Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 549
February 11, 2002

The Ohio/Penn DX PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 549
BID: $OPDX.549
February 11, 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, N1IBM, NC1L, K2KQ, K2SX, KD2DL, KF2HC, W3LEO, W3UR & The Daily DX, N4AA & QRZ DX, W4PJI, W4ZYT, WB4PVT, W5UE, WH7Y, K8YSE, KU9C, ARRL Letter, CE6TBN, DJ4ZB, DL1EK & DX News Letter, DL2FAG, DL2RUM, DL2VFR, DL6KAC, F5NQL & UFT, F6BFH, IZ8BRI & Diamond News, JE2EHP, ON5NT, PS7AB, UN5PR, VA3RJ & ICPO, VK3DI, VK4CP, YT1HA and ZS4BS for the following DX information.

DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT: According to the AR-Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 3/February, through Sunday, 10/February there were 242 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3C, 3D2, 3DA, 3V, 3W, 4J, 4L, 4S, 4W, 4X, 5A, 5B, 5H, 5N, 5R, 5T, 5U, 5V, 5X, 5Z, 6W, 6Y, 7Q, 7X, 8P, 8Q, 8R, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9L, 9M2, 9M6, 9Q, 9U, 9V, 9Y, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C2, C3, C5, C6, CE, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D4, DL, DU, E4, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EL, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, EX, EY, EZ, F, FG, FJ, FK, FM, FO, FP, FR, FW, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, H4, HA, HB, HC, HI, HK, HK0/a, HL, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J2, J3, J6, J7, 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, PY0F, PZ, S2, S5, S7, S9, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T2, T30, T31, T32, T7, T8, T9, TA, TF, TG, TI, TI9, TK, TL, TN, TR, TT, TU, TY, TZ, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5, V7, V8, VE, VK, VK9N, VP2E, VP2V, VP5, VP6, VP8, VP8/g, VP8/h, VP8/o, VP9, VQ9, VR, VU, XE, XU, XW, XX9, XZ, YA, YB, YI, YK, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z2, Z3, ZA, ZB, ZC4, ZD7, ZD9, 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).

5U, NIGER. The Italian team is now active through February 18th. Callsigns seen so far are: 5U6W (6m station), 5U1A, 5U4R and 5U8B. Activity is expected to be on 160-6 meters CW/SSB/RTTY/PSK31. QSL via I2YSB. For more details, check the Web page at: http://www.qsl.net/niger-2002/

7Q, MALAWI. Harry, G0JUM, is expected to be active as 7Q7HB around February 17th. The length of his stay and bands/modes of operations are unknown at this time. QSL via G0IAS.

C6, BAHAMAS. Mike/WA2VUN and Gene/K2KJI will be heading for the Grand Bahamas on Monday, February 11th. They are expected to have two stations active and set up in two separate condos. Mike will operate as C6AJF and Gene as C6ALC. This will be a family vacation, so operating time will be limited. Simple wire antennas will be used, and Mike will have a go at it on 6 meters with a 6 meter dipole. QSL via home calls direct or via the bureau.

DXCC NEWS. Bill Moore, NC1L, DXCC Manager, reports: "3V8GI (Tunisia) has been on hold awaiting supporting documentation. This has been received, and upon review, it is now being accepted for DXCC credit. Anyone who had this rejected during a recent submission can contact DXCC at [ dxcc@arrl.org ] for an update to their record. Or, it can be sent with the next submission for credit."

EA8, CANARY ISLANDS. Axel, DL5SDK, will be active as EA8/DL5SDK, March 17-22nd. Activity will be on 14300, 21350 and 28400 kHz using only a 100 watts into a 3 element tri-band beam. QSL via the bureau.

EP, IRAN (Update to OPDX.547). Ghis, ON5NT, informs OPDX that he talked to EP3UN on 20m SSB (February 10th, 1600z ). This is Stig, LA7JO, who just got his own callsign. Stig has operated recently on CW from EP3PTT. EP3PTT (CW QSOs by Stig) and EP3UN are QSLed via LA7JO. Stig will be out of the country in about 2 days for a five weeks mission. He should be back in Teheran by the end of March and will stay for another 3 months. Stig said he would be active as much as possible on different bands with his new callsign when he gets back.

