8Q7UM from MJ63sl Maldives is.
Hello to all 23 cm EME enthusiasts,
I’ll be active from the Maldives from November 3rd to 9th.
I adjusted the schedule to coincide with the traditionally high activity during the ARRL EME Contest.
As far as I know, the last activity from there was 8Q7QQ about 15 years ago — they used a small antenna and made only 14 QSOs. I hope this time the expedition will be more popular and give many a chance to work 8Q7UM.
The QTH on Keyodhoo Island is located on the flat roof of a hotel, providing clear views toward both moonrise and moonset.
This time, I’ll be operating only on 23 cm. I’m also bringing a CW key, so once digital activity slows down, I can switch to CW on request.
++++++++++++++
The flight went smoothly. At Malé Airport, I discovered red stickers on two of my four suitcases: “Check at Customs and Declare.”
I braced myself for a long and tedious conversation with customs. I immediately pulled out a copy of the license I’d received, went to the “red corridor,” placed my suitcases on the scanner, and handed the license copy to the officer. And then—miracle! No questions, no delays. “Take your bags and welcome to the Maldives!”
That’s when I knew: if everything went this smoothly here, something must have gone wrong with the equipment. I’ve seen this pattern before.
No exceptions, no alternatives!!!
At the airport, I was warmly greeted by 8Q7PR Ibrahim Rasheed (“Parker”), who helped me obtain my license and brought the original. A very kind and pleasant man. He got his first license the year I was born! If anyone’s planning to get licensed and operate in the Maldives, don’t hesitate to contact him—he’s incredibly helpful.
The ferry to the island departs in three hours, at 4:00 PM, so I’ll arrive around 6:00 PM—already dark by then. After a 16-hour journey, I doubt I’ll have the energy to set up the station and install the antenna. And indeed, after checking in, I had no strength left to climb onto the roof in the dark and haul four suitcases up there.
The moon rises around 4:00 PM local time, so I went diving in the morning and started preparing around noon. The place isn’t bad, except that the room I’d booked and paid for on the third floor—with direct access to the roof—was occupied, and they put me one floor lower. Which means I’ll now be running up the spiral staircase to the next floor about 500 times a night to check the antenna’s position and condition. :-)
My hunch was right—I started connecting all the equipment. There were two options:
Place the amplifier and RF module from the IC-905 on the roof under a tent, or
Extend the TX and RX cables and set everything up downstairs.
In the first case, I risk not being able to shut things down quickly if it rains, plus I’d have to take everything down after each moon pass.
So I add a 7-meter TX cable (losing about 1 dB) and find a 15-meter piece of RG58 to extend the RX.
I power it on—no reception! The LNA isn’t working. Since it’s powered through the coax, I realize the extended RX cable is causing a major voltage drop. I quickly power the LNA separately—
Hurray, reception restored!
Then I turn on the rotator controller and realize it didn’t survive the flight. Azimuth works, but the elevation sensor’s gone haywire, probably due to moisture. I’ll have to run to the roof every 5–10 minutes to adjust elevation manually—but I’m used to that ;-)
Luckily, the moon is clearly visible, so I quickly zero in, call CQ, and find there’s no internet. I start anyway, then deploy the Starlink I brought with me.
JA4LJB calls right away, but then… silence. I’m pretty sure I’m hitting the moon, though.
Eventually, I realize the extended RX cable is introducing too much loss.
I remove it, move the antenna closer to the roof edge, and use just the original 7-meter piece—finally, solid reception again!
