The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 991
BID: $OPDX.991
December 27, 2010
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF80.ORG (Cleveland, Ohio)

Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, AB5K & the AR TelNet Clusters Network, ARRL Web Page, K1XN & GoList, NC1L, NJ1Q, K3IRV, K3LR, NG3K & ADXO, K4MQG, N4AA & QRZ DX, KH6BZF, W6ZL/A35KL, K8YSE, W8GEX (60m News), N0RC, AT International, DC9TH, DL1MGB, DL1SBF, DL7MAE & The DX News Letter, DX-World.Net, F6AJA & Les Nouvelles DX, HA0HW, I1JQJ/IK1ADH & 425 DX News, I2YSB, OZ6OM & 50 MHz DX News, Pete's-DX-Newsdesk, PS7AB, RSGB IOTA Web Site, UN6QC, VA3RJ & ICPO, VHF-DX-Portal (MMMonVHF) and VQ9LA for the following DX information.

SPECIAL NOTE FROM EDITOR (Tedd, KB8NW)
My family (wife/OPDX's chief proof-reader Linda, son Teddy [TJ] and his wife Jessi, daughter Katie and her husband Kevin), and I (KB8NW) would like to wish all DXers, Contesters and OPDX readers a very "Happy New Year". Thanks to the many individuals who have provided DX information over the past year. Without them there would not be an OPDX Bulletin. Also, thanks to the individuals who sent holiday wishes to my family and me.....
       73 and Have a Great/Safe/Healthy New Year de Tedd KB8NW

DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT
According to the AR-Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 19th-December, through Sunday, 26th-December there were 219 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3D2, 3DA, 3V, 3W, 3X, 4J, 4L, 4O, 4S, 4X, 5B, 5H, 5N, 5R, 5V, 5Z, 6Y, 7Q, 7X, 8P, 8Q, 8R, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9L, 9M2, 9M6, 9Q, 9V, 9Y, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C2, C3, C6, CE, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, CY0, D2, D4, DL, DU, E5/s, E7, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EL, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, EX, EY, EZ, F, FG, FK, FM, FO, FR, FS, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, H4, H40, HA, HB, HB0, HC, HH, HI, HK, HL, HP, HR, HS, HZ, I, IS, J2, J6, J8, JA, JD/o, JT, JY, K, KG4, KH0, KH2, KH6, 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, PZ, S2, S5, S7, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T2, T5, T7, T8, TA, TF, TG, TI, TJ, TK, TL, TR, TT, TU, TY, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, V8, VE, VK, VK9N, VK9W, VP2V, VP5, VP8, VP9, VQ9, VR, VU, XE, XU, XW, YA, YB, YI, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z2, Z3, ZA, ZB, ZD7, ZD8, ZD9, ZF, ZL, ZP, ZS, ZS8

PLEASE NOTE: The report "could" contain "Pirate/SLIM" operations or more likely a "BUSTED CALLSIGN". As always, you never know - "Work First Worry Later" (WFWL).

3B8, MAURITIUS (AF-049)
Slavo, SP2JMB, will once again be active as 3B8SC from here between February 8-17th. Activity will be on all HF bands using CW. QSL via his home callsign. View photos of Slavo's past trip and operations at:

3D2, FIJI
Operators Juha/OH1LEG, Kari/OH3RB and Tuomo/OH8KXK are now active as 3D2RB until they leave on January 4th. Current activity is from Nadi on Denarau Island (Westin Resort) in the Viti Levu and Vanua Levu Island Group (OC-016). They will on Denarau Island through December 27th, before they move elsewhere in Fiji. Activity will be on 40/30/20 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via OH3RB.

