OPDX Bulletin 1255 February 29, 2016

The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 1255
BID: $OPDX.1255
February 29, 2016
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, NG3K & ADXO, W3UR & The Daily DX, WK3N, N4AA & QRZ DX, N6PSE, NH6XO, WB6RSE, AF8C, K8GI, K8YSE, W8GEX & 60m DX News, K0BBC, 5R8UI, DL1SBF, DL7UXG & The DX News Letter, DxCoffee.com, DXNews.com, DX-World.Net, ES1CW, F5NQL, F6AJA & Les Nouvelles DX, F6BGC, G3VOF, HP1AC, I1JQJ/IK1ADH & 425 DX News, I2MQP & DX Italia News, OZ6OM & 50 MHz DX News, Pete Rayer & ISWL, RSGB IOTA Web Site, Sixitalia Weekly, UA4CC, UT5UGR, VA3RJ & ICPO, and VHF-DX-Portal (MMMonVHF) for the following DX information.

DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT
According to the AR-Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 21st/February, through Sunday, 28th/February there were 228 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3B9, 3D2, 3DA, 3V, 3W, 3X, 4J, 4L, 4O, 4S, 4W, 4X, 5A, 5B, 5H, 5R, 5T, 5V, 5W, 5Z, 6W, 6Y, 7P, 7Q, 7X, 8P, 8R, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M2, 9M6, 9Q, 9V, 9Y, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C3, C5, C6, C9, CE, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D4, DL, DU, E4, E5/s, E7, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, EX, EY, EZ, F, FG, FJ, FK, FM, FO, FP, FR, FS, FW, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, H4, HA, HB, HB0, HC, HH, HI, HK, HK0/a, HL, HP, HR, HS, HZ, I, IS, J2, J3, J6, J7, J8, JA, JD/o, JT, JY, K, KG4, KH2, KH6, KL, KP2, KP4, LA, LU, LX, LY, LZ, OA, OD, OE, OH, OK, OM, ON, OX, OY, OZ, P2, P4, PA, PJ2, PJ4, PJ5, PJ7, PY, PZ, S0, S2, S5, SM, SP, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T2, T5, T7, TA, TF, TG, TI, TK, TN, TR, TT, TU, TY, TZ, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, V8, VE, VK, VP2E, VP2M, VP5, VP8, VP8/g, VP8/h, VP9, VR, VU, XE, XU, YA, YB, YI, YJ, YK, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z2, Z3, Z8, ZA, ZB, ZD7, ZD8, 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".

3C, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (Reminder)
Ken, LA7GIA, will be active as 3C7GIA from Malabo Island (AF-010) between March 4-13th. Operations will be on 40-10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. There is a slight chance for 80m depending on conditions. Equipment will be a TS-480SAT with an Ameritron ALS 500m into a Mosley Mini 32 ASP (2 element beam 20/15/10m), Mosley TW 22 M (2 element beam 17/12m), Hygain AV640 and G5RV 80-10m wire antennas (backup). QSL via LA7GIA direct ONLY (SAE + 3 USDs). Please note, NO IRC, NO Bureau QSL. Bureau QSL will not be answered. For updates, check:

http://la7gia.com/3c7gia/index.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KennethOpskar

3V, TUNISIA
SWL Ashraf "Ash", 3V4-002 (KF5EYY), will once again be active as 3V8SS from the "Radio Club Station of Tunisian Scouts" in Sousse, during the ARRL International DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) as a Single-Op/All- Band entry. QSL via LoTW or to LX1NO. Read about Ashraf on the following Web page at:

http://www.kf5eyy.info

3XY, GUINEA (Update)
Only a few more dates to work the members of the Italian DXpedition Team who are active as 3XY1T from the Los Islands (AF-051, WW Loc. IJ39cl) until March 4th. Activity has been on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via I2YSB, direct or the OQRS on their Web page at http://www.i2ysb.com/idt. Logs will be posted on LoTW about 6 months after the conclusion of the DXpedition. For News and Forum, see:

http://www.hamradioweb.net

4W, TIMOR-LESTE
Operators James/9V1YC and Wilbert/PE7T are now and once again active as 4W/N1YC and 4W/PE7T, respectively, from Timor-Leste until March 1st. Activity is on 80-10 meters using CW and SSB. QSL 4W/N1YC via W5UE. QSL 4W/PE7T via the PA Bureau (No direct cards please). Both will also upload their logs to LoTW.

