India
AT2AH
Hope Island (AS-178 New)
Sep 27 to Oct 2
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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 again their scheduled delivery, 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 updated their scheduled delivery of the package of QSL cards from Italy for Oct 31. 20 Oct 2025 The QSL cards are scheduled to be delivered by courier on Oct 29. Once arrived, 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 will be printed this week in Italy. Since Canada Post continues to be on strike, Cezar will be organizing them to be shipped to Canada, along with the QSL cards for 3G1P, via courier. Meanwhile, he requested the LoTW certificate, and will upload all QSOs for those who requested direct QSL cards when it will arrive. 29 Sep 2025 at 15 UTC Yesterday we noticed a large number of people arriving from Kakinada to the island village. We knew of the large Hindu holiday taking place all over India these days. However, we didn't anticipate that the village will more than triple its people due to the return of those originally from here, along with their kids, to celebrate this holiday together with their families, friends, and neighbors. A lot of preparations took place over the last more than 24 hours, and there will be a very large event taking place tomorrow. Traditional music is transmitted using large loudspeakers, and wide arrays of colored LED lights were installed on a rope supported by wood poles along the beach for hundreds of meters. The villagers will erect tomorrow some tents, very close to our operating place. In anticipation we had to move one of the verticals, initially on the beach, and then on the opposite side, to be as far away from the beach as possible. We managed to accommodate ourselves to the audio noise, but we couldn't do anything to protect ourselves from a huge increase in the noise level once the LEDs were switched on. Some of our antennas are placed relatively far from the beach, but insufficiently far to avoid this interference. We were just informed that the LEDs will be switched off no later than 18 UTC tonight. However, they will be again on tomorrow. The power supply of one of the amplifiers brought by Sarath died yesterday, but he managed to get a replacement urgently shipped. It arrived this evening, and was installed right away, but after only a few minutes in operation it died too. It was a reconditioned amplifier, and the person who fixed it installed a condenser inside which should not have been there. The team logged about 4000 QSOs, half of which in CW/SSB. We reduced band jumping, which had the effect of keeping the overall number of contacts someone low, but the total number of unique stations high. 26 Sep 2025 We will board in Hyderabad, at 8 pm, a night train for the 10-hour trip to Rajahmundry, from where we hired a van to take us to the port of Kakinada. Most of the equipment has been shipped to Kakinada ahead of time, from where will be taken to Hope Island prior of our arrival. The 2025 Indian monsoon has turned into a season of extremes. The monsoon started earlier than usual, with unprecedented rain and flooding. The intense evaporation due to high temperatures led to increased cloudiness and heavy rainfalls. Moreover, the rainy season is now expected to last longer than in any of the last at least 50 years. Here in Hyderabad, it rained quasi-continuously over the last several days. We anticipate that the rain will be heavier on the coast and on Hope Island. The forecast for Kakinada over the coming days indicates temperatures of 31 C (feeling like 38 C) at day and 26 C at night. There is an orange alert in place, which means that severe rainfalls are likely, accompanied by thunderstorms. We hope for a bit of luck and a break in the rain to be able to setup the antennas, but we will temporarily shut down in thunderstorm conditions. 12 Sep 2025 WPC, the licensing authority of India, has not approved any of the three special callsign options we indicated on our application. Instead, they decided to issue us the callsign AT2AH for this activity. 5 Sep 2025 Among the components lost at sea following the recent Pajaros (SA-100) expedition were two 10 m telescopic fiberglass poles. Spiderbeam generously offered to replace them, but without any in stock at Vibroplex, their representation in the US, and a very long delivery time to Canada, it didn't seem that they will arrive in Cezar's possession in time for the upcoming AU2H project. It was in the nick of time that Elmar DF4GV stepped in. He contacted Spiderbeam and spoke directly with Raffaello and Andreas (DL9USA), who understood the urgency and organized things accordingly. Thus, two 10 m fiberglass masts were shipped today by UPS to Bucharest, Romania. Cezar's wife Lucia is currently there, scheduled to fly back to Canada the weekend after. Due to the prompt action of the above three, the masts are expected to be delivered to Bucharest by next Wed or Thu at the latest, so that Lucia can bring them over. I wish to thank Elmar, along with Raffaello and Andreas at Spiderbeam, for their amazing support. The masts were offered at no charge by Spiderbeam, while the shipping charges were covered by Elmar DF4GV. 
