The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 1093
BID: $OPDX.1093
December 31, 2012
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, N2ZN, NG3K & ADXO, W3UR & The Daily DX, N4AA & QRZ DX, KH6BZF, K8GI, K8PGJ, K8YSE, W8GEX & 60m News, WB8RFB, W9ILY, AT International, DK8JB & The DX News Letter, DL1SBF, DxCoffee.com, DX-World.Net, ES1CW, F5NQL, F6AJA & Les Nouvelles DX, I1JQJ/IK1ADH & 425 DX News, I2MQP & DX Italia News, OA4AI, OZ6OM & 50 MHz DX News, Pete's DX-Newsdesk, RSGB IOTA Web Site, Sixitalia Weekly, VA3RJ & ICPO, the VHF-DX-Portal (MMMonVHF) and VK4TS for the following DX information.

SPECIAL NOTE FROM EDITOR (Tedd, KB8NW)
My family (wife/OPDX's chief proof-reader Linda, son Teddy [TJ] and his wife Jessi, daughter Katie and her husband Kevin and son Lliam), and I (KB8NW) would like to wish all DXers, Contesters and OPDX readers a very "Happy New Year". Thanks to the many individuals who have provided DX information over the past year. Without them there would not be an OPDX Bulletin. Also, thanks to the individuals who sent holiday wishes to my family and me.....
73 and Have a Great/Safe/Healthy New Year de Tedd KB8NW

DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT
According to the AR-Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 23rd-December, through Sunday, 30th-December there were 223 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3B9, 3D2, 3V, 3W, 4J, 4L, 4O, 4S, 4X, 5B, 5H, 5N, 5R, 5T, 5W, 5Z, 6W, 6Y, 7P, 7X, 8P, 8Q, 8R, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M2, 9M6, 9N, 9Q, 9V, 9Y, A2, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C3, C5, C6, CE, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D4, DL, DU, E5/s, E7, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, EX, EY, F, FG, FH, FK, FM, FO, FP, FR, FS, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, H40, HA, HB, HB0, HC, HH, HI, HK, HL, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J2, J3, J6, J8, JA, JT, JW, JX, JY, K, KG4, KH0, KH2, KH6, KL, KP2, KP4, LA, LU, LX, LY, LZ, OA, OD, OE, OH, OH0, OK, OM, ON, OX, OY, OZ, P2, P4, PA, PJ2, PJ4, PJ5, PY, PZ, R1FJ, S5, S7, S9, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SV/a, SV5, SV9, T7, T8, TA, TF, TG, TI, TK, TL, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, V8, VE, VK, VP2E, VP2M, VP2V, VP5, VP8, VP8/h, VP8/s, VP9, VR, VU, XE, XU, XX9, YA, YB, YI, YJ, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z2, Z3, Z8, ZA, ZB, ZC4, 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" (WFWL).

4T, PERU
Members of the Radio Cub Peruano announced the activation of special event station 4T4RDP (4T4 Rally Dakar Perú) during the Rally Dakar 2013 edition. They will be active using SSB, CW, RTTY and the Digital Modes on 80-6 meters between January 4-13th. QSL via OA4O.

5Z, KENYA
Operators Bertrand/DF3ZS and Thomas/DL1QW will be active as 5Z4/homecall from Diani Beach between January 7-20th (2013). Activity will be holiday style on 80-10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. The operators plan on using dipoles, GP and vertical loops. QSL via their home callsign, direct or by the DARC Bureau.

6W, SENEGAL
Just a reminder that Francis, F6BLP, will once again be active as 6W7SK from Saly Portudal, 80 kms south of Dakar on the coast, between January 5-18th, 2013. Activity will be holiday style using the same station as last time (IC-7000 into G5RV antenna) operating mainly CW. QSL via F6BLP, direct or by the Bureau. Logs will be uploaded to LoTW and eQSL. For more details, logs and pictures of his last operation, visit:

A3, TONGA
Werner, DJ9KH, will be active as A31WH from Vava'u Island (OC-064), between February 20th and March 3rd (2013). Activity will be on the HF bands, depending on propagation. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the DARC Bureau.
ADDED NOTE: Werner will activate Tongatapu (OC-049) before going to Vava'u Island.

