The Slovak amateur radio community is closely watching another significant activity of our leading operators in exotic foreign countries. Until March 12, 2026, with a possible extension depending on flight availability, an expedition will be broadcasting from the Maldives under the call sign 8Q7ZW. Leading this project are experienced operators Ľubo, OM5ZW, and Laco, OM4WM.
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Thulusdhoo and the charm of the Maldives
The Maldives, officially known as the Republic of Maldives, consists of a chain of twenty-six coral atolls located south of India and Sri Lanka. The entire archipelago consists of nearly 1200 coral islands, of which only about 200 are inhabited. For radio amateurs, these islands are identified within the program IOTA (Islands on the Air) under reference number AS-013. Geographically, it is the lowest-lying country in the world, where the average elevation is only 1.5 meters, making it a unique place with a fascinating marine ecosystem.
The goal of expedition 8Q7ZW is specifically the island of Thulusdhoo, which is the main island of the Kaafu Atoll. It is located approximately 28 kilometers north of the capital city Male. Thulusdhoo is known among travelers as one of the most authentic islands in the archipelago, where tourism intertwines with the traditional life of the local inhabitants. The island is world-famous among surfers due to the waves called Cokes and Chicken, which attract athletes from all over the world. A curiosity of the island is the presence of the only Coca-Cola factory in the world that uses desalinated seawater as a basic resource for its production, which also gave its name to the mentioned surfing spot.water as a basic resource for its production, which also gave its name to the mentioned surfing spot.
Thulusdhoo offers an ideal environment for amateur radio activities due to its location right by the sea. Sandy beaches and saltwater provide excellent ground conductivity for antenna systems, which is crucial especially for successful operation on low frequencies. The tropical climate with high temperatures and humidity, however, poses a significant burden for operators and equipment. Despite the development of tourism, the island retains a peaceful atmosphere that allows for undisturbed concentration during long hours spent in the ether making thousands of connections with stations from aroundthe world.
Technical equipment of 8Q7ZW and operational strategy
The expedition 8Q7ZW arrives in the Maldives with an ambitious antenna park. The centerpiece of the setup is vertical antennas for the lower bands. For the 160 and 80 meter bands, operators have prepared a vertical 23 meters high equipped with a capacitive hat, which should ensure sufficient radiation efficiency towards Europe and America. Separate vertical antennas are also prepared for the 60, 40, and 30 meter bands. For the upper bands from 20 to 10 meters, they use a five-band spiderbeam, which is a proven choice for expeditions due to its low weight and good gain., which is a proven choice for expeditions due to its light weight and good profit.
The heart of the radio station consists of two Yaesu transceivers FTDX10 supplemented with filters to suppress mutual interference. The power section consists of two Expert 1k3 linear amplifiers. However, operators warn in advance that due to the stability of the local electrical grid and possible voltage drops, the amplifiers will mostly operate with limited power around 500 W. Despite this limitation, signals from the 8Q7ZW station should be strong enough to be received by stations with less efficient antennas.
Operation and confirmation of connections
Operating modes include CW, SSB, and digital mode FT8. Ľubo and Laco plan to focus primarily on the low bands, where there has been a long-term high demand from the Maldives. DXing enthusiasts can watch the activity in real time via livestream on the portal ClubLog. After the expedition, the logs will be uploaded to online systems and the confirmation of connections will primarily take place through the system OQRS or directly through OM5ZW. The 8Q7ZW expedition represents a significant contribution to Slovak amateur radio history and promises to bring thousands of connections to the logs of amateur radio operators on all continents.