CB0ZA Robinson Crusoe Is. Dxpedition

All CB0Z stations now QRT.
We fly out tomorrow.
OQRS is on
Thanks for support

At 7:00z CB0ZA team just broke 100k QSO’s

As we begin our last night of operation, we are nearing 92k QSO’s
Final stretch now

Thanks for support

Press Release #9

CB0ZA will continue to maintain 3 stations at the mountaintop location for the next 4 days, concluding operation on Friday. The team will depart the Island on Saturday, returning to Santiago and their flights home. We do appreciate all the calls and QSOs with our 3 stations: CB0ZA, CB0ZW and the remote RIB station CB0ZEW.

This weekend the team operated during the ARRL CW DX contest using the callsign CB0ZW. Claimed scores look promising with a potential record for Chile in the multi-single category. Many thanks to Steve, N2IC for coordinating the contest strategy.

Today, team members will install a new 3D printer at the Island Women’s Association and give training lessons on how to use this device which is believed will find many useful applications on this remote island of 900 residents. This will be the first of its kind on the island.
As part of our DXpedition, we not only wanted to “play” radio but also make an impact to the local community. Thanks to INDEXA and its Humanitarian Fund grant, a new 3D printer and PC donated to the Women’s Association will allow residents to make 3D printed items. The island is supplied twice a month by ship so it can take months to get an order from mainland Chile. This will allow the island to print needed items in a much shorter time.

As we continue to operate we are aware of issues with our Livestream to ClubLog. We have manually uploaded all computers and the logs should be up to date. If you don’t see your call in the log, you have time to work us in the next few days as we continue to work around the clock. Every night and until the end of the operation we will be doing a manual upload. The contest logs will be uploaded after the contest deadline.

At this time the combined QSO total from the 3 callsigns is 70,122 QSO’s. Following extreme winds that brought down the GM8GJ Saturday night, we worked quickly to get the 6m beam back on the air in less than 24 hours thanks to the craftsmanship of our local guide Roguer. His help and support have been instrumental to our success.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will be on-live with K3LR and DX Engineering providing DXers with an update of this DXpedition. Tune in!

Wind forecast continues to improve throughout the week and into the last days of operation. Our last night will be on Thursday and we expect to go QRT on Friday morning as we begin to disassemble our camp and prepare for our flight back to Santiago on Saturday.

Once again, we want to thank all the stations that have called us as well as the DX community at-large for the tremendous show of support.

From the CB0ZA and CB0ZEW Team!

73's!

Nathan, K4NHW
CB0ZA Pilot

ARRL DX Contest @ CB0ZW....come work us if you haven't already.

6m is back on! The 6M8GJ has taken a beating but it still keeps producing!

Over night in the high winds the bolt on the hinge plate failed on the 6m antenna. We will try to have the antenna back up tomorrow, but EME with elevation does not seem likely. The antenna appears to be intact.

This is the view of camp from above. The old ruins in the middle used to be the Chilean Navy radio station. This was the first and only way to communicate over 100 years ago.

This radio people knew the best location in the island.

We are enjoying that great QTH today.

Thank you for your support. Keep this QSO’s coming

The ship arrived!

Every two weeks the ship Antonio makes the two day journey from Valparaiso to resupply the island with fuel, supplies and moving people. It’s the islands lifeline.

This is the view from CB0ZW station in town

For the 6m EME junkies.

Press release February 15,2024

The CB0ZA team continues to make important progress. Today we moved the QTH of CB0ZW station to the Santa Barbara fort closer to the town harbor. This new location allows the Hex beam to be closer to the water and provides more space for our receive antenna installation minimizing local interference to improve reception.

This Fort site is the location of previous CE0Z expeditions and also hosts the Island’s Aeronautical radio station.

The remote operators continue to put signals of CB0ZEW on the air and are providing excellent feedback with the RiB operation. This will allow its developers to improve the unit with this first test at a DX location. This afternoon the RiB will be moved to the Mountain location and will remain there permanently until the end of the Dxpedition.

Tuesday also marked a very important milestone for 6M. The first EME QSO was made with Clive GM3POI. Several great 6m openings with Europe, North America and Japan. Those JA opening last until midnight local time.

At this time we have about 37k total Qs using all three call signs. We have 1159 contacts on 6m out of which 45 are on EME. We believe Marco CE1EW (SK) would be proud of our effort.

As we begin our focus on 80 and 160, we appreciate your feedback as we work to improve our low band signals and try to improve upon our RX antenna system which is still in progress. Please contact our pilot Nathan K4NHW via [email protected]

We look forward to operating the ARRL DX CW contest this weekend using the CB0ZW callsign Multi-Single category. The wind forecast on Monday called for severe winds up at the mountain site so we decided to concentrate at CB0ZW Santa Barbara fort. However, recent weather updates forecast more favorable winds up at the mountain site. Thus the decision was made by the team to operate from there taking advantage of this QTH location at 330m above the Pacific Ocean.

We are aware there are missing contacts in Clublog primarily due to Internet connectivity issues on the mountain.

Our logs will be updated periodically, check log again later or, work us again if you are unsure. We do not have time to confirm contacts from the many emails we are receiving.

We would like thank the DX community for the support and participation with our memorial DXpedition honoring our departed friend Marco.

73 es CU on the bands from the CB0ZA and CB0ZEW Team!

Good morning! Who's is ready to play radio today?

6m and 160m...tonight!

Let us celebrate Mike AD5A…. Today is his birthday

This morning we had a visit from park supervisor Angela García of CONAF.

Thank you for your support and allow us to be up here enjoying this magnificent piece of the world.

Press release
Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile

The CB0ZA team is doing well. We have been maintaining our site and we are transitioning into DX mode.

We have secured our masts that were held in storage and tomorrow we should be on 80/160 bands. The wind forecast for the next three days looks promising so we will make an effort on low bands.

We have secured a new operating position in town at the Santa Barbara fort near the Aeronautical Station on Juan Fernandez.

This site will use callsign CB0ZW that we had reserved for the ARRL DX CW contest. We had an early start to use that callsign before and after the contest.

Our host Ramón and his staff have been excellent to us. Also our guide Roguer has been maintaining our electrical infrastructure on the site.

We are crossing 12k QSO’s.

Please follow
Our livestream in club log with all three callsigns.

We appreciate the support of the DX community

73
CB0ZA team

CB0ZW QRV from new site. Details to follow on our next press release

With Hal W8HC our elevation manager!

The stars are bright tonight and the wind is dying down.

6m!

QRV. First operator is XQ3SK. At this time we are working to get clublog Online.

28.021

CB0ZA QRV

First team going up the mountain this morning. Hope to be QRV in a few hours