Chile
3G1P
Ilotes Pajaros (SA-100 New)
Grid Locator: FG48vw
August 18 to 23
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NEWS:
11 Nov 2025 All QSL requests via the bureau received through Club Log prior to Nov 7 have been mailed to the RAC Outgoing QSL Bureau in Ottawa. 07 Nov 2025 All direct QSL requests received until now have been answered by mail this afternoon. Future direct QSL requests will be processed every two weeks. Note that I will participate in the 3Y0K DXpedition to Bouvet, and so I will be unable to process any requests between Jan 28 and Mar 11, 2026. 29 Oct 2025 UPS updated their delivery schedule last night, and the package of QSL cards from Alfio (IT9EJW) is now supposed to arrive to me on Nov 3. They indicated that the change is due to unusually high volume of service, which I think that it is likely explained by the reduced service offered by Canada Post. 24 Oct 2025 UPS announced me today that the delivery of the package of QSL cards from Italy is now scheduled for Oct 31. 20 Oct 2025 The QSL cards are scheduled to arrive by courier on Oct 29. Once here, I will work on replying as soon as possible to all those who requested direct confirmations. Since Canada Post is on a rotational strike, all requests received up to that time will be mailed from the US. I encourage all those who are considering requesting direct confirmations to do it sooner rather than later. I will not travel again to the States in order to mail a second batch of cards. Thank you for your cooperation. 12 Oct 2025 QSL cards have been printed in Italy more than two weeks ago, but they have not been shipped to Cezar in Canada yet. This is because Canada Post have been on strike for the last few weeks, and so they will not be delivered. Cezar is waiting for the AT2AH QSL cards to be printed, and will organize both sets of QSL cards to be shipped from Italy via courier. Meanwhile, all QSOs of those who requested direct QSL cards have been uploaded to LoTW. 31 Aug 2025 We wish to express our outmost gratitude to those who supported this challenging project, and those who generously contributed toward the replacement cost of our lost equipment and personal belongings. More than 80 hams made contributions to the latter. Most of them also donated to the project and made the log. Others, however, are among the IOTA chasers who were unable to log us, or DXers who are not among the IOTA chasers at this time. We thank them all! The List of Donors includes those in the former group, as well as those who provided support for both the project and our losses. The list below includes those who made separate donations toward the equipment and personal effects: AA5JF, AB5EU, AH6HY, CT4NH, DF6QP, DK6NJ, DL1DXX, DL4KQ, DL8JS, DS5ACV, EA4MY, EA8AKN, F4WBN, F6FHO, G0UIH, G3KMA, HA5JP, HB9AFI, HB9BBN, HB9DKZ, HS0ZIV, I2YDX, I5BZ, IV3APV, JA1BPA, JA1NLX, JA2KVB, JA4GXS, JH2XQY, JH7VHZ, JI0VIF, JI3DST, JJ8DEN, JM1PXG, JP7EIP, K0DEQ, K2HAT, KP4PK, M0OXO, N5DD, N6PF, N6TTV, N6VR, N9BX, NN7A, OE1WEU, OE3EVA, OE3GCU, OE3RPB, OE3WWB, PB1TT. PE1NCP, S57L, SM3DMP, SM5LNE, SP5APW, SP8IIS, UR5EDX, VA7DXX, VE1VOX, VE3JV, VE7QCR, VK5MAV, W1NG, W5BOS, W5PF, W5ZPA, W8JRK, W9ILY, WA4MIT, WX5L. [list updated 12 Oct 2025] 27 Aug 2025 - 15 UTC We filed a formal complaint yesterday with the Maritime Police in Iquique. It won't bring our stuff back, but we had to get it out, since the decisions of the rescue team have had such negative consequences. Based on further discussions, we concluded that it was unlikely that the sealions would have pushed our stuff into the sea. Human intervention also seems virtually impossible, in view of the very difficult sea conditions. Instead, the culprit appears to have been the sea. The conditions over the last few days were the worst here in 5 years. The high ocean swell of 2.8 to 3.0 m, under strong winds, could have created the necessary conditions for everything on the rock to be swept away. And the fact that the 2-el yagi was severely damaged appears to substantiate this point of view. During the past 24 hours we received several encouraging massages from various chasers, as well as some donations specifically made to help us out with equipment loses. We want to express our gratitude to all those who helped and will continue to help. They are living proof that ham spirit is alive and well. 26 Aug 2025 - 15 UTC VERY BAD NEWS Juan and his crew reached the rock before 9 am local time (before 15 UTC). The photos he shared with us didn't show any of our stuff up there. However, Alex - one of his crew - climbed the rock. There is absolutely nothing there except for the beam antenna that we left anchored, which has been damaged. We left it there because it was too slippery at the time to attempt disassembling it. There is no trace of the sealed drum and one of the generators, which was left in its hypalone bag. We are truly disappointed. We could not have taken with us during the extraction the KPA500 or the generator, since