Renowned 11m DX enthusiast 161DA135 Sylwester showcased his true DX spirit during a remarkable series of Inland Water Island (IWI) and Islands On The Air (IOTA) activations across Croatia (328) and Germany (13) recently.
With an unwavering commitment to DX adventure, Syl delighted the Freeband Community’s passionate Island Hunters by putting no less than 6 islands on the air from one of Europe’s most stunning regions, even finding time for some portable DX work in Bosnia (331 Division).
What followed was a thrilling chapter in the DA-RC’s IWI and IOTA story — a blend of radio excellence, pioneering spirit, and unforgettable island scenery.
Here is Syl’s full report…
It’s July 19, 2025, 7:00 pm. The car has been checked at the service center a few days before departure, the luggage is packed, a souvenir photo with my base antenna is taken, and we’re starting our family vacation. For the second time, we’re going to Croatia for a family vacation, reminiscing about the wonderful moments and WX in 2024.
We set off for Luka Dubrava – the village is located on the Pelješac Peninsula, the second largest peninsula in southern Dalmatia in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, about 30 km from the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina.
We have about 1,600 km ahead of us – a 13-hour drive.
After the first 200 km, the car’s electronics and engine management errors begin to cause problems, and it loses power. It’s tense, as the fault was investigated and repaired at the service center. Luckily, I have a computer with me to analyze and debug – let’s get going, maybe we’ll make it.
We continue our journey, making numerous stops to debug, wondering if we’ll get back on a tow truck, or if we’ll arrive safely.
After a night behind the wheel, we reached our destination on July 20, 2025, at 2:15 PM. Beautiful views from the village of Luka Dubrava, fantastic WX, and wonderful water temps make the hardships of the journey unforgettable.
Rest and swimming make up for the rigors of the journey.
It’s wonderful!
On site, we finalize our plan and focus on sightseeing, risking car breakdowns.
My radio activity plan changes 180 degrees. I don’t set up the antenna and base like I did in 2024. I’m planning my fieldwork, instead, to match my family’s trip itinerary.
If the car doesn’t break down, there will be activities.
328/161DA135/EU-016 KORCULA ISLAND
We’re heading to the island of Korcula (See below), one of several islands in the Dalmatia South Group (EU-016), in accordance with the World IOTA Program.
Ahead of us is a challenging route with climbs of approximately 7-10% gradient.
Along the way, we’ll stop for photos at the Pijavičino viewpoint, located at an altitude of approximately 403 m above sea level.
This is also a memorial site.
Pijavičino has a troubled history. In 1941, the village was completely destroyed by Italian soldiers. The survivors of the pogrom took refuge in nearby Trstenik.
German soldiers completed the devastation two years later.
A distinctive feature that makes the viewpoint impossible to miss is the soaring obelisk commemorating the victims of World War II and the sculpture located nearby.
Also nearby are the dilapidated buildings of the complex, which was built in the 1980s. The complex is falling into greater disrepair with each passing year.
We’re in Orebić, a beautiful port and small town. We’re waiting for the ferry to Korcula Island (EU-016).
On the island, we explore the Old Town, the Fort, and finally, there’s time for everyone.
The family heads to the beautiful beaches of Lumbarda, while I set up the antenna and radio in the parking lot. I have three hours for you, including the antenna installation.
Full of hope, I begin working on the waves…
The only waves I encounter, however, are sea waves!
Total silence, with breaks from a few big guns calling out, but unfortunately, they can’t hear me properly.
Towards the end of my time, a small opening begins, but I have to assemble my equipment and head out to pick up my family and the ferry.
A poor start to the activation.
331/161DA135/M, Bosnia
Between the 24th and 29th: Two visits to Bosnia on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, but as in 2024, I missed the propagation.
The trip was for sightseeing, not so much for monitoring the propagation on T5.
My second attempt at the 331 activity was unsuccessful.
The application needs to be made for a few days and a base antenna – maybe we’ll see in 2026.
They say it doesn’t rain in southern Croatia, but that’s not true! I’ve been to Croatia several times and never experienced rain, let alone a storm, but this year I experienced three consecutive nights of thunderstorms and heavy rain.
Beautiful sunshine during the day.
