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!
Chatham Islands QRV in September
Mark your calendars for this excellent chance to put Chatham Islands in your logbook thanks to Jeff, K5WE, who will be operating as ZL7/K5WE from Kaingaroa, September 9 to 21 on 160-10M in CW, SSB, FT8, FT4, and RTTY.
As of July, the Chatham Islands (ZL7), a South Pacific archipelago of ten islands about 430 miles east of New Zealand’s South Island, ranked as the 82nd Most-Wanted DXCC Entity per Clublog. Read more about the DXpedition at its official website.
Chatham Island (Rekohu in Moriori; Wharekauri in Maori) and Pitt Island (Rangiaotea in Moriori; Rangiauria in Maori) are the archipelago’s only inhabited locations—the other eight islands are highly restricted conservation reserves. The largest number of people can be found in the town of Waitangi (177 residents), which sits on the west coast of Chatham Island. Ranking second in population is Kaingaroa, the site of the K5WE DXpedition. This small fishing village of 100 inhabitants lies at the northeastern tip of Chatham Island, has a one-teacher school, a social clubroom known for its local seafood, and soon, a ham who will likely be working through some major pileups.
Chatham Island (355 square miles), the largest island in the Chatham Islands group, was named after the HMS Chatham—the European ship captained by William Broughton that first spied Kaingaroa in 1791. The island was claimed for Great Britain.
Along with its population of 600, the island is home to the only known population of the critically endangered magenta petrel, one of the world’s rarest birds (between 80 to 100 are known to exist). The small seabird was thought to be extinct for 111 years until its rediscovery in the 1970s. Once widespread on the island, the bird is now only found in the forested Tuku Valley. Conservation efforts are in place to move the birds to a breeding site where primary threats to its survival have been removed.
Scenic Pitt Island (25 square miles) has a population of around 40 and no electricity (individual households rely on diesel generators or wind turbines). The Flower Bay Lodge, a church, and school are the only buildings other than residences on the island. Feral sheep, known as Spanish or Saxony merino sheep, also roam the land—descendants of animals brought to the island in the early 1800s.
QSL Cards
The active hams at DX Engineering have had great success contacting the Chatham Islands over the years (a good reason to contact them for help with your gear if you’d like to do the same). Here are a few of the QSL cards they pulled from their collections.
Mark, W8BBQ, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, made contact with ZL7VR in November 2010 on 15M SSB.
George, K3GP, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, made contact with ZL7II in 2004 and ZL7C in 2002. The ZL7II team recorded more than 10,000 QSOs while on Chatham Island. The 12-operator, German DX Foundation’s ZL7C DXpedition logged more than 72,200 CW, SSB, and Digital QSOs during its 12-day stay on the island.
Tom, KB8UUZ, DX Engineering technical writer, received this card from the ZL7AAA DXpedition in March 2014. The six-operator, 11-day venture netted more than 32,700 CW, SSB, and Digital QSOs.
Dave, K8DV, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, earned these Chatham Island QSL cards from ZL7T (30/20/17M CW) in March 2009 and ZL7/KH0PR in March 2007 (15M CW). The ZL7/KH0PR card represents one of the mainstays of the Chatham Island economy—sheep breeding.
Scotty, KG9Z, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist, made contact with ZL7PA from Waitangi.
Want to upgrade your DXing capabilities? The Elmers at DX Engineering are here to lend an ear. Reach out to them at Elmer@DXEngineering.com. Find everything you need at DXEngineering.com to up your game, including transceivers, antennas, amplifiers, headsets, and more.
