Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 500
February 26, 2001

The Ohio/Penn DX PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 500
BID: $OPDX.500
February 26, 2001
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, NC1L, KP2L, N2CY, WB2YQH/WB2RAJ & The 599 DX Report, N3DQU, W3UR & The Daily DX, K4ZLE, K4VUD, N4AA & QRZ DX, WD4NGB, N5FG, W6CUA, K8YSE, W8EB, K9EL, KU9C, K0YR, 9A6AA, DJ7IK, DK1WI, DL1EK & DX News Letter, DL4KQ, DL7NFK, EA5KB, F5NOD, F6AJA & Les Novelles, GM0GAV, I2RFJ, VE3EXY, VE7DP, VK4CP, VU2JOS and ZR1DQ for the following DX information.

MESSAGE FROM EDITOR: Reviews on OPDX's new "DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT" and "DXCC/Entities Chart of Activity" (for subscribers) were very favorable, even though, there were a few (not many) QSNs that were not reported right. As always, there were a few who were skepictal of the report. Especially the amount of activity that was reported. First let me say, last week's data was received just before going to print, and I was running behind and did not totally examine the report. Out of 252 DXCC/Entities reported, only 13 were questionable. Most noted were: 1S, 3C0, CE0X, FR/j, HM, JD/o, KH1, KH5K, S0, VU4, XZ, YA and ZD9. The main reason for these few QSNs showing up on the report is because of "BUSTED CALLSIGNS". Other added factors are "Pirate/Slim Reports" and individuals using the "DX" command to announce something (such as receiving a QSL card from KH5K) instead of using the "ANNOUNCEMENT" command on their local Packet/TelNet Cluster. I promise I will "do my best" to weed these out and delete them in future reports...... 73 and GUD DX de Tedd KB8NW

DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT: According to the AR-Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 18/Feb, through Sunday, 25/Feb there were 241 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3B9, 3D2, 3D2/r, 3V, 3W, 3Y/b, 4J, 4L, 4S, 4U1I, 4U1U, 4W, 4X, 5A, 5B, 5H, 5N, 5R, 5W, 5Z, 6W, 6Y, 7P, 7Q, 7X, 8P, 8Q, 8R, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M2, 9M6, 9N, 9V, 9Y, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C3, C5, C6, C9, CE, CE0A, CE0Z, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D6, DL, DU, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EL, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, EX, EY, EZ, F, FG, FH, FJ, FK, FM, FO, FO/m, FP, FR, FW, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, H4, HA, HB, HB0, HC, HC8, HH, HI, HK, HK0/a, HL, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J2, J3, J5, J6, J7, J8, JA, JT, JW, JX, JY, K, KG4, KH0, KH2, KH4, KH6, KH8, KH9, 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, R1FJ, S5, S7, S9, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SV5, T2, T32, T33, T7, T8, T9, TA, TF, TG, TI, TK, TL, TR, TT, TU, TZ, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5, V7, V8, VE, VK, VK9N, VP2E, VP2M, VP2V, VP5, VP8, VP8/h, VQ9, VR, VU, XE, XU, XX9, YB, YI, YK, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z2, Z3, ZA, ZB, ZC4, ZD7, ZF, ZK1/s, ZK3, ZL, ZL9, ZP and ZS. PLEASE NOTE: The report "could" contain "Pirate/SLIM" operations. As always, you never know - "Work First Worry Later" (WFWL).

OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive an additional bulletin (due to its size) with a complete breakdown and "DXCC/Entities Chart of Activity".

3C, CONWAY REEF. Operators Raymon/YS1RR, Hrane/YT1AD, Branko/YU1FW, Ratko/ YU1NR, Rasa/YU1RL, Gojko/YU6AO, Vojislav/YU7AV, Dragan/Z32AU, and Mome/ Z32ZM were now active from Conway as 3D2CI until February 28th, before they leave for Fiji. The team is very busy but has had troubles. Their linears are down earlier, which obviously had an effect on the overall activity of the DXpedition, especially on lower bands. However, on Sunday, February 25th, they announced the linears were back in operation. They also reported that they were having big problems with waves (stating they are more than huge). The boat that was carring the food rolled over and sank. They said that it is very HOT, and members of the team were being sunburned. On Sunday they also mentioned that they were having problems with "birds". In spite of poor conditions, the team keeps busy all the time. Pileups are everywhere on any band. For more information and upto the minute (and I do mean upto the minute) bulletins, check the Web page at: http://www.kragujevac.co.yu/3d2/

3W, VIETNAM. Claude, F5PBL, will be in Ho Chi Minh City from March 22nd through the 30th. He will be active on 10 and 15 meters, mostly CW. He hopes to participate in the CQ WPX CW Contest. He is waiting for his callsign. QSL via F5PBL.

