Update November 6, 2026:  KH8A has now been on the air for half of the planned time. It’s time to take stock. Conditions, particularly toward Central Europe, have so far fallen
well short of our expectations. Our hope for strong EU openings – where even OMs with 100 watts and wire antennas would have a chance – has not yet materialized. On no band have we received truly strong signals from the EU so far. The same is true in the opposite direction. DX signals coming over the polar caps often only reach S3. A distance of 15,000+ km poses a real challenge.
Picking out the many faint callers is no easy task, even on CW, partly due to the fairly high noise floor. The fact that we’ve now gathered insights into the openings on the various bands is only of limited help in this regard.

We receive many emails with suggestions and requests. Rest assured that we are working every day to improve the radio conditions. However, not everything we’d like to do can be implemented. The noise level on the low bands is very high, reaching nearly S9 on 80 m and 160 m. Initially, we used a horizontal loop antenna on the ground as our receiver antenna, which improved the receiver signal-to-noise ratio by up to two S-units. The downside, however, was the expected significant attenuation of the useful signals. Therefore, we are currently operating a 65-meter-
long Beverage on Ground (BOG), which improves the situation, particularly on 80 m and 60 m. 160 m, on the other hand, is a disappointment. Despite an 18-meter mast and two elevated radials, the PSK Reporter reports that our signal barely reaches beyond 8,000 km. Regardless of the challenging conditions on the low bands, we will continue to be active on these bands during greyline hours. We are aware that demand remains high even on 30 m and 40 m in CW. However, even here the signals are only slightly above the noise floor. On the high bands, things look a bit better thanks to the recent increase in solar flux. But even here, signals from Europe and the U.S. are weak. Japan and the U.S. West Coast, which are practically “right on our doorstep” in the Pacific, are over 7,500 km away. The 6 m band, on the other hand, is a flop. On the Magic Band, we haven’t heard or seen a single signal so far. That’s why we’ve reduced our operating time on this band.

Due to the relatively close proximity of the five antennas – a result of the layout of the property – there is occasional interference with certain band configurations among the up to five stations. To minimize this, we have set up an additional 12-meter rhombic loop to take advantage of band openings with as little interference as possible.

The team’s morale remains high despite the challenging conditions. Thanks to the well-equipped kitchen, cooking for ourselves works out perfectly. A few restaurants offer some variety in our meals, though their hours don’t always align with our shift schedules. It’s nice that, despite the island’s remote location, groceries are more affordable than in Hawaii. Last but not least, there’s time for some sightseeing between shifts: the rugged coastal landscape is truly impressive. We’ve already been able to take many beautiful photos.

Update November 2, 2026:  On October 29, our group of nine arrived by plane in Pago Pago after dark and was busy setting up the stations well past midnight. The QTH is a spacious house with a large living room and surrounding property, providing room for several antennas. The same house was used by the KH8T team in 2024 and is a good choice overall. The availability of good QTHs is limited, in part due to the island’s topography. We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank the KH8T team for the wealth of valuable information they provided in advance.

The house has four bedrooms with eight double beds, two bathrooms, and air conditioning on the ground floor. The kitchen is well equipped and designed for self-catering. A supermarket is located just 100 meters away. The weather is tropical and humid: mostly sunny with temperatures ranging from 27 to 30 degrees Celsius, and occasional heavy rain showers.

Operating multiple stations with power amplifiers on the 115-volt mains supply is challenging. Electricity must be paid for in advance. Prices in American Samoa have risen by about 50 percent since February 2026. The main driver is diesel. Diesel generators primarily generate electricity on the island.

The fiber-optic internet connection is stable, allowing us to offer a livestream on ClubLog. https://ClubLog.org/livestream/KH8A There everyone can see within a few seconds whether his QSO has been logged or not. The KH8A log can also be found on ClubLog and will be updated daily. We hope this will help reduce the number of duplicate QSOs.

All planned antennas have now been set up. The morning after our arrival, we erected the wire beam for 20 m to 10 m and the antennas for 30 m, 40 m, and 6 m. The first QSO took place at noon on October 30 (23:10 UTC) with WD0DAN in CW on 15 m.

