The Ohio/Penn Dx Pa5ketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 1395
BID: $OPDX.1395
December 24, 2018
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF80.ORG (Cleveland, Ohio)
Written/Sent from Murfreesboro, TN

Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX
Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, the AB5K's AR Clusters
Network, NJ1Q & W1AW, WO2N, NG3K & ADXO, W3UR & The Daily DX, K5GS,
WB6RSE, K8GI, K8YSE, W8GEX & 60m DX News, K9EL, W9ILY, W0TT, DL1SBF,
DL7UXG & The DX News Letter, DxCoffee.com, DXNews.com, DX-World.Net,
ES1CW, F5NQL, F6AJA & Les Nouvelles DX, I1JQJ/IK1ADH & 425 DX News,
I2MQP & DX Italia News, IZ4YGS, OZ6OM & 50 MHz DX News, Pete Rayer
& SWL, Sixitalia Weekly and VA3RJ & ICPO for the following DX information.


*** SPECIAL NOTE FROM EDITOR (Tedd, KB8NW): My family (wife/OPDX's chief
 proof-reader Linda, son Teddy [TJ] and his wife Jessi, daughter Katie and
 her husband Kevin and son Lliam and daughter Lilly Grace), and I (KB8NW)
 would like to wish all DXers, Contesters and OPDX readers a very "Happy
 Holiday, Merry Christmas, Season's Greetings and Happy New Year". Thanks
 to the many individuals who have provided DX information over the past
 year. Without you there would not be an OPDX Bulletin. Also, thanks
 to the many individuals who sent holiday wishes to my family and me......
 73 and Have a Great Holiday de Tedd KB8NW


DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT: According to the AR-Cluster Network for the
week of Sunday, 16th/December, through Sunday, 23rd/December there were
211 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3B9, 3D2, 3DA, 3V, 3W,
4J, 4L, 4O, 4S, 4X, 5A, 5B, 5H, 5R, 5W, 5Z, 6Y, 7X, 8P, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J,
9K, 9L, 9M2, 9M6, 9Q, 9V, 9X, 9Y, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY,
C3, C5, C6, CE, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D6, DL, DU, E4,
E5/n, E5/s, E6, E7, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EL, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, EX,
EY, F, FG, FK, FM, FO, FP, FR, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, HA, HB, HB0,
HC, HH, HI, HK, HL, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J6, J7, J8, JA, JD/o, JT,
JW, JX, JY, K, KG4, KH2, KH6, KL, KP2, KP4, LA, LU, LX, LY, LZ, OA, OD,
OE, OH, OH0, OK, OM, ON, OX, OY, OZ, P2, P4, PA, PJ2, PJ4, PJ5, PJ7, PY,
PY0F, PZ, S0, S2, S5, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T7, T8, TA, TF, TG,
TI, TK, TR, TY, TZ, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V3, V5, V8, VE, VK, VK0M,
VP2E, VP2M, VP2V, VP6, VP8, VP8/h, VP9, VR, VU, XE, YB, YI, YL, YO, YS,
YU, YV, Z2, Z3, Z6, Z8, ZA, ZB, ZD7, ZD8, ZF, ZL, ZP, ZS


* PLEASE NOTE: The report "could" contain "Pirate/SLIM" operations or
 more likely a "BUSTED CALLSIGN". As always, you never know - "Work
 First Worry Later".


3Y0I BOUVET DXPEDITION NEWS. On December 20th, the 3Y0I team posted a
very large update on their Rebel DX Group Web site at:
 https://www.rebeldxgroup.com
 In short, the press release talks about their "50-day long training
and preparation period" prior to their DXpedition "to Amateur Radio’s
“Mount Everest”; 3Y0I from Bouvet Island." They also wrote about their
boat/ship that they will use for the DXpedition. The name of the ship
was not provided, but the ship has been "entirely refurbished and 
refitted", and "at a cost north of a million dollars." The team also
talks about their zodiac “type” high power boats, ham radio equipment 
and their "unique QSL cards designed by Stan, SP8S, (there are no such 
cards in the history of ham radio, yet). Again, the complete press 
release update can be found on the above Rebel DX Group Web site (or 
OPDX subscriber can read it below at the end of the bulletin). 
No other details to report, other than that there were a few 3Y0I pirates
active recently. Departure dates are still not known. It is still a
mystery... 
 Remember, it takes 12 days to get to Bouvet from South Africa, and they
plan to stay on the island for at least 2 weeks, if the weather cooperates.
The 3Y0I DXpedition's band plan ­ frequencies (160-6m) and modes (CW/SSB/
FT8) can be found at: https://www.rebeldxgroup.com
 https://bouvetoya.org/3yoi-bandplan
 QSL via ClubLog's OQRS (preferred), LoTW or via 3Z9DX. For more details
and updates, we suggest to watch the following Web pages:
 https://bouvetoya.org
 https://www.rebeldxgroup.com
 http://jouban.jp/3y0i_ja (For JA stations)
 https://www.facebook.com/bouvetoya.org
 https://www.facebook.com/rebeldxgroup
 https://twitter.com/Bouvetoyaorg


