While the much-anticipated, DX Engineering-sponsored 3Y0K Bouvet Island activation looms large on the DXing calendar for February 2026, there are a few other opportunities next month to satisfy your itch for some serious HF excitement. We’ve highlighted a few of them in today’s OnAllBands post, along with QSL cards earned by the skilled operators at DX Engineering.
São Tomé and Principe
The S9BV DXpedition by S53BV will be operating holiday-style Feb. 5-20 from the Democratic Republic of São Toméand Principe—an island country in the Gulf of Guinea. You can try to reach S53BV on 60, 40, 30, or 15M in CW/SSB.
Located off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa, the two islands have a combined population of around 240,000 and land area of 372 square miles, making this entity the second smallest and second least-populated African sovereign state.
This leads us to the OnAllBands Geography Question of the Day: Can you name the smallest African sovereign state in terms of population and area?
Answer is at the bottom. If you have absolutely zero patience, click here to read an OnAllBands article about this country. Hint: It has the world’s largest population of giant tortoises.
Tom, KB8UUZ, DX Engineering technical writer, contacted the February 2011 S9DX DXpedition from Rolas Island on 20 and 15M SSB. Rolas Island, an islet of São Toméand Principe, has a population of around 75 and lies directly on the equator about four miles from São Tomé. The eight-member S9DX team recorded nearly 66,700 QSOs during 13 days of operation.
Barbados
The 8P9XB holiday-style 160-6M DXpedition by VE2XB is scheduled for Feb. 21-28 2026 from Barbados—the easternmost of the Caribbean Islands. It has a population of around 280,000 and a land area of 166 square miles, making it one of the world’s most densely populated countries.
Its name is believed to be derived from the island’s bearded fig trees (Fiscus Citrifolia).
From Barbados.org: “The Portuguese sighted Barbados in 1536 en route to Brazil and referred to the island as ‘Los Barbados’ or the ‘Bearded Ones’ presumably after the fig trees found on the island which…have a beard-like appearance.”
The tree is also found on the coat of arms of Barbados, along with a pelican, Pride of Barbados flowers, a mahi mahi (a type of dolphin fish), and a hand holding sugarcane stalks.
Dave, K8DV, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, worked 8P6JD in March 2006 on 20M CW. He made QSOs with 8P5A in October 2007 on 10M SSB and in November 2011 on 160M CW.
Guyana
The multi-operator 8R1WA DXpedition from Guyana is scheduled for Feb. 19-27 on 160-6M in SSB and FT8. You can read more about 8R1WA from the official website.
Guyana, officially known as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, covers 83,000 square miles and has a population of around 830,000, making it one of the least densely populated countries in the world. Remarkably, about 90% of its population resides on its narrow coastal plain, which represents only about 10% of the country’s land area
Wayne, K8FF, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, made contact in June 1998 with longtime DXer and noted DXpeditioner Dr. Bob Eshleman, W4DR, who was inducted into the CQ DX Hall of Fame in 2011 and won the ARRL Clinton B. DeSoto Cup in 2000.
Read all about the DeSoto Cup here. The award is presented annually to the DXCC Challenge Award leader as of Dec. 31. Also take a moment to read this article from “QST” in 1935 written by the man the award is named after.
Mark, W8BBQ, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, received this unique QSL card from Leguan Island (20M SSB). Nine-mile-long and two-mile-wide Leguan (so named because Dutch settlers found iguanas on the island) has a population of around 2,500. The leatherback turtle, depicted on the card, is a protected species in Guyana—one of the world’s most biodiverse nations.
I’ll take African Nations for $1,000, Ken.
The answer to today’s geography question is Seychelles, the smallest (177 square miles) and least populated (120,000) sovereign state in Africa.
Get Ready for Bouvet 3Y0K in February 2026!
Visit DXEngineering.com for everything you need to upgrade your station to make sure you’re ready when entities like Barbados, São Toméand Principe, Guyana, and rare ones like Bouvet Island are on the air.
You’ll find transceivers, antennas, a wide selection of amplifiers from ACOM, OM Power, Icom, and others; CW keys and paddles; headsets and speakers; and much more.
Editor’s Note: Every month, DX Engineering features QSL cards from our team members’ personal collections. To highlight upcoming DXpeditions, we’ll be displaying a few of our favorite cards along with details about what it took to make these contacts. We’re excited to share some of the special cards pulled from the thousands we’ve received over the years. We look forward to seeing your cards as well!