We have now been QRV for more than 48 hours, and the log shows over 21,000 QSOs from 118 DXCCs. The noise level is acceptable. In addition to FT8, we are making a balanced effort to cover also CW, SSB, and RTTY well. However, the overall DX signal levels remain challenging. The radio conditions—with an SFI of 92, A > 20, and K 3 to 4—still leave room for improvement. The 10-meter band, in particular, has been of little use for DX traffic so far. As expected, Japanese stations—located “only” 7,500 km away—dominate all bands. Europe has only been audible in brief windows so far. We hope that the current share of just under 16 percent will increase significantly.

Overall, the antenna setup is working well. We had to move the 40-m antenna behind the house due to interference from the 15-m band. The 80/160-meter wire antenna on an 18-meter spider beam mast is set up as far away from the house as possible. Unfortunately, the 80-meter CW signal now interferes with the 40-meter band despite multiple filters. The relatively close proximity of the five antennas to one another sometimes causes issues when operating simultaneously with up to five stations. For 60 m we've set up an Up&Outer. So far, we have not detected a single signal in FT8 on the 6-m band.

The team is in good spirits and is working in our tried-and-true shift system, divided into three groups: 4.5 hours of radio duty, followed by 9 hours for repairs, meals, sleep, and a little free time.
We look forward to many more callers!

Update October 31, 2026:  Solar disturbances are kicking in. Everything above 20m is dead. 20m has heavy aurora induced flutter. But 20 CW is still running relatively smoothly.

Update October 2, 2026:  Less than four weeks to go!

The countdown is on for our KH8A DXpedition to American Samoa and the team is hungry to activate this rare DXCC entity.

While our primary focus is Europe (15,000 km away), we certainly won’t forget to work with our friends in North America, Asia, and across the globe – especially on the low bands and phone.
Four stations with amplifiers (400…800 W) will be QRV 24/7, offering a balanced mix of CW, SSB, FT8 and RTTY from 160 to 6 meters. We will utilize a full-size, two-element wire beam with a pentaplexer for 20 to 10 meters. For other bands we will deploy precisely tuned single-band antennas.

Due to the airline’s flight schedule changes from KH6 to KH8, we now have to spend three unplanned days in Honolulu instead of just one. Nevertheless, we are still highly confident, that we will reach our target of 70.000 QSOs.

We plan to upload daily online log updates to ClubLog and, if conditions allow, provide a livestream. QSLs and LoTW will be handled as usual via OQRS on ClubLog or through our manager DL4SVA. Paper QSLs are expected to be printed until Christmas.

We’re fully prepared! With pretty much the same experienced team and gear, we’re as confident in our skills as ever. The global support from all the DX clubs and individual operators out there is invaluable — it’s a massive boost for us to give it our absolute best. A huge thank you to everyone supporting us.

Hear you all from American Samoa — may the sunspots be with us!

Update September 12, 2026:  Due to change in flight schedules they will cease operations on November 12, 2026.

Update July 13, 2026:  We are pleasantly surprised that, in early July, propagation conditions briefly reached an SFI of 200 again — as they did at the peak of the 25th solar cycle—though with an increased risk of interference and dropouts.

A VOACAP propagation forecast by OH6BG is integrated into our website. We are eager to see what propagation conditions await us on the low and high bands. The major ham radio regions of Japan and the U.S. are at least 8,000 km away, and Europe is as far as 15,000 km away.

Unfortunately, Alaska Airlines changed its flight schedule for October on June 30th. The flights had already been booked in March/April. We’ll fly from Germany via Canada or the U.S. to Hawaii and then continue on from there. We’ll now be spending two fewer days in American Samoa, so we’ll be QRV from October 30 to November 12, 2026. This also means that we will spend two extra days in Honolulu.

The organization of the KH8A DXpedition continues according to plan, and we are sticking to our commitments. Four stations equipped with small Juma power amplifiers will be on the air around the clock from 160 to 6 meters in the main modes. Some equipment has already been shipped to the individual team members, who live in various locations throughout Germany. As a well-organized lightweight expedition, each operator will carry approximately 30 kg, including personal luggage, on the flight. Two long ski bags containing the antenna equipment will be transported separately for an additional fee. The team would like to thank sponsors, foundations, and individual stations for the support they have provided or pledged so far. These are listed on our website.

