CY0S Team will be active from Sable Island, IOTA NA - 063, 20 - 29 March 2023.
Team - WA4DAN, W0GJ, N2TU, K4ZLE, W4DKS, WW2DX, W2GD.
They will operate on All Bands, CW, SSB, FT8, EME, Sat.
QSL via WA4DAN, ClubLog OQRS, LOTW.
Earlier planned they will use CY0C call sign.
CY0S Sable Island News 8 June 2023
The CY0S QSL cards have arrived from the printing company and K5DHY and WA4DAN are hard at work processing the QSL requests. Hundreds of CY0S QSL cards are being mailed everyday through the US Post Office. This process will continue seven days a week until all QSL requests are answered. We anticipate having all OQRS and direct requests completed by the end of June. We started with over 7000 QSL requests with more arriving everyday. Please be patient as we work through the backlog. We are working quite a few hours a day to get this completed. The CY0S card has six panels with two folds with a wonderful Sable Island horse on the front. You will see others throughout the card, enjoy! At the time of the CY0S DXpedition, there were 550 wild horses on the island.
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island News 31 March 2023
Departure day for the CY0S team is Friday, March 31. The Vision Air Services Sikorsky helicopter will arrive at 1200Z for five of the team members. The other three team members will be departing around 1500Z on the Sable Aviation fixed wing aircraft. One station will continue to be operational until final verification of the flights is determined. The latest count of contacts at 0100Z was 84,295. The final tally will be a little higher.
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island News 30 March 2023 Part 2
As of 0730Z, the CY0S DXpedition team had 78,089 Q's in the log. Because of the uncertainty of the weather and departing the island on Friday, the team will not take down any antennas today. The team will await word this evening from Parks Canada, Sable Aviation and Vision Air Services. All three of our Sable partners are absolutely the best to work with and their assistance has greatly contributed to our success.
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island News 30 March 2023
Both flights scheduled for a Thursday departure off Sable Island have been canceled. Weather in Halifax, Nova Scotia is the issue. Friday's departure from Sable Island is entirely dependent on the weather and the condition of the beach landing area. The CY0S team continues to operate with a full complement of antennas. Packing for departure had begun but was suspended. As of this afternoon the CY0S team had over 76,000 Q's in the log. We will send updates as we receive new information.
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island News 28 March 2023
As of 0600Z the CY0S team had 63,338 Q's. We had a very productive first night on 60 meters with all areas of the world being worked.15 and 17 meters were simply incredible on Monday. Japan was still being worked at 10 PM local time (0100Z) on 15 meters. The team has been talking with Parks Canada about the departure which is scheduled for Thursday morning. Weather will dictate the departure, so the team needs to be ready on short notice. Some antennas will be taken down later Wednesday afternoon and evening. All four stations remain operational, and all antennas are working very well.
CY0S.
CY0S Sable Island News 27 March 2023
Over the past weekend our CY0S Sable Island operator team participated in a 48 hour International Radio Contest and successfully completed nearly 8,000 contacts with other ham operators on all continents.
CY0S WPX PH 2023 Multi-operator Multi Transmitter.
73s W2GD/CY0S.
CY0S Sable Island News 25 March 2023
The CY0S team has reached the half way point of their Sable Island DXpedition. The large geomagnetic event certainly made it more challenging but the team continues with four stations as much as possible. The anticipated high winds hit the island on Friday making it extremely difficult to do any work outside. The team has two stations dedicated to the WPX SSB contest this weekend. The team will concentrate the two contest stations in the US General band. Team member W2GD reports the pileups on CW rival any DXpedition he has participated in.
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island 24 March 2023
CY0S Team will be active from Sable Island in CQ WW WPX SSB Contest, 25 - 26 March 2023.
They will operate in MO Category.
CY0S Sable Island News 23 March 2023
With much disappointment, the CY0S team had to abandon the real time logging updates. The internet on Sable is not stable enough and drops out fairly regularly. This caused many issues. We also had an issue with one laptop which has been replaced. All logs will be sent to Bill K5DHY about every six hours. We apologize that we were not able to do what we wanted to do with the logs. Hopefully we won't have any more interruptions taking down our computers.
We have four HF stations set up as well as a Six meter, Satellite and a 2 meter EME station. We spent all day Tuesday assembling and installing antennas. All were completed by late afternoon. The team settled into their operating schedule at 0000Z on Wednesday.
