as 6W/HA7TM.
Meanwhile Péter kept calling about my licence. Something always seemed to get in the way: at one point the official's wife was giving birth, then there was a death in the family, or he was simply unavailable. Finally, on the 16th, the news came through: J5UTM had been issued. We immediately headed for J5 territory, only 16 km away. With an IC-706 and a mobile antenna on the roof of the 4×4, half the world seemed to call at once — a huge pileup.
Our luggage also arrived, and we successfully installed the four-band Dunax GP in the top of a breadfruit tree. Unfortunately I only managed about 3,500 QSOs from J5 because our time ran out and I had only three operating days there. From Senegal, however, the total was about 5,500 QSOs.
Unfortunately the planned trip to The Gambia had to be cancelled. We started our journey back to Budapest at noon on 19 May. The J5UTM callsign was valid for five years, so there was a real possibility of another DXpedition.
73, Tibi HA7TM