Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 603
March 17, 2003

The Ohio/Penn DX PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 603
BID: $OPDX.603
March 17, 2003
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, ARNewsline, K1XN & GoList, W2GR, WA2MOE, N3SL, NG3K, W3UR & The Daily DX, N4AA & QRZ DX, WA4JA, N5AU, N5FF, ND5S, AE6Y, K8YSE, WB8B, KI0RO, N0KE, 9A6AA, 9V1SM, CX6VM, DL1EK/DL7VOA & DX Newsletter, DL4KQ, EA7FTR, F5NQL & UFT, FJ5DX & La Gazette du DX, G3SWH, G4EDG, GM4WOJ, I1JQJ & IK1ADH - 425 DX NEWS, IK4ZHH, JA6VZB, JI6KVR & JA-IOTA Islands News, LU8ADX, OH9MM, OZ6OM/OZ7M & OZ 50 MHz DX Bulletin, PA5ET, PA5NT, RW6HS, VA3RJ & ICPO, VK3EW, VK3OT and VK4FW for the following DX information.

DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT: According to the AR-Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 9th/March, through Sunday, 16th/March there were 237 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3D2, 3DA, 3V, 3W, 3X, 4J, 4L, 4S, 4U1I, 4X, 5A, 5B, 5H, 5N, 5R, 5U, 5V, 5W, 5Z, 6W, 6Y, 7Q, 7X, 8P, 8Q, 8R, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9L, 9M2, 9M6, 9N, 9U, 9V, 9Y, A2, A4, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C3, C6, C9, CE, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D4, DL, DU, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, 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, HB0, HC, HC8, HH, HI, HK, HK0/a, HL, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J2, J3, J5, J6, J7, J8, JA, JD/o, JT, JW, JX, JY, K, KG4, KH0, KH2, KH3, KH6, KH8, KL, KP2, KP4, LA, LU, LX, LY, LZ, OA, OD, OE, OH, OH0, OK, OM, ON, OY, OZ, P2, P4, PA, PJ2, PJ7, PY, PZ, S2, S5, S9, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T31, T7, T8, T9, TA, TF, TG, TI, TK, TL, TN, TR, TT, TU, TY, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, V8, VE, VK, VK9N, VP2E, VP2M, VP5, VP6, VP6/d, VP8, VP8/h, VP9, VQ9, VR, VU, XE, XT, XU, XW, YB, YI, YJ, YK, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z2, Z3, ZA, ZB, ZC4, ZD7, ZD8, ZD9, ZF, ZK1/s, ZK2, ZL, ZP, ZS

* PLEASE NOTE: The report "could" contain "Pirate/SLIM" operations. As always, you never know - "Work First Worry Later" (WFWL).

4W, EAST TIMOR. ARNewsline reports that Peter McKay, G3WQU, who has been active for a couple of years as CN2PM and S07PM from Morocco and the Western Sahara, will be moving to East Timor at the end of March. He operates almost exclusively CW. Look for him operating with a "4W" prefix from his next QTH.

5R8 PIRATE. Phil Whitchurch, G3SWH, informs OPDX:"I am sorry to report that Albert's, 5R8GZ, call is being pirated on 80 and 160 metres. Albert does not operate on these bands at all as he has no suitable antennas."

9M2, WEST MALAYSIA (IOTA Op). Dr. Keith Kerr, GM4YXI, is expected to be back in 9M2-land this week. As always, he will try to activate various islands. Firm plans thus far include AS-046, Pulau Tioman, with Rich, 9M2/G4ZFE. Keith will be active on SSB as 9M2/GM4YXI and Rich, 9M2/G4ZFE, will be on CW. Activity will be on 20/17/15/12/10 meters using verticals and 100 watts (possibly 400 watts on one station). Watch the usual IOTA frequencies (+/- QRM). QSL the 9M2/GM4YXI contacts via Steve, N3SL. Steve states it is possible/probable he will have those logs on an on-going basis. Keith will E-mails logs almost daily to Steve, N3SL, so QSLs should be available immediately. QSL the 9M2/G4ZFE contacts via Rick's home callsign. Also, they are planning on operating from the club station, 9M2RPN, during the CQ WPX Contest as a Multi-2 entry. Ian, G3TMA, will join them during their contest activity. QSL the contest operation via 9M2RPN.