CARIBBEAN TOUR
Bjorn, SM0MDG, is now active as V26BM from Antigua until January 4th. After his activity from Antigua, he will travel to Montserrat and be active as VP2MSW between January 4-8th. Activity from both locations will be holiday style with limited high bands operations with a focus on 17 and 15 meters and with possible operations on 10 meters if propagation allows. If possible, there may be some 160 meters operations from Montserrat on 160 meter. This is an ultra-lite operation using a FT-857D and simple wire antennas. Look for the log to be uploaded to LoTW after his return home. QSL manager is Tim, M0URX, either direct or use his OQRS with preferred options at:

DXCC NEWS
A couple of sources are reporting that Bill Moore, NC1L, ARRL Awards Branch Manager, is now accepting the following operations for DXCC credit:
 5T0SP - Mauritania; 2012 operation
 J6/W4VAB - St. Lucia; 2012 operation
 ZL9HR - Campbell Island; 2012 operation

IDXC 2013
Registration is now open for the 2013 International DX Con- vention (IDXC). This is the 64th year of this convention, but in 2013 the location has been changed to the Visalia Convention Center in down- town Visalia, CA. The IDXC is an ARRL sanctioned event and will be held between April 19-21st. For more details, visit the following Web site at:

IOTA NEWS
NA-085. Dennis, WA2USA, will be active as homecall/4 from St. George Island (USI FL0076S, Franklin County), Florida, between January 20th and February 27th (2013). On this trip he also plans to activate the lighthouse (ARLHS USA-1057, WLOTA 3178) while on the island. Activity will be mostly CW on 30/20/15 meters, with some SSB on 40/20 meters. He also plans to be in the ARRL International DX CW Contest (February 16-17th) and the NAQP RTTY Contest (February 23-24th) as Single-Op/All-Band entries. QSL via his home callign, by the Bureau or direct. Logs will be uploaded to LoTW. Visit his Web site at:

SA-096. (Update/NEW IOTA) Just a reminder that operators Cezar/VE3LYC, Johan/PA3EXX, Alex/LU5WW and possibly more Argentinian operators will be active as LU6W (pending) from Escondida Island in the Chubut Province North IOTA Group between January 2-6th. Activity will be for four days using two stations. Activity will be on 40-10 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via VE3LYC, direct or by the Bureau. See their Web page below for more details. There is a Web page available at:

ISWL CALLSIGNS (For January)
The following ISWL club callsigns will be used throughout the month of January 2013:

GX4BJC/A - Operated from Walton on the Naze, in Essex, by Herbie, G6XOU. (/A WAB Square = TM22 - England & IOTA = EU-005).

MX1SWL/A - Operated from Great Sutton, in Cheshire, by Geof, M0BAU. (/A WAB Square = SJ37 - England & IOTA = EU-005).

MX1SWL/P - Operated from other English locations, by Geof, M0BAU. (/P WAB Squares can be requested during the QSO. IOTA = EU-005).

J8, ST. VINCENT & GRENADINES
Al, W6HGF, will be active as J8/W6HGF near Kingston on St. Vincent between January 9-24th (2013). Activity will be focused on RTTY using dipoles and a traveling beam. QSL via direct to his home callsign (NO IRCs), LoTW or ClubLog (OQRS available after operation). For more details, see:

KH6BZF PROPAGATION FORECAST/REPORT (December 31st-January 1st)

 Dec/31st  HN      Jan/03rd  AN      Jan/05th  AN
 Jan/01st  AN      Jan/04th  AN      Jan/06th  AN
 Jan/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

