The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 1009
BID: $OPDX.1009
May 2, 2011
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, K2PF, AL3T, K3IRV, KK3Q, NG3K & ADXO, N4AA & QRZ DX, N4JF, W4OTN, KH6BZF, K8GG, K8YSE, NE8Z, W8GEX (60m News), W9ILY, 4J5T, 4L2M, 9M6XRO, AT International, CX1EK, DL1SBF, DL7MAE & The DX News Letter, DxCoffee.com, DX-World.Net, F6AJA & Les Nouvelles DX, HL1VAU, I1JQJ/ IK1ADH & 425 DX News, LZ1BJ, OZ6OM & 50 MHz DX News, Pete's-DX-Newsdesk, RSGB IOTA Web Site, VA3RJ & ICPO, VHF-DX-Portal(MMMonVHF) and ARRL Web page for the following DX information.
DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT
According to the AR-Cluster Network for the
week of Sunday, 24th-April, through Sunday, 1st-May there were 233
countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3B9, 3D2, 3DA, 3V, 3W,
4J, 4L, 4O, 4S, 4X, 5B, 5H, 5N, 5R, 5T, 5V, 5W, 5X, 5Z, 6W, 6Y, 7P, 7Q,
7X, 8P, 8R, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M2, 9M6, 9N, 9Q, 9V, 9Y, A4, A5, A6, A7,
A9, AP, BV, BY, C2, C3, C6, C9, CE, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2,
DL, DU, E5/s, E7, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EL, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, EX,
EY, EZ, F, FG, FH, FJ, FK, FM, FO, FP, FR, FS, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU,
GW, HA, HB, HC, HH, HI, HK, HL, HP, HR, HS, HZ, I, IS, J2, J3, J5, J6,
J7, J8, JA, JD/o, JT, JW, JY, K, KG4, KH0, KH2, KH6, KH8, KH9, KL, KP1,
KP2, KP4, LA, LU, LX, LY, LZ, OA, OD, OE, OH, OH0, OK, OM, ON, OX, OY,
OZ, P2, P4, PA, PJ2, PJ4, PJ5, PJ7, PY, PY0F, PZ, R1FJ, S2, S5, S7, SM,
SP, ST, SU, SV, SV/a, SV5, SV9, T31, T32, T7, T8, T9, TA, TF, TG, TI, TJ,
TK, TL, TN, TR, TT, TU, TY, TZ, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5,
V7, V8, VE, VK, VK0M, VP2V, VP5, VP6, VP8, VP9, VR, VU, XE, XU, XX9, YA,
YB, YI, YK, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z2, 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" (WFWL).
3W, VIETNAM
Paul, WQ2N, will try to be active as 3W2N from here between
May 23rd and June 8th. He is there because of work, so operating the radio
is secondary (he may not find any time to operate at all, but he will try
his best). He plans to travel to different regions of Vietnam (South,
Central, and North). Activity will only be on 40/30/20/17/15 meters.
Paul mentions, "If you are not sure if it's me (on the air), E-mail me
to confirm a contact. I will respond ASAP." QSL via WQ2N.
4J/4K, AZERBAIJAN (News)
Natig Gasimov, 4J5T, President of the Federation
of Radio Sport of Azerbaijan, informs OPDX: "Please, be informed that
since the present, in accordance to ITU Band Plan, all 4J/4K amateurs
are permitted for usage of expanded frequencies of 40 and 80 m bands in
a frame of 3500-3800 kHz and 7000-7200 ?Hz, instead of previous narrower
bands."
6W, SENEGAL
Fernando, EA1BT, will be active as 6W/EA1BT from Senegal
between May 4-12th. No other details were provided. QSL via EA1BT. Watch
the following Web site (still under construction) for updates and more
details at:
8Q, MALDIVES
Vlad, RA9LR (ex-S79LR), will be active as 8Q7LR from the
Maldives (AS-013) during his furlough between June 21st and July 2nd.
Activity will be exclusively digital but with some SSB on 40-10 meters.
QSL via UA9LP, direct or by the Bureau.
9N, NEPAL
Sam, K0YAK, is now in Kathmandu (Lalitpur) and is expected to
be active as 9N7AK until early July. He is using a Kenwood TS-50 with a
Cushcraft MA5V - a lightweight, 5-band vertical antenna. A blog page is
up and running which will provide notes of major operational updates,
summaries of contacts made, general information about amateur ("ham")
radio in Nepal, and photos of any hams who stop by (the coffee is always
on) at:
9N, NEPAL
A multi-national team, all members of Mediterraneo DX Club
(MDXC), will be active as 9N0MD from Nepal during November. Operators
mentioned are Dov/4Z4DX, Ziv/4Z4OQ, Marco/CE6TBN, Pasquale/IZ8IYX,
Gabriele/I2VGW, Sam/F6AML, Antonello/IT9YVO, Mau/IV3ZXQ, Giuliano/IV3RLB,
Fabricio/IZ2KXC, Ant/IZ8CCW, Luis/XE1L and Adhi/YB3MM. The pilot station
will be Pino/IZ8BGY. Activity will be on all HF bands and modes. The
team plans to give away trophies and prizes (see their Web for details).
Look for more details and updates at:
ALASKAN KLFF AWARD AVAILABLE
The Alaskan Flora Fauna Award (KLFF), a
part of the World Flora Fauna (WFF) program, now issues new awards.
For complete details on the KLFF Awards, visit:
CE2, CHILE
Luis, CX1EK, informs OPDX that he has been operating as
CE2/CX1EK from Marbella, V Region (50 kms north of Viña del Mar/Valparaiso,
on the coast) since April 12th and will be there until May 15th. Most
of his activities have been on 12 meters. QSL direct (SASE or IRC) to:
Luis Matho, 2303 Nordok Place, Alexandria, VA 22306 USA.
DAYTON HAMVENTION NEWS
Joe Pater, W8GEX, reports (edited): "The SOUTHWEST
OHIO DX Association (SWODXA) announces that a limited number of dinner
tickets are still available for the DX Dinner™. This annual event, which
is held in conjunction with the Dayton Hamvention®, will be on Friday, May
20th, at the Dayton Marriott, 1414 S. Patterson Blvd., Dayton, Ohio.
As in the past, there will be some major door prizes. And there is always great anticipation as to who will be named the 'DXpedition of the Year'.
The cash bar opens at 5:30 p.m., with dinner served at 7:00. There is ample, free parking, on street level. Tickets are 40 USDs each, payable in US funds. For program details and to order tickets, go to our websites at:
DAYTON HAMVENTION TOPBAND DINNER
George, K8GG, reminds Topbanders that
reservations for the Dayton Topband Dinner this year are available for a
few more days. Reservations have to be made and paid by May 10th. No
exceptions. They are at a new venue - the Crowne Plaza - with better
seating and A-V than in prior years. For more details, please visit:
IOTA NEWS
AF-068. (Update). Italian operators Leopoldo/I8LWL (5C2L), Alfredo/
IK7JWX (5C2J), Ruggero/IK2PZC (5C2P), Simon/IZ7ATN (5C2SG),
Mounaim/CN8QY and CN8QX will activate the rare Herne Island,
located in the large bay of Dakhla, for one week in September.
For updates, please visit the following Web page at:
AS-058. Before heading to the Maldives, Vlad, RA9LR (ex-S79LR and 8Q7LR), will be active as 9M2/RA9LR from Langkawi Island, West Malaysia, between mid-May to mid-July. Activity will be on CW, PSK, RTTY and some SSB. QSL via the address on (QRZ.com).
AS-060. Operators Han/DS2GOO, Son/DS3HWS, Chae/DS5BSX and possible others will be active as homecall/4 from Pigum Island (KDN H32) between May 7-9th. Activity will be on 80-10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via operator's home callsign. A Logsearch will be available on:
EU-094. Operators Didier/F1LLV, Dyd/F4ELJ, Jef/F6CNM, Pierre/F8DHM, Nicolas/F8FKD, Bob/ON4LRG, Luc/ON4LUC, Nicolas/ON4VK, Janny/ ON5PO, Paul/ON6DP, Fred/ON6QR, Pierre/ON7PC and Eric/ON7RN will be active as TM1G from Glenan Island (St. Nicolas, DIFM AT-010, FFF-200) during the RSGB IOTA Contest (July 30-31st). QSL via F6CNM or ON6DP. Look for operators to activate other DIFM/DFCF after this operation.
JW, SVALBARD
Karl, LA8DW, will be active once again as JW8DW from Svalbard
(EU-026) between September 28th and October 5th. Bands and modes of
activity were not provided. QSL via to his home callsign, by the Bureau
or direct (ONLY with IRC and RETURN ENVELOPE -- NO GREENSTAMP PSE). The
JW8DW online log is available at:
KH0, MARIANA ISLANDS
Yoshi, JJ8DEN, is now active as KH0PR from the
Coconut Village Hotel on Rota Island (OC-086) until May 8th. Activity
will be on 160-6 meters using CW, RTTY and PSK. Also possible is some
Satellite operations (FO-29 and VO-52). QSL via JJ8DEN, by the Bureau
or direct (w/SASE and 2 USZDs or 1 IRC with European type envelope. If
small envelope is sent, Yoshi will return QSL card by surface mail [ship
mail]). DO NOT send QSL to Rota.
KH6BZF PROPAGATION FORECAST/REPORT (May 2-8th)
May 02 AN-HN SOLAR REFERENCE KEYS
May 03 HN-AN --------------------
May 04 AN-HN BN - Below Normal
May 05 HN-AN AN - Above Normal/Geomagnetic Level is QUIET
May 06 AN LN - Low Normal
May 07 AN HN - High Normal/Geomagnetic Level is UNSETTLED
May 08 AN DIS - Disturbed
VDIS - Very Disturbed
GEOMAGNETIC REFERENCE
---------------------
QUIET - The "A" index is expected to be between
0-7 and the "K" index will be 2 or less
UNSETTLED - The "A" index is expected to be between
7-16 and "K" index will be 3 or less
LZ2011, BULGARIA
PG6, THE NETHERLANDS (Special Event)
Look for special event station
PG6N to be active during the "Dutch Lifeboat Day" May 7th. PLEASE QSL
via the Bureau. For more details see:
PJ2, CURACAO
Operators Rich/KE1B and YL Ann/W6NN are now active as
PJ2/homecall from the PJ2T Signal Point Station on Curacao (SA-099,
WLOTA LH-0942) until May 5th. Look for Ann to handle the SSB activity,
while Rich operates mostly on CW and RTTY. QSL both operators via their
home callsign, direct, by the Bureau, LoTW or eQSL.
PP0T, TRINDADE ISLAND (Update)
No word on the expected PP0T operation.
Junior, PY2ZA, was expected to arrive on the island on April 29th. Keep
watching the Web page for possible updates:
QSL INFO AND NEWS
QSL EO66JM via K2PF Direct or LoTW
QSL 5Z0H via his QSL Manager IZ8VRH
QSL RECEIVED VIA LoTW: 9H1SP, C6AKU, CR6A, CT3MD, D2SG, DK1MAX, DL4FBZ, ED8A, EW7KF, F4HKA, GI0RQK, GM4FDM, HB9CVQ, HI3TEJ, HK1MW, HK1NK, HK1R, HK1T, HK3O, IG9/IW9ELR, IZ5AXA, IZ0HPX, J79M, JO1COV, KH7X, MU0FAL, OE5FIN, ON5GQ, R7BN, RG4F, RN4ABD, RU3ZX, SM2EKM, US0LW, VK4ADC, YN2ER, YN2ET and ZS1EL
QSLS RECEIVED VIA MAIL: 3DA0GF, 4L1MA, 4S7NE, 5B/UT0U, 7Z1TT, A73A, D44BS, DU1IST, E51CG, EP2MKO, ET3SID, FG5FR, HC1MD/HC4, HL3ERJ, J88DR, JA1LZR, JT5DX, JY4NE, LX1DA, MJ/K3PLV, P4/W1HEO, P40D, PZ5RA, RI1FJ, RW6HS, S9DX, SV9/DJ7RJ, UA2FCB, V25OP, V47KP, VK9CF, VK0KEV, XE2WWW, XV2RZ, ZA1G, ZD9T and ZF2LC
QSLS RECEIVED VIA THE BUREAU: 9M8DX/2
SILENT KEYS
4L5T - Mamuka Kordzakhia, 4L2M, President of The NARG (National Associ-
ations Radioamateurs of Georgia) would like to inform OPDX readers
that on April 23rd, Vakhtang (Vakho) Sakhokia, 4L5T, became a SK
at the age of 61. He was killed by a car crashing into the side
of his house. He has been a licensed radio amateur with the
callsign UF6DG for some 40 years ago.
WA2EWE - The ARRL Web Page reports the following (edited): "James McLaughlin, WA2EWE/T6AF, was one of several killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, April 27th. News sources say that eight American troops and a US contractor died Wednesday after an Afghan military pilot opened fire during a meeting in an operations room of the Afghan Air Corps at the Kabul airport -- the deadliest episode to date of an Afghan turning against his coalition partners, officials with the NATO-led Inter- national Security Assistance Force (ISF) in Afghanistan said.
Licensed since 1972, McLaughlin was a career US military officer. Bob Magnani, K6QXY, told the ARRL that McLaughlin was just in the US a week ago, visiting his family: 'His son Adam, KD6POE, works for me. He told me that his dad had been in Afghanistan and Iraq many times over the past few years, most currently serving as a flight instructor.'
McLaughlin posted on his (QRZ.com) page that 'almost every day, I operate at around 1230-1430 UTC. Sometimes I am QRV until around 1500 UTC.' As of March 26, 2011, he had logged 4359 QSOs, most of them on RTTY and PSK. -- Thanks to Russ Bentson, K6KLY, CNN and Fox News for the information."
K4RRF - It was reported that Ray Forrester, K4RRF, became a Silent Key (SK) on April 27th, at the age of 74. He was a proud Navy man and a patriot to the core. His Web site showed others that he was proud of his service to our country. Ray was, without a doubt, one of the finest DXers with over 300 countries to his credit. Along with his vast knowledge of amateur radio, Ray was also an expert fisherman, winning many local and national fishing tournaments. He was also heard in the pursuit of the many light- house activations put on by the Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society. With a QSL collection numbering in the thousands one could only marvel at the organizational efforts it took to catalogue the many thousands of QSL cards and certificates he had earned. He was a Life Member of the ARLHS, of 10-10 International, and a familiar voice on "The Early Bird Net" as well as many other nets.
OPDX and its readers would like to send out our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the above Silent Keys.
SV/A, MT. ATHOS (Visit by NE8Z)
The following was sent to OPDX by Rick,
NE8Z, who recently visited Mt. Athos: "I have just returned from my 2 week
visit to Greece and pilgrimage to Mt. Athos. From the minute that I stepped
off the plane in Athens to the minute that I left Greece two weeks later I
was treated with true 'ham hospitality' by SV1JG, SV2ASP/A and SV2BOH.
Monk Apollo, SV2ASP/A, greeted me with open arms in Mt. Athos. He spent the entire week making sure that I was comfortable. I participated in all of their church prayer services, and I was also able to work for 2 long days with the monks cleaning crystal and silver chandeliers in preparation for Easter services. Monk Apollo gave me the keys to his Land Rover and told me to, 'go...explore...take your time'. I was able to visit many of the 20 monasteries on the peninsula.
I was able to make a donation of various pieces of radio equipment to his monastery which will allow him to operate from two or more portable hilltop locations in Mt. Athos. SEMDXA members provided him with a new MFJ Keyer, LDG antenna tuner and a Heil BM-10 headset. Budd, W3FF, and his son Chris donated a complete Buddipole Antenna system. The ARRL donated 8 log books, band plan charts and a backpack for the portable equipment transportation. Monk Apollo never asked for anything. I simply showed up with the gifts for the monastery. Asian hams will soon be able to work Mt. Athos for a new DXCC Entity. Both portable locations have clear 360 degree views to all directions unlike the Docheiariou Monastery which has a large mountain blocking signals to and from Asia..
Father Apollo is a very busy monk. His radio time is limited because of church services that last up to 8 hours per day, 7 days per week. After services he is busy working on construction projects for the monastery.
He is presently active on the radio daily between 1700-2100z on 160m, 30m, 17m and 12m CW-SSB-RTTY. He is building a new ham shack which will be ready in a few months. Once he is in the new QTH he will install his new 40 foot tubular tower and a Stepp-IR 3 element yagi that was donated to him by Dominik, DL5EBE.
The most exciting part of my trip was to be able to see precious relics of Saints and the Miracle producing Icons of The Virgin Mary. Mt. Athos is by far one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Please view the SLIDESHOW on the SEMDXA website at:
ADDED NOTE BY EDITOR. If you would like to see more on Mt. Athos, go to:
SV5, DODECANESE
Fred, PA1FJ, will be active as SV5/PA1FJ/P from Karpathos
(EU-001) between May 8-14th. Activity will be on 40-6 meters using CW
and SSB. He will use his Yaesu FT-817 into a Buddistick antenna and a 2x
5m dipole. QSL via the Dutch QSL Bureau.
T31, CENTRAL KIRIBATI (Update)
The T31A went QRT on April 27th, at 1900z.
HOWEVER, some of the operators did operate on different bands using THEIR
OWN T31 callsigns. T31A made (according to their Web page) 31764 QSOs.
The T31A team should be back at Apia, Samoa, by the time you read this.
