Not that Bird Island, this one

Hands up if you know where South Georgia Island is! This bleak place just made the news because Ellen MacArthur spent time there. She is a heck of a sailor - broke the solo circumnavigation record in 2005. She's giving this up (for now) after camping on the island to highlight the plight of the albatross, an almost mystical bird that stays aloft for as long as seven years. Now that's catching thermals! We see them here off Cape Point sometimes. I spent many hours in 1986 while living in Johannesburg, straining to hear the radio comms of the British Antarctic Survey bases dotted around the Antarctic region. I also heard a couple of their supply ships. They would often come up on Friday evenings, not that they had much night there in the Antarctic summer. The scientists would exchange news. I also heard the US and German bases. Like the Falklands, South Georgia is also claimed by Argentina. But being over 1500 miles from Buenos Aires it'll be a bit hard to defend! It's also famous for the crossing by adventurer, Ernest Shackleton, in one of the great Houdini acts in exploration history. He later died and was buried there. The QSLs are all signed by BJ Turner of the BAS in Cambridge, England. He filled each one in with detail and comments making them a great collectors' item.

No patience required on the plateau

Another Saturday afternoon, another good session at Muizies. Again the strong wind dropped and the sea was glassy, with a southern right whale cruising offshore. Surfing, radio and markets all require patience to deal with randomness. Sometimes, waiting at the back of the surf you see nothing but flat water. Then, a little, slightly darker crest appears far out. You don't know if this is a single wave or the first of a set. Do you take the first one or wait for a bigger one behind? Sometimes the bigger one promises more than it can deliver, because it closes out, breaking all across the wave at the same time. The smaller one could have had the better shape. So sometimes you wait, sometimes you just go for it. Over the years I've hunted some radio stations over an extended period, constantly revisiting frequencies in the hope that they will eventually pop up. Other times, a new station was simply there. The QSL is from Radio Plateau, in Jos, Nigeria on AM. I hadn't even heard of this place when I tuned in the station randomly. It was in English, with local programming, the best kind of radio. I got a good report, sent it off and the QSL arrived within a few weeks - old typewriter, skew page and all. A classic and no patience required!

Whales and Wales

The whales are back. False Bay is teeming with southern rights again. On Saturday we saw a bunch frolicking about off Sunny Cove and more near Simonstown. It appears they are a little late this time, in recent years they have usually arrived by early August. On Sunday afternoon the north-wester was up again and I had a two-hour wave-skiing session at Muizies. It had howled all weekend but finally dropped off. Every now and again I sat and waited at the back. A southern right with black and white markings lazily rolled by about 300m offshore. There were also a few seals popping in and out of the swells and the odd seagull would glide by low to the water where the air was calmest. As the wind dropped the water became glassy and the swell shape improved, allowing for long rides ahead of the white water. The QSL is from 756 AM in Maldwyn (a different kind of 'Wales', lol). This low-powered transmitter came into Kent in the middle of the morning.

In kangaroo country Kalgoorlie watches

Australia's election has delivered a hung parliament for the first time in 70 years. Both Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard will try to sweet talk independents into helping tip their parties over the line and into government. Julia Gillard's Labour blew the election wide open when her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, proposed a crazy super tax on Australian mining companies. These companies are the engine room of the economy, linking it to the evolving might of China. Within weeks he was out and Labour had to scramble to regain lost ground. The outcome is in the balance. The QSL is from 6KG Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. We hear a lot of Australian AM stations here in Cape Town, especially from the western side. The manager, Graham Harvey, sent this nice letter drawing a comparison between Kalgoorlie and Johannesburg. Gold was found in Joburg in 1886 and from nothing this region is now responsible for 40% of South Africa's GDP. Gold is still mined in the area, some of it 3-4 kilometres underground. Kalgoorlie was founded only 7 years later and the mine still operates as an open pit, rather than deep level. These days the Super Pit is jointly owned by Barrick and Newmont, two of the best-known global gold miners. They will be watching the outcome of the Aussie election with interest.

