The Gambia, C5. Look for C5B to be active from the Bijol Islands (AF-060) today, 3 May, from 09:30 UTC to 14:00 UTC. Plans are to be on the RS44 satellite and on the HF bands, possibly focusing on 17 metres.
Burkina Faso, XT. Harald, DF2WO will be active again as XT2AW from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso between 6 and 19 May. He will operate CW, SSB and FT modes on various HF bands and the QO-100 satellite. QSL via M0OXO’s OQRS.
South Cook Islands, E5/S. Tom, K7TLM and Leslie, KD7YZE will be active as E51TLM from Rarotonga (OC-013), South Cook Islands on 4-9 May. They will operate QRP on 28 385 kHz (SSB) and 28 060 kHz (slow CW) between 19:00 and 01:00 UTC. QSL via K7TLM, direct or bureau.
Japan, JA. Take, JI3DST and Ken, JA4GXS will be active as JI3DST/6 and JA4GXS/6 from the Danjo Islands (AS-056) between 08:00 UTC on 15 May and 22:00 UTC on 16 May, with 22 and 23 May as backup dates in case of bad weather. As the islands are uninhabited and lack a regular ferry service, AS-056 is currently the second most wanted IOTA group in Japan. They plan to operate SSB, CW and digital on 40, 30, 20, 17 and 6 metres, running battery power to a wire dipole for HF, and a 2-element delta loop for 6 m. The QSL routes will be announced later.
Bulgaria, LZ. The foundations of Bulgaria’s organized amateur radio movement were laid in 1926, when 38 enthusiasts established the Bulgarian Radio Club – a predecessor to today’s Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs (BFRA). Celebrating this centenary, members of the BFRA will be active as LZ100LZ on 160 to 10 metres CW, SSB and digital modes between 1 and 31 May. See https://lzprint.eu/lz100lz-award/ for the certificates.
Italy, I. Commemorating the centenary of the Amundsen-Ellsworth-Nobile Trans-polar Flight, members of ARI Colli Albani will operate under the special call sign II0NRG between 12 May and 31 July. The suffix stands for “Norge”, the Italian-built airship that achieved the first verified journey to the North Pole (11 to 14 May 1926) and completed the first flight across the polar ice cap from Europe to America. QSL via I0KNQ. A certificate will be available; details will be published on QRZ.
Germany, DL. DR170TESLA is the special callsign for members of DARC’s Ortsverband Mainz (DL0MZ) to celebrate the 170th anniversary of the birth of Nikola Tesla between 1 May and 31 December. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS (preferred), or via DK8ZZ.
Ireland, EI. Look for Pete M1PTR and Kieron M5KJM (EI6KP) to be active as EJ6KP/p from Arranmore Island (EU-121) between 21 and 23 May. They will operate SSB on 40, 20 and 15 metres during the local daytime hours. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS, LoTW, or via M5KJM (direct or bureau).
Iceland, TF. Rikk, WE9G will be active as TF/WE9G from Borg, Iceland (EU-021) between 10 and 19 May. He will operate FT modes with some limited SSB on CW on various bands. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS, LoTW and QRZ, or via home call (direct and bureau).
Juan Fernandez, CE0Z. Felipe, XQ7IR, will be active as 3G0Z from Robinson Crusoe Island (SA-005), Juan Fernandez for “approximately three weeks” in May. A side trip to IOTA Group SA-101 is being planned: “there is now a very strong possibility of carrying out a short but
highly valuable operation from Alejandro Selkirk Island, with an estimated on-air window of approximately 24 to 36 hours”, Felipe says.
“This activation will depend entirely on the final logistics costs involved in moving part of my radio equipment to the island, as well as securing enough gasoline to keep the generator running during the operation. Should this operation take place, it will be under the call sign XR0Z, which has already been requested and officially authorized by SUBTEL. At this moment, everything is under evaluation and the project remains open, but the chances are real and increasing”. Bookmark https://www.robinsoncrusoe2026.net for updates. The first and so far, only operation from SA-101 took place in February 2020 (CB0Z, operated by IT9YRE and K9AJ).