5K6, COLUMBIA (Special Event). Look for special event station 5K6RM to be
active during the Manizales Fair  between
January 5-12th. This activity is to commemorate and promote the fair.
Operations will be on 160-2 meters using CW, SSB and the Digital modes.
Operators mentioned are HK6JIL, HK6BRK, HK6JCF, HK6F, HK6JG, HK6J, HK6PVA,
HK4D/HK6, HK4GOO/HK6, HK4LIS/HK6, HK6ERU, HJ6PDA, HK6KDK, HK6GAU, HJ6RMM
and HK6RUA. QSL via direct, by the Bureau, LoTW or eQSL. For more details,
see: http://5k6rm.blogspot.com


6W, SENEGAL. Willy, ON4AVT, will once again be active as 6W/ON4AVT from
Mbour, Senegal, between February 20th and March 30th, 2019. Activity
will be on 40/20/10 meters using CW, SSB, PSK31 and PSK63. Equipment is
a Yaesu FT891 transceiver into a Buddipole antenna. This time Willy will
also take an end-fed for 3 bands (40/20/10m). QSL via his home callsign.


9G, GHANA (Update). Last week we mentioned that Matt, IZ4YGS, is active
as 9G5GS from Sanzule, West Takoradi (Western Region), Ghana. Matt informed
OPDX of the following [edited]: "I'm travelling to Ghana almost every month
for work reasons and it will be so throughout 2019. I'd like to be on-air
from 80-6m, but it will take some time to be operational on all bands.
I'll start with an FT-891 and wire antennas, SSB and FT8, mainly in the
evening after work. Ham radio won't be my main activity in Ghana, but
I'll do my best to let everybody have fun." QSL via IZ4YGS, direct or eQSL.


BLOCKED/BOUNCED OPDX BULLETINS. Some OPDX Bulletins are still being
BLOCKED. However, the good news is that the bouncing of bulletins seems
to have stopped. The majority of the bounces/blockings are from the
following ISPs: COMCAST, COX and GMAIL. We are not totally sure why this
is happening, but if your ISP blocks the OPDX Bulletin, please send a
complaint to your ISP.
 We were informed that if you use one of the above ISPs there is a way
to stop the blocking. If you are an ARRL member, try using their mail
forwarding service (see ). This
service will pass the bulletin through to your ISP.
 If you did not receive the bulletin, there are other ways to receive
it. The bulletin is posted every week at the following URLs: 
 The OPDX (Mailing List) Archives: http://hamnet.org/pipermail/opdx
 The OPDX Web page (provided by John, K8YSE): http://papays.com/opdx.html


 The weekly bulletin (issue #) is also posted (for the above URLs)
 on FaceBook  and
 Twitter . Let's hope this problem will
 clear up. Thanks for your understanding..... 73 de Tedd KB8NW


DX MARATHON NEWS. John, K9EL, DX Marathon Manager, reports the following:
We are pleased to announce that online log submission is now available for
CQ Magazine’s annual DX Marathon.
 Email submissions are still OK, but if you prefer to submit online, the
upload page is: http://www.dxmarathon.com/logupload.htm
 The online system will do basic checks to make sure that your log entry
is complete.
 We thank everyone for their participation in the 2018 DX Marathon.
Submission deadline is January 5th, 2019.
 Complete details about the DX Marathon are available at:
 https://www.dxmarathon.com
 Please contact K9EL with any questions or comments.


