Having made over 100,000 QSO's from 150 Scottish Islands, having sailed in a wide variety of craft, and having camped in some horrendous weather conditions, André feels able to pass on a few suggestions to those perhaps considering activating a remote island for the first time. No doubt though, even the more experienced activators may also be able to glean a few tips.

A QTH close to the landing site and the water's edge is the ideal location. Ignore suggestions from the "experts" to climb to the highest point. Save yourself a lot of unnecessary effort and time. GM3VLB/P (or /M) regularly contacts the Pacific area with 50W and a mobile whip, from the sea-shore.

Recently, operating /M from Great Cumbrae (CS17), André beat the European pile-up with a 59/57 to and from FO5QB in the Marquesas (and the next log entry was V31MD in Belize!). What is essential is an efficient (as distinct from expensive) antenna located at a site near, or over, the water.

OPERATING PROCEDURE

A short operation (perhaps only lasting an hour or two) may sometimes be necessary due to tides, boatmen, ferry timetables, weather etc., but would be unfair to stations outwith the British Isles and Ireland - it is they who form the majority of island chasers.

Given average conditions, 100 contacts with the UK mainland stations can be achieved in 45 minutes or less. There is no skill needed to work a Scottish Island from the Scottish mainland, or indeed much of G-land, you only need to "be there". Daytime operations have average propagation, and favour those Brits who, for whatever reason, are not working, but can cause much frustration overseas. (One of the reasons that a large percentage of contacts outwith the UK and Eire is now required by Activators hoping to meet the SCOTIA conditions).

André is generally against 'list operation' which basically wastes precious operating time. A classic situation occurred recently when the control station, with a long list of Brits, could not hear the island station - the latter was, however, being heard all over Europe! Lists imply the activator hasn't enough skill to cope with a handful of Brits on 40m. This is the chance to learn.

The worst aspect of lists is the frustration felt by many when they see the same call-signs always appearing at the top of the list (especially when some of these have not even 'called in'), or certain 'preferred' stations being given multiple attempts to contact an island they patently cannot hear (with the obligatory "Good Contact" indicating that, at the 5th or 6th guess, working up from "5 and 1 ?", "5 and 2 ?", "5 and 3 ?" etc., a 2-way contact has supposedly been achieved !) What kind of conscience or reputation do they have ? !

The simplest advice is to choose the appropriate band for the time of day the operation is taking place and the prevailing band conditions at that time. All you need is your ears, not the indices from Boulder, Colorado. The conditions will either be good, average, or lousy !!

You need to have some idea of likely openings on different bands to different parts of the world, and be consistent with your operating pattern so that the DX stations know where and when to look for you. Frank (VK7BC) and André know that they can almost guarantee a rock-solid QSO at 0600z (if, indeed, they haven't worked short path during the previous afternoon). Jim (VK9NS) is frequently romping in soon afterwards, together with W. Samoa and Hawaii (not so now, in the trough of the solar cycle! - Ed' ,28 Feb' 2007).

Under average conditions, the first 100 contacts are pretty easy, even if the island has been activated a dozen times before. To make 500 or 600 contacts takes a bit more dedication, whilst breaking the 1,000 barrier (as André frequently does) is pretty tiring unless there are two of you operating. André and Keith (MM0BPP) made over 2,200 QSOs in just over 24 hours from the Monach Islands (DI22) - and that was despite the fact that they have been well 'thrashed'. (Remember that we are talking here of running 50W into a 4m vertical - not several kilowatts into multi-element beams!).

A 'new island' obviously helps, but remember that most islands are likely to be 'new ones' to the vast majority of overseas chasers. There are over 200 serious UK/EI Scottish Island chasers, so if you work 100 or so during the day, you have still missed more than half of them! With the latest licensing arrangements, there are also more and more new operators coming onto the HF bands - many subsequently 'chasing' one award on another.

It has sometimes been suggested that GM3VLB has high QSO rates because he 'picks' new islands. This suggestion is unfair. Only 30 of the 128 islands he has activated (i.e. less than 25%) have been 'new ones'. One suspects that other activators might have somewhat higher 'new one' percentages! André also frequently returns to islands that he has previously activated.

It has also been suggested that André, miraculously, always has "good propagation", Hi, Hi !! In fact he had to return to the Isles of Fleet (CS10) for example, having only made 27 QSOs first time around. And, on the Flannans (DI25), despite their 'rarity', André struggled to break the 1,000 barrier. However, his personal average at the time of writing  is still well over 400 per island (excluding repeat visits and multi-station operation).