425 DX News #1515

16 May 2020 A.R.I. DX Bulletin
No 1515

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**** DX INFORMATION ****
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Edited by I1JQJ & IK1ADH
Direttore Responsabile I2VGW

A6 - Celebrating World Telecommunication & Information Society Day (17
May) from the United Arab Emirates will be:
A60WTIS/1 operated by A61BK QSL via A61BK
A60WTIS/2 operated by A61Q QSL via EA7FTR
A60WTIS/3 operated by A61NN QSL via A61NN
A60WTIS/4 operated by A61FK QSL via A61BK
A60WTIS/5 operated by A61DD QSL via A92AA
A60WTIS/6 operated by A61QQ QSL via A61BK
A60WTIS/7 operated by A61FJ QSL via A61FJ
A60WTIS/8 operated by A61RJ QSL via A61RJ
A60WTIS/9 operated by A61HA QSL via A61BK
A60WTIS/10 operated by A65GC QSL via A65GC
A60WTIS/11 operated by A61AY QSL via A61AY
Also taking part in the celebrations are 5C1WTIS from Morocco (QSL
via RW6HS), A91WTIS from Bahrein (QSL via Club Log's OQRS, or via
A92AA) and HZ1WTIS from Saudi Arabia (QSL via LoTW). In addition,
Australian amateurs may use the prefix AX on 17 May to mark WTIS.
A6 - The Emirates Amateur Radio Society (EARS) will see several stations
active in recognition and support for the "National Medical
Taskforce" during the COVID-19 pandemic:
A60NMT/1 operated by A61M QSL via A61BK
A60NMT/2 operated by A61Q QSL via EA7FTR
A60NMT/3 operated by A61NN QSL via A61NN
A60NMT/4 operated by A61FK QSL via A61BK
A60NMT/5 operated by A61DD QSL via A92AA
A60NMT/6 operated by A61QQ QSL via A61BK
A60NMT/7 operated by A61FJ QSL via A61FJ
A60NMT/8 operated by A61RJ QSL via A61RJ
A60NMT/9 operated by A61HA QSL via A61BK
A60NMT/10 operated by A61GC QSL via A61GC
A60NMT/11 operated by A61AY QSL via A61AY
A60NMT/12 operated by A61BK QSL via A61BK
DL - Mike, DG5LAC will be active as DG5LAC/p from Amrum Island (EU-042)
on 18-24 May. He will operate SSB, FT8 and FT4. QSL via Club Log's
OQRS, or via DG5LAC. [TNX NG3K]
EA - Special callsign AM40LAR will be active on 14-31 May for the 40th
anniversary of "L'altra radio" (The Other Radio), a weekly radio
programme specialized in telecommunications and audiovisual culture
broadcast on Radio Nacional de Espana's channel in the Catalan
language. QSL via LoTW and eQSL. A certificate will be available,
see https://am40lar.mikedeltavictor.com for information.
F - The Radio Club de Cestas (F6KUQ) will be actiive as TM0BEE on 16-24
May to mark World Bee Day. Look for activity on 80-6 metres CW, SSB
and digital modes. QSL via F6KUQ or eQSL. Pollination is a funda-
mental process for the survival of our ecosystems, but bees and
other pollinators are increasingly under threat from human activi-
ties. To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the
threats they face and their contribution to sustainable develop-
ment, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.
FW - As soon as travel restrictions are lifted and "everything opens
up", Tom, KH0/KC0W will be active as FW/KC0W from Wallis Island
(OC-054) for two weeks. He will operate CW only on 40-6 metres; he
is "seriously contemplating FT8 on 160 and 80m only, but it all
depends how much room the 160/80 meter verticals will take up". QSL
direct only to KC0W, log search on Club Log. [TNX DX World]
G - David, G4YVM will be active as GB4DLS until 2 June to commemorate
the 80th anniversary of the pivotal role played by the "Dunkirk
Little Ships" during Operation Dynamo (26 May and 4 June 1940). He
will operate mainly CW, but "will try to run some SSB as well". QSL
via G4YVM. The Little Ships of Dunkirk were a flotilla of hundreds
of private boats that sailed from Ramsgate (England) to help
evacuate 338,000 Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of
Dunkirk in northern France.
HK - The Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications has