While the weather has been good the last three days, high winds are forecast for Friday and Friday evening. We have begun to take the necessary precautions to the antennas and antenna masts. All guy lines have been tightened and the 42-inch anchor posts driven deeper into the sand.
Another update will be posted on Friday.
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island News 22 March 2023
CY0S Team are aware of the FT8 issue regarding time synch. It appears one of the laptops refuses to keep time so they will swap it over soon. First log is uploaded.
CY0S Sable Island News 21 March 2023 Part 2
After a late arrival on Sable Island, the CY0S team was welcomed to the island with 40 Knot winds. The wind and blowing sand were so strong, the Britten Norman Islander aircraft could not depart the island until the sand was shoveled away from its tires. The strong winds made it very difficult doing antenna assembly and installation. The team was able to install a 30-meter inverted L and a Cushcraft A3WS for 12/17. On Tuesday, the team hopes to install four or five additional antennas, depending on the wind. Please be patient while we work through the cold and windy conditions.
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island News 21 March 2023
CY0S DX Pedition start their activity from Sable Island.
CY0S Sable Island 20 March 2023 Part 2
Last minute update
Five members of the CY0S team departed Halifax, Nova Scotia at 1300Z. The Sable Aviation flight with three team members and all gear will be delayed by a few hours due to the condition of the beach landing area. Parks Canada is optimistic that the condition of the landing area will improve in a few hours with a favorable wind direction. The Sable Aviation flight hopes to depart Halifax by 1700Z.
The delay with the Sable Aviation flight will push back the start of the radio operation by a few hours. The CY0S team hopes to get 2-3 stations on the air by dark. Most of the antenna work will occur tomorrow. Please be patient as there are a lot of antennas to install.
The winds remain around 30 Knots.
More later....
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island 20 March 2023
The CY0S DXpedition team assisted the crew of Sable Aviation in loading the Britten Norman Islander fixed wing aircraft Sunday afternoon. The issue right now is the beach landing area is flooded with water from the recent Nor'easter storm. Parks Canada will be checking the condition of the landing area first thing Monday morning. The team has also chartered the Vision Air Services Sikorsky helicopter. That flight is scheduled to depart for Sable sometime after 10 AM Monday morning. The team will issue an update later this morning.
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island News 19 March 2023
Four members of the CY0S DXpedition team arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Saturday afternoon. The remaining four team members will arrive on Sunday morning. On Sunday, the CY0S team will be briefed on the weather forecast for Monday. Currently, the wind forecast looks challenging. The team was also notified that the all-important weigh-in will happen on Sunday afternoon. This weigh-in will determine how much gear can be transported to the island. Another update will be available later Sunday afternoon or evening.
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island News 11 March 2023
Everything remains on schedule for the Sable Island CY0S DXpedition from March 20-30, 2023. All radio gear, antennas and personal gear has been packed and is ready for transport to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The team continues to work on the extremely tight weight restrictions. Our goal is to have five HF stations operational. This remains a huge weight challenge as we are right at the maximum allowable limit. If we are over the weight limit we may have to leave one of the five stations behind in Halifax. This has not be an easy process. Each operator is extremely limited in the amount of personal gear that can be taken to the island. This is made even more challenging because of the cold winds on Sable in March. To further reduce weight, all meals will be of the freeze dried variety.
Sable Aviation was able to fly to the island this morning on a supply run. This is very good news as it means there was enough usable beach to land the vintage Britten Norman Islander aircraft. We all hope the beach landing area remains dry and that there are no storms in the next ten days. Any storm has the potential to flood the landing area.
The team is approaching 95% of its fundraising goal. Check out all of the foundations, club and individual supporters on our website at cy0s.com. Let us know if you need any particular band slots. Donations are still very much appreciated to offset the high cost of this DXpedition.
CY0S Sable Island News 2 March 2023
All gear has been packed and is ready for transport to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The DXpedition team is working some last-minute details. All travel arrangements have been finalized. The team has now reached 90% of its fundraising goal. Many thanks to all of the new club and individual sponsors. Donations are still very much welcome and appreciated and can be made through our website at: cy0s com
The team is still managing the critical weight allowance on the two aircraft. It's going to be extremely tight!
