Special thanks to financial support over the past 24 hours - DL5BUT, G4VMX, I8DVJ, Yoko Hashimoto, OH4JK, ON4CD, RZ3EC (RRC), SM3DMP, SM7NGH & VK2DX

It's been less than 24 hours since announcing this DXpedition and I'd like to say a special thank you to DL5BUT, G4VMX, I8DVJ, Yoko Hashimoto, OH4JK, ON4CD, RZ3EC (RRC), SM3DMP, SM7NGH and VK2DX who have made special donations.

I really appreicate your kindness and thoughtfulness. It's this kind of ham spirit that drives me to do 2 IOTA DXpeditions every year now. I'll also visit the less rarer but still needed Granite Island OC-228 this year as well.

Practically, it's support like this that enables me to pay for taking extra luggage. Without this support I would only take the basic gear and operate on 1 band with 100 watts. But this kind of help pays for excess baggage and freight to allow me to take an amplifier, a spare radio and have vertical dipoles for numerous bands. It also keeps my wife happy!!!!!

So for this DXpeditions I'll be operating with 400w on mainly 20m and 15m. I'll also spend a little time on 12m SSB/digital and 30m digital.

I'm also doing logistics for other IOTA DXpeditions for 2015 and who knows, maybe even later in 2014, although I'll need to bring my wife too :)

You Tube

Hi Guys

Noticed this on You Tube within 12 hours of announcing the DXpedition :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6rvIR5Z884 Russian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufs7_jgIyU4 English

New IOTA DXpedition announced

Well it's a new year and I'm delighted to announce that Bathurst Island OC-173 is going to be my large scale remote IOTA adventure for 2014. Granite Island OC-228 will be my more local/closer IOTA Dxpedition.

I'll be QRV for 4 days and nights from August 26 to 29th.

OC-173 has not be activated since 1999 and is currently the second most wanted VK IOTA from the options I put forward on the http://vkiota.blogspot.com.au/ poll. So I'm hoping to make lots of DXers happy with this remote and exciting DXpedition from the Top End of Australia