The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 638
BID: $OPDX.638
December 8, 2003
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF-80 BBS Cleveland, Ohio
Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, AB5K & the AR TelNet Clusters Network, ARRL Letter, K1XN & GoList, W2CE, NG3K, W3UR & The Daily DX, N4AA & QRZ DX, N5FG, N5XZ, W5XC, K8YSE, KU9C, 9V1DX, DL/VE3ZIK & www.contesting.info, DL1EK/DL7VOA & DX Newsletter, F5CQ, F5CWU & La Gazette du DX, F5NQL & UFT, G3VMW, I1JQJ/IK1ADH & 425 DX News, JF1LZQ/ JQ2GYU, JI6KVR & JA-IOTA Islands News, JL1UXH, LU3XQ, LU6XTA, M3NJW, OM3JW, OZ4ACK, PP5MQ, VA3RJ & ICPO and VE3EXY for the following DX information.
DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT
According to the AR-Cluster Network for the
week of Sunday, 30th/November, through Sunday, 7th/December there were
245 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3B9, 3D2, 3DA, 3V,
3W, 3X, 4J, 4L, 4S, 4U1I, 4U1U, 4W, 4X, 5A, 5B, 5H, 5N, 5R, 5T, 5U, 5V,
5W, 5X, 5Z, 6W, 6Y, 7Q, 7X, 8P, 8Q, 8R, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9L, 9M2,
9M6, 9N, 9Q, 9U, 9V, 9Y, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C2, C3,
C9, CE, CE0A, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D4, D6, DL, DU, EA,
EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EL, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, EX, EY, EZ, F, FG, FH,
FJ, FK, FM, FO, FP, FR, FR/j, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, H4, HA,
HB, HC, HC8, HH, HI, HK, HK0/a, HL, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J2, J3,
J6, J7, J8, JA, JD/m, JD/o, JT, JW, JY, K, KG4, KH0, KH2, KH6, KH8,
KH9, KL, KP2, KP4, LA, LU, LX, LY, LZ, OA, OD, OE, OH, OH0, OK, OM, ON,
OX, OY, OZ, P2, P4, PA, PJ2, PJ7, PY, PY0F, PY0S, PZ, S2, S5, S7, S9,
SM, SP, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T2, T31, T32, T33, T7, T9, TA, TF, TG, TI,
TK, TL, TR, TT, TU, TY, TZ, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5,
V7, VE, VK, VK9C, VK9N, VP5, VP8, VP8/h, VP9, VQ9, VR, VU, XE, XT, XU,
XW, YA, YB, YI, YK, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z2, Z3, ZA, ZB, ZC4, ZD7,
ZD8, ZF, ZK1/s, ZK2, ZL, ZP, ZS
* PLEASE NOTE: The report "could" contain "Pirate/SLIM" operations. As always, you never know - "Work First Worry Later" (WFWL).
IMPORTANT NOTICE ** (ATTENTION WEB MASTERS AND INFORMATION CONTRIBUTORS)
Over the past few weeks there have been some changes to the bulletin on
the header and on the final credits. The BARF-80 BBS public phone line
is no longer available, and the OPDX FAX number has been changed. I have
noticed that some Web pages have not yet changed the information. So,
Web masters "PLEASE" change your Web pages to the new header and the final
credits. Contributors, please notice that OPDX has done away with the
VOICE answering machine and now has a NEW fax number to send information.
OPDX's new F A X number is: 1-419-828-7791 ( F A X only! )
Thank you for taking note of these changes..... 73 de Tedd KB8NW
3D2, FIJI (Also, T30)
Reports indicate that Hrane, YT1AD, is on the move
again and heading to Fiji to team-up with Boban, YZ1AU, to operate in
the ARRL 10 Meter Contest this weekend. Reportedly, Boban is already
there. Their activity outside of the contest will be on 80-6 meters. The
duo has one license already available to them (3D2AD), while the other
one will be applied for upon arrival (possibly 3D2YU). Following their
ARRL Contest operation, they plan to go to West Kiribati (T30). Their
callsigns are unknown at this time. LAST MINUTE UPDATE/CHANGE: Boban,
YZ1AU, is now operating as 3D2AD. The station on Fiji is fully operational,
and will be there for ARRL 10 Meter Contest next weekend. The callsign,
3D2YU, is expected shortly. Meanwhile, Hrane (alone) is moving to West
Kiribati (T30) on Tuesday and will be operating from there during the
contest.
