FT4JA Juan de Nova DX Pedition
We are about to turn the page on FT4TA. We still have a number of presentations to make to share this experience with as many people as possible.
Logistics-wise, the equipment in our 3 crates is on its way. Upon delivery, we will clean, check and repackage everything. The various debriefings with TAAF services have all been extremely positive. Our work has been appreciated in all areas and by all our interlocutors: schools, philatelic enthusiasts, and of course our primary objective: ham operators. Specific attention has been paid to present and explain our activity with the authorities, journalists and the general public. All these efforts on the side of the expedition were positively received and are obviously carriers for future activities.
The goals we set were achieved. The 71,000 contacts made it possible to pull Tromelin out of the Top 10 most wanted countries. In line with what we had announced, significant efforts were made to allow the radio amateurs of the most remote areas to work us.
Building on these positive results, we initiated a new project that has received the approval of the TAAF. We appreciate all the more the new token of confidence that 2015 is a very important year for all their services because of the celebrations for their 60th anniversary.
We are proud and happy to announce that our team was allowed to go on the island of Juan de Nova in March 2016.
The islands of Juan de Nova and Europa are one DXCC entity. Like other Scattered Islands, they have been on the air in the past mainly by the weather forecast staff as part of their professional duties. Since the automation of weather stations and the gradual disappearance of amateur radio in the military stationed on the Scattered Islands, no activity was carried out. The last DXpedition from this DXCC entity goes back to 2003, the year a military team made 34,000 contacts using the callsigns TO4E / TO4WW from Europa. As for Juan de Nova, one must go back to the 80s for the last true dx-pedition.
Demand is very important, regardless of the band or mode.
Access to these islands is extremely limited and subject to prior approval of the TAAF. These territories are sensitive and protected areas. After a positive experience on Tromelin, the administration has renewed their confidence for us to lead this project. Protective measures of the fauna and flora introduced on Tromelin will be continued so that our radio activity and protected animal species can live together harmoniously.
The project
The exact conditions and dates still need to be tweaked, but the main lines are already defined and validated. After taking into account all the constraints and imperatives, a team of 10 people has been allowed for a period of 15 days. Our experience on Tromelin allows us to see the things that we clearly can reproduce and areas for improvement, taking into account the specific characteristics of the site and the restrictions imposed. We will need to consider the environmental impact of our activity and ensure strict compliance of instructions. Again, we will make every effort to allow a maximum of radio amateurs around the world to establish contact with Juan de Nova. Special attention will be given to the most difficult areas and to the low bands, especially underutilized in previous DXpeditions.
Like on Tromelin, we know that success can only be achieved by a small group with a very strong cohesion and shared past experiences. This group is already made. You'll find out soon on our website and the names/callsigns will be very familiar to you.
Budget / Sponsoring
During the period going from late 2015 to early 2016, many projects for some Top 10 DXCC countries have been announced. Let’s hope that all will be completed. This means that overall more funding will be needed in a short period of time.
The budget for this work is relatively large and greater than the one needed for FT4TA. Although some aspects are facilitated by the ability to dock with a boat, other constraints make things more complicated and therefore more expensive. Initial projections give an estimated budget of $ 130,000 from Mayotte. Despite our optimization efforts, some items of expenditure are incompressible.
To carry out this project, we ask the entire community to renew their confidence by giving us their support, mainly financial. Many clubs, foundations and associations were with us in 2014 to achieve FT4TA. We hope that these generous sponsors can renew their efforts with this new expedition.
"Juan de Nova 2016" is officially launched and now depends on the support of all. You can trust us to carry out this operation with all the seriousness and the necessary rigor.
How to help?
Our website was just launched.
Over the next 12 months, you will discover more about the ops, the preparation & our destination. You can also follow us on various social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.
A page dedicated to Foundations / Clubs / Associations will be available. We will post the logos of our sponsors with links to their websites.
To allow all DXers and supporters to join the project, we also implemented a "Donation" button on our website. Donations of at least €25 will automatically get your QSL card direct.
We are at your disposal for further information.
73, Seb, F5UFX, Team Leader for Juan de Nova 2016