From the S21WD Web
page: (edited by
OPDX):
Bangladesh – March 22,
2026
by Team S21WD
S21WD DXpedition –
Arrival and First
Signals from AS-140
The S21WD team has
successfully arrived
in Bangladesh and is
now active
from IOTA AS-140,
marking the transition
from logistics to
on-air oper-
ations.
On March 17, Jamie
M0SDV arrived in
Munich, where the team
completed
final preparations.
The evening was
dedicated to last
packing activities,
coordination with
local supporters, and
a joint dinner before
departure.
On March 18, the team
departed from Munich
via Istanbul to Dhaka
with
Turkish Airlines.
Despite the
significant amount of
heavy and oversized
baggage, check-in
procedures were
handled efficiently
with excellent
support from airline
staff. All flight
segments and the
transit in Istanbul
were uneventful.
Crucially, all
equipment arrived in
Dhaka complete and
without damage.
Customs clearance had
been pre-coordinated
with local amateur
radio
contacts, allowing for
a smooth and efficient
entry process. Upon
arrival,
the team received a
warm welcome from
local operators. After
regrouping,
equipment was repacked
and expedition
supplies were
collected, as the
team operates fully
self-sufficient. A
short breakfast in
Dhaka was
followed by final
supermarket purchases.
Special thanks go to
S21ABO
for preparing
essential items in
advance, which
significantly eased
logistics during the
Eid Mubarak period.
The onward journey to
the QTH required a
multi-stage transport
operation.
After navigating
through Dhaka’s busy
old town,
approximately 600 kg
of
equipment and supplies
were loaded onto a
ferry for an overnight
crossing
of around 12 hours.
During the crossing,
the team had an
interesting
exchange about amateur
radio with the owner
of the ferry company.
After
arrival, the journey
continued by minibus
for about one hour,
including
a stop for a local
breakfast, before
transferring to a
final boat. At
this stage, additional
cargo was loaded,
including around 500
kg of
drinking water and a
10 kVA generator.
Following arrival on
the island
(AS-140), a final
20-minute tuk-tuk ride
brought the team to
the QTH.
Immediately after
arrival, work began in
parallel on site
exploration,
shack setup, and
antenna construction.
The first signal as
S21WD was
transmitted on March
20 at approximately
17:00 UTC.
Initial operations
revealed a much higher
than expected level of
local
man-made noise, which
had not been present
during earlier site
visits.
In parallel, frequent
grid power outages
made it necessary to
bring the
expedition’s generator
online early. The
generator has been
operating
reliably since
commissioning.
However, one grid
failure resulted in
the
loss of an amplifier
and a power supply.
Repair attempts have
so far
been unsuccessful.
Antenna deployment has
progressed steadily.
The 5-band Spiderbeam
installed
on the roof is
performing well. The
3-band WARC Spiderbeam
could not be
deployed at the
planned location and
therefore had to be
relocated to a
green area in front of
the house.
Further progress was
achieved on March 22
with the installation
of two
large lowband
verticals for 80m and
160m. Initial tests
are very promising,
particularly towards
Europe. In combination
with a receive flag
antenna,
which has shown clear
improvements in
signal-to-noise ratio,
the first
encouraging results on
80 meters have already
been observed. Long
beverage
antennas are currently
under preparation, and
additional systems,
including
a 60m vertical and a
QO-100 station, are
planned for deployment
shortly.
We have already been
present during
openings towards North
America;
however, current
conditions combined
with the local noise
limitations
have so far resulted
in limited success.
Operational capacity
is currently slightly
reduced, as three
operators
are temporarily
affected by health
issues, limiting both
antenna con-
struction and
operating activity. At
the same time, strong
support from
local amateur radio
operators has been
instrumental in
maintaining pro-
gress, and the team is
very grateful for this
assistance. The
hospitality
and catering provided
by local hosts have
been excellent
throughout.
With the main antenna
systems now largely in
place and stable power
ensured via the
generator, the setup
phase is nearing
completion. The
focus will now shift
towards full operating
mode, with top
priority on
locating and
eliminating the noise
source, followed by
attention to
openings towards
high-demand regions
such as North America
and further
optimization of
lowband performance.
Further updates will
follow as operations
continue from AS-140.
(ed. There are several
pictures on the S21WD
Web page. The
following are just a
few...)
Tedd Mirgliotta,
KB8NW - E-mail
addresses:
<[email protected]> and
<[email protected]>
Editor of the
Ohio/Penn DX
Bulletin (OPDX -
DXer's Tool of
Excellence)
President of the
"Northern Ohio DX
Association" (NODXA)
DX Advisor for the
"Northern Ohio
Amateur Radio
Society
Past ARRL Assistant
Director of the
Great Lakes Division
(1996-2022)
Sysop of the "Basic
Amateur Radio
Frequency BBS"
(BARF80.ORG)