3D2, FIJI (Update)
Operators Eddie/VK4AN, Kenneth/OZ1IKY and possibly others are planning a big operation as 3D2A to the Fijis between March 15th and April 2nd in 2011. They are currently looking for experienced DXers to join them during this operation. They state that their activities will be from Nadi in a "3-story 2-br luxury a/c apartment with roof top antennas including a full-size 160m Inverted Vee or delta-loop, Spiderbeam, DX-88 and other antennas!" Activity will be on all bands (160-6m) and modes but with a concentrating on the lower bands. Operations will include participation in the BARTG RTTY and CQ WPX SSB DX Contests. If you would like to join their team, contact Eddie, VK4AN, at: vk4an@wia.org.au Also, via SKYPE at "ewdeyoung". More details are available at their "Pacific DXers" Wweb page at:

8Q, MALDIVES
Torsten, DC9TH, is now active as 8Q7TH from Baa Atoll (AS-013 - part of the southern Maalhosmadulu Atoll) and he informs OPDX that he will stay until Janaury 4th. Activity will be mainly 20 meters SSB, possibly other bands if open. QSL via his home callsign.

9M6, EAST MALAYSIA
David, VO1AU, will be active as 9M6/VO1AU between March 2-15th. His activity will include the Commonwealth [BERU] and the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 5-6th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. QSL via VO1MX.
ADDED NOTE: David will be active in the southeast Asia area over the next 2 years. The QSL routes will be all the same, so look for activity from China (VO1AU/BY1TTY, VO1AU/BY1RX and VO1AU/ BY1DX), Japan (JG1RSL) and Hong Kong (VR2/VO1AU).

9Q, DEM. REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Barney, ZS6TQ (es-ZS4U), is now active as 9Q0HQ/6 until January 11th, 2011. Activity will be mainly on the weekends and some days during the week after 1800z. Operations will be on 40/20/ 15/10/6 meters using CW, SSB and PSK31. QSL via K3IRV.

A3, TONGA (Wrap-up)
Dave, W6ZL/A35KL, informs OPDX that he was going QRT from Tongatapu Island (OC-049) on December 24th. He also informed us that his activity from Foa Island (OC-169) netted over 2000 CW contacts during his 4 day operation on, 40, 30, 20, and 17 meters. He states, "Great openings to EU on 30m. I managed 20 RTTY contacts during the OK DX contest." QSL LoTW or direct to W6ZL, with a SASE or new style IRC.

AFRICAN TOUR (Western)
Peter, HA3AUI, is once again heading to Western Africa in early 2011. Look for him to be active as 6W2SC from Senegal and J5UAP from Guinea-Bissau between February 1st and March 31st (tentative dates). Peter has used these callsigns before. His stays in Cabrousse, Senegal (6W) will be very near to the border of Varela, Guinea-Bissau (J5), and he plans to make regular trips to J5-land for the beautiful beaches there (plans to also operate from there). Using his Elecraft K3 with 500w into a 5-Band Spiderbeam and verticals, Peter's activity will be on 160-10 meters, mainly on CW and the Digital modes, but he will use the other modes on request. QSL direct via HA3AUI. Visit his Web site at:

AFRICAN TOUR (6W, J5 and IOTAs)
Laci, HA0NAR, will once again be heading to western Africa in early 2011, and plans to be there throughout February. He plans to visit and activate Senegal (6W) and Guinea-Bissau (J5) between February 5-26th. Specific dates were not mentioned, but the callsigns are as follows:
Senegal (6W) - Callsign 6W/HA0NAR Guinea-Bissau (J5) - Callsign J5NAR
Laci is also planning to activate the following IOTA groups:
AF-078 - Senegal South Group
AF-093 - Guinea-Bissau Coastal Region Group
His activity will be focused on the lower bands (160/80/40/30m), especially 160 meters from Guinea-Bissau. Look for more details to be forthcoming.

DAYTON TOP-BAND DINNER
The 22nd annual Dayton TopBand Dinner is slated for Friday night, May 20th, 2011. This year the TopBand dinner will be held at: Crowne Plaza

DXCC NEWS
Bill Moore, NC1L, Awards Branch Manager, reports: "For years, the DXCC card checker lookup page was available by means of a static lookup list by Division, Section then non-USA. This page has been removed and replaced with simple lookup (search) link on the DXCC web Site called:

For USA only, you can narrow your search within your state to Zip Code and distance from your zip code by noting this information in the boxes shown.

