If all goes well, God willing, I will be on San Clemente island, NA-066 for four solid days 23-26 May 2025.

I arrive on 22 May but cannot check into the base hotel until 1600 local time (2300 UTC). Since daylight is longer this time of year, I hope to erect the antenna and be QRV my local evening (early UTC hours of 23 May).  My check out time is 1100 local time (1800 UTC) on 27 May. This gives me four full days on the island, plus a few short hours on the arrival and departure days.

Same configuration as my expedition to San Nicolas Island last November: Buddihex antenna, Yaesu FT-897 radio, 100 watts. Mainly SSB, some CW, no FT8.  QRV 6m-20m, call sign simply WC6DX, no /p, no /6.

Like San Nicolas, San Clemente is a Navy-controlled island. The only previous HF expedition I could find was by the team of N6FH, N6KZ, and WU6T in September 1997, twenty-seven years ago ! San Clemente is occasionally activated on VHF for the rare Grid Square of DM02; there is a club station on the island, but it only has a six meter antenna. [The airfield at the north of the island is in DM03 so the club is strategically located further south in the rarer grid.]

Since San Clemente was last activated on HF in 1997, I expect some interest from the US Islands award program hunters for reference USI CA-008S. And since the hotel is 200 meters south of the 33 degree line, the Grid Loc is DM02rx and thus desired by USA VHF grid square chasers working on their FFMA (Fred Fish Memorial Award, https://www.arrl.org/ffma ). I intend to prioritize six meters *if* we have any band openings; there is no other land mass in Grid Square DM02 other than southern San Clemente island, so I must be considerate to them as well.

Paper QSL cards only, instructions on my QRZ.com page if interested. Hope to work those who want the island or the grid.

73 de Will WC6DX
Visalia DX Convention IOTA Dinner Coordinator
IOTA W5-W6-W7-KL7-KH6 checkpoint