PRESS RELEASE
September 5, 2012
DXERS TAKING A NEW COURSE IN AZORES, SEPTEMBER 28-30, 2012
It is often said that DXers only work DX. More recently, we have seen a healthy shift toward assisting the society they visit by helping locals become stronger in Amateur Radio. Something totally new is now happening in the CU-land – the Azores.
In recent years, the Azores Islands have balanced their agriculture and livestock sectors through increased awareness of their great location and unique landscape facilitated by the development of the local infrastructure to receive more visitors from industrialized countries. Significant progress has been made in expanding tourism facilities, convention hotels and holiday resorts. The Azores are now capable of accommodating 10,500 visitors per day. Additionally, the Azorean airline (SATA) is set to serve many European destinations in addition to the US and Canada.
Radio amateurs are now stepping forward to help the Azoreans increase public awareness of all their nine islands, all within reach of SATA airline service. Forming nine country teams with the locals, a total of twenty DXers will fly in from SATA destinations to be on the air from the nine islands as part of the “Azores Nine Islands Hunt” - a unique concept to bring everyone on board globally to share what the Azores can offer. Those participating are:
K2DO, KI1U, KE3Q, N2GA, VE3DZ, VE3FWA, DJ9ZB, DF9TF, G3TXF, G7VJR, OH2BH, OH8NC, OH9MDV LB3HC, ON7LX ON7TK, ON5NT, OZ7AM and OZ1IKY together with locals: CU1AAD, CU2BV, CU2CE, CU2DX, CU3CS, CU4AB, CU5AM, CU6AB, CU7CA,CU8AAE and CU9AC
The Amateur Radio group is also set to streamline emergency communications procedures throughout the archipelago. Together with the local amateur population and administrators, they will be using this activity to test the island-to-island amateur radio network. The ARRL is sending their best resources, lending their expertise in this field.
73 Martti OH2BH