H40, TEMOTU PROVINCE (Update). Babs/DL7AFS and Lot/DJ7ZG, currently active as H44LB and H44ZG, will be active as H40T from Temotu starting around the 11th of February until the 2nd of March. Also, Stefan, DL2GAC, will be joining their group now. QSL for this activity will go via DL7AFS. For any up-to-date news, watch their home page at: http://www.qsl.net/dl7afs/ QSL to DL7AFS via the DARC or direct to: Baerbel Linge, Eichwaldstr. 86, D-34123 Kassel, Germany. Remember, that 2 USD or 1 (new IRC) is needed for airmail postage!

IOTA NEWS...............

J7, GRENADA. Don, K2KQ, will be active as J37ZA between February 10-20th. He will be active in the ARRL DX CW Contest as a Single Op/All Band/High Power entry.

JD1, OGASAWARA AND MINAMI TORISHIMA (FYI!). Yoshi, JE2EHP, informed the DX community that JM1KNI/JD1 has been operating from Ogasawara, and as far as he is aware, there are no active hams on Minami Torishima (another JD1) presently. Minami Torishima is a restricted area only for the Meteorological Agency and the Self-Defense Force. He states, "So we just have to wait for some hams related to those two organiztions to land on the island. Let's keep our fingers crossed!"

KG4, GUANTANAMO BAY. Don, W4ZYT, informs OPDX that as of now, the planned Guantanamo Bay operation by the Virginia DX Century Club appears to be a go. They will be there from February 12-20th, and should be operational February 12-19th, with participation in the ARRL CW DX Contest. Activity will be on all bands and modes, including PSK-31. The operators are: Don W4ZYT/KG4ZK, O.B. W4SD/KG4SD, Chuck N8CH/KG4NW, Gordon KU4EC/KG4EC, and Chet N6ZO/KG4??. They will use the VaDXCC Club Callsign KG4DZ in the contest. Please QSL via the individual stations. QSL KG4DZ via W4SD. Bureau cards are fine, but should go via the individual operator's HOME CALL BUREAU as there is no longer a KG4 Bureau.

KH4, MIDWAY ISLAND (Another Cancelled Op). Rudi/DL7VFR and Tom/DL2RUM have announced that their planned trip to Midway in March is now cancelled once again. This is due to the reason mentioned in last week's bulletin that all scheduled flights to and from the island have been cancelled. This means that the island is "out of range" for low budget operation and individuals need to charter their own ship/aircraft now. DL2RUM will try to go to ZK2 during that time, DL7VFR might stay on KH6.

MM0, SCOTLAND. Leo, W3LEO, will once again be active from Portpatrick in southwest Scotland from about February 25th through March 28th. His callsign will be MM0LEO, and he plans to be in the ARRL International DX SSB Contest. He will use an Icom 706 (100 watts]), an R-5 vertical [10, 12, 15, 17, 20 meters], and a 40-meter dipole [in inverted-V configuration]. QSL via W3LEO. Reference Numbers are: Grid Square - IO-74ku; Worked All Britain [WAB] Square - NW-95; CQ Zone - 14; ITU Zone - 27 and IOTA - EU-005 [Great Britain]. LEO'S ADDED NOTES: The nearby pub is only about 35 or so steps from the front door of the cottage. Some URLs to check: Moir Cottage [MM0LEO's QTH]: http://www.moir-cottage.co.uk/ Harbour House [the pub's location]: http://www.harbourhouse.co.uk/

NEW CLUB OFFICERS...............

P5, NORTH KOREA. According to the KK5DO Web site, Ed, P5/4F4LN, will be off the air for approximately 2 weeks while on an inspection tour of the World Food Program field offices. For updates, stay to tuned to the Web page: http://www.amsatnet.com/P5.HTML

PIRATE ALERT. Dennis, ZS4BS, informs OPDX that all contacts with 7Q8/ZS6GH and C9/ZS6GH are null and void. No licences were issued for these operations.

