Radio amateurs enjoy the expedition 3Y0J to the island of Bouvet. We know that it is not easy to carry out a DX expedition to this remote place. Why did Dima RA9USU drop out of the team? It's a long read, but it's good to know what the reasons are. RA9USU describes it this way:
Several friends have asked me about the reason for my dropping from the 3Y0J Bouvet 2022 team. I will do my best to clarify things. Sorry for the delay - the end of the year is a nightmare multiplied by a hundred in Russia. Due to the long New Year's holiday - every state contract should be closed by the end of the year, and there is almost no time for anything except work. For the last month, we sleep a maximum of four hours at night.
Unfortunately, although Ken and I have not usually had communication problems in the past, I learned of my "leaving the team for personal reasons" from the DX-world website. I know it takes balls to tell someone to their face that they are screwing up.
The question clarified the situation a bit, but I was really confused by the decision of the expedition leaders.
It all started in 2016 and I was in contact with Ken when I was working on my 3Y0H plans to operate from Bouvet. After the failed attempts of 3Y0Z and 3Y0I, it was clear that collecting funds from clubs would hurt them badly, so I worked on a budget-friendly operation. I had a plan and a way to implement it, but I could not raise the money in two weeks, which was almost impossible during the pandemic, but this was a condition of the vessel owner to keep the price low.
Then came the notice of DX expedition 3Y0J. I saw that Ken joined the team led by N6PSE. It was surprising because I had previous experience with this "leader" in action, but it's all for the sake of it.
On August 4, 2021, I received a message from Ken inviting me to join the 3Y0J team, which already had eight members (including Axel, DL6KVA). I later found out that Axel is not yet a member of the 3Y0J team. It was just a dirty trick to get me to agree. Later, the same trick was used on other members to join 3Y0J. Anyway, in the end the team looked really promising and worth traveling with.
So I paid my dues and the required installment was paid…
On October 15th I received a revised team contract from Ken. The deadline for signing and the second round of payment (which I had already paid in advance) was October 25th. The next payment was due in February 2022. It interfered a bit with my trip to 3A3A which lasted through mid-November, along with securing most of the equipment for this operation, but my dues were paid in advance and I would read the contract later on my return, no big deal.
Then I read the Agreement.
I was confused to say the least.
First, how the team agreement regulates the payment fee OQRS? per card? I understand that DX expeditions like Bouvet require a lot of money, but setting the confirmation cost at is something I really don't want to see before the expedition even starts!
Second, team members are "expressly prohibited from receiving funds from anyone who might otherwise contribute to the team's account." This means that I can no longer ask my friends at Expert Electronics (SunSDR) to support me, because 3Y0J could use that support for himself (although everyone brings their own Elecraft K3).
By the third, it was something that I absolutely cannot accept. I tried to negotiate about it, but I could not find understanding with the expedition management. I've never seen an Expeditionary Contract (and I've seen many) regulate the style of operation, but this one went even further.
This agreement forbids me to use the Russian language! I am mainly a CW operator and have been invited as an operator paying ,000 to join the expedition. Not the other way around! I am not an employee and have not been hired; requiring me to only speak English is illegal and discriminatory! Linguistic diversity is a reality, the observance of which is a fundamental value in the European Union. It is also regulated by Article 3 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU), Article 165 par. 2 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) (with full respect for cultural and linguistic diversity (Article 165(1) TFEU).
The Treaty of Lisbon prohibits discrimination based on language (Article 21) and obliges the Union to respect linguistic diversity (Article 22).
There is absolutely no sufficient justification for this requirement to be in the Contract!
Just reminding Ken that "Amateur Radio DXpeditions" is registered in the European Union and has to follow the law.
I asked Ken why this requirement was in the Contract and he replied that he “doesn't allow any QSO v ruštine alebo v čomkoľvek inom“ a „nie je dovolené dávať pokyny v ruštine na CW, ktorým ostatní ľudia nerozumejú“. Toto hovorí človek, ktorý vymazal TZ4AM z logu TL7M/TL8AO na 160 m len preto, že sa nesprával podľa pokynov operátora.
Really? I consider myself a decent operator and I have never been criticized by any DX expedition leader for being able to work in my native language. Quite the contrary – they insisted that I operate the radio when the spread to Russia and Eastern Europe was favorable. I know best how to maximize the number of connections and how to operate specific areas of the world dependent on propagation.
The contract also prohibits direct calls to a specific region (ie Asia, Pacific or other) and only allows calls CQ without specifying the area.
Fourth, we did not have a confirmed port of departure to date and therefore I could not accept the cancellation terms. I don't need a visa to Argentina, Brazil or South Africa. However, if the port of departure changes to Stanley (Falklands), I will need to obtain a visa. Given that the British Embassy in Moscow is mostly closed - there will be further problems in obtaining it, especially if it happens a month before the DX expedition.
One part of the Agreement states: "If you are refused entry, we will treat you as a voluntary withdrawal and your payments will not be refunded". I know that visas are my responsibility, but visas do not guarantee entry into the country. It is the immigration officer's decision to let you in or not. A civil servant's decision, not mine. It cannot be considered as voluntary leaving the country. Period!
Fifth - Section 10 Miscellaneous A(a) states that "Team members are encouraged to provide their own IridiumGo!, Garmin InReach, or Iridium satellite phone for personal communications." Then point c) states: "Team members may not use their personal devices to publish on the Internet while on the island."
Ken later added, "During a DX expedition, no operator is allowed to post anything of the operation on the internet while on the island... or post things on the DX-World website, post videos of the operation on their Facebook page, spotlights, etc." Although technically difficult, to begin with this kind of censorship is illegal, unjustified and unacceptable.
All of this led to our several weeks of correspondence, in which I was asked to admit my disagreement with several parts of the agreement, and I received an ultimatum from Ken, stating that he would not accept any dissenting opinions and that if I wanted to continue to be part of the team, I should immediately sign the Agreement and accept all discriminatory and illegal demands.
Ken, your entire Contract has one purpose - to protect the interests of the three team leaders from any liability to the members of the 3Y0J team, leaving the members themselves vulnerable. I understand that treating members as your employees, dictating to them how to use their free time and how to behave may be something you do in your line of work, but it is in no way in the best interest of the team or the Covenant in general. This is a statement. We were supposed to be a team of friends going on a DX expedition together, but instead we ended up as a dictatorship that makes money off of…
How many people in the 3Y0J team have sea sailing experience, and how many of them are good operators, capable of reaching your 120,000 Q target? Can they carry 70 kg generators ashore? I can easily survive without being on Bouvet (the wife will definitely like the idea of me not spending ,000), does that really serve the purpose of this DX expedition? I have experience in delivering results under high pressure Antarctic operations. do you have I was trained as a DX dispatcher by Italian, German, Serbian and Russian teams. And you? How many real team operations have you done?
Just a note - the failed DX expedition of 3Y0Z had a budget of 0,000 with two helicopters on board and twenty operators plus a full vessel crew, while your sailboat operation with two crew members is 0,000. Sure, it's precisely for this reason that your agreement requires that the DX expedition's ledgers be kept private.
Norway is not a member state of the European Union !!!!