HI, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Holger, DK1FY, will be on air as HI6/DK1FY/p near
the biggest salt water lake, "Lago Enriquillo", in Galván between December
31st and January 19th. Activity will be just barefoot with max. 100 wtts,
using a Yaesu FT857D into a vertical antenna (40-10 meters), mainly using
CW, SSB and eventually some Digital modes. QSL via DK1FY.


IOTA NEWS..............
 AF-019. Drago, S59A, will be active as IG9/S59A from Lampedusa Island
 between January 21-31st, 2019. Activity will be on 160-10 meters,
 and this will include the CQWW DX 160m CW Contest (January
 25-27th) as a Multi-Op entry. QSL via his home callsign.


 AS-060. Operators Tae-Su/DS3EXX and Son/DS3HWS are now active as
 DS3EXX/4 and DS3HWS/4 from Shin Ji Island, South Korea, until
 December 24th. Activity will be on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB
 and FT8. QSL via DS3EXX, direct or LoTW.


 OC-066. Hiro, JI1JKW, will be active as FO/JI1JKW from Fakarava Atoll,
 Tuamotu Islands, French Polynesia, between December 23-26th.
 Activity will be on 40-6 meters using CW, SSB and FT8. QSL
 via his home callsign.


 PLEASE NOTE: Since the Webmasters of the new  have
 decided NOT to post or dedicate a Web page to announce upcoming IOTA
 operations, PLEASE send your IOTA operations information to the OPDX,
 and we will post it here in an upcoming bulletin......


ISWL CALLSIGNS (For January). The following ISWL club callsigns will be
used throughout the month of January 2019:


 GX4BJC/A - Operated from Eastbourne, in East Sussex, by Peter, G0NQZ,
 (WAB Square - TQ50 - England, IOTA EU-005, WLOTA 1841).


 MX1SWL/A - Not yet allocated. The operator will give details If heard/
 worked. (/A WAB Square - ? - England, IOTA EU-005, WLOTA 1841).


 ALL QSLs will be handled by Dick, M5DIK - The QSL Manager and NOT the
individual operator. The I.S.W.L. is a member of the European PSK Club.
All QSL info is on  or  or 
or via . NO LoTW.


KG4, GUANTANAMO BAY. David, AC8AY, is now active as KG4AY from Guantanamo
Bay (NA-015) until March 21st. Activity will be on 80-10 meters using only
SSB. QSL via AC8AY, direct, eQSL, LoTW or QRZ.com Log Book.


NEW OFFICERS FOR 2019. The Mississippi Valley DX/Contest Club has elected
its officers for 2019:
 President ­ Udo Heinze, NI0G Secretary ­ Eric Zust, W0TT
 Vice-President ­ Chuck Guenther, NI0C Treasurer ­ Bill Wiley, WA0BSW


 The Mississippi Valley DX/Contest Club (MVDX/CC) is an ARRL affiliated
Amateur Radio club in the St. Louis Missouri and Southern Illinois area.
 The club specializes in Long Distance (DX) Amateur Radio communication,
and in Amateur Radio contesting. The club also sponsors the Tenth Call
Area ARRL Incoming QSL Bureau. The club callsign is KM0DX. Membership is
open to all, and club meetings are held at 7:00 pm on the second Thursday
of each month at: St. Luke’s Hospital conference center
 Level 2 of North/South Medical Bldg. 
 232 S Woods Mill Rd, Chesterfield, MO 63017
 For more information please contact:
 Eric Zust, 636-530-5930, w0tt@charter.net


