01/05/2026
ARRL[1] The National Association for Amateur Radio¿ has awarded a $5,000 Colvin
Award grant to the Delta-Xray Group, organizers of the upcoming 3YOK DXpedition
to Bouvet Island[2], scheduled for February and March, 2026. Bouvet is a remote
island in the Southern Ocean, populated only by seals and penguins, and known
for treacherous weather and surf conditions. It is a territory of Norway and
nearly all of it is covered by glaciers. The most recent amateur radio operation
from Bouvet was the 3YOJ DXpedition in 2023, which moved the island from #2 on
the Club Log most wanted list to #10.
Two camps are planned, according to team leaders, operating all HF bands, with
one camp focusing on high band propagation to North America when conditions
allow. Each camp will consist of three tents serving as operating, sleeping, and
communal spaces. These tents have previously been used on Bouvet Island and team
leaders say they have proven capable of withstanding the extreme conditions
expected.
Plans call for the team to leave for Bouvet from Cape Town, South Africa, on
February 1. Weather permitting, 3YOK plans to use helicopter airlifts to
transport personnel and equipment between the vessel and the island. The group
expects to spend three weeks on and around the island and will attempt to
contact as many other ham radio operators around the world as they can, using up
to 8 stations operating on CW, SSB, FT8, RTTY and the QO-100 geostationary
satellite.
The 3YOK DXpedition is perhaps the most expensive ham radio expedition ever
mounted, with a budget of $1.7 million, most of which ($1.2 million) is for what
the team refers to as a "reliable commercial Arctic / Antarctic vessel," noting
that "(s)afe and reliable ship transportation continues to be a challenge for
such remote island expeditions, and the cost continues to rise." Team leaders
note that "the foremost priority of the 3YOK expedition is the safety of the
operating team, support personnel, and the vessel and helicopter crews."
The team consists of 24 operators from 14 countries. Two of the team members are
young hams, 21-year-old Max Freedman, N4ML, an ARRL staff member; and
26-year-old Alex Schengber, DL2ALY, an aviation engineer currently working at a
German research station in Antarctica.
The Colvin Award is funded by an endowment established by the legendary DX
couple Lloyd Colvin, W6KG (SK), and Iris Colvin, W6QL (SK), both now deceased.
The award is intended to support amateur radio projects that promote
international goodwill in the field of DX.
Other major financial support for the DXpedition has come from the Northern
California DX Foundation, the International DX Association, and the German DX
Foundation.
The complete 3YOK log will be uploaded to ARRL's Logbook of The World[3]¿ -
LoTW¿ - within 12 months following the DXpedition. LoTW is used by radio
amateurs to track their progress toward awards including ARRL's DXCC Award[4] -
the DX Century Club Award - which is achieved by confirming on the air contacts
with 100 geographic entities.
"We extend our sincere thanks to all equipment sponsors and financial
supporters, and particularly the ARRL Colvin Award grant. Without this
collective support, activating Bouvet Island and delivering an ATNO (All-Time
New One) from the #10 Club Log DXCC most wanted entity would not be possible."
The team continues to seek financial support from the amateur radio community.
For more information, visit 3y0k.com[5].
[1] https://www.arrl.org/
[2] https://3y0k.com/
[3] https://lotw.arrl.org/
[4] https://www.arrl.org/dxcc
[5] https://3y0k.com/
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