Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 498
February 12, 2001

The Ohio/Penn DX PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 498
BID: $OPDX.498
February 12, 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, AD1C, N1FOC, K2KW, WB2YQH/WB2RAJ & The 599 DX Report, W3LEO, W3UR & The Daily DX, N4AA & QRZ DX, WD4NGB, K6GNX, K6RO, N6RT, AF7O, NA7DB, K7BV, W7KNT, K8AV, K8YSE, NE8Z/HC1MD, W9VA, CE6TBN, CT1END, DL4KQ, F5NOD, F5PBL, F6AJA & Les Novelles DX, FM5GU, G3PJT, HB9BXE, HB9CRV, LZ1JZ, PS7AB, PY3DX, PY7ZZ, SM0GNU, UX0FF, VE7DP, VK4AAR, VK4FW, ZL2HU/ZL4HU and 4L1DA for the following DX information.

3B6, AGALEGA. Press Release Bulletin Nr. 12 (large) was released over the past weekend. In short, the team has added 4 new members, close to the maximum number of 20 operators. The new members are: Steve/N3SL, Stefan/SP9RTI, Leonid/4Z5FL and Antonio/CT1EPV. Other crew members are: Rene/HB9BQI, Christine/HB9BQW, Hans-Peter/HB9BXE, Hermann/HB9CRV, Cedric/HB9HFN, Karl/HB9JAI, Friedhelm/HB9JBI, Jacky/3B8CF, Luis/CT1AGF, Matthias/DL3KUD, Mart/DL6UAA, Jack/F6HMJ, Derek/G3KHZ and Ken/NK6F. Tom, 9A4DU, had to cancel his participation. He will continue his studies at Florida during the time the expedition will take place. The 3B6RF team is scheduled to arrive at Agalega on Thursday, May 3rd, and begin operations on Saturday, May 5th, for 14 days. OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive the complete press release as an additional bulletin. The 3B6RF Web site is at: http://www.Agalega2000.ch

3W, VIETNAM. Claude, F5PBL, will be active from Ho Chi Minh City between March 22-30th. Activity will be on 15 and 10 meters, mainly on SSB, CW is also possible. A single/single entry will be made in the CQ WPX SSB Contest, the band is not yet selected. The exact callsign is not yet known. QSL via F5PBL, direct or via bureau.

3Y, BOUVET. Chuck, 3Y0C, continues to be active. According to the latest update (dated Feb. 10th) on WD4NGB's Web site: "Things have not changed a whole lot since the update on February 3rd. Chuck has been staying busy with his mission duties, trouble shooting equipment, and installing/ repairing antennas. He put up a 600 ft long wire to use on the low bands, with counterpoise for for 160, 80 and 40m. These were destroyed by a storm the following day. Today, he completed installing dipoles for the low bands and will see if they will stay up. The Amp is still being worked on, and more information is expected from Japan on Monday to help determine what the problem is, and a fix or work around for it. Chuck has worked many on RTTY, but is taking a short break from it now since the equipment he is using on RTTY is having troubles. No update on the pick up date yet, so it still planed for the last part of February, and up to March 2nd. Will update as soon as I have anything more concrete. Chuck has been spending more time on the WARC bands lateley. He was on 12m with a HUGE EU pile up today...... Maybe the storms will allow the low band antennas to stay up more than one day. Chuck is still working CW by request only, on the same frequency as he is operating on SSB."

4I, PHILIPPINES (IOTA Activity/Update). Frank, VE7DP, informed OPDX early last week that the activity from Polillo Island (OC-091) as VE7DP/DU1 and DU1KGJ/p, made about 1600 QSOs in 2 days. However, propagation was poor, and they had problems with power interruptions between 2200-0200z and after 1700z. Over the past weekend, the Philippines locals and Frank organized an IOTA expedition to the unnumbered Luzon Coastal Island. They used the callsign 4I1P from the island of Marinduque. This island now has an IOTA of OC-244. QSL both operations via VE7DP or DX1CW. The next IOTA DXpedition will be to Batan Islands (OC-093), and they have applied for 4I2P callsign. Operation is to take place about February 24-25th. QSL via VE7DP or DX1CW. More info/details to follow.

