This is a family holiday in Albania, not a DXpedition. Operating amateur radio is just part of the fun.

ZA/HA5X
10-24 June 2010.
Main QTH: Orikum, Bay of Vlora, Albania.
Loc: JN90rh.
Portable/battery operation also planned from the beach, lighthouses and/or national parks.

ZA0/HA5X
A one day mini DX-pedition is planned to Sazan Island (IOTA EU-169, M.I.A. MA-01, LH. ALB-004 and L-0028). Details later.

...more info...

NEWS UPDATES

Electronic QSLs are already available on the LoTW and eQSL systems. Physical QSL cards are now in the design phase, and are soon to go to the printer.
I will start processing the requests as soon as the cards are ready. I expect to start actual QSL-ing by September, 2010.
The processing order will be:
1) OQRS Direct requests
2) OQRS Bureau requests
3) Direct requests received by postal mail
4) Bureau requests and further direct requests will be served as they come

I am planning to post QSL status updates on the expedition website: http://za.ha5x.hu/ and the facebook page.

With over 8300 QSOs from Orikum and 2750 from Sazan Island, we are now packing and leaving the Bay of Vlora in an hour. We are heading Tirana where we will spend two nights. I am not planning to operate amateur radio, except maybe some QRP with the FT817. But even that is quite unlikely. It was all fun. Thank you for the QSOs everybody. We will keep the facebook page updated and we will also post new Albania photos shortly.

I am having word from the Albanian Navy that I can get transport to and from Sazan Island (EU-169) early next week. As per the plan, I intend to go to Sazan on Monday morning (EU time) and be QRV from about noon. I am to overnight on the island. Let's hope for good WX and good propagation.

We are having a great holiday. Have been on excursions to Apolonia and Butrinti. The girls enjoy the sunshine, the sea and the swimming pool, while I enjoy the immense pileups.
Some people asked me to try 160m. Unfortunately, the antenna does not indeed work there, I have only completed some 5 QSOs, then the SWR went high and was unable to tune the antenna on any other band. Now it is okay, but I do not think I will try 160m again unless I can arrange some better antenna.
The Sazan project is being in preparation as well as the WFF activation, we crossed the astonishingly beautiful Llogara National Park yesterday, but I did not have the radio with me. It will be a different day.
I am surpised to get calls from DX stations, including VK, ZL, PY, LU, and of course North America and all parts of Asia. It seems the antenna performs okay, especially if I also turn on the 300W linear. Most of the time I work barefoot 100W though. I am running all the time from battery, which I continuously charge. It is a good setup, it also helps avoid power shortages, which occurs here from time to time. With this setup I only realized the was a blackout by seeing a popup message on my netbooks's screen that it switched to battery mode :)

We arrived in Orikum on Thursday. We have a fantastic apartment here, the only problem is that it is on the second floor of a 6 storey building. On the first night I tried to operate using a fishing rod from the balcony, but it was not really working. I made a few QSOs but it was clear people did not hear me. The next day I was given the possibility to set up the antenna (a vertical) on the roof, but it is very temporary, as the roof is private property of somebody, and it is also at the opposite side of the building. So I might have to tear it down on Sunday. I am thinking of some alternative.
The vertical and also the 6m HB9CV are performing well on the roof, I have crazy pileups on all bands. On Friday I had a super run on 30m, with huge JA/NA and EU pileups.
On 6m I had two nice ES openings so far. Let's hope to have more. The current QSO count is about 2100. In two days, not operating full time but just holiday style, it is a good number I believe. CU on the air.

We are busy packing. The plan is to start off tonight, and arrive in Skopje (Z3) by tomorrow afternoon, spend a night there and drive on to Albania at sunlight. We intend to arrive in Orikum on Thursday afternoon.

A copy of the ZA0/HA5X licence for Sazan Island arrived today. The ZA/HA5X and ZA/HA9WM licences for mainland Albania have already been in hand since March. I am now going to pick up my suitcase from the upholsterer who has promised to pad it for the safety and comfort of the radio :-)

We are all excited and are preparing hard. The kids are playing in their room and we are hearing that their plush animals and ponies are all going on holiday to Albania. We ourselves are not different: Marti is preparing the itinerary, while I am trying to put together the website and radio equipment before we leave.

I now have most of the gear ready except some cables, and some padding material for my suitcase I am planning to carry the radio and sensitive gear in. I still do not know how we will be able to squeeze all the stuff in the car. We have been promised a roofbox by a friend, but I need to buy roof racks as they are specific to each car model. I have exchanged e-mails withthe PTT in Tirana, I am still waiting for the ZA0 licence valid for Sazan Island, but I have been promised it, and there is still plenty of time.

Concerning the itinerary: we expect to leave in the evening of the 8th June or perhaps early morning on the 9th and reach Orikum in the afternoon of the 10th June. It is a long drive and there are difficult road sections, so we plan to spend a night somewhere enroute. We are currently thinking of stopping by near Skopje in Macedonia. According to the info I have, the CEPT licence is valid in Macedonia, but I do not think I will be QRV on the route there. However, we are now considering a day or two near Lake Ohrid, and that might mean some operation as Z38/HG5XA in the WCA World Castles Award programme, but that is just an idea at the moment.

The RIG will consist of an Icom IC7400, 85Ah battery, charger, an ASUS netbook, morse key, interface, cables, fishing rods and wire for antennas and a 6m HB9CV. If I can squeeze things in, I will also take a small solid state linear, a power supply and an external antenna tuner. An FT817 might also fit in the baggage, that could be a reserve, 6m monitor, and/or used for portable. This is the plan. What will actually fit in the car is a different story though :-)