Ohio/Penn DX Special Bulletin No. 974.1
The Ohio/Penn DX PacketCluster
DX Special Bulletin No. 974.1
BID: $OPDX.974.1
September 1, 2010
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF80.ORG (Cleveland, Ohio)

Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX
Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, AB5K & the AR TelNet
Clusters Network, Eric/N3NA and the Radio Expeditions, Inc. for the
following DX information.

For immediate release...

On 2010 August 31 the Refuge Manager at US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS)
notified the Radio Expeditions Inc team that it will receive a permit to
conduct the next DXpedition to Jarvis Island (KH5).

The selection of a team to visit Jarvis is the most recent step in a
long procedure that began in 2009 June with a visit by Radio Expeditions
management team members to the Honolulu FWS office.

The administration of the Jarvis Island National Wildlife Refuge is
conducted according to goal set in the Comprehensive Conservation Plan,
which was finalized on 2008 Sep 24. You can read this Plan here:
http://www.fws.gov/pacific....CCP.pdf

During the first half of 2010 the FWS staff developed a draft "Compatibility
Determination for Amateur Radio Operations at the Jarvis Island National
Wildlife Refuge". This document contains the rules and constraints for
DXpeditions at Jarvis. Simultaneously Radio Expeditions Inc submitted an
initial application for a permit and, together with the owner of the "MV
Braveheart", met again with the refuge management staff in April to
discuss plans, constraints, and options.

The draft compatibility determination was made available on the FWS
website on 2010 June 21 and public comments were solicited. Radio
Expeditions Inc was among the groups commenting on the draft. The
public comment period closed on 2010 July 5.

The FWS Honolulu office staff reviewed the comments, made a number of
changes, and submitted a final draft for approval at their regional
office in Portland, Oregon. On 2010 July 28 the final version was
released and is attached to this message. Among the many constraints
is the limit of one DXpedition per 5-year period.

Revised applications for a permit were accepted until a deadline of
2010 August 25. Attached are the application documents submitted by
Radio Expeditions Inc. The constraints in the Compatibility Deter-
mination required a radical restructuring of our plans, reducing both
the number of stations and the time on the air.

Since more than one group submitted an application which met the
requirements of the compatibility determination, a lottery among the
qualified groups was held at the FWS Honolulu office by the refuge
manager on 2010 August 30. Radio Expeditions Inc was fortunate to be
selected.

Due to the time required to establish the rules for amateur radio
operations in the Refuge, the late selection date, and the lead time
required to schedule and prepare the MV Braveheart, the expedition has
been postponed one year until 2011 November. November remains the best
month to visit Jarvis Island from a propagation standpoint, with the
largest combination of openings predicted to Europe on both 160/80
and 12/10 meter bands.

Members of the email distribution list will receive additional messages
over the next few months on the DXpedition plans, including details
about how the project will comply with the many restrictions imposed
on amateur radio operations at Jarvis.