2025-11-04,13:22:30,2025-11-04,13:24:59,JA4LJB,PM74,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,14:03:00,2025-11-04,14:05:41,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.101000,Q65,-28,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,14:05:00,2025-11-04,14:09:56,RA4HL,LO43,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,14:21:15,2025-11-04,14:21:59,RW9OG,NO14,1296.103000,FT8,-26,-25,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,14:24:00,2025-11-04,14:28:00,UA9YLU,MO92,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:08:00,2025-11-04,15:12:00,UA3PTW,,1296.101000,Q65,-08,-11,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:14:00,2025-11-04,15:18:00,YL2GD,,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:18:00,2025-11-04,15:22:00,OK1USW,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:24:00,2025-11-04,15:28:00,IK3COJ,JN65,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:32:00,2025-11-04,15:36:00,JS6UJS,PL24,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:34:00,2025-11-04,15:38:00,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:39:00,2025-11-04,15:43:56,HB9Q,JN47,1296.101000,Q65,-02,-12,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:42:00,2025-11-04,15:46:00,IK7EZN,,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:52:00,2025-11-04,15:56:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:54:00,2025-11-04,15:57:08,IK2DDR,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,15:56:00,2025-11-04,16:00:00,G0LBK,,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,16:03:00,2025-11-04,16:07:56,OK1VUM,JN79,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,16:06:00,2025-11-04,16:10:00,SM5DGX,,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-10,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,16:12:00,2025-11-04,16:16:00,ZS6JON,KG33,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,16:16:00,2025-11-04,16:20:00,ZS4TX,KG30,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,16:20:00,2025-11-04,16:24:00,ES3RF,KO29,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,16:24:00,2025-11-04,16:28:00,BA7NQ,OL63,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,16:28:00,2025-11-04,16:32:00,G4CCH,,1296.101000,Q65,-11,-14,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,16:35:00,2025-11-04,16:39:56,OK1IL,JN69,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,16:38:00,2025-11-04,16:42:00,PA3FXB,JO33,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,16:56:00,2025-11-04,17:00:00,ZS5Y,KF59,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:03:00,2025-11-04,17:05:00,ON4AOI,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:05:00,2025-11-04,17:07:00,JA6AHB,PM53,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:07:00,2025-11-04,17:09:00,DM2CFH,,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-13,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:10:00,2025-11-04,17:12:00,PE1L,,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:12:30,2025-11-04,17:14:59,DF3RU,JN59,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-10,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:14:00,2025-11-04,17:16:00,DK0ZAB,,1296.101000,Q65,-10,-16,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:16:00,2025-11-04,17:18:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:18:00,2025-11-04,17:20:00,IQ2DB,JN45,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:20:00,2025-11-04,17:22:00,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-17,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:22:00,2025-11-04,17:24:00,I2FAK,,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:25:00,2025-11-04,17:27:00,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.101000,Q65,-12,-17,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:27:00,2025-11-04,17:29:00,DG0FE,,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:30:00,2025-11-04,17:32:00,OE9ERC,,1296.101000,Q65,-03,-10,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:32:00,2025-11-04,17:34:00,PA0PLY,JO32,1296.101000,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:34:00,2025-11-04,17:36:00,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:38:30,2025-11-04,17:40:59,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-21,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:40:30,2025-11-04,17:42:59,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:42:00,2025-11-04,17:44:00,DL8FBD,JO40,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:44:00,2025-11-04,17:46:00,SM6CKU,,1296.101000,Q65,-08,-10,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:46:30,2025-11-04,17:48:00,LA3EQ,JO28,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:50:30,2025-11-04,17:52:59,DL3EBJ,JO31,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-15,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:52:00,2025-11-04,17:54:00,SP7EXY,,1296.101000,Q65,-13,-15,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:54:00,2025-11-04,17:56:00,G4YTL,IO92,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,17:56:30,2025-11-04,17:58:59,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.101000,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,18:00:30,2025-11-04,18:02:59,F5KUG,JN03,1296.101000,Q65,-20,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,18:05:00,2025-11-04,18:07:00,SP5GDM,,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-04,18:17:00,2025-11-04,18:21:56,RX3DR,KO85,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,
Total: 53 QSO
+++++++++++
I’ve been on the air since moonrise to cover the West Coast. It’s around 7 PM local time, so that’s no problem. There’s a full moon, making aiming easy. Unfortunately, as usual, activity from the USA is quite low.
Only AA6I was active, then a couple of VKs, and after that—a lull until the moon rose over Europe.
The antenna seems to be working well, but it’s incredibly frustrating that, since it’s on a slippery rooftop, even the slightest gust of wind can shift it a bit, throwing off my aim. So I have to keep running up the spiral staircase to check whether I’m still pointing at the moon and make corrections if needed.
Here’s what it looks like: I run up to check the bearing—just slightly off. I estimate it’s about 8–10 degrees. I run back down, manually adjust the motor on the controller, and then run back up to check. Okay, now I see I’ve under- or over-corrected. So I run down again to fine-tune the missing degrees, then back up once more to confirm that both azimuth and elevation are right. Usually, it takes three or four of these “runs” to get a good setup. And then I just pray the next gust of wind doesn’t throw it off again.
That’s why it really helps when people in the logger occasionally report my signal, even if we’ve already worked before. It’s also important to understand that if you’re running a small station, I might not see you on the waterfall. In that case, please let me know where you’re calling me. That way, I can enter your frequency into the callsign field and search for you there, instead of double-clicking through the entire 2500 Hz receive band.
That’s exactly how I managed to work GW4ZHI, who’s running a small station.
Bryn mentioned he was calling me at 800 Hz, so I quickly ran up to the roof, adjusted the azimuth, and decoded him for the first time!
By midnight local time, I had no energy left to keep running up and down.
