The Rockall Expedition are safely on the North Atlantic islet and making radio transmissions after a challenging ascent to the summit.

Expedition spokesperson Harry Brayford, early this morning (Wednesday, May 31), confirmed the trio were safely on Rockall.

Radio ham, Col McGowan earlier today posted online: “The guys started [transmitting] not long ago—Emil on 20CW, Nobby on 40SSB. I spoke to Nobby, and he said everyone is fine, all are safe, and to pass that info on to family members.

“Apparently, the landing was very tough, and a swell is still kicking about the island, but they did it! Nobby told me that Emil was ‘lost’ to the sea twice due to the swell, but obviously is ok as he’s QRV on CW as I type this.”

An audio recording of part of the transmission can be heard here.

Around 7 am this morning a second radio enthusiast, James Bertram reported: "Just spoke to Nobby on 40mtrs. All going well and amazing to contact Rockall."

Last night (Tuesday, May 30), there was some confusion about whether the three-strong team had made landfall. The expedition yacht, Taeping, was seen by marine trackers circling Rockall, and radio signals were being detected. However, at that point, it was not immediately clear whether the expedition team were transmitting from the yacht or Rockall itself. Or whether it was stray signals.

The Rockall Expedition aims to stay on the precarious granite islet for 60 days to smash the current 45-day record for continuous occupancy of Rockall. Their exploits, which are being filmed by a documentary team, aim to raise a million pounds for veterans and sick children’s charities.

During their stay, the expedition will be radio broadcasting, a move that has set the ham radio community abuzz.

Transmitting and receiving to Rockall is a blue moon occurrence in amateur radio as it is one of the world’s most wanted and rarest radio locations.

Details of their radio transmissions are on the expedition website if you fancy a chat.

This article has been updated since it was first published.