The Ohio/Penn DX PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 439
BID: $OPDX.439
December 13, 1999
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF-80 BBS Cleveland, Ohio
Online at 440-237-8208 28.8k-1200 Baud 8/N/1

Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, K2WE, N2OO, WB2RAJ/WB2YQH & The 59(9) DXReport, W4VHF, KH6BZF, N6RT, W7TSQ, K8WK, K8YSE, N0JK, DJ5AV & DX News Letter, ES2NA, I2YSB, LU3FP, LU4FPZ, OH1EH, OH2BR, OH4MFA, ON4ATW, ON4UN and SM0BFJ for the following DX information.

IT IS WITH GREAT SORROW TO REPORT. The DX Community learned this week that Charles J. Harris, WB2CHO/VP2ML, (known by many as Chod) became a "Silent Key" (SK) on December 8th. In Santa Rosa, California, the 50 year old Chod died of complications from a severe heart attack he had suffered in early November. Many will remember Chod for his active roles in the DX Communty as DX columnist for "CQ Magazine", the orginal editor of the "DX Magazine" and "The DX Bulletin" and an ARRL HQ staffer. He was also an active DXer from exotic places. Mostly, the DX Community will miss Chod's presence at the "Dayton HamVentions" DX social gatherings. OPDX and its readers would like to send out our deepest sympathy to Chod's family. Chod Harris, a DX icon, will be surely missed. OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive the special ARRL bulletin about Chod Harris as an additional bulletin.

OPDX has also learned that Tiit, ES7RE, President of ERAU, became a "Silent Key" (SK) on December 7th in a car accident in Finland. We extend Tiit's wife and the children our deepest sympathy and strength needed to get through the coming days and weeks. Members of ERAU and the Board of Directors state that "Tiit will always stay in our memories as a true gentleman and a great friend!"

PROPAGATION GURU KH6BZF STATES "The ARRL 10-MTR Contest should be better than last year." Lee, KH6BZF, reports that the solar flux index (SFI) should climb to near 200. Expect High Normal (HN) to Above Normal (AN) conditions to exist the 11th and 12th. On Sunday, the band is expected to be better than the day before.

3W, VIETNAM. Steve, K2WE (aka 3W6WE & XU2WE), reports that he will return here in Febuary or March, and he has permission from Hau, 3W6LI, to operate from his farm in Vung Tau, about 55 miles from Saigon right on the South China sea. He will make every attempt to operate on 40, 80 and even 160 meters if he can get the license.

7S, SWEDEN. Rune, SM6COP, has obtained the Swedish contest callsign 7S5Q and Tord, SM3EVR, has received 7S3E (which will probably be used in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest. As reported earlier, the prefixes 8S, SM, SK and SL are being issued with one letter suffixes for the SM operators for contest activity.

8P, BARBADOS. Jon/N0JK and his father (William/W0FN) will be here until December 14th from the 8P9Z station. There will be a special emphasis on 6 meters using 100 watts into a 3 element yagi. They also plan to operate in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest. Callsigns are pending as this bulletin was being written.

9N, NEPAL (Possibly, XW - LAOS). By the time you read this, Charlie, K4VUD, should be in Kathmandu and will be active as 9N7DU for 30 days. He stated this week that he was going to try to be active in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest. The "DX News Letter" reports that Charlie may also make a one week trip to Laos.

9N7, NEPAL. "The 59(9) DXReport" reports that Lawrence, W8NRB, has been active as 9N7RB since mid-September, mainly on 20-10 meters SSB. He will be there for some time. QSL via W8NRB at the W8 Bureau.

9U, BURUNDI. QSL Manager Leif, SM0BFJ, informs OPDX that Gus, 9U5D, will go QRT in the morning of December 11th. He will be on vacation at home in Sweden for a month (signing SM5DIC). He will return to Burundi on the 10th of January for another 3 months assignment.

HI, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Steve, K8WK, reports that he will be here from around December 23rd through January 2nd. He plans to operate as HI8/K8WK. Steve was assured a license by the communications authorities and that the license would be in the mail and a copy will be kept there "just in case." He states that it has taken him since June (1999) to obtain this license! Steve will operate mostly CW and mostly on the WARC bands, conditions permitting. He adds, "Please be patient with my poor CW and it will be the first time I've ever been on the other side of a pile....." His equipment will be an ICOM 706MKIIG (running 100 watts) and a Gap Titan all band vertical. Steve will bring enough wire for 160 meters but doesn't know if he will have the support to allow use of the wire. He will try and operate as much as he can outside of his family responsibilities as he is on a vacation. Steve will be staying at a resort in Samana Pens (NE part of DR). He is willing to make skeds for the needy. His E-mail address is: litwins@badsector.com. QSL to his home callsign at: Steve Litwins, 2398 Woodbine Dr., Crestview, FL 32536 USA (USA needs return postage and all others need 1 IRC or Green Stamp).