PJ2, NETHERLAND ANTILLES. Look for operators Geoff/W0CG, Elmer/W8AV, Tom/W8TK, Noel/W9EFL, Stephen/N8LGP and Anthony/N7BG to be active as PJ2/homecall from Curacao, February 12-19th. QSL via their home callsign. They will also participate in the ARRL DX CW Contest as PJ2T. QSL via N9AG.

PJ7, ST. MAARTEN. Brian, KD2DL, will be active as PJ7/KD2DL from the Dutch side of St. Maarten, March 2-9th. Activity will be on 17 meters CW centered around 18080 kHz. He will be using QRP equipment from the ARRL's W1FB QRP classic designs and the RAM's (K9LY/KB9II) QRP club project. QSL to his home callsign.

PW0, TRINDADE. Just a quick reminder that next week the Araucaria DX Group, with unprecedented cooperation from the Brazilian authorities and Navy, will sponsor a major DXpedition to Trindade and Martin Vaz Archipelago, February 18th through March 2nd. Trindade and Martin Vaz Archipelago currently appears near the top of the "Most Wanted" lists. Operations on 160 through 6 meters, including the WARC bands, will include RTTY, PSK31, and SSTV. Amateur satellite activity is uncertain at this time. Special planning will insure that the low bands and 6 meters are activated with appropriate antennas and experienced operators dedicated to beating the challenges these bands offer. Additional details regarding the DXpedition will be reported next week, or go their official website at: http://www.Trindade2002.com The team received very short notice of the departure date, therefore, intense preparations are underway. The group anticipates total expenses in the area of 20,000 USD and is still looking financial support and contributions which can be sent via mail to: Dennis Motschenbacher K7BV, 4357 Appollonio Way Carson City, NV 89704

QSL INFO AND NEWS...........

SPECIAL EVENT (Winter Olympics). The West Desert Amateur Radio Club will sponsor special event station W7U to commemorate the 2002 Winter Olympics Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Look for W7U to be on the air now through February 24th. Suggested frequencies are on or around: 3768, 14250, 21300 and 28400 kHz. QSL to W7EO: PO Box 98, Grantsville, UT 84029.

SPECIAL EVENT. Look for members of the Eastern and Mountain District Radio Club to activate special event station VI3GP from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, between the period of 0001z on February 26th until 2359z on March 15th. The station is being activated to commemorate the running of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne. QSL direct via VK3ER at P.O. Box 87, MITCHAM VICTORIA 3132, or via bureau.

SPECIAL EVENT. The Midlands Amateur Radio Club will be operating another in the series of special event stations during the weekend of the 3rd, 4th and 5th of May to commemorate the roles played by the British, Boers and brave Zulus during the "Anglo Boer South African War of 1899-1902". The callsign will be ZS100ABW. Two separate stations will be operating (mainly on phone) from Lancaster Hill, Vryheid in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, from approximately 1600 (h) on the Friday and closing down early on the Sunday morning when a "Remembrance Service" will be held in recognition of those who lost their lives in the "Battle of Holkrans". The preferred bands will be 40 and 20 meters with 80 meters during the evenings depending on prevailing conditions. All contacts will be acknowledged with an attractive QSL card. Please QSL either via the Bureau or to Midlands Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 100220, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa direct. They will also be operating a final station from Spioenkop - scene of one of the bloodiest battles fought to relieve Ladysmith - on 31st May. Any queries can be directed to Willie Axford, ZS5WI by E-mail to: zs5wi@iafrica.com Or by telephone to 035 - 4744667. Alternatively, you can write to either Errol Wilson or the Chairman at the above address. For more information of a historical nature, E-mail Sean Friend at: seanfriend@dorea.co.za