The team is working on their plans for arrival on Sable. The first day will see limited activity due to antenna construction. Weather always plays a big factor getting to the island and working on the island. The weather has been quite active in the Halifax area with a lot of snow and more snow forecast.
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island News 23 February 2023
Because of some scheduling issues, we had to replace several of the team operators. Bob K4UEE, Pat N2IEN and San K5YY join our "off-island" team and we are delighted they will be able to assist before, during and after the DXpedition. Thanks for all your efforts.
Contest Hall of Fame Member, Craig K9CT, joins the CY0S DXpedition team. Welcome aboard Craig! The team hopes to announce another addition to the operating team on Thursday. With a total of eight operators, the weight allocation the team is allowed on the two aircraft is being pushed to the limit. We have already earmarked a few items that may not make it to the island. We are continuing to work on lighter solutions on certain pieces of gear
The CY0S DXpedition team is very pleased to announce that John W2GD has joined our on- island team. John is our second team member that is in the Contest Hall of Fame. John brings a wealth of contest and DXpedition experience to the team. Final preparations continue at a quickening pace as it is just three weeks before team members begin their journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The team reports it has now reached 85% of its financial goal. It's not too late to support the CY0S DXpedition.
Any support will be greatly appreciated and can be made through our website at: cy0s.com. Lou N2TU has the CY0S DXpedition Facebook page up and running. More photos were added with some of the gear and antennas.
CY0S Sable Island News 12 February 2023
Parks Canada - Sable Island has agreed to add one day to the length of stay on Sable Island for the CY0S DXpedition team. The start date is still March 20 and the end date is now March 30, 2023. The CY0S team would like to thank the Operations Manager for Sable Island in approving this extension. Parks Canada understands the scope of our plans and has been very cooperative in providing the CY0S team with specific details, as needed. As always is the case with Sable Island, weather conditions will be the determining factor in the length of stay on the island. We may have our stay shortened, our stay to remain as noted or our stay even extended beyond the departure date of March 30. The team is preparing, as best we can, for very strong winds. March can be very turbulent around Sable Island. Both Sable Aviation and Vision Air Services have approved the new length of stay plans. Travel plans to Halifax, Nova Scotia have been finalized for the team members.
Fundraising is ongoing and the team is pleased to report it has reached 80% of its goal. The Matching program for all donations has been a great success and is still in effect. Thank you to all foundations, clubs and individuals in helping fund the CY0S DXpedition. Contributions can still be made through our website: cy0s.com
73,
Murray WA4DAN
CY0S Sable Island News 8 February 2023
Lee WW2DX provided an update on the Six meter, 2M and satellite operations during the CY0S DXpedition.
6 Meters:
50.313 MHz FT8 (With three element InnoV Yagi + 500 watts)
2 Meters:
EME: 144.144 MHz JT65B (1st priority when moon is up) 2 X 9 element Yagi's by Dual + 1KW + IC-9700 + LNA
FT8: 144.174 MHz
SSB/CW: 144.205 MHz
Satellite:
Will attempt between moon passes and try to post at (hams.at) if internet is up and available. Updates and chat will be announced soon
This update has also been posted on the CY0S website: cy0s.com and click on "CY0S Frequencies" page
Fundraising is ongoing, and all donations, which will be matched, can be made through the CY0S website
The weather on Sable has been quite active with snow, and sustained winds often over 30 knots, with gusts between 40-50 knots, just as it was on Tuesday
73,
Murray WA4DAN
2023 Sable Island CY0S DXpedition Team Leader
CY0S Sable Island News 2 February 2023
The CY0S DXpedition received great news on Tuesday. Parks Canada - Sable Island has approved the 2M EME operation from the island. It has been many years since any EME activity has taken place from CY0. Lee WW2DX is the team's EME op and he is ecstatic about the approval and being able to give so many EME DX'ers a new one. Parks Canada conducted a frequency study and concluded that the high power levels on 2M EME shouldn't create a problem. The CY0S team also provided Parks Canada with every frequency from 1.8 MHz to Six meters that the team will use and these were all approved as well. Obviously, if interference issues arise, the team will work to correct the interference problem. Because of the very strict weight limits on the two aircraft, Lee has been very busy retooling the EME antenna array to lessen the overall weight. The CY0S team has been managing the weight issue, and according to our calculations, we are now under the weight limit.
Fundraising continues to go well with the Matching program in place.
