The Ohio/Penn DX PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 550 BID: $OPDX.550 February 18, 2002 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, AB5K &
the AR TelNet Clusters Network, Steve Higley, KA2AEV, W2GR, W3UR
& The Daily DX, N4AA & QRZ DX, N4CT, W4WX, WW5L, WX5L,
K8AV, K8YSE, K8BN, KU9C, W9DC, KB0CY, N0TG, ARRL Letter, DL1EK
& DX News Letter, DL3DXX, DL5EBE, DL6KAC, F5NQL & UFT,
FJ5DX & La Gazette du DX, FM5GU, I0MWI, OZ6OM & OZ 50 MHz
DX Bulletin, PA3GIO, S53R, VA3RJ & ICPO, VE3NQK and VE3EXY
for the following DX information.
DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT: According to the
AR-Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 10/February, through
Sunday, 17/February there were 242 countries active. Countries
available: 3A, 3B8, 3D2, 3V, 3W, 3X, 4J, 4L, 4S, 4U1I, 4X, 5A,
5B, 5H, 5N, 5R, 5T, 5U, 5V, 5W, 5Z, 6W, 6Y, 7Q, 7X, 8P, 8Q, 8R,
9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9L, 9M2, 9M6, 9N, 9Q, 9U, 9V, 9X, 9Y, A2, A3,
A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C3, C6, CE, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT,
CT3, CU, CX, D2, D4, 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,
FW, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, H4, H40, HA, HB, HB0, HC, HI,
HK, HK0/a, HL, HM, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J2, J3, J5, J6, J7,
J8, JA, JD/o, JT, JW, JX, JY, K, KG4, KH0, KH2, KH6, KH8, 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, PZ, S0, S2, S5, S7, S9, SM,
SP, ST, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T2, T30, T32, T7, T8, T9, TA, TF, TG,
TI, TK, TL, TR, TT, TU, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5,
V7, V8, VE, VK, VK9N, VP2E, VP2M, VP2V, VP5, VP8, VP8/h, VP8/o,
VP9, VQ9, VR, VU, XE, XU, XW, XX9, YA, YB, YI, YJ, YK, YL, YN,
YO, YS, YU, YV, Z2, Z3, ZA, ZB, ZC4, ZD7, ZD8, ZF, ZK1/s, ZL, ZP,
ZS.
* PLEASE NOTE: The report "could" contain
"Pirate/SLIM" operations. As always, you never know -
"Work First Worry Later" (WFWL).
3XY, GUINEA. Francois, VE2XO, will operate as
3XY6A from Conakry between February 18-25th (possibly 26th)
between 2200-0100z on 20 and/or 17 meters on SSB and RTYY. Also,
there maybe activity on February 27th, between 0800-1300z on 15
meters. Francois will also be active as 3XY8A from Los Islands
(AF-051) on February 23-24th; SSB only. Activity will depend on
power availability (he won't have a generator with him). He has
been informed that he should have power between 1700-0900z. This
will be his first RTTY operation, so please have patience.
5W, SAMOA. Remember to look for Michel/F6COW
and Dominique/F6EPY to be active from Upolu as 5W0MP (QSL via
F6COW) and 5W0DA (QSL via F6EPY), February 19-28th. Activity will
be mostly on CW with an emphasis on Europe on 80/40/30/17/12
meters). Please refer to OPDX.546, or go to their Web site at: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/dominique.auprince/.
C6, BAHAMAS (IOTA Activity). Bill/K1CN and
his wife Laurel/N1EBL are expected to be signing C6AMM and C6AWW,
respectively, now through March 2nd from Harbour Island (NA-001).
QSL both callsigns via K1CN either direct or through the bureau.
CARIBBEAN DXPEDITION. Bert, PA3GIO, will once
again be on the move to activate several islands during the month
of March. His planned schedule is as follows:
FS - From March 5-6th, look for Bert to sign
FS/PA3GIO/m on St. Martin Island (NA-105). Activity will be on
20/17/15/12/10 meters SSB. QSL (preferably by the Bureau) to
PA3GIO.
PJ7 - From March 5-6th, look for Bert to sign
PJ7/PA3GIO/m on St. Maarten Island (NA-105). Activity will be on
20/17/15/12/10 meters SSB. QSL (preferably by the Bureau) to
PA3GIO.