4L6, GEORGIA
Shota, 4L6AM, will be active in the ARRL 10-Meter Contest
(December 13-14th) as a Single-Op SSB entry. QSL via the address on
QRZ.com.
4W, TIMOR LESTE
Michal, OM2AQ, is now active as 4W2AQ from Timor Leste
(East Timor) until December 18th. Steve, OM3JW, suggests/states to look
for him everyday at 0900z on 28480 kHz. However, we spotted Michal on
15 meters on 21299 kHz between 1130-1330z. QSL via OM2AQ.
9V0 & VP8, ANTARCTICA
Alan, 9V1DX (aka VK0LD and ex-VK0MM Macquarie Island
2000), informs OPDX that he will be active from a temporary base camp in the
remote Ellsworth Mountains in the Antarctic interior (approx. 2000 km due
South of Peter First Island). He is there supporting a team of scientists
and mountainteers climbing Mt. Vinson (highest mountain in the Antartic)
from approx. December 15th to around January 10th (exact dates depend on
the weather for the long, non-commercial flight in & out). His old callsign
VP8PJ has been re-issued for life by the Falkland Islands Govt., and he
will use it exclusively on PSK-31. The Singapore licencing authority has
also issued him the special callsign 9V0A which he will use for CW and SSB.
Alan will be as active as his work schedule permits. QSL route will be
announced later. For more details, please visit the following two Web
pages at:
D2, ANGOLA
Ed Giorgadze, 4L4FN (aka P5/4L4FN), is now active as D2PFN.
Activity will be on SSB and RTTY. He was spotted this past weekend on
15 meters RTTY (on around 21080 kHz between 1430-2030z) and SSB (on 21235
kHz after 1000z). QSL Manager is Bruce Paige, KK5DO. More information
and an on-line log will be available on Paige's Web site at:
CO8, CUBA
Raul, CO8ZZ, who was active in this past weekend's ARRL 160m
Contest, states he will be active in this weekend's ARRL 10m Contest
(December 13-14th) as a Single-Op/CW only/Low Power entry. QSL for both
contests are via DK1WI.
E3, ERITREA (2004 DXpedition Cancelled!)
Steve Wilson, G3VMW, has sadly
informed the Northern Ohio DX Association (NODXA) and OPDX that he will
be writing to all their sponsors very soon to advise them of the current
situation in Eritrea. He states: "We have been told very recently by the
Eritrean PTT that 'ALL amateur radio operation in Eritrea is temporarily
suspended and that we should not be optimistic about a radio licence in
February.' As you can imagine, we were devastated by this news and it has
taken a couple of weeks to find out why the ban on amateur radio has
happened. One of our crew has been in Eritrea for three weeks trying to
sort out a licence and the place is crawling with UN staff. There is an
ongoing border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia about a contested
village, which may easily erupt into a full-blown war once again. The
situation is very serious and the UN is trying to avert another war.
All personal communications, including the GSM Cellfone system have been
turned off. No amateur radio will be allowed in the foreseeable future.
Regrettably, I have no choice but to cancel our planned operation for
February 2004 and return all our sponsor's money. I would not be right
to hang on to money that has been sent in good faith indefinitely in the
hope that the situation might change. We may get the OK to proceed later
in 2004, but there is no guarantee and we are faced with looking at an
alternative location. I will return your check (NODXA's) and advise all
our other sponsors in the next few days. You are the first group I have
informed and it hurts!"
EY8, TAJIKISTAN
Nodir, EY8MM, will be active in the CQ 160 Meter CW
Contest (January 24-25th) as a Single-Op entry. QSL via K1BV.
FO/A, AUSTRAL ISLANDS
By the time you read this, Vladimir, UA4WHX, will
be finishing up his FO/AC4LN/m operation to Marquesas Islands (QRT December
9th) and will move on to Rurutu Island in the Austral Islands (IOTA OC-050)
between December 10-12th. He will probably sign FO/AC4LN/a. He seems to
favor 40 and 30 meters CW (There was some SSB reported on 40m). QSL to
his home callsign.
HI9, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
William, N7OU, will be active as N7OU/HI9 in
the ARRL DX CW Contest (February 21-22nd) as Single-Op/All Band/Low Power
entry. QSL via N7OU.
