Oct 13th, 2026
Greetings from the H49A team!
We have now entered our fourth active operating day. Here are a few updates.
The 15/20m VDA antenna has been put back up, and this morning we operated CW on all three stations simultaneously, as we mentioned that we also wanted to make some human-mode QSOs. The VDA has survived another fall without any problems. The current score is Ocean – VDA 3:0. 🙂
Unfortunately, our 80m antenna is causing problems when used with the power amplifier, so we expect to be active on 80m tomorrow.
Today, we operated on 40m SSB towards the East Coast. Propagation to the East Coast is not particularly good, but we will do our best to remain as active as possible.
Club Log issue: Starlink occasionally causes us some problems, and some QSOs are not uploaded directly to Club Log. There is nothing we can do about this. We are simply happy to have access to a fast internet connection at all! All logs are re-uploaded within 24 hours of the QSO at the latest, so we kindly ask you to check your QSOs again after that time.
Other than that, we have no further problems, and the team is in good spirits!
October 12th, 2026
Greetings from Dolphin View Beach!The H49A team is working hard, and in our first 48 hours of operation, we have already passed **10,000 QSOs!**
We still have a few minor antenna adjustments to take care of. Since our antennas are installed right on the coast, we need to check the guy ropes every few hours to make sure everything stays secure.Last Saturday, we purchased a generator, so we now have two generators at our disposal.
We are doing our best to be QRV on the human modes as much as possible. Last night, we had some fantastic pileups towards Europe on both CW and SSB. This morning, we were active on 60 meters.**Livestream:** Some QSOs may not appear immediately on the Club Log livestream, but all logs are uploaded again every 24 hours. Please be patient!
The weather is hot and humid, just as we expected.The team is in great spirits, everyone is doing well, and we are enjoying the pileups!**73 from the H49A team!**
October 5th, 2026
The team is very excited, and the final preparations are currently underway. The team leader has collected all equipment from the other members, and the final packing into the checked luggage is now in progress.
Bernhard, H44MS, has already arrived in Honiara and is helping us with various logistical matters. Thank you, Bernhard, for your selfless support and assistance!
Our first leg is on Wednesday morning from Zagreb (ZAG) to Istanbul, where we have a 12-hour layover before boarding TK60, our onward flight to Kuala Lumpur.
We are ready for any challenges ahead, and hopefully Murphy’s Law will stay away from us this time.
We would also like to thank Mate, 9A4M, Mirko, 9A6KX, and Robert, S58Y, for their generous donations in support of our DXpedition. Their support is greatly appreciated and helps make this project possible.
September 30th, 2026
Part of the team is ready to depart. Final preparations are underway, and the equipment checklist is being reviewed once again, as we are aware that we are limited to just six suitcases.
We would also like to thank Bernhard, H44MS, who generously shared a lot of valuable advice with us regarding the activation in the Solomon Islands.
The latest news is that the Solomon Islands have introduced electronic tourist visas, so we have all submitted our visa applications. So far, five out of six visas have been approved, and we hope that the sixth visa will also be approved sometime today.
Mirko, S51RE will bring some of the equipment shown in the picture to the Istra Contest Conference and hand it over to our team leader. If you happen to be in Poreč this weekend, several members of our DXpedition team will be there, and you can talk to them about our journey. It is worth mentioning that the ICC is growing into an interregional gathering of radio amateurs.
Although this is not directly a foundation or corporate sponsor, the Mainz Radio Club (OV K07 DL0MZ) organized a fundraising campaign for our H49A expedition. By doing so, they are not only supporting their club member DK8ZZ, but they also know that part of the money raised will be donated to the Catholic Mission in Boma. Thank you very much, Meenzer! Mainz bleibt Mainz <3
We would like to thank all individual sponsors who supported our DXpedition:
Stephan DF6PA, Torsten DL8TV, Bill AJ8B, Janko S57L, Karlheinz DK8KK, Simon & XYL Sinja DO1SRM, Thomas DL7FBT, Karlheinz DK8KK, Hans SM6VZX, Dragan E77EA, Val 9A2V, Rudi DF9PM, Simon S53ZO, Holger DL1MTK, Zimba 4O4A, Drago S59A, Chris DK2CL, Mario DJ2MX, Sven DJ4MX, Hans SM6CZX, Andreas DL1IAY, Rado S59ZZ, and Sven DA6SF.
