Fernando de Noronha (SA-003)

On Tuesday 5th March 2024 at 19:49 UTC, Richard N1LID a radio amateur from Lexington Park MD recorded on the GMA Dashboard (www.cqgma.org/ds2001.php) that Marenga PU0FDN was operating from the Fernando de Noronha Islands (SA-003) on the 12m amateur radio band.

The Fernando de Noronha islands are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Administrativelly Fernando de Noronha is a district of the Brazlian State of Pernambuco.

The 21 islands and islets of the archipelago sit 353km (220 miles) the main Brazlilian coast.

The main island, Fernando de Noronha, cover 18.4 square Kilometres and is the only populated island within the group.

In 1988 70% of the islands area became a national marine park and in 2001 the UNESCO designated the islands as World Heritage site because of their importance as feeding ground for marine mammals, turtles, tuna and sharks.