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San FelixGate. The disgrace.
September 6, 2016 XQ2OP DXPedition
This is a fictional story; any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental.
Since last year, basic announcements had been made, with little substance, that a DXpedition would be coming to San Felix Island IOTA SA-013. These announcements were already on several DX websites and were gaining momentum every day.
Personally, I had been working to establish positive, high-level contacts in order to obtain the coveted authorization to access and conduct a DXpedition on San Felix Island, an endeavor that took me over a year and resulted in constant refusals citing security concerns. During this period, I came to understand how complicated it can be to obtain authorization for a strategic location belonging to the Navy, especially when it involves civilians entering strategic facilities for several days. As a civilian, one cannot imagine what the Navy might have on the island and why it guards it so zealously.
I remember talking to the producer who directed a documentary with scientists from a couple of universities who traveled to the area a little over a year ago. and the restrictions imposed on them, such as staying at a certain distance, reporting their georeferenced position every 30 minutes, and not showing the island's facilities, which are barely visible from the sea. These restrictions were directly enforced by boats patrolling the area.
With the background information I had gathered during that time, I realized that any expedition would have to be authorized by a group of naval authorities who would not be easy to convince. Therefore, I was very skeptical that someone enthusiastic about having achieved a “successful activation” on Easter Island would be able to gain access and authorization to the world-renowned San Felix Island, especially if it was not presented as a project. Even more so when I didn't know of any local (Chilean) radio amateurs who had been invited to the activation. It would be difficult for foreigners to gain access unless they had credentials from the authorities, and there are very few of those, and they had not been invited either.
Months passed, and we continued to see the publications, new dates, and even details of the concerns I had regarding logistics, which were really basic concerns for an expedition to an island with the characteristics of San Felix.
Finally, the big date arrived. The expedition was scheduled to take place between July and September 2016, but nothing happened. The community became nervous, the foreign guests were unable to contact the team leader, the borrowed equipment disappeared, and the foreign entities were unable to get a response from those who had agreed to provide assistance.
Fortunately, the country's main radio club was paying attention and following these events, in addition to an alert issued by a prestigious foundation that had not heard anything about its donation. A well-known radio amateur who is a member of the foundation and travels constantly to the country to teach at a coastal university is providing key information that suggests this was a possible scam involving several radio amateurs from the international DX community.
The radio club's management is working to clarify the background with the main institutions, in addition to tireless attempts to contact the alleged leader of the DXpedition, all in absolute secrecy to clarify the facts in detail. The results were finally: the team leader disappeared or could not be located, the documents bearing the various authorizations to access the island for a DXpedition and the issuance of a call sign to broadcast during the expedition were completely and utterly false.
When the possible fraud was made public, the community in general was surprised that an amateur radio operator was capable of such acts of low moral and ethical standards. However, a few were not surprised, as they had already had their own experience with this person a few years earlier. He had already acted unethically towards his own countrymen, promising antennas in exchange for money, which never arrived despite having been paid for in advance, and the money was never returned.
The story ends with a formal complaint to the authorities, public ridicule for having acted badly before his peers, and the discrediting of national amateur radio before the authorities and the world. What a shame this person has brought upon us.
Writing this story, I am left with the feeling that if fiction begins to become reality, the effects on national amateur radio would be enormous. What would happen if a team of Chilean amateur radio operators were currently applying for a permit for San Felix Island? What would happen in the eyes of the world with an announcement of this nature? Would it be credible? What would happen to international DX foundations with a Chilean expedition? Would they believe it? Would the DX community contribute donations to a Chilean expedition prior to the activity? How would you explain to the community that not all Chilean radio amateurs are like the individual in the story?
If the fiction of this story were to become reality, the actions of a person like this would be disastrous for those of us who are amateur radio operators who pursue radio as a true hobby, without profit, and in a spirit of collaboration. A person like the one in the story who cheats for money, who swindles his peers, and who shows the world a tremendous lack of ethics and hypocrisy only brings credibility problems to all of us. If this story were true, this person should be publicly sanctioned by his peers, sanctioned by the authorities, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for the deception and fraud he has caused.
Fortunately, it's only fiction...
Spanish version:
https://ce3op.wordpress.com/2016/09/...LoGHv1VFsukHVA
San FelixGate. The disgrace.