Considering I’d already done two dives that morning, I was completely exhausted. My apologies to the East Coast—I couldn’t make it up for a 4 AM alarm. I’ll be back at my moonset tomorrow, November 6th, and of course, I’ll try to be as active as possible during the ARRL EME contest.
2025-11-05,13:25:00,2025-11-05,13:29:56,AA6I,DM06,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,13:34:00,2025-11-05,13:37:56,VK4CDI,QG63,1296.101000,Q65,-27,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,15:25:00,2025-11-05,15:29:56,RW6HM,LN14,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-15,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,15:43:00,2025-11-05,15:47:57,VK2JDS,QF46,1296.101000,Q65,-23,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,16:31:00,2025-11-05,16:35:56,DG5CST,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-11,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,16:47:00,2025-11-05,16:51:56,DK4RC,JO60,1296.101000,Q65,-09,-16,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,16:58:00,2025-11-05,17:00:01,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,17:07:00,2025-11-05,17:11:56,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,17:56:00,2025-11-05,18:00:00,PA0BAT,,1296.101000,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,18:01:00,2025-11-05,18:05:56,SV3AAF,KM17,1296.101000,Q65,-14,-21,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,18:06:00,2025-11-05,18:10:00,PE1LWT,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,18:11:00,2025-11-05,18:15:56,R1NW,KP71,1296.101000,Q65,-24,-17,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,18:17:00,2025-11-05,18:21:56,PH0V,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,18:24:00,2025-11-05,18:26:04,PE1CKK,JO22,1296.101000,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,18:32:00,2025-11-05,18:36:39,GW4ZHI,IO82,1296.101000,Q65,-25,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,18:37:00,2025-11-05,18:41:56,SP3XBO,JO81,1296.101000,Q65,-18,-17,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,18:48:00,2025-11-05,18:50:37,DK3EE,JO41,1296.101000,Q65,-15,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-05,18:57:00,2025-11-05,19:01:56,DJ3JJ,JN48,1296.101000,Q65,-29,-20,,,,,,,
18 QSO today
Total : 71 QSO
+++++++++++++++++++++
Moonrise — great weather, but almost everyone had already worked me, so it started to get a bit boring. A couple of hours later, light rain began, so I wrapped the rotator in plastic wrap (to avoid a repeat of the Korean incident). Occasionally, someone called in.
Several people had been waiting for CW, and that moment finally came. Reception was surprisingly good.
As usual, I’d forgotten my headphones, so I treated my hotel neighbors to the musical tones of Morse code. Five CW QSOs in the log.
I had about four hours left before the window to the East Coast opened, and I really wanted to sleep. But I decided to prepare anyway and turn the antenna toward moonset—completely forgetting that I’d wrapped the rotator in plastic. I ended up ripping the wires out of the motor and spent two hours on the roof in the dark repairing my poor, long-suffering rotator. ;-))
In the end, I only had about an hour and a half left for sleep and a shower. I barely managed to drag myself out of bed and climb back up to my “station in the sky.”
It seems it was worth it.
2025-11-06,15:19:00,2025-11-06,15:23:56,RD4D,LO42,1296.101008,Q65,-09,-11,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,15:33:00,2025-11-06,15:37:56,UA4AAV,LO21,1296.101008,Q65,-14,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,16:44:00,2025-11-06,16:46:01,VK3VJP,QF12,1296.101008,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,16:48:00,2025-11-06,16:52:00,RX6AIA,,1296.101008,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,17:52:00,2025-11-06,17:56:00,IK2CDI,,1296.100803,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,18:06:00,2025-11-06,18:10:04,OE3JPC,JN87,1296.100994,Q65,-26,-26,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,18:11:00,2025-11-06,18:15:56,RJ3DC,KO95,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,18:49:00,2025-11-06,18:53:56,CT1FFU,IM59,1296.101096,Q65,-21,-27,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,18:23:00,2025-11-06,18:30:56,G3LTF,,1296.101096,CW,539/529,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,18:32:00,2025-11-06,18:36:56,PI9RD,,1296.101096,CW,549/539,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,18:38:00,2025-11-06,18:41:56,OE9ERC,,1296.101096,CW,529/539,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,18:43:00,2025-11-06,18:45:56,G4CCH,,1296.101096,CW,519/529,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,18:57:00,2025-11-06,19:00:07,IK1FJI,JN44,1296.101096,Q65,-14,-27,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,19:16:00,2025-11-06,19:20:00,PA3DZL,JO21,1296.101096,Q65,-21,-21,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,23:15:00,2025-11-06,23:19:56,OK1KIR,JN79,1296.100994,Q65,-09,-08,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,23:23:00,2025-11-06,23:27:56,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-16,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,23:29:00,2025-11-06,23:33:56,W2HRO,FN20,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,23:37:00,2025-11-06,23:41:56,G4RGK,IO91,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-17,,,,,,,
