Saturday, February 11, 2023

3Y0J On the Air From Bouvet

The 3Y0J DXpedition team has landed on Bouvet Island and is on the air. Team co-leader Ken Opskar, LA7GIA, reported to media officer Steve Hass, NA2J, that this is “the most extreme expedition I’ve been to,” adding that “Activating Bouvet is not like activating an island in the Caribbean. It is really windy, cold and exhausting to bring equipment up here.” Opskar added that the only way to get on shore was by floating 50 feet from the boat in survival suits while holding onto a line attached to a buoy; and that the equipment had to be floated in as well, then carried 800 feet up to the camp.

Early pileups were intense and Facebook was filled with reports of jamming and other bad on-air behavior making it difficult for hams to even hear the team’s 100-watt signals. Bouvet Island is a dot of land in the far southern Atlantic Ocean, roughly halfway between South Africa and Antarctica. It is #2 on the DX most-wanted list (North Korea is #1). For updates, please visit https://www.3y0j.no or the expedition's Facebook page..