they were too heavy, but we could have taken more stuff had the rescue team didn't mislead us that they will bring these things down the after we reach to the boat. The lost equipment includes the KPA500, one IC-7000, seven Dunestar-300 band pass filters, two laptops, two multiband antennas, one 2-el yagi, one Honda EU22i generator, two fiberglass masts, all Cezar's personal clothing and sneakers, etc. The estimated replacement value is well in excess of $8,000. To be clear, this loss is the responsibility of our team. However, we would very much appreciate all the support that the IOTA and DXing community can afford to offer. Thank you! 25 Aug 2025 - 15 UTC Cezar postponed his flight back by two more days, as the sea forecast looks good tomorrow and the day after. Unfortunately, this comes with a significant airline penalty, exchange fee, and difference in the cost of the ticket. There are also additional costs associated with the extension of the stay in Iquique, travel to and from Caleta Lobos, and obviously the service provided by the fishermen. We have the necessary funds to cover all this, but would appreciate if those who can afford to include a small donation with their OQRS submission will be willing to do it. 25 Aug 2025 - 13:30 UTC Sea conditions were not good this morning. The fishermen will assess the situation a little later today, but I have to postpone my return flight and extend my stay in Iquique. I cannot keep changing the return ticket on a day-by-day basis, since costs are very high. Meanwhile, Felipe is also helping me to postpone leaving the apartment, but unsure how long I can keep it. 24 Aug 2025 - 22 UTC This operation has been approved by the IOTA Management, and as such its log has been uploaded to Club Log. All contacts for which direct QSL requests will be made will be also uploaded to LoTW, in due course. 24 Aug 2025 - 15 UTC Sea conditions didn't allow the recovery of our equipment and clothing yesterday or this morning. Felipe left Iquique just a little while ago and is now on his way back home. However, I will continue to stay here until the recovery is finalized. The log will be uploaded to Club Log later today, but it will not be open for OQRS until confirmation is received from the IOTA Management that the operation was validated toward credits. 22 Aug 2025 - 19 UTC The fishermen assessed the sea conditions this morning and decided against attempting to retrieve our components today. As such, we packed the rest of the components, which didn't make it to the island, and moved back to Iquique. Felipe is now shipping some of the stuff back home. His flight back to Puerto Vargas is on Sunday morning, Aug 24, while mine is in the afternoon of Monday, Aug 25. The fishermen will attempt to retrieve the rest of our equipment every day until they are successful, and keep us informed of the results. Interestingly, today around 9 am local time it rained. Then, around 11 am it rained against for bit. Not a lot, just enough to make us realize how lucky we were to not have had to deal with this on the island. Next, we need to formally have this operation validated toward IOTA credit, after which we will uploaded the log to Club Log and open the OQRS. Please be patient. 21 Aug 2025 - 19 UTC Landing on the large Pajaros rock in the morning of Aug 18 went as planned, but we were unable to find any possibility to install our tent on the top of it. Consequently, we decided to operate under the open sky. This was fine during the day, but difficult at night, particularly since a chilly wind started to pick up around midnight local time, making it difficult to withstand the cold of the night. However, we had inflatable mats and sleeping bags which we were able to use. The highly unleveled top surface became extremely slippery after dark, as air humidity condensed on the old guano rock, limiting our movement severely. We began operating on 20 m CW in late afternoon, and continued to do so until about 7 UTC, when we were very tired and decided to rest for the night. The second day we continued operating on 20 m CW at first, after which we moved to 15 m SSB. As the day progressed, the ocean swell became visibly higher, reaching just under the top of the smaller of the two Pajaros rocks, while the associated spray would cover it in its entirety. The little rock has a height of 12 m, while the larger rock, on which we landed, 20 m. while we were located 3-4 m below it's top. As the day progressed, the generator - which we placed on a relatively flat surface a couple of meters below where we were seating - received a lot of water spray, which forced us to consider shutting it down and moving it up, despite that there was no flat surface available for it there. As such, we had no other choice then stop our our activity temporarily. Late in the day we managed to build a nice place for the generator, which was successfully started, allowing us to continue our activity. We operated all night in 20 m