# hard to contact



## oca999 (Aug 16, 2015)

Always had problems contacting Dakar 6VA..anybody else with the same problem?


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Yes, it was because they were useless. The only way to get hold of them was to listen on the skeds (8 mc/s I think). They would send a traffic list and listen on the ship frequency for a few minutes. Seem to recall quite a few coast stations on the West Coast were like that.

On the bright side, you could have a laugh ashore there.

John T


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

ELC was like that on 500, even after he went out CQ ............ still didn't answer

David
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## Bill.B (Oct 19, 2013)

The yank stations weren't much better, WCC, WSL. Only listened after traffic lists. Won't go into Argentinian coast stations. Permanent siesta there.


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

I think 6VA lived under the shadow of SVA which propagated quite well over the Sahara to the Atlantic at night. With a bit of static it could be hard to distinguish the two on 500 sometimes.
That said I never had reason to call 6VA myself.


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## Paul Braxton (Jul 21, 2005)

Lagos/5OW was always a complete waste of time, as I recall. Used to have to try and work him when I was on Shell, going to load at Forcados/Escravos and it was impossible, sometimes, to raise him at all, no matter if I did have a 'Crusader'!
Mombasa/5ZF was often a bit tardy to reply as well unless you got him on HF.
Sending OBS to various African stations was a pain. I didn't bother with Monrovia/ELC 'cos he never answered. Mind you, GLD could be a bit hard to contact sometimes... I put it down to him being too busy. As for GNF.. well... that's another story... sorry, all you ex coast station guys.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

GLD were hopeless for sending OBS to, I gave up in the end and used VIB.

John T


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## sparks69 (Dec 18, 2005)

EPY8 anybody ?


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

Never had much problem with 6VA. Conakry (3XC) was a dead loss. The best I found on the West African Coast was Abidjan (TUA) Aboard the _Bandama_, we had to send a position, course, and speed every day to the Abidjan office, and always used TUA, and found them excellent!
South American stations were pretty awful. 
Bob


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## lakercapt (Jul 19, 2005)

VKT Nauru used to drive sparkie crazy as he never could get him


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

They were not much better as C2M in the 80s....


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## PeterY (Jun 24, 2008)

I always had trouble with the Manila stations, DZR and DZG. Took sometime to wake them up. VPS HongKong could be difficult at times, but I might be a bit harsh in my old age.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Went to Bataan several times. DZR was RCA and DZG Globe. With orders always from WCC/KPH which were RCA it seemed logical to work DZR. Not so if the agent had a 'cousin' at DZG. Couldn't understand why no reply to a msg sent via DZR until I went on 500, and DZG sent me a msg three days old !!

David
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