FT4GL Glorioso Islands DXpedition – A Remarkable Adventure

May 2025

The FT4GL DXpedition to the Glorioso Islands, led by Marek FH4VVK, has recently concluded after an intense and challenging operation that earned Marek the prestigious title of DXpeditioner of the Year. This blog post summarizes the key moments, achievements, and challenges of this remarkable DX adventure.

Overview

Marek FH4VVK’s operation from the Glorioso Islands was a testament to endurance, skill, and dedication. Despite numerous technical difficulties, challenging conditions, and operational constraints imposed by local authorities, the team managed to log over 60,000 QSOs across all bands and modes announced — except for 160m, which was less successful.

The operation achieved a unique contact rate of 25%, with Asia making up 21% and North America 20% of contacts. The pileups were tremendous, especially on popular bands like 20m and 15m SSB and FT8 modes, providing many operators worldwide the rare chance to add Glorioso to their logs.

Challenges Faced

Technical and Equipment Issues: Frequent power outages, amplifier failures, and interference from external equipment tested Marek and the support team.
Operational Restrictions: Due to strict regulations by the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF), antenna heights were limited to 8 meters, affecting signal reach.
Limited Sleeping Arrangements: Marek had to operate in Spartan conditions, often outside his room to avoid disturbing colleagues, sometimes sacrificing sleep to remain active.
Pirates on FT8: Unauthorized transmissions (pirates) interfered with the digital FT8 signals, complicating contact verification.
Communication Limitations: The only communication on the island was Marek’s professional satellite phone, with no Starlink internet, preventing remote operation.

Highlights & Special Efforts

The team designated "ATNO Days" (All-Time New Ones) on June 14 and June 16 to give operators who had never contacted FT4GL a better chance at making a QSO.
Emphasis was placed on encouraging “little pistol” stations — modestly equipped operators — to participate and have their opportunity for a rare contact.
FT4GL covered most bands and modes with pilots globally helping to manage the pileups, ensuring wide geographic reach and fairness.
Daily logs were uploaded promptly for transparency and QSL management, handled professionally by F4FTV.
The operation included efforts on low bands (80m, 160m) and the 6m band despite technical setbacks.

Conclusion and Gratitude

After weeks of relentless operation, FT4GL signed off on June 18, 2025. The team thanked all the sponsors, pilots, and the worldwide amateur radio community for their support, patience, and enthusiasm.

Marek’s dedication—balancing professional duties on the island with the demanding DXpedition schedule—was nothing short of heroic. The FT4GL operation was a unique and memorable event that enriched the DXing world with one of the rarest DXCC entities.

If you participated in the pileups or managed to make that elusive QSO, congratulations! And if you missed it, stay tuned for future updates, as the team hopes to return to Glorioso in the future.