V62P Pulap Atoll OC-155 V62S Satawal Atoll OC-299

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Cezar, VE3LYC will be active as V62P from Pulap Atoll (OC-155) and as V62S from Satawal Atoll (OC-299, new one for IOTA) between 25 October and 12 November. This will be a "full-time operation", with plans to be QRV on 30-10 metres CW and SSB for 5-7 days from each atoll. QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or via VE3LYC. Bookmark https://v6iota.weebly.com/ for updates.

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Cezar, VE3LYC will be active as V62P from Pulap Atoll (OC-155), and as V62S from Satawal Atoll (OC-299) between 25 October and 10 November. "I just finished a very informative, almost two-hour Zoom meeting with the boat captain and my contacts down in FSM", he reported on 21 September. "We reviewed every step of the logistical plan, and the captain confirmed the transportation schedule I already announced, as well as a number of other logistical details. Meanwhile, he indicated that relatively small delays may occur, due to weather conditions and/or other unforeseen reasons that may arise. However, this is not going to shorten my stay on each atoll. If anything, my stays will be longer than originally planned".
Cezar is "extremely grateful for the support received so far from several organizations and enthusiastic individuals. It was my decision and nobody else's to embark on this rather complex and expensive endeavour, and I am prepared to bear its cost". However, he wishes to encourage more IOTA chasers and DXers to support this project and assist him in offsetting some of those expenses: https://v6iota.weebly.com/.

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Cezar, VE3LYC has bought the plane tickets and updated the schedule for his upcoming operation from Micronesia. He now plans to be active as V62P from Pulap Atoll (OC-155) on 1-7 November, and as V62S from Satawal Atoll (OC-299) on 9-16 November.
Dates might change due to weather conditions and/or unforeseen circumstances, check https://v6iota.weebly.com/ regularly for updates.

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On 16 October Cezar, VE3LYC received "the shockingly sad news that captain Callistus, who was in charge of sailing the boat to Pulap and Satawal, had just passed away. He was in mid 50s, had a very good understanding of this project and obtained the support of the local Chiefs, whom he knew personally. Captain Callistus was truly happy to be part of this project and will be sorely missed".
In any case, the company Cezar has hired for the voyage has confirmed that they will be able to provide their services as planned. The timelime of this project has not changed, and Cezar still plans to be QRV as V62P from Pulap (OC-155) on 1-7 November, and as V62S from Satawal (OC-299) on 9-16 November. See https://v6iota.weebly.com/ for updates.

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Cezar, VE3LYC has been in Weno since 28 October, but as of 3 November the situation was still very fluid and he did not yet have a fixed schedule for his trip ("it is like a puzzle in which several pieces must come together nicely", he says). His current tentative plan is:
11 or 12 November arrival in Satawal, OC-299 (V62S)
19 or 20 November departure from Satawal and arrival in Puluwat, OC-155 (V62P)
24 November departure from Puluwat Hopefully the plan will be finalised on 6 November. Cezar posts regular updates to https://v6iota.weebly.com/.

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The "North Star" was scheduled to leave Weno at 7 UTC (17 local time) on 8 November, but departure has been postponed for one day owing to unfavourable weather forecast. The voyage will take quite a while, as passengers and cargo have to be dropped off at five different islands before the ship can head straight for Satawal (OC-299). The captain "will try his best to arrive by 13 November", Cezar says, but "to be on the safe side, I should count on arriving to Satawal on 14 November".
The plan is to stay on Satawal (V62S) for six full days, followed by four full days on Puluwat (V62P, OC-155).
"Once I depart Weno", Cezar says, "I was clearly told that I won't have Internet anywhere, on any island. The only communication between Weno and the islands is via SAT phone at the admin office. I am not fully convinced that this is correct, but I have been warned, and so I am prepared for it.
While on the boat, the captain has HF communication with Weno and SAT phone as well, for emergency".

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After spending nine full days on Satawal Atoll (V62S), Cezar VE3LYC commenced operations as V62P from Puluwat Atoll (OC-155) just before 6 UTC on 24 November. As of 21 November, the situation appeared rather uncertain: "I have specifically requested a minimum of four operating days from Puluwat, but will see what happens in the end. Please refrain from making multiple contacts with V62P, so that more hams can have a chance at logging the rare OC-155. All this change of schedule has a pretty negative effect on me, amplified by the fact that I didn't feel well for the past couple of days". As an added inconvenience, Cezar's laptop failed a few days ago, and now he is logging manually on paper.

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After going through all sorts of trials and tribulations since his arrival on Puluwat (see https://v6iota.weebly.com for the various ordeals he suffered), Cezar went QRT on 30 November and was finally able to leave the island on 1 December, just in time to reach Weno and then catch his return flight on 3 December.

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Back home after being away for almost 40 days and seriously weakened physically, Cezar's priority is to "recover first, get back on my feet". As for the QSLs, he has to digitise the paper logs (about 85% of the
V62S log and the entire V62P log are on paper), and order the cards from Alfio (IT9EJW). He is unsure whether IOTA chasers will receive cards in time for the annual update deadline of 31 January. Therefore, as soon as the logs are up in Club Log and the OQRS is enabled, all contacts for which direct QSL requests are made will be uploaded to LoTW for QSO matching. "I don't think that I will be able to publish the logs prior to Christmas", he says, "but I'll give it a try".