Market - Radio Amateurs Activity

Radio Amateurs Activity

Radio amateurs around the world consider the Finnish part of Market Reef (as they call it) a separate entity, distinct from Finland and Sweden. The Finnish part of Market Reef used to be one of the world's most desired "countries" among radio amateurs due to its special status and relative remoteness. Usually there are one or more Amateur Radio expeditions to the island every year, weather permitting. During these expeditions tens of thousands of radio contacts are made with people in several parts of the world. At high seas, landing is only possible with a helicopter. Good pictures of Märket are shown on QSL cards. The official prefix for use on the Finnish side is OH0, as in the rest of the Åland Islands, but OJ0 is the optional call sign prefix for Market Reef. There is a fee for using an OJ0 call sign, while the use of the OH0/ prefix in front of the own call sign is free. All radio activity on the island is by visitors on DX-peditions. When the Finnish part of the reef was given its special status in amateur radio, in the late 1960s the lighthouse keeper himself became a licenced Amateur Radio operator who initially used the call OH0MA. On the Swedish side of Market Reef the callsigns 8S9M and SI8MI have been used.