6Y, JAMAICA (Update/High Schooling For DXing). The DXpedition University (DXU), the first of its kind to provide a training ground for energetic radio amateurs wanting to learn the foundational methods and tactics of DXpeditioning, is getting ready to hit the DXpedition trail. The group will be active from February 26th to March 6th signing 6Y8A or homecall/6Y5. Activity will be on all bands from 160-6 meters, mostly on SSB and CW though some PSK31 is possible. In addition to normal operations, the group will enter the ARRL DX SSB Contest with a Multi-2 entry. Operators will be Klein/WT6G, Mike/WA6O, David/K0COP, Tim/W6NS, Walter/N6XG, and Kenny/K2KW. QSL 6Y8A via WA4WTG, others via homecall. The group will have 4 stations with KW amplifiers on 160-6m, and use Force 12 vertical arrays for 160-6m. The DXU ops are learning the skills to run them with the best, so give them a call to help them improve their pileup skills! Questions go to Kenny, K2KW at: k2kw@prodigy.net Also visit the following Web page for more info at: http://www.k2kw.com There are 2 slots available if anyone wants to join the group.

9M0, SPRATLY ISLANDS (The UnDXpedition!). A press release by Darryl, AD7O, reports that the members of the "Central Arizona DX Association" are planning ("with NO fanfare and NO hype") their first "UnDXpedition". They will be operating from the Spratly Islands as 9M0M during the first week of March. Their interesting press release states:

" The UnDXpedition will have no more press releases until we return, and maybe not then. We could not find any pilots, no one understood satellite uplinking of logs, and nobody wanted to stick to any schedules. There will be no sponsors of our radios, coax, amplifiers, or T-shirts, because we couldn't find any. All governments involved have taken a, - Who are these people anyway? - attitude. We did try to contact the San Miguel Brewery, but they didn't even call us back."

Operators will be Sally/KM5EP, Dennis/AF7Y, Jerry/WB9Z, Luis/XE1L, Darryl/ AF7O and "unindicted co-conspirators" Dan/NA7DB and Mike/N7MB. Some of the above operators may enter the ARRL DX SSB Contest. They will operate from Sabah, Malaysia, as 9M6DBT and 9M6MBT for a few days before and after their activity on Spratly. They plan to operate CW and SSB on 80 through 10 meters. QSL the 9M6 callsigns via WN7J and the Spratly Island callsign of 9M0M via K7XN. A Web site has been set up for this operation at: http://www.xcvr.com/9M0M/ The complete press release will be sent to all OPDX InterNet Subscribers as an additional bulletin.

CE0, EASTER ISLAND. Several sources report to look for Arliss/W7XU and Holly/N0QJM to become active from here March 29th-April 9th. Reportedly, they will maninly concentrate on 6 meters.

CE0X, SAN AMBROSIO ISLAND (Bad News!). Early last week the team going here announced that they received some good news. The SUBTEL authorized the DXpedition to use the callsign CE0XT (their first choice) instead of CE0ZT. HOWEVER, on Saturday, pilot station Dr. Bill, K6GNX, reported:

"The team regrets to report that due to circumstances beyond their control regarding the boat transportation from Valparaiso to San Ambrosia the DXpedition must be canceled. Everyone is safe and well but very disappointed and they are returning home as soon as possible."

DAYTON HAMVENTION NEWS. According to the Dayton HamVention Web site, the DX Forum (and the Contest Forum) is going to be held this year at Hara Arena on Saturday in Room #4 from 8:30 AM until 12:30 PM. Check the Web page at: http://www.hamvention.org/forums.html

D6, COROMOS. The D68C operation is in full swing. Activity is on all bands and modes, and very easy to work. Activity will last until February 28th. QSL via G3SWH.

DX HOLIDAY WEB SITE HAS MOVED. Kenny, K2KW, informs OPDX that the DX Holiday, "The Ultimate DXpedition Resource", has moved to a new server. DX Holiday is a site that lists QTHs around the world where people have operated on DXpeditions, and provides information on how to contact the owners. There is information on Rent-a-QTHs, Ham Friendly Hotels, and Club stations. Please change your links to: http://www.dxholiday.com The old site will be decommissioned in the near future at: http://pages.prodigy.net/k2kw/qthlist The response and support for DX Holiday has been great, with new locations and information coming in all the time. In addition, the "Team Vertical", information on vertical antennas for DXpeditions and past operations, has been moved to Kenny's personal site at: http://www.k2kw.com

EO6, UKRAINE (Attention Prefix Hunters). Nikolay, UX0FF, informs OPDX that he is licensed to use EO6F, a special contest callsign that expires at end of February this year. He states that he is the only one which has this prefix in Ukraine. His last CW operation with EO6F will be in the ARRL DX CW Contest as an All Bands/High Power entry. QSL via UX0FF: Nikolay Lavreka, P.O.Box 3, IZMAIL, 68600, UKRAINE.