OF9, FINLAND (From Santa Radio, Finland). Martti, OH2BH, sent out the
following on December 19th (edited):
 FROM THE VILLAGE OF SANTA CLAUS, FINLAND
 THE NEXT GENERATION SANTA CLAUS AT OF9X, WITH A GLOBAL MISSION
 https://www.visitfinland.com/lapland
 Thank you kindly for the many letters addressed to Old Father 9 Xmas,
OF9X. Many have wondered what has happened to old Santa Claus and his
communication arm Santa Radio? Has he faded away with the poor radio
conditions or simply gotten old and unable to travel the world for
Christmas?
 The answer is Ho-Ho. All is fine and Santa Radio is ready to pass on
short Xmas messages to people of all ages around the world. This year,
however, the actual radio operations will be led by the younger elves.
The seasoned elves from the different villages of this land of Christmas
­ Finland ­ will be substituting.
 The "Hunt for Santa Claus" (HSC) will start on Friday, December 21st
at 1800 UTC. It will end at 2400 UTC on Monday, December 31st.
 This year Niko, OH5CZ (18), Otava, OH3OT (16) and Arttu, OH2FB (15)
are heading the mission along with many others from their age group,
while the more seasoned elves bang the drums in between. The youngsters
will be 25 pointers, and you can identify them by a two-letter X-report.
For example Niko will give you 59 XN. The regular elves will give you 5
points and a three-letter identity, such as 59 RAI or 59 TIM. Your target
is to contact OF9X once on each band-mode. For example once on 20m CW,
once on 20m SSB, etc. Your score is band-modes (5 pointers) added together
plus number of X-QSOs (25 points each).
 The five (5) highest scores from each continent will be awarded and all
high-scorers (up to 10 from each continent) will participate in a lucky
draw of a unique first prize ­ one that only Santa's office is aware of
at this point.
 This year's Santa Radio is organized by three regional groups: Radio
Team Mustila, OH5Z, The Radio Club of Pusula, OH9W, and northern Radio
Arcala, OH8X, with their associated elves, supported by the Finnish
Amateur Radio League (SRAL).
 Watch the OF9X QRZ.com webpage and Club Log (www.clublog.org) for your
progress and the latest news.
 Enjoy the Hunt for Santa Claus, which is dedicated to two prime causes
this year: 
 * First, counting on young elves for this Christmas, as the future of
 Amateur Radio.


 * Second, please kindly consider sharing in a common mission to save
 our planet.


 Santa's operations are carbon neutral. We balance our carbon footprint
and believe that all institutions and individuals with sufficient means
ought to consider doing the same. We trust our fellow amateur radio
operators to be good citizens and we value honest dedication to promote
local and global social good.
 Radio Arcala, OH8X, has partnered with the Norwegian Worldview Inter-
national Foundation (www.wif.care) in its mission to restore the mangrove
forests in Asia. They have planted 90,000 mangrove trees in WIF's Thor
Heyerdahl Climate Park, located on the west coast of Myanmar. 
 The late Thor Heyerdahl was a world-renowned explorer and used amateur
radio (LI2B) when he was sailing his balsa-wood Kon-Tiki raft across the
Pacific Ocean, from South America to the Polynesian Islands. 
 Please join the Thor Heyerdahl spirit and our Santa mission to do your
share in saving our planet.
 All Club Log donations of ten (10), twenty-five (25) or one-hundred (100)
U.S. dollars will result in the planting of 10/25/100 mangrove trees in
the dedicated Santa Claus section at WIF's Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park
in Myanmar. It is targeted that 10,000 new trees will be planted as part
of the 2018/2019 Santa activity. This represents a new frontier of Amateur
Radio in this good global cause..
 You can use the Club Log donation option that will be opening soon to
have your support transferred directly to WIF. The OQRS for OF9X QSL 
requests and the OF9X QSO leaderboards will also be operational soon.


OPERATORS WANTED FOR HQ9X. Paul, K1XM,  reported the
following: We're planning a multi-2 at HQ9X and currently have three
operators, K1XM, KQ1F, and KC1CWF. We're looking for another. The oper-
ation is from a house, described here:
 https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4126978?guests=1&adults=1
That website doesn't show the shack or antennas though. This is a place
you can bring your spouse or family - we probably have two or three
available bedrooms. DXpedition experience is not necessary. The local
airport is RTB and there have been some pretty good airfares recently.
If you are interested or want more information contact me directly.


PJ4, BONAIRE. Operators John/K4BAI, KU8E, Noah/K2NG and John/W2ID will
be active from the "PJ4G Radio House" on Bonaire (SA-006, WLOTA LH-1279)
between February 11-20th. Look for them to sign PJ4A during the ARRL
International DX CW Contest (February 16-17th) as a Multi-2 entry. QSL
PJ4A, PJ4/KU8E and PJ4/K4BAI via K4BAI. ADDED NOTE: Usually the team
operators will all be active as PJ4/homecall before and after the contest.
Checkout the PJ4G Radio House Web page at: http://www.pj4g.com


