*REPORT* Razzoli IOTA, 165DA/M-011

165DA101 Alex’s second activation of an ATNO in the Maddalena Archipelago in as many days, sparked incredible interest in the Freeband DX Community.

With antenna arrays aimed at this tiny, never before activated island, IOTA DX Hunters flocked to the band, desperate to log another ATNO thanks to this Sardinian DXpedition mastermind.

Here’s his report…

The activation of Razzoli Island for Monday, July 20th was planned weeks in advance…

As the date approached, tension mounted: weather models insistently predicted North-East winds at 18 knots.

In the Strait of Bonifacio, such winds create short, choppy waves making a dinghy crossing very challenging.

On July 16th during our Spargi trip, skipper Paolo warned us that reaching Razzoli would be nearly impossible and suggested an alternative like Santa Maria Island.

You can imagine the uncertainty!

Keeping our hopes high, we decided not to announce any doubts publicly…

That decision paid off.

On Monday at 07:30 we took the ferry to La Maddalena, meeting Paolo at the port at 08:15.

That was when Paolo looked at us and said: “Guys, let me take the chance and try for Razzoli!”.

We loaded the boat, fueled up, and set sail.

Leaving the shelter of La Maddalena Island, the waves began to swell…

Paolo explained that with depths around 100 m, waves stay short-pitched.

Watching Paolo navigate was amazing: reading the crests, throttling smoothly, braking, and turning in rhythm with the sea like a dance!

A wild rodeo handled in complete safety.

If you ever visit La Maddalena, ask me for Paolo’s contact – he’s a master!

Navigating toward the northernmost island of the archipelago, with Corsica visible on the horizon, we reached Razzoli’s landing…

As the island is entirely private, Paolo had pre-notified one of the owners and the National Park authority.

After landing our gear near an old stone cottage by the dock, we set up our field station.

The landscape was surreal: granite rocks rounded by centuries of wind and low Mediterranean vegetation, with only a protective old seagull keeping us company.

From early morning, steady winds made setting up the Skypper beam a real struggle…

Torsional forces kept slipping the tape on the DX-Wire fiberglass mast, forcing us to lower the antenna repeatedly.

During one adjustment, a mast section cracked!

We performed a field repair with heavy-duty tape, hoping it would hold through the operation.

At 10:14 local time (08:14 UTC) we went on-air with our first CQ call as 165DA/M-011…

A massive, short-skip opening with EU exploded onto the QRG, resulting in a huge pile-up.

We logged stations across EU, Northern/Central Italy, Sicily, and the beautiful Balearic Islands (49 Division).

The day turned out legendary as we logged 6 Continents!

Highlights included a rare contact with Canada (9) (extremely difficult this time of year), followed by afternoon openings into South and Central America [Brazil (3), Uruguay (12), Guadeloupe (136)].