3Y, BOUVET. Deon, ZR1DQ, reported on February 22nd, that there is "Good News" to all the operators who have not worked Chuck, 3Y0C. The ship to Cape Town is being delayed by pack ice, and the date of departure from Bouvet seems to be later than March 2nd. Meanwhile, look for Chuck during following schedule:

4U, UNITED NATIONS HQ. Jun, JH4RHF, is now in U.S. on business and is currently in New York. He will try to operate from 4U1UN during the next several days. He was active during the past weekend on 17/15/10 meters.

4W, EAST TIMOR. Thor, 4W6MM, was heard active this past week on 40 meters CW and 15 meters RTTY. Check around 7016 kHz 1030-1200z and 21085 kHz 0700z.

5W & ZK, WESTERN SAMOA AND SOUTH COOK ISLANDS (Change In Plans/Update). We have been informed that Dominique's, F6EPY, plans/schedule have been changed since OPDX.499 (Please refer to it). He will now operate as 5W0 from February 27th through March 6th instead of French Polynesia. He will be active from South Cook Islands between March 7-16th.

7O1YGF STATUS. We continue to receive E-mail requests about the status of this Yemen operation. So, OPDX asked DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, and he reports: "We still have not received documentation yet, but they still say that they will have it for us. We need to wait and see."

9M6, EAST MALAYSIA. Look for Peter, G4MJS, to be active as 9M6BAA from March 21st through April 4th. Bands and modes of activity were not mentioned. QSL via G4SHF.

A5, BHUTAN. Charly, K4VUD (aka A52UD), reports that Kesang, A51KC, a newly licensed ham in Bhutan, is willing to make skeds for 10 meters (where he can only operate SSB) via E-mail. Kesang's E-mail address is: sophun@druknet.net.bt Charly recommends to strike now while winter propagation is still active. Meanwhile, A51AA has been on during the past week on 15 meters. The operator was Yesney. Check 21265 kHz between 1130 and 1400z. Activity by A51AA was also heard on 10 meters on 28480 kHz between 1030 and 1530z.

C5, THE GAMBIA. Mike/DL2OE and Hans/DL7CM are now active from here as C56/homecall until March 5th. Activity is expect to be on 160-6 meters CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via homecalls.

D6, COMOROS. The D68C operation continues to tear-up the bands with a high QSO count. The D68C online log can be found at the following address: http://www.dxbands.com/comoros/logbook.shtml

EM, ANTARCTICA. Paul, UX2HO, is now active signing EM1HO. He is located at the Ukrainian Base on an Argentine Island in the Antarctica. He just arrived on the island two weeks ago and is active on HF with 200w and a vertical. He is also active on 6 meters with 100w and a simple dipole. He will be installing a 4 element yagi on six meters in the future. On HF, he will be on SSB, CW and the digital modes (including RTTY and PSK31). Paul will be here for one year. QSL via I2PJA.

FS & PJ7, ST. MARTIN AND ST. MAARTEN. Joe, W3HNK, and his XYL are taking a well-deserved few weeks from the snow in W3 land to enjoy the sun in FS/PJ7 land. While there, Joe will be active from both the French and Dutch sides of the island as PJ7/W3HNK and FS/W3HNK. His activity will include some operations during the ARRL SSB Contest. Look for Joe from February 27th through March 15th. PLEASE NOTE: QSLs for this operation go to KU9C.

H4, SOLOMON ISLANDS. Operator Loti has been activating the club station H44AA recently. He was heard on 21250 kHz between 1200-1330z. QSL to: P.O. Box G-11, Honiara, Solomon Islands.

II2, ITALY. Members of the "Saronno DX Team" will activate their ARI site in Saronno (Varese), Italy (JN45MP), during the ARRL DX SSB Contest, March 3-4th, using the special callsign "II2R". QSL via the Bureau or P.O. Box 37, SARONNO 21047 Varese, ITALY, or the QSL Manager I2RFJ: Ivano Rigoli, Via Spluga 3, 21050 GORLA MAGGIORE (Varese), ITALY.

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

KG4, GUANTANAMO BAY. Pick/WA5PAE and Jay/K4ZLE expect to be active from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as KG4IZ and KG4MO respectively from March 16-25th. They plan to work 160-6 meters, mostly CW, some PSK31 and even a little SSB (but 'nyet' nets). Jay will make an appearance in CQ WPX SSB Contest. Pick says he will slow down to 5 wpm at times for the new "Extras". :-) QSL via home calls.

MJ, JERSEY ISLAND. Bernard/K8PT and Craig/K3PLV will be active March 14-20th as MJ/homecall. Look for them to be on 160-10 meters, with an emphasis on CW, RTTY and PSK31 and the WARC bands. QSL via their home callsigns.

NEW DX SPOTTING RECORD! Terry, AB5K, from AR-Technology, reports: Since August 1, 1999, we have run over 1 million spots on the AR-Cluster backbone. Thanks to all of the hub nodes, regional networks, nodes, sysops and users who have made this possible. The results from this past week's ARRL CW Contest were:

                    Saturday       Sunday      Peak Spots/Hr
   Worldwide Spots -  11,544       12,387          700
   U.S. Spots      -   6,364        8,756          550

PJ7, ST. MAARTEN. Ron/ND5S, his wife Sue/KF5LG, Bil/W8EB and his wife Dorothy/W8DVC plan to be here over the next few weeks. Ron operated as FS/ND5S last week from the French side of the island and participated in the ARRL DX CW Contest. He will operate from the Dutch side as PJ7/ND5S until March 3rd. Bill, W8EB, will arrive on the island February 26th and will operate from the Dutch side as PJ7WB and will participate in the ARRL DX Phone Contest as Single Op/Low Power entry with the callsign of PJ7B. There will be daily skeds with these Michigan hams now through March 18th on the frequency of 14273 at 2030z. Look for them on all bands, 160-10 meters, CW, SSB and RTTY. All QSLs are via their respective home callsign. Check out their Web site at: http://www.qsl.net/pj8a/

PSK31 AWARD. The Penn-Ohio DX Society (PODXS) has something PSK'ers enjoy working for. The "PODXS" has a free 070 Club PSK Award program available. For info about the "PODXS" and the 070 Club PSK Award, visit their Web site at: http://hometown.aol.com/n3dqu/podxs.htm

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

S2, BANGLADESH. Stig, S21YJ, still continues to be active for a few more weeks. He has been on almost daily on 14318 kHz between 1400-1500z. He will take down his antennas in early March. QSL via SM4AIO.

SPECIAL EVENT. Look for special event station, VI3GP, to be active on Wednesday, February 28, at 1300z through Sunday, March 4th, at 1300z. This special event callsign will be operated by the Eastern and Mountain District Radio Club Melbourne (EMDRC). The callsign has been issued to commemorate the running of the 2001 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday, March 4th. QSL via the VK3 Bureau, or direct to the EMDRC (QTHR), with SAE and return postage. If insufficient postage is received, the Special Event QSL card will be returned via the Bureau.

TR, GABON. Xavier, TR8CX, has been active on 10 meter FM lately. Check around/between 29175 and 29235 kHz between 1200-1600z.

V2, ANTIGUA (Operation Cancelled). Chuck, N2CY, informs OPDX that due to an unexpected trip he must make for his work, he will have to cancel his plans to operate the ARRL SSB Contest from V26. Chuck hopes to be able to try again during another contest and to put V26CY on the air.

V4, ST. KITTS AND NEVIS. Look for Joe, VE3BW, to sign V47CA from April 9-24th. Activity will be on all bands, but he also plans to be on 6 meters too.