OE2013, AUSTRIA (Special Event)
Every Austrian amateur radio operator has a chance to operate with the special callsign OE2013(???)(their own suffix) between January 15th and February 18th (2013). Activity is to celebrate the Alpine Ski World Championships 2013 taking place in Schladming. An award is available for three different classes (Gold, Platinum and Diamond). Each class requires a certain number of special event stations and OE stations logged. Each special event station or OE station will only count once on each band. All bands and the below listed modes may be used; the only exception Packet radio and Echo Link contacts do not count. The award may be worked in the following modes: CW, SSB, DIGITAL, MIXED and QRP (max. 10 Watts). For complete details, visit:

QSL INFO AND NEWS

  QSL-INFO from DB0SDX (dated December 30th)
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  3Z6M via SP6IEQ       EG2MEJ via EG2MCK               R60SKV via RA1QD
  4L1HD via DL8KAC      EI/MM0MUN via MM0MUN            RA/NT2X via RW1AI
  7P8JA via JE1WVQ      EI/W5GN via W5GN                RU20WC via RV9WB
  7P8ZM via JO1CRA      ER4DX via RA4LW (d)             SP9EVP via SP9BGL
  9A8BEN via DO1BEN     EX2U via IK2QPR                 T8CW via JA0FOX
  9K2UU via EA5ZD       FK8GX via W3HNK                 TF3IG via TF3-035
  A61AS via YO3FRI      FO/JI1JKW via JI1JKW            TF3ML via TF3-035
  CW90A via CX2ABC      HZ1NM via IZ8CLM                UN8FE via IK2QPR
  DA0NR via DL1BDF    KL1A/W2 via RW3AH (d OE-Address)  VE3/G3SXW via G3SXW
  E70YL via E77E        OG30OJ via OH3OJ                YA/IZ1CCK via IZ1BWB
  EA8/PD1DX via PD1DX   PR2X via PY2ADR                 YM1KD via TA1BX
                                                        ZV2K via PY2SHF
             (d) direct only   (B) Bureau only  (L) LoTW only

QSL RECEIVED VIA LoTW: 5R8IC, 9L0W, C6AKQ, CT3AS, EL2ES, OM3JH, SM4RGD, and Z37M

QSLS RECEIVED VIA MAIL: 1A0C, DU1GM, H44RK, H44USMC, JW7XM, OJ0R, P2NNI, P29VPB and RI1FJ

QSLS RECEIVED VIA THE BUREAU: 3XY1D, 4O/ES5TV, 4S7UCG, DL4JS/6W, 9H9OB, 9X0SP, C98RF, EA6/DL7UCX, EA8/DL2DXA, HB0/DJ1IA, HB0/DL4MP, OX3JZ, OX3KQ, OX3XR, PJ5G, PJ5/DL7VOG, SV5/DL2DXA, T6SS, TK/DK1DKE, TO7ZG, UN7RK, V31YN and XP1A

V2, ANTIGUA & BARBUDA
Alan, N3AD, will once again be active as V26M for the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 2-3rd) as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. QSL via his home callsign.

VK9L, LORD HOWE ISLAND
Several JA operators are expected to be active as callsign/VK9L from the Blue Lagoon on Lord Howe Island between January 11-18th (2013). The following operators were mentioned:

  Tatsuo, JA3ARJ/VK9L (via JA3ARJ)   Kunio (JA1CJA), AE6XY/VK9L (via JA1CJA)
  Lida, JA3BZO/VK9L (via JA3BZO)     Masumi (JA3AVO), W7AVO/VK9L (via JA3AVO)
  Shozo, JA3HJI/VK9L (via JA3HJI)    Hiroko (JH3PBL), W7PBL/VK9L (via JH3PBL)

ZF2, CAYMAN ISLANDS
Pete, K8PGJ, will be active as ZF2PG on Grand Cayman (NA-016) during the week of January 12-20th. Activity (when not diving) will occur on 20 to 15 meters SSB during the morning and early afternoon on the weekdays. He will be operating in the NAQP Contest on 20 and 40 meters. QSL via his home callsign or LoTW.

PLEASE NOTICE (as of February 12, 2007), NEW ADDRESS CHANGES FOR THE OPDX INTERNET HELP/SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE REQUEST:

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