Also, as a reminder, DXCC card checkers are authorized to verify applica- tions for these programs:
* Worked All States (WAS)
* VHF/UHF Century Club (VUCC)
* Worked All Continents (WAC)

For non-USA, under the IARU General Certification Rules (GCR) any approved Awards Manager for a local IARU member society can also verify applications for these 3 programs.

DXCC is NOT included in the GCR and can only be checked by approved DXCC card checkers.

All applicants are eligible to use approved DXCC card checkers. For non-USA, you do not need to be a member of your local IARU member society to utilize your local checker. For USA and possessions ARRL membership is required to participate in ARRL Awards Programs. ARRL membership is not required for non-USA hams to participate."

FG, GUADELOUPE
Jean-Pierre, F6ITD, will be active as FG/F6ITD from Guadeloupe and two islands between March 9-16th (2011). Activity will be on SSB and the Digital modes. He plans to visit the following two islands in the IOTA NA-102 group: La Desirade Island (March 9-16th) and Basse Terre Island (March 16-31st). QSL via his home callsign, by the Bureau or direct.

HG200, HUNGARY (Special Event)
A group of Hungarian radio amateurs from Jánoshalma will use the special callsign HG200LST between January 1st and December 31st (2011). Activity is to celebrate the 200th anni- versary of the birth of genius composer, virtuoso pianist and piano teacher Liszt Ferenc (Franz Liszt) (1811-1886). QSL via HA5GY.

INDEXA PRESS RELEASE
"Recently the International DX Association, INDEXA, announced to the CQ DX Hall of Fame members that complimentary membership was being extended to all of the members. The CQ DX Hall of Fame members have all contributed in different and unique ways to the DXing community.

The INDEXA officers thought this would be a way of extending thanks and acknowledging these DXers for their contribution to the world of DXing. INDEXA provides financial support for DXpeditions to the rare and semi-rare DXCC entities. Information about INDEXA can be found on their web at:

IOTA NEWS
EU-048. Members of the Club Radio Amteurs de Lanester will be active as F6KPQ/P from Belle ile en Mer (DIFM AT-15, WLOTA L-078) for the next RSGB IOTA Contest at the end of July. Activity will be on 80-10 meters using CW and SSB. Operators mentioned are Michel/F1SRC, Jean-Yves/F4EHM, Mickael/F4FFZ, Gwena/F4FHZ, Chris/F5CBQ and Jean-Francois/F6DZD. Visit the club's Web page at: http://f6kpq.ref-union.org

OC-244. Operators Christian/EA3NT and Bjorn/SM0MDG will be active as DU1/homecall from Tablas Island between January 17-21st. This activity is after their participation in the DX0DX Dxpedition to the Spratly Islands. Activity will be on 40/20/17 meters using CW and SSB. QSL both callsigns via EA3NT.

KH6BZF PROPAGATION FORECAST/REPORT (For December 27-January 1st)

 Dec  27    AN          SOLAR REFERENCE KEYS
 Dec  28    AN          --------------------
 Dec  29    AN          BN - Below Normal
 Dec  30    AN          AN - Above Normal/Geomagnetic Level is QUIET
 Dec  31    AN          LN - Low Normal
 Jan   1    AN          HN - High Normal/Geomagnetic Level is UNSETTLED
 Jan   2    AN          DIS  - Disturbed
                        VDIS - Very Disturbed


   GEOMAGNETIC REFERENCE
   ---------------------
   QUIET - The "A" index is expected to be between
           0-7 and the "K" index will be 2 or less
   UNSETTLED - The "A" index is expected to be between
           7-16 and "K" index will be 3 or less

KH9, WAKE ISLAND
Bruce, AC4G, states that he will operate from Wake Island as AC4G/KH9 sometime in 2011 as his work permits.

LOTW NEWS
The ARRL Web page reports that the ARRL's Logbook of the World (LoTW), an online system for amateurs to confirm two-way contacts that can be used for various ARRL awards is once again accepting DXCC and WAS applications. The system had been down earlier this week while under- going testing before adding capabilities to apply for awards based on Maidenhead grid squares, such as VUCC and the Fred Fish Memorial Award. Testing for the addition of these functions is still ongoing.

