DX Engineering sponsors upcoming E51MWA DXpedition
Hey, DXers, be sure to mark your calendars for Oct. 9-20, 2025. That’s when the six-operator E51MWA team is scheduled to be active from Manihiki Atoll (population 200 or so) in the North Cook Islands—the 68th Most Wanted DXCC Entity per Clublog as of August 2025.
The E51MWA team is composed of operators from the Western Washington DX Club (Robert Fanfant, N7QT; Robin Amundson, WA7CPA; Jack Prendergast, N7JP; James McDonald, KC7EFP; and Brian Moran, N9ADG), as well as Violetta Latham, KN2P.
In September OnAllBands will feature an article from 21-year-old KN2P on her experiences as a member of Team Exuberance at K3LR and her personal perspective on being part of the E51MWA DXpedition. Following E51MWA, Violetta, a pilot and flight instructor, will fly directly to PJ2T for an all-youth contest, which she will be writing about as well.
For full details on this CW, SSB, and FT8 operation, visit the E51MWA website.
Trusted DX Engineering Coaxial Cables Join the Trip to Manihiki Atoll
DX Engineering is a proud sponsor of E51MWA. Like many other high-profile DXpeditions, E51MWA will be depending on superior-quality DX Engineering coaxial cable and connectors—the same coax and connectors that are available for your stations. Here’s what the North Cook Islands team will be using:
Some Quick Facts about the North Cook Islands
- The North Cook Islands are part of the Cook Islands, an island country in Polynesia. Its 15 major islands in the South Pacific (Oceania) are divided between seven islands in the northern part and eight in the south spread out over 850,000 square miles, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.
- The islands are named after explorer James Cook, who visited there in the 1770s. This area was only officially named the Cook Islands, by act of the New Zealand Parliament, in 1915. There have been discussions—as well as a referendum in 1994—to change the name to something that more reflects its Polynesian heritage.
- Manihiki, E51MWA’s QTH, is known as the “Island of Pearls.” The economy of this 1.5-square-mile atoll is largely based on the cultivation of black pearls—a gem formed from the black lip oyster. Manihiki is located about 807 miles north of Rarotonga, the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands.
- The Cook Islands are self-governing in “free association” with New Zealand, meaning New Zealand cannot pass laws for the Cook Islands. Rarotonga has its own foreign service and diplomatic network.
QSL Cards from the North Cook Islands
Here are a few QSL cards pulled from the collections of the avid DXers at DX Engineering:
Tom, KB8UUZ, DX Engineering technical writer, contacted E51MKW on Manihiki in 2015.
Wayne, K8FF, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, made an FT8 contact with E51WL in 2020. The card shows an aerial view of Penrhyn, a circular atoll with a circumference of 48 miles, 3.8-square-mile land area, and population of around 225. The island is also known by Tongareva and other native names.
Mark, W8BBQ, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, made a 15M SSB contact with E51WWB in 2010.
Scotty, KG9Z, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, reached ZK1XL operating from Penrhyn Island. Up until 2007, the prefix for the North Cook Islands was ZK1.
Visit DXEngineering.com for everything you need to upgrade your station to make sure you’re ready when entities like the North Cook Islands 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.
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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!