PROPAGATION FORECAST/REPORT (December 24-30th).......
 Dec/24th AN Dec/27th AN Dec/29th HN
 Dec/25th AN Dec/28th AN Dec/30th AN
 Dec/26th AN


 SOLAR REFERENCE KEYS/INDEXES AND GEOMAGNETIC REFERENCE
 ======================================================
 NORMALITY GEOMAG K Values Alpha
 ----------------- ------ -------- ------
 AN - Above Normal Quiet K=0-1 0-7
 HN - High Normal Unsettled K=2 8-15
 LN - Low Normal Active K=3 16-29
 BN - Below Normal Minor Storm K=4 30-49
 DIS - Disturbed Major Storm K=5 50-99
 VRY DIS - Very Disturbed Severe Storm K=6-9 100-400


 Meanwhile, check out the following Web sites:
 * VOACAP predication Web page at: http://www.voacap.com/hf
 * DX.QSL.NET Propagation page: https://dx.qsl.net/propagation
 * A daily HF radio wave propagation forecast can be found at:
 https://www.facebook.com/thomasfranklingiellaw4hm
 * SolarHam Web page: http://www.solarham.net
 * Radio Propagation/Space Weather/Sunspot Cycle Information at:
 http://sunspotwatch.com
 * Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@GiellaW4hm


QSL INFO AND NEWS...................
 QSL-INFO from DB0SDX by Lothar, DL1SBF  
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 3W1T via XV1X (d) EM150I via UR7IWW(B); UW5IM(d) OG95AA via OH8AA
 5W1SA via JA1DXA (d/L) EM30N via UR4NWW OH0Z via W0MM & (L)
 CN18JIM via EA7FTR GB0XMS via M0TVU R115RAEM via R4AS
 CT8/OH2IO via OH2IO HF80PGB via SP2TMT SN1918WAR via SP5AXL
 CT9/NZ1C via DD5ZZ & (L) HI9/F5PLR via F5PLR & (L) SP85NISKO via SQ7FPD & (L)
 DG5BQ/am via DG5BQ HP1/HI8JSG via HI8JSG (d/L) SP9IZ via K9FA (B/d)
 EA6/DK1XAM via DK1XAM (d) HZ50SAT via HZ8SAR YF9CDL via IK2DUW & (L)
 EA7/OH8WW via OH8GDU (d/L) LY2018XMAS via LY2QT YP2019HNY via YO3KPA
 EH5TYF via EA5RK OE120MF via OE6XMF ZP4KFX via IK2DUW


 (e) eQSL only (d) direct only (B) Bureau only (*-B) DX's- Bureau
 (O) OQRS only (C) ClubLog only (L) LoTW only (N) No QSL needed
 (I) No IRC (P) PayPal (NB) No Bureau


 LOGS ONLINE AT CLUBLOG.ORG THIS WEEK......
 https://clublog.org/logsearch/OF9X
 https://clublog.org/logsearch/TX0A
 https://clublog.org/logsearch/TX0M


 ARRL’s LoTW (Logbook of The World) Tops 1 Billion QSO Records.
 Read the ARRL Press Release at: 
 http://www.arrl.org/news/view/arrl-s-logbook-of-the-world-tops-1-billion-qso-records


 QSLS RECEIVED VIA LoTW: 7X3WPL, A35EU, FS/N9NU, HC5RB, OD5ZZ, ON2MD,
 and SQ7OBH


 QSLS RECEIVED VIA MAIL: 3Y0C, UK9AA and VK9MA


 QSLS RECEIVED VIA THE BUREAU: 6V7T, OT70DST, OT70TLS and OT70WRA
 --- We would like to see more QSL Bureaus (such as AS/US/SA/AF.. etc)
 send in their info....


V3, BELIZE. Paul, VE3AXT, is once again active as V31AX in the northern
part of the country, Consejo Shores, Corozal, until mid-May. His rig
is an IC-7300 with 100 watts into a Hexbeam G5RV dipole. QSL via M0URX
and OQRS. Bureau QSLs are via OQRS ONLY at .
Please do not send YOUR QSL card via the Bureau. For more info and
pictures, see his V31AX QRZ.com Web page.