The nighttime storm was unprecedented; I’ve never seen such a spectacle in my entire life.
The photos were taken at night and during a lightning flash.
328/161DA135/NE-002 Uplav Veli
Tuesday, July 29th. After authorization from my HQ (my wife and children), I’m allowed another few symbolic hours for my hobby.
I pack my gear and head towards the island. My journey always includes the beautiful Pelješac Bridge – a cable-stayed bridge connecting the Pelješac Peninsula with the rest of Croatia.
The structure is designed as a 2,404-meter-long and 22.5-meter-wide cable-stayed bridge. The bridge is 55 meters high to allow ships to pass underneath it to the port of Neum in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The highest pylons are 240 meters high, measured from the seabed (115 meters from the roadway and 170 meters from sea level).
Since 1699, Croatia’s mainland has been bisected by a narrow coastal strip belonging to Bosnia and Herzegovina near the town of Neum. The bridge connects the southernmost part of Croatia, an exclave (including Dubrovnik), with the rest of its territory, bypassing Neum.
After crossing the bridge and driving for about 45 minutes, I reach the island of Uplav Veli IWI – NE-002, located just 300 meters from Opuzen Is.
Uplav Veli is a tiny island connecting Opuzen Island with the village of Blace by a bridge.
The start was interesting, with several strong signals from the mobile antenna. I deployed my Skypper antenna, but after a while, the signal began to fade.
Fighting to the end, stations slowly entered the log.
During the breaks in transmission, I met local workers (a Croat and a Bosnian) at the port, observing me. They were curious about what I was doing and why.
I managed to explain my hobby in Esperanto (English + Croatian + Russian + broken sign language). Interestingly, they were once in Poland and had fond memories of many places and the national hospitality.
328/161DA135/OI – OPUZEN ISLAND
Wednesday, July 30th. I have another few hours for my hobby, so I pack my gear and hit the road.
The direction of travel is the same as yesterday, and after 30 minutes I enter the island and the town of Opuzen.
It’s hard to find a good, quiet spot in the town, so I head for the coast, where I land at the bridge connecting NE-002 to the island; I was there yesterday.
In the port on Opuzen Island, I make a few strong QSOs with my mobile antenna, set up the antenna, and enjoy the propagation – probably the best I’ve had during my entire stay.
Strong signals and more and more happy people are in the log.
From my transmitting position, there’s a beautiful view of the bay and the mouth of the Neretva River, a paradise for kiteboarders.
This is also the WWFF 9AFF-0107 area.
After about 90 minutes, my luck and my time begin to fade, and the propagation ends with my time.
I pack my gear and head back to my family.
Today, I made more contacts in two hours than yesterday in nearly five hours. The number in the log isn’t important, what matters is the joy for other operators in catching a new ATNO fish. Anyone who has ever gotten off the sofa and been in the field will understand.
During our stay, we visited the beautiful Old Town of Dubrovnik twice and the nearby airport outside the city, which is accessible via a road with beautiful views over the cliffs.
We also included beach time and URBEX.
“The Bay of Dead Hotels” is the colloquial name for the hotel complex in Kupari, which was destroyed during the war in the 1990s.
This year, the area was fenced off, and the hotel and recreation complex will be rebuilt.
On the last evening before departure, we take a short walk to watch the sunset and have dinner at a local pizzeria in Zuljan.
Our vacation ends, we say goodbye and leave our apartment and the beautiful bay.
We set off on a journey of approximately 150 km, the last 30 km offering fantastic views and an exciting narrow road over escarpments leading to the town of Omiš.
Here, we stop for a 3-hour rafting trip on the Cetina River, dinner at a beach restaurant, and by 8:00 PM, we’re on our way to Germany.
We have 10 hours of continuous driving ahead of us.
The first 30 minutes are exhilarating, and suddenly we’re stuck in traffic for several kilometers.
The only road along the coast is closed, and an accident is the first loss of time, over 60 minutes in traffic.
The journey at night is uneventful, but the journey is made longer by stops in traffic and dozens of tunnels in the mountains. Errors and stops to clear them are so frequent now, they don’t surprise us, but we’re moving forward.