PJ6 - From March 7-14th, look for Bert to
sign PJ6/PA3GIO/m or /p on Saba Island (NA-145). Activity will be
on 40/20/17/15/12/10 meters SSB. QSL (preferably by the Bureau)
to PA3GIO.
HI9 - From March 15-21st, look for Bert to
sign PA3GIO/HI9 from the Dominican Republic (NA-096). Activity
will be on 80/40/20/17/ 15/12/10 meters SSB. QSL (preferably by
the Bureau) to PA3GIO.
FJ - From March 22-28th, look for Bert to
sign FJ/PA3GIO/m or /p on St. Barthelemy Island (NA-146).
Activity will be on 80/40/20/ 17/15/12/10 meters SSB. QSL
(preferably by the Bureau) to PA3GIO.
Bert has set up some Web pages for these operations and they
can be found on the following URL address:
ET, ETHIOPIA. Paul, W4PFM, will be here for 6
months and has just received his callsign ET3PMW. He has been
active on 10 and 15 meters the past week. Watch around 28438 kHz
after 1430z and on 21270 kHz (net) after 0700z. QSL via W7KEU.
FG, GUADELOUPE. Henri, F5DBC, is expected to
be active (callsign unknown) now from Les Saintes (NA-114) until
February 24th. Look for him during his evenings on 20 meters on
CW and SSB. QSL via F5DBC: Henri Civel, Les Reaux de Saint Dolay,
56130 La Roche Bernard, France.
FM, MARTINIQUE. Jean Marc is expected to be
active as FM/F5SGI from February 19th through March 2nd. His
activity will be on the HF bands mostly on CW. He will also try
to operate from FM5CW's and FM5FA's stations. QSL via REF bureau
or direct CBA.
FM, MARTINIQUE. Members of the
"Pordenone Gangsters Group", Luke/IV3JVJ, Max/IV3FHH,
Andy/IV3BTY and Claudio/IV3OWC will be back in Martinique for a
DXing, contesting and also leisure trip. From March 24th to 29th,
they will operate as FM/homecall from the FM5GU station. They
should have a great signal and will concentrate on lower bands.
Max will operate CW only, while the others will mainly operate
SSB with some CW and RTTY. The QSL Manager for this operation is
Daniele IV3TDM; use the call book address. Then Dennis/FM5GU and
Lucien/FM5WD will join them and the group will enter the WPX SSB
Contest as Multi-Single station. The callsign will be FM5GU, and
the QSL manager for FM5GU is Steve, KU9C, as usual. All details
about this operation, The Pordenone Gangsters and their schedule
can be found on the FM5GU's Web page at: http://www.qsl.net/fm5gu.
FRC 75TH ANNIVERSARY. Mike, KA2AEV/V26R,
informs OPDX that the members of the Frankford Radio Club (FRC)
will celebrate their 75th annivserary in 2002. To commemorate the
occasion, the FRC is making available an award to anyone who
contacts 75 or more FRC members in contests during 2002. The
award is also available to SWLs. QSLs are not required. For more
info on this award, please check the FRC web site at: http://www.frc-contest.org/anniva.htm.
ADDED NOTE: OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive the press
release as an additional bulletin.
HAM-COM 2002 DX LUNCHEON SPEAKER ANNOUNCED.
The Lone Star DX Association is proud to announce that Tom
Christian, VP6TC, and leader of the upcoming March 2002 Ducie
Island Dxpedition, will be the DX luncheon speaker at Ham-Com
2002 in Arlington, Texas, June 7-8th. Tom Christian, the
great-great-great-grandson of Fletcher Christian leader of the
famous "Mutiny on the Bounty" in 1789, is known as the
voice of Pitcairn, the island's most active ham radio operator.
He is also president of the Pitcarin Island Amateur Radio
Association (PIARA). Tom will also have color slides and video
from the Ducie Island DXpedition scheduled for March 2002. ADDED
NOTE: OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive the press release as
an additional bulletin.
HR3, HONDURAS. Operators Bob/KB0CY,
Denny/KB9DPF and Lor/W3QA will be active as HR3/KB0CY, HR3/KB9DPF
and HR3/W3QA from February 16th through March 3rd; when time
allows while participating in a medical mission. Operations will
include CW, PSK31 and SSB on 40/20/15/10 meters. QSL to their
home callsigns.