8P, BARBADOS
Thomas, OE9PTI, is now active as 8P9ER from the 8P6ET's QTH on Barbados (NA-021) until March 9th. Activity will be holiday style on the HF bands. QSL via his home callsign only. ADDED NOTE. Charles, 8P6ET, will be active during the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) and CQWW WPX CW Contest (May 28-29th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/Low-Power entry. QSL via KU9C.

8Q, MALDIVES
Wolfgang, OE1MWW, will once again be active as 8Q7WK from Kandolhu Island (AS-013) between March 2-12th. Activity will be holiday style on the HF bands (likes 17m SSB) using CW, SSB and the Digital modes (likes PSK31 or JT65). QSL via his home callsign.

8Q, MALDIVES
Noel, F6BGC, will be active as 8Q7NC from Thulhagiri Island, North Male' Atoll (AS-013), between March 12-22nd. Activity will be holiday style on 40-6 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL direct via his home call- sign or LoTW. For more info, see:

http://f8kcf.net

8R, GUYANA
Hawa, DK9KX/K9KX, is now active as 8R1/K9KX. The length of his stay is unknown at this time. Activity has been on mostly 30/17 meters using CW and RTTY. QSL via DK9KX direct.

A3, TONGA
Hiro, JA6WFM, who will be i Tonga for the next two years, will be active as A31MM during the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/Low-Power entry. QSL via EA5GL or LoTW.

A9, BAHRAIN
Max, KE5JA, working in Budaiya as an oil engineer, will be active as A93JA during the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) as a Single- Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. QSL via KE5JA, direct (Texas or Bahrain), by the U.S. Bureau or LoTW.

C9, MOZAMBIQUE (Reminder)
Operators Arkady/UA4CC and Arunas/LY2IJ will be active as C92CC and C91IJ, respectively, from Mozambique between February 28th and March 7th. Activity will be on the HF bands but with focus on the low bands. QSL C91CC via UA4CC, ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW. QSL C91IJ via LY2IJ, ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW. ADDED NOTE: From Mozambique, they will move onto Swaziland as 3DA0CC and 3DA0IJ between March 8-15th.

DXCC ON THE BIRDS
Congratulations to AMSAT Vice President of Operations Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, who finally qualified for Satellite DXCC which took 20 years. Read about it at:

http://www.arrl.org/news/view/satellite-dxcc-nearly-20-years-in-the-making

FO, FRENCH POLYNESIA
Bob, NH6XO, will be active as FO/NH6XO from Moorea Island (OC-046) between March 6-11th. Acivity will focus on 40 meter SSB during evening hours local time using a vertical on the beach. QSL direct via his home callsign.

FS & PJ7, ST. MAARTEN AND ST. MARTIN
Luc, F5RAV, will be active as FS/F5RAV and PJ7/F5RAV, from French Saint Martin (FS) and Dutch Sint Maarten (PJ7) between March 24-31st. Both are IOTA NA-105. Activity will be on 40-10 meters using SSB and PSK31. Operations will also include the CQWW WPX SSB Contest (March 26-27th) as PJ7/F5RAV. QSL both callsigns via home callsign direct.

ET, ETHIOPIA (Update)
The Ukrainian operators continue to be active as ET7L from the INSA Radio Club in Mekanisa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Activity will be limited due to their work duties, but they are expected to be active until April 12th. Most of their activity has been on 30/17/15/12 meters using CW and SSB, but the operators are now active on 160/80/40 meters. Operators are members of UT7L Contest Club (Yarik/UW7LL and Andy/UR4LRQ). Logs are being uploaded daily on Clublog's OQRS. Upload to LoTW will be after the end of the operation. QSL Manager is US0LW. The Web site is now up and running with updates and log search at:

http://et7l.dxer.com.ua

FK, NEW CALEDONIA (IOTA Op)
By the time you read this, operators Arnaud/ JG1XMV (FK/JG1XMV) and Yves/FK4RD will be finishing their activity on Des Pins Island (OC-032) [last date February 29th] and moving on to Ouvea Island (OC-033) between March 1-3rd. Activity will be on the HF bands using 100w into a Diamond SD-330 mobile antenna. QSL FK/JG1XMV via his home callsign direct, LoTW or eQSL. QSL FK4RD via direct.

FT4JA JUAN DE NOVA DXPEDITION NEWS (Feb. 23rd Press Release)
Last month, we reached a milestone with the shipment of our equipment by sea which marks a real point of no return both logistical and financial support for the project. Each element has been extensively tested in real conditions in order to overcome any bad surprise, then conditioned to simplify to the maximum installation. In total, a little more than 1200 kg of equip- ment are engaged in this adventure, complemented by one conveyed by the 10 operators, almost 1.5 tons. The departure for Juan de Nova is expected on 26 March.

http://www.juandenovadx.com/en/equipment/
Now that we have secured the hardware side, it is imperative to make sure we keep the announced objectives:
­ Provide to the greatest number a contact with Juan de Nova, especially for an ATNO
­ Special attention to the hard-to-reach zones
­ Special efforts on the low bands
To do this we have carefully looked at the propagation conditions. These will of course be updated closer to the departure to maximize them. For Tromelin, they had proved fairly accurate, even for short openings LP and other peculiarities. A schedule such as this one (FT4JA Planning) will be displayed in front of each station and will be the score to play for the operators. Not surprisingly, the areas under the best conditions will be Europe and Japan followed by the east coast of the US and Oceania. To conclude, the most difficult area to work will be the west coast of the US. We will follow these schedules so as not to miss any opening, with priority for those benefiting from shorter openings. This is what we announced and this is what we will do. We rely also on the cooperation of all of you.

We invite you to send now your information to the pilot station dedicated to your area. There is still time to make the necessary adjustments. Once there, our pilots will be the only contact persons. We will be sent daily compilations of your comments to adjust our operation if need be.

Finally, let us remind you that the band plan coordinated with VK0EK is available on our website. The success of these two concurrent projects will rely on your understanding of this band plan and how you stick to it.

http://www.juandenovadx.com/en/band-plan/
Only one thing has changed since our initial announcement: we will have 7 stations instead of 6, which you will admit, is a good thing except for our sleep!

Thank you to all those who continue to support us through a donation. It is important that the mobilization continues. Remember that all donations above or equal to €/$25 will allow you to receive the QSL card direct auto- matically. Our efforts to reduce the budget are important. However, wishing to offer a service worthy of the event, the expenses that we face remain very high.

http://www.juandenovadx.com/en/how-to-help-us/
A forthcoming communication, a few days before departure, will detail the practical aspects, such as real-time monitoring, online log, OQRS, QSL manager. Until then, you have a few weeks to prepare your antennas and your station! We are very busy on a daily basis to deal with different topics. Stress steadily increases, but not as much as the motivation that drives our team!

