November 19, 2009

An advantage of going back to Sable Island is being able to review the log books from the previous DXpedition and use those results to develop an efficient operating strategy. One difference we hope to see is much improved band conditions. We are very encouraged to see the solar flux and sunspot numbers climb from where they were at the bottom. In 2010, we will definitely catch Cycle 24 on the rise. Because of the improved band conditions, we have expanded the array of antennas that we will take to the island. While we will still have a major emphasis on the low bands, we now have an opportunity to make a significant impact on 10, 12 and 15 meters. We have added antennas that will be very efficient on these bands. Our May 2009 Dxpedition to Core Banks IOTA NA-67 was very helpful in determining which antennas would perform optimally in a similar environment. We were able to run side-by-side antenna comparisons. Since that DXpedition, we have fine-tuned and added to our antenna inventory. We are still analyzing several antennas for potential use at CY0. It is great to see the solar flux increasing and the bands improving. It has been a long time coming. Hopefully our patience will pay-off in significant activity on 10, 12 and 15 meters from CY0.

1996 CY0XX Band Breakdown

Bands Contacts

160 1300

80 2853

40 5004

30 2106

20 10693

17 1810

15 1761

12 1

10 124

Total Contacts: 25,652

January 17, 2009

Mounting a DXpedition to Sable Island, CY0, has intrigued our DXpedition group for years. I was fortunate enough to lead a team of five DX'ers to Sable in October 1996. Even at the very bottom of sunspot cycle 22, we all had a fantastic time and I knew I wanted to return one day. Sable really is a fascinating place. Where else in the world would horses have the run of the island and the humans are restricted to where they can go?!

Sable receives occasional visits from DXpedition groups but remains semi-rare. There isn't enough activity to knock CY0 off the most needed countries list. Our team has individually and collectively operated from many spots around the world. We have been discussing Sable for several years and we felt that this was the time and place to make it happen. It's hard to explain the camaraderie that we have developed as a team over the years. Each one of our team members bring certain skills and abilities to the table and that seems to collectively work well for us. We are excited about the DXpedition and are very busy handling all of the logistics.

We are anxiously awaiting the results of the 2010 Most Wanted Countries Survey. This should be released in January. We anticipate that Sable Island CY0 will climb a few spots in the survey".

"We hope to satisfy a lot of the demand and provide a new DXCC country or new band-country to as many DX'ers as possible