TI9, COCOS ISLAND. Just a reminder that the TI9M DXpedition will begin next weekend (February 17th through March 4th). Rob, N4CD, informs OPDX that everything is a go. The DXpedition team includes: TI2HMG, AD6E, AK0A, F5CWU, KA0KKO, KI7WO, N4CD, N6KT, N7DF, PA3EWP, PA5ET, RA9CO, RN3BZ, WS4Y and IZ7ATN. Activity will be on 160-6 meters including the WARC bands on CW/SSB/RTTY. Five stations will be operating from a location in the Chatham Bay area. One of the five stations will be dedicated for RTTY operation and another for 6 meters. QSL via AK0A: Bill Boeckenhaupt, 8904 Westbrooke Dr, Overland Park, KS 66212, USA). Updates and details can be found on their Web site at: http://www.qsl.net/ti9m/

V7, MARSHALL ISLAND. Look for Jim, W7UG, to be active this week as V73UG from Kwajalein. He is expected to be active in the ARRL DX CW Contest (February 16-17th). Before the contest (February 11-15th), he will concentrate on the WARC bands. QSL via home callsign.

VK9M, MELLISH REEF (Update). According to a press release on February 5th, the international team of operators included G4EDG, JH7OHF, JJ1LIB, JP1TRJ, K3NA, VK4DH, VK4GL, VK4WR, VK4APG and ZL4PO. The DXpedition is set to take place April 12-22nd. They will have 5 stations operating on all bands 160-6 meters (including WARC) on CW, SSB and some RTTY. A station and an operator (VK4APG) will be dedicated on 6 meters. They would like to acknowledge Yaesu, The Chiltern DX Club, 5 Star DXers Association, BT Exact Technologies and PCA.AA in helping activate Mellish Reef. Visit the VK9ML website at: http://www.qsl.net/vk9ml/2002/

VP8GEO. Reportedly went QRT ON February 4th around 1200Z.

XE, MEXICO. Lothar, DJ4ZB, will be active from Puebla as XE1/DJ4ZB from February 12-28th. No details on bands/modes of operation were provided.

YA, AFGHANISTAN (YA5T Update). Robert, S53R, reports: "YA5T is back on the air since 30th of January, running only 100W and R7 vertical. 80 and 160 will be very difficult due to space restrictions, but we will try to do something. We also face problems on 30m band, with extremely nasty local noise. Due to heavy workload only evenings (after 1300 or 1400 zulu) are suitable for us. Now that we are 2 here (S53R and ON4WW) we may find some more time even during the night times. Pile-ups are huge. So far some 4000 CW-only QSOs were made. Mostly EU, some JA and just a few hundred US. E U R O P E !!! Please give a chance to US guys. When we say US only, please do not break in. Path from US to YA is extremely difficult, openings short and signals marginal. All EU guys stand a very good chance of working us, but for Ws, things are much different, and the more we go into spring the harder it will be for them. Once again-show a great deal of ham-spirit and let them work us too! There were quite a few slims heard during the past week. To make sure you can check if you are in the log, we will try and make arrangements to put the logs on the web. Be patient."

YZ, YUGOSLAVIA. Members of the Radio Club in Novi Beograd, "Radio Sekcija Kozara", YU1AAV, will be active in the ARRL DX CW Contest as YZ1V as a Multi Op/All Bands/Single Transmitter entry. Operators will be: YZ1ZV, YT1HA and 4N1FAN. QSL via: RC "Novi Beograd", Radio Sekcija "Kozara", Jurija Gagarina 210-p, YU-11070 Novi Beograd, Serbia, Yugoslavia. QSLs via bureau are OK.

ZY0, ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL ROCKS. Joaquim, PS7JN, is planning a new DXpedition to Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, and he will be active as ZY0SAT from February 23rd through March 10th (dates may change). As of now, he confirms that he will only operate on SSB on the HF bands (40/20/15/10m) with an ATLAS 210X (split mode listening 5 kHz up) using only 10-50 watts into a dipole antenna. His activity will be limited to his spare time because he is on a geological survey of the islets. He will be going with 2 geology students to help in researches. His intent was to operate on the satellite and digital modes (packet, RTTY, SSTV and PSK31) but his equipment needs some repair (a notebook without floppy and hard disk drive). Joaquim is looking for anyone who has a FDD, HDD and a modem to donate to him on this DXpedition (and future op). QSL to PS7JN: Joaquim das Virgens, Rua Carlos Serrano, 1969, CEP 59076-740 Natal-RN, Brazil.


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