Thank you all for your support!
73,
The H49A Team
August 26th, 2026
Preparations are continuing as planned. Last week, the ACOM power amplifiers that will be used for our DXpedition arrived in Croatia. The final arrangements and all the small details are also progressing as planned.
We should not forget that we are a low-profile DXpedition team that carries everything with us as airline luggage. This means we have to optimize the luggage, antennas, and the overall setup as much as possible for the three stations that are planned to be QRV.
We would like to thank Dez, 9A5TW, for his individual donation.
July 25th, 2026
Just a little over two months remain until our H49A adventure begins.
Although we haven’t posted many updates recently, that doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy behind the scenes. Part of the team (9A3MR and DK8ZZ) recently tested two multiband VDA antennas on the Adriatic coast in Bilice, Croatia. The objective was to optimize their performance and make the final decision regarding our antenna setup. We have now confirmed that we will take two VDA antennas covering the 20 to 10-meter bands.
Our QTH has now been finalized: Dolphin View Beach, located on the northeastern coast of Guadalcanal Island. We will have three bungalows at our disposal, one of which will serve as the radio shack. In addition, we have approximately 100 meters of beachfront available for antenna installation directly along the shoreline. Our QTH locator is QI90VQ. The location was chosen for one simple reason—it offers an excellent takeoff toward North America, Europe, and Japan.
As for the power generator, which is essential for the success of the DXpedition, the final agreement is currently being completed. We are confident that it will provide reliable electrical power, allowing us to operate three stations simultaneously.
The H49A team would like to express its sincere appreciation to INDEXA, GMDX Group, and Mediterraneo DX Club for their generous support. We are especially pleased that our DXpedition has been recognized not only for its amateur radio objectives but also for its humanitarian aspect, as part of the funds raised will be donated to the Catholic Mission in Boma. During the HAM RADIO exhibition in Friedrichshafen, DK8ZZ had several productive meetings with representatives of DX clubs and DX foundations, many of whom have already confirmed their support for our expedition.
The ACOM power amplifiers are scheduled to be delivered at the beginning of September.
Our QSL policy remains unchanged from TX9A:
- Bureau QSL cards are completely free.
- LoTW confirmations will be uploaded free of charge six months after the end of the DXpedition.
- Direct QSL cards with immediate LoTW confirmation are available for EUR 5.
Our youngest team member, Frane (9A3CJY), has a great passion for history. He has promised to find some time during the DXpedition to give us a short presentation about World War II and the Guadalcanal Campaign.
May 27th, 2026
Our plans are underway. The team is in daily contact, and each point of the plan is being carried out accordingly. While some things are still being arranged, things that have definitely been agreed upon are:
– The QSL cards will be printed by Tony LZ1JZ
– we are planning to use the livestream on Club Log
– we will be active on all HF bands (including 160m and 60m), as well as 50 MHz
We would like to thank the first individual donors, Mike S58N and Borut S50B. Thank you, guys!
May 17th, 2026
Preparations for our new DXpedition are in full swing. Every member of the team is handling their part of the work; we are a well-coordinated and experienced team, and thanks to the experience we gained from previous expeditions, we can complete all the necessary preparations more easily. We are in the final stages of arranging the QTH, as well as the solution for the electrical power supply.
We would like to thank ACOM Bulgaria for once again supporting our expedition with three power amplifiers: 1× ACOM 1200S and 2× ACOM 500S. We decided to use two smaller power amplifiers because of the easier operation of the power generator, as well as reduced baggage costs.
We would also like to thank the 4O3A Signature Team, whose HP bandpass filters we will be using during this DXpedition.
A big thank you also goes to German DX Foundation GDXF,Swiss DX Foundation (SDXF), The UK DX Foundation as well as European DX foundation(EUDXF), all of whom have confirmed their support for our project.