OPDX Bulletin 1232 September 21, 2015

The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 1232
BID: $OPDX.1232
September 21, 2015
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF80.ORG (Cleveland, Ohio)

Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, AB5K & the AR TelNet Clusters Network, K1XN & GoList, NJ1Q & W1AW, W2GD, NG3K & ADXO, W3ZL, W3UR & The Daily DX, N4AA & QRZ DX, K5GS, K8AQM, K8GI, K8YSE, W8GEX & 60m News, CO8ZZ, DJ5NN, DL1SBF, DL7UXG & The DX News Letter, DL7VOA, DxCoffee.com, DXNews.com, DX-World.Net, ES1CW, F5NQL, F6AJA & Les Nouvelles DX, F6FQK, I1JQJ/IK1ADH & 425 DX News, I2MQP & DX Italia News, JI3DST, OH2BN, OZ6OM & 50 MHz DX News, RSGB IOTA Web Site, Sixitalia Weekly, VA3RJ & ICPO, VHF-DX-Portal (MMMonVHF) and ZS4BS for the following DX information.

DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT
According to the AR-Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 13th/September, through Sunday, 20th/September there were 203 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3B9, 3D2, 3DA, 3V, 3W, 4J, 4L, 4O, 4S, 4U1I, 4X, 5B, 5H, 5R, 5T, 6W, 6Y, 7Q, 7X, 8P, 8R, 9A, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M2, 9M6, 9V, 9Y, A3, A4, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C3, C6, C9, CE, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, CY0, D2, D4, D6, DL, DU, E4, E5/s, E6, E7, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EL, EP, ER, ES, EU, EX, F, FG, FK, FM, FO, FR, FW, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, HA, HB, HB0, HC, HC8, HH, HI, HK, HK0/a, HL, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J3, J6, J8, JA, JD/o, JT, JW, JY, K, KG4, KH0, KH2, KH6, KL, KP2, KP4, LA, LU, LX, LY, LZ, OA, OD, OE, OH, OH0, OJ0, OK, OM, ON, OX, OY, OZ, P2, P4, PA, PJ2, PJ4, PY, PY0F, S0, S5, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T32, T7, T8, TA, TF, TG, TI, TK, TN, TR, TY, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V5, V7, V8, VE, VK, VK9C, VP2E, VP5, VP8, VP9, VR, VU, XE, XW, YA, YB, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z3, ZA, ZB, ZD7, ZD9, ZF, ZL, ZP, ZS

* PLEASE NOTE: The report "could" contain "Pirate/SLIM" operations or more likely a "BUSTED CALLSIGN". As always, you never know - "Work First Worry Later".

3B8, MAURITIUS
Willi, DJ7RJ, will be active as 3B8/DL7RJ between October 5-30th. Activity will be on 160-10 meters with a focus on 160m using CW and SSB. QSL via his home callsign direct.

3D2, FIJI
Kazu, JA8ECS, will be active as 3D2YJ from Suva, Viti Levu Island (OC-016, WLOTA 0055), between September 23-28th. Activity will be mostly SSB and little CW. QSL via JA8ECS, direct or the JA Bureau.

5W, SAMOA
Lars, ZL1IF, will be active as 5W0IF in Apia, Upolu Island (OC-097) between November 25th and December 3rd. Activity will be on 80-10 meters using mainly CW. Operations will also include the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 28-29th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. QSL via ZL1IF and LoTW.

CDXF PRESS RELEASE (Charlotte, North Carolina, September 16, 2015)
Formation of Carolina DX Foundation --
The Carolina DX Association (CDXA) is pleased to announce, effective immediately, the formation of the Carolina DX Foundation, a non-profit organization under the rules of the Internal Revenue Service Section 501(c)(3). The purpose of the CDXF is to support amateur radio DXpeditions through financial distribu- tions. Specifically, benefits of DXpedition support by the CDXF include the furtherance of scientific research exploring electromagnetic wave propagation in the high frequency domain, and education through public presentations by DXpeditions supported by the CDXF.

Donations to the CDXF are accepted from individuals and organizations, and are tax deductible per IRS rules and regulations. The CDXF is a separate, and separately managed, entity from the CDXA. The Officers of the CDXF will be elected on a yearly basis, in December, by all those who have donated to the CDXF in the preceding twelve months. Initially the Officers are: President, Hal Bouton, N4QT; Vice President, Bill Fisher, W4GRW; and Secretary- Treasurer, Cliff Wagoner, W3ZL. The Officers will make all final decisions regarding distribution of DXpedition donations.

