Solomon Islands (H4) patria k entitám DXCC, s ktorými sa stretnúť na pásmach nie je každodennou záležitosťou. Podľa aktuálnych dát Club Log zaujímajú 84. miesto v zozname Most Wanted – výsledok kombinácie geografickej odľahlosti a obmedzenej amatérskej aktivity z tohto súostrovia. Pre stovky európskych staníc ide o chýbajúce ATNO, IOTA alebo otvorený pásmový slot.
The good news is that Bernhard, DL2GAC, regularly returns there and his operation under the call sign H44MS is one of the most reliable sources of connections to the Solomon Islands. Compared to large group DXpeditions that come to H4 sporadically and briefly, Bernhard's long-term stay offers the advantage of regular daily operation and sufficient time for most interested parties to achieve connections on multiple bands.
Analysis of band slots from Club Log (as of September 23, 2026, ADIF number 185) shows a specific picture of activity: the 60-meter band has recorded no activity in CW or SSB, while data slots (FT8/digital) are occupied on all bands from 160 to 6 meters. The QSO activity graph since 2007 captures significant peaks around the years 2012–2013 and 2022–2023 – in both cases, these are periods of larger DXpeditions. In the years 2020–2021, activity nearly disappeared, corresponding to the global travel restrictions. The most active year from the graph is 2022–2023, when the number of QSOs exceeded 40,000 per year.
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Previous expeditions H44MS
Bernhard's visits to the Solomon Islands date back deep into the 90s. The first mention in ARRL bulletins dates back to 1995, when he announced operations from Rennell Island (IOTA OC-127) as H44MS. In 1997, he reappeared with plans to activate additional IOTA groups including OC-158 and OC-168. In 2012, he announced operations from Honiara (Guadalcanal, OC-047) from October 18 to December 9 with short trips to several IOTA groups. In August 2019, he worked together with DL2GMI (H44MI) from Guadalcanal on bands 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, and 6 meters in modes SSB, RTTY, and FT8.
April 2023 brought another extensive expedition from Malaita (OC-047) – Bernhard was QRV daily on the bands from 80 to 6 meters in SSB and FT8 and after returning uploaded the log to Club Log and logbook of the World. Autumn 2025 brought another stay in Malaita (OC-047) lasting from September 20 to November 25. From the Club Log statistics (as of September 23, 2026, data after noise management), it is clear that the data slots (FT8) are occupied on all major bands from 160 to 6 meters and most of them have the last recorded contact from 2026. Bernhard's repeatedly visited QTH Malaita is located on an island of the same name northeast of Guadalcanal – it is one of the most densely populated islands of the archipelago with an active community life and limited infrastructure.
H44MS on 10m SSB
Expedition H44MS 2026–2027
Bernhard will be active as H44MS in two intervals: October 3 – November 20, 2026 and February 5 – May 4, 2027.
Operations take place daily, without a fixed schedule - typically according to propagation conditions and time. From the Solomon Islands (CQ zone 28, ITU zone 28, continent OC), the morning hours UTC are advantageous for European stations on higher bands (17–10 m) and late evening or night on 40 and 80 meters.
Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands are an archipelago in the southwestern Pacific Ocean with more than 900 islands, of which only a few dozen are inhabited. It is located in Melanesia, northeast of Australia, at geographical coordinates of approximately 9.40° S and 160.00° E. The land area exceeds 28,000 km². The capital city, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal, which is also the IOTA group OC-047 along with the island of Malaita - Bernhard's most frequent operational site. The population is around 700,000; the official languages are English and Melanesian pidgin.
The nature of the island is extraordinary: dense tropical forests, coral reefs and mountains of volcanic origin. Climatically, it is a humid tropical environment with temperatures around 27–28 °C throughout the year. From a radio amateur's point of view, the proximity to the equator and the nature of the route's spread to Europe are interesting - the propagation takes place either through the Indian Ocean and the Middle East, or via a long route. At higher altitudes (17 and 15 m), conditions to Europe are best during the morning hours of UTC; on 40 meters and below it is worth a try late in the evening. Solomon Islands belongs to CQ zone 28 and ITU zone 28, ADIF entity number is 185, primary prefix H4.
Solomon Islands - natural environment
How to work with H44MS and how to request QSL
Operation in SSB typically occurs split - the band is monitored on standard DX frequencies, while Bernhard typically calls UP or UP 5. European stations have the best chance during the morning UTC on higher bands when propagation through JA and VK to the west is favorable. Given the single-operator nature of the operation and daily activity throughout the stay, the chance of a successful QSO with patient monitoring of the cluster is very good - this is also confirmed by the total number of searches for the call sign H44MS on QRZ.com, which exceeded 610,000 by September 2026.
QSL is sent via DL2GAC, bureau or direct. The log will be uploaded to Club Log and LoTW after returning from the Solomon Islands. The standard procedure applies for bureau requests; for direct QSL, sufficient postage for a return reply or IRC must be included. The H44MS page on QRZ.com is managed by DL2GAC and contains current information about operations.
Statistical analysis from Club Log shows the overall activity from the Solomon Islands in the global log: the longest continuous activity in the 80-meter SSB band was last recorded in 2024, and in the 160-meter band in 2023. This data primarily reflects the activities of larger DXpeditions. Bernhard's long-term stays are a valuable addition in this context - they ensure continuity of activity even among large group expeditions and allow less active stations to gain band points that could not operate in the hectic pile-up during more intense DXpeditions.
Current status of activity H44MS can be monitored on the DX cluster and on the DL2GAC page on QRZ.com. To verify connections and the status of QSL services, use Club Log.