73 FT4JA ­ Juan de Nova 2016
http://www.juandenovadx.com

GB6, ENGLAND (Special Event)
Look for special event station GB6GEO to be on the air between May 28-29th, from the Prehistoric Caves, of "Kent's Cavern", England's oldest in Britain. GB6GEO will be situated in the English Riviera (Torbay), that is recognized as having Geo Park status by UNESCO. There are six in the UK, and fifty-three in the world. They hope GB6GEO will help to promote geological heritage to the general public. Suggested frequencies are 3680, 7080, 14180, 21180, 28380 and 50180 kHz. GB6GEO will issue a special commemorative QSL card, and there is a certificate for the paper chasers. Just work one contact with the GB6GEO HQ station or any other two stations. For more details please look up GB6GEO on QRZ.com ADDED NOTE: There will be other Geopark stations on the air during the Geoparks Communication Weekend -- DK0GEO (Germany), EI2GEO (S.Ireland), GB2GEO (Scotland), GB5GEO (Wales), GB6GEO (England), SZ8LSV (Lesvos Island), YP2GEO (Romania) and 9A1GEO (Croatia).

H40 & H44, TEMOTU PROVINCE AND SOLOMON ISLANDS (Update)
Stan, LZ1GC, will be active from Temotu Province as H40GC and Solomon Islands as H44GC between September 24th and October 21st. His tentative schedule is as follows:

H44GC - Solomon Islands between September 24th and October 3rd
H40GC - Temotu Province between October 4-17th
H44GC - Solomon Islands between October 18-21st
Activity will be on 160-10 meters with a focus on low bands using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via his home callsign, direct, LoTW or ClubLog's OQRS.

HI, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Boris, N3SY, will once again be active as HI3/N3SY from the Dominican Republic between now and March 16th. Activity will be on all HF bands using K3 transceiver and FT-100D with 50-70 watts into a 1.5 meters Vertical and some other antennas. QSL only direct to his home callsign.

HU, EL SALVADOR (Canceled)
Members of the "Club de Radioaficionados de El Salvador" (C.R.A.S.) in San Salvador were expected to be active as HU1A during the CQWW WPX SSB Contest (March 29-30th) as a Multi-Single entry. Activity was "canceled due to force majeure".

INDIAN OCEAN HAMFEST?
Michele, 5R8UI, has announced that he is organizing a "hamfest" on Nosy Be Island in Madagascar for the Indian Ocean’s radio amateurs as well as all foreigners too. He planning to organize the meeting between September 10-11th, 2016, and also offers the possibility to stay a little longer to discover Nosy Be Island and the archipelago. Nosy Be Island is the most famous tourist location in Madagascar, with 4 stars hotels. The Mediterranean DX Club (MDXC) www.mdxc.org is a partner of INDIAN OCEAN HAMFEST. The DxCoffee www.dxcoffee.com and Amateur Radio Society http://arsitalia.it/ will support the event. Stay tuned for more updates. For more details/support/sponsoring, contact Michele at: ik5zui@yahoo.it

INTREPID-DX GROUP NEWS (VP8 Team Update)
Dear DX Community: We are happy to inform you that all of the VP8STI/VP8SGI team members are now home and enjoying their families after 46 days away.

We are reading and responding to the many email messages received while we were away. We did not have any internet access during our voyage or while on the islands other than brief BGAN time to upload logs. Within a few days we will have answered all messages and inquiries.

We are happy to read that we have largely satisfied the need for contacts and that our results are appreciated. This was a very expensive and difficult trip. Most of us would do it again!

We are grateful for your financial and emotional support. Today, we have decided to make a change to our previously announced QSL/LoTW policy.

Although our previous policy was to give LoTW only to those who requested a QSL card and then do a full LoTW upload in September, we have just now decided to do a full upload to LoTW as our way of saying “thank you” for everyone’s generous support!

We have just completed uploading the entire VP8STI and VP8SGI logs to Log Book of the World. Soon, we will upload VP8IDX and VP8DRC logs to LoTW as well.

We hope that this gesture will negate the need to send us bureau cards which we feel will someday be replaced by Log Book of the World. It is our hope to encourage and promote this development.

Soon, you will be able to read accounts of our journey and we will produce a nice video which we will share with you at no cost. We hope to see you soon as we begin to give our presentations and tell our stories.

In the coming months, we hope to tell you about our plans for another very rare activation. Until then, best wishes!

Sincerely,
David R. Collingham-K3LP
Paul S. Ewing-N6PSE

IOTA NEWS
AS-092. Members of the Russian Robinson Club (RRC) will be active as RT92KA from Alyumka Island between April 20-25th. Operators mentioned are Andrey/R9XC, Yuri/UA0KBG and Victor/UA3AKO. Activity will be on 40-15 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via UA3AKO or OQRS.

EU-048. Operators Paul/ON6DP, Fred/ON6QR, Didier/ON6YH, Jea/ON7ZM, Bob/ON4LRG, Janny/ON5PO and Jean-Marie/F5NLX will be active as TM6G from Groix Islands during the RSGB IOTA Contest (July 30-31st) as a Multi-Op/Island entry. QSL via the Bureau or ON6DP (direct). After the contest, they will activate a few castles, lighthouses and WFF locations.

EU-067. Tommy, VK2IR/SV0XBF, will be active as SV0XBF/SV8 from three island in the Kyklades (Cyclades) IOTA Group between August 2nd and September 7th. Islands mentioned are Paros Island, Naxos Island and Antiparos Island. Activity will be holiday style using a small portable backpack set up this time with his IC-7000 @ 100w into a portable squid pole. QSL via VK2IR. Look for more info and Web page before the operation. ADDED NOTE: Tommy is expected to operate as TA/SV0XBF from Turkey for 3 days. He did not mention the days and whether it would be before, during or after his island ops.

EU-085. Mike, UA1QV, will be active as RI1PA from the Russian Kolguyev Island between March 5-19th. Activity will be on the HF bands. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the Bureau.

OC-022. Bob, PB5X, will be active as YB9/PB5X from Bali Island between May 16th and June 1st. Activity will be holiday style with a focus on 20/17/15 meters SSB during the operating time between 1500-1800z. Equipment will be a Kenwood TS-480sat with a 10m long fiber-glass pole directly on the beach. QSL via his QSL Manager PA1AW. For more info and updates, see:

http://www.qrz.com/db/yb9/pb5x

OC-197. Imam, YB4IR, will be active as YB4IR/3 from Bawean Island between March 23-27th. Activity will be on the HF bands using CW and SSB. QSL via LoTW, ClubLog's OQRS, by his home callsign direct or by the Bureau.

NA-213. Erik, N5WR, will be active as N5WR/4 from Dauphin Island (USI AL-002S, Mobile County, AL) between March 11-18th. Activity will be on the HF bands using mostly CW. QSL via his home callsign.

SA-043. Martin, LU9EFO, will be active as XR7LU from Ascension Island, part of the Guaitecas Islands, between March 18-22nd. Activity will be on the HF bands. QSL via F4BHW.

ISWL CALLSIGNS (For March)
The following ISWL club callsigns will be used throughout the month of March 2016: GX4BJC/A - Operated from Walton on the Naze, in Essex, by Herbie, G6XOU. (/A WAB Square TM22 - England, IOTA EU-005, WLOTA 1841)

MX1SWL/A - Operated from Great Missenden, in Buckinghamshire, by John, G8XTJ. (/A WAB Square SP80 - England, IOTA EU-005, WLOTA 1841)

ALL QSLs will be handled by Herbie, G6XOU, and NOT the individual operator. The I.S.W.L. is a member of the European PSK Club. All QSL info is on

www.iswl.org.uk or www.qrz.com or via www.eQSL.cc
or www.qrzcq.com. NO LoTW. I.S.W.L. Awards are available to all Hams and SWLs, see www.iswl.org.uk for full details. The eQSL.cc cards ARE welcomed for their awards.

