s DXpeditioners called off the 3CØW and 3C3W activations in Equatorial Guinea, the government suspended all amateur radio licences in the country. Authorities made the announcement saying that a visiting ham radio operator gained access to sensitive areas in the country with radio equipment that was unauthorised. The government announcement did not identify the radio operators but various DX sites online listed Yuris, YL2GM and Eugene, EA5EL, as DXpeditioners operating from Annobon Island in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Both callsigns were seen on the spotting clusters, with 3CØW's last spot made on the 11th of September, accompanied by the comment that there was bad news reported on the DX-World.net.
That report said the operation had gone forward [quote] "without properly verifying the legality of the equipment or the compliance of the assigned frequencies with national regulations."
In its announcement, the Malabo government did not identify the callsigns but said that the hams had applied for licenses in 2018 and this year but had not verified that the equipment to be used was in legal compliance.
Yuris posted an update on DX-World, confirming that the team had not yet managed to get the local permit to operate as 3CØW in Annobon Island and that they were returning to the mainland where they had previously had a successful activation as 3C3W.
Meanwhile, authorities said that the suspension of licences will enable the government to develop a new regulatory framework with respect to legal frequencies and equipment - an action it said also aligns with national security requirements. A government statement said: [quote] "The goal is to ensure that no high-frequency equipment enters the country without proper approval and review of the license." [endquote]
The news comes one month before the scheduled 3C2MD DXpedition of the Mediterraneo DX Club International, which is to operate from the 30th of October through to the 11th of November. It is unclear what impact this move by the government will have on the planned DXpedition.
