KH8A American Samoa

Americká Samoa patrí medzi entity DXCC , ktoré sa vyskytujú v logoch len zriedkavo. Vzdialená od Hawaii o vyše 3 500 km a od väčšiny európskych operátorov o viac ako 15 000 km, s hornatým terénom hlavného ostrova, ktorý komplikuje umiestnenie antén a propagačné okná – KH8 nie je destinácia, ktorú by organizátori DX expedícií navštevovali bežne. Toto sa zmení od 29. októbra do 13. novembra 2026, keď tu bude aktívna nemecká expedícia KH8A.

Date and DXCC entity

Aktivácia prebehne od 29. októbra do 13. novembra 2026. Call sign je KH8A. Lokalita zodpovedá IOTA OC-045, grid locator AH45OP. Ide o rovnaké QTH , z ktorej v septembri 2024 pracovala expedícia KH8T (43 064 QSO v denníku). Hora v pozadí QTH vytvára ťažšie prevádzkové podmienky, no tím s týmito obmedzeniami počíta.

Team KH8A

The expedition is led by a nine-member German team with extensive experience from previous challenging activations – T2C (Tuvalu), C21MM (Nauru), V6D (Micronesia) and others. Information posted by Rolf, DL7VEE.

The team is open about the logistical challenges: securing visas and operating permits was not easy. Flights and accommodation are booked. All equipment, including amplifiers, will fly with operators in the cabin of the aircraft – to avoid damage during baggage handling.

Equipment

The team emphasizes proven, carefully checked equipment from previous expeditions. The transceivers are Elecraft K4 models – high-end SDR transceivers with coverage of all shortwave and 6m. Wayne Burdick, N6KR (Elecraft), is following the expedition and recommended that the team test the latest beta firmware B38.BETA3 with Spectral Subtraction Noise Reduction (SSNR) feature that could help in working in the noise band on low bands.

Na horných pásmach bude tím používať vlastnú 5-pásmovú 2-prvkovú drôtovú anténu od LZ-Antenna v kombinácii s pentaplexerom – tá umožňuje simultánnu prevádzku na viacerých pásmach z jedného anténneho systému. Na ostatných pásmach budú nasadené jednoduché jednopásmové drôtové antény. Stožiare – sklolaminátové teleskopické tyče aj HD hliníkový teleskopický stožiar pre smerový radiátor – pochádzajú od firmy spiderbeam .

Planned frequencies and modes

The team plans to operate 4 stations 24/ 7 on the 160m to 6m bands in all major modes. The team is aware that conditions on the high bands are deteriorating during this period of the solar cycle and the focus is shifting to the mid and low bands.

The team has not specified specific operating frequencies on the website at the time of writing – these will be published gradually in the Operating frequencies section of kh8a.mydx.de. DX Cluster Tracking and Club log Live Stream will allow operators to find current spots during activation. From the comments of the DX community, there is a strong interest in the 160m band for Europe - SM6CVX Hans has explicitly requested CW operation on the topband.

QSL card KH8A

Details about QSL and OQRS will be published in the QSL-Info and Logsearch sections on kh8a.mydx.de. The log search and online QSL request will be available directly from the expedition website after activation. Follow the updates on the page kh8a.mydx.de.

Rarity of the KH8 entity in context

Despite several recent activations from American Samoa – K8K (Yuris YL2GM, June–July 2024), K8R (HA7RY/HA5YG, July 2024 in preparation for the Jarvis N5J expedition) and KH8T (September 2024) – KH8 remains an entity missing from thousands of European logs. Interest in new activations therefore remains high in the DX community.

KH8A je plánovaná ako plnohodnotná multi-operátorská expedícia s dlhým oknom (16 dní) a 4 simultánne pracujúcimi stanicami. Pre európskych operátorov budú kľúčové ranné a večerné hodiny UTC , keď propagačné okná pre nízke pásma smerom na západ Tichého oceánu otvárajú možnosti na 40 m, 80 m a 160 m.

Video: atmosphere from American Samoa (KH8T 2024)

For those who don't have KH8 in their log yet, the following video captures KH8T operating on 10m CW from American Samoa in September 2024 - same location, same promotion challenges: