The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 242
BID: $OPDX.242
February 12, 1996
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF-80 BBS Cleveland, Ohio
Online at 216-237-8208 14400/9600/2400/1200/300 8/N/1

Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, ARRL Letter, K1KI, WA4JQS, KK6H, K9EC/4, WL7MY, WE9V, DF4RD, DJ5JH, I1HYW, PS7AB and G4BUE & DX News Sheet for the following DX information.

4K2, FRANZ JOSEF LAND. The DX News Sheet reports Sergey, R1FJZ, is often active on 3503 kHz and on 160 meters between 1100-1200z. He has worked 170 EU and JA stations on 160 meters but only VE1ZZ and KL7RA in North America. Stateside reports from the Ohio/Penn Network also show his activity on 7003 kHz between 1230 and 1330z and on 14243 kHz at 0915z. Sergey will be going QRT in August and the Russian government may be discontinuing their Arctic bases making further activity rare.

BRAZILIAN NEWS. Rony, PS7AB, reports to look out for the following stations and islands that will be active:

• Imbituba Lighthouse (DFB SC-09) - Look for ZW5IZ from February 15-25th. Activity will be on SSB/CW with operations on 80-10 meters. QSL via PP5VB: PO Box 13, Imbituba/SC, 88780-000, Brasil.
• Trindade Island (IOTA SA-010, DIB-02, DFB OC-04) - There will be activity from PY0TI between February-May. Activity will be on SSB/CW with operations 80-10 meters. QSL via PY1UP: Rua Alfredo Becker 536, Bloco 5, apt 1101, Sao Goncalo/RJ, 24452-000, Brasil.
• Grande Santa Izabel Island (IOTA SA-025, DIB-19). Be looking for ZW8P February 16-20th on SSB/CW. Operations on 80-10 meters. QSL via PS8DX: Av. Dom Severino 846, Teresina/PI, 64049-380, Brasil.

BV9P QSL CARD UPDATE. Steve, KU9C, has just heard from Wayne, W4MPY, that 261 pounds of QSL cards for BV9P left his QTH on Thursday, and Steve should be receiving them soon. He plans to have all QSL card requests that do not require serious log searching out by February 29th with the help of Ralph, K2PF. The card that everyone will be receiving is a beautiful folding card with several pictures of the May/June 1995 DXpedition crew and the island itself. The back side gives a lot of details on the BV9P operation. For those of you who can't wait to see the card, Wayne, W4MPY has offered to provide a scan of the picture side of the QSL card on his home page: http://www.mindspring.com/~w4mpy

This card will be used to confirm QSOs from all three BV9P operations to date.

FS, SAINT MARTIN. Paul, WX9E, will be active from the QTH of FS5PL beginning on February 12th. He will be using FS/WX9E except during the ARRL DX CW Contest. Mike, N0BSH, and Chad, WE9V, will join Paul and be active from February 22nd to March 6th and sign FS/N0BSH and FS/WE9V. The group will be active on CW/SSB on all bands 10-160 meters including WARC bands. Chad will also make a special effort to activate FS on RTTY. The group will be active for the CQWW 160 SSB contest for a Multi-Op effort. The group will also operate in the Multi-Two category for the ARRL DX SSB Contest. All contest efforts from FS will use the call FS5PL or a special call not yet known. QSL FS/homecall via the homecall using the new CBA. QSL FS5PL (or special contest call) via WX9E, for both the CQWW DX 160 SSB and ARRL DX 1996 contests "ONLY".

HS, THAILAND. The DXNS reports John, HS0ZAA, has written the rules for HS stations to operate on 80 and 160 meters and submitted them to the Frequency Board.

NEW PREFIXES FOR NEW UK HAMS. The ARRL Letter reports that new M-prefix call signs will start showing up on the bands this spring. The United Kingdom is running out of the familiar G-series call signs the government has issued since the 1920s for most UK stations. The Radiocommunications Agency will begin issuing the M-series calls starting April 1 to all new full licenses (both Class A and B). The first call sign, M0AAA, has already been awarded to the Reading and District Amateur Radio Club (on behalf of the Reading Novices Amateur Aerial Association). RADARC reports it will use the club-station version of the call, MX0AAA, beginning April 1 and offer a special QSL card to mark the occasion. RADARC says the UK's Radiocommunications Agency will follow the same prefix pattern it's used for the G-series calls over the years: MW stations will be in Wales, MM will be Scotland, MI for Northern Ireland, etc. Existing G stations are not affected by the move to the new call sign block.

