W3AZD/KP0 1980 Search Reef

W3AZD is Don Search. I asked Don about this card at Dayton 2003. He told me that him and some friends did CQWW from KP4 that year. When it was over, he got on a plane and flew home. Some of his friends stayed behind. They bootlegged his call portable KP0 as a joke. Notice the poor copy of the Don Miller W9WNV DXpedition card.

From K8ND: I’ve had this in my back pocket for a while, concerning Search Reef. It came to mind while archiving some photos sent me from the 1980 and 1981 CQWW SSB operations from Curacao (PJ2CC and P41C). Don’s memory is a tad faulty. In 1980 CQWW SSB, Don was part of the PJ2CC Multi-Multi operation, not an operation from Puerto Rico. This can be confirmed from the article in CQ Magazine and from their QSL from that operation. I have heard from three other members of that operation that the bootleg ‘Search Reef’ W3AZD/KP0 operation took place from an area outside the “Honeymoon Cottage” at Coral Cliff Hotel overlooking Santa Martha Bay on Curacao. Wal W8LRL recently sent me, along with two dozen other photos from the 1980 and 1981 Curacao operations, a snapshot which is labeled on the back “Search Reef”. See below.

I’ll note that W8LRL was not the instigator or operator for this operation.
73, Jeff K8ND

Card courtesy of OH2VZ
Info courtesy of W3AZD, K8ND