IOTA NEWS
AS-043. Osamu, JR1EEU, will be active from Aoga Shima Island
(JIIA-AS-043-001) until March 2004. He plans to be active
on the HF bands. QSL via direct or via bureau.
EU-109Nigel, M3NJW, informs OPDX that the North Wakefield Radio Club will be operating under the callsign GX4NOK/P from the Island of Inner Farne (EU-109), off the northeast coast of England, April 17-18th, 2004. This is a rare opportunity, as the island is a National Trust bird sanctuary. Operation will be on multiple bands/modes, and information will be posted on the days of operation at: http://www.g4nok.org
OC-137
OC-171. Steve, G0UIH, is expected to be active again as VK2IAY/4
possibly from Dunk Island (OC-171) starting around December
9th for 5 days and Lamb Island (OC-137), December 16-18th.
QSL via G0UIH either direct or through the Bureau.
SA-027. To celebate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Island of Sao Francisco do Sul, look for the special callsign ZW5SF to be activated between December 15th and January 15th. Activity will be on all HF bands CW/SSB. QSL via PP5CIT.
KH2, GUAM
Setsu, JL1UXH/KK2H, and his XYL Maki, 7L4FSR, will be again
on the air from Guam from December 16-23rd as KK2H/KH2. Setsu will focus
on working Europe and USA East Coast stations. He will be active on all
HF bands on CW and SSB. Online logs will be available during the operation
and will be updated on a daily basis at:
PY0, FERNANDO DE NORONHA
Tony, PY0FT, will be active from December
15-26th. No bands or modes of activity were provided (Last year he was
active mainly on the digital modes). QSL via JA1ELY.
QSL INFO AND NEWS
The "ARRL Letter" reports this week that the ARRL's "Logbook of the
World" (LoTW) secure contact-verification database continues to grow.
So far, reports ARRL Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG,
nearly 5000 users have uploaded logs containing some 25.4 million
Amateur Radio contacts. This has resulted in more than 1 million QSL
records. Signing up as a new LoTW user is simple. Visit the Logbook
of The World and read the "Getting Started" document, Mills said. He
advises new users to print it out to have the instructions handy. The
Web site is:
BQ9P QSL STATUS. Steve, KU9C, informed the DX community this past week that he should be seeing cards from the printer late this week for BQ9P 2003. He has gotten the labels printed for cards received as of December 4th. Steve guesses he will have most in the mail before the end of the year or in the first week or two of 2004. PLEASE NOTE: Those who chose to use the BQ9P envelope to include other cards that Steve is QSL Manager for will likely be delayed.
Radio Club Ushuaia (LU8XW) in Ushuaia, on the Island of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, has designated Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK, as their new QSL Manager. The entries on the QRZ.com and Buckmaster for LU8XW now show WD9EWK as the QSL Manager, and the information for WD9EWK is correct at those Web sites as well as in the Radio Amateur Callbook since 1997. WD9EWK is also the QSL Manager for the special callsign, AY8XW, that was used in 2002. More QSL information by WD9EWK is also available at:
NO LONGER A PIRATE. Mogens, OZ4ACK, informs OPDX that the callsign OZ9TR (former pirate according to some official databases) is now a legal station and is allowed to work on UHF/VHF and 6m.
QSL MANAGER CHANGE. QSL HB0/HB9LEY via JA1LZR. The QSL Manager used to be JH1BSE, but he had been SK. Please do not send any QSL requests to HB0/HB9LEY.
CLOSING THE LOGBOOK. Joe, JA1LZR, has finished replying to all QSL requests for the VP2V/N2AIR operation in 1984, and states he will not answer any more requests.
Ulli, DL5MBY, announces that the JY8YB online log has been updated to include QSOs up to December 2, 2003 (1210z - Also CQWWDX-CW Contest). You also can check on the status of your JY8YB, JY9QJ and JY8B QSOs on the online log at:
TO4, EUROPA
The Europa T04E team is still active despite the rumor
stating they are QRT. It is only a rumor, and they are expected to be
active until December 16th. The team was a little tired during the first
part of the week because of their participation in the CQWW DX CW Contest.