SSB, and didn't restrict the takers until we noticed that far two many of them called us despite having made previous contacts on other bands/modes. Thus, we decided to announce that we will only pick up new stations, which didn't contact us earlier, aiming to maximize the number of unique stations logged. The operation continued using only one station, as long as the propagation lasted. We tried to periodically check its opening, but the pileup subsided substantially. During the evening of the previous day, we were informed by the Coast Guard that the sea condition will worsen to the point that on Aug 22 and/or 23 will reach a level of 4.1 on the 5 level scale. Consequently, they were preoccupied of our safety and indicated that they will re-assess the situation next morning. Thus, in early morning of Aug 21, Coast Guard announced us that they will come soon to pick us up. We immediately shut off our transmission and began preparing for evacuation. Before long we changed in wetsuits and later descended, under their guidance, the steep and slippery slopes of the big rock, following which we paced ourselves against the waves and swam through the high waves toward their boat. Most of the materials that we brought with us remained on the rock, nicely packed. They will hopefully be brought down at some point, but only future will tell. We reached Caleta Lobos at about 17:30 UTC, after which we dried ourselves out, washed a bit, dressed in dry clothes, and breathed happily after a pretty daring extraction. This project was without a question a very difficult one, which included a number of risks that we were able to manage, a true adventure in every sense of this word. Its full story, with its details, and all the incredible twists and turns, will be certainly written and published later on. For the time being we are delighted to have been able to do it, and are sincerely grateful to all those who assisted us in the landing and extraction, as well as those who helped us along the way. 17 Aug 2025 - 23:30 UTC We attempted to land today on the southeastern of the two Pajaros rocks. The very high hull and strong currents made it impossible for anyone in our group to land on the part of the island potentially offering a climbing opportunity. The only landing spot, extremely difficult to reach, was opposite to the above part of the island, and offered no access what so ever to it. Had we been able reach it, we would have ended under a very steep and slippery slope, impossible to for us to climb. After our return back to Caleta Lobos, we had some in-depth discussions with our logistical crew, which consists of Juan - boatman and lead, Manuel, Alex, and Juan, Alex's brother. Studying the weather and sea forecast provided by the Coast Guard services, we concluded on the following plan for tomorrow morning, as we'll make another attempt to land, this time on the northwestern of the Pajaros islands. Manuel will try to land in an area that seems to allow us o climb the rock. If he succeeds, he will install a rope secured by several pikes to assist us in the climb. Meanwhile, Alex and his brother Juan will install from the top of the rock two ropes that will allow them to hoist with nets the heavy sealed drums with our equipment, food, water, camping gear, generator and gas. Juan, our driver, will attempt to bring us close to the bottom of the rock, and assist us, along with Alex, to reach it pacing the entire process against the ocean hull and currents. It will be very, very tricky. Since the ocean swell will increase significantly in the coming hours and days, we only have time for one attempt. Consequently, we scaled down our equipment and camping gear. As such, we will bring two radios, two laptops, one amplifier, and two antennas (plus one radio and one antenna for spare). We will take with one one tent and one generator only. Everything fits in three 180L sealed drums, plus the generator and masts. 17 Aug 2025 - 18:30 UTC The operating team along with the logistical crew drove to the rock this morning bright and early. Unfortunately, the sea didn't cooperate, as the hull and the currents were outside of what the leader of the logistical group considered acceptable landing conditions. Moreover, the weather forecast is not looking good for the next 3-4 days. Meanwhile we decided to inspect a couple of other little rocks, which seemed at first to potentially qualify for this IOTA group. However, upon further checking, we concluded that they do not meet the conditions. We are back in the village and are evaluating our options. 16 Aug 2025 - 14:30 UTC With all shopping done, wetsuits rented, we are now waiting for the truck to come to our accommodation in Iquique to take us to Caleta de Lobos. We'll need some time to load everything properly in the truck's bin, but we aim to be at our destination by 19 UTC or shortly after. The plan is to attempt landing tomorrow morning, and be operational by early to mid-afternoon local time. 