A3, TONGA (Update to OPDX.599). By the time you read this, the German team should be active as A35XM. Operators are Irina/DL8DYL, Reinhard/DL8YRM, Thomas/DL5LYM, Wolfgang/DL4WG and Ralf/DL9DRA. They will be active on CW, SSB and RTTY. Also, their main focus will be on Europe, the WARC Bands and RTTY. QSL via DL8YRM, via the bureau or direct. E-mail requests for bureau cards can be sent to: dl8yrm@darc.de They now have a Web page for this operation at: http://www.df3cb.com/a35xm/

C9, MOZAMBIQUE. Max/IZ4DPV and Filippo/IK4ZHH, inform OPDX that they will be active from Maputo and Beira, April 20th through May 4th. Their C93 licenses have been obtained, but they will not release their callsigns until on the air or few days before starting. Activity will be on 80-10 meters including the WARC Bands on SSB, CW (RTTY ?). Their will probably be activity on 6 meters. They will use 100 watts into a TH7 antenna and wire verticals. QSL will be via direct CBA or bureau (no QSL via E-mail or eQSL). Further info later...

D2, ANGOLA. Joao, CT1BFL, is expected to be active as D2U until February 2004. There has been NO QSNs reported yet, but his planned activity will be on 160-10 meters CW/SSB. QSL via CT1BFL.

FM, MARTINIQUE. Bernard, F5LBG, will be active for one month starting on March 13th from Martinique Island (IOTA NA-107 and DIFO MN-001), as FM/F5LBG. Activity will be on 80-6 meters CW. QSL via his home callsign, bureau or direct (+postage) to: DAUVIER Bernard, 20 Chemin des Mottes, F26760 Beaumont les Valence, FRANCE.

HC8, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. Diego, LU8ADX, will be active as HC8/LU8ADX from March 24-31st. Activity will be on SSB and possibly RTTY. He will join the team of N5KO, OH0XX, K5KA, XE1KK, KI7WX and NM5M to be active in the CQ WPX Phone Contest as HC8N.

IOTA AND USI ACTIVATION. John, WA4JA, will activate Shell Island, IOTA NA-085 (now FL Group, Bay County) and USI FL401S for one day between April 7-11th. The day for the boat trip depends on the WX. Activity will be on 20-10 meters near the IOTA and USI frequencies. Also, he will try to operate from Okaloosa Island (NA-142 and FL003S) during the same week, mostly on 10 meters SSB. QSL to WA4JA, direct (PSE SASE). DX stations with Bureaus will be QSLed via the bureau automatically.

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

J5, GUINEA-BISSAU (IOTA Op). Simone, IV3NVN, is now active as J5UCW from a new IOTA, Pecixe Island (AF-093), until about March 22nd were he will return to the mainland. Once back on the mainland, he will be active as J5UDX again until April 2nd. He will try to be active on 160 meters. QSL J5UCW and J5UDX via IV3NVN: Simone Candotto, P.O. Box 4, 33050 Castions di Strada - UD, Italy.

JW, SVALBARD. Members of the LA8G-group (Radioamatorklubben P35) will be active from Longyearbyen, Svalbard, this spring. They will also be active as JW8G during the CQ WPX SSB Contest. Their callsigns used outside of the contest will be JW3JJA (Martin), JW9IY (Bjorn) and JW9GY (Morten). QSL to their home callsigns and QSL JW8G via LA9GY: Morten Antonsen, Hallsetreina 6, N-7027 Trondheim, Norway. Please notice that 1 USD will not cover the postage fee to countries outside of Europe. For more info, please check the following Web page at: http://www.qsl.net/la8g/

KH3, JOHNSTON ISLAND. Bert, V73GOD, is once again going back to Johnston on a short term work assignment between March 18-20th. Look for him during his freetime hours. If the KJ6BZ club station building is still standing, he will operate as KJ6BZ. Otherwise, look for him to sign KH3/WH7USA.

P4, ARUBA. Andy, AE6Y, will be operating as P40Y from Aruba from March 22-30th. His activity will included an entry in the CQ WPX SSB Contest. QSL to AE6Y.

P4, ARUBA. John, KK9A, will be active from here between March 22nd and April 5th, from the Iguana Villa . He will be active as P40A in the CQWW WPX SSB Contest (March 29-30th). His operating class for the contest is not known. QSL via WD9DZV.

PHILIPPINES PIRATE. Sasi, 9V1SM, informs OPDX that there have been some pirate operations from the Phillipine. Be on the lookout for a station signing as DX1ABC claiming to be on IOTA OC-128. He has also tried to check into SEANET. Sasi states, "A few of us in this region including the SEANET net controllers Roy/DU9/G4UNL, Karl/3W2XK and myself (9V1SM) have been breaking into his QSOs and announcing that he is a pirate. It may be impossible for us to keep a constant watch and urge DX stations not to work anyone signing in with this callsign. More information about this operation can be looked up at QRZ.COM under the call sign DX1ABC. I thought it would be nice to warn the Dx community and discourage all pirate operations on the amateur radio bands. It is really terrible in this part of the world."