NL7, BARREN ISLANDS (New IOTA). Richard/N6IV/KL7, John/NL7TB and others will again attempt to activate these new islands for the "US Islands Award Program" and the "Islands On The Air Program". Their main goal will be to totally concentrate on Ushagat Island, the largest of the seven island groups. The team will depart from Homer, Alaska, and plans to be active on the July 5-8th. Operations will be mainly on 14260 khz, but the team will be using a vertical which can be used on 40 meters also. Weather will play a major factor in this operation, but the team has made provisions to "wait out the WX" for several days if needed. QSL NL7TB direct only to the 1996 callbook. ADDED NOTE: Time and weather permitting, the team plans to activate islands for the "Canadian Islands Awards Program" on the return trip. VY1ISL may be used in the Yukon.

QSL MANAGER'S ADDRESS CHANGE. Mike, K9EC, QSL Manager for VS6WO has recently moved from Chicago to Atlanta. He wants to inform OPDX readers that his callbook address is no longer valid. All QSL requests for VS6WO should go to: Michael Zeug K9EC, 3850 Sugar Pike Rd, Canton, GA 30115. QSLs via K9EC at the 9th call area bureau are OK. Please do NOT send cards directly to VS6WO at the Hong Kong bureau! It takes a year or more from the time those cards get to the Hong Kong bureau before they make it back to Mike! Mike would also ask all DXers waiting for VS6WO QSLs from the 1995 CQWW Contests to please be patient. He is expecting to receive the logs for those contests very soon and QSL cards will be sent out as soon as possible after he receives the logs.

V4, NEVIS. Mike, N0BSH, will be active from here from February 14-21st, which will include an all band entry in the ARRL DX CW contest. He has applied for the callsign V47NZ. His activity will be CW (mostly) and SSB on 10-160 meters including WARC bands. QSL via N0BSH: Michael Tessmer, 1702 1/2 Loomis Street, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54603

VK6, LACEPEDE ISLAND (NEW IOTA). Malcom, VK6LC, will be active sometime in May. This island is located in the Western Australia State (Northwest Coast) East group. These islands are very remote and will take up to 6 hours to navigate through 4000 kms of dangerous tracks. This expedition will cost $5000 (US) in which Malcom will bear most of the cost. The Diamond DX Club is trying to help raise $1000 (US) in donations to help pay for this DXpedition. Contributions can be sent to the Diamond DX Club, c/o I1HYW, Gianni Varetto, P.O. Box 1, 10060 Pancalieri, (Torino), Italy.

VK0, HEARD ISLAND. Tony Deprato, WA4JQS/VP8BZL, and founder of the South Sandwich Island Antarctic DX Group (SSIDXG), has informed the DX community that with the reactivation of the KK6EK and ON6TT Heard Island DX group's plans to go to Heard Island, SSIDXG has decided to step aside. SSIDXG had planned to land on Heard Island this year for a three week operation. Tony stated their landing date was set for December 2, 1996. SSIDXG had transportation worked out for their operation along with shipping arrangements for all their equipment and gear to the shipping company. SSIDXG cited the following reasons for stepping aside:

1. A MAJOR SPLIT would come about in the DX world as DXERs would have to make a decision as to which group to support.
2. That the other Heard Island group left their gear in VK-LAND and would either have to have it returned at an additional expense to their group. This would not be fair to anyone or group.
3. Since a joint effort had been refused the DX WORLD could not afford to support money wisely to two "HIGHLY EXPENSIVE DXPEDITIONS TO THE SAME ISLAND."

OPDX feels Tony Deprato and the SSIDXG should be commended for their great sportsmen attitude in this decision. OPDX will be looking forward to and supporting any SSIDXG DXpedition in the future.

VK0WH JANUARY LOG UPDATE. Jim, VK9NS, reports that he has received the log for January from Warren and he was very inactive for almost two weeks during the month. Warren is currently back on, but he prefers CW due to his receiver set up - he has lots of noise (man made) and finds SSB hard work. Check 7009 kHz around 1020z. All VK0WH QSL cards received to date have been replied to. There are a couple of "slim slots" effecting the W8 call area. No other reports will be made available until Jim gets back from Tonga on March 21st.

XX9, MACAO. Mine, JE1CTM, is planning a short trip here and hopes to be active from Taipa Island. More details will be published in the upcoming weeks.

ZA PIRATE. Wolff, DJ5JH, reports the call sign of his XYL, DJ8UY, has been used by somebody in July, 1995, and QSLs for DJ8UY/ZA have began showing up. Most are marked "via DJ8QP". Wolff states, "Do not waste your QSL for this one."

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Tedd Mirgliotta KB8NW
InterNet: kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org
Basic Amateur Radio Frequency BBS (BARF-80) +1 216/237-8208
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