Today, OnAllBands is looking at two archipelagic DXCC entities roughly 8,400 miles apart:
The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago is a country in the southern Caribbean made up of the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago and several smaller islets. It’s scheduled to be on the air until Aug. 9 thanks to the 9Y4 activation by 8P6PE as 9Y4/8P6PE from Chaguanas on Trinidad. The HF operation will include several POTA sites. Equipment being used include a Yaesu FT-891 and Chameleon telescopic whips.
Trinidad (1,850 square miles, population 1.5 million) and Tobago (116 square miles, population 60,800) sit about seven miles north to northeast off the coast of Venezuela. With a population of more than 100,000, Chaguanas is the island group’s largest municipality.
Tobago is home to the Main Ridge Forest Reserve, the oldest legally protected rainforest in the world. British colonial administrators declared it a Crown Reserve in 1776 to preserve rainfall and protect agricultural lands. Take a few moments to watch this insightful video below about the Main Ridge Forest Reserve:
Tuvalu is a country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceana in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia. It comprises three reef islands and six atolls. The T2JK DXpedition by JK1JXZ from Funafuti is on 80-6M. It’s scheduled to run until Aug. 7 but may be extended to Aug. 14. The T22TT DXpedition by the Rebel DX Group from Tuvalu wrapped up in July.
Funafuti, a coral atoll made up of 30 islets and a turquoise lagoon, is the capital of Tuvalu and home to 60% of the nation’s population (around 6,300 out of 11,500). This ranks Tuvalu as the second least populous sovereign country in the world behind Vatican City.
Tuvalu has an average elevation of just two meters (six feet) above sea level—the reason scientists have made Tuvalu a point of discussion regarding climate change and rising sea levels. By contrast, Trinidad & Tobago is approximately 83 meters (272 feet) above sea level.
An article on the United Nation’s website, “Earth Day: The Battle to Save a Drowning Pacific Island Nation” noted that in 2025, due to concerns about the future of the islands, “more than 90 percent of Tuvaluans applied for a visa scheme to obtain residency or citizenship in Australia.” In 2022, Tuvalu’s government created the first “digital nation” in the metaverse “to preserve its statehood and culture if its physical territory disappears.” Scientists predict Tuvalu could become uninhabitable in the next 50 to 100 years.
QSL Cards
The active hams at DX Engineering have had great success contacting these entities over the years (a good reason to contact them for help with your gear if you’d like to do the same). Here are a few QSL cards from their collections.
Scott, N3RA, DX Engineering sales manager, contacted 9Y4D in Trinidad on FT8:
Tom, KB8UUZ, DX Engineering technical writer, produced these cards from his collection:
Here are QSL cards from Wayne, K8FF, DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist:
Visit DXEngineering.com for everything you need to upgrade your station to make sure you’re ready to add an ATNO QSL card to your collection.
You’ll find transceivers, antennas; a wide selection of amplifiers from ACOM, OM Power, Icom, and others; CW keys and paddles; headsets and speakers; and much more.
Editor’s Note: Every month, DX Engineering features QSL cards from our team members’ personal collections. To highlight upcoming DXpeditions, we’ll be displaying a few of our favorite cards along with details about what it took to make these contacts. We’re excited to share some of the special cards pulled from the thousands we’ve received over the years. We look forward to seeing your cards as well!
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