For updates on the T31A team, see the Web page at:
T6, AFGHANISTAN (Reminder)
Just a reminder that the Intrepid-DX Group
will conduct a DXpedition from Afghanistan for ten days in May. Due to
security concerns, the exact dates and location of the DXpedition will
not be announced until the eve of their activation. The team is closely
monitoring the security situation and events in the news coming from
Afghanistan. It was announced this past week on their Web page the
following:
"This DXpedition is dedicated to the memory of our friend and advisor, Jim McLaughlin, WA2EWE/T6AF, who was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011. Jim was an honorary member of our team and was planning to join us to operate with us. Jim, we will really miss you!"For update on this operation, it is suggested to watch their Web page at:
T6, AFGHANISTAN (Update)
Terence, K5TLL, continues to be active as T6TL
until July. He will be using an old Icom 706 and a dipole antenna (as well
as a Cushcraft R-7 vertical according to QRZ.com). Activity is on 40-10
meters using SSB and the Digital modes. Frequencies are listed on (QRZ.com)
and he suggests to listen for him between 0300-0500z. QSL via N4FF. Watch
(QRZ.com) for updates.
UT1FG/MM VOYAGE WRAP-UP
Captain Yuri Bodrov, UT1FG/MM, wrapped up his
6 month voyage that took him across the Atlantic Ocean 3 times and around
the Cape of Good Hope in South America and through the Panama Canal on
his ship, the Mottler. He operated on the HF bands, 6 meters and also
activated a few hundred grids to the delight of many satellite operators
in Europe, South and North America. Walt, WP4T, and his ham radio family
met up with him in San Juan, Puerto Rico, his final port before flying
home. Captain Bodrov gave them the red carpet tour. Pictures from their
visit are now available on the K8YSE Web site at:
V8, BRUNEI
John, 9M6XRO, will once again be active as V85/9M6XRO from
Darussalam, Brunei (OC-088), between May 4-9th. Activity will be mainly
CW, but also possibly some RTTY or SSB. John states V85 does not have an
allocation for 6m. As before, John will be running 400w to a Butternut
HF6V up about 100 ft. on the hotel roof. He mentions, "BTW during my
visit to Brunei in March, I made close to 2500 Q's with a high percentage
on RTTY. I have been asked by some Southern Hemisphere stations to look
for them on 80m CW so I will give that my best shot on this trip ."
QSL via M0URX, direct (w/SAE plus 1 IRC/2 USDs), by the Bureau, or LoTW. Alternatively, QSLs may be requested using M0URX's OQRS form at:
VK0, MACQUARIE ISLAND
Denis, ZL4DB, will be active as VK0/ZL4DB from
Macquarie Island (AN-005) beginning late April through late July. He
will be on the air thanks to assistance from Kevin, VK0KEV. Activity will
be limited to his free time and will be only on SSB.
PLEASE NOTE: Denis
is new to pile-ups, so please go easy on him. Because he only operates
on SSB, Kevin might convert him to RTTY! QSL via ZL4PW, by the Bureau
or direct (see (QRZ.com)). No online-log, eQSL or LoTW.
ZD8, ASCENSION ISLAND (Update)
German operators Wolf/DK1IP, Rainer/DL7OR,
Gerd/DJ4KW, Arno/DL1CW and Werner/DJ9KH will be active as ZD8D from Garden
Cottage (located 700m up Green Mountain which is the oldest building on
the island dating back to the 1820s), Ascension Island (AF-003), between
July 24th and August 9th. Activity will be on 160-10 meters, mainly on
the Digital modes with some CW and SSB later. They will be using Elecraft
K3s. The team plans to participate in the RSGB IOTA Contest (July 30-31st).
The team is seeking sponsors, especially for an amplifier. Their Web page
is now available online at:
VK9, LORD HOWE ISLAND (Update/Change)
Members of the Hellenic Amateur
Radio Association of Australia (HARAOA Group) are planning a major DX-
pedition to Lord Howe Island (OC-004) as VK9HR for 10 days. Originally,
the operation was scheduled to take place between July 8-17th, but now
it will take place between July 23rd and August 2nd. This means that the
VK9HR team can now participate in the 2011 RSGB IOTA Contest (July
30-31st). Also, the VK9HR QSL Manager is now David, EB7DX. For more
details, visit the VK9HR Web Page at:
ZF, CAYMAN ISLANDS
Operators Bob/W5UQ and Bill/W5SJ will be active as
ZF2UQ and ZF2EZ, respectively, between July 11th and approx. July 18th.
Look for them to operate in the CQWW VHF Contest (July 16-17th), mainly
on 6 meters. Activity outside of the contest will be on the HF bands
using mainly CW and some SSB. QSL via W5JAY (see (QRZ.com)).
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