Nov.1 2019:  The VP6R DXpedition is now QRT.  The last QSO went into the log at 1800 UTC with a QSO total of approximately 80,000.  All the antennas are safely down and packed and the team is beaking for lunch.

On behalf of the team, our off-island support members, and our sponsors; may I say thank you to our DX audience for your interest, support, and of course, the QSOs.

To the kids at the Dorothy Grant Elementary School, thank you for taking part in this great adventure with us through ham radio.  You brightened our path.

We had fun with this.  We hope you did too.

73 — Ralph – K0IR

Oct. 26, 2019:  The team is now active in the CQWW SSB Contest.  They are running a multi-multi station and will be on all open bands.  Give them a call!  There will be no idle stations.  Those not active in the contest will be on CW or a WARC band.

The last two days have been difficult.  Very heavy rains and gale-force winds have lashed the island.  Two antennas came down but were promptly repaired and erected again.  Roads and paths between our two sites are extremely muddy and slippery.  Walking and moving equipment is difficult.

The weather interrupted the link between our two sites.  This has impacted our ability to upload logs.  However, no QSO’s have been lost.

Spirits remain high; we hope you are enjoying the DXpedition.  We are.

Oct. 20, 2019:  The team is experiencing some timing issues with FT8.  They are working to remedy this.  If your QSO is “questionable” as a result, do not hesitate to work them again.

Oct. 19, 2019:  As I’m sure all of you are aware, the team is now active from Pitcairn.  It has been easier for them to post to Facebook than forward images to be placed on the website.  Hopefully, that will change.  Above are photos of the main op site, the surrounding antennas, and the 6 meter EME antenna going up.

Oct. 16, 2019:  The team completed their flight from Tahiti to Mangareva safely.  Last heard they were aboard the ferry taking them from the landing strip to the pier where the Braveheart was waiting for them.  They likely sailed on the afternoon/evening of Oct. 15th.  Weather permitting, they should be anchored off Pitcairn at local sunrise on the 17th.

THIS IS SPECIAL!

Meet the third grade class from the Dorothy Grant Elementary School in Fontana, California, and their teacher Bev – WA6BK.

Using the school’s club station, K6DGE, these kids will follow the Pitcairn Island DXpedition team’s travels and operation from Pitcairn Island.  They will talk with the DXpedition team members and learn about Pitcairn Island, some geography, a bit about early explorers, navigation, the oceans, ecology, different customs and heritages, and communication skills.

We are thrilled to have these kids following us and expanding their world through amateur radio.

VP6R Pitcairn Island Press Release 10 October 2019

I experienced a sudden and relatively severe, acute illness and was hospitalized for a number of days.  I am recovering at home, but the risk of compromising the DXpedition to Pitcairn Island is too great for me to make the trip with the team.  My friend Glenn, W0GJ, will take on my responsibilities and the DXpedition will proceed as otherwise planned.

Most team members will have begun their travels within the next 24-48 hours.  The October 15^th flight to Mangareva and boarding of the Braveheart remain on schedule.

This is a great disappointment for me, but the show will go on.  I thank all of you for your past encouragement and support.  I have great confidence in all of our team members; they will give this DXpedition their all.

Ralph – K0IR

The team members are very disappointed that Ralph K0IR is unable to go with us.   Ralph has invested countless hours organizing and preparing for a successful DXpedition!   In fact, it has been so well organized that it is almost on autopilot!   We have been unable to find a replacement for Ralph on such short notice.    Many potential substitutes were unable to clear their schedules to be gone for a month with just a few hours notice.  

We are READY to go!  All of our personal bags are packed, as we had to have weight & volumes for Air Tahiti, our Papeete to Mangareva flight next Tuesday.   That connection is only once per week.   The Braveheart will be waiting for us and we’ll set sail almost immediately for Pitcairn.   We will be arriving Thursday morning at Pitcairn.   All of our cargo is ALREADY at our operating site.  We will work hard that first day to get as many antennas up as possible to get on the air by the end of the day, Thursday, October 17.   We must must QRT by November 2 to make it back to Mangareva to catch the weekly flight again.