The foundation of the CDXF stems from Frank Dowd, K4BVQ, generously donating his radio collection to the CDXA several years ago, netting the CDXA over $15,000 for DXpedition donations. Hal Bouton, President of CDXF, says "Without Frank’s generosity, the CDXF would not be possible. We are excited about building on this foundation and adding to it to help fund important DXpeditions into the future."

For more information on CDXF, or to make a contribution, contact:
Cliff Wagoner, PO Box 577, Davidson, NC 28036 jcw53@cornell.edu

CR3/CT9, MADEIRA ISLANDS
The CR3L contest station in Santana on Madeira Island (AF-014) will be active during the CQWW DX RTTY Contest (September 26-27th) as a Multi-Multi entry. Operators mentioned are Juergen/DG7JB, Ulrich/DJ2YA, Walter/DJ6QT, Tom/DL6TK, Norbert/DJ7JC, Horst/DK1QH and Dieter/DK4QT. QSL CR3L via DJ6QT. Activity by operators outside of the contest will sign as CT9/homecall. QSL via their home callsign. Visit the CR3L Santana, Madeira Island, Web page at:

http://www.cq3l.de

DX3, PHILIPPINES
Operators Jim/DU3JH and Larry/DU3LA will be active as DX3R from Subic Bay near the ocean with vertical antennas during the CQWW DX RTTY Contest (September 26-27th). Operators will use personal callsigns to test the antennas prior to the contest on September 25th. QSL requests will only be by LoTW, there will be no QSL cards printed up for this operation.

DXCC YEARBOOK 2014 (DXCC Listing -- Where Oh Where Did It Go!)
Some of you may have noticed [or may have not] that the "2014 DXCC Annual List" in the October digital edition of "QST" has disappeared. Probable reason is to fix the list. The list was missing many callsigns including your editor's DXCC totals.

E6, NIUE (Update)
Operators of the UK group "6-G", most of whom formed the TX6G (Austral) expedition in 2014, are now active as E6GG from Niue (OC-040) until September 29th. Operators are Don/G3BJ, Chris/G3SVL, Nigel/G3TXF, David/G3WGN, Mike/G3WPH, Hilary/G4JKS and Justin/G4TSH. Activity will be on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via G3TXF. For more details and updates, see:

http://www.e6gg.com

FM/TO, MARTINIQUE (Update)
Gerd, DL7VOG, will be active as TO4GU and FM/DL7VOG from Martinique (NA-107) between November 10th and December 8th. Gerd explain the use of his callsign for this operation as follows: "The only problem with the guest license was, they issue TO calls just for a period of only 15 days. That means for me to work half of the time under TO(4X), the other half under FM/DL7VOG. Odd rules! Unfortunately the time period is too short to cover both contests - the WAE-RTTY and the CQWW CW with a short callsign - there is always a day missing, either the first day of the WAE or the last day of the CQWW. So I decided to use the short callsign only during CQWW CW." For more details and updates, watch:

http://www.dl7vog.de/html/fm_travelreport.html

FT4X, KERGUELEN ISLAND
A couple of sources reported this past week that Nicolas, F4EGX, will be going to Ratmanoff, Kerguelen Island (AF-048) late this year and early 2016. His callsign will be FT4XU. Activity will be limited there due to his work. Look for more details to be forthcoming.

IOTA NEWS
AS-200. Takeshi "TAKE"/JI3DST(JS6RRR) will once again be active as JI3DST/5 from Shodo Island (in the Shikoku's Coastal Islands) between September 19-24th. Activity will be on 40/30/20/17/ 15/12/10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and FM. This operation is subject to change because of bad WX or other conditions. QSL JI3DST/5 via the Bureau or direct by ClubLog's OQRS. Please check QRZ.com for more details. For more details and possible updates, see QRZ.com or http://blog.goo.ne.jp/ji3dst

OC-177. Budi, YF1AR, was expected to be active as YF1AR/0 from Pari Island, Seribu Islands (New Island), this past week between September 19-20th. Activity will be on 40-10 meters using mainly SSB as well as on CW and the Digital modes. QSL via N2OO or by ClubLog's OQRS. For more details, see Budi's Web page at:

http://www.yf1ar.com/2015/09/yf1ar0-oc-177-pari-island-seribu-islands.html

OC-071. Chris, VK6BP, will be active from Koolan Island on a one day operation (possibly more in the future), Monday, September 21st. Last known activation of this particular island was in 1993. Activity will be on 20 meters SSB only.