granted a special "stay home" callsign for the Liga Colombiana de
Radioaficionados' members to use. Look for 5JSTAYHOME (only one
digit) to be active on all bands and modes from 12 May to 27 July
QSL via LoTW and eQSL.
I - II3STAY is another "stay home" callsign, to be used by members of
ARI Bruneck/Brunico (IQ3ED) between 12 May and 31 December. QSL via
the bureau, or direct to IN3ZWF.
I - 4U9STAYHOME is the special callsign for the UN Global Service
Center's Amateur Radio Club (4U1GSC) to join the Stay Home campaign
from 15 May to 15 June. DXCC wise, this activity counts for Italy.
QSL via 9A2AA, direct or bureau.
I - Michele, IZ2FME will operate CW only as II2EMCA between 1 July and
31 December. The special callsign's suffix stands for Emilio Caimi
(1876-1963), the straight key manufacturer whose company supplied
the Italian Royal Air Force in the Thirties. QSL via LoTW, or
direct to IZ2FME.
KL - Originally expected to take place in June [425DXN 1507], the Rus-
sian Robinson Club's IOTA DXpedition to Alaska has been postponed.
The new schedule (subject to change due to travel restrictions) is
for N3QQ, N7QT, OK8AU, UA9OBA and possibly a couple of other opera-
tors to be active as KL7RRC/p from Kiska Island (NA-070) on 5-10
September, and as KL7RRC from Adak Island (NA-039) on 11-18 Septem-
ber. They will operate CW, SSB and FT8 (Fox & Hound) with three
stations. QSLs via N7RO. Bookmark https://www.na-234.com/ for
updates.
OK - Amateur radio became fully legal in Czechoslovakia on 19 May 1930,
when the first examinations for a licence were administered. To
celebrate the 100th anniversary of this milestone, twelve special
callsigns will be active on 19-31 May. Six callsigns (OL901AA,
OL901AB, OL902AC, OL901AF, OL902AG and OL901AH) will be in memory
of the first licencees, while other six callsigns (OL90SKEC,
OL90KVAC, OL90CAV, OL90ROH, OL90SVAZARM and OL90CRK) will memo-
rialize the historic and current amateur radio organizations in the
Czech Republic. QSL via the bureau, LoTW and eQSL. Complete infor-
mation on the OK-90 Award can be found on https://ok90.hamqth.com/.
SP - Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pope John Paul
II, born Karol Wojtyla (1920-2005), special callsign 3Z100KW will
be active from his hometown on 15-31 May. QSL via SP9ZKN.
UA - Commemorating the 115th anniversary since the birth of Mikhail A.
Sholokhov (the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature), special callsigns
R115MS, RM35MS and UE35MS will be active on 18-24 May during the
35th edition of the Sholokhov Spring Festival. QSLs via Club Log's
OQRS.
UR - Special callsigns EM100ALK, EM100LK and EO100A will be active from
1 June to 1 July to memorialize Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub (1920-
1991). QSL via operator's instructions. A certificate will be
available, see https://www.qrz.com/db/EM100ALK for information. A
Marshal of Aviation, Ivan Nikitovich was a flying ace, attributed
with the highest number of air combat victories of any Soviet pilot
during World War II.
VU - AT2SH is another "stay home" special callsign from India, operated
by VU2RBI, VU2RS, VU3OPD, VU3UFE and VU3WEW "to create awareness
about COVID-19 across the world through Amateur Radio". QSL via
M0OXO's OQRS.
W - Bruce, K5TEN will be active again as K4D from Dog Island (NA-085)
on 1-10 June. He will operate SSB and FT8 on 40 and 20 metres. QSL
QSL direct to home call; he will upload his log to LoTW and eQSL.
ZS - ZS1820S is a special callsign celebrating the 200th anniversary of
the arrival of the 1820 British Settlers in the Eastern Cape area
of South Africa. The callsign will be active for the rest of the
year on various bands and modes. QSL via LoTW and logsearch on Club
Log; electronic QSLs can be requested from ZS2EC by email.

