Borneo is the world’s third-largest island, and its Malaysian half — Sabah and Sarawak — counts as IOTA reference OC-088. Through 2024, team 9M1Z set out to put it on the air from three of its furthest edges.
The plan was as much a rehearsal as an activation: a chance to shake down the antennas, the logistics and the operating team before a far more demanding Spratly Islands expedition. Each site was chosen for its position on the map rather than its comfort — a national-park headland, the northern cape of Borneo, and the east-coast town that opened the way to the Semporna islands. Bands ran from 80 through 6 metres in SSB, CW and FT8.
- Reference
- IOTA OC-088
- Entities
- Sabah 9M6 · Sarawak 9M8
- Sites
- Tanjung Datu · Simpang Mengayau · Semporna
- Dates
- June–September 2024
- Bands
- 80–6 m
- Modes
- SSB · CW · FT8
Operating sites
Three points on the edge of Borneo, from the south-west round to the east.
-
Sarawak (9M8)
Tanjung Datu
OJ41TX · 15–30 June 2024
The south-western tip of Borneo, inside Tanjung Datu National Park — the first activation of the campaign.
-
Sabah (9M6)
Simpang Mengayau
OJ87AI · September 2024
The northernmost point of Borneo, the “Tip of Borneo” at Kudat, looking out over the South China Sea.
-
Sabah (9M6)
Semporna
OJ94 · 1–15 September 2024
The east-coast staging point and gateway to the Semporna islands (OC-133) that followed.
Band plan
Frequencies in MHz, current from 26 June 2024. Listen first, then call.
| Band | CW | SSB | FT8 | FT4 | RTTY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80m | – | – | 3.573 | – | – |
| 60m | – | – | 5.357 | – | – |
| 40m | 7.011 | 7.145 / 7.195* | 7.056 | 7.047 | 7.044 |
| 30m | 10.111 | – | 10.131 | 10.140 | 10.143 |
| 20m | 14.011 | 14.245 | 14.090 | 14.080 | 14.083 |
| 17m | 18.076 | 18.135 | 18.095 | 18.104 | 18.091 |
| 15m | 21.011 | 21.285 | 21.090 | 21.140 | 21.083 |
| 12m | 24.906 | 24.955 | 24.911 | 24.919 | 24.921 |
| 10m | 28.011 | 28.485 | 28.090 | 28.180 | 28.083 |
| 6m | – | – | 50.313 | 50.318 | – |
LSB on 40–80 m and USB on 6 m are worked simplex, no split. 60 m and 6 m FT8 and all FT4 run standard MSHV, not Fox/Hound. The 7.195 MHz slot marked * is a reserved backup for 40 m SSB. Live CQ status is posted at marhazk.com/9m1z/cq.
Confirming a contact
Worked 9M1Z from Borneo? Here is how to get the card into your log.
Look up 9M1Z on QRZ- LoTW
- Uploaded after the activation — the quickest confirmation.
- Club Log
- OQRS for direct and bureau cards, with live log search.
- Direct
- Via 9W8ZZK or 9M8WIN with return postage.
- Also
- QRZ Logbook, eQSL and Ham365. No paper bureau.