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DX
entities without ham activity
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Chasing
the famous DX... |
Calling
DX... in vain !
After
some years of activity, maybe a decade for the less active amateurs, you
will have probably contacted or heard most entities of the DXCC
list, so about 339 entities among them about 150 islands
widespread in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. This is already a
performance to work so many entities and still more on various modes
from phone or CW from 160 to 6 meters or by satellite.
Checking
DX entities that are missing, you will quickly discover that they are all small islands mainly
located in the Pacific ocean, e.g. VU4 Andaman, KH1 Baker &
Howland or T31 Central Kiribati to name a few.
The final
question comes then, is there a way to contact these last DX one
time or another ? For sure, and each month or so a new amateur writes his name
on the DXCC Honor Roll palmares, having just received the QSL confirming
his last entity (I remind you that in 2013 the DXCC Honor Roll requests the
confirmation of at least 331 entities, excluding the deleted
entities).
To
write your name on the DXCC palmares or another prestigious award, there is only one solution :
there must be an ham activity of these islands or entities to confirm
your QSO ! Most of these
entities are indeed wildlife refuges and are not occupied by man, others
receive only visitors a few weeks each year in the best case. So it
should be interesting to draw the list of all such small entities
without the slightest "life", specially hams and
that receive only an isolated visit or DX-peditions from time to time. That will
prevent you to call or try to hear these islanders in
vain... !
I
have thus published the next list, mainly based on
visits and contacts made by Ted Brattstrom, NH6YK,
living in Hawaii that I warmly thank for his collaboration. The second source is the ARRL. Here
is this list :
Entity
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Description
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VU4
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1st most wanted
entity. Andaman island located in South-West India is forbidden to access. The governor
and militaries want to preserve the 3 last primitives tribes.
This is the oldest living civilisation to date in the world.
Andaman
was active in the '70 under various call signs
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BS7
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2d most wanted entity and the first accessible to radio
amateurs.
Scarborought reef
is located in South China sea. It is free of access but has currently
no active hams.
Last activation in
1995 and 1997 by BS7H
(Mgr. JA1BK)
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VU7
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3d most wanted entity. Lakshadweep and Laccadive islands are forbidden to
access. There is no authorisation to hope for the next decade
Last activation in 1997
by YL VU7CVP and OM VU7DVP (Mgr. VU2CVP)
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P5
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4th most wanted
entity. North Korea and specially Telecommunications officials
in Pyongyang accept hamradio but the license is hard to get
(can last over 1 year) and only to work in SSB. First
activation in 1995, last activation by P5/4L4FN in 2002 (Mgr.
KK5DO). His QSOs have been approved for credit by ARRL
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KH0/AH0
KH1
KH2
KH3
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Mariane islands
(including Tinian) has few but active hams
There is no nobody
on Baker and Howland. This is a US Fish and Wildlife Refuge
Guam island has few
but active hams
Johnston island has
occasional residents with ham licenses and they are
operational. More often military based visitors get on the air
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KH4
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Midway island has occasionally resident hams. At the moment
(july 2003) the human population is down near 40 people make
up the staff of US Fish and Wildlife Service and their
services cooperator. No hams resident currently, but there is
a great ham shack there !
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KH5
KH5K
KH6
KH7K
KH8
KH9
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Palmyra island has
few people. Occasional volunteer workers are hams and get on
the air
Kingman Reef has no
residents. This is a US Fish and Wildlife Sanctuary
Hawaii has few but
active hams on The Big island and around
Kure island has no
residents. There are occasional researchers on the island.
Rarely one is a ham
American Samoa has
few but active hams
Wake island has
some people. If there are hams, they are non-active. Activity
is done by visiting hams, usually with US Military ties.
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KP5
VP6/B
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Desecheo island is
free of humans. Requests a permission to access.
Pitcairn
island is occupied. Like Ducie, it is under Britannic
protectorat as Henderson and Oeno islands (IOTA). There is no more
resident amateurs, only visiting DX-peditions |
VP6/D
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Ducie
is located at 460 km east of Pitcrain island. Is it well-know
after the DX-pedition in 2003. Indeed, it receives only
visitors hams who activate the island |
T30
T31
T32
T33
ZK1/N
ZK1/S
ZK2
ZK3
3D2
3D2/R
3D2/C
3G0
FO0
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West Kiribati is
occupied, occasional resident and active hams
Central Kiribati is
occupied, but no resident hams
East Kiribati has
active hams
Banaba island is
occupied, but no resident hams
North Cook is
occupied. Some licensed hams, not particulary active
South Cook is
occupied with active hams
Niue island is
occupied, but no active hams. Has only visitors hams.
Tokelau islands are
occupied, but no active hams. Have only visitors hams.
Fiji island has
active hams
Rotuma island is
occupied, but occasionally Tony flies from Suva to Rotuma to
activate the island
Conway Reef has no
population. This is a wildlife reserve that only receive
DX-peditions Easter
island is occupied, but no resident ham. It receives
occasionally DX-peditions
Clipperton
island has no population.It receives occasionally scientists,
military patrols, and DX-peditions |
Here
are already about 30 entities hard if not impossible to confirm as
short term. And there
are a few of these rocks... including many entities in Antarctic and
Asia that you must confirm for the ITU
zones award. So do not be surprised
to encounter difficulties to work your last DXCC. As long as there
is no DX-pedition to these territories you could never work or heard
these remote stations, whatever the power and sensitivity of your
installation ! Hopefully
there are rumors according which some of smallest inhabited
"rocks" should be removed from the DXCC list by the ARRL
DX desk. To follow in the next years. For
your information, each year The
DX Magazine, a bi-monthly edited by Carl Smith, N4AA, publishes the list of the
most wanted DX entities, and monthly, ham magazines publish the list
or current and forecoming DX-peditions to IOTA and other spots
coveted by amateurs. These lists are also available on the Internet
(see my download page). At
last, for your information, the Index
Mundi database can provide you the number of resident living in
any country and many islands. To
watch : DX-peditions
in video, James Brooks, 9V1YC, Dailymotion
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QSL
with a flap from a seldom IOTA, Cacaluta island, XF4IH, NA-188. |
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