Hi guys,
Lots of noise those days regarding a possible DX expedition to North Korea.
To exhaustively list the 4 on-going attempts, by an order of "realism" as I see them
- P5/3Z9DX, first announcement in February 2015.
- The D.P.R.K project by EA5RM / EA7AJR, first announcement Agusut 2015
- The P5 project http://www.intrepid-dx.com/p5/news.php, first announcement in May 2013
- The P5CW project, by K6VVA, started "years ago" (http://www.p5cw.com/)
My humble opinion
- Logistic : Quite easy and "affordable" with frequent flights to either HL or BY
- Geopolitical : Hard for US guys, "easier" for European ones. Latest news prove this.
- Authorization : Hard to get, requires time and "on-site & high-level" support, cancellation possible at any time (prior or even during the operation)
- Financial : This is where my doubt is. Some projects say this is to help humanitarian organizations, others don't, OK.
==> But we can all guess what's going on "under the table" there. In such a regime, clearly, this is the way it goes. And even if we must distinguish Ham Radio and geopolitical conflicts, this should be taken into account when talking about this self-declared "socialist" government.
I have travelled quite a lot to HL till 5 or 6 years ago. Of course I visited DMZ, I met local hams, and I asked about the feasibility of a P5 operation. Their answer was rather clear "It might be possible for a European guy travelling through China, not HL. And this can not occur at short term without big bribes to the authorities, without warranty that once given, operation will take place".
I'm still thinking the same way today.
I hope I'm wrong, but as long as the operation hasn't ended succesfully, one can not commit anything about a future expedition in P5. Then your own "ethic" has to decide. But making buzz with such announcements can not help. Remember the 706T operation :-)
GL to all,
Ronan, F8AFC
Lots of noise those days regarding a possible DX expedition to North Korea.
To exhaustively list the 4 on-going attempts, by an order of "realism" as I see them
- P5/3Z9DX, first announcement in February 2015.
- The D.P.R.K project by EA5RM / EA7AJR, first announcement Agusut 2015
- The P5 project http://www.intrepid-dx.com/p5/news.php, first announcement in May 2013
- The P5CW project, by K6VVA, started "years ago" (http://www.p5cw.com/)
My humble opinion
- Logistic : Quite easy and "affordable" with frequent flights to either HL or BY
- Geopolitical : Hard for US guys, "easier" for European ones. Latest news prove this.
- Authorization : Hard to get, requires time and "on-site & high-level" support, cancellation possible at any time (prior or even during the operation)
- Financial : This is where my doubt is. Some projects say this is to help humanitarian organizations, others don't, OK.
==> But we can all guess what's going on "under the table" there. In such a regime, clearly, this is the way it goes. And even if we must distinguish Ham Radio and geopolitical conflicts, this should be taken into account when talking about this self-declared "socialist" government.
I have travelled quite a lot to HL till 5 or 6 years ago. Of course I visited DMZ, I met local hams, and I asked about the feasibility of a P5 operation. Their answer was rather clear "It might be possible for a European guy travelling through China, not HL. And this can not occur at short term without big bribes to the authorities, without warranty that once given, operation will take place".
I'm still thinking the same way today.
I hope I'm wrong, but as long as the operation hasn't ended succesfully, one can not commit anything about a future expedition in P5. Then your own "ethic" has to decide. But making buzz with such announcements can not help. Remember the 706T operation :-)
GL to all,
Ronan, F8AFC