This month, we head to the North Pole! Well, almost … In September, the Dateline DX Association (DDXA) organized a DXpedition to Svalbard as JWØA. Svalbard is located in the Arctic Ocean, midway between the northern tip of Norway and the North Pole. I hope you enjoy this unique DXpedition to the northernmost permanent settlement on Earth (not counting Santa’s workshop – ed.)! – Bob, N2OO
Dateline DX Association (DDXA <www.ddxa.net>) members have traveled the world … well, almost. They have operated from 9MØ to BS7 to BV9 to C9, ZS8 and FT5 to HKØ and YVØ, to KH1, KH4, KH5K and KH9, to KP1 and KP5, VKØH, VP8O and ZD9, among many other needed entities. But not to the Arctic! After the long Covid period of non-existent DXpeditions, it was decided that DDXA was going north. It was also decided that this operation would be different — for once, no boats, no packing and carrying hundreds of pounds of equipment, no horrible food and sleeping in tents or on coral reefs. Most important, no years of trying to get permission! The map was studied, and it was quickly realized that the ideal location for this trip was SVALBARD.
Svalbard
The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard is a string of seven islands above the Arctic Circle, 400 miles north of the tip of Norway and 650 miles from the North Pole (Photo A). At 78° north latitude, the island of Spitsbergen is the most northern populated community with a year-round population of some 2,600, virtually all living in or around Longyearbyen, the island’s largest settlement. Svalbard is a popular tourist location and swells in population nine months of the year. For DXCC, this island group is a separate entity falling under the Norwegian callsign block as JW. Planning started in late 2021 with a core team of DDXA regulars.
It was quickly learned all requirements could be met — fly in/out, local lodging
