[EIDXA] more ZL9HR

[Richard Haendel]

Dave Lloyd (K3EL) says:
December 24, 2012 at 18:23
The content of this posting was jointly crafted by ZL9HR operators:
Jacky Calvo, ZL3CW
Pista Gaspar, HA5AO
Les Kalmus, W2LK
Dave Lloyd, K3EL
Glenn Petri, KE4KY
John Plenderleith, 9M6XRO
Gene Spinelli, K5GS
Don Studney, VE7DS

We acknowledge and welcome John, VK3YP's announcement that full accounts of 
the ZL9HR DX-pedition will be made publicly available.

Clarity and transparency around the finances was a principal concern and we 
are happy to learn this may be achieved. However, we wish to reiterate that 
a detailed analysis of DX-pedition income and expenditure should include the 
primary expedition costs - the boat charter, freight, government fees, 
hardware purchases, equipment repairs/replacement, shipping, etc. complete 
with appropriate receipts for expenses and income (donation) statements. We 
believe all "investors" deserve this degree of transparency.

John is quite correct in stating that amounts for boat/government 
fees/freight costs were provided to us, and we all paid before the boat 
sailed. Each team member paid a total of approximately $8,700(USD) not 
including personal travel, living and/or medical-evacuation insurance. 
However, it was always in the broader context that when donations came in 
they would pay down these expenses. This was communicated to us in April 
2012 in e-mails from the team leaders to prospective team members, such as 
that posted on DX-world by Jacky, ZL3CW.

Please be clear, we don't wish anyone to be unfairly out of pocket, and 
certainly not John, Tommy or HARAOA. Without their initiative and hard work 
up-front ZL9HR would not have been on the air in 2012. We fully expect that 
their legitimate expenses incurred in organizing this DX-pedition be 
reimbursed, but also that remaining funds from donations given to support 
ZL9HR be used for that purpose and distributed amongst the ten expedition 
members who all bore the major expedition costs such as boat charter, 
landing permit fees, etc. Given that these costs can easily be estimated to 
be in excess of $100k (greatly in excess of donations, as always expected), 
and that it will understandably take time before a full financial accounting 
is forthcoming, the recent announcement of reimbursement to NCDXF of 
 "excess" donations to ZL9HR is puzzling, to say the least.

Finally, to close on positive notes, we are all delighted to see the LoTW 
upload was completed in warp speed. Whatever our disagreements may be, we 
all wish to see post-expedition commitments honored in quick and efficient 
manner. The team was gratified whenever a QSO ended with "Thanks for the All 
Time New One" which was a key objective of the DX-pedition.

73, Dave, K3EL