2025-11-06,23:39:00,2025-11-06,23:43:56,CT1WO,IM58,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-21,,,,,,,
2025-11-07,00:01:00,2025-11-07,00:03:56,OK1KIR,,1296.101096,CW,539/539,,,,,,,
2025-11-07,00:11:00,2025-11-07,00:15:56,W3TI,FN20,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-28,,,,,,,
2025-11-07,00:37:00,2025-11-07,00:41:56,PA3HDG,JO31,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-07,00:59:00,2025-11-07,01:03:56,N4BAA,EM79,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-24,,,,,,,
2025-11-07,01:06:00,2025-11-07,01:10:00,NC1I,,1296.100994,Q65,-10,-11,,,,,,,
2025-11-07,01:11:00,2025-11-07,01:15:56,K3SK,FM07,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-07,01:33:00,2025-11-07,01:37:56,W5LUA,EM13,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-23,,,,,,,
26 QSO, 16 inits (total 87)
2025-11-07,14:55:00,2025-11-07,15:03:56,N1AV,DM43,1296.100994,Q65,-26,-27,,,,,,,
2025-11-07,15:07:00,2025-11-07,15:11:56,KH6FA,BK29,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-26,,,,,,,
2025-11-07,17:57:00,2025-11-07,18:01:56,SP3YDE,JO82,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-21,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,00:36:30,2025-11-08,00:37:30,OK1UGA,JO80,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-29,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,00:39:00,2025-11-08,00:40:28,RD4D,LO43,1296.100994,Q65,-07,-12,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,00:41:30,2025-11-08,00:42:58,DL3EBJ,JO31,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-16,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,00:43:30,2025-11-08,00:44:33,DL1HUH,JO61,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,00:44:30,2025-11-08,00:46:59,SP3YDE,JO82,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,00:51:00,2025-11-08,00:53:00,OE9ERC,,1296.100994,Q65,-13,-08,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,00:54:30,2025-11-08,00:55:37,OZ5TG,JO45,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,00:56:30,2025-11-08,00:57:32,I2FAK,JN45,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:01:30,2025-11-08,01:03:59,DL4DTU,JO60,1296.100994,Q65,-11,-16,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:05:30,2025-11-08,01:06:31,SP5GDM,KO02,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:06:30,2025-11-08,01:08:59,UA9FAD,LO88,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-15,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:08:30,2025-11-08,01:10:59,UA1ALD,KO49,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:11:30,2025-11-08,01:13:59,PA0TBR,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:24:30,2025-11-08,01:26:59,W2ZQ,FN20,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:29:30,2025-11-08,01:31:59,WA3RGQ,EL97,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:39:30,2025-11-08,01:41:59,W1FKF,FN43,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-28,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:42:30,2025-11-08,01:44:59,KN0WS,EN36,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:44:30,2025-11-08,01:46:59,DF3RU,JN59,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-16,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,01:48:30,2025-11-08,01:50:59,KA1GT,FN54,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,02:00:30,2025-11-08,02:02:58,K0PRT,DM88,1296.100994,Q65,-09,-08,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,02:11:00,2025-11-08,02:15:56,AC2AC,EL96,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-25,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,02:15:00,2025-11-08,02:19:56,K3SK,FM07,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,02:19:00,2025-11-08,02:23:56,ES3RF,KO29,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-21,,,,,,,
26 QSO, 12 inits ( total 99 )
Total : 123 QSO
2025-11-08,16:41:00,2025-11-08,16:45:56,RA4HL,LO43,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,16:58:00,2025-11-08,17:01:56,W6TCP,CM97,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-27,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,17:19:00,2025-11-08,17:23:57,KH6FA,BK29,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-27,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,17:27:00,2025-11-08,17:31:56,OK2DL,JN79,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,17:42:00,2025-11-08,17:46:00,DL0SHF,,1296.100994,Q65,-07,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,17:53:00,2025-11-08,17:57:56,OK1KKD,JO70,1296.100994,Q65,-22,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,18:04:00,2025-11-08,18:04:11,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-23,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,18:25:30,2025-11-08,18:27:59,VK2JDS,QF46,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,18:31:00,2025-11-08,18:33:00,OK1USW,,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,18:42:30,2025-11-08,18:44:59,UA3MRE,KO97,1296.100994,Q65,-28,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,18:53:00,2025-11-08,18:55:00,DL7UDA,JO62,1296.100994,Q65,-14,-17,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,18:59:30,2025-11-08,19:01:59,RX3DR,KO85,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-21,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,19:01:30,2025-11-08,19:03:59,OK1IL,JN69,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-26,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,19:26:30,2025-11-08,19:28:59,JJ3JHP,PM75,1296.100994,Q65,-13,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,19:31:30,2025-11-08,19:33:59,IZ8GGF,JN70,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-22,,,,,,,