PS150, BRAZIL (Special Event)
Look for special event station PS150PLM to be on the air between January 1-30th (2011). Activity is to celebrate the 150th anniversary/birthday of the Brazilian scientist, inventor and radio pioneer, Roberto Landell de Moura. Operations will be on 40/20/15/10 meters SSB and eventually CW. QSL via PS7AB, direct or by the Bureau. All QSOs will be confirmed automatically via Bureau. For more details, see (QRZ.com).

QSL INFO AND NEWS

  QSL-INFO from DB0SDX (dated December 26th)
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  3D2RB via OH3RB                H40FN via HA8FW      ON/PA3FYG/P via PA3FYG
  5I3A via UA3DJY (12/2010 only) HA15COOP via HA1XY   PC600P via PA3HGP
  8Q7TH via DC9TH                HA100KONE via HA5AZZ PD80TT via PD7BZ
  A65BI via SM5DJZ               LY10XMAS via LY2QT   R3/US1GCK via US1GCK
  C6AMP via DL2NCY               LY50A via LY5A       S50ARX via S52X
  CO6CAC via EA5KB               LZ02WFF via LZ1BJ    SC0XMAS via SM0OGQ
  EA8/DK6XM via DK6XM            M0YCM/6Y5 via M0YCM  T8CW via JH0IXE
  EG3FPR via EA3GJA              OE40XBC via OE1XBC   UA0A via RW6HS (direct)
  EV6DX via UA5DX                OE50TKW via OE1TKW   W1/DK1TM via DK1TM (use
  EV7B via EW7BB                 OE50TRB via OE1TRB        US Address)
  FR/F6CAM via F6CAM             OE50XCW via OE4RGC   YB0AKM via EA7FTR
  H40FK via DG1FK                OH/LX1NO/P via LX1NO YP1WFF via YO9WF

OX/N0RC QSL STATUS. Reid, N0RC, reports, "I'm finally getting around to getting all the QSL requests from OX/N0RC sent out. Sorry for the delay....73"

QSL BUREAU NEWS.
The ARRL Web page reports that with the increase in sunspots, individuals are working more DX which means the ARRL's Member- ship and Volunteer Programs Department -- especially the DXCC Desk and the ARRL Incoming and Outgoing QSL Bureaus -- are working in high gear. The League states, "Compared to 2009, 2010 saw a dramatic increase in the number of cards we received from ARRL members that were sent to foreign QSL Bureaus, as well as the number of cards we sent out to the Bureaus," said DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L.

"In addition, the number of DXCC applications -- including those for initial awards and endorse- ments -- also increased." Through December 14, 2010, the ARRL Outgoing QSL Bureau received 709,800 cards destined for foreign QSL bureaus from ARRL members in the US. This represents an increase of 16 percent over the 2009 number of about 612,000 cards. In 2009, the ARRL shipped 673,500 cards -- or close to 4500 pounds of cards -- to foreign bureaus. "We have processed nearly 660,000 cards in 2010, and the year isn't even over yet," said MVP Administrative Manager Sharon Taratula.

"I would not be surprised if we surpassed 750,000 cards by the end of the year.” As the number of QSL cards has increased, so have the number of DXCC applications. In 2009, the DXCC Desk processed 7134 applications for initial awards and endorsements; these 2009 applications included almost 762,500 QSOs. So far in 2010, the DXCC Desk has processed 6895 applica- tions, containing almost 860,000 QSOs, for an increase of 13 percent over 2009. "With all of the year's applications not yet fully processed, we've seen the number of QSOs increase in 2010 over 2009, even though the number of applications is a tad lower," Moore said. "Come the end of the year, I expect the 2010 application total to surpass the 2009 number." For more info on how to use the ARRL's Bureau systems (IN/OUT), see the following Web pages:

S79K QSL STATUS. Dave, G3NKC, reports that he has received around 400 direct QSL requests for S79K. However, he mentions that the cards printed by the printer are apparently lost in the mail and that another lot are now being prepared. All labels are printed and ready to go as soon as he receives the cards.

