Update September 6, 2026: Yes, the on‑air part of the expedition is over. Tonight at 00:30 we boarded the yacht and set course for Murmansk. Right now I can see that we’ve left the ZFI archipelago. It immediately started storming. It got warmer in the cabins — we could breathe. When we got on the yacht, the temperature in the cabins was about 5 degrees.  Steam comes out of our mouths, condensation drips from the ceiling, everything is wet. The crew of sailors waited for us for two weeks — something impossible!

Tonight, after we loaded up, we unpacked a bit and started moving towards Murmansk — we opened a bottle of “Derbent” cognac and drank to the end of the aerial part and setting off to sea. We discussed how everyone was very satisfied. We’ve never heard such pailaps: calls from ALL sides, everything is very loud and sooo much.   All the antennas worked perfectly. On the last day, the wind broke two SPIDERBEAM 30/17/12 units, but we had spare parts, and the repair wasn’t difficult.

This was the first time we were in operation without internet, and therefore without communication with you, but the number of times we heard “SPB” and “DSV” from so many correspondents in so many countries is simply unbelievable!

All team members got sick at the beginning of the expedition (cough, sore throat, body aches), and Viktor and Andrey even got sick again.   Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, we didn’t get to see any polar bears. Only walruses and icebergs. Overall, the team is very pleased with the expedition and is very grateful to all of you for your support, for your connections, for everything!

We’re heading home!

73! Slava OK8AU

Update September 5, 2026:  Vasily, R7AL,  reports: Hello everyone! We're QRT. There was a blizzard last night, with a lot of snow. A strong wind broke one of the spiders.

We're lowering the antennas, packing everything up, and getting ready. The weather isn't yet suitable for loading onto the yacht due to strong waves.

The heater on the yacht isn't working. The guys are holding on with all their might. The temperature is -2 degrees Celsius.

Of course, they went ashore, not only to get water, but also to use the sauna and warm up.

Update September 2, 2026: Vasily, R7AL,  reports:  All goes well here on Heiss island. The propagation has been very poor for the last 3 days, but recovered a bit today. We are working hard to give a new one or new band slots for as many stations as we can. The weather is cold and windy and it’s quite a challenge to do any antenna work.

We’ll QRV two more days. Some stations will be QRT 4th of Sept in the evening, but 2-3 stations will be running until 5th of Sept.

The sat internet is very slow (Starlink does not work here), so we can’t answer all the emails, but we are reading them. Thanks for all the kind words we receiving from DXers worldwide!

All “not in the log” requests will be carefully checked when we get back home. Thank you very much for Donations! We really appreciate the DX-community support and it’s very important for us! Donors List will be updated on the website later. Not a single Donation will be lost. All Donors and Direct OQRS will be uploaded to LoTW within few days after coming back home.

Update August 30, 2026: The weather today was terrible. It was miserable all night and morning, but then it cleared up a bit. Now it seems to be getting worse again. We usually hear much better than they do. Today, I heard several responses on 30kHz, but many people couldn't hear me at all and were just banging on the rail. It's 3 PLN and 1.5 kW here.

In 15 minutes, we'll try 160kHz CW. 1821.5 (give or take)

Update August 28, 2026:  Vasily, R7AL,  reports:  The expedition dates have been pushed back. We plan to be active for another week. The wind is very strong right now. There are a lot of
our guys on band 12 today, but the signals are often heavily distorted and of the same level, making it very difficult to receive.

Regarding amplifiers, we have nine in operation, with power ratings ranging from 500 watts to 2 kW. However, there are power limitations, so they aren't always used everywhere.

Update August 26, 2026:  Vasily, R7AL,  reports: "Hi everyone!! My internet is really slow, the logs are loading slowly, in parts, and not the first time. Don't duplicate them until you check! We're fine, we're back on schedule. The team is tired. The progress keeps crashing. Everyone's going well, but after 10 minutes, they're barely scraping by )). We've been lucky with the weather so far. It was a bit windy this morning, though. The tem perature is around freezing."

It has been reported that they will be there for another 8–9 days, then take a day to pack up.

Update August 23, 2026:  It seems that the RI1FJL operation started around 1130z, Saturday, August 22nd. Activity was on 20/17/15/10m FT8 with some CW. The 20m station started with the wrong callsign, RI1JFL, but was fixed later on (both on the air and log). The first log upload took place early Sunday on ClubLog. Remember, this operation will last for about 15 days.

Here are some of the Russian messages that were posted yesterday and today on Forum.QRZ.ru:

Via DXW, Vasily, R7AL, reports: "Due to very heavy fog the landing action was delayed until late evening of August 21st. It looks quite some time to deliver almost 1000Kg of equipment to the station. Yesterday (August 22nd) we built the DIGI site inside the main building with 2x Spiderbeam antennas, covering 30-10m bands. The space for antennas is actually quite limited here, so we decided to build a second site (for CW & SSB) in an old barn further away from the main building. Team members are tired and it's quite cold and windy here, but all is progressing well and we'll hopefully start CW/SSB operations later today."

From RZ1A: "The crew is simply exhausted. It's been a long and difficult journey. Fighting seasickness. It's time to set up camp, antennas... and you're on the couch, your last day off is coming to an end, and you're feeling indignant."