PX5, BRAZIL (Attention Prefix Hunters!). Sergio, PP5JR, will be active as PX5E during the CQ WPX SSB Contest as a Single-Op/Single Band (15m)/ High Power entry.

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

R1, FRANZ JOSEF LAND. You still have a few more days to work operators Valery/RD3AF, Valery/RX3DU and Victor/UA3AKO as R1FJ. They are expected to go QRT on March 19th. Activity will be on 160-10 meters CW/SSB/RTTY. QSL via DL6ZFG using the information from QRZ.ru. Also, visit the Web page at: http://qrz.ru/webnews/?id=1249

SPECIAL EVENT. ARNewsline reports that the Balkan Contest Club (LZ1KZA) will operate with the special event callsign LZ125O through March 31st. This is to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria. Activity will be on CW, SSB and RTTY on all the HF bands.

ST, SUDAN (Operation Cancelled!). Gerben, PA5NT, informs OPDX that his March 16th trip to the Sudan has been cancelled (no details provided); thus there will be no ST2X activity this time. He did mention; however, that the ST2X QSL cards (for his past operation) are expected to arrive soon from the printer.

T8, PALAU. Toshiyuki "Tosy" Moriyama, JA6VZB (T88JA and ex-KC6VW), states, "I am planning the KC6SZ 160m QRV 20m anniversary and honeymoon DXpedition." He also states he stopped operating on 160m from T8 during 1997, but now he wants to restart it again. Tosy hopes to be active from the beach of the Peleliu Island (OC-009) because there is less QRN compared with Koror, the main island of T8. His equipment will be an ICOM IC-756 Pro and a JRL-2000F running 1200W input. The antenna will be an inverted "L" on the beach. Tosy mentions, "To protect the peace of my home, the operation is limited to 160m only." Activity will take place between March 19-22nd. QSL information is as follows: Toshiyuki MORIYAMA, 10-101 Karaku-en, 5-53-62 Hanazono, Kumamoto-city 860-0072, Japan. All logs will be uploaded to: http://www.eqsl.cc Also, all QSLs will be submitted to the bureau (A.S.A.P.).

TI5, COSTA RICA. Phil, N0KE, informs OPDX that he, William/N0ZA, William/ TI2WGO and Carlos/TI5KD will be active as TI5N in the CQ WPX SSB Contest as a Multi-Multi/High Power entry from TI5KD's station. Look for TI5/N0KE and TI5/N0ZA before and after the contest. Some RTTY operation is anticipated. QSL TI5N via W3HNK. The other callsigns are via their home callsign.

V6 & V7, MICRONESIA AND MARSHALL ISLANDS (IOTA Ops). Jeffrey, KI0RO, informs OPDX that he will be active from Roi-Namur (IOTA OC-028) as V73/KI0RO from March 23-28th. Activity will be on 40-10 meters CW/SSB. From March 30th-April 2nd, Jeffrey will be active from Kosrae (IOTA OC-059) as V63JE. Activity will be on 40-10 meters CW/SSB. From April 4-7th, Jeffrey will be active from Pohnpei (IOTA OC-010) as V63JE. Activity will be on 40-10 meters CW/SSB. He will also operate on WARC bands from all locations too. This is NOT a DXpedition.... He will operate as time permits. All QSLs via KI0RO.

V7, MARSHALL ISLANDS. Neil, WD8CRT, is now active as WD8CRT/V73 on Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands until an unknown date. He is currently awaiting for the applied callsign of V73NS. Over the past week he was active on CW only. Look for his activty to take place after 1200z and around 0000z to 0300z. He will be around 14029 kHz and on the 10/15/30 meter bands when they are open (watch 10116, 21004 and 28021 kHz). Bob, WB8B, informs OPDX that if Neil is working split, he will be on the air for some time. However, if you hear him working stations on the same frequency, it's just a visit to the shack for a short period of time. Bob also mentions that there are some 80/160 meter antennas there that Neil has not tuned up yet, and he will be setting up a "flat top fed" antenna with ladder line. QSL via the address on QRZ.com: WD8CRT/V73, Box 8341, APO, AP 96557 (Or via the V73 Bureau).

