XW4KV - Laos
XW4KV came to life in December 2022, as one of my tourism trips in Laos and wanted to be able to reach QO-100 amateur satellite. I was finally able to do so, despite the very low elevation angle since Laos is at the edge of the satellite footprint. Then, I also bring some wire and a FT897, that allows me to do few hundreds of HF QSO near a lake on north of Vientiane.
Later I went back at the same QTH with a small team in November 2023, organizing XW4DX that was a great fun time! It’s also at this time I had the idea to install a small low-profile station at my relatives in a small local village nearby. Unfortunately, no land as the house was locked in the middle of the village, but still, I was able to setup my first antenna, a single element quad for 15m and leave a Hermes Lite2 and 100w amplifier there with a laptop connected to a 4G modem. Over the following months, more than 10k QSO were made, majority in FT8 but also some SSB, and despite frequent electricity cut, I was able to keep the station running and enjoy the DX side anytime. That was the first attempt of a remote station there
Unfortunately, after few months, the mast holding the antenna collapse, and I was qrt for few months until July 2024, were I spent a month there, and built another antenna, covering 4 bands, 20,15,12,10 with a remote antenna switch. I also realized this system will somehow tune on 40m and 17m, with the internal ATU of the newly Yaesu FT710 bought to replace the small SDR.
It all goes well until November 2024, when a total village electricity blackout of few days. When the electricity went back, I suspect it was of too high unregulated voltage and it has burn most of my equipment (laptop, transceiver, antenna switch, modem ..). Once again, I was QRT for few months, but it’s during this time that two very fortunate events happen:
First, after some further discussion with the relatives, I was allowed to setup my station outside of the village, in the country side, in a rice field farm, assuming I can cover the cost of installing the electricity there for both benefits of my station and the people living at the farm (yes there is still many Laos farms without electricity).
Second, I got contacted by Bruce, XV9B, former XW4XR, that was worry I went QRT suddenly. He then explains me he still has several equipment at his former shack in Laos, and was due to be scrapped or shipped back to Vietnam, since he has to somehow clear his former XW QTH. He then graciously donates several parts of his station, in a gesture to help me re-build the station and be qrv in Laos once again! So Bruce gives me an almost brand new Yaesu FTDX3000, a G1000rotor, and a 2 elements Quad antenna, plus several others small items! I really value this chance that I got and want to really thanks Bruce XV9B for his pristine ham spirit! Unfortunately, I was not in Laos when he had to clear his place, and so all was done remotely with my local contacts, that get all the items stored safely.
Then, April 2025, with all the new items + some additional equipment purchased in Europe, I went back to Laos for a month, and managed to literally build a shack from the ground, in the middle of the rice field .. yes that mean digging foundation, cement, erecting concrete walls, build a strong wooden roof, installing secure door etc ... I also pay for the electricity company to install 800m of pole and wire to connect to the nearby grid transformer, and finally able to have modernity at the farm and also include the electricity at the newly build radio shack! April is one of hottest month in Laos but I managed to install all antennas, except the 2 elements quad donated by Bruce, as I didn’t have a stronger mast for this, so it will be kept stored for now. By end of April, the station was fully operational with monoband wire antennas.
Lately in May, I got the station hit by lighting, and I loose again the antenna switch and the radio power supply (+ some USB accessories). Thanks to a professional trip in Asia in June, I was able to squeeze a short weekend visit to Laos to repair the station once again, and install several protections (lighting arrestor on coaxials, UPS and stabilizer etc ..). I also install others sensors as temperature and humidity, together with a small air conditioning that I can remotely control
Later in 2025, Bruce XV9B contacted me again, this time for offering me further equipment, specially a Yaesu FT2000 and a Quadra amplifier that were remaining at his former XW station. It came perfectly “on time” since by the end of 2025, another unfortunate lightning strike did destroy once again the laptop and the USB/CAT port of the FTDX3000 … I went qrt again few months and by April 2026, I spent a few weeks at the station and manage to replace the damaged transceiver by the older but reliable FT2000 ! I also upgrade the station with a 40m vertical and a 150m long beverage (that got destroy 2 months after by buffalos …)
Now, since April 2026, the station is fully operational, I have almost everything in backup stored somewhere else in Laos, so if anything, fail, I should be able to instruct someone locally to get it replaced, except of course if its antennas related.
Surprisingly Internet 4G is reliable in Laos and I’m able to do SSB without much delay. There will be future improvement to the station, with 160m antenna and receiving antennas, as well as a better HF antenna, but the challenging journey, to get this XW4KV up and running, is quite motivating. I already experienced remote with my French station since 2004 (at this time, “remote” was an unknown word to amateur radio), but doing the same in the middle of a rice field of a remote tropical country 10000km away is really levelling up the technical challenge !
To be continued …