Editor’s Note: Every month, DX Engineering
features QSL cards from our team members’ personal collections. To highlight
upcoming DXpeditions, we’ll be displaying a few of our favorite cards along
with details about what it took to make these contacts. We’re excited to share
some of the special cards pulled from the thousands we’ve received over the
years. We look forward to seeing your cards as well!
Ogasawara QRV in May
In a couple of weeks, DXers will have the opportunity to add Ogasawara Islands to their list of DXCC entities. The JD1BQA DXpedition, operated by JH3QFL from Komagari, Chichijima (IOTA AS-031) is scheduled to be active from May 1-7 on 160, 80, 40, 6M; FT8/FT4 plus satellite (RS-44, CW).
The 30 subtropical and tropical islands comprising Ogasawara Islands, also known as Bonin Islands, lie 540 miles south of Tokyo. There are about 2,000 people living on Chichijima, one of only two inhabited islands in the archipelago. The 9.1-square-mile island is 150 miles north of Iwo Jima. “Jima” is the Japanese word for “island.”
Ogasawara is the 118th Most Wanted DXCC Entity according to Clublog (March). Chichijima’s role in communications history can be traced back to World War II. The island served as the primary site for long range Japanese radio stations. You can read more in James Bradley’s book, Flyboys: A True Story of Courage, about a group of WWII pilots, including George H. W. Bush. In addition, an 82-foot radio telescope, operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, is located on Chichijima.
Here are a few QSL cards pulled from the collections of the active Hams at DX Engineering:
Mark, W8BBQ, customer/technical support specialist, reached JD1BLY in December 2011 on 30/15M CW.
Tom, KB8UUZ, technical writer, made contact with JD1BMH on New Year’s Eve 2015:
Dave, K8DV, customer/technical support specialist, reached JD1AMA in November 2006 on 20M CW:
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