Any donations made to the CY0S DXpedition will automatically be matched. The team is now at 65% of their fundraising goal of $37,500.
CY0S Sable Island News 29 January 2023
Work continues at a fast pace for the March 20-29, 2023 CY0S DXpedition. This week the team completed the fabrication of the 42-inch long anchor posts, each with galvanized eye bolts, for securing the antenna masts and the Spiderbeams. The Spiderbeams will be used for supporting the low band antennas. Four additional antenna masts will be erected for the three Hygain monoband Yagi's, as well as a Cushcraft A3WS for 12/17 meters. Sable is comprised entirely of sand so extra long supports are needed in the loose sand. Sable Island has no trees to block or dampen the strong winds the island experiences in the winter. Winds of 40 Knots or more are common in the winter. The team reports it has reached 60% of its fundraising goal. Contributors are reminded that the CY0S DXpedition has a unique Matching program for donations. Any donations made to the CY0S Dxpedition are matched, effectively doubling the initial donation. Thanks to a very generous DX'er for making this possible!
CY0S Sable Island News 22 January 2023
A very busy time for the CY0S DXpedition team. DX Engineering, one of our major sponsors, was able to locate and ship a Cushcraft A3WS 12-17 meter Yagi. We received the A3WS this past week and assembly and testing will begin this week. After a period of testing, the Hygain LJ- 203-BA, Hygain LJ-153-BA and the Hygain LJ-105 CA monoband Yagi's were disassembled and placed in their respective ski bags. The Yagi antennas were only disassembled enough to be able to fit in the long bags. Once the Cushcraft A3WS is assembled and checked out, it too will be placed in its own ski bag.
The CY0S team has been working closely with both Sable Aviation and Vision Air Services on the plans for the flights to Sable Island on the morning of March 20. The team member assignments were made for each aircraft. Five of the team members will fly to Sable on the Sable Aviation Britten Norman Islander and three team members will fly on the Vision Air Services Sikorsky helicopter. The team lost some of its payload capacity due to requirement of wearing immersion suits and the need to add one extra bench seat to the Islander. We now have an absolute payload capacity limit of 2930 lbs (this includes the weight of the operators) and we are over that weight limitation. We are identifying areas where we can reduce weight. The team had previously committed to eating lightweight freeze dried meals for the duration of the DXpedition.
The CY0S team has now reached the 60% level of our fundraising goal of $37,500. The total cost of the DXpedition is estimated at $75,000. Both Sable Aviation and Vision Air Services added fuel surcharges due to the continued high cost of fuel. Donations are very much appreciated
CY0S Sable Island 22 November 2022
On Monday, November 21, Sharon Taratula with the ARRL pre-approved the March 2023 Sable Island CY0S DXpedition for DXCC. The CY0S team submitted to the ARRL the official letter from the Parks Canada-Sable Island manager authorizing the DXpedition. Sable Aviation provided the necessary landing permission, and the team provided the CY0S license permit. One note, due to the always uncertain nature of the weather on and around Sable Island, the team was approved for the dates of March 20-April 5th in case of delays. The scheduled dates for the DXpedition are still March 20-29, 2023as has been previously advertised. The team has the CY0S QRZ page up and operational. Updates to the QRZ page will be made in the coming weeks.
The overall cost of this DXpedition is now $70,000 US dollars. Both Sable Aviation and Vision Air Services have advised there will be a price increase in 2023 for the flights to the island. We hope to have those new cost figures in December. Please remember that any contributions to the CY0S DXpedition will be matched by an anonymous DX'er. A $100 donation is automatically doubled for a total of $200! This donation match is good up until our departure for Sable Island on Monday, March 20, 2023.
Last week, K4UEE and WA4DAN met up in Columbia, SC to transfer the low band antenna materials. Bob and Murray also discussed the plan for arrival day on the island. WX is almost always an issue on Sable. The average high temperature on the island in March is 3 degrees C with winds of 25 to 30 knots or 55 KM. The METAR on Sable today indicated 28 knot winds with gusts to 38 knots. Winds can gust much higher than that so extra care must be taken with the installation of the antennas and antenna mast. Safety first!
CY0S Sable Island News 2 September 2022
The 2023 Sable Island CY0S DXpedition team is very pleased to announce that DX Engineering is a major sponsor of the DXpedition. Many thanks to Tim K3LR, Teri K8MNJ and all the fine folks at DX Engineering for their most generous and overwhelming support for the CY0S DXpedition.