25 Jul 2025 During our repeated discussions with the leader of the logistical team, a respected fisherman from Caleta Lobos, he indicated that his major concern for everyone's safety is the presence of the guano on the rocks. Under the ocean spray, the guano on the inclined rocks will be wet and extremely slippery. Consequently, he planned to install a couple of ropes on the island, meant to provide us with support while climbing to the intended campsite, on top. We also decided to incorporate an additional contingency by having Felipe build a 7 m long rope ladder, which we will be able to installed, if needed, with 10 mm diameter rebars hammered into the vertical limestone rockwall. The leader of the logistical team visited the island twice during the last few days. His first visit was on July 20, late morning, when the sea was pretty rough. He managed to put foot on the island with great difficulty, after which he scouted the place for the best path to the top, and installed a couple of ropes in the process, which he secured and left in place. He returned to the island on Jul 23, early morning, when the sea was very calm and allowed him to bring some rock anchors for our tents and masts. It was his decision to go for rocks rather than plastic kegs filled with sea water. Team members had a zoom meeting on July 24 in which they went in great detail over the radio equipment. Given the highly variable sea conditions, they decided that the radio, generators, camping gear, food, water and fuel supplies will be packed such as to be deployed in two phases. If sea conditions are good, both phases will be implemented right away, one after the other. However, if sea conditions worsen, or are difficult to begin with, only the first phase will be deployed, while the second will be attempted a day or two later. Furthermore, in order to better take into account the variability of the sea conditions, the team plans to work very hard in Iquique in order to finalize the rental and purchasing of various components necessary for this project faster than originally scheduled. If successful, they intend to arrive in Caleta Lobos one day earlier, on Aug 16. There, they will do their best to have everything prepared for transportation to the island. If the weather and sea conditions cooperate, the team will attempt landing one day earlier, on Aug 17. However, if the sea conditions are difficult, they may have to wait, as the decision to go remains with the leader of the logistical team. 9 Jul 2025 In five weeks, our team will head to Iquique. The generators, sealed drums, various radio and other components will be shipped there in advance, and stored in a warehouse. Other radio components, laptops, and accessories will arrive with the operators, as accompanying luggage. Here is the day-by-day time schedule: - Aug 13: team members will depart from home and travel to Iquique. - Aug 14: meet in Iquique (mid-afternoon), and arrange transportation to Caleta Lobos. - Aug 15: shopping for camping gear, including tents, tables, chairs, mats, and sleeping bags. - Aug 16: shop for water, food, and fuel supplies, as well as miscellaneous components. - Aug 17: rent wetsuits, load a truck and a van, travel to and overnight in Caleta Lobos. - Aug 18: wake up very early, load two fishing boats, arrive at Pajaros around 6 am local time. Land all people and components, move everything on top of the island, and setup camp. Get on the air by mid-afternoon local time. - Aug 19 to 22: on the air from Pajaros. - Aug 23: shut down before sunrise and prepare to leave the island in the morning. Leave all camping gear and miscellaneous components with the fishermen of Caleta Lobos. Drive to Iquique and return the wetsuits. - Aug 24: Sell the generators. Prepare personal bags for the return trip home. - Aug 25: Depart from Iquique. Felipe arrives back home the same day. - Aug 26: Cezar and Johan return home. Note that we won't be able to install anchor pegs on Pajaros for either the tents or the antenna masts. This is because the top of the island is covered in a very soft and more than 50 cm think guano layer. Furthermore, there are no rocks on the island that we can use for anchoring purposes. There are only huge boulders there, similar to what we encountered on Escondida (LU6W, SA-096) in 2015. Consequently, our plan is to bring rocks from Caleta Lobos. For two tents and three masts we'll need at least 21 anchoring points, or close to... 200 kg of rocks! Worth mentioning, all the rocks that we'll bring on Pajaros will have to be brought back to the village! We are immensely grateful to the groups and individuals who extended to us grants and donations. Their unreserved trust and enthusiastic support energized and determined us to incorporate even more contingencies in the logistical plan of this challenging project. Meanwhile, we continue to look for donations from those willing and able to help us defray more of our costs. 18 Jun 2025 The team decided to add a 2-element yagi for 10-15-20 m to their multiband vertical antennas. In view of the very limited space on the island, we appreciate that this yagi will help reduce interference between stations. 