MARCH 16 @ 07:00Z – Good to hear Jacek back CQing on 20m SSB today. He mentioned he’s feeling better, but still a bit weak. Pileups now continue 🙂

Meanwhile, here’s the multiband vertical in use. It was designed and manufactured by SP7GXP, weighs 7kg and comes with a 3m mast. Covers 40-10m. Picture shows installation on Rimatara using a TV dish mast as a support.

MARCH 15 @ 18:00z – A short update from Jacek on Rimatara island to say he is still not feeling good. The last 36 hours he says he’s been “feeling so sick“. Last week Jacek made 3000 SSB QSOs, and really “hopes this is not the end of the DXpedition“. Fingers crossed for his recovery soon. 

MARCH 15 @ 02:00z–  Jacek informs DX-World that he had to decrease his activity due to severe health problems. There is no doctor on the island, but everything indicates a strong allergic reaction of unknown reason. He thinks he’s getting better now but for the last 20h no QSOs were made. 

MARCH 3 – We got word that Jacek has arrived on Rimatara island and should be QRV soon once antennas are assembled. A reminder that Jacek’s activity is on 80-10m, SSB only. 

DECEMBER 12, 2021 – Further to the info below, Jacek has now been issued with the callsigns FO/SP5EAQ (main activity) and TX5AQ (CQWW WPX contest activity) for his month long QRV from Ramitara Island, OC-050. Website

[DECEMBER 3, 2021] Jacek, SP5EAQ recently got in touch and we publish his info in full:

In over 10 years I have organized many dxpeditions to the South Pacific (some of them were for one person, belonging to the class of so-called suitcase dxpeditions).

Unfortunately, the pandemic resulted in a significant decline in the activity of rare DXCC entities.

This phenomenon was also influenced by the low activity of the Sun in recent years and the related difficult propagation on higher bands.

The severe decline in the number of DX stations working on SSB, related to the advancement of digital technology, was an additional obstacle for Phone-only amateurs.

Organization of any dxpedition in conditions of COVID-related threats is associated with high uncertainty and financial risk.

However, I decided to take the necessary steps to activate the Rimatara Island (Australs, French Polynesia, IOTA OC-050) for the whole of March 2022. This will be an SSB activity on the HF bands.

If the circumstances of the pandemic do not allow for departure, I will try to postpone it to a later period, if it is financially and organizational possible.

See you in the pileup!

Jacek, SP5EAQ – (ex VK9NE, T2AQ, E51EAQ, ZK3Q, 5W0AF, A3EAQ, T30AQ, 3D2MJ, ZL7/SP5EAQ, and ZA/SP5EAQ)