V84, BRUNEI. Operators Kom/9M6KOM, Choigonjav/JT1CO, Krassimir/K1LZ,
Jeffrey/K1ZM, Patrick/KK6ZM, Adrian/KO8SCA, Nikolay/LZ1NK, Atilano/PY5EG,
Roman/RN5M, Adi/S55M, Chris/VK3FY and possibly others will be active as
V84SAA from Istana Pantai, Brunei, between February 7-18th, 2019. Activity
will be on 160-10 meters with a focus on the low bands and the WARC-79
bands. Look for more details to be forthcoming as well as a Web page.


VP5, TURKS AND CAICOS. Operators John/AF3K and Ross/W2TT will once again
be active as VP5/homecall from Providenciales Island between March 27th
and April 1st, 2019. Activity will be holiday style on 80-6 meters using
CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8 and 6M MSK. They will also be in the CQWW WPX SSB
Contest (March 30-31st) using the callsign VP5P as a Multi-2 entry. QSL
VP5P via N2OO or ClubLog. QSL VP5/W2TT via N2OO, direct or LoTW. QSL
VP5/AF3K via N2OO, LoTW or ClubLog.


VP6D DUCIE ISLAND UPDATE [Edited]. "Having returned home in time for the
U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, and now with Christmas already here, we are
busily working on the year end project close activities.
 The Braveheart returned to New Zealand on December 18th, our equipment
was moved to the warehouse on December 19th. The customs broker will
collect the shipment after the holidays for return to San Francisco.
 We are designing the QSL card and expect to have it to the printer in
the next few weeks. The cards will be printed in, and mailed from, Europe.
You can expect to see them sometime in February. Of course, buro cards
will take longer to arrive. We will notify the DX bulletins when the
Direct Mail cards are posted.
 Happy Holidays from the VP6D team


XV9, VIETNAM. Operators Bogdan/SP2FUD and Zenon/SP2GCJ will be active as
XV9FUD and XV9ZT, respectively, from Vietnam, between February 5-18th,
2019. Activity will be on various HF bands and modes. QSL via their
home callssigns.


ZK3, TOKELAU ISLANDS (Update). An international team led by operators
Hrane/YT1AD, Roman/UR0MC and Alex/UT5UY are planning a DXpedition to the
Tokelau Islands as ZK3X between October 1-15th, 2019. ZK3 is currently
#42 on the DXCC Most Wanted List. Alex informs OPDX that ZK3 is very
highly rated on the low bands and EME. Activity will be on 160-6 meters
using CW, SSB and the Digital modes (RTTY, PSK31 and FT8). QSL via UR3HR.
Operators mentioned are Hrane/YT1AD, Alex/UT5UY, Roman/UR0MC, Alex/US0KW,
Yaroslav/UW7LL, Nickolay/UT8IO, Alexander/UX0LL, Igor/UA2FZ, Andrey/RW7K, 
Serge/R7KW, Chris/VK3FY, Dusko/ZL3WW and one more operator. Look for more
details to be forthcoming. ADDED NOTES: Checkout Hrane's, YT1AD, Web page
at: http://www.yt1ad.info/dxped.html
Also, Hrane states to look for more information after February 10th,
2019, about his visits to Tokelau (ZK3), Fiji (3D2) and Apia, Samoa (5W).

 

 

3Y0I Update 20 Dec, 2018
December 20, 2018


Bouvet DXpedition Update


We've just completed our 50-day long training and preparation period prior
to our DXpedition to Amateur Radio's “Mount Everest”; 3Y0I from Bouvet
Island.


No wonder South Africa became our “little homeland”. Fine weather, excep-
tional hospitality from the locals and especially the warm welcome offered
by local Hams resulted in good vibes across our entire team. There is
nobody rushing us. Being independent creates more chances, opportunities
and flexibility in terms of our project's goals. We approach our goals
in small steps, but yet we're always moving forward.


As a team, we've dedicated a lot of time and effort into improving our
condition and practical skills at:


 First Aid Training
 Marine Fire-Fighting Training
 Water Safety Training
 Rescue Techniques
 STCW95, ENG1, First Aid


All training we've participated in (and all certified by SAMSA ­ South
African Maritime Safety Authority) were completed successfully and all
participants have received their graduation certificates. Despite the
high cost ($1,600 USDs), taking part in this training mattered deeply
to us for two important reasons; first, we wish to provide the highest
skill measures for all team members and by doing so ­ to meet all require-
ments of international marine regulations. Very few folks are aware sending
non-trained teams as crew members to locations like Bouvet, is illegal.
Individuals taken on board all commercial (non tour) vessels must receive
proper certified training and prove they qualify.


Secondly, we wish each and every team member to have ­ at a minimum ­ an
idea of what we expect to deal with during our cruise and during landing
at the island. Each team member must know the crucial basics of providing
safety and support to others. The Rebels are not the type who arrive 1, 2
or 3 days before departure without any preparation and basic knowledge.
The experience we've all just gained will last forever and be useful on
our next project (not just Ham Radio).


Certainly some of you are familiar with our landing plan at Bouvet Island:
with zodiac “type” high power boats. With these type of boats we can safely
transport up to 200kg of gear to the shore while facing 2-2.5m waves. Nobody
has said it's going to be an easy task, but we are ready. Additionally, by
splitting our gear into rounds, we'll minimize the risk of accidents in the
rough water and we'll be able to take more items. There's another big advan-
tage of zodiacs over helicopters: cost reduction and much more flexibility
in terms of weather conditions. In case of worsening conditions we'll be
 able to “wait it out” and to proceed with our “Bouvet attack” under a more
suitable and safer “weather window”.


Once ashore, our equipment will be transported up the glacier with pro-
fessional alpine gear. An interesting fact: the glacier at Bouvet contains
a lot of salt water. That's because waves crashing Bouvet's cliffs create
sea water droplets taken by strong winds that fall over the islands ice cap.
Our camp will be ice covered up to several dozen meters above volcanic land.
These two factors mean our antenna environment should be genuinely radio-
suitable and effective.


Today, we continue preparations of our expedition vessel for this demanding
trip. Taking part in these preparations has been a part of our plan from
the very beginning. This is an entirely refurbished and refitted ship at a
cost north of a million dollars. It is extremely suitable for running the
deep South in rough sea conditions. Our vessel is able take up to 300 tonnes
of cargo and 160,000 liters of fuel, making is fully self-sufficient for up
to a 4-month long trip ­ without the need to refuel at a sea port. The ship
will wait off-shore while the team stays on the island and will be in reach
in case of medical support or evacuation. Its vast and spacious interior has
allowed us to pre-assemble some of our antennas and even our dome tent. A
new hydraulic crane will help us load/unload the zodiacs. Our vessel is
fully equipped with all new electronics, including redundant radio, satel-
lite and navigation systems.


Many of you ask for details regarding our Ham Radio and technical “back-
stage”. We'll utilize the following while at Bouvet Island:


 3 x 2-element directional multiband Yagi antennas by Kohjinsha:
 http://www.kojinsha.jp/en_index.html
 3 x 8-band verticals
 2 x verticals for 80 and 160m bands
 Sloper for 80 and 160m, elevated from a cliff towards ocean beach
 Dipole antennas (backup)
 Over 2km of coax
 4 diesel power generators 6.5 kW each (+ backup)
 4 transceivers (+ backup)
 4 x 1.3 kW power amplifiers
 For logging: military grade robust laptops by Panasonic Toughbook
 2 x BGAN satellite modems
 Iridium satellite phones and communicators
 Professional gear for image and 4K movies taken from the ground and air


In addition to the above, there is over a ton of outdoor and technical
equipment (eg. ladders, tools), alpine gear (crampons, lifts, pickax,
harnesses, lines, helmets, sledges) and marine (sea water suits, vests
etc.) loaded in the cargo hold. More than 1 year of preparation and
4,200 lbs. of cargo already loaded.


Our contacts made at Bouvet Island will all be confirmed with unique
QSL cards designed by Stan, SP8S (there are no such cards in the history
of ham radio, yet) and via LoTW. Stan is known for his QSL for such major
DXpeditions as K5D, FT5ZM, HKØNA, XRØY, JX5O, VK9LA, TI9/3Z9DX, P5/3Z9DX,
T31T and many others.


We are very thankful for ALL donations received, thank you, thank you,
thank you! Sponsors of 3Y0I 


All the best of sunny greetings from South Africa. Stay tuned for more
exciting 3Y0I news in the following hours/days.


A quick reminder to those “republishing” this 3Y0I update, please include
a link back to this original post, thank you!
 


Merry Christmas from the Rebel 3Y0I Team!