NEWS UPDATE – Sad to report, but we found out recently that Ron KH6VV has become Silent Key.
AUGUST 3, 2021 – A full news update by Ron KH6VV for DX-World on this expedition is coming soon. In the meantime, the following info was posted on the KH6VV/KH4 QRZ page:
The new management team is on island and trying to catch up with things the last team didn’t do. The trick is to be on island when the albatross are gone. This year they are going to do a rodent extermination project while the albatross are off island, so the expedition can’t be there while that is underway.
I think I would prefer to see an official web site with a donate button rather than just sending my funds to some person I don’t know from Adam. Do you have any club or organizational sponsorships yet? What equipment sponsorships have you received? What kind of band plan will you be using? You know, the kind of information that you would expect to receive from a organized DX’pedition.
Everyone should realize that another date reset could happen depending on how the pandemic
plays out. I hope that does not happen but it easily could.
Ron KH6DV
Isn’t February 2021 a bit too optimistic because that timeframe would require resource and people mobilization at the end of 2020? It’s difficult to see any major improvement in the Covid-19 US debacle unless either a big breakthrough is announced in a vaccine by the fall or we reach herd immunity at the small cost of millions dead.
Is there a website for this dxped yet that would have the PayPal address on it?
Additional advantage with this postponement: 2020 might already see some improved solar activity, so if that happens you will enjoy much better condition than the initial time slot of october 2019.
For those wanting to know where the Midway cargo pier is located its on the north
side of the island at the end of Cannon Road. There are two piers there, the one
to the west is the fuel pier and the one to the east is the cargo pier. The current
is such that if you moor on the west side of the cargo pier it keeps you off the pier.
Mooring on the opposite side means the current drives you into the pier. Lesson
learned, We will never make that error again.
Happy mooring.
KH6DV
Roger DL5RBW
I totally agree, when you’re in the harbor surrounded by land except for a narrow
entrance it should count. Maybe someday that will change, till then we work within
the rules that we are handed. At this point the harbor is no longer an issue, we will
now be moored at the cargo pier on the north side of the island. This is outside the
harbor and actually a much better location. At the cargo pier beach every direction we
want to work is directly over saltwater. Saltwater makes for DX happiness.
Ron KH6DV
Just curios – I wonder why contacts with ships operating from a harbor of a specific DXCC or very close (within the 12-mile zone) are not valid for the DXCC program. Is it an administrative exception because it cannot be proved whether an Operation takes place from within the 12-mile Zone although it could (by an excerpt of the ships logbook). A ship in a harbor is NOT exterritorial territory so it could be considered as this particular DXCC and the fact the ship has really been there can be documented by official papers. Although maybe not 100% perfect from a lawyers point of view it is WE the Ham Radio community who can handle program rules a bit more flexible. For me at least it was always more exciting and exotic to work a /mm station near a remote island in the Pacific that was using limited antennas and power resources than to work a Mega DXpedition BASED on the Island.
Status update:
We have a list of 10 well experienced expedition operators on the high interest list which
is 1-2 fewer then we need. These were received in the first day and a half after the announcement. My hope is that now that we are into the weekend people will have time
to consider making the trip. I believe one of the problems is that so many have been there
on the last expedition 10 years ago and are looking for new places to go rather then a
return to somewhere they have been. We will let this run till about August 15th at which
time we need to make the decision to proceed or delay till later in the year.
Ron KH6DV
HB9BQB…so true, however, on Midway the management company is paid to remove
the trash from the beach and the Coast Guard buoy tender picks it up several times
a year.
FLASH….Upon further review by the DXCC desk we will be moving the equipment and
operators to the land. As I said whatever it takes to count. We wont be going to these
efforts to not count. All will be documented.
Ron KH6DV
I think if we could combine such activatins of rare island with useful actions of cleaning up the plastic waste on the beaches. I am shure we could gain more goodwil and support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
People keep mentioning anchored close to the island, that’s not the case we will be
moored at the dock in Midway harbor (inside the lagoon) with feedlines going 50 feet
to land. I’ve emailed the DXCC desk with greater details and awaiting an answer.
If no then we will move to tents on land with the vessel providing sleeping quarters
and meals and nothing more. Either way we will make it count.
Ron KH6DV
Roger, thanks for that comment. I think both in IOTA’s case and DXCC case – its time to better define the word “station” especially with remote “stations” being acceptable – I assume also for IOTA. Is it Antenna, is it RF generation? Clearly its no longer operator. The current definition of “a boat anchored close to shore” does not presume “with coax to the beach for the antennas”.
I’m afraid that there would be a problem accepting such contacts for IOTA credit. The relevant rule (IOTA Programme Rule B.3.6) says: “Contacts with maritime mobile stations near islands, whether or not they operate with a /MM call-sign, will not be accepted for credit. This applies also to stations on board boat anchored close to shore.” For IOTA there is the risk of creating a precedent that could be used by expeditioners to secure permission to operate from islands where there are environmental/political/licensing constraints with an express purpose. “After erecting the mast with the antenna, there will be no footprint of mine on the island” could be an attractive argument to use in those cases. Administering a programme with that kind of flexible discretion would be a nightmare.
I certainly think it would be reasonable and not inconsistent with Rule 8 to say that if the antennas are on the land and connected by cables to a moored boat then the operation can count. But worth getting this agreed formally by the DXCC desk in advance. I don’t think it has been done by a DXpedition before? I guess there are not many exotic island locations where it would be possible.
I have to think that this question has come up before for DXCC. A “land station” seems clear to me to be “not on a boat” even if the antennas are on the land. But I will be interested to hear the DXCC Desk answer.
We were told if the antennas are on land then its a land station.
DXCC desk told me if the antennas are on land then we count…I’ll double check.
At least the vessel can provide air conditioned sleeping + galley areas and we can
operate from tents on the beach no problem. We will do whatever it takes to count.
Ron KH6DV
DXCC Rules.
8. All stations contacted must be “land stations.” Contacts with ships and boats, anchored or underway, and airborne aircraft, cannot be counted. Exception: Permanently docked exhibition ships, such as the Queen Mary and other historic ships will be considered land based.
The team will operate from the boat inside the harbor but feedlines will go ashore to land just past the pier end. All antennas will be on land. That counts as per the DXCC desk.
73 and good DX
KH6DV
If the team operates from the boat (even if it is anchored) my understanding of DXCC and IOTA rules is that it won’t count for those awards. Am I wrong?