Greetings DX chasers! There’s a full slate of DXpeditions in September, from the hot (Micronesia) to the frigid (Svalbard) and all climates in between. OnAllBands is highlighting just a few of the many activations to put on your calendar, along with QSL cards collected over the years by the active operators at DX Engineering.
Rwanda
The 9X2AW DXpedition by DF2WO from Kigali is scheduled to run until Sept. 27. DXers can reach this 160-6M operation, which includes 60M, on CW/SSB/FT4-8. Find many more details at the 9X2AW website.
As of September, this landlocked, east-central African country just 75 miles south of the equator was ranked as the 151st Most Wanted DXCC Entity per Clublog.
With a population of 14.2 million living on 10,169 square miles of land, Rwanda is the most densely populated mainland African country (1,142 inhabitants per square mile), ranking only behind 790-square-mile Mauritius Island (1,616 inhabitants per square mile). Rwanda’s capital and largest city, Kigali, is home to 1.7 million Rwandans.
David, K8DV, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, contacted the 9X0R DXpedition in March 2008. The 12-member 9X0R team recorded 62,680 QSOs during 11 days of operation.
Iceland
NW1B as TF/NW1B will be operating from Iceland Sept. 4-8 on 40-6M in SSB/CW/FT8. As of September, this Nordic island country in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans (Europe’s least densely populated country with a population of around 404,000 and the land area of Kentucky) ranked as the 272nd Most Wanted DXCC Entity per Clublog. To give you some perspective, Kentucky has a population of close to 4.6 million.
Scotty, KG9Z, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, received this QSL card from TF3ML. He made 6-meter magic from his station in Ohio in June 2018.
Micronesia
From Sept. 22-Oct. 6, the multi-operator V6D DXpedition from Chuuk (IOTA OC-011) is scheduled for 160-6M SSB/CW/FT8/RTTY operation. Get full details at the V6D website. Micronesia—a subregion of Oceania made up of thousands of islands in the Pacific Ocean—is ranked as the 89th Most Wanted DXCC Entity per Clublog. Chuuk is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia. The main population of Chuuk can be found on Chuuk Lagoon.
In 2016, Tom KB8UUZ, DX Engineering technical writer, worked the below DXpedition to Pohnpei Island on 15M CW. With a population of 36,000, Pohnpei is the most populous and developed island in Micronesia.
Svalbard
The JW0B DXpedition by F5FRM from Longyearbyen is scheduled for Sept. 24-28. Svalbard is ranked as the 186th Most Wanted DXCC Entity per Clublog.
From JW0B’s QRZ page, “Focus on high bands in CW and RTTY with some 6M if conditions allow. Some Phone (SSB/FM) depending on previous activities and a casual participation in the CQ WW RTTY.”
Longyearbyen, Svalbard’s capital, has a population of 1,700, making it the world’s northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000. It was named after American John Munro Longyear, whose Arctic Coal Company started mining operations there in the early 1900s. Among several unique laws, residents of Longyearbyen are required to carry a rifle for protection against polar bears when venturing outside. Recent studies estimate there are about 270 polar bears within Svalbard’s boundaries, 710 on the sea ice north of Svalbard, and 1,700 roaming the vast expanse of Russian land to the east. Read more here about the region’s polar bear population.
Also try to reach the JW6VDA Svalbard HF DXpedition (SSB/FT4-8) by LA6VDA from Spitsbergen (IOTA EU-026) scheduled for Sept. 12-22. Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago.
Mark, W8BBQ, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, contacted JW5X in Longyearbyen.
Dave, K8DV, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, reached JW/F8DVD in April 2007 on 20M SSB.
Visit DXEngineering.com for everything you need to upgrade your station to make sure you’re ready when entities like Svalbard are in play. You’ll find transceivers, antennas, amplifiers, CW keys and paddles, headsets and speakers, reference books like “Ham Radio DX: A Complete Guide,” 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!
