The VP6D Ducie Island DXpedition continues to operate on all bands that are open and, as of October 30, reports more than 113,200 contacts in the log. Most contacts (63,800) have been on CW, with about 28,500 on SSB and 20,911 on digital modes. The operators have merged their N1MM and FT8 logs and uploaded them to the VP6D website and log server. VP6D will continue operating on 6-meter Earth-Moon-Earth at moonrise until October 31.

As of October 29, the plan is to continue the operation until November 1 at 1500 UTC, although this schedule may be revised based on weather and sea conditions. So that the team will not miss the once-per-week flight from Mangareva, French Polynesia, to Tahiti, the CW and SSB camps will be taken down on November 1, with antennas, and all non-essential equipment will be removed from the island to the M/V Braveheart. On November 2, sleeping tents will come down and all remaining gear will be transported to the ship, which is expected to depart Ducie Island at about 2300 UTC, getting under way at 0200 on November 3 after all gear has been stowed. The schedule assumes calm wind and waves.

“We will unload the entire log before we leave the island, most of the FT8 dupes will be removed during that upload,” an October 30 update said. “OQRS will be activated after the upload.” 

“The team appreciates the cooperation we’ve received from the DX community. The pilots forwarded your comments and suggestions,” the VP6D update said. “It’s impossible to respond individually, be assured we read the summary of your comments and have acted on several of these where feasible. Thank you for the kind words; while the team is tired, reading these notes encourages them to work harder.”