CB0ZA will be active from Robinson Crusoe Island, IOTA SA - 005, Juan Fernandez Archipelago, Chile,13 - 20 February 2024.
Team - XQ1KZ, CE1KV, XQ3SA, XQ3SK, AB5EB, HI3R, NP4G, HA1AG, N5KO, CE1EW.
Recent DX Spots CB0ZA
CB0ZA Log search They will operate on 160 - 2m, CW, SSB, RTTY, FT8, and EME on 6 and 2m.
QSL via HA1AG.
CB0ZA Robinson Crusoe Island News 22 August 2023
CB0ZA plans are way underway. We are happy to announce a new addition to our team. Hal W8HC as decided to join us for our expedition. Hal bring a lot of knowledge and expertise for Dxpeditions.
First licensed in 1967 but didn’t became active as a DXer until the mid-1980’s. He is #1 DXCC Honor Roll with 350 entities confirmed and 10-band DXCC. Hal enjoys being on the DX side of the pileup participating in several DXpeditions over the past 11 years including: NH8S, VK9WA, K5P, VP6R, 3Y0Z and KL7RRC. In the past year he was on the K7K activation of Kiska Island, JW0A, 9G4X, VP5/W8HC, KH8RRC and one of the remote members of the recent VP6A Ducie DXpedition using the Radio in a Box (RIB) technology. In addition to DXpeditions, he has operated from several locations locations around the world including 6 CQWW Contests from 4X. Hal currently serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of INDEXA.
We are happy to have him on the team and welcome him
CB0ZA team
Robinson Crusoe Island Lost in the Pacific Ocean
Robinson Crusoe Island is the largest island of the Juan Fernández Archipelago, lying in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile. With a total area of 144 square kilometers, the island is 23 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide. The island has about 630 inhabitants, most of them concentrated in San Juan Bautista on the north coast. The local economy is based on lobster fishing and the tourist business. Despite poor infrastructure, lack of sandy beaches and rather cool water for swimming, hundreds of tourists come to the island, impressed by the novel "Robinson Crusoe", whose character survived here. The easiest way to get to the island is by plane in a few hours or by sea, but it takes more than a day.
Robinson Crusoe, Juan Fernandez Archipelago. Author - Rita Willaert.
The famous story of the surviving sailor
The island was discovered by Spanish colonizers and was first named Juan Fernandez after the captain of a Spanish ship that arrived here in 1574. The Spanish brought pets, cats and goats to the island, but then lost interest in the open land and the island remained uninhabited for a long time.
In 1704, due to a conflict with the ship's captain, a Scottish sailor, Alexander Selkirk, was left on the island, which existed here for more than four years. It was he who became the prototype of the main character in Daniel Defoe's famous novel Robinson Crusoe. It is the name of this character that now officially bears the name of the island. The territory of Robinson Crusoe Island many times became a haven for pirates, who used it as a base for recreation, recovery ships and replenishing supplies of provisions and fresh water. The Spanish colonizers of the island in 1749 had to build the stone fort of Santa Barbara with cannons for defense against the pirates. It was the English pirates who rescued Sailor Selkirk from forced solitude on the island. Selkirk sailed with them for a while, raiding the ships of enemy nations, then returned home and became famous for telling his story of survival.
During World War I, a brief but famous naval battle involving the German armored cruiser Dresden and the British ships Kent and Glasgow took place near the island. The German ship sank and her crew was sent to Chile. The shipwreck itself is still the object of interest of numerous divers.
CB0ZA DX Pedition Robinson Crusoe Island, Juan Fernadez Archipelago Logo.
An island rich in natural gifts
Robinson Crusoe Island is characterized by mountainous terrain, its highest point Mount Junke, rises to 1 thousand meters above sea level. Climate here is quite mild, the average annual temperature ranges between +12 °С ... +19 °С. Sometimes the idyll of the weather is broken by strong tsunamis and hurricanes from the ocean. Lowlands of the island are savannah with thickets of tree ferns and palm groves. The mountains are covered by forests that are threatened by human activities and strong winds. The island is home to many endemic plants, including the unique Chonta palm and the Nalka tree. The lands of the island are quite fertile, there are sources of fresh water in the form of clean streams flowing from the ground. The coastal waters are inhabited by turtles, sea lions, lobsters, seals and numerous schools of fish. The island has such a mild climate and a variety of natural gifts that it is not surprising that Sailor Selkirk was able to remain here for more than four years. Goats still live on the island, which were brought here by the first Spanish colonists back in 1563.
Robinson Crusoe, Juan Fernandez Archipelago. Author - Lukas Mekis.
Hospitable to tourists and scholars
Hotels have been built on the island for tourists who come here inspired by the story of Robinson Crusoe. Visitors to the island visit the cave, protected by nature from the piercing sea winds and precipitation, where legend has it that Sailor Selkirk lived, and the lookout hill from which he surveyed the ocean to watch for the long-awaited appearance of ships on the horizon. Postcards of the island are popular with tourists. For a beach vacation the island is not much, but tourists can try sport fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling and swimming to see the wreck of the German ship "Dresden" sunk in Cumberland Bay during World War I. The locals are friendly and welcoming. The island is famous for the tradition of greeting every person you meet on the street.