LT5, ARGENTINA. Look for LT5F to be active in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest as a mix mode (CW/SSB) on High Power. Operators will be Seba/LU4FPZ, Ariel/LU6FUQ and Bob/LU2FA. QSL contacts for the CQWW CW and the ARRL 10 meters Contests via LU4FPZ, 1 de Mayo 2128, CP 2000, ROSARIO-ARGENTINA. Look for Tony/LU2FFD and Hernan/LU3FP to be active from LU4FM (Radio Club Rosario) during the ARRL 10 Meter Contest on both modes SSB/CW. QSL LU4FM to: BOX 263, (2000) Rosario Argentina.

MORE YEAR 2000 SPECIAL EVENTS STATIONS...

• Members of the Carolina DX and Roswell [NC] DX Associations will be on the air during the month of January using the callsign WY2OOO. This operation will begin at 0000z, January 1st (2000). All bands will be activated from 160-2 meters. QSL Manager for the WY2OOO operation is via K4MQG. SASEs are requested; all cards received through the Bureau will answered.
• The Old Barney Amateur Radio Club will be operating special event station W1K from December 19th through January 2nd (2000) to celebrate the "END OF THE MILLENIUM!" Activity will be on all bands CW/SSB. A special QSL will be available via (SASE appreciated): Bob Schenck, N2OO, P.O. Box 345, Tuckerton, NJ 08087, USA. For a special certificate in addition to a QSL card, include a 9x12 SAE with appropriate return postage or IRCs.

OH0, ALAND ISLAND. Ari, OH1EH, reports to look for OH0Z to be on the air during the ARRL 10m Contest as a Multi/Single, CW/SSB. There will also be some activity on 160 meters CW around 1832-1835 kHz between 0400-0700z both on Saturday and Sunday. QSLs via OH1EH: Ari Korhonen, Kreetalank. 9 as 1, FIN29200 Harjavalta, FINLAND.

PACIFIC TOUR (A3, FO, FW, KH6, ZK1). OPDX has been informed that Adriano, IK2GNW, will be leaving for a six week trip in the Pacific in the new year. He will start his operations on January 20, 2000, from French Polynesia. The first week he will be in French Polynesia signing FO0PRE (still unconfirmed). The second week he will be active from Austral Islands signing FO0PRE (also unconfirmed). Adriano will travel to the North Cook Islands during his third week and use the callsign ZK1NW. Look for Adriano to sign A35NW from the Tonga Islands during the fouth week. During the fifth week he will operate from Wallis & Futuna Islands signing FW/IK2GNW. To end his Pacific tour, he will sign KH6/IK2GNW from Hawaii during his last week. The exact dates will depend on the local flights. He will be active on all bands CW/SSB/RTTY. QSL via I2YSB by the bureau or direct to: Silvano Borsa, viale Capettini 1, 27036 MORTARA(PV), ITALY. For more complete details, check out the Web site at: http://digilander.iol.it/i2ysb.

PY0, FERNANDO DE NORONHA. Iwao/PY7FT will visit the island again with his friend Nori/JA1WSK beginning December 21st and operate until December 28th as PY0FT. Nori is an expert RTTY operator and he will concentrate his activity on that mode (this includes PSK31). Look for him on 14084, 21084 and 28084 kHz. Iwao will operate SSB as well as SSTV. Look for Iwao on the higher frequencies, but he will try the low frequencies. QSL via JA1ELY.

QSL INFO AND NEWS...