Indus floods but India normal

Devastating floods have plagued Pakistan and China. In China's Gansu province the floods have triggered fatal landslides. A quarter of Pakistan is said to be 'under water', with the waters still rising. The global financial crisis has also inhibited the generosity of developed countries, making Pakistan's plight in particular that much worse. In contrast to the monsoon flooding causing the Indus River to overflow, the monsoon season in India is running about 4% 'below normal.' See this link.... http://www.imd.gov.in/section/nhac/dynamic/seasonalra.htm Region for region the overall picture is about normal after a slow start. This will help India deliver a decent crop this year which in turn should lead inflation lower. The Reserve Bank of India has hiked interest rates several times but if the crop comes through it will be able to take its foot off the brake soon. The QSL is from Lanzhou in China, the Gansu province People's Broadcasting System. QSLs from provincial broadcasters are not easy to get and I've sent many reports enclosing mint Chinese stamps with very limited success.

Going backwards to Akron

Muizenberg was good this morning: a light north-wester and bright sunshine; ambient temperature low 20s, incredible for mid-August; sea temperature only 14 but it was so good I stayed in for 2 hours. The swell was bigger than in recent weeks. I had a first today - as I was paddling out a big breaker scrunched me. I was shunted backwards for 20m but stayed on, eventually swinging the ski around the right way. I was so chuffed. The main difference between a paddle-ski and a surfboard is speed. A board is faster and you'll see most surfers riding the swell to the bottom and then cranking it back up to the crest. On a ski you have less speed so if you drop to the bottom you lose pace more than a board. It's better to stay higher on the wave and keep up the pace. That sound of water hissing around you as you surge across the face is so exhilirating. You get the same sound on a dinghy like a Laser or Hobie, cutting through the water. It's natural energy. There's a similar effect on AM radio at dawn when long-distance signals rise up through the ether creating a fluttering sensation. The QSL is from WAKR Akron Ohio, a 5kWer - heard just before 7 am Cape Town time in winter 1968, one of my first US AM stations, 8200 miles away.

Kent to Kenya

The past week's referendum in Kenya turned out well. There was a strong 'yes' vote for constitutional reform and the leader of the 'no' vote campaign conceded defeat. Many write off sub-Saharan Africa but there are signs that the region is starting to emerge from years of sub-par performance. The group has recorded surprisingly strong growth in recent years, coming through the recent global slowdown much better than many developed countries. It is interesting to me that the rate of fixed investment in sub-Saharan countries is higher than most in Latin America (including Brazil) and indeed many Asians. Of course, China and India are very strong on investment but aside from these two stellar performers, sub-Saharan Africa scores well. The QSL is a friendly letter from the station engineer at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation's medium-wave transmitter at Maralal on 1350 kHz. I heard it in Kent where we had a weekend place. I was using a K9AY antenna and my trusty Drake R-8 receiver. He also sent a full detail QSL and a postcard with a magnificent rhino on it.

Making waves in the South China Sea

Last Saturday a strong north-wester blew most of the day but tailed off in the late afternoon, making perfect conditions for wave-skiing at Muizenberg. There was patchy sun and cloud as the day closed producing a kaleidoscope of greens, yellows, blues and greys on the water. Some say waves come in detectible sets but in truth they are difficult to read and seem random. Every now and again a single big wave pops up, at other times a bunch arrive in a sequence of four or five. Random wave cycles at the shoreline are like those in markets and radio too. Currently, Hillary Clinton is upping the ante in the South China Sea, which several countries see as vital to their strategic interests. The QSL is from Radio Malaysia, Sabah on the southern side of this sensitive stretch of water. I wrote in many times for this one. Sabah is also the place Nick Leeson, God bless, went to first when on the run after the Barings collapse in 1995. Being a DXer I was one of the few people who knew where he had gone. And that's another story!