September 6, 2016 XQ2OP DXPedition
This is a fictional story; any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental.
Since last year, basic announcements had been made, with little substance, that a DXpedition would be coming to San Felix Island IOTA SA-013. These announcements were already on several DX websites and were gaining momentum every day.
Personally, I had been working to establish positive, high-level contacts in order to obtain the coveted authorization to access and conduct a DXpedition on San Felix Island, an endeavor that took me over a year and resulted in constant refusals citing security concerns. During this period, I came to understand how complicated it can be to obtain authorization for a strategic location belonging to the Navy, especially when it involves civilians entering strategic facilities for several days. As a civilian, one cannot imagine what the Navy might have on the island and why it guards it so zealously.
I remember talking to the producer who directed a documentary with scientists from a couple of universities who traveled to the area a little over a year ago. and the restrictions imposed on them, such as staying at a certain distance, reporting their georeferenced position every 30 minutes, and not showing the island's facilities, which are barely visible from the sea. These restrictions were directly enforced by boats patrolling the area.
With the background information I had gathered during that time, I realized that any expedition would have to be authorized by a group of naval authorities who would not be easy to convince. Therefore, I was very skeptical that someone enthusiastic about having achieved a “successful activation” on Easter Island would be able to gain access and authorization to the world-renowned San Felix Island, especially if it was not presented as a project. Even more so when I didn't know of any local (Chilean) radio amateurs who had been invited to the activation. It would be difficult for foreigners to gain access unless they had credentials from the authorities, and there are very few of those, and they had not been invited either.
Months passed, and we continued to see the publications, new dates, and even details of the concerns I had regarding logistics, which were really basic concerns for an expedition to an island with the characteristics of San Felix.
Finally, the big date arrived. The expedition was scheduled to take place between July and September 2016, but nothing happened. The community became nervous, the foreign guests were unable to contact the team leader, the borrowed equipment disappeared, and the foreign entities were unable to get a response from those who had agreed to provide assistance.
Fortunately, the country's main radio club was paying attention and following these events, in addition to an alert issued by a prestigious foundation that had not heard anything about its donation. A well-known radio amateur who is a member of the foundation and travels constantly to the country to teach at a coastal university is providing key information that suggests this was a possible scam involving several radio amateurs from the international DX community.
The radio club's management is working to clarify the background with the main institutions, in addition to tireless attempts to contact the alleged leader of the DXpedition, all in absolute secrecy to clarify the facts in detail. The results were finally: the team leader disappeared or could not be located, the documents bearing the various authorizations to access the island for a DXpedition and the issuance of a call sign to broadcast during the expedition were completely and utterly false.
When the possible fraud was made public, the community in general was surprised that an amateur radio operator was capable of such acts of low moral and ethical standards. However, a few were not surprised, as they had already had their own experience with this person a few years earlier. He had already acted unethically towards his own countrymen, promising antennas in exchange for money, which never arrived despite having been paid for in advance, and the money was never returned.
The story ends with a formal complaint to the authorities, public ridicule for having acted badly before his peers, and the discrediting of national amateur radio before the authorities and the world. What a shame this person has brought upon us.
Writing this story, I am left with the feeling that if fiction begins to become reality, the effects on national amateur radio would be enormous. What would happen if a team of Chilean amateur radio operators were currently applying for a permit for San Felix Island? What would happen in the eyes of the world with an announcement of this nature? Would it be credible? What would happen to international DX foundations with a Chilean expedition? Would they believe it? Would the DX community contribute donations to a Chilean expedition prior to the activity? How would you explain to the community that not all Chilean radio amateurs are like the individual in the story?
If the fiction of this story were to become reality, the actions of a person like this would be disastrous for those of us who are amateur radio operators who pursue radio as a true hobby, without profit, and in a spirit of collaboration. A person like the one in the story who cheats for money, who swindles his peers, and who shows the world a tremendous lack of ethics and hypocrisy only brings credibility problems to all of us. If this story were true, this person should be publicly sanctioned by his peers, sanctioned by the authorities, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for the deception and fraud he has caused.
Fortunately, it's only fiction...
Spanish version:
https://ce3op.wordpress.com/2016/09/...LoGHv1VFsukHVA