• Jukka, OH4MFA, was operating from Thailand (HS) with the callsign HS0/OH4MFA for several days during his holiday between November 10-26th. He logged 571 QSOs on 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters, mostly on CW. QSL info for this operation is via OH4MFA and bureau cards are preferred. Jukka will be going back home to Finland, he states, probably in January 2000. So QSL cards will not be answered before that time. Jukka states, "Many thanks to R.A.S.T. and especially HS0AC station managers Ray, HS0/G3NOM and Winit/HS1CKC for the possibility to operate from HS0AC clubstation. It was also pleasure to operate in the CQWW CW contest from the HS0AC M/S team!"
• Bob, W7TSQ, QSL Manager for Wis, YB0AZ, reports/advises that the best way to get a QSL is via W7TSQ. Bureau cards are all answered by Bob and cards to Wis via the YB bureau just do not make to him, so PLEASE, send any requests for QSLs to W7TSQ. Bob states that he does answer bureau cards, though the quickest way is SAE plus postage! Repeating, Wis requests NO BUREAU cards to YB bureau.
• Doug, N6RT, reports that the following new/updated logs are now available at: http://dx.qsl.net/logs.

• JD1BIC and JD1BKR are now members of JARL and QSL is OK via bureau but direct QSL routes are listed below:
  JD1BIC - Shiro Hazama, 3-7 Taura, Yokosuka, 237-0075 JAPAN
  JD1BKR - Katuya Sawada, 43-1 No.2 UsogIgawamura, Ominato, 035-0096 JAPAN

SPECIAL "OT" PREFIX. The Minister of Telecommunications has allowed the Belgian radio amateurs to replace their normal "ON" prefix with "OT" prefix from 2300z December 3, 1999, until 2300z January 5, 2000. This is to celebrate the wedding of HRH Prince Philip and HRH Princess Matilde. QSL cards can be sent to the only IARU affiliated QSL bureau in Belgium at: UBA QSL Bureau, P.O.Box 900, 9000 Ghent Belgium. Look for Theo, ON4ATW, to be active in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest as OT4ATW. Theo states that all QSOs will be confirmed via the bureau with a special QSL card.

VP6BR PITCAIRN WEB PAGE ACTIVE. Lech/LA7MFA and Jukka/OH2BR have announced that the VP6BR site is now operating at: http://www.qsl.net/oh2br/. The Web has updates/information on the upcoming Janaury 2000 operation. Jukka will be active as VP6BR to celebrate his 40 year long Amateur Radio career. Activity will be on 160-6 meters CW/SSB/RTTY. QSL via OH2BR.

XX9, MACAO. Moto, JK2PNY, will visit here again from December 15-26th. Moto has the license XX9TSS, but this time he will be using XX9SAR instead of his own callsign. Activity will be on 40-6 meters, SSB/CW. The special callsign XX9SAR will be used by all Macau stations to celebrate the restoration of Macau. For this reason, it is important to copy who is the operator or QSL manager. Moto will send all QSLs automatically to the bureau until August 2000, but if you need a QSL quickly try direct: Motoi Kawatsu, 17-15-205 Nishisugamo 3, Tokyo, 170-0001 JAPAN

YS, EL SALVADOR. The "DX News Letter" reports that Markus, HB9KNA, plans to be active now through January 12th. His callsign is not certain yet. He will only be active on SSB and on 80-6 meters (also the WARC bands). He will use a 2 element quad for 20-10m and verticals for 80/40m. QSL via HB9KNA.

OPDX INTERNET SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE REQUEST: opdx-request@nshore.org
OPDX WORLD-WIDE WEB HOME PAGE (provided by John, K8YSE): http://www.en.com/users/k8yse/opdx.html
ALSO VISIT THE NORTERN OHIO DX ASSOCIATION'S WEB HOME PAGE: http://www.en.com/users/k8yse/nodxa.html

Excerpts and distribution of The OPDX Bulletin are granted as long as KB8NW/OPDX/BARF80 receive credit. To contribute DX info, call BARF-80 BBS online at 440-237-8208 28.8k/14400/9600/2400/1200 and leave a message with the Sysop or send via InterNet Mail to: kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org - OR - Send a message via packet to KB8NW @ WA8BXN.OH.USA.NA - OR - Use the VOICE or FAX answering machine at 440-237-8208 which shares the same phone line as BARF-80 BBS using a data/fax/phone switch. To access: 1) Dial Number. 2) Wait for first ring (the second ring should be a false ring from the fax/data switch box) and then dial four quick ones ("1111"). (NOTE: Some FAX machines that send single "BEEPS" every second will not have to do this step.) 3) The phone will pick up and after the "BEEP" leave your voice message or FAX.

Tedd Mirgliotta KB8NW
InterNet: kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org
Basic Amateur Radio Frequency BBS (BARF-80) +1 (440) 237-8208
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