Malyj Vystoskij Island (MVI) Documentation

Malyj Vystoskij Island (MVI) DXCC Status Documentation

Attached is a letter dated November 17, 1970, from Bob White - W1CW, to Armas Valste - OH2NB. A copy was given to me in 1986 while on a trip to Finland and Market Reef, where a group of us operated as OH0MD/OJ0. The Finns were very interested in getting MVI on the DXCC list and I was asked to get this letter in the hands of ARRL HQ officials and the DXAC. Ultimately this "forgotten promise" by Bob White, who by then was long gone from ARRL, was honored and the country made it on the list. I'm not a "criteria expert" and don't know if MVI would have qualified under the rules existing at the time. For years prior to this, I had heard of the mysterious MOLLY that was sure to be a new country. Now I knew my Finnish pals were serious.

The initial operation was in July 1988, and was a joint venture between Finns and Russians. Various meetings and negotiations took place, and at one point I was placed on the list of potential operators.. Well GLASNOST was in place, and working to a limited extent, but the Russians had a hearty laugh at the prospect of an American passing by some of their sensitive military facilities on the way to MVI. So the answer was NO (probably HELL NO!). I was in Finland during the initial 4J1FS operation listening on a Telefunken receiver that belonged to my cousin. After the operation was over, I met Martti in Helsinki and he transferred the Kenwood TS-940S and TL-922A equipment they used at MVI to me. I took it over to their station in OH0 and used it for 5 days. A year or so later GLASNOST had come to the point that K7JA was able to join a group on MVI as an operator.

That brings to mind a funny incident that I hadn't thought of in years. Since MVI and Finland were so close together, many of the OH guys, particularly in the central and western parts of the country, were having difficulty in getting through on 20 meters, the major activity band. So they pooled their resources, and set up a station in eastern Finland, right on the Russian border, so they would have a local "chip shot" into MVI. Not everyone was amused, but DX is a serious game, you know! K8MFO

Read the document here!

Part of the DXCC criteria for new country status at this time was an initial operation must take place before country status could be granted!

Here is the QSL card from the initial Finnish / Russian operation 4J1FS!

The lease to Finland of MV Island expired on February 17, 2012 and the island was returned to Russia. MV Island was removed from the ARRL DXCC list and added to the deleted list on that same date.

Info and & Document courtesy of K8MFO
QSL K8CX Collection