2025-11-08,19:40:30,2025-11-08,19:42:58,OM4XA,JN98,1296.100994,Q65,-27,-28,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,00:29:30,2025-11-09,00:30:48,JQ3JWF,PM75,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,00:31:30,2025-11-09,00:32:39,PA7JB,JO22,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-19,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,00:35:30,2025-11-09,00:37:59,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,00:37:30,2025-11-09,00:39:59,IK5VLS,JN53,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-16,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,00:40:30,2025-11-09,00:42:59,ON4BCB,JO21,1296.100994,Q65,-11,-15,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,00:48:00,2025-11-09,00:49:29,LA3PNA,JO59,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-29,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,00:55:00,2025-11-09,00:56:02,PA3EXV,JO32,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,00:55:30,2025-11-09,00:57:59,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-24,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,02:33:30,2025-11-09,02:35:59,OK1DFC,JN79,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-16,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,03:01:00,2025-11-09,03:05:56,NC1I,FN32,1296.100994,Q65,-10,-12,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,03:42:00,2025-11-09,03:44:55,K5DN,EL19,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-21,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,03:48:00,2025-11-09,03:52:00,YL2GD,,1296.100994,Q65,-18,-19,,,,,,,
28 QSO 12 inits ( total 111 )
Total : 151 QSO
2025-11-09,17:27:00,2025-11-09,17:31:56,N0LWF,EN10,1296.100994,Q65,-25,-26,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,18:06:00,2025-11-09,18:08:03,KL6M,BP51,1296.100994,Q65,-21,-12,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,23:26:00,2025-11-09,23:28:00,OH3LWP,KP11,1296.100994,Q65,-19,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,23:28:30,2025-11-09,23:30:59,JH3AZC,PM85,1296.100994,Q65,-16,-18,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,23:31:30,2025-11-09,23:32:36,PA3JRK,JO33,1296.100994,Q65,-24,-24,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,23:33:00,2025-11-09,23:34:29,DL1SUZ,JO53,1296.100994,Q65,-23,-24,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,23:34:30,2025-11-09,23:36:59,F5JWF,JN26,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-09,23:44:30,2025-11-09,23:46:59,YO2LAM,KN05,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-10,00:00:00,2025-11-10,00:00:05,GM0PJD,IO85,1296.100994,Q65,-27,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-10,00:02:30,2025-11-10,00:04:59,DF2VJ,JN39,1296.100994,Q65,-20,-20,,,,,,,
2025-11-10,00:06:30,2025-11-10,00:08:59,JA4LJB,PM74,1296.100994,Q65,-15,-17,,,,,,,
2025-11-10,00:10:30,2025-11-10,00:12:28,EA8DBM,IL18OH,1296.100994,Q65,-17,-17,,,,,,,
Total : 163 QSO, 6 inits ( total 117 )
The expedition is now complete, and I’m very happy with the excellent level of activity — including during the ARRL EME contest. It was a challenging trip, as something was always breaking (as usual), but I was extremely lucky with the location.
If anyone is planning a future trip to the Maldives for radio operation, I can highly recommend the WOW Hotel. It has an open rooftop that is perfect for antenna work and is located only 15 meters from the ocean. Keep in mind that this is not a resort but a local island. You won’t find a drop of alcohol for sale, and you will be called to prayer five times a day, starting at 5 a.m. — very loudly!
Getting there is simple: a fast boat runs from Malé to the atoll three times a day, costing 50 USD one way. On the island you can pay in both USD and EUR, and there are plenty of local cafés and restaurants. The hotel is clean, relatively new, with air-conditioned rooms and good food.
If anyone wants to go diving or try big-game fishing, send me an email — I’ll be happy to share the right contacts.
A huge thank-you to everyone who supported me financially during this trip. Your help made this expedition possible:
NC1I, OK1IL, IK3COJ, AA6I, PA0BAT, PA3FXB, DK4RC, PA3DZL, N1AV, DF2VJ
Grazie Alex sei un grande ti seguo con entusiasmo . Grazie a te’ potrei sognare di arrivare a 100 dxcc 73 Iz8ggf Sal
Congrats for results Alex. Many thanks
for this new rare dxcc. GL and lot of fun for you.
Francesco IK2DDR