Mike, JA6EGL will be active again as T88SM from Koror Island, IOTA OC - 009, Palau, 10 - 16 January 2025.
He will operate on 160 - 6m, CW, SSB, Digital modes.
QSL via home call direct only.
Ads for direct QSL:
Mike S. Miyake, Hakata Amateur Radio Association, P.O.Box 232, Hakata-North, 812-8799, Japan.
Eight square kilometers: Koror Island
It's amazing how many places there are on our planet that we know almost nothing about. One of them is Koror, a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean whose beauty and uniqueness deserves an article of its own. Koror is part of Palau, an island nation in Micronesia.
By the way, the city of the same name is based here, which was the capital of Palau until 2006, after which it passed this title to the city of Ngerulmud: the remoteness of Koror from the rest of the islands of the country, as well as the lack of convenient transportation infrastructure. However, this did not prevent Koror from becoming a recognized diving center, which annually attracts thousands of visitors from around the world.
It is noteworthy that the economy of this miniature island is still based on agriculture and fishing. Of course, tourism is gradually gaining momentum, but the natives do not want to abandon what their ancestors have been doing for centuries. This quality is reflected in Koror's culture, with historical and architectural monuments dating back several thousand years.
A little history: cultural heritage
Palau is a unique country with several hundred islands scattered throughout Micronesia. Koror is without a shadow of a doubt the strangest island of them all. It is located at an equal distance from Eurasia and Australia (2500 kilometers), has an area of only 8 square kilometers and yet boasts an unusually rich culture.
The exact date of Koror's discovery is unknown: regular visits to the island began in the mid-19th century. It was particularly popular with European traders and travelers who stopped here to rest and replenish their supplies. It was then that Koror gained a reputation as a paradise: a tranquil, remote island, completely covered with vegetation, with an ideal climate and crystal clear water.
The first settlers appeared on Koror several thousand years ago. Their descendants still live on this island, carefully observing traditions and customs. Thanks to them we can plunge into the atmosphere of the past: there is a National Museum on the island, where there is a collection of really unusual artifacts.
In addition, there are modern cultural centers on Koror. Of particular note is the Coral Reef Research Center, which monitors water quality and maps coral. It is an open water area where some of the rarest marine life, such as nautiluses, giant tridacnas and golden jellyfish, live and breed.
Unearthly landscapes: geography and climate
Koror Island is of volcanic origin: the remains of ancient volcanoes are covered with coral deposits. With a surface area of 8 km2, the entire territory (including small atolls) is just over 9 km2, on which almost 13 thousand people manage to live.
The climate is tropical, from May to November the rainy season begins. It is worth noting that the rains here are periodic. The main danger is strong wind gusts, which sometimes tear off the roofs of houses - for this reason, the island is unofficially closed to visitors outside the dry season.
The island is completely covered with dense tropical forests, but the fauna and flora is rather scarce: a few species of plants, birds and small mammals. The real wealth of Koror is the underwater world.
This wonderful world: the underwater realm
Modern Koror can claim to be an international diving center. And for this there is every reason: always calm and clear ocean water, untouched underwater world, hundreds of species of exotic marine animals. And, of course, the amazing Koror reefs - a real relic that has survived to this day. They were formed over many thousands of years, eventually forming several deep underwater ensembles.
The most famous of them are the Chandelier Caves, which stretch for several tens of kilometers. They are inhabited by bizarre parrot fish, which are not afraid of people at all. In addition, nearby you can often find majestic sea turtles and swarms of jellyfish. It should be noted that these caves are considered a protected area - to get there, you will have to undergo a special training course, and then get permission to dive.
There is only one hotel on Koror, located right on the ocean shore, as well as a professional diving school: in it you can take the necessary equipment, get advice or order the services of an escort. In addition, Koror has a beautiful beach, which is almost always empty - the vast majority of tourists come here to see the amazing underwater world of Koror with their own eyes.
In short, it is an amazing place, the only drawback of which is its considerable remoteness from civilization. To get to Koror it may take several hours of tiring flights and ferry crossings. But the effort will pay off, because Koror is a magical island, the equal of which there is no other.