FM, MARTINIQUE. Dan/IV3TDM, Max/IV3FHH and Luke/IV3JVJ, from the Pordenone gang, will hit the airwaves from here, March 17-23rd. Dan will operate on SSB, Max on CW and Luke on RTTY, also SSB. They will try to concentrate on the lower bands, and their target is to "generate the hugest pile-up of their lives". They should have a good signal, so please call them! The callsigns will be FM/homecall. All QSLs go to IV3TDM CBA. The Pordenone gang will operate from Clement's, FM5GU, station, and then join the FM5GU team for the CQ WPX SSB Contest.

FO0/M, MARQUESAS ISLANDS. By the time you read this, Wulf/DL1AWI, Mat/ DL5XU, Peter/DL3APO and his wife Birgit/DG0OBN should have moved from Rangiroa (OC-066) to Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Island group. Look for them to be active until around February 28th. Reports indicate that they will sign FO/DL1AWI, although their earlier announcements stated that they would sign FO0/homecall. Activity should be on 160-10 meters CW/SSB and some RTTY, also probably SSTV. Online logs will be available via the Web page http://www.qsl.net/dj7aa/fo0/ QSL their Marquesas operation via DL1AWI. QSL their Rangiroa operation via DL3APO. Addresses can be found in OPDX.491.

HC, ECUADOR. Dr. Rick, NE8Z/HC1MD, reports that Dr. Scott Olitsky, AC3A, will soon be active from Ecuador as AC3A/HC5. Scott will be on a medical mission to perform ocular surgery on children in Azogues, Ecuador, roughly between March 2-16th. During his off hours he will be active on HF, CW and SSB. Scott will also be active on 2m EME as AC3A/HC5 from the beautiful mountain home of Guillermo/HC5GL and his XYL Maya/HC5DX in Chaullabamba, Ecuador. Many members of the Cuenca Radio Club (HC5CRC) will be assisting Scott with his EME station setup. There will be an HF station manned by HC5PJ/Gerardo, HC5SF/Fausto and HC1HC/HC5/Alfredo on 14155 kHz during the EME operations. This may be the first ever EME operation from Ecuador. QSL via AC3A. Please contact Scott before his trip if you have any questions about the EME operation at: solitsky@acsu.buffalo.edu

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

MM0, SCOTLAND. Leo, W3LEO, will once again be active from Portpatrick in southwest Scotland from about February 20th through March 14th. However, Leo states that this is once again a vacation not a DXpedition, and "time on the air will depend on the antennas, on propagation, and on when the nearby pubs are open, HI..." His callsign is MM0LEO and he plans to be in the ARRL International DX SSB Contest. He will use an Icom 706 (100 watts), a R-5 vertical [10, 12, 15, 17, 20 meters], and a 40-meter dipole [in inverted-V configuration]. He will try and get on PSK-31. QSL via his CBA (with SASE) or via bureau to W3LEO. Leo provided the following reference numbers: IOTA - EU-005 [Great Britain]; CQ Zone - 14; ITU Zone-27; Grid Square - IO-74ku and Worked All Britain [WAB] Square - NW-95.

NP2, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. Dennis, K7BV, will be operating before and after the 2001 CQWW CW Contest as NP2/K7BV. He will use WP2Z during the contest. QSL all contacts with either call via KU9C.

PJ2, CURACAO (Update/Change). Last week we mentioned that Larry/K6RO and Charlie/W6KK would be active from here between February 27th through March 5th. Larry informed OPDX this week that his callsign was changed for the ARRL SSB Contest as SO/SB/HP entry. He will now be active as PJ2K instead of PJ2R (which has been already taken). Remember to look for them before and after the contest as PJ2/homecall on all bands CW/SSB. Larry states band country skeds is not a problem. His E-mail address is: k6ro@earthlink.net

PORTUGAL'S MOST WANTED. Carlos, CT1END, reports that the results of the Most Wanted in Portugal survey for the year 2000 have been posted to the Web sites: http://ct1end.freeservers.com and http://gpdx.netpower.pt

PW0, ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL ROCKS. On February 7th, at 04:30 local time, the motor-sail boat "OLD SMUGGLER" left for Fernando de Noronha with their destination to the St. Peter and Paul Rocks. On their way to the Rocks, they stopped on Fernando de Noronha and picked up another operator, Andre, PY0FF. The new operator bought with him a TS-60 for 6 meters that will be on the air 24 hours a day on that band with a 5 elements yagi. He also took along a complete SSTV station and another laptop. The PW0S team arrived by the Rocks last Friday at 1300z, but landing was not possible due to high sea. The big waves were almost covering the rocks so they had to cancel the landing. Pictures of the high seas can be seen on their Web page. As this bulletin was being prepare, no activity has been reported. The team has decided to change its operating frequncies to avoid a conflict with the D68C operation. Suggested frequncies now are:

They will have a 24 hour beacon operating on 50.006 MHz. QSL via KU9C. There is a web site with photos and info abt PW0S on: http://www.soutomaior.eti.br/mario/

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

S9, SAO TOME & PRINCIPE. John, W7KNT, informs OPDX that Tom, W7LUU, is now on the air as S92TX. Tom will be operating mainly on 10/15/20 meter SSB and some 6 meters soon. He has been overseas for the last 12 years with the State Department / Voice of America. His assignment just started in Sao Tome & Principe, and he should be there for about 2 years. QSL is via his QSL Manager W7KNT. ADDED NOTE: John also mentions that he will be there for about a month this fall or February 2002 of next year to work down the pileup's.