OC-197. Operators Bambang/YB3CC (Team Leader), Roy/YB3EZ, Hen/YB3LZ, Bimbo/YB3MM, Lesmono/YB3QZ, Din/YB8RW, Ary/YD3ARY, Harry/YD3BFX and Ismu/YD3ISB will be active as YE3B from the Bawean Islands between September 24-27th. The group will also activate Noko Island (September 24th) and Gunung Selayar Island (September 25th). They will use multi-bands vertical antenna, 3-element yagi for 15m and a 2-element yagi for 20m. QSL via YB3MM, direct, by the Bureau (may take 3 yrs.) or via the OQRS. See QRZ.com for more details.

OC-229. Andrey, VK5MAV, will be active as VK5MAV/8 from Croker Island between November 1-6th. Activity will be on 40-10 meters using mostly CW and Vertical Dipole Arrays (VDA) on each band. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the Bureau.

J3, GRENADA
Fred, DH5FS, is now active as J3/DH5FS from Bathway Beach, Grenada (A-024). Activity is on 40-10 meters using CW only with 100 watts into a GP. QSL via his home callsign, direct, by the Bureau or ClubLog's OQRS (preferred).

P4, ARUBA
John, W2GD, will once again be active as P40W from Aruba (SA-036) during the CQWW DX SSB Contest (October 24-25th). He will be there between October 20-28th. Operations outside of the contest are usually CW on 160/80m and 30/17/12 meters as time permits. Watch 160m on the hour and 80m on the half hour. QSL via LoTW or direct to N2MM, Bureau cards are no longer accepted. Logs will be loaded on LoTW upon his return to the USA.

PROPAGATION FORECAST/REPORT (September 21-27th)

 Sep/21st AN      Sep/24th  DIS     Sep/26th  AN
 Sep/22nd LN      Sep/25th  HN      Sep/27th  AN
 Sep/23rd DIS


   SOLAR REFERENCE KEYS/INDEXES AND GEOMAGNETIC REFERENCE
   ======================================================
    NORMALITY               GEOMAG       K Values    Alpha
   -----------------        ------       --------    ------
   AN  - Above Normal       Quiet        K=0-1       0-7
   HN  - High Normal        Unsettled    K=2         8-15
   LN  - Low Normal         Active       K=3         16-29
   BN  - Below Normal       Minor Storm  K=4         30-49
   DIS - Disturbed          Major Storm  K=5         50-99
   VRY DIS - Very Disturbed Severe Storm K=6-9       100-400
REALTIME BAND CONDITIONS WEB SITE
http://www.bandconditions.com
The purpose of this experimental Web site is to provide 24-7-365 actual (REALTIME) band condition information to CW QRPp, QRPe and CW/SSB for Contesters interested in increasing their scores. It can also be of benefit to other Radio Amateurs to determine band conditions for Nets and casual QSO's. This information is NOT based on any software pre- dictions or any kind of satellite based readings. It is based on a new Ionospheric sounding method called "HF Ionospheric Interferometry" which operates very similarly to the PolSAR system used by NASA.