JW, SVALBARD
Operators Manfred/DK1BT, Wolfgang/DL4WK, Siegfried/DL7DF and Frank/DL7UFR will be active as JW/homecall from the JW5E Club Station at Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen Island (EU-026, WLOTA 0125) between March 30th and April 4th. Activity will be on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB, PSK31 and RTTY. They will have two stations on the air. Pilot station will be DF3CB. QSL via DL7DF, direct, by the Bureau or LoTW (upload 6 months after). For more details and updates, see:

http://www.dl7df.com/jw
For more details about JW5E station, visit: http://jw5e.com

LIGHTHOUSE ACTIVITY/AWARD
The Algerian Amateur Radio Union (ARU) has organized during 2016 five different lighthouses activations on the Algerian coast. They have provided an electronic certificate and a free plate. The competition is open to all radio amateurs worldwide. To obtain the free electronic certificate, you must confirm minimum one QSO (1) by each of the following callsigns: 7Y9LI, 7Y9GH, 7Y9TH, 7Y9OU and 7Y9SE during the current year. To obtain the free plaque trophy you must confirm minimum of four QSOs (4) on different bands per each of the above callsigns. For the certificate and the plaque trophy, please send via E-mail your logs with your exact contact information (call, full name, and email address) to SM4VPZ their QSL Manager. For more info, see:

http://www.aru-dz.org

P4, ARUBA
Ken, VE3LA, will be active as P4/VE8DX from Aruba (SA-036) between March 1-8th. Activity will be holiday style (family vacation) mainly on SSB with some CW, but his main operation will be in the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry using the callsign P40M. QSL both callsigns via LY5W direct.

P40, ARUBA (Special Event)
Look for special event station P40AUA from Aruba (SA-036) to be active the entire month of March 2016 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Aruban flag and national anthem, and the 30th anniversary of their Status Aparte. Activity will be on all HF bands using CW and SSB. QSL direct, ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW.

P4, ARUBA (Correction)
Operators John/W6LD, Mike/K9NW, Paul/K9PG and Paul/WE9V will be active as P40L during the ARRL DX SSB (not CW) Contest (March 5-6th) as a Multi/2 entry. QSL via WA3FRP. Look for operators to be active before and after the contest as P4/homecall.

PJ2, CURACAO
Frits, PA3FYS, is now active PJ2/PA3FYS from Curacao Island (SA-099) until March 9th. Activity will be mostly on 14230 and 28460 kHz (+/- QRM). QSL via his home callsign.

PJ2, CURACAO
Dr. Joerg, DL3LUM, will be active as PJ2/DL3LUM from Curacao Island (SA-099) between March 26-31st. Activity will be on the HF bands. He plans to use a KX3 transceiver into a triple leg vertical antenna. QSL via his home callsign, ClubLog's OQRS, LoTW or eQSL.

PJ4, BONAIRE
Operators Noah/K2NG, Brooke/N2BA and David/NA2AA will be active as PJ4G from the K2NG rental QTH (PJ4G Contest Station) on Bonaire (SA-006, WLOTA LH-1279) for ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) as a Multi-2 entry. Before and after the contest operators will sign as PJ4/K2NG, PJ4/N2BA and PJ4/NA2AA. QSL PJ4/K2NG via K2NG and LoTW. QSL PJ4/NA2AA via NA2AA and LoTW. QSL PJ4/N2BA via WA3RHW. QSL PJ4G via WA2NHA. For more details about the PJ4G contest station, see:

http://www.pj4g.com
On Facebook, see: https://www.facebook.com/pj4radio/?fref=ts

PJ4, BONAIRE
Chuck, KG9N, will be active as PJ4/KG9N from Bonaire Island (SA-006) between March 15-22nd. Activity will be on the HF bands. He will probably use his Icom 7000 into wire antennas. QSL via his home callsign.

PROPAGATION FORECAST/REPORT (February 29th-March 6th)

 Feb/29th HN      Mar/03rd  AN     Mar/05th  AN
 Mar/01st AN      Mar/04th  HN     Mar/06th  BN
 Mar/02nd AN


   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.