12 Jun 2025 The team continues to work on various continencies meant to ensure that all people (three operators and one helper) and materials will be successfully landed on the rock from the first attempt. As such, in order to take advantage of the most favorable sea conditions in early morning, we agreed with Juan, the head of our logistical team, to organize everything in only one transport from Caleta Lobos to Pajaros. This will require two boats instead of one, but it also offers the advantage that drivers will be able to support each other during the landing operation. Only Juan though will remain in stand-by, day and night, during our entire activity from the island. We are also re-evaluating the type of sealed drums we need to purchase, in view of the cost and available supplies, and look into having them tested. 30 May 2025 Following discussions with the Chilean Coast Guard, the team developed a Safety Plan, which included an identification of hazards, as well as the mitigation of various risks associated with them. The plan also specified the name of the person who will lead the logistical team from Caleta de Lobos. The document, prepared by Felipe with feedback from the rest of the team members, was transmitted to the Coast Guard on May 23, and we are happy to report that we received their approval today. Meanwhile, we are working on the logistical plan, and as part of it we purchased custom-made hypalone bags for the generators. These are somewhat similar to drybags, but much sturdier and heavier, made from rubberized polyurethane. These are the same type of components we have used for the Bouvet DXpedition in 2023 and will be using again in 2026. 19 May 2025 The operators will bring their own radios, amplifiers, and antennas, but everything else needs to be purchased in Chile and brought to Caleta Lobos. We will rent wet suits in Iquique, as well as a truck for the transportation of all the radio, camping, food, water, and fuel components. Meanwhile, we hired local fishermen to provide us with boating services, as well as continuous support to keep the wildlife at bay while we will be on the island. Apart from generators that had already been purchased, we need to buy coaxial and power cables, tents and camping equipment, including tables, chairs, cooking stove, mats or cots, sleeping bags, as well as sealed drums for the safe transportation of all small components and the collection and storage of various types of waste. While on Pajaros, the team will have cell phone coverage and will upload the log daily. However, we do not intend to spend time on the internet during the operation, and so please refrain from attempting to contact us over the email or WhatsApp. This is a really difficult project due to various hazards and associated risks, and we hope that island chasers will support our efforts. Therefore, we will be actively looking for any possible group and individual donations, which will be acknowledged timely on this website. 15 May 2025 The license for the special callsign has been issued to Felipe, and is valid between August 4 and 29. Meanwhile, Cezar and Johan received their reciprocal licenses from SUBTEL, which are valid for the entire month of August. Finally, local fishermen accepted to support our team with logistics in mid-to-late August, which is why the operation has been scheduled at the time indicated on top of this website. 10 Apr 2025 The team applied for reciprocal licenses, as well as for a special callsign. Meanwhile, we purchased two Honda EU22i generators. 26 Mar 2025 Since each team member will bring various radio components, we had to conclude on how to ensure that the team won't be missing anything. As such, a detailed listing of all necessary components was created and agreed upon, and a budget established. Local regulations require that we inform the Coast Guard of this project before attempting to land on the rocks. As such, we approached them, and upon their request are putting together a hazard and risk mitigation plan, in collaboration with the fishermen from Caleta Lobos. 24 Feb 2025 Felipe carried out a reconnaissance mission between Feb 20 and 23. He flew to Iquique, where he visited various stores and service providers in order to better understand what resources are available there and how we need to schedule them. Then, he travelled to Caleta Lobos, discussing our project with the fishermen and securing their support. He also arranged for a boat ride around the Pajaros rocks, and took various photos and video clips from close-by. The team considered this mission successful, and was energized to continue preparing this project. 2 Feb 2025 A team composed of Cezar (VE3LYC), Felipe (XQ7IR), and Johan (PA3EXX) plans to activate Pajaros Rocks, SA-100 New. These rocks are located in the north of Chile, about 100 km south of Iquique, in the vicinity of the fishermen's village of Caleta Lobos. One of these two rocks has a round shape with a diameter of just under 60 m, while the second one is oval in shape, about 60 by 30 m. Both rocks are very rugged, and landing can only be attempted by swimming to them and pacing against the waves. They also have very steep slopes, and host colonies of sealions and cormorants. 