QSL INFO AND NEWS

  QSL-INFO from DB0SDX (September 20th)
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  3Z70ZK via SP5ZRW       IO4ENG via IQ4FE      SV8/IW0HQU/P via IW0HQU (d)
  4X0T via 4Z5FI          JW/OX5M via OZ0J      TC4A via TA4CS (e)
  5Q0T via HA8MT (d)      K1ZT/KH6 via JE1SPY   TF/DL2VFR via DL2VFR
  A61ZX via IZ8CLM        K5P via NW5Q          TF/DL4BBH via DL4BBH
  C6ANT via VE3EY         LA/DL2SWW via DL2SWW  TF/DL7UXG via DL7UXG
  C6ASL via K5GS          NP2X via K5WW         TM2F via F4GTT
  CT9/DL2DXA via DL2DXA   NP4A via W3HNK        TM6NB via ON4ANN
  CW5W via CX6VM (d)      OJ0DX via DL3DXX      UA9CDC via G3SWH (d)
  D44TUK via DL2MDU       PR1T via RN3RQ        UN3M via EA7FTR
  E6GG via G3TXF          PS5A via PY5VC        UP9L via RW6HS (d)
  E7/OK1TPG via OK1TPG    PW2A via PY2DV        V26K via AA3B
  EA8RM via EB7DX (L)     RA/EA3NT via EA3NT    VY2/JR1GSE via JR1GSE
  EH3FPT via EA3RCY       RI0BV/p via UA4WHX    Z3/DL5AXX via DL5AXX
  EN7P via UT1PG          RI0QV/p via UA4WHX    ZA1KS via Z62FB (direct)
  GB0RWC via (e/L)        RY0A via UA9AB (d/B)  ZS9Z via ZS1OIN
  HF70OSTOJA via SQ8JCB   S5100WW via S59DAJ    
    (e) eQSL only  (d) direct only   (B) Bureau only  (*-B) DX's- Bureau
    (O) OQRS only  (C) ClubLog only  (L) LoTW only    (*) WAE-SSB 2015 only
DM50GRH QSL INFO. Steffen, DJ5NN, reports: "Unfortunately, the QSL-bureau of the DARC has turned off the service for the special event station DM50GRH. Therefore, we are not able to receive any QSLs since 2015. We do apologize to all stations which are still waiting for our returned QSL. Special thanks for this kind of "HAM-Spirit" to the DARC QSL-Service! Please use OQRS (via Clublog) or sends an email. Tnx."

QSLS RECEIVED VIA LoTW: 4O7CC, 7S5S, 9A5SM, 9K9Z, A71AE, CU7AJ, DK2CX, DL6ZBN, E2X, E6GG, E72A, EA1EVR, EA1OS, EA5HUJ, EB2RA, EB5CS, ED5N, EF2A, EI2II, EI5KF, F5PHW, G3TXF, GW4BLE, HC7AE, IW3FVZ, IZ4GWE, JJ1NDP, JO3QVT, JR1BLX, M0NKR, MJ5Z, MM0JVB, OP1A, PI4DX, PX8Z (SA-060), R7FO, RM6AA, S59N, SP2WGB, SQ2HEB, US4EM, US7IB, UT1UW, VE6QQ, VU2CPL, XE2S, XR0YY, YF1DO (OC-021), YJ0NH (OC-035), ZL1CKK and ZZ90IARU

QSLS RECEIVED VIA MAIL: 3G0ZC, 5Z0L, A93JA, C35CT, C35US, ER3MM, ET3AA, EX2V, HC2AO, JY4CI, LU5DLE, MM0MWW/p (EU-009), S01WS, T6T, T88XX (OC-296), TN2MS, VU2DCC, YB0NDT, YB8RW/p (OC-145), YB8RW/p (OC-209) and YB8RW/p (OC-224) QSLS RECEIVED VIA THE BUREAU: 3D2ML, 4L4CC, 4W6A, 5B4AIA, 5B4AJC, 5W0ML, 6O0LA, 8Q7UX, B4YOG, BD3QZ, BD4FM, BD6IF, BD7BW, BD8NBG, BG0ARE, BH4GOS, BH4UTT, BH7PFH, CT9/DL8JJ, EF8M, ES8/YL3BU/P, HC2AO/8, K1A, K1B, K1C, K1D, K1F, K1G, K1I, K1K, K1L, K1M, K1N, K1O, K1P, K1R, K1S, K1T, K1U, K1V, K1W, K1Z, LI2HFA, LJ5WB, LJ9N, LZ5R, LZ17SOZ, N1A, N1B, N1C, N1D, N1F, N1G, N1K, N1L, N1M, N1N, N1O, N1P, N1R, N1S, N1T, N1U, N1V, N1W, N1Z, OH0/YL2BJ, OH0/YL2GN, PY5AJ, R27AHA, SJ9WL, TK/YL7A, UP12OR, VY2TT, W1A, W1B, W1C, W1D, W1F, W1G, W1I, W1K, W1L, W1M, W1N, W1O, W1P, W1R, W1S, W1T, W1U, W1V, W1Z, YL2BJ, YL3CW, YL4HQ, YL6W, YL44WWF, YL2014B, YL100PW, ZA/YL7A, YR10RRO, Z32PT, Z35T, Z36W, Z37M and ZL/GD3OOK

T32, EAST KIRIBATI (Update)
Operators Stan/AC8W (T32WW), Ted/K8AQM (T32TR), Larry/K8MU (T32MU), Stephen/K8QKY (T32SB), Brian/KG8CO (T32CO), Lee/N8LJ (T32LJ) and Fred/N6FS (T32FS) will be active from Kiritimati (Christmas Island) [OC-024] between March 1-16th (2016). Activity will be on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB and several Digital modes. Plans are to have four stations running 500 watts into verticals on the beach. They also plan to be in the ARRL International DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) and the Commonwealth Contest (BERU) [March 12-13th]. Look for them to be on 30/17/12 meters during the contest. QSL route(s) TBA. Logs will be uploaded to LoTW ad ClubLog.

T41-T48, CUBA (Special Event)
Look for 13 special event stations from all eight Cuban call districts to be active until September 30th. Activity is to celebrate the 35th anniversary of "Grupo DX de Cuba" foundation. See the following Web pages at:

https://es-es.facebook.com/people/Grupo-DX-de-Cuba
http://www.frcuba.co.cu/index.php?option=com_myjspace&view=see&id=3437
More than 30 operators will take part in this operation which includes all HF bands using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. The announced stations are (QSL via the operators' instructions):
   T41GDXC Pinar del Rio             T46X    Sancti Spiritus
   T42GDXC La Habana                 T47GDXC Camaguey
   T43GDXC Mayabeque                 T48G    Las Tunas
   T44GDXC Isla de la Juventud       T48D    Santiago de Cuba
   T45GDXC Matanzas                  T48X    Holguín
   T46G    Villa Clara               T48C    Guantánamo
   T46D    Cienfuegos
Those who contact at least seven of these stations on any band or mode will receive a special electronic certificate. Requests have to be sent to gdxc@frcuba.co.cu with QSOs data. This will be a great chance also for award collectors to achieves "Cuba" and "GDXC" awards. See the following Web page for details:
https://www.facebook.com/Grupo-DX-de-Cuba-673195439448184/timeline/?ref=tn_tnmn

T8, PALAU
Ichy, JH7IPR, will be active as T88UW from the VIP Guest Hotel (Free Radio Room) on Koror Island (OC-009) between January 7-14th. Activity will be on the HF bands. QSL via his home callsign, by the Bureau or direct. He will upload his log to LoTW and ClubLog.

TX3X CHESTERFIELD DXPEDITION NEWS
The following are press releases [edited]:

Update #2 -- (Sept. 16th) The TX3X Advance Team began unpacking the ship- ments on Saturday, 12 Sept, and trucking equipment to the boat that after- noon. By Sunday noon the radios, antennas, amplifiers, generators, tents, etc were loaded aboard Evohe. Local volunteers Roly, ZL1BQD, and wife Gail, ZL1FV, along with Ross, K6GFJ, purchased the electrical grid as well as tools and other items before we began the loading process. On Monday and Tuesday we sourced: 450 liters of drinking water for use on the island, other supplies, and took delivery of 7 steel fuel drums for 1,400 liters of generator fuel.

By Wednesday evening everything was on the boat and the skipper was loading food in preparation for sailing. He plans to sail to Noumea, New Caledonia, late Thursday or Friday morning (New Zealand time). There's some weather along his planned route to New Caledonia, he's waiting it out in Auckland.

We meet the radio team 25 - 26 Sept in Noumea and sail to Chesterfield probably 27 or 28 Sept, depending on weather. We'll arrive Chesterfield around Oct 1+/- and start setting up. Maritime mobile operation will be with the individual operator's callsign. TX3X can not be used before 30 Sept.

Unfortunately we were unable to meet the E6GG team in Auckland, we were too busy sourcing items and waiting for deliveries to the boat.
We'll see you all in the pileups.
Cheers, Team Chesterfield 2015

Update #3 -- (Sept. 18th) The Expedition Yacht Evohe sailed for Noumea, New Caledonia, on Thursday afternoon (New Zealand time). Expected sailing duration 6 - 7 days. Aboard the boat is a crew of 5 and one amateur, Pista HA5AO. She's following the New Zealand northeast coast and will soon be on a course to Noumea. The remainder of the radio team will assemble in Noumea between 25 - 26 September, with a planned departure date to Chesterfield on 28 September.

