DX Engineering Salutes Bouvet Island 3Y0Z Team…Looks Forward to Next Attempt

As any Ham Radio operator knows, sometimes the best laid plans fall prey to forces beyond their control. Such was the case with the 2018 Bouvet Island 3Y0Z DXpedition.

Many years of planning, a well-seasoned 20-member team, and a ship full of high-performance gear proved no match for less than hospitable weather and, most notably, problems with one of the ship’s engines.

Winds clocking in at 45 knots (52 MPH), thick fog, and rough seas that pitched the vessel 30 degrees made it impossible for on-board helicopters to safely take off and land the team and its equipment on the island. Despite the weather, the well-prepared and trained team was ready at the first sign of a break to continue the DXpedition. But on February 3, the captain of the MV Betanzos, citing problems with the ship, called off the mission, sending the hobbled craft on its slow trek back to civilization. The team posted the following:

“No improvement was predicted in the weather forecast for the next 4 days. Then, last night, an issue developed in one of the ship's engines. This morning, the captain of the vessel declared it unsafe to continue with our project and aborted the DXpedition… As you might imagine, the team is deeply disappointed, but safe. There is already talk about rescheduling the DXpedition."

To avoid the possibility of running into ice, the ship travelled north to Cape Town, South Africa, rather than to its original destination of Punta Arenas, Chile. After spending a month on the ship, the team came ashore Saturday, February 17. Prior to arrival, Bob Allphin, K4UEE, wrote:

“When we depart the vessel on Saturday, that will be our 31st day aboard the ship. Needless to say, we are ready to set foot on dry, un-moving ground once again. Ralph [Ralph Fedor, K0IR] and I are very proud of this team. They have endured many hardships since departing home in early January. They have been patient and resilient and good company. There will be more updates in the future, as we begin to unravel this attempt and plan our subsequent strategy.”

We at DX Engineering extend our heartfelt thanks to the entire 3Y0Z team for the brave effort to help DXers worldwide put Bouvet in their log books. For the thousands of Amateur Radio operators around the globe who hoped to make this rarer-than-rare contact, we share your disappointment but look forward to supporting future plans for taking another crack at Bouvet Island, the second most-wanted DXCC entity.

Whenever the next 3Y0Z DXpedition occurs, DX Engineering’s custom designed and fabricated 90-foot top-loaded 160M vertical antenna and antenna support structures made to handle the wind load of a full-size, three element 20M Yagi antenna will be ready to make the trip.

“All of us at DX Engineering remain committed to fully supporting DXpeditions and helping our fellow Hams take part in this exciting part of Amateur Radio,” said Tim Duffy, K3LR, DX Engineering’s Chief Operating Officer. “You can’t predict the weather, but you can count on us to be there for you when the next DXpedition comes around.”

DX Engineering will be providing critical equipment to the KH1/KH7Z Baker Island 2018 DXpedition. The DXpedition to Baker Island, the fourth most-wanted DXCC entity, is scheduled for June.