HS0, THAILAND. Charlie, N4CT (ex-T5CT, SV0CT,
G5BAU, GC5BAU, TJ1AW, K4PHY/YV5, etc...), has informed OPDX that
he is now licensed as HS0ZDR. However, his time for
operating/QSLing will be limited because he will be traveling to
various overseas locations for the next 2 months. When he is
active he is in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He has unlimited access to
a 150 ft. ROOF and will be taking a 2 elemnet 21 MHz beam there
either next month or April. Presently, he is using a 7 MHz
fishpole vertical and worked a lot of stateside stations using
the callsign HS0/N4CT in the Oct/Dec timeframe. ADDED NOTE:
Charlie is looking for a very reliable stateside manager. His
E-mail address is: n4ct@onebox.com.
IOTA NEWS...
EU-004. Christian, DL6KAC, will once
again be active from EA6 (the Island of Mallorca, DIE:
E-021) starting around March 8th (possibly the 9th -
starting dates not yet clear) until March 24th. Activity
will be on 80-10 meters, mainly on SSB (CW Key is
available). He will use 350 watts into dipoles for the
high bands and an Inverted L for 40/80 meters. This will
be a holiday style operation. QSL via DARC bureau or
direct (qrz.com).
SA-019. PW6AI is currently active with
an excellent signal from Abrolhos Island Lighthouse which
is good for the World Lighthouse Award LH-0463. Watch the
usual IOTA frequencies and QSL via PT2GTI. The team
should be there until February 22nd.
KG4, Guantanamo Bay. Bill, W4WX, a member of
the Florida DXPedition Group, will be active as KG4DX from GTMO
from February 22-27th. This trip is dedicated to 6 meters and
PSK-31. QSL via W4WX.
KH1, BAKER ISLAND (DXpedition Update). Hrane,
YT1AD, announced the crew for the KH1 DXpedition to Baker Island
is as follows:
Hrane, YT1AD
Vlado, Z31FU (ZS6MG)
Dough, N6TQS
Steva, YZ7AA
Roman, RZ3AA
Dave, KW4DA
Miki, YU1AU
Igor, RA3AUU
Eric, K3NA
Dragan, Z32AU
Krassy, KZ1LZ
A USFW representative
Mome, Z32ZM
Will, K6NDV
The team will travel for 6 days on the "Princess II"
via 3D2 and T2. Their arrival on KH1 is expected on April 29th. A
special 1 x 1 callsign will be announced on April 29th. There
will be 6 stations active in three tents using IC-756 Pro II, 5
LPA (3 x ACOM 1000 and 2 x 400 W solid-state amplifiers). They
will have 7 beams, 3 dipoles, 3 verticals and 1 Beverage for
80/160m. For power, they will use 3 generators (2 x 5kw and 1 x
3.5kw). Activity will be on 160-10 meters as well as 6 and 2
meters. Modes will be CW, SSB, PSK, RTTY, SSTV, FM, and satelite
28/144. Pilot stations will be VE3EXY and YU1AA. The Web site
will be edited by 4N1NM and 4N1FG.
KH5 INFO NEEDED. Steve Higley notified OPDX
that he is putting together a Web page on Jarvis Island (KH5J)
at: http://jarvisisland.net.
He is very interested in hearing about the past (April 1990) and
future DXpeditions to the island. Steve would like to get in
touch with individuals who have been on Jarvis broadcasting in
the last ten years and is trying to obtain first-hand accounts of
the island's status, interesting anecdotes and stories, as well
as any recent photos. He can be contacted at: shigley41@hotmail.com.
Steve Higley, 6385 Georgetown Court, Colorado Springs, CO 80919
USA (719) 332-4772 -or- (1) 719-598-9054
LU, SOUTH ORKNEY ISLAND. Claudio, the current
operator at LU1ZA, which is the club station callsign of
"Base Naval Orcadas", will be going QRT on March 11th.
The supply vessel was expected to arrive at the end of last week
with a new crew and a new operator (Jose-Louis) who might be
active on the amateur bands again. QSLs for Claudio operations go
via LU4DXU.
P5, NORTH KOREA (Updates)...