Also, checkout the VOACAP predication Web page at:

http://www.voacap.com/prediction.html

PZ, SURINAME
Two members of the Minnesota Wireless Association, Ron/N0AT and Matt/K0BBC, will be active as PZ5W from Lelydorp, Suriname, between March 2-8th. The duo will operate in the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) as a Multi-Single entry. QSL via N0AT.

QSL INFO AND NEWS

  QSL-INFO from DB0SDX (February 28th) 
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  3XY1T via I2YSB          EG1PAA via EA1GIB       TI8/AA8HH via K8DV (d/L)
  4O/RL3BX via RL3BX       HB9ICE via HB9BHY       TM11G via F5TLN
  4W/N1YC via W5UE         II2ALP via (I-B/L)      TZ4AM via W4VAB
  4X/E70A via K2PF or E77E IK/DL7JOM via DL7JOM    UE23DKA via UA4PIE
  5P0O/P via OZ1GDI (e)    IR5ANT via 9A8ARS       UE23DSA via RL3DV
  AO5MDC via EA5GTU        LZ113RF via LZ1YE       V26IS via OH2IS (d/L)
  CR3W via DL5AXX          OD5PL via HB9CRV        YO5/DJ1AA/P via DJ1AA
  CT9/DL1CW via DL1CW      OE88WAP via OE3KKA      YP3A via YO3ND
  DM0MORSE via DM8AE       OT4A via ON4AEK (L/e)   YR0UCRR via YO5PUR (B)
  EA8/DL2MDU via DL2MDU    R44YETI/7 via RL5G      ZA/IW2JOP via IW2HAJ
  ED7P via EA7PP           SU1SK via SM5AQD (d)    ZV451RIO via PY1AA (d)
    (e) eQSL only  (d) direct only   (B) Bureau only  (*-B) DX's- Bureau
    (O) OQRS only  (C) ClubLog only  (L) LoTW only
Dimitry, UT5UGR, was active from Martinique (NA-107) as FM/UT5UGR and TO7A (during the ARRL CW DX Contest). QSL via UT5UGR. See UT5UGR and TO7A listing at qrz.com for log search and OQRS QSL request.

QSL WK3N/AAW VIA WK3N. Special station aired during last week's 13th annual Antarctic Activity Week. Team WK3N/AAW (WAP 192) were the following operators: KC2HQE, KE3JP, KA3LUN, KC3ESO, WK3N, KM3P, K8ME and KB8IHR.

QSLS RECEIVED VIA LoTW: 7L3LNF, A35T, C6ATS (NA-219), F5BZB, FG/F6ITD, FM/DL7VOG, HB9TKS, JH1APK, K5P, KH0XH, OE3KLU, PJ7K, RW3XW, VE1VOX, VE3NEA, VE3XN, VK6IR, VP2ELY, VP8SGI, VP8STI, XW1IC, YU8HQ and YW9A

QSLS RECEIVED VIA MAIL: 3A2MW, 5H3EE, BG2AUE/2, FR/OH2YL, H44MY, HI3TEJ, HL2DBP, HP3/WJ2O, JD1BMH, K5P, PX8K (SA-042), S79C, T2GC, V5/DL3DXX, V63TO, VE8/DF2UA, VK9WA, W100AW, W1AW/KH8 and XE2X

QSLS RECEIVED VIA THE BUREAU: 6K2FDL, 7P8D, 7P8GF, 9G5ZS, AM590ELT, C91GR, DA0HQ, DR20CFT, DS2NDD, DS4GKF, EA6VQ, EF4HQ, EF6, HL1AVS, HL2DBP, HL4CBI, HL5JAD, IK4JQQ/IS0, IS0/IK4ALM, IS0MPC, IS0XBS/QRP, OL2013CM, PY2RJ, PY2RSS, PY2SD, PY2UU, PY2VM, PY2WAS, PY2YP, V5/ZS6AYU, ZA/IK0OKY, ZD9A, ZK3N, ZR6DX, ZS1A, ZS1AGF, ZS1ANF, ZS1CO, ZS1NL, ZS1ROM, ZS1TMJ, ZS1ZS, ZS2AL, ZS2CR, ZS2DK, ZS2DL, ZS2I, ZS2NF, ZS4BS, ZS5NK, ZS5XT, ZS6AKU, ZS6AYE, ZS6BAF, ZS6BJ, ZS6JM, ZS6JP, ZS6NK, ZS6PJS, ZS8C and ZS9MADIBA