DX Engineering is providing low band antennas, bandpass filters, coaxial cables, guying materials and many other items. Many thanks to the DX Engineering team! Planning continues to go well for the DXpedition. One of the unique aspects of the Sable DXpedition effort is the weight limits the team must meet. The team is allowed two flights to get team members, equipment, antennas, antenna mast, coaxial cables, food and personal gear to the island. One flight will be with Sable Aviation on their Britten Norman Islander twin engine aircraft. The other flight will be on the Vision Air Services Sikorsky SK-76A helicopter. The total weight allowance for the two aircraft is
2965 lbs. which includes the weight of each team member. This somewhat limits what the team is allowed to carry to the island. In order to conserve weight, team members will be bringing freeze dried meals and MRE's for the nine day DXpedition. The team is continually fine tuning and prioritizing the gear that will be taken to the island. It's a challenge to be able to take all that is needed and come under the weight limits.
CY0S Sable Island News 14 May 2022
As announced previously, the 2022 Sable Island CY0S DXpedition has been formally approved for this October/November. As soon as the exact dates are determined by Parks Canada, we will release them to the DX community. Parks Canada is extremely busy with maintenance projects which have priority. Environment Canada completely automated their Sable weather station in 2019 so they no longer have personnel on the island. As planning continues, the CY0S team faces significant costs. This is by far the most expensive CY0DXpedition ever. The budget for this DXpedition is $65,000. The team will charter the Sable Aviation fixed wing aircraft as well as the Vision Air Sikorsky SK76 helicopter. The team will require two round trip flights with Sable Aviation and two round trip flights with Vision Air. These charters are at a very significant cost. Additionally, Parks Canada charges for the use of the Visitor Quarters next to the Sable Station. The team members have committed to paying a minimum of 50% of the cost of the DXpedition. Currently, our fund raising is just starting to ramp up. We encourage DX'ers worldwide who need Sable Island to support our efforts. It's been a long six years with trying to make this DXpedition a reality. The team has had to overcome many obstacles.
CY0C Sable Island News 15 March 2022
The DXpedition has been authorized, however, the exact date is not yet been provided. The request is for October 2022. Indications have been positive, however, there are still issues for Parks Canada as to the schedule due to Parks projects on the island that will take priority. They are working hard to get the DXpedition scheduled
CY0C Sable Island News 18 July 2020
CY0C DX Pedition to Sable Island postponed until October 2021.
CY0C Sable Island News 25 May 2020
Many have asked about the impact COVID-19 could have to the Sable Island Dxpedition scheduled for October.
We are routinely in contact with Parks Canada and cautiously optimistic for October at this time. Certainly, matters can change quickly.
However, if the dxpedition schedule is delayed due to COVID-19 regulations, we have been assured by Parks Canada that they will work with us to reschedule the Dxpedition. The team has been polled, and all agree that they will be able to comply to revised dates. Currently the border between Canada and USA is closed until June 21. Shortly after that date, we hope to have a firm decision for October assuming no additional regulations for travel, etc are placed into effect.
Randy N0TG
CY0C Sable Island News
CY0C - Sable Island Permission for a Dxpedition has been authorized for Fall of 2020. Team leader - WA4DAN. Some time ago, we had scheduled fall of 2019 for Sable. Due to circumstances we had to reschedule to 2020. Hopefully this will be better for propagation. The permit process took over a year of emailing, phone calls, and furnishing documents. Sable at this point is no longer easily "permitted" for Ham Radio DXpeditions, as the policies have changed with the change in administration. In fact our permit finally was graciously authorized as a "one time special use permit". We believe that it is very probable that permits in the future may be esentially "nil" for a very long time. Among other policies, visitors to the island are not permitted overnight stays. Thankfully, we have been authorized to stay there for 7 - 8 days ( $300 per person per day). We are grateful and excited and look forward to meeting the challenge of a sizeable operation as if it were the last one for a very long time. The team for the upcoming CY9C St. Paul Island August Dxpedition will be the primary makeup of the Sable team. A "SABLE" information page will be maintained on the St. Paul website, https://cy9c.com This news update is provided at the request of Murray, WA4DAN-Sable and St. Paul Team Leader. Thanks, Randy N0TG