The Buckeye Belles mini YL DXpedition to Kelleys Island, OH

The Gales of September
The Buckeye Belles mini DXpedition to Kelleys Island

On Sept. 13-15, 1996 several members of the Buckeye Belles and their friends went to Kelleys Island as part of a mini YL DXpedition. For those ladies who have participated in Field Day, you probably have an idea of what this is like. After all, isn't it part of amateur radio that any outside activity has to include rain? Carol W8WRJ and her husband, Jim K8BLB, arrived on the island at 7:30 am, I arrived around noon, and by the afternoon, Jean KB8YHN, her niece Liz had arrived as well as the gang from Columbus including our club president, Terri WD8LQH. We ended up pitching our tents in rain, but didn't put up any antennas that afternoon since it was too windy and rainy. And since the campfire wouldn't stay lit, we all decided to go into town and have pizza.

Saturday morning I headed back to the mainland to pick up my friend Traci KB8QAN. Meanwhile on the island, the others got a 50 foot military tower up and put a 2 meter quad on it. They also put up 2 dipoles. By mid afternoon, we had 2 HF rigs, a 10m rig and a 2m all mode in operation. The bands weren't the best, but we did get a chance to make about a dozen contacts including one to nearby Catawba Island. Carol KB8VYB (shown on the picture to the right in the red raincoat) who was at Lakeside for a retreat stopped by later that day. That evening, we took hot showers (yes, there are hot showers at this campground), and while some of us went to bed, the others decided to go into town.

Sunday morning was the best. I serenaded the troops awake by doing my rendition of "Doe a dear, a female deer " as well as playing the scales on my recorder. This didn't rouse enough people, so a short time later, Steve N8CPA took out his Boatswain's pipe and after his turn he yelled in a loud voice "Now hear this, it is time to WAKE UP". Suffice it to say, this combination got even the dead walking. Some of the other neat stuff that occurred on Sunday included the following: We made about 30 more contacts, Bill KB8USZ's raincoat, which was being borrowed by Liz, committed suicide by jumping into the campfire (luckily Liz wasn't wearing it), we were visited by Hans (a hairy brute), ate a bunch of S'mores and got all of Jean's, Liz's, Traci's and my stuff which included clothes, 4 sleeping bags, 3 chairs, 2 tents, 2 bicycles, as well as Carol's (KB8VYB) 9x16 tent, tent poles and 2 tarps all stuffed into my Honda Civic hatchback for the ferry ride back to the mainland.

But the highlight of this event was that the ladies took down all the antennas, all by ourselves, including the beam that was on the 50 feet military tower and put them all away. The picture on above says it all.

A special certificate was made up for this activity was placed in the mail on 20 Nov. 1997. I am sorry about the delay in getting the certificates printed and sent out. If you've worked us and have not received a certificate, please send me an email at the address below. And for those who did work us and would like the certificate, it's not too late to get one. Send a 9x12 SASE to: Nancy Hall, KC4IYD, PO Box 775, N. Olmsted, OH 44070.

So maybe we'll see some new faces next year at the 2^nd Annual mini YL DXpedition to Kelleys Island or get to work you on the air.

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