S9, SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE (Reminder)
Bruno, HB9BEI, will be active as S9BK from Sao Tome (AF-023) until March 25th. However, his operation will be delayed possibly until sometime Monday or Tuesday because his luggage did not arrive the same time he did (expected sometime Sunday the 28th). Look for him to travel to Principe (AF-044) between March 7-12th. Activity from both islands will be holiday style on 40-10 meters using mainly SSB and the Digital modes. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the Bureau.

SILENT KEY
OPDX was informed that Norman Pascoe, G4USB (GK4USB), one of the founders of the International Marconi Day and the yearly organizer of this event, became a Silent Key (SK) just over a week ago. He was also Webmaster of the gb4imd.com and gx4crc.com Web sites. Currently these Web sites are offline due to severe malware issues. The Cornish Radio Amateur Club (CRAC) is trying to sort this out and gain access to them, but it will take some considerable time. OPDX and its readers would like to send out our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of G4USB.

T32, EAST KIRIBATI (Reminder)
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. 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 all callsigns via AC8JF. Logs will be uploaded to LoTW ad ClubLog.

TI5, COSTA RICA
Chris, KL9A, is now active as TI5/KL9A from Alajuela as part of the TI5W ARRL DX SSB Contest team. Activity has been on 160- 10 meters, including the 30/17/12m bands, using mainly CW and some SSB. QSL via AC7DX direct (No IRCs).

TS2, TUNISIA (Special Event)
Look for special event station TS2G to be active during the International Festival of Saharan Ksour of Tataouine between March 17-20th. QSL via direct or by the Bureau.

VP2V, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
Kevin, K6TOP, will once again be active as VP2V/K6TOP from Tortola, British Virgin Islands (NA-023), between now and March 7th. Activity will be limited (family vacation) using an ICOM 706 MKII with 100 watts into a 40m vertical, 20/15/10 multiband dipole. Operations will be CW almost exclusively. Operating hours are typically 0100-0300z and 1000-1200z due to family commitments. Kevin mentioned last time, "When the pileups get difficult, I listen to the edges, so please spread your calls out." QSLs via LoTW (preferred) or direct. NO Bureau cards. Log will be uploaded to LoTW upon return. ADDED NOTE: Also, Kevin will be active in the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) as VP2VGG. QSL via W6RWC direct or LoTW.

YB0, INDONESIA
Karsono, YB0NDT, will be active during the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) as a Single-Op/Single-Band (40m) entry. QSL via YB0NDT, direct or LoTW. No Bureau.

TO BE ADDED TO THE OPDX MAILING LIST -- Click or send requests to:
Help: opdx-request@barf80.org Subject:help
Subscribe: opdx-request@barf80.org Subject:subscribe
Unsubscribe: opdx-request@barf80.org Subject:unsubscribe

OPDX WORLD-WIDE WEB HOME (provided by John, K8YSE (k8yse@papays.com):
http://www.papays.com/opdx.html

ALSO VISIT THE NORTHERN OHIO DX ASSOCIATION'S WEB HOME PAGE:
http://www.nodxa.org
http://www.facebook.com/NorthernOhioDxAssociation

Excerpts and distribution of The OPDX Bulletin are granted as long as KB8NW/OPDX/BARF80 receive credit.
To contribute DX info, please send via InterNet Mail to:
kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org
- OR -
kb8nw@hotmail.com
- OR -
kb8nw@arrl.net

Information can now be faxed to the following phone line at:
1-419-828-7791 (F A X only!)

Back to the OPDX Index
Back to the NODXA
Back to the EIDX Network