We are going to work extra hard as a team to make Ralph proud of us, as he has all but invested the last two years of his life into this project.

Visit our website often for updates.   There you will find contact information for our pilots who will help us optimize our band/modes and propagation paths.   Any information on long or short path openings would be welcome to our pilots.    Financial contributions are most welcome, too!  See our website for more details.

73 and see you in the pileups!

Glenn – W0GJ

Sept. 29, 2019:  We are pleased to announce our pilot station network for the Pitcairn Island DXpedition.  Our pilot station system is in place to relay your reports, concerns, and advise to us through our pilot stations. Initially, the information most important to us will be when we are being heard in your area.  This is especially true if there are openings to more than one geographical area at the same time and one of those areas has strong signals that obscure stations calling from the other areas.  We need to attend to those weaker signals and your reports will help us do that.

With time your band and mode needs will be relayed to us through our system.  Constructive criticism is welcome as well.

Our system is somewhat “Eurocentric,” with north, south, east, and western Europe each having a representative in our system.  We do this because needs for a VP6 contact are greater in Europe and European signals may be “under” stronger signals from other geographical areas.

Our chief and North American pilot is Jerry, WB9Z.  He will be supported by JJ3PRT, OG2M, R7LV, G3XTT, EA3AKP, IK0FVC, NP4G, ZS1C, and ZL3IO.  Please go to our Pilots and Off-Island Team Members page for more details.

We want you in our log and we want you to have fun working us.

Sept. 23, 2019:  We are pleaed to announce The Pitcairn Island DXpedition’s participation in the 2019 CQWW SSB Contest on the Oct.  26th and 27th weekend.  We will be a full-scale Multi-Multi entry with stations active on 160 through 10 meters.

This will be the first-ever CQWW SSB Contest entry from Pitcairn Island and the first time the VP6 multiplier has been offered in this contest.

If you’re not in the contest and need the contact, call us anyway.  Just give us our signal report and your CQ zone number in the exchange.  We want you in our log!  Be sure to have a little fun by working some other stations too.

Sept. 18, 2019:  There has never been 60 meter activity from Pitcairn Island.  We were excited about ativating 60 meters from Pitcairn, but our request for 60 meter privileges was denied.

However, with the combined efforts of W8GEX, G4MWO, VP6MW, ZL4OL, ZL2JMP, and K0IR; we drafted an appeal based on ITU regulations and 60 meter usage in other British Overseas Territories.  To our great pleasure, our appeal was accepted and the initial denial recinded.  We now have 60 meter privileges and will activate that band from Pitcairn Island.

We offer special thanks to ZL1BUQ, the Telecommunications Network Manager for the Government of the Pitcairn Islands for his consideration of our appeal.

Aug.12, 2019:  Yesterday, while the Braveheart was preparing to load, a little suprise package arrived.  Actually it was a pallet-sized surprise package delivered by a truck and fork lift.  Jim, KØJUH (aka “The Old Duck Hunter”), is sponsoring the Pitcairn Island DXpedition by supplying us with two weeks worth of Coca Cola products.  Thank you for your exceptional generosity, Jim.  We’ll be thinking of you every sip of the way.

Ifa scout group could visit an amateur radio station communicating with the Pitcairn Island DXpedition and learn about amateur radio.

Ifthis DXpedition could re-kindle interest in the movies, Mutiny on the Bounty, or in reading or re-reading the novel of the same name.

Ifa grade school class could follow the DXpeditioners’ travels, learn about the history of Pitcairn Island, the Bounty, and Fletcher Chirstian’s descendants.  Perhaps they could even correspond with the school children on Pitcairn or do a video chat with them in real time.

Ifdiscussion groups could ponder the question, “Would Pitcairn Island as we know it even exist had it not been for the astronomical event, the 1769 transit  of Venus ?”

Ifthis DXpedition and the history of Pitcairn Island gave us insight into the perils and pitfalls of maritime navigation faced by early mariners and explorers.

Ifthis DXpedition helped us all understand the variety, uniqueness, and beauty of other cultures.