Two reputed amateur radio teams attempted to land and operate from these rocks in 2018 and 2019, but their efforts were regretfully unsuccessful. Despite these setbacks, an independent project to bring Pajaros on the air continued to be pursued, but was initially postponed due to the covid pandemic, and then due to other DXpedition projects that emerged. Cezar and Johan carried out together several IOTA expeditions in the past. As such, they operated from Hershel (SA-031), Diego Ramirez (SA-097), Sandy (OC-294), and Escondida (SA-096). Escondida is a rather much similar rock to Pajaros, just but larger in size, about 100 x 35 m and not as steep. Consequently, we expect that the landing logistics and challenges in dealing with wildlife will be also similar. Felipe and Cezar will team up for the upcoming 3Y0K DXpedition to Bouvet, which is scheduled for February 2026. It was during their discussions on Bouvet that joining forces on Pajaros came into focus, and a concrete plan for the latter began to be developed. Together with Johan, they worked closely in planning how best to handle every single aspect of this project. Check also the following DX resources: 
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SPONSORS & DONORS
Thank you for your trust and support!
The list below Includes those who donated prior to the beginning of the radio operations.
Section "Donors & Support" includes all donations received. 5B4MF - Spyros AB5EU - Trevor AF2F - Vlad CT4NH - Luis DK6NJ - Helmut DL4KQ - Frank DL5ME - Mario DL6JGN - Hans DL6KVA - Axel DS4DRE - Kang EA8AKN - Tony F4GYM - Fabien F4WBN - Christian F5IDJ - Valery F6BFH - Alain G4BWP - Fred G4VMX - Tony HA5JP - Attila HS0ZIV - Helmut I1JQJ - Mauro I2YDX - Joe I4GAD - Enrico I4GAS - Gastone I5ZGQ - Piero I8XTX - Pasquale IK1ADH - Valeria IK8DDN - Nino IN3ASW - Gianni IT9DAA - Corrado JA1BPA - Icko JA1SKE - Isao JA4GXS - Ken JA6WJL - Yasu JA7BWT - Aki JF4VZT - Yuu JF7RJM - Nao JH1OAI - Aki JI3DST - Take JK1KSB - Oku JM1PXG - Toshi JN3SAC - Yano JP7EIP - Ned K0DEQ - Bill K1NU - Len K1OA - Scott K4KKL - Mike K6FW - Frank K9AJ - Mike K9RR - Bill KD1CT - Bob KH6DC - Delwyn KP4PK - Greg M0OXO - Charles N4II - Ed N5JR - Joel N6NO - Merv N6VR - Ray N7RO - Dick N9BX - Bruce N9EAJ - John NN7A - Art OE3EVA - Ernst OE3JWC - Josef OE3KKA - Karl OE3RPB - Rei OE3SGA - Gus OE3WWB - Willy OE6IMD - Michael OH2BCK - Ulf OH2FT - Joni ON4VT - Danny OZ1HPS - Lars OZ4O - Ole PE1NCP - Martin S57L - Janko S58N - Miloslav SM3DMP - Tom SM3EVR - Tord SM5AQD - Hawk SM5FWW - Leif SM5LNE - Jan SM6CMU - Ingemar SM6CVX - Hans SP5APW- Jacek VA3DXA - Peter VA7DXX - David VE3JV - Wayne VE7DP - Frank VE7JH - Gabor VE7QCR - Pat VK3QI - Pat VK5MAV - Andy W1NG - Ken W5BOS - Lanny W5GAI - Skip W5PF - Paul W7BEM - Chip W8JRK - Joe W9OO - Carl WA4MIT - Morris WC6DX - Will WD8PKF - Alan WX5L - Randy |
