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7/19/23 - For the past two weeks, American Samoa has been host to an invisible expedition happening in the air above Tutuila. Ham radio operators James Gallo (KB2FMH), Hal Turley (W8HC) and Yuri Sushkin (N3QQ) established temporary radio operations in American Samoa for the purpose of making contact with other operators all over the world.

Read more about their expedition on the official KH8RRC website.

93KHJ's John Raynar interviewed James and Hal on the Samoan Sunrise morning show on Wednesday 7/19/23.

While in American Samoa, 93KHJ's Joey Cummings hosted the group and acted as their local tour guide. During breaks in their busy broadcasting schedule, Cummings took them to eat at favorite local spots. In addition, the group spent an afternoon touring the National Park of American Samoa before having dinner at Tisa's Barefoot Bar.

The group was also willing to lend a helping hand. When two pilots attempting to complete a circumnavigation of the globe in their single engine Cessna landed in American Samoa on Tuesday, the inquired if there were any experts on HF radio equipment. Hal and James accompanied the pilots to their airport after their radio interview. There, there were able to successfully troubleshoot the radio equipment. Hal wrote about this encounter on his Facebook page.

Hal and James left American Samoa on Wednesday 7/19/23. In the interview, they discuss plans for an upcoming Swains Island ham radio expedition.

July 19, 2023 - A small single-engine plane landed at Tafuna International Airport on Tuesday. The plane, carrying two people, arrived from Fiji and is in American Samoa for rest and refueling before traveling onward to Honolulu. The pilots Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels are raising awareness for polio eradication by attempting a rare feat in the aviation world; piloting a single engine aircraft all the way around the globe!

This 10-minute interview was conducted by News Director Monica Miller. Read two news articles Monica published about the mission here and here.

After the interview, Peter and John invited 93KHJ staff to sign their mission flags.

In addition, the pair made an educational presentation to the Rotary Club of Pago at their weekly meeting. Read all about their adventures in American Samoa on the Rotary Club of Pago Pago site here.

As the pair note on their official website www.flighttoendpolio.com, “While the end of polio may be near, no child anywhere is safe until every child has been vaccinated.”