VK9M, MELLISH REEF. The VK9WI team who bought you Willis Island in May, 2000, are at it again! Team members are David/VK4ZEK, Alan/VK4BKM, Peter/ VK4APG and Harris/VK4CWT. They will be active on Mellish Reef on 80-6 meters, April 21-24, 2001. This trip is primarily a survey trip to help facilitate the planning of a larger "full-on" DXpedition back to Mellish Reef in either late 2001 or early 2002. The team plans to be on the reef for approximately four days only. There will be one HF station operating continuously along with one 6 meter station. Suggested frequencies are:

Your pilots stations for this operations will be:

Please, no individual sked requests accepted. For the latest news on the VK9ML Mellish Reef Site-Survey/Activation in April 2001, visit the VK9ML Web site at: http://www.qsl.net/vk9ml/

VP2V, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS (Special Anniversary). To celebrate its 82nd birthday on February 26th, Bob Denniston, VP2VI, will re-create his first ever DXpedition on March 10-11th, on all bands, 160-10 meters. His first DXpedition was held during the ARRL DX Contest, the second weekend in March, 1948, from VP7NG in the Bahamas, lead by Bob Denniston, W4NNN, now VP2VI/W0DX. Denniston will re-create the original expedition conditions as much as possible, while operating from his Tortola QTH with 100 watts to 138 ft. and 66 ft. wire antennas and hand keying. The original expedition "Meissner Signal Shifter", 100 watt home brew amplifier, and Hallicrafters SX-28A will share the operating desk with contemporary gear. Some long-time friends have been invited to fill shifts during the 48-hour CW-only event. Look for them on 24 kHz up from band edges, except on the WARC bands. A commemorative QSL will be available with a SASE to QSL Manager W6RKC: Rick Casey, 10640 Tabeaud Road, Pine Grove, CA 95665. For more information, contact Jim Livengood at: kp2l@arrl.net

VP8, FALKLAND ISLANDS. Look for 4 members of the GMDX to be active from the Falkland Islands (SA-002) as VP8SDX, between April 23rd and May 8th. The operators will be Rob/GM3YTS, Jack/GM4COX, Tom/GM4FDM and Gavin/GM0GAV. They plan to have 2 stations active. Their main focus will be on CW, LF and the WARC bands. QSL via GM4FDM. Further information can be found on the Web page at: http://www.hfdx.co.uk/vp8sdx/

VU, INDIA. Jose, VU2JOS, reports that permission to use the following frequencies by VU Amateurs have been extended up to 1830z of July 31, 2001. Frequencies extend: 3790-3800 kHz, 10100-10150 kHz and 50.35 and 50.55 MHz.

XU, CAMBODIA. A small group of Germans (2-4 operators) will be active from here July 15th through August 3rd. The first 4 days will be limited to highband activities from Siem Reap (Angkor Wat). The all band activity will be from Sihanoukville on 160-6 meters (with an emphasis on the low bands), CW/SSB and possibly RTTY. So far only one operator's callsign has been confirmed, Frank/DL4KQ will be active as XU7ABR. QSL via DL4KQ. For updates, check the Web page: http://www.DL4KQ.de

ZK1, NORTH AND SOUTH COOK ISLANDS. Two members of the Bavarian Contest Club (BCC), Uwe/DL9NDS and Klaus/DL7NFK, will be active from these islands between April 28th through May 18th, as ZK1NDS and ZK1NFK, respectively. They plan to activate the following islands from the South Cook Island Group: Rarotonga (OC-013), Mangaja Island (OC-159) and Aitutaki-Island (OC-083). They will also activate Manihiki Atoll (OC-014) in the North Cook Island Group. Their equipment consists of two 400W PAs, a 1Kw PA, LP5, V80E vertical and some wires. There will also be a lots of activity on RTTY, PSK31 and MFSK16. QSL via their home callsigns. For up-to-date information and an online logs, check the Web site at: http://www.dl9nds.de/Cook/cook.html


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SPECIAL NOTE BY EDITOR: If you are having a problem receiving bounced mail
by sending mail to me via " kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org ", please send mail to
me via " kb8nw@arrl.net "...... TNX de Tedd KB8NW
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