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**** GOOD TO KNOW ... ****
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Edited by I1JQJ & IK1ADH
Direttore Responsabile I2VGW

Access to the main functions of www.425dxn.org is provided by the 425DXN App
for Android. It is available on Google Play - free of charge, no ads. Enjoy!

CAMPBELL ISLAND (ZL9) ---> "The Perseverance DX Group (PDXG) has some
unfinished business". Several PDXG members participated in the 2012 ZL9HR
DXpedition to Campbell Island that was cut short by weather. "After their
Successful VP8PJ South Orkney Islands 2020 DXpedition, PDXG is pleased to
announce their intention to activate the New Zealand Sub Antarctic Islands
(ZL9), Clublog #24 Most Wanted, in the 2021-2022 timeframe.
The plan includes 160-10m operation, CW/SSB/RTTY/FT8, with an emphasis on
160, 80, 60, 40 and, propagation dependent, 12 and 10 metres. The landing
permit process is pending and discussions with transportation partners have
begun. However, the Covid-19 lock down has caused significant delays and
uncertainty. Additional information will be published as it develops". [TNX
K5GS]

CQ CONTEST HALL OF FAME ---> Established in 1986, the CQ Contest Hall of
Fame honours those contesters who not only excel in personal performance but
who also "give back" to the hobby in outstanding ways. CQ Contesting Editor
David Siddall (K3ZJ) conducted a virtual induction ceremony at the conclu-
sion of the daylong 2020 Contest University webinar on 14 May. This is the
37th annual induction and the first to be conducted online. The 2020
inductees to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame are:
* Geoffrey Howard, W0CG/PJ2DX, who purchased and restored the PJ9JT contest
station in 2000 that had been owned by CQ Contest Hall of Famer John
Thompson, W1BIH/PJ9JT. The location was named "Signal Point" and the PJ2T
callsign pays homage to PJ9JT. Geoff established the Caribbean Contest
Consortium to help manage and maintain the station, and has consistently
made the station available to guest operators over the years, including
serving as host station several times for young operators participating in
the Dave Kalter Youth DX Adventure program. He has also worked closely
with VERONA, Curacao's national ham radio society. Geoff served for more
than 25 years in the United States Air Force, retiring as a colonel;
worked for RCA and the Federal Aviation Administration, and taught in the
Graduate School of Management at Kent State University in Ohio.
* Willard "Bill" Myers, K1GQ, a pioneer of computer-based systems for de-
signing and switching antennas at contest stations, designed the Cushcraft
"Skywalker" series of monoband Yagis, helped build the early PacketCluster
network and served as mentor to several of today's most prominent con-
testers, including K1AR, K1DG, K1JX, and others. Bill was also a major
behind-the-scenes force at the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship
(WRTC) competition in Massachusetts, and is currently providing support
and refinement of the SkookumLogger contest logging program for Apple
computers.
* Gene Zimmerman, W3ZZ (SK), was a major force in VHF contesting as well as
an accomplished HF contester. He was a member of both ARRL's and CQ's con-
test committees at various times between 1972 and 2012, was QST magazine's
VHF Editor for nearly a decade, and was CQ Contest magazine's VHF colum-
nist as well. Gene took over the struggling CQ World Wide VHF Contest in
1999, reinvented it as a 6- and 2-meter only event and sparked its growth
into a truly worldwide competition. He was also instrumental in organizing
the mid-Atlantic VHF contesting group that became known as the K8GP Grid
Pirates.
Registered participants in the virtual Contest University webinar were able
to view the induction ceremony live. It was also "simulcast" on DX Engi-
neering's YouTube channel, where it is stored for later viewing:
https://www.youtube.com/user/DXEngineering/featured (the recording of the
ceremony starts at 09:15:30).
CQ is issuing a separate news release this year - with separate release
times - for each of the CQ Halls of Fame (Amateur Radio, Contest and DX) due
to disparities in scheduling induction events. The DX Hall of Fame induction
is planned to air live on Ham Nation (https://twit.tv/shows/ham-nation) on
20 May at 21 EDT (1 UTC on 21 May), with the on demand download available
within 24 hours.

DXPEDITION OF THE YEAR ---> On 14 May the Southwest Ohio DX Association
announced their 2019/2020 DXpedition of the Year award, which regognizes
"excellence in DXpedition planning and execution" from Most Wanted DXCC
Entities. DXpeditions completed from March 2019 through February 2020 were
eligible for this year's award, which has been presented to the TI9A DXpedi-
tion to Coco's Island (February 2020). Watch the video of the announcement
on https://www.swodxa.org/dxpedition-of-the-year/.

QSL 9J2LA ---> "I am still waiting for the 9J2LA cards to arrive from UX5UO
QSL Print", Charles (M0OXO) reported on 12 May. A certain delay was expected
"due to Covid-19 issues", but apparently "there are more restrictions on the
route between Ukraine and the UK. Labels and envelopes are all ready here, I
just need the cards to arrive and they will be mailed within 48 hours of
receipt". Please be patient and "stop emailing me asking about the position
of the cards and LoTW".

QSL EY8MM ---> Mike Cizek, W0VTT is the new QSL manager for Nodir, EY8MM.
Mike will have all logs dating back to 1 January 1994. A batch of new cards
has been ordered, but it might take some time before Mike receives them.

QSL VP8PJ ---> The QSL cards arrived from ON5UR QSL Print Service, Tim
(M0URX) reported on 12 May, "so the job of labeling the cards and stuffing
the envelopes begins. ALL cards requested up to the mailing date will all be
sent in the mailing and a press release from the VP8PJ team will inform you
when the job is done" The OQRS on https://www.m0urx.com/ is open, "so you
still have time to make your QSL request".

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QSLs received direct or through managers: 4A2L (NA-135), 5H3EME, 5H3UA, 6F3A
(NA-153), 7X4AN, 8R1/AG6UT, 9M8PSB, CB0Z (SA-101), HU1DL, LA/CT1BWW (EU-076)
PJ4/NE9U, SU8WRC, SU8X, TK/S57VW, TO7DL (AF-016), TT8SN, TU5PCT, TZ4AM,
UN9GD, VP2VB, VP6R, XV1X, XZ1Z, Z81D, ZF5T.

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425 DX News is a free of charge weekly bulletin
edited by Mauro Pregliasco, I1JQJ and Valeria Pregliasco, IK1ADH

Its contents may be used, reproduced and distributed
in part or full provided that
"425 DX News" or "425DXN" receive proper credit

Contributors are invited to send their DX information to
Mauro Pregliasco, I1JQJ (i1jqj.mauro@gmail.com)
The deadline is 12 UTC on Fridays

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Direttore Responsabile
Gabriele Villa, I2VGW
Giornalista Professionista - Tessera n. 071675
Ordine Nazionale dei Giornalisti
Roma, Italia