1 Sep 2025 We are happy to report that Cezar will be able to bring two radios, one amplifier, band pass filters, and two multi-band verticals, as originally planned. This will be possible due to the generosity of several friends who pledged their support by landing him various components: Adrian KO8SCA will provide a K3 radio and an Acom 500S amplifier; Pat VE7QCR will provide band pass filters from 10 to 40 m; and George VE3GHK will build another multi-band vertical antenna. We are highly indebted to them. 30 Aug 2025 Hope island used to have a village. Over the last few years, however, most of the inhabitants moved to the mainland. The island is made up to compacted sand, with very little vegetation. As a result, it doesn't offer much protection against the raising water level during storms hitting from both the east of the west. The few inhabitants who are still there continue their fishing traditions. There is no power grid on the island, and although there are some solar panels, there aren't used, because the batteries have been depleted a while back. During the recent mission, the team identified a former classroom, in an advance state of disrepair, as the optimum site for the upcoming radio operation, due to its location. Our plan is to organize things such as to have the roof repaired and secure the respective building against possible water inflow. After the radio activity, we want to ensure that this place will be able to be used as a storm emergency center. We will also donate to the fishermen one of our generators, to be used there as needed. Our intention is to operate three stations with three amplifiers, one each for CW, SSB, and FT8. We are waiting for the license to be issued by WPC in the coming days. 25 Aug 2025 Sarath and Anil carried out a visit to Kakinada and Hope during the last weekend, working to arrange for the necessary services during our upcoming expedition. The photos shown on top of each section on this website were taken during their trip. The island used to have a fishing community, but only a few remained, on a seasonal basis, as the rest moved on the continent. There is no power grid on the island, and former residencies and the school appear destitute. Our team will setup its own camp, with a large tent that will include an operating area and a rest and sleeping area, with a kitchen in between. 26 Jul 2025 We applied to the licensing authority for the use of the special callsign AU2H by the team for this activity. Meanwhile, Sarath and Anil are planning to carry out a second reconnaissance trip, this time both to Kakinada and the island. 19 Jun 2025 The team will use the UL-30i generator purchased for the AU2K project, but have budgeted for the purchasing of an additional gasoline generator. The team members will meet in Hyderabad on Sep 25 and overnight there. They will travel with all the equipment from Hyderabad to Rajahmundry by an evening train on Sep 26, arriving there in the early morning of Sep 27. From there, they will go by car to Kakinada harbor, and then by boat to the island. 26 Apr 2025 The same team that operated as AU2K from Kanika Island (AS-179) and AU2S from Sagar Island in December 2024 plans to bring Hope Island on the air at the end of September 2025. It includes Adersh, Anil, Cezar, and Sarath. Sarath carried out a first on-site reconnaissance mission, and learned that multiple permits are required in order to overnight on Hope. The team will work on a budget, and then focus on various logistical aspects associated with their plan. 11 Apr 2025 In early 2024, Frank DL4KQ looked into operating from the IOTA reference AS-178. Following discussions with Sarath VU2RS, and later Cezar VE3LYC, the focus was on Pillar Rock, the lone counter of this group at the time. Located about 780 m out at sea from the village of Pudimadaka, this rock has no more than 5 x 9 m in cross section. Frank was skeptical about the feasibility of mounting a radio operation from it, and searched the maps for an alternative island. He looked into Hope Island, located about 100 km to the southwest, across from the port city of Kakinada. Based on Google Earth, our evaluation of this candidate was inconclusive, and as a result the decision was made to change the target to Kanika, AS-179, while continuing to further investigate Pillar Rock. Taking advantage of the Kanika project, Cezar and Sarath met in Vishakhapatnam on Nov 26, 2024, and travelled to Pudimadaka the next day for on reconnaissance trip. The sea was very agitated, due to a nearby cyclone, and so it was impossible to take a boat ride around the little island. They were only able to toke some photos from afar. Meanwhile, the local fishermen indicated that the sea will be calm in January, and invited them to return for a closer inspection. In mid-January 2025, Sarath travelled to Pudimadaka on a second reconnassaice trip. This time he hired someone capable to fly a drone and take photos and videos from close-by. The images indicated that Pillar Rock has no natural platform around it, while the main rock is heavily carved by the sea on the side opposed to the mainland. This carving created an overhang, and the local fishermen warned against an attempt to climb it, as it could give in without notice. 
