DXpedition of the Year – The FT5ZM Response

[IK0ZCW]

To be chosen from the field of great contenders for this award is indeed an honor. We had the one-man Herculean effort by Nigel, G3TXF, operating from Tristan da Cunha as ZD9XF; the ubiquitous, ever present signals from Lord Howe that the VK9DLX gang generated; and the courage the VK9MT team mustered to keep on going despite all their hardships.

In particular, the FT4TA team led by Seb, F5UFX, deserves everyone’s sincere congratulations for their Tromelin Island DXpedition. Their professionalism, diplomacy, interface with government authorities, and QSO output relative to their team size were all exceptional. Well done!

Whatever success the FT5ZM DXpedition may have had, is due only to the combined efforts of the individual team members. We can plan all the details of a DXpedition to perfection – transportation, shelters, power sources, radios, and antennas; but without the magic ingredient of a cohesive, focused, dedicated team; there can be no success.

On behalf of the FT5ZM team members, I thank DX World and the Northern California DX Club for sponsoring this award and the DX community for their vote of confidence.

But most of all, I thank my fellow team members who made this all possible.

Ralph Fedor – K0IR