We appreciate the support we've received from around the world, and especially the from the New Zealand firms and individuals that assisted with the project and provided invaluable support.
73, Team Chesterfield Islands 2015

TX6, FRENCH POLYNESIA
Moto, JA1GZV, is now active as TX7A from Moorea Island (OC-046) until October 31st. Most of his activity has been on 20 meters CW. QSL only via JA1GZV.

VK9C, COCOS-KEELING ISLAND
Just a reminder that Nobuaki, JA0JHQ, will be active as JA0JHQ/VK9C from "The Bird's Nest" on West Island, Cocos Keeling Islands (OC-003) between September 19-25th. Activity will be on 80-6 meters using CW and SSB. Suggested operating times (local time): Mornings will be 30/12/10 meters, Noon 6 meters, Afternoons 17 and 15 meters, Evenings 30/40/80 meters and Midnights 20 meters. Equipment is a HS-480HX (HF 200w/6m 100w) into a Single-Loop (20/17/15/12/10m) and End-Feed (80/40/6m) antennas.

QSL via the Bureau (recommended) or direct to:
Nobuaki Hosokawa, 1458-25 Okagami, Asao-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 215-0027, JAPAN. Also via LoTW. For more details and updates, watch his Web page at:

http://pandasan.jimdo.com

VP2M, MONSTERRAT
Lee, N8LJ, will be active as VP2MLJ from Gingerbread Hill, St. Peters Parish, Montserrat (NA-103, WLOTA 1475, WW Loc. FK86VS), between October 1-8th. He will be joined by VP2MAC and VP2MXT. Activity will be on the HF bands. QSL VP2MLJ via K8ESQ. No other details were provided.

VP8SGI/VP8STI DXPEDITION NEWS (Press Release from the Intrepid-DX Group VP8 Team)
Paul, N6PSE, sent out the following on September 15th [edited]:

The South Sandwich Islands are a cold and inhospitable place. At 59 degrees south, Southern Thule Island is one of the most remote places on Earth.

Southern Thule is closer to the polar circle and the South Pole than either Bouvet Island or Heard Island. To get there, we will voyage the Drake Passage and brave strong winds and high seas. Our sole focus is to get you in our logs.

The Intrepid DX Group is pleased to announce that all of our plans are moving forward very well. We are pleased to report that all of our gear has arrived in Tauranga, New Zealand. It has been fumigated and is now being stored before it is loaded onto the RV Braveheart for her long voyage to meet the team in the Falkland Islands.

At this time, we wish to inform the Global DX Community of our intended QRV dates from each island. We will depart Stanley, the Falkland Islands, on January 9th, 2016. Approximately five days later, we will arrive in King Edward Point, South Georgia, where we will meet with the Government of South Sandwich and South Georgia and undergo a safety and biodiversity briefing. We will then voyage three more days south to Southern Thule Island in the South Sandwich chain of Islands.

We expect to arrive at South Sandwich on January 17th, however, that is dependent on the weather and sea conditions. Our ship Captain tells us that it is common to encounter rough seas on the way to South Sandwich and that rough seas and bad weather can prevent our landing by several days. We plan to be on South Sandwich for ten days operating as VP8STI. We will then break down our camp and voyage three days back to Husvik Bay, South Georgia, where we expect to land and set up operations on or about February 1st. We will operate from South Georgia Island as VP8SGI.

Our main priority is to make a great impact to the need for South Sandwich contacts and we will sacrifice our time at South Georgia to ensure that we make that impact from South Sandwich.

We expect to return to Stanley, the Falkland Islands, on February 14th. We will be QRV from Stanley as VP8IDX until our flights home on February 20th.

When our voyage starts, you can see our location in real time on a map on our website. You will know when we are about to land or are departing one island for the other. We will be in daily satellite communications with our Pilots, and support team. You can get a feel for propagation as we will be QRV as VP8IDX/MM on the way to and from the islands. Our plan is to be at each of these top ten entities for ten days. To effectively do that, we need your support.

We are seeking more support from the many DX Clubs of North America, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe and Asia that have yet to make a donation.

To date, our Club & Individual donations by continent are as follows:
North America: 77%
Europe: 14%
Asia: 8%
Oceania 1%

Middle East & Africa: 0% Central & South America: 0%

So, please consider a generous contribution to this project. To have your club or organization’s logo included with the QSL card, please contribute $250 or more. Individual contributions of $150 or more will be listed with the QSL card. All donors of $25 or more will receive an early LoTW upload. Everyone who supports the Dxpedition will be listed and properly recognized on our website.