Pillar Rock is approximately 9 x 5 m at its base.
In view of the above, we went back to analyze various maps and take a closer look in order to reliably conclude whether Hope Island fits the IOTA criteria. An in-depth analysis carried out using maps available at various internet resources proved without a doubt that Hope Island matches the IOTA criteria. As a result of our full report, the IOTA Management added Hope Island to AS-178 on on April 10, and deleted Pillar Rock as a counter of this group. Note that despite being part of the IOTA Management, Cezar was not involved in these decisions due to his perceived potential conflict of interest. Hope Island is almost rectangular in shape, 5 x 1.5 km, with a 24 km long and very thin sandbank, which separates Kakinada Bay and Coringa Widelife Sanctuary to the west, from the Bay of Bengal to the east. Worth noting, the island itself is located about 4.5 km from the port of Kakinada and does no longer have a permanent habitation. Several years back, the Department of Forestry (DoF) of Andhra Pradesh initiated a forestation program meant to consolidate the southern part of the island. As a result, overnighting there is strictly forbidden with a permit issued by the authorities. 
Hope Island is 4.5 km east of the port of Kakinada.
Hope Island (AS-178) is about 660 km southwest of Kanika Island, AS-179.Check also the following DX resources: 
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SPONSORS & DONORS
Thank you for your trust and support!
List of donors who contributed prior to the beginning of the expedition
9A2AA - Tom AB5EU - Trevor AF2F - Vlad CT4NH - Luis DK6NJ - Helmut DL4KQ - Frank DL6JGN - Hans EA3JL - Vic EA8AKN - Tony EI7CC - Peter F4GYM - Fabien G4BWP - Fred GW4BKG - Steve HB9DKZ - Hans HS0ZIV - Helmut I1JQJ - Mauro I2VGW - Gabriele I2YDX - Joe I4GAD - Enrico I4GAS - Gastone I5YDO - Giovanni I5ZGQ - Piero I8DVJ - Vittorio I8XTX - Pasquale IK1ADH - Valeria IK8TWV - Nino IN3ASW - Gianni JA1BPA - Icko JA1SKE - Isao JA4GXS - Kenji JA7BWT - Aki JA8COE - Taka JE3GUG - Eichi JF4VZT - Yuu JF7RJM - Nao JH1OAI - Aki JK1KSB - Oku JM1PXG - Toshi JN3SAC - Yano K1HT - Dave K1HTV - Rich K6FW - Frank K9AJ - Mike KD1CT - Bob N6PF - Eli N6VR - Ray N9BX - Bruce NW7M - Alexey OE3EVA - Ernst OE3RPB - Reinhard OE3WWB - Willy OE6IMD - Michael OM2VL - Laci OZ1HPS - Lars PA3EXX - Johan PE1NCP - Mart SM3DMP - Tom SM3EVR - Tord SM5AQD - Hawk SM5CBM - Berti SM5FWW - Leif SM5LNE - Jan SM6CMU - Ingemar SM6CVX - Hans VE3JV - Wayne VE7DP - Frank VE7QCR - Pat VK3QI - Peter W1NG - Ken W5BOS - Lanny W7BEM - Chip W8JRK - Joe WD8PKF - Alan |
