OJ0MN and OJ0Z Market Reef

For every DX hunter and radio amateur in body and soul, Market Reef (Märket) is an iconic location. This isolated, inhospitable rocky island on the border of Sweden and Finland is a permanent magnet for expeditions. Its own DXCC entity, harsh northern conditions and unpredictable seas make every activation an extraordinary event. The OJ0MN and OJ0Z marks are appearing again in the radio amateur logs, which is a clear signal to point the beacons north.

Market Reef – History and specifics of the site

Market Reef (Finnish: Märket) is a small, uninhabited island located in the Baltic Sea between the Åland Islands and the Swedish coast. It is divided between Finland and Sweden. Geographically, it is an exposed rocky reef on which a lighthouse was built in 1885. Due to an original misalignment, the lighthouse stood on the Swedish side of the island, which led to the unique adjustment of the state border in 1985 to the shape of the letter "S" so that the lighthouse remained on Finnish territory.

For radio amateurs, Market Reef is a separate DXCC entity under the prefix OJ0. Since the island has no permanent population and traffic to it is dependent solely on favorable weather, any traffic from here attracts massive pile-ups from all over the world. The hamshack is usually set up directly on the premises of the historic lighthouse.

Successful activity of OJ0Z and OJ0MN in 2025

For operators Markus (OH1MN) and Juha (OH1LEG), the 2025 expedition was the fulfillment of a lifelong amateur radio dream. The activation of the site took place under challenging conditions. The originally planned time window had to be radically shortened due to adverse weather and rough seas. The team was only able to safely stay on the island for 3 days.

Despite the extremely short stay and the restrictions, the operators were able to generate a high rate of connections. Markus operated under the callsign OJ0MN and Juha used the callsign OJ0Z. This three-day intensive operation confirmed the huge interest in the OJ0 entity.

Expedition 2026: Plans, dates and bands used

After the success of the previous year, the amateur radio team is returning to Market Reef in 2026. The team's preparations included not only technical coordination, but especially securing permission for boarding and transport, which is a key factor for success in these latitudes.

The activity is planned for the turn of May and June, specifically from May 30 to June 6, 2026. Operators plan full deployment on multiple amateur bands in order to meet the needs of radio amateurs on various wavebands.

Overview of planned bands and modes

Much attention will be paid to the 6m and 4m bands, where interesting connections are expected via the sporadic E layer (Es), which is in full swing in Europe at the turn of May and June. The antenna arsenal will be adapted to the limited mounting options on rocky ground, it is expected to use directional yagi/quad antennas for higher bands and wire antennas with baluns for lower HF segments.

QSL information and logging

All established QSOs will be thoroughly processed after the expedition is over. The management of QSL cards is directly in charge of Markus, OH1MN. The paper QSL cards were printed by the well-known amateur radio specialist UX5UO QSL Printer, which guarantees high quality.

• Classic direct route: QSL via OH1MN. All direct requests received so far from 2025 have already been completely sent.
• Elektronická alternatíva (PayPal): To speed up the direct QSL service, you can use PayPal to pay at oh1mn@oh1aa.net. The fee is set at 3 EUR (send as a transaction to family/friend). The note must include complete QSO details, call sign and exact postal address.
• Resolving discrepancies: In case of errors in the log or discrepancies in logging, contact the operator directly by email, then a manual check of the log will be carried out.

Point your antennas at azimuth Market Reef and watch DX cluster. Dopočutia v pile-upe, priatelia.