[NEWS UPDATE & PICS] – Courtesy AA7JV:

Just completed a short operation in the Marquesas working as FO/AA7JV. Mike (KN4EEI) and I operated from Anaho Bay, on the north side of Nuku Hiva. The location was breathtaking but a difficult one for the low bands. We put on the beach two RIB-s using the RIB boat (see below) with two stations. Due to software issues we mainly worked CW and SSB, and only made a handful of FT8 contacts. The RIB-s were on the beach with two antennas: one for 20 to 10 meters and one for 160 to 10. Low band conditions were poor, made worse by the difficult geography of the bay. On the higher bands the situation was the opposite: we seemed to have very good signals on 30 and 10 meters, and good on 40 and 20. We were only able to make 11 QSO-s on 160 meters and none on 80. (Spent the time sending endless CQ-s on 160.) This was a short operation and first one where we used the RIB-s in an actual DXpedition.

[MARCH 1] Active as both KH7Z/MM (6m grids across the Pacific) and AA7JV/MM (on low bands), George & Mike, KN4EEI plan to head to the Marquesas islands, arriving around March 18. They will put ashore a small DXpedition with three stations: 2 x 100W FT8-only remotely operated stations and a full power locally operated CW/SSB station that will be on the air from 160-10 meters. The remotely operated stations will be on 80 to 6 meters. After FO/M, they will operate from the Tuamotu islands as FO/AA7JV.

Once departing FO-land they intend to sail to E5 (Cook islands) and then onto American Samoa (KH8).  Pictures credit AA7JV:

Moored at TI9 on way to FO. 

One of the multi-band (20-6) verticals used by a Remotely Operated RIB via a Starlink RV satellite connection (antenna on the left).

The Marquesas Islands are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean.