Juan Fernandez Islands QRV in February
Juan Fernandez Islands, the 58th most-wanted DXCC entity as of January per Clublog, is bound to take a precipitous fall from this ranking thanks to the much-anticipated CB0ZA DXpedition scheduled for February 10-24 from 18.5-square-mile Robinson Crusoe Island—one of three volcanic islands in the Juan Fernandez Islands Archipelago about 400 miles off the coast of Chile.
The CB0ZA team of seven experienced DXpeditioners plans to operate multiple stations on 160-6M in SSB, CW, and RTTY (including 60M and EME on 6M), plus stations for FT8 and VHF. They have received authorization to operate from Cerro El Centinela inside Juan Fernandez National Park, which should provide a clear view for optimal signals.
In January, CB0ZA announced that in addition to on-island stations, more than 30 remote operators from around the world will be active through a NexGenRIB (Radio in a Box) setup on FT8 and CW (call sign CB0ZEW).
The DXpedition is being undertaken in memory of CB0ZA team leader/organizer and highly accomplished DXpeditioner Marco Quijada, CE1EW, who tragically became a silent key in November 2023.
You can find up-to-date details ab0ut CB0ZA on its Facebook page and official website.
Going along for the journey to Robinson Crusoe Island will be gear from CB0ZA equipment sponsor DX Engineering, who provided the following:
- DX Engineering RG-8X PL-259 Low-Loss 50-ohm Coax Cable Assemblies, Various Lengths
- DX Engineering Coaxial RF Connector Adapters
- DX Engineering RG-8U PL-259 Low-Loss 50-ohm Coax Cable Assemblies, 150 Feet
- DX Engineering Pre-Assembled Radial Wire Kits, 65 Feet, Set of 20
- DX Engineering Pre-Assembled Radial Wire Kits, 120 Feet, Set of 10
- DX Engineering Radial Plate
- DX Engineering EZ-BUILD UWA8X Center-T and End Insulator Kit
This latest venture to Juan Fernandez Islands represents one of many DXpeditions that will depend on DX Engineering coaxial cable—a good reminder that choosing higher quality coaxial cable can make a profound difference in performance for your own station, just like it does for high-profile DXpeditions that need to get every detail right before shipping out to remote locales.
QSL Cards
While Juan Fernandez Islands has been infrequently activated over the years (the last major DXpedition was XR0ZRC in 2019), the hams at DX Engineering have had great success contacting this DXCC entity. Here are a few Juan Fernandez Islands QSL cards from the collections of the DX Engineering team.
Wayne, K8FF, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, received the QSL card below back in October 1963 from CE0ZI operating from the Juan Fernandez Archipelago on Mas a Tierra Island. It wasn’t until three years later that the Chilean government would rename Mas a Tierra (“Closer to Land”) as Robinson Crusoe Island in an effort to promote tourism to this remote spot. From 1704 to 1709, Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk was marooned there. It is believed that Selkirk’s adventure served as inspiration for novelist Daniel Defoe’s most famous work, The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.
Several members of the DX Engineering team (Dave, K8DV—10M SSB, 12M RTTY, 80M CW, 160M CW); Tom, KB8UUZ—see QSL card below); and Mark, W8BBQ) made contact with the highly successful XR0ZR DXpedition in November 2013. W8BBQ did some serious work filling bands (10M SSB, CW, RTTY; 12M SSB, CW, RTTY; 15M SSB, CW, RTTY; 17M SSB, CW; 20M SSB, CW; 30M CW; 40M SSB, CW, RTTY; and 80M CW).
George, K3GP, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, earned this Juan Fernandez Islands QSL card from CE0Z in March 2000. As mentioned on the card, the CE0Z team used an HF2V Butternut Vertical Antenna, manufactured and available exclusively at DX Engineering.
Want to upgrade your DXing capabilities? Find everything you need at DX Engineering, including transceivers, amplifiers, antennas, headsets, and 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!
