[ADXA] R1MV?

[Pat Patterson]

Anyone have the hot skinny on a possible DXpedition to R1MV, Malyj Vysotski 
Island?  As I understand the situation, in 1963 the Russians leased the island 
to Finland as part of the project to enlarge a canal linking the Finnish Saimaa 
Lake region to the Gulf of Finland.  Basically the lease of the island to 
Finland puts Finish sovereign territory inside Russia.  The ARRL was petitioned 
for DXCC statis by Armas, OH2NB, (SK) and the Finnish Radio Amateur League. The 
ARRL granted conditional approval in 1970 with the caveat that a DXpedition 
would have to be completed before status would be finalized.  Political tensions 
between the Soviet Union and Finland prevented the necessary agreements from 
being obtained until the Gorbachev era of "Pereistroika" (Detente).  Marti, 
OH2BH, led the first  DXpedition to R1MV in 1988 as 4J1FS and it looks like 
there have been about nine total.  The last that I can find reference to was in 
2002.

The Saimaa Canal lease agreement has been renegotiated and Malyj Vysotski Island 
has been dropped from the scope of the lease.  So, in 2013 MVI goes back to 
being Russian territory and the basis for a DXCC entity goes away.  MVI is a 
stones throw from the Russian naval base on Vystok.  That may have something to 
do with the Russian reluctance to renew the lease?

R1MV is in the mid 50's as far as most wanted entites.  Guess the last few 
DXpeditions really served the "deserving ones"!  Don't know if mid 50's is high 
enough to spur someone to make one last trip to MVI or not. It's been activated 
for the Scandinavian Activity Contest (SAC) before...maybe someone will do that 
before the clock hits zero.  It's on my needed list (long list!).

Juuka, OH2BR, has a web site about MVI.  It doesn't appear to have been updated 
in a while but has some good info on history and photos from previous 
DXpeditions.
http://www.qsl.net/o/oh2br//r1mv/intro_frameset.html

73,
Pat, W5VY