We encourage you to visit our website

www.intrepid-dx.com/vp8
and donate via the PayPal link. It’s easy and free to donate. Alternatively, you can mail a check or money order to the address listed below:
Payable to: Intrepid-DX Group
C/O David Jorgensen-WD5COV, CFO/Treasurer
18645 Cortez Rd SE, Deming, NM 88030 USA

Thank you, The Intrepid-DX Group VP8 Team

YJ, VANUATU (Update)
Robert, DL7VOA, will be active as YJ4AO from the Eratap Beach Resort, Port Vila, Efate Island (OC-035, WLOTA 1051), between December 27th and January 13th (2016). Activity will be holiday style mainly on CW during the evening and night hours (maybe some SSB, no Digital). Equipment is an Elecraft K2 plus a borrowed amplifier with about 500 watts into a 10m pole with vertical dipoles on 10/12/15/17/20m and groundplanes for 30m and 40m.

QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the Bureau. Robert states that this will be a special DXpedition celebrating his 40th birthday, 10th wedding anniversary and 25th anniversary on the air (a little late because it was already in 2013). He adds, "For this reason I obtained the special callsign YJ4AO which is a reminiscence to my very first callsign Y24AO. My wife and I always dreamed of visiting the South Pacific only once in our lifetime, and we are very happy to be able to do this trip now, so I ask everybody to understand that I spend some time with my wife with usual holiday activities like snorkeling, etc.... instead of conducting a 100% DXpedition." More detailed information (including a link with exact GPS coordinates) can be found on the QRZ.com Web site at:

http://www.qrz.com/db/YJ4AO

Z38, MACEDONIA
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of becoming a member of the "Council of Europe" on November 9th, 1995, the "Council of Europe Radio Amateur Club" (CERAC - TP2CE), in cooperation with the Amateur Radio Operator's of Macedonia will operate a joint activity signing Z38CE between November 7-13th. QSL via F5LGF. An online log search will be available at:

http://tp2ce.eu

ZA, ALBANIA (Press Release Dated September 16th). From Pristina, Republic of Kosovo [edited]
GOODWILL DXPEDITION TO ALBANIA, ZA1KS
A team of ops from the new Kosovar Amateur Radio Society (SHRAK) will be heading to Albania together with their guests to activate ZA1KS (KS stands for Kosovo) on several bands during this extended weekend. The trip takes three hours by road from Pristina.

www.shrak.org
This DX outing is led by SHRAK President Vjollca, Z61VB (YL), together with Hidajete, Z63HBF (YL); Agim, Z61AS; Driton, Z61DX and Fehmi, Z62FB, who will be accompanied by Marijan, S56A; Pekka, OH2YY and Martti, OH2BH. They will fire up with two K3s & SPE Expert amps from the coastal city of Durres, one of the region's attractive tourist destinations.

These ops aired Z60A and three other Z6 stations in last weekend's WAEDC Contest. You are invited to say hello to this goodwill delegation on-the-air. QSL via Fehmi, Z62FB to his QRZ.com address.

Goodwill Mission Kosovo is supported by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Kosovo, ARKEP; the Albanian Telecom Authority, AKEP; VALA-PTK and Emerald Hotel, Pristina:

www.arkep-rks.org www.akep.al www.kosovotelecom.com www.emeraldhotel.info

ZS, SOUTH AFRICA (Amateur Radio going to Hell)
A group of radio amateurs from the Western Cape and Northern Cape will be going to The Hell (KF06up or S33.35852 E21.68978) on/between Thursday, September 24th and Sunday, September 27th. The team will use the callsign ZS9HEL. The Hell or Gam- kaskloof is situated in the Swartberg Nature Reserve and is approximately 100 kilometres from Oudtshoorn.

The goal is to achieve a SARL Worked All ZS Award and a Top Band certificate. The following frequencies will be monitored on 160, 80, 40 and 20 meters ­ 1890, 3740, 7150 and 14180 kHz. The team will also try to monitor 10125 kHz and 5290 kHz. QSL via the Bureau and eQSL. South African stations are requested to use the SARL Electronic QSL system. For more information about the Hell, visit:

http://www.diehel.com

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