Many have complained about the teams operating schedule. They want everyone
to know that their activity would not be possible without the help of the
French Army, and they must respect their order while on the island. Also,
the generators on the island are under the control of the Military. The
team does have a new operating schedule: 0600-0700z and 1515-1945z (They
are trying to increase the length or split these periods.) The 5 operators
are trying to have 4 stations active as much as possible during their
operating times. A report (dated December 5th) from Rafik, F5CQ, states:
"Since their arrival on the island, the team has completed 15300 QSOs with
TO4E callsign: 5800 on SSB, 7700 on CW, 1800 on RTTY, 6 on 50 MHz (with ZS),
plus 4000 contacts during the CW CQ WW Contest, as TO4WW." INTERESTING NOTE:
Rafik, F5CQ, also reports that protected sea turtles have been a nuisance
for the TO4E operation. Lowband antennas are installed on the beach, and
each night the turtles knock them over and destroy the radials on their
way from the ocean to the top of the beach to rest during the night. This
means the team must then repair and reinstall the antenna systems on a
daily basis. The Europa Web site is:
TT8, CHAD
Allen, N5XZ, informs OPDX that it has take about a month after
his arrival to receive a license in hand. However, he has received the
callsign TT8XZ, thanks to the efforts of Dennis Carter, KE3TD, and Christian
Berdjugin, TT8CB. He now has a HF radio in his room, but as of yet, no
antenna. He is still working on that. They are going to try to set up a
mobile antenna on a mast with some radials. Allen will be on HF SSB only
because the Motorola radio lent to him by the Security Manager, Christian,
TT8CB, only has SSB. It will do CW with an accessory that they do not have.
Allen told OPDX that if he comes back next year, he will be there longer
and probably bring his IC-706, a keyer and maybe some sort of antenna. Keep
your fingers crossed! He also mentioned that he is going to try real hard
to spend at least a few hours in the 10 meter contest. Allen will be in
Chad until December 19th. QSL via N5XZ.
VK DROPS CW AND CELEBRATES WITH QSO PARTY
On New Year's Day, Australian
radio amateurs will gain access to the High Frequency (HF) bands using
licenses that don't require the passing of Morse code telegraphy tests.
The Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) invites the world's amateur
radio fraternity to join an on-air celebration of this special occasion.
To celebrate the event, there will be a "WIA Welcome to HF QSO Party"
beginning at 0001 Australian Eastern Daylight Time and conclude at 2400
UTC on New Year's Day - a total of 35 hours. The VK radio amateurs
appearing on HF bands for the first time can be identified by three-letter
VK callsign suffixes that begin with the letters H, T, U, X, Y and Z.
Also, WIA amateur stations will be on air to join the HF QSO Party, and
these stations will have a two-letter callsign suffixes "WI" or three
letter suffixes starting with "WI." Listen for the call "CQ WIA Welcome
to HF QSO Party".
VK9C, COCOS KEELING ISLAND
Look for Ken, JA1CMD (N4XJ), to be active as
VK9CA from December 28th to January 2nd. Activity will be on 80-10 meters
CW/SSB using only a 100 watts. QSL via JA1CMD or K4ST.
VK9L, LORD HOWE ISLAND
Look for Mark, VK2GND, to be active as VK9LD from
December 25-31st. Suggested frequencies are (on or around): 14273 and
14195 kHz. QSL via VK2GND.
VK0, HEARD ISLAND
Reports indicate that Jim, VK9NS, is reporting that a
"scientific multi-interest team of fifteen expeditioners" is preparing to
leave for Heard Island in the coming days. Jim does not know if there is
an amateur radio operator with this team. He also mentioned that there are
plans to visit Heard Island on a regular basis every three year to study
the island. Jim also mentioned that it has been 21 years since the HIDXA
group has been to Heard Island (ed. WOW, has it been that long. Boy am
I getting old fast!).
XU7, CAMBODIA
Peter, NO2R, informs the DX community that he will be
active from Hiroo's (XU7ACY) shack in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, the first
week of Februay 2004. He states he will be concentrating his activity
on 160 meters. Meanwhile, Dick, N6FF, is now active as XU7ACB from here.
However, Dick has lost his Kenwood transceiver which had a full set of
CW filters and is now using an IC-706 which has NO CW FILTERS. He had
to makeup an interface cable for the IC-706, and must key the amplifier
separately with a foot switch. He should be active on the low bands. Dick
will try to alternate between 80 and 160 meters every other day. On the
higher bands you will find him on CW or RTTY, as time permits.
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