Federative States of Micronesia
Polap Atoll (OC-155)
Satawal Atoll (OC-299)
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NEWS
15 Mar 2020 The Federal travel restrictions to Micronesia have been lifted, but the states and even island communities can issue their own restrictions as they consider fit. This results in a rather fluid situation, which can change with very short notice. In view of this, our expedition plan is postponed until such a time when it can materialize. 29 Feb 2020 FSM extended the travel restrictions and 14-day quarantine for visitors to their territory until March 13, when the situation will be re-assessed. Meanwhile, the Frequency Manager indicated that he accepted our request to have the callsigns V62P and V62S issued for this projects. These are temporary callsigns, which can be assigned for a period of up to 1 year. Since we cannot schedule a firm time travel right now, the Frequency Manager agreed to postpone the formal release of the above callsigns until such a time when our trip can be organized. 20 Feb 2020 The team cannot afford the additional time and expenses associated with the quarantine provision. Consequently, we remain in stand-by, waiting for the respective state of emergency to be lifted. Depending on when this will occur, we will either confirm the existing time schedule or negotiate with the charter provider in order to establish a new time schedule for this project. Any developments will be announced on this website. No financial support will be sought from the community until a firm time schedule can be publicly announced. 31 Jan 2020 The President of FSM has placed the entire territory of FSM under a state of emergency to address the effects of the Coronavirus, following the decision of the World Health Organization to declare this virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As a result, visitors from countries where contamination cases are reported will be denied entry, unless they undergo a 14-day quarantine in Hawaii or Guam. 24 Jan 2020 We approached the local licensing authority, which is open to issue us the callsigns V62P and V62S for activities from each of these atolls, respectively. We are currently working on finalizing a few remaining details before announcing this project publicly. 20 Jan 2020 We chartered a boat for this project at a cost of $20k. Our time schedule is to leave Weno on April 30, and return on May 12. To guarantee this schedule, 50% of the charter cost must be paid by March 15. Flying to Weno will take 3 days each way, with a mandatory overnight in Hawaii or Guam, depending on actual flights/airlines. The team will arrive in Weno at least two days ahead of the boat departure, in order to finalize a number of logistical aspects associated with this operation. THE PROJECT
Map of the Federative States of Micronesia (FSM).
The Pulap atoll is part of the West Chuuk Group (OC-155). This IOTA reference was activated twice, in 1979 by DF6SL/KC6, who operated from Puluwat, and in 2004 by V6O (W5BOS), who operated from Pulap. The group is currently is high demand, (MWL 14.4%). The Satawal atoll is part of the East Yap Group (OC-299), which is still to be activated for the first time.
The plan is to arrive in Weno by plane, and sail first to Pulap, located approximately 240 km away westward, and then to Satawal, situated another 240 km further to the west. Radio operations will be carried out from each atoll for 5 days (4 nights). There is no WiFi communication on these islands, but the chasers will be able to track our progress via the InReach system. The respective link will be made available on this website before the start of the expedition. This will also allow us to be in communication with the Pilot station, who will inform the chasers on our progress, and provide us with appropriate feedback from them. Local supply boats sail to Pulap from Weno (Chuuk), and to Satawal from Colonia (Yap). However, their schedule is irregular, and doesn't provide for stays of a few days on the islands. Additionally, such boat rides can be postponed or cancelled with short notice, due to a myriad of factors. Since our project requires a specific time schedule, the only option was to charter a boat. This will not only guarantee that our goals can be achieved, but will ensure that the overall travel time will be kept at a minimum. |
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