Richard "Joey", W5TFW, reported this past week that he received a HUGE box of QSL cards, envelopes and OLD logs for V44KAI (that the OLD QSL Manager has never answered). He states, "It will take me a YEAR to sort all this out!" BE PATIENT!

ZL8X QSL/LOTW STATUS. Chris, DL1MGB, from the ZL8X DXpedition team, reports in a press release: "We already started with the design of the QSL cards. Stan, SQ8X, again volunteered to turn our mass of pictures into a colorful QSL card. For those who didn't get the message: We will upload our log to LoTW. All donors who are donating until December 30th, 2010, will receive their LoTW credit this year (still depending if we get the certificate from ARRL). All others in the course of the next year." For the complete press release, please go:

QSLS VIA LoTW: 9G5XA, A45WD, C6AUM, CW5W, DL4UL, E4X, EA3JW, ER5DX, EW1DO, GI4EBS, KH6MB, LU3JVO, LY1000X, LY2OX, LY6A, N2MM, P40W, RZ6HWA, S57YX, TM0R, UA3DPM, VA3MO, VA7ST and VP2E/K1XM

QSLS RECEIVED VIA MAIL: AO1DX/5, E51NOU, LU1ZA, LZ1ANA, OG5A, PJ2/DF7ZS, PJ2/K2TQC, PJ2/K8LEE, PJ2/W1NG, PJ2/WI9WI, PJ2A, PJ4A, PJ4B, PJ4D, PJ4LS, PJ5/AA4NC, PJ5/AH6HY, PJ5/K1XM, PJ5/SP6EQZ, PJ5/SP6IXF, PJ6A, PJ7E, PX8J, TM5KD, VE8EV/p, VP2ETN, XU7TZG and YK1BA

QSLS RECEIVED VIA THE BUREAU: H40FN, P29VCX and PJ5/K1XM

UP2011, KAZAKHSTAN (Special Event)
Members of the Almaty Amateur Radio League (ARL) is organizing the activation of special event stations that include UN2011G and 8 stations with UP2011 prefix (see list below) during the 7th Asian Winter Games between January 30th and February 6th. The suffix of UP2011 stations will imply the abbreviation of the 8 winter types of sports to be featured during the Games in Almaty and Astana. Some 30 Asian countries are expected to compete in the Games which includes competitions in 11 different sports for 65 sets of medals. Look for the following stations to be active on all HF bands including 30/17/12m using CW, SSB and the Digital modes:

UN2011G (Game) - ARL club station (regular callsign UN0GL)
UP2011AS (alpine skiing) - regular callsign UN8GU, op. Andy
UP2011BN (biathlon) - regular callsign UN7QCC, op. Victor
UP2011CS (cross-country skiing) - regular callsign UN6GAE, op. Alexander
UP2011FG (freestyle skiing) - regular callsign UN8GZ, op. Vitaliy
UP2011HB (Russian hockey, bandy) - regular callsign UN6GT, op. Valeriy
UP2011IH (ice hockey) - regular callsign UN2G, op. Evgeniy
UP2011SJ (ski jumping) - regular callsign UN6QC, op. Arthur
UP2011SO (ski orienteering) - regular callsign UN8GC, op. Michael

QSL via regular callsigns (direct or by the Bureau). A special award ("Medeo - 2011") is available for those who manage QSOs with these special stations. For more information, see: http://www.un-dx.ucoz.com (ENG)

VQ9, CHAGOS ISLANDS
Larry, VQ9LA, informed OPDX a few weeks ago that he will depart the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), Diego Garcia (AF-006), on January 24th. He reports this week that he operated on 80 meters RTTY and it worked very well. Larry will again operate on 80 meters RTTY starting at 1900z, December 27th through 1000z, December 28th. Listen for him on 3586 kHz listening up 1-3 kHz. He also mentions that he "MAY" operate on 40-15 meters RTTY (whatever band is open) between 1400-1900z on December 27th. He recommends to watch the Cluster spots. All logs will be updated to LoTW, direct/Bureau QSL cards via N0QM will also be fine. Remember Larry will be living in both the Philippines and the USA part of the year after he departs VQ9-land (see OPDX.988).

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