ARRL Colvin Award
We are honored to have received a significant grant from the ARRL’s Colvin Award program. The Colvin Award is funded by an endowment established by Lloyd D. Colvin, W6KG (SK).
Consistent with Mr. Colvin’s wishes and with the policies of the ARRL Board, the Colvin Award is conferred in the form of grants in support of Amateur Radio projects that promote international goodwill in the field of DX. For additional information about this award: http://www.arrl.org/colvin-award-grants
Clipperton DX Club
The Clipperton DX Club (CDXC France) has joined the list of club/foundation sponsors with a significant donation to the project. CDXC has been a long-time sponsor of PDXG DX-peditions, we appreciate the confidence CDXC has shown to our DX-pedition projects.
http://wp.cdxc.org/cdxc-history/
Corporate Sponsors
We are pleased to announce that ON5UR QSL Printing has joined our list of corporate sponsors. Max (ON5UR) is a full service QSL printer that produces high quality QSL cards in many formats, including monochrome, full color, folded / single cards at competitive pricing. We appreciate Max’s offer to be our QSL card sponsor.
Project Major Milestones
Beginning on October 24th team members will meet near Palo Alto, California to consolidate, integrate, test and pack the equipment for its transport to Punta Arenas, Chile. Arrangements were made for our customs broker to transport the equipment to their depot where a container will be prepared for the journey. Equipment shipments from European sponsors: WIMO, Spiderbeam, Mastrant, Clamcleat and Low Band Systems arrived from Europe, or via DX Engineering. The Elecraft equipment will be picked up at the factory, DX Engineering, RadioSport and Rig Expert products were previously received.
The team began making their travel arrangements to meet the Braveheart in Chile. At their own expense airline reservations are being booked, and a Punta Arenas hotel will house the team.
Braveheart left New Zealand on August 20th to meet her contractual obligations in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, including VP6R Pitcairn Island DX-pedition, first stop was Papeete, French Polynesia. She will return home sometime in April, 2020.
Antenna Strategy
Similar to our Ducie Island (VP6D) plan, the antenna team designed a strategy that considers Signy Island’s location and topography. Vertical Dipole Arrays, constructed from Spiderbeam products, will be directed towards Europe, over water. For other geographies the topology is less suitable for VDAs so instead EAntenna Moxons will be used. Low band vertical antennas, using Spiderbeam and DX Engineering products, will be used for all geographies.
Fundraising
We appreciate the response from the worldwide DX organizations. So far, forty-four clubs / foundations have signed on, and equally important are the over 350 individuals who have supported the project, especially the 41 Premier Sponsors who each donated $200(USD), or more. We still have a long way to go but we’re encouraged by the response. If you or your club aren’t listed on our website please consider a donation.
73,
Team VP8/VP8DXU
Website: https://sorkney.com/
Please direct your questions to: info@sorkney.com
