Geostationary satellite QO-100 (Es’hail-2 / AMSAT P4-A) na pozícii 26° E prináša každý mesiac niekoľko portable a expedičných aktivácií, ktoré sú zaujímavé pre lovcov lokátorov aj DXCC prefixes. The QO-100 DX Club is continuously recording and announcing planned activations. Here are four that are worth watching for in July 2026.
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Portuguese special station CS5AIRA/P from Barra lighthouse
The International Amateur Radio Association (AIRA) plans to operate from the Barra lighthouse near Ílhavo – Aveiro in Portugal. The station will be active under the call sign CS5AIRA/P on July 18, 2026. The activation will take place from the locator IN50. More information is available on the AIRA website and their Facebook group.
German portable activation DL/F4EPU/P
David, F4EPU, member of QO-100 DX Club No. 457, is embarking on a portable trip across Germany. He will be active from JO52 from July 4th to 10th, 2026, and from JO43 from July 11th to 17th, 2026. The planned operation covers SSB, CW and FT4/FT8 modes. Both locators are interesting for those interested in the VUCC award from the perspective of the QO-100 locator map.
Video: QO-100 operation from a moving vessel
To understand the technical complexity of satellite operation from a ship, the following video is illustrative, capturing DP0POL/MM operation on the NB transponder QO-100 during the journey to Antarctica.
Romania and Moldova: YO/OE4EIE and ER/OE4EIE
Tom, OE4EIE, member of QO-100 DX Club No. 1532, will be completing a two-week rover activation across multiple locators in Romania and Moldova from July 18-31, 2026. He will be operating stations under the call signs YO/OE4EIE and ER/OE4EIE. Of particular interest are the locators KN38 and KN48, which according to available information have not yet been activated from QO-100. For collectors of new locators, this is an opportunity that does not occur regularly.
Research vessel Polarstern – DP0POL/MM heads to the Arctic
The German research vessel Polarstern departed its home port of Bremerhaven on July 4, 2026, heading for the 2026 summer Arctic campaign. Station DP0POL/MM is a member of the QO-100 DX Club under number 441. The current amateur radio operator on board is Andreas (Andy) Müller, DL3LRM, who has extensive experience operating from Polarstern - the first activation of this station via QO-100 from Polarstern took place in December 2020 during a trip to Antarctica.
The technical specifics of the Polarstern station are a fully automatically guided satellite antenna located under the radon, capable of maintaining a connection with the geostationary satellite even in high waves. Operators can only devote themselves to the operation in their free time.
The current position of the Polarstern can be tracked on the website follow-polarstern.awi.de, where the ship's log is also available.