• [NEWS UPDATE @ 1100z] –

The team met at Kortrijk, Belgium for the start of the VU4AX DXpedition. We travelled by bus towards CDG Paris. Everything went smoothly until check-in. Everyone’s documents were carefully checked. Then a problem surfaced with Marc ON4AMX’s visa. Marc was not allowed to check in.

In the meantime, the team did everything possible to check in all 47 suitcases. But even that went totally wrong, despite everything being very neatly organised. It went totally wrong and the system went down. The long line of waiting people only got longer. Suddenly, we were presented with a new bill for the 7 pieces of oversize luggage. When we pointed out that everything was already paid for, we were told "either you pay or everything stays here”. If we wanted to continue we had no choice but to pay again for the luggage already paid for. A new visa was being applied for Marc ON4AMX. Unfortunately, we could not wait any longer and had to move on if we wanted to catch our flight. So Marc is currently still in Paris and hopes to get his documents in order soon and fly towards New Delhi on a new flight.

This morning around 8:15 a.m (local) we arrived in New Delhi. All the luggage was with us on the plane, this was a great relief. Then another very big challenge awaited us as our luggage had to be cleared through customs. With the necessary interventions of the people of Air India, we got our luggage in order and the necessary stamps on our documents. Meanwhile, we were waiting for our next flight to Port-Blair Andaman Islands.

VISIT THE VU4AX WEBSITE

VISIT VU4AX FACEBOOK PAGE

Credit: DX-Adventure

  • [MARCH 8] –

Credit: ON5UR

As March approached, excitement grew immensely. We did encounter serious challenges in recent weeks, facing enormous stress and unexpected obstacles that no one foresaw. But we are determined and never give up with the goal of ‘completing our mission…”

In the recent months, significant changes have been made to the legislation for radio amateurs in India. We were unsure whether these changes would impact our DXpedition, so we reached out to the Ministry of Communications in New Delhi. The WPC confirmed that the new regulations did indeed apply to us, meaning we had to reapply for our VU4 license. We quickly gathered all the required documents from everyone and submitted a new application. A few weeks later, we received our new license this time with the callsign VU4AX instead of VU4X.

Although we did our best to regain the VU4X callsign, we were unsuccessful. Many key officials responsible for granting licenses were occupied with the parliamentary elections in early February, making communication extremely difficult.

We couldn’t afford to wait any longer, as the risk of not receiving the new license in time had become too great. There was still a lot to do, such as making polo shirts, flags, banners, and more. Another major challenge was quickly adapting the DX-Adventure website to reflect the new callsign, VU4AX.

We thought, the worst is behind us…

All our flight tickets, round trip, had been booked for quite some time. A total of six flights through Air India. However, in early February, a month before our departure, we received a shocking e-mail: the last flight from Calcutta to the Andaman Islands, would be operated by Air India Express a subsidiary of Air India. This informed us that they could not take 23 pieces of extra luggage. We realised very well that we had a huge problem and had to look for a solution very quickly.

We contacted some major transport companies such as Air Cargo Belgium, UPS, DHL and Fedex. DHL was the only one offering to ship 500 kg of luggage to the Andaman Islands within 8-10 working days. The expenses would exceed 17,000 euros. We therefore had to prepare the necessary documents of ‘every item’ we were going to send for temporary import to Andaman Islands at lightning speed. Getting this done in such a short time was almost impossible.

We began exploring other options and, each day, Max had several phone calls with Air India in search of a solution. After intensive cooperation, we decided to cancel our original flights and book new ones. We are now flying directly from New Delhi to the Andaman Islands. On Wednesday afternoon (March 5th), just three days before our departure, we received the long-awaited email: a solution had been found for all our luggage. The 40 suitcases and 7 oversized pieces could travel with us. The necessary invoices were promptly paid, and an hour later, we received our new tickets. Talk about last-minute stress…

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Catherine Bernard, Lenka Farre, and Patricia Thiry of Air India Paris for their dedication and patience over the past weeks. Every day, they listened to our concerns with great understanding and worked alongside us to find a solution, which they successfully did. We are truly thankful for their support. As a token of our appreciation, a box of delicious Belgian chocolates has been sent to Air India Paris.

It feels like a "never-ending story.” March 7th, we received yet another email from Air India. Upon arrival in New Delhi, we must present ourselves at customs with all our luggage (47 suitcases). If we don’t, they won’t allow our luggage on the next flight. We’ll only breathe a sigh of relief when we land in the Andaman Islands on Monday with all our luggage.

  • [INITIAL BREAKING NEWS] –

Team consisting of ON4AMX, ON4HIL, ON5UR, ON5RA, ON5TN, ON6CC, ON7FT, ON7USB, ON7RU, ON8AZ, PA9M and PA3EWP have announced that they will be on the air as VU4AX from Andaman Islands during March 10-20, 2025. QRV on HF bands; CW, SSB and DIGI.