S21WD - Bangladesh

Ham Radio World
22 minutes ago
3 min read

S21WD Update (Jan 20)

The Next Generation DX Club e.V. is pleased to announce a major milestone for its upcoming Bangladesh DXpedition: the callsign S21WD has been officially issued for the project. The team would like to express its sincere gratitude to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) for issuing the callsign specifically for the purpose of this DXpedition. We also thank our friends at the Amateur Radio Association of Bangladesh (ARAB) for their continued support and assistance during the licensing process. The assignment of S21WD marks an important milestone and allows the project to move fully into its final preparation phase.

With around two months remaining before departure to Bangladesh, preparations for the S21WD – Bangladesh 2026 DXpedition are now well advanced. The team plans to operate from IOTA AS-140 (Khulna / Barisal Region group) at the end of March 2026.

During the past months, many evenings and weekends were spent at DG8MG’s QTH, which serves as the main preparation and logistics location. All major antenna systems were assembled and carefully tested there. These tests helped confirm correct assembly procedures, transport concepts, and overall system reliability well before departure.

We would like to thank our local radio friends who supported the team during these preparation sessions once again. They spent many hours assisting with equipment tests and sharing their experience and knowledge. Their contribution was essential and made the current level of readiness possible.

*Picture 2: Setting up a Spiderbeam Yagi featuring (20 - 10m) during a testing session.*

As departure is getting closer, the focus has moved from antennas to station infrastructure. Work is ongoing on power distribution, station layouts, cabling, networking, and backup concepts. Full system tests of the complete stations – including radios, amplifiers, filters, and software – are planned for the coming weeks.

The DXpedition will be active for 12 days and operate on 160 through 10 meters, including 5 MHz (60 m), using CW, SSB, RTTY, and FT8. In addition, activity via the QO-100 satellite is planned using CW, SSB, and FT4.

The Team

The project is organized by the Next Generation DX Club e.V. and carried out by an international team:

— Philipp Springer (DK6SP, 28) – Team Lead

— Sven Lovrić (DJ4MX, 23) – Co-Lead and QSL Manager

Team Members:

— Jamie Williams (M0SDV, 25)

— Leon Hellmich (DL3ON, 21)

— Rudranil Sarker Apon (S21ABO, 23)

— Anup Kumar Bhowmick (S21TV, 46)

The average age of the team is approximately 27 years, combining youth-driven DXpeditioning with experienced local participation.

Around 400 kg of equipment are currently being prepared and packed. Most of the equipment will be transported by the team as additional checked luggage on the flights. This requires careful weight planning and standardized packing, while allowing direct control over all critical equipment.

Following the successful DXpeditions 8R7X – Guyana 2024 (more than 73,000 QSOs) and V73WW – Marshall Islands 2025 (more than 103,000 QSOs), the team is highly motivated to continue this success with S21WD – Bangladesh 2026.

QSL, LoTW, and Live Log Information

In line with previous Next Generation DX Club DXpeditions, all QSOs are planned to be uploaded to LoTW daily and free of charge, subject to local internet availability. To provide transparency and reduce duplicate contacts during the operation, a Club Log Live Stream will be used to display QSOs in near real time, depending on the availability and stability of the on-site internet connection.

Paper QSL cards will be available via Club Log OQRS and will be handled by Sven Lovrić (DJ4MX) as QSL Manager, supported by his team within the Next Generation DX Club e.V.

Sponsorship and Donations

DXpeditions of this scale require significant financial and logistical effort. The Next Generation DX Club e.V. is a non-profit organization recognized under German law and is authorized to issue official donation receipts (Zuwendungsbestätigungen).

These receipts are tax-deductible in Germany. Recognition in other countries depends on national tax regulations. Donors outside Germany should consult their tax advisor or local tax authority.

Donations and sponsorships support transport costs, equipment operation, permits, and local logistics. Information on how to support the project is available here:

www.next-generation-dx.com/donate

To stay up to date and never miss any announcements, please follow the team on Facebook:

facebook.com/S21WD

Further information, updates, and background details about the project are available on the official website:

next-generation-dx.com

Feel free to check it out and follow our upcoming adventure to Asia.

Let us make this project a great success together – the team is ready. We look forward to getting you down the log very soon.

73, Team S21WD

Source: https://next-generation-dx.com/s2/

S21WD

Ops: DK6SP, DJ4MX, M0SDV, DL3ON, S21TV & S21ABO

Bands: QO-100 SAT + 10M - 160M