South Orkney Island DXpedition

Project planning continues on schedule.

Tent Weekend — During the weekend of July 12th seven team members and three volunteers met in Placerville, California, to prepare the tents for use on South Orkney Island.

Participating were team members:
Dave/K3EL, Les/W2LK, Gene/K5GS, Steve/W1SRD, Walt/N6XG, Mike/WA6O, and Rob/N7QT. Volunteers Kevin/K6TD and Bob/W1RH helped with the preparation and Doris/K0BEE prepared meals for the three days the team was doing the work.

Temperatures hovered around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37C), much
different than the next location where these tents will be deployed.
These are the same tents that were used by VP8ORK 2011 South Orkney
and, with a different configuration, KH1/KH7Z 2018 Baker Island DX-
pedition. Kevin, K6TD, having previously assembled the tents on Baker
Island offered his assistance to the team.

We unpacked and inventoried all the parts, assembled the tents, and
marked key components for faster installation on the island. The inside
and outside of each tent were power-washed and treated with a disinfec-
tant to avoid inadvertent introduction of non-native species.

Flooring was constructed using approved materials, assembled and
integrated with the tents. After this trial run the flooring was dis-
assembled, power washed, and disinfected. Everything was packed and
wrapped in waterproof tarps, ready for transport to our customs broker.
Pictures of the weekend activities are at:
https://sorkney.com/tent-weekend

Band / Mode Addition — We added 60m FT8 to the operating plan.

Fundraising — Team members made their 2nd payment to the project, and
our 2nd payment to Braveheart was processed. As of this writing, 33
clubs / foundations and 273 individuals have shown their support for
the project.

While we are making progress, we have a long way to go to reach the
goal of 50% team member funding of the estimated project cost of
~$325,000(USDs). Please keep in mind, serious DX-peditions, especially
those in the Southern Ocean, must pay the bills before leaving home,
we are no exception. If you need South Orkney for an ATNO, or plan to
work us, we would appreciate your help.

Ham Radio Events — Please look for us at the Pacific Northwest DX
Convention, Everett, Washington in August.

73, Team VP8/VP8DXU
Website: https://sorkney.com/
Please direct your questions to: info@sorkney.com

OPDX