Ifsome of you, in our audience, could help us achieve these goals.

June 6, 2019:  Our sea container made its way by rail to the port of Philadelphia.  There were a number of logistical tangles to unravel, but ultimately everything was cleared and the container put aboard the ship, Spirit of Hamburg.  At this moment it is southbound aboard the vessel just off the east coast of Delaware.  Its estimated time of arrival in Tauranga, New Zealand is July 6.  This should allow an ample safety margin for any unforeseen delays.

May 24, 2019:  Yesterday marked another major logistical waypoint in the Pitcairn Island DXpedition.  After verifying that we had all our equipment packed, our container was locked and a U.S. Customs seal applied.  A crane then lifted the container on a truck for transportation to a Chicago railhead.  From Chicago, the container will go by rail to the East Coast and from there by container ship to Tauranga, New Zealand where its contents will go aboard the RV Braveheart in mid August.

Images of the container loading are in the slider below.

May 13, 2019:  Nine of the VP6R team had a very productive weekend in Peoria, Illinois.  You can read about our progress and view some images in the slider below.  The next time we lay hands on this gear will be when we off-load it from the Braveheart and take it ashore on Pitcairn Island.

May 5, 2019:   Here’s an update on our progress.  Our newly acquired 20 foot sea container has been set in place next to the 40 footer we used for the Bouvet attempt.  Our laptops have all been updated, loaded with appropriate software, and tested.  Our Flex stations have arrived, all packed in Pelican cases and including in each a Flex 6700, power supply, foot switch, Radiosport headset, and necessary accessories.

Members of our team will arrive at the staging site in Peoria, IL on May 10th and begin inventorying everything being shipped to Pitcairn, testing the gear, doing some pre-assembly, re-packing the needed gear into the 20 foot container, and documenting everything for customs.

Our container will be picked up and trucked to a railhead in Chicago on May 21 to begin its journey to a container ship bound for Tauranga, New Zealand.

The inland freight cost, customs and agency fees, and ocean freight costs represnet a significant and current expense for us.  If you have supported financially, we thank you.  If not, this would be a great time to consider a donation to help us.

— The Pitcairn Island DXpedition Team

April 30, 2019:  Our 20 foot sea container arrived in Peoria, IL today.  On the weekend of May 11-12, members of our team will assemble there to transfer our Pitcairn-bound equipment from the old 40 foot Bouvet container to the new 20 foot container.  There will be lots of counting, testing, re-packing, and customs documentation  to do.

After we finish, we continue on to Dayton and hope to meet many of you there.

We plan to have the container packed and on a railcar  headed for a container ship by June 1.  It has to be in New Zealand by August 1.

April 13, 2019:  Cardboard boxes can be the curse of a DXpedition.  The boxes are typically bulky, easily torn or damaged, and if they get wet they are a useless sloppy commodity.  Jerry, WB9Z, and his nephew just completed construction on 9 plywood boxes in which to ship of ACOM 1500 amplifiers.  There are strict import restrictions on wood, so the boxes had to be entirely constructed of plywood.

These boxes will go into our 20 foot sea container during our inventorying, testing, documenting, packing, and blocking container party from May 10th through the 13th in Peoria, IL.

The container should be on its way the New Zealand by June 1.

Mar. 20, 2019:  The die is cast.  We have crossed the Rubicon and are beyond the point of no return.  Each team member has deposited approximately 50% of their total financial commitment, we have paid our initial deposit to the shipping company, and our contract with the Braveheart is signed.

To those of you who have already supported us, thank you very much.  Your support was key in allowing us to meet our financial obligations so far.  Our next major outlay will be expenses relating to purchasing a 20 ft. sea container and paying the customs and freight fees to ship it to New Zealand by June 1.

Tell your friends about us.  We’d love their support.  And, we’d enjoy having them join us in having some fun.

Feb. 18, 2019:  We’ve gotten more serious about our fundraising lately since, financially, we’re a bit behing where we had hoped to be.  We recently sent out some requests to clubs, asking them to consider supporting us.  Perhaps your club received one.  If so, we hope you’ll encourage your fellow members to personally review our application.

