March 2000 QST

Clipperton IslandClipperton Island was discovered in1705 and named after English pirate JohnClipperton. Rumors have it that Clippertonused the Pacific island as his base and hidsome of his treasure there.Claims and counterclaims to Clippertonraged through the years. Mexico declaredthat Clipperton was Mexican territory becauseSpanish navigators had allegedly discoveredthe island first (naming it PassionIsland). In 1855 the French laid claim tothe island, with the United States protesting.Mexico forcibly occupied Clippertonby establishing a military outpost in 1897.The dispute between France and Mexicocontinued into the 1920s. At this point theVatican was called upon to arbitrate. Withthe agreement of Mexico and France, theVatican appointed the King of Italy,Vikor Emanuel II, to make the final call. In1930, after a year of deliberation, he madehis decision and awarded Clipperton Islandto France. The French in turn had FrenchPolynesia administer the island, but not asa part of that territory.US President Franklin D. Roosevelt visitedthe island twice during World War II.There was a top-secret weather station onClipperton (which was code-named “IslandX”). FDR was convinced that the islandcould be key to winning the war—so muchso that he authorized an airfield and seaplanebase to be built there. When theFrench found out about the American occupationthey were furious.In 1998 NASA built a $2 million trackingfacility on Clipperton. It was only usedfor a few months and is now abandoned.Finding information about Clipperton isnot easy. (Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, tells of abook called Clipperton: A History of theIsland the World Forgot by Jimmy Skaggs.)The “specifications” are fairly brief.Clipperton Island is located at 10° 17'North, 109° 13' West, and is approximately670 miles southwest of Mexico. It’s uninhabitedexcept for the crabs and birds.Clipperton’s most striking feature is itsfreshwater lagoon, measuring between 2-3miles in diameter. The highest point on theisland is Clipperton Rock at a mere 70 feet.Getting to the island is difficult. Assumingyou can find transport, you’ll have toanchor some distance from the shore andtravel the rest of the way by Zodiac or dinghy.If you fall into the water, you’d betterbe a fast swimmer. Sharks prowl the shoresof Clipperton in large numbers.HOW’S DX?Clipperton Island is set in saltwater, butencircles a freshwater lagoon.March 2000 Clipperton IslandDXpedition Operating FrequenciesFrequency (kHz)Band SSB CW RTTY6 50115 50115 –10 28475 28025 –12 24945 24895 –15 21295 21025 2108017 18145 18075 –20 14195 14025 1408030 – 10106 –40 7065 7005 –80 3795 3505 –160 – 1827 –Amateur Radio HistoryThe father of DXpeditioning, BobDenniston, VP2VI/W0DX (ex W0NWX),was the first to lead a team to this remoteisland in 1954. His FO8AJ crew also includedLeo Olney, W0NUC, and GeneO’Leary, W0VDQ. The team was only activefor 18 hours and netted 1108 QSOs tothe Deserving. Equipment included twoHallicrafters SX-88 receivers, two HT-20transmitters and a HT-18 VFO.DXpeditioner Danny Weil, VP2VB, wasnext to hit the island in 1956 as FO8AN. Twoyears later the San Diego DX Club visitedClipperton as FO8AT. It was another 20years before the next Amateur RadioDXpedition took place and Clipperton wasthen #1 on several most-wanted countrieslists. This operation took place in March1978 with a mostly French and Swiss team,along with a few Americans, using multiplecalls (FO0XA-FO0XH). The multioperator,multitransmitter, multidollar DXpeditionThe Shogun is scheduled to leave SanDiego for Clipperton on February 23 andreturn March 15.made 29,000 QSOs. (After this operation theFrench DXers established the Clipperton DXClub, and they’ve been supporting majorDXpeditions ever since.)The next operation was undertaken by amultinational group signing FO0XX inApril 1985, making about 31,000 QSOsduring their stay. The following year theAmerican portion of the FO0XX group returnedto Clipperton, making 16,500 QSOs.In September 1986 three Frenchmenteamed up with a scientific expedition andmade 3653 QSOs as FO0XA in just 45hours. The last operation on ClippertonIsland was the March 1992 effort by FO0CIthat netted 48,000 QSOs.Clipperton 2000John Kennon, N7CQQ (ex KA7CQQ),has announced that a multinational teamwill join him for a trip to Clipperton in2000. The team will include Willy,HB9AHL; Koji, JK7TKE; Bob, K4UEE;Michael, N6MZ; Mike, N9NS; Jim, N9TK;Mark, ON4WW; Doug, VE5RA; andJames, 9V1YC. Three of the operators havebeen to the island before. This experiencedteam plans to leave San Diego, Californiaon February 23, arriving at Clipperton February29. If all goes as planned, they shouldbe on the air by March 1. The operation isscheduled to end on March 8.The group will set up two sites (CW andSSB) consisting of three stations at each.Plans are to operate on 6 through 160meters, CW, SSB, RTTY and satellite.Clipperton has slowly been moving upthe ARRL Most-Wanted list. After the 1992operation the ARRL’s Most Wanted listranked Clipperton as # 97. Since then it’sbeen # 97, 100, 92, 86 and finally 57 in1998. If you have never worked this islandand are just a casual DXer, this is yourBernie McClenney, W3UR 3025 Hobbs Rd, Glenwood, MD 21738-9728 howsdx@dailydx.comMarch 2000 81