Nenad, VE3EXY, received the latest
update from Hrane, YT1AD, on the upcoming P5 DXpedition.
Hrane/YT1AD and Voja/YU7AV are ready for their departure
to Pyongyang on March 5th. They will travel to P5 using
the following routes: Beograd-Moscow-Beijing-Pyong Yang.
Their equipment will be as follows: TS-850, FT-100, LPA
400w, dipoles, dipoles 80/40m and a multiband beam for
20/17/15/12/10 meters (which is already in P5). No
problems are expected at this point in time. QSL info and
duration of stay to be announced.
Ed, 4L4FN/P5, was active this past
weekend on 15 meters SSB during his usual times (between
2230-0300z). He has been testing some RTTY equipment and
has made a few QSOs with it. The KK5DO Web site states
"NO CW" yet. Also, Ed will pack everything up
and will be gone for about a week. (Still no word on his
written permission.)
PW0, TRINDADE ISLAND. By the time you read
this, the PW0T operation should be active. Activity will be on
160-6 meters, including the WARC bands, using CW, SSB, RTTY, SSTV
and PSK31. QSL via KU9C. Check out the following web page for up
to the minute information and pictures at: http://www.trindade2002.com.
ADDED NOTES BY Steve, KU9C: Steve requests to WAIT until the
operation is QRT, and send all of your QSL requests in one
envelope. If you need a separate QSL for that 160 contact, let
Steve know with a post-it note or something. But, save yourself
some postage, and don't send multiple envelopes. Also, DO NOT
request cards for other operations in the same envelope (such as
BQ9P, WP2Z,...etc). If you want a bureau card, simply E-mail
Steve your QSO information to: ku9c@arrl.net.
DO NOT ask for a Bureau QSL if you have already requested a
direct QSL response. Steve states to look for a wait on the
Bureau cards because he mails bureau cards direct to each
country's bureau once or twice a year. He just finished his
winter mailing. Donations will be deeply appreciated by the team,
and can be sent with your QSL request or directly to K7BV (see
the web site for details). This is not a low cost undertaking.
Fuel alone for the trip out and back was over $12,000....but they
hope the lengthy stay will substantly diminish the demand for
this country.
QSL INFO AND NEWS...
CT3EE, that operated in December during
the ARRL 10m Contest by DK1BT and DL3DXX, should be QSLed
to DL3DXX directly or via the DARC QSL bureau. This is a
reliable way to get a CT3 card through the QSL bureau
service.
Gary, K8BN, reports that the K7UGA QSL
cards are now at KC7V's QTH where they will begin their
journey to the many corners of the globe. QSL cards were
purchased from their friends at Franklin Printing, WZ8P,
in Zanesville Ohio: http://www.qsl.net/wz8p/.
Doug, W0AH, operated as V31AH and QRP in
the 2002 ARRL DX CW Contest this past weekend. QSL is via
W2GR direct via CBA or via the Bureau.
SILENT KEY. It has been reported that Jean
Claude, TR8XX, F2XX, became a silent key on February 11th. He had
been an avid DXer for a long time both in France (F2XX) and Gabon
(TR8XX). Many DXers worked Jean on CW from several of his African
DXpeditions. OPDX and its readers would like to send out our
deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
SPECIAL EVENT. Another Winter Olympics
special event station is on the air. Operator Ray Friess, WA7ITZ,
in Salt Lake City, has been operating the special event station
WA7ITZ/W19OG to commemorate the 19th Winter Olympic Games
(W19OG). Look for activity to be on 160-10 meters near the lower
edge of the General phone bands. Some CW operation is possible.
QSL to WA7ITZ: 1801 Jennifer Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84116.
SPECIAL EVENT. Look for special event
station, IR0MA, to be active during the month of April to
commemorate the 2755th birthday of Roma. This station will be
good for 5 points towards the "Natale di Roma Award".
OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive details of this award as
an additional bulletin. Also, on April 21st, IR0MA will be active
from the Capitolium of Roma. QSL only direct to I0MWI via the
CBA.
T48, CUBA. Don Fisher, VE3ESE, the radio club
from the University of Oriente and the No-Name DX Group, will be
operating as T48RAC (unconfirmed at this time) from Santiago de
Cuba. They will be operating in the SSB contest March 2-3rd.