Pitcairn is not super rare, we understand that.  But hopefully we can reward you with a new achievement by adding some new band-modes, and especially low band digital QSO’s to your log.

Your help would be great, but we’ll do this no matter what.  Work us.  Let’s have some fun!

Jan. 26, 2019:  We’ve had another team change.  Due to circumstances beyond his control, Lou – N2TU, had to drop out.

Mike, K9NW, will be joing our team.  Mike is a well-known DXpeditioner and we welcome him to the team.

Jan. 21, 2019:  On January 23, 1790, the HMS Bounty was lit on fire.  The ship had arrived eight days earlier and after the mutneers and their fellow travelers   removed provisions and other usable items from the vessel, she was set ablaze and sank in the waters of Bounty Bay after burning to the waterline.  With the vessel gone there was no escape and the risk of detection minimized.  A new society was born on Pitcairn Island.

229 years and 267 days later our DXpedition team will arrive on Pitcairn Island and meet the descendants of those who arrived on the Bounty.  Our goal is to contact as many of our amatuer radio friends as possible and put their calls in our log.

Support us if you can.  Above all, give us a call when you hear us and LET’S ALL HAVE SOME FUN!

Jan. 19, 2019:  With 14 team members involved and over the course of a year, it was likely that a member may have to change his plans.  This has occurred, AA7A – Ned, had to withdraw from the team.  We will miss him.

N9TK – Jim will be filling that slot.  Jim was with us on the Bouvet trip, has been on many prior DXpeditions, and is a great team member and operator.  We welcome him to the team.

Posted Jan. 10, 2019:  Key dates of Pitcairn Island DXpedition have been established.  See below.

Aug.1, 2019 — Our sea container, with all our equipment, must be landed in New Zealand, cleared by customs, and ready to transport to the Braveheart for loading of the container contents.  The Braveheart will sail within a few days.

Oct. 7, 2019 —  The Braveheart will arrive in Moorea after completing the charter prior to ours  After provisioning and refueling, the Braveheart will sail to Mangareva, arriving there on Oct. 13.

Oct. 15, 2019 — Our team will fly from Tahiti to Mangareva, board the Braveheart and sail for Pitcairn that evening.

Oct. 17, 2019 — We will be at Pitcairn Island at dawn and begin offloading our equipment as soon as possible.  The Braveheart will depart that evening.

Oct. 18, 2019:  We will get stations on the air as soon as possible.  We have 14 days at the island.

Our first payment to the ship is due in 60 days.  Thank you for the support you have given us.

Dec. 10, 2018:  Six of us spent last weekend in Peoria, IL doing preliminary staging of our DXpedition equipment.  This involved unloading the ill-fated Bouvet DXpedition sea container; sorting items for disposal, sale, or use on Pitcairn; and then re-loading the items we will take to Pitcairn Island.  Those of us participating in the exercise were N4GRN, K9CT, W0GJ, N9TK, W8HC, and K0IR.

We will return just after the Dayton Hamvention to inventory our equipment, double check it, and then repack it in a smaller, 20 ft. sea container.  The container will be shipped to New Zealand in June so its contents can be put aboard the RV Braveheart in early August.  The gear will come ashore with us on Pitcairn in October.  See the photos below.

Our DXpedition dates are looking more and more like the last two weeks of October of 2019.

Nov. 8, 2018:  It’s getting busy, as it always does in DXpedition planning.  The foundation of the website is in place and our Facebook and Twitter outlets are up and running.  We are waiting to get our exact sailing dates from Mangareva so we can schedule our air travel.  Our budget is coming together as is our operational plan. 

It appears we can incorporate EME into our operation and we have begun to plan accordingly.  60 meters is also on the agenda and we are committed to DXpedition mode FT8 operation.

Hopefully next month several us will meet to begin equipment sorting and staging for container shipment.

WOW!  Some of you have already sent us a contribution and the Long Island DX Association has become the first club to support us.  Thank you, thank you.

Again, LETS HAVE SOME FUN WITH THIS!