VK9X, CHRISTMAS ISLAND (Update to OPDX.596). Steve, VK3OT (ex-VE3SIX), who will be active from Christmas Island (OC-002) as VK9XI between April 7-21st, informs OPDX that he will have on-line logs for his VK9XI operation. The log's URL address will be at: http://www.qsl.net/vk4cp/vk9xi/logbook.htm For more up-to-date details and information, please visit the Web page at: http://members.datafast.net.au/electronics/path.htm

VP2E, ANGUILLA. Sheila/N5HGB, Gordon/N5AU and Ray/KC5EA will be active as VP2E during the CQ WPX Contest as a Multi-Single entry. They will operate on SSB and CW, no digital modes or WARC bands. Also, Gordon, N5AU, informs OPDX that the VP2E contest station is a permanent station/house on the hilltop overlooking Shoal Bay East. The hill is about 200 feet above sea level. The VP2E station is equipped with radios for each band 160-10 meters and is designed for "Multi-Multi" contesting. VP2E radios are all Yaesu FT-1000MP MK5s with KW amps. Antennas are on 6 Rohn towers (mostly 55G) ranging from 90 feet to 200 feet:

VP6/D, DUCIE ISLAND. The second operation to Ducie is now history and in the books. Operators of VP6DIA left the island around 2100z on March 13th. Last report all of the operators are doing fine and should be on their way home. Remember to QSL VP6DIA to JR2KDN.

XY, MYANMAR (Possible New IOTA). Frank, DL4KQ, informs OPDX that he will stay again in Myanmar between April 1-15th. He will spend 2 days at Yangoon; possible operation times there are April 2-4th. From April 6-14th, he will stay at Chaungtha; coastside Bay of Bengal/Indian Ocean. During his stay at Chaungtha there will be a 4 day operation from the Yangon/Irrawaddy/Pegu Region Group (AS-NEW). The exact date will depend on the local situation. His activity will be SSB/CW with 400 watts into a G5RV`s, several verticals, on 80-10 meters including the WARC Bands, and perhaps he will monitor 6 meters with a 2nd rig. Callsign is currently still unknown. QSL via DL4KQ, direct or bureau. Look for updated information on the Web page at: http://www.dx-pedition.de

YK, SYRIA. Saad, N5FF, informs OPDX that he plans to visit and operate from Syria again next month. His current and tentative plan is to leave for Damascus on Friday, April 11th, and arrive there on Sunday, April 13th. Saad plans to have the same simple setup as last year, bare foot into a short G5RV. This setup worked surprisingly well last year, so he hopes to get similar results this time also. Saad expects to be active from April 15-27th, give or take a day or two, and possibly extend his stay for a few more days up to one week. His callsign will be YK1BA. QSL via N5FF, direct or Bureau is OK. The purpose of the trip is not ham radio, so his operating will be very spotty and not extensive at all. Like last year, Saad hopes to be able to operate at least 3-4 hours a day. He thinks he will limit his operating to 20 meters, unless the propagation is better on the other bands (40-10 meters) at the time. Saad will work the Americas and Pacific early mornings local time, that's between 0100-0400z. Europe and Africa will be in the late evenings, that's between 1900-2200z, and possibly some afternoons, that's 1100-1400z. Saad will try to be around 14195 kHz on SSB, and 14045 kHz on CW, split listening 5-10 kHz up.

YS & HU1, EL SALVADOR. Operators Holger/DL7IO, Birgit/DL7IQ and Cisco/YS1CF will be active from various mountains, lakes, beaches, and ruins of El Salvador between March 24th and April 15th. They will be using YS1/homecall from the San Salvador area. There will be an entry in the CQ WPX SSB Contest using the special call HU1M. Activity will be on all bands 80-10 meters CW, SSB, RTTY and SSTV. They will also be active from Meanguera Island (NA-190) as YS3/homecall and from El Tigre (NA-060) as HR4/homecall. QSLs for all activities go via DK7AO.

ZL1AMO AIR AMBULANCE FUND. Judy, AA7UC, informs OPDX that INDEXA has reached its goal of collecting 20,000 USD (40,000 NZD) for the "ZL1AMO Air Ambulance Fund"! They are also pleased to announce that INDEXA absorbed all administrative costs so that 100% of each donation went directly to the Fund. Judy also states the following, "Please express the gratitude of INDEXA, ZL1AMO, and the Wright family to your subscribers. As always, in a time of great need, they and so many others in the DX/amateur radio community rose to the occasion in order to provide humanitarian assistance to a colleague in need. The camaraderie and fellowship that goes beyond the nuts and bolts of the hobby is what makes amateur radio truly unique!"

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