13/161DA135/BY-053 Klosterinsel
Saturday, August 2nd, 9:00 am, we’re in Furstenfeldbruck, Bavaria – a beautiful part of Germany where my family lives.
Breakfast, coffee, freshening up.
When I have a free moment, I sneak out and check if there’s anything on T5 in the car parked between the apartment buildings.
Surprise, I hear CQ 161AT/GG with a strong 5/9 signal on T5. I go over to them; they answer after my first call. Great QSOs with 50 Watts and Sirio 5000. Later, a follow-up CQ T5 and a QSO with 330.
I think, no time for sleep.
The family is resting, going to bed, and I check the IWI islands in the area.
Thanks to the quick cooperation with Mariusz 161EX016, we managed to identify several islands in Furstenfeldbruck on the Amper River that qualify as IWIs.
A quick update of the islands.upway.pl database, and here we go.
Four new islands have appeared in the database: BY-052 Wirtshaus, BY-053 Klosterinsel, BY-054 Emmering, BY-055 Felder.
After a long night of driving, I’m heading to IWI BY-053. The start was interesting, but the propagation was slow.
A sudden change in the WX and heavy rain meant I couldn’t set up Skypper and was working from my mobile.
A few contacts were made, but unfortunately, time was running out and I had to get back to my family.
Fatigue is also taking its toll.
A few lucky people caught another ATNO IWI BY-053.
I have to balance my hobby with family time. In between, meetings with family, local sightseeing, walks, and a trip to the BMW Museum in Munich and LEGOLAND in Gunzburg, where I made a CQ call under a special callsign from my special station (you can see it in the photo).
13/161DA135/BY-052 Wirtshaus, BY-053 Klosterinsel, BY-055 Felder
Today, Monday, August 4, 2025, the weather is promising.
A quick detour to IWI is planned for the start of BY-052.
There’s a surprise here: a small parking lot and a few meters to the hydroelectric power plant – a strategic point in the city.
I don’t risk deploying the antenna and work from my mobile.
After 20 minutes, the police visit, a check around the parking lot, and they leave.
I depart for BY-055. There’s also a surprise there: the only place is the street and a two-way parking ban, simulating a breakdown at the edge of the road. A great place to set up a base with battery power or a generator in the future. The nearest parking lot is off the island.
On the way back, I park at BY-053 and repeat the activity from the first day.
Propagation is weak, but a few lucky operators make it into the log.
After a long day with the family at Legoland, a sudden change of plans cut our vacation short. We have to return to Poland two days early.
Quick packing and the decision to leave on August 6th at noon.
Negotiations with my home HQ, and I receive authorization for a restrictive 2 hours of radio activity early in the morning.
On June 5, I wake up, have a quick coffee without breakfast, and head out to activate BY 054…
I take a parking space and begin contacts.
Unfortunately, the propagation only wakes up after a 45-minute wait. It’s slowly increasing, but I have to get back. Sporadic and short bursts. Not enough time for base antennas, so only the SIRIO 5000 and 80 W peak power. This is the last of the IWIs planned for my stay.
During my trip, I used an ICOM 7000 at 60-80 watts, a Sirio 5000 on a magnet, a Skipper antenna on a 6-meter mast, and a backup A99, an Alink DM330 power supply, and a BJ300 – fickle at work.
The only power source was the car battery.
In summary, during my family vacation, I activated: 2 DXCCs, 4 IWI islands in Division 13, and 1 EU N/V island in Division 328, and 1 IWI, all ATNOs.
In total, nearly 280 QSOs, about 120 fewer than in 2024 from base.
It was a wonderful family vacation, not an expedition.
Thank you all for searching, helping, and meeting me on the frequencies.
If you didn’t catch me from these islands, don’t worry; you have a chance at the end of 2025 or during the summer of 2026. There may be more ATNOs in the area.
Statistics Total:
- Total time on air: Approximately 12 hours (excluding EU016 + 3 h)
- Number of DXCCs: 24
- Total QSOs: Nearly 300
- Farthest QSOs: Brazil (3 Division) & Australia (43)
- Number of DA Stations worked: 40
Thank you, it was my pleasure :).
Cheers and see you next time.
73Syl
Great story and a fantastic job from Syl!
Thanks to spend so much time to bring some nice places on the Air.
73 Frank