Update August 22, 2026: "We've landed and are at the station. We're all good, unpacking."

Update August 21, 2026: The team has reached the shores of Franz Josef Land and is heading to Heiss Island, their final destination, and where the Krenkel Geophysical Polar Observatory is located. 

Update August 13, 2026: Information from R7AL: The waves are rocking hard, and the whole team is lying down. It's really tough :-))

Yesterday we were working /MM from KP69, today from KQ70. CW operation is not possible, at least for now.

Update August 11, 2026: Information from R7AL via OPDX:  "We've managed to resolve all the issues. We start tomorrow at 6 a.m."

This means the team will set sail tomorrow at 6:00 am Moscow time. Everything has been loaded on the yacht since August 8-9th. They do mention that the 160m operation will take place "closer to the end of the expedition, after the 25th... At least the guys will try, despite the polar day."

Update July 18, 2026: Information from R7AL via OPDX:  Due to various circumstances, both objective and not so objective, the expedition's departure dates from Murmansk have changed.

The team is gathering on August 3rd-4th. If there are no unplanned delays (like with "Legends of the Arctic"), we'll be setting off on August 6th-7th.

The main expedition cargo is already in Murmansk—around 500 kg. We'll bring another 300 or so with us.

A huge thank you to everyone who has already supported the expedition!

Update May 3, 2026: Information from R7AL via OPDX:   I have just received a written response from the Northern Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Administration, accepting accommodation for the expedition participants at the ET Krenkel weather station on Heiss Island. This is a major milestone in the expedition preparations! Accommodation will be provided privately.

There's also a change in the team. Alexander, R2DVE, had to withdraw from the expedition. His place will be taken by Ruslan, UA4Z, one of Russia's top contestants, who will undoubtedly strengthen the team.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already supported the expedition with their donations!

Members of the Russian DXpedition Team are pleased to announce the upcoming major DXpedition to Franz Josef Land - the archipelago in the Arctic ocean, that belongs to the Russian Federation and is the northernmost DXCC in the world. The operation will take place in September by a team of 6 operators.

Operators mentioned are: Vasily/R7AL (Team leader), Slav/RW8A (Co-leader/CW op), Leo/RW9JZ (Technical chief), Vic/UA3QLC (CW/SSB op), Alex/R2DVE (CW op) and Andrei/RA4DX (SSB op).

The departure is scheduled for August 25, 2026, from Murmansk - the largest city in the world located beyond the Arctic Circle. Estimated travel time is 6-7 days, depending on the weather and sea condition. Their vessel is a 20-meter sailing yacht, designed for sailing in Arctic latitudes. They will set sail to Heiss Island (IOTA EU-019); WW Loc. LR80tn; RRA RR-05-02 and RDA AR-32), where the Geophysical Polar Observatory is located.

They will be active with at least 5 high-power stations 24/7 on all HF bands during 15 days. Their goal is to work as many stations as possible, paying attention to distant regions and low-pistols. They will have a good location with a clear take-off to all most common directions.

How to work them:
 * CW/SSB -- They will try to keep two stations on CW and SSB most of the time. Please use the DX cluster to find out where they are because they'll not publish any band plans. Please remember, that they are always using SPLIT!! Please don't call them on their transmit frequency.

 * FT8 -- They will run FT8 on special frequencies from the beginning of their activity. Please use the DX cluster to find out where they are. However, later they can move to the usual FT8 sub-bands if number of callers will decrease greatly. MSHV software will be in use on this side (not SuperFox).

Equipment Radios:
          CW/SSB Cluster               Digital Cluster
        - EE SUNSDR2 DX - 2 pcs      - EE SUNSDR2 DX - 4 pcs
        - Elecraft K3                - Yaesu FT-891                 - Yaesu FT-991A
Antennas:
- Spiderbeam 30-17-12 on 12m pole    - Hexbeam monobanders 20-17-15-12-10
- Spiderbeam 20-15-10 on 10m pole    - GP for 30/40m
- Phased GP for 40m                  - GP for 80/160m
- GP for 80-160m                     - Triplexers and band-pass filters
- Triplexers and band-pass filters

Power amplifiers: - Expert 1,3K-FA - 3 pcs
(More Power Amplifiers to be announced as they are looking now for most reliable PAs capable of operating without any breakdowns 24/7 any mode)

LOG & QSL info
They will upload their QSOs to ClubLog at least once a day. You can check your CFM using the form below (see Web page) or directly on ClubLog website. They will use "DXpedition Mode", so you can see all the statistics, best time to work us from your region, etc.

If you are not in the log, the best way is to try to work us again. All missed QSOs/busted callsigns, etc emails must go to: rv6ali@yandex.ru and they will be processed only after the DXpedition!

Donate: Dear DXers!
This will be a financially demanding operation. The budget of the trip is close to 80000 USDs, which is their most expensive DXpedition so far and it is quite a prohibited cost for their small team. In addition, each member will pay for his own logistics, special wear, equipment, etc. Your support is very important and will help to make it happen!!!

Please use PayPal to make your Donation. 

- All 10 USDs+ Donors will get Fast LoTW confirmation and Direct QSL-card;
- 100 USDs+ Platinum Donors will have LoTW and QSL cfm + their Callsigns will be placed on our QSL.