Update May 8, 2026: Web site available

Operating frequencies

Please listen always to the instructions of the operators ! 

These are our new planned frequencies according to different regions' band plans and they are subject to change depending on the current band situation.

We will only operate one station per band at same time.

The MSHV program (up to 6 slots) is used for FT8 on the announced frequencies. We as DXP (fox) will not use the F/H mode and may also use the normal FT8 frequencies later.

All hunters can call us in normal mode with locator/grid and stay on their frequency even for answering. Please do not call us on our transmission frequencies!

All FT8 stations are manned. This enables an optimal selection of callers, e. G. for weak stations. The QSO will be logged on our side once we send RR73 or 73.

We try to upload our log daily. If in doubt, please work us again. No log corrections during the expedition.

We will work always split! Please avoid dupes!

QSL-Manager DL4SVA

* Please use the OQRS on ClubLog for KH8A for direct and bureau requests, we don't need your QSL-card.

For those who don't want to use the OQRS also can send their QSL card either directly to our QSL-Manager DL4SVA or via the German DARC bureau to DL4SVA.

* LoTW: The full log will be uploaded six months after the DXpedition
* Direct: via DL4SVA with 3 USD and return address label
  cash only - USD or EUR - PLEASE NOTE: We do NOT accept IRCs
* DONATIONS ARE GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED!
* Please do NOT ask for QSL on several ways!

Manager:

Georg Tretow - DL4SVA
Rehnaer Str. 8
D-23936 Grevesmuehlen
GERMANY

QSL policy

QSL cards will be printed within 6 weeks after our return.
Please don't forget to clear up mistakes in the log after DXP to dl4sva @ darc.de

Priority 1
All early donors with a minimum of 10 USD/EUR will be published on our homepage and will get a LoTW confirmation within four weeks after the end of the DXP. A paper QSL will automatically follow later.

All direct OQRS requests (5 EURO PayPal via ClubLog or to dl4sva @ darc.de) will be answered by fast LoTW confirmation and a paper QSL card sent directly to you.

A fast LoTW only request within four weeks is possible for 2 EUR via PayPal too.

Priority 2
When requesting paper cards with a letter, please enclose three USD and an address label. Please no return envelope (SAE), as we are using matching envelopes for our QSLs. No IRCs or coins.

Priority 3
6 months after the end of our DXpedition we start with the free QSL traffic via bureau and OQRS and upload the complete log to LoTW.

No eQSL

QSL requests with insufficient return postage will be answered via the bureau.

From Rolf, DL7VEE, via OPDX:  After T2C, C21MM, V6D and other DXpeditions our team is ready for the next adventure.

This time we’re heading to American Samoa (KH8) in the South Pacific. KH8 main island is mountainous, which makes things challenging. That’s the same QTH from which KH8T was already on the air two years ago. Our call is KH8A.

Making all the arrangements, including the various visas, wasn’t easy. Now all the flights and accommodations are booked. The trip will take place from October 29 to November 13, 2026. Of course, we’re aware that conditions on the high shortwave bands are deteriorating and that the focus is shifting more toward the mid and low bands.

The team includes nine operators DJ9KH, DK5WL, DL1KWK, DL2RNS, DL4SVA, DL6KAC, DL6KVA, DL7JOM and DL7VEE. We are planning to operate 4 stations 24/7 from 160 m to 6m in CW, SSB, FT8 and RTTY.

Our group uses carefully inspected, high-quality equipment, based on the experience gained from our previous expeditions. On the high bands, we will use our reliable full-size 5-band 2-element wire antenna from LZ-Antenna in combination with a pentaplexer, allowing us to operate on multiple high bands simultaneously with this antenna. On the other bands, we use well-tuned single-band wire antennas. The flexible fiberglass poles and the HD aluminum telescopic mast for the beam are manufactured by Spiderbeam company. The transceivers are high-end K4 models from
Elecraft. All equipment, most of which is privately owned, including small amplifiers from various manufacturers, will remain with us during the flights to prevent damage during transport.

A homepage will follow soon.