Intrepid-DX Group

Here’s something with personal interest for me. I’ve been to Bouvet Island. It’s not the edge of the world, but you can see it from there.

73,

George Miller W3GWM

ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Section Manager

293 Woods RD

Wyalusing, PA 18853

(570) 250-1007

Intrepid-DX Group Adds Second Physician for Trip to "Cold and Inhospitable" Bouvet Island

"Bouvet is like the Mount Everest of DXCC entities," 3Y0J DXpedition co-leader Paul Ewing, N6PSE, said. "It is among the most challenging entities to activate due to significant transportation costs and personal sacrifices required by the team to make the 42-day round trip. Fortunately, Bouvet is not our first mountain." The DXpedition’s website describes Bouvet as, "a cold and inhospitable place." At 54° S, Bouvet Island, a sub-Antarctic island in the South Atlantic and a dependency of Norway, is the most remote place on Earth.

Ewing announced recently that Mike Crownover, AB5EB, a veteran emergency room physician, has joined the 3Y0J DXpedition team to pair with ER doctor Bill Straw, KO7SS. The DXpedition is set for January – February 2023, but the planning stage to activate the second-most-wanted DXCC entity is well under way, with the team researching polar-quality tents and equipment and discussing antenna specifications with various manufacturers.

"We will make careful choices to help us meet the demand for Bouvet contacts," Ewing said. The 3Y0J team has set a goal of making at least 100,000 contacts from Bouvet. "3Y0J will be a DXpedition with a focus on good, fast, and accurate operating. QSO rates will be very high," Ewing said. "We have assembled a team of strong operators who will strive to work everyone. We will focus on CW/SSB/digital for the 10 – 160 meter bands. Our goal is to match our VP8STI/VP8SGI achievement with 135,000 contacts made."

Ewing said that in the later stages of the DXpedition, operators will use "proven techniques" to work the weakest of callers. "We will also use techniques to work the youth in our audience," he added.

No real-time log search will be available, but 3Y0J will upload to Club Log and to M0OXO Log Search each day, Ewing said.

The DXpedition has an estimated budget of $764,000, with each team member contributing a minimum of $20,000 each. In April, ARRL awarded a Colvin Grant of $5,000 to the Intrepid-DX Group to help in funding the 3Y0J DXpedition. Ewing and ARRL member Ken Opskar, LA7GIA, will share DXpedition leadership duties.

Follow the DXpedition plans from the DXpedition website and Facebook page.