V2, ANTIGUA. Ed, N2ED, is expected to be active as V26EW from February 13-20th. He will also be active as V26G in the upcoming ARRL DX CW Contest. QSL via N2ED.

VP2E, ANGUILLA. Look for Ron/W8ILC, Don/N6JRL, Harry/AC8G, Ed/WD8MQJ and James/N8JE will be active as VP2EK from February 28th through March 7th. The group will be a Multi-Op entry in the ARRL DX SSB Contest. QSL via W8ILC.

XU, CAMBODIA. Frank, DL4KQ, informs OPDX that there will be activity from here by a German group between July 15th and August 3rd. Operations will be on all bands 160-10 meters including the WARC bands and 6 meters using linears. Modes will be SSB/CW and possibly RTTY/PSK31. A special emphasis will be on the low bands by DL4KQ. Exact callsigns are still unknown. More updated information will follow.

XX9, MACAU. Ulf, SM0GNU, will be operating as XX9TDX between February 12th and February 20th. Activity will be on all bands CW/SSB and possibly some RTTY. There will also be a SOAB effort in the ARRL DX CW Contest. QSL via SM0GNU (E-mail address: sm0gnu@swipnet.se )

YK, SYRIA. By the time you read this, the YK9A operation will be almost, if not, QRT. Press releases by Al, K7AR, sent out last week were basically stating they were doing the best they could with what they had. Al states, "Please keep in mind we are missing 3 ops and 2 amps and it is difficult to meet everyone's needs." They also had low line voltage problem. QSL via K9LA. Don't forget that the YK9A Web site is available at: http://www.qsl.net/k7ar/yk9a_'01.htm Also, pictures are available at: http://www.dailydx.com/yk9a.html

ZL7, CHATHAM ISLAND (ZK3, Cancelled). A press release by Ken Holdom, ZL2HU/ZL4HU, Group Organizer/Team Leader/QSL Manager for the Kermadec DX Association, announced this past week about a change in plans for the ZK3 Tokelau Island DXpedition. Ken reports, "After lengthy considerations and taking into account the very high number of DXpeditions that are being undertaken at present and those that are planned for the future, combined with the extremely high costs invloved in undertaking ZK3, we wish to advise with considerable regret that we will not be undertaking this DXpedition in July-August 2002 as planned. Our last DXpedition to ZL9CI in January 1999 was, according to all counts and responses, one of the most successfull DXpeditions ever undertaken and in order to keep the Kermadec DX Association reputation intact, we have decided to undertake a much smaller DXpedition to ZL7 - Chatham Isalnds in October 2002 to coincide with the CQWW SSB contest." All OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive the complete press release as an additional bulletin.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
OPDX INTERNET HELP/SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE REQUESTS:
   Help:        <mailto:opdx-request@nshore.org?subject=help>
   Subscribe:   <mailto:opdx-request@nshore.org?subject=subscribe>
   Unsubscribe: <mailto:opdx-request@nshore.org?subject=unsubscribe>
OPDX WORLD-WIDE WEB HOME PAGE (provided by John, K8YSE): 
     http://www.en.com/users/k8yse/opdx.html
ALSO VISIT THE NORTHERN OHIO DX ASSOCIATION'S WEB HOME PAGE:
     http://www.en.com/users/k8yse/nodxa.html
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Excerpts and distribution of The OPDX Bulletin are granted as long as
KB8NW/OPDX/BARF80 receive credit. To contribute DX info, call BARF-80 BBS
online at 440-237-8208 28.8k/14400/9600/2400/1200 and leave a message with
the Sysop or send via InterNet Mail to:      kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org
                              - OR -
Use the VOICE or FAX answering machine at 440-237-8208 which shares the
same phone line as BARF-80 BBS using a data/fax/phone switch. To access:
1) Dial Number. 2) Wait for first ring (the second ring should be a false
ring from the fax/data switch box) and then dial four quick ones ("1111").
(NOTE: Some FAX machines that send single "BEEPS" every second will not
have to do this step.) 3) The phone will pick up and after the "BEEP"
leave your voice message or FAX.