The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Special Bulletin No. 1345.1
BID: $OPDX.1345.1
Dece,ber 29, 2017
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF80.ORG (Cleveland, Ohio)
Written/Sent From Murfreesboro, TN
Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, AB5K & the AR TelNet Clusters Network, E21EIC, K0IR and OH2BH for the following DX information.
3Y0Z BOUVET ISLAND DXPEDITION (Press Release # 10, dated December 29th). We recently reached yet another milestone in our quest to activate Bouvet Island. DAP, the Chilean company that owns and operates the M/V Betanzos and the helicopters has satisfied the last contractual requirements, prior to departure. We submitted to them a "fit for purpose" checklist with 120 items as part of our contract. They have satisfied all the checklist items, and we will be transferring almost ½ million US dollars to them in the next few days. So, we are happy to report that we are on schedule for a January 13, 2018, departure to Bouvet Island, the World’s most isolated island and the number two most wanted DX entity. All team members will meet in Punta Arenas, Chile no later than January 10, 2018. We will attend a one and one-half day marine safety course, purchase last minute supplies and then fly across the Drake Passage to King George Island in the South Shetlands. There, we will board the newly refurbished Chilean vessel M/V Betanzos, and begin our 9 to 11-day voyage to Bouvet. The team feels confident knowing that the ship’s captain and many of the crew have been with the vessel for eight years, and have extensive Southern Ocean experience. The Captain reports he has previously been to Bouvet. Sea ice has been reported along a direct route to Bouvet, and that may dictate we take a more northerly course, before turning East to approach Bouvet. That may add day or two to our transit time. Our two helicopters have completed their 100-hour inspections, and are ready for service. There has been a thorough review of landing procedures and shelter and antenna layouts. We have three alternative anchoring systems to secure the shelters and antennas to the ice on the surface of Bouvet. So, the plan remains unchanged. We will have two stations on every open band whenever humanly possible, gain and directional antennas where possible, high power stations and a propagation-driven operation. The primary modes will be CW, SSB and RTTY. FT8 will be utilized if it is the only productive mode. Anyone preparing to utilize FT8 must read the 3Y0Z FT8 protocol on the Band Plan page of the DXpedition website. Complete information on band plans and frequencies, propagation pre- dictions and QSL procedures are available on the DXpedition website: http://www.bouvetdx.org You will find strategically placed "donate" buttons if you want to help with our substantial costs. I hope you share in the excitement of this great undertaking. We anxious to get underway! 73, Bob-K4UEE Ralph-K0IR Erling-LA6VM ------ ERITREA 2018 DXPEDITION (Press Release). [edited] "E31A The FGC Radio Team will active from Eritrea between 14-23 JAN 2018" -- Operators Zorro, JH1AJT, will travel to Asmara, Eritrea, with Franz/DJ9ZB, Dima/RA9USU, Yan/RZ3FW and Champ/E21EIC. They will be on CW, SSB and RTTY on 160m-6m. Main purpose of this trip is to support the Eritrea National Olympic Committee (E.N.O.C). The SEISA's group will "coordinate pre-game training camp" for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and select students for a scholarship program at the SEISA Kokusai Junior High School and University. QSL via JH1AJT: Y. Zorro Miyazawa P.O. Box 8 Oiso Naka-Gun Kanagawa 259-0111 Japan A OQRS will be available at ClubLog after his return to Japan. Support : FGC - Foundation for Global Children http://www.fgc.or.jp/english/ 73 Champ, E21EIC FGC Radio Team ----------- FROM THE OFFICES OF SANTA RADIO, FINLAND (Press Release, dated December 26th). [edited] SANTA RUN 10,000 -- LAST WEEK OF SANTA RADIO ACTIVITY OJ9X -- The major activity featuring Finland’s 100-year independent anniversary and the Christmas Santa Claus, originating from Finland, is now turning to its last 6-days. More than 42.000 QSOs are achieved by a large group of OH operators in the Far North of Europe. A special first-ever OJ9 callsign will expire Dec.31. when Santa stations fade down to the noise with Finland’s second century beginning. See www.qrz.com/db/OJ9X As the group wish to claim OJ9X for 50,000 QSOS they will look for all folks on all-bands for another 6-days. This includes 2M MS and EME plus 5MHz. If any issues you can communicate to the offices of Santa Radio at. You can find multiple CW stations by using RBN (Reverse Beacon Network) while the SSB stations plan to be in the vicinity of 1850, 3750, 7150, 14200 (14235 USA) 18140, 21300 and 28500 kHz. You can view their mission in numbers: https://secure.clublog.org/charts/?c=OJ9X All QSOs will be confirmed by ClubLog, LOTW and via bureaus. Santa Radio folks wish everyone a Happy 2018.
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