Also, look for CO9NLA to be active now through March 14th. QSL
via Don's home callsign VE3ESE.
TI9, COCOS ISLAND. Despite opposition by
"Radio Club of Costa Rica", this operation is a go. As
this was being written, the Cocos Island 2002 DXpedition Team was
gathering in Costa Rica and hoped to depart from Puntarenas on
Sunday, February 17th, with arrival at the operating location
approximately 48 hours later. The official radio licenses for all
15 participants, as well as the landing and park permits, have
been issued by the Costa Rican authorities. Reports indicate that
the multi-national team was re-issued the callsign TI9M by the
Control National Radio (CNR) and the licensing authority has
revised the license to be used by all team members. The
DXpedition founder and leader, Henry Grunbeck, TI2HMG (TI9M), has
assembled an international team of world-class operators for this
rare trip. The world's largest uninhabited island, Cocos is a
popular destination for scuba divers, but it hasn't been
activated on amateur radio for more than five years. Although
Cocos Island is territorially part of Costa Rica, it is a
separate DXCC country with the prefix TI9. Because Cocos is a
nature preserve, the DXpedition visitors will be required to
sleep aboard their ship, a 90-foot fishing/diving vessel anchored
1000 feet offshore; there is no overnight camping allowed on the
island. DXing is not exactly camping, however, and the team
anticipates 24-hour operations with four HF transmitters on all
bands from 160-6 meters. Due to the logistics involved in the
350-mile crossing to Cocos Island, the team can't pinpoint
exactly when they'll be on the air. They estimate 40 to 48 hours
of travel time, with a few additional hours to set up and become
operational once they reach the island. This part of the trip
will be no small feat: The island receives over 26 feet of rain
per year - about an inch a day - so the first priority is setting
up shelter and protecting the equipment from the elements. The
final day of operations will be March 2, 2002. To keep track of
the DXpedition's progress, visit the Web site at: http://www.qsl.net/ti9m.
The team will update the page as often as communication links
allow. Team members are: William Turney, WS4Y; Martino Rizzi,
IK3RIY; Alan Homer, KI7WO; Larry Strain, N7DF; Flo Moudar, F5CWU;
Matt De La Hunt, KA0KKO; Rob Snieder, PA5ET; Ronald Stuy, PA3EWP;
Robert Voss, N4CD; William Boeckenhaupt, AK0A; Alan Maenchen,
AD6E; Richard Smith, N6KT; Simon Gadaleta, IZ7ATN; Eugene
Kuleshov, RK3AD; and Henry, TI2HMG also TI9M.
VP5, TURKS AND CAICOS. Randy, N0TG, will be
active as N0TG/VP5 from March 1-7th. Activity will be on all
bands with emphasis on CW. QSL via his home callsign.
VP8 & ZD8, FALKLAND AND ASCENSION ISLAND (Possibly
ZD7). Mark, VP8CSA, will be active between February 24th
and March 16th and then move onto Ascension Island as ZD8CSA from
March 16-26th. Activity will depend on what time will allow, but
look for him on 6 meters. QSL via DL1SDN. Mark may be on St.
Helena (ZD7) for a week (+/-) later this year also.
YA5T, AFGHANISTAN (Update). Robert,
S53R/YA5T, informs OPDX that "YA5T has been on the air now
for over 2 weeks with over 10,000 Qs in the log (plus over 2000
which Peter, ON6TT, made during his first visit). Recent activity
has mostly been on CW. We will try to dedicate some time to SSB
too. Digital modes are not planned now. However, if Peter comes
here in the next weeks he may bring the modem along and will give
it a try. We are still very much tied up with our work, but at
least Fridays and Saturdays (weekend here) we try to stay on the
radio as much as possible. A small vertically polarized antenna
has been installed for 80/160. About 200 Qs were made on 80, but
we still have to hit 160. Next weekend Eid celebrations will
bring business life to a standstill here, so we will try to do
more radio, focusing on lower bands over night - however still
work permitting. We still are in emergency situation so there are
basically no schedules for us............ 73 de Robert,
S53R/YA5T"
SPECIAL NOTE BY EDITOR: If you are having a problem receiving
bounced mail by sending mail to me via "kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org",
please send mail to me via "kb8nw@arrl.net"......
TNX de Tedd KB8NW
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