This certainly qualifies as one of those rare moments in amateur radio. Consider a group of islands, any group of islands and ask yourself the question if you’ve ever worked all the islands in that particular island chain. Most of us would likely say that we’ve never worked all the islands in a single group, let alone have had the opportunity to work all the islands from the same chain of islands during a single weekend.
- Put the weekend of September 29-30,2012 on your calendar, as this may truly be one of those once in a lifetime DX events you would like to have bragging rights to in the years to come.
They’re calling it the Azores 9 Islands Hunt. A group of hams from eight different countries has been involved in the organization of the event. By working all nine islands you get a DX entity for having worked any of the nine. This 305 mile chain of islands will also give you credit for three IOTA groupings and, of course, bragging rights to the whole kit and caboodle.
There’s also a deeper and even more meaningful purpose to the events of the weekend. Amateur radio has played a role in providing communications during natural disasters for over 100 years. The Azores 9 Islands Team will be there to promote the role amateurs have played and continue to play during natural disasters. And they happen do be promoting emergency communications and preparedness in the Azores for reasons well aware to those inhabitants of these island communities. The Azores find themselves on three tectonic plates, making the islands susceptible to tremendous earthquakes, along with the accompanying mudslides. Such catastrophic events have forced the evacuation of the islands in times past.
Although the team will be on the islands and on the air sometime during the day of September 28, actual formal operation is scheduled for 24 hours and will take place from Saturday, September 29, from 00:00Z, with operations concluding at 00:00Z on the 30th. All nine islands will see operation on both CW and SSB on 40, 20 and 17 meters.
CW: 7.000-7.015 Mhz; 18.080-18.090 Mhz; 14.050-14.065 Mhz
SSB: 7.175-7.195 Mhz; 18.120-18.135 Mhz; 14.250-14.275 Mhz
- Santa Maria – CU1ARM
San Miguel – CU2ARA
Terceira – CU3URA
Graciosa – CU4ARG
Sao Jorge – CU5AM
Pico – CU6GRP
Faial – CU7CRA
Flores – CU8ARF
Corvo – CU9AC
Operators will include multiple participants from the Azores, as well as operators from Finland, Norway, USA, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Belgium and Great Britain.The team will be using ClubLog while the operation is underway, giving you the opportunity to query the log to better ascertain which stations you’ve worked and which islands you still need in order to work all nine. To access the log click here.
QSL info: you may QSL via the bureau or direct to Jose Melo, CU2CE.
Special prizes will be awarded. See the 9 Islands official site for more details.
The project is organized by the Azores-Finland Friendship Consortium working in partnership with the Amateur Radio Associations of the Azores.
