OPDX Bulletin 1338 November 6, 2017

The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 1338
BID: $OPDX.1338
November 6, 2017
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF80.ORG (Cleveland, Ohio)
Written/Sent From Strongsville, Oh

Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, AB5K & the AR TelNet Clusters Network, NJ1Q & W1AW, KE2M, NG3K & ADXO, W3UR & The Daily DX, W7GJ, K8GI, K8YC, K8YSE, KO8SCA, W8GEX & 60m DX News, 4L2M, 6W1QL, DL1SBF, DL7UXG & The DX News Letter, DL7VEE, DxCoffee.com, DXNews.com, DX-World.Net, ES1CW, F6AJA & Les Nouvelles DX, HK3W, I1JQJ/IK1ADH & 425 DX News, I2MQP & DX Italia News, JA1XGI, OH9MM, OZ6OM & 50 MHz DX News, PP2BT, RSGB IOTA Web Site, Sixitalia Weekly, VA3RJ & ICPO, and VHF-DX-Portal (MMMonVHF) for the following DX information.

font size="+1">EDITOR'S COMMENT
If you were on Daylight Saving Time (DST), did you remember to turn your clock back an hour? See below "Standard Time".

DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT
According to the AR-Cluster Network for the week of Sunday, 29th/October, through Sunday, 5th/November there were 230 countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3C, 3D2, 3DA, 3V, 3W, 3X, 4J, 4L, 4O, 4S, 4U1I, 4W, 4X, 5A, 5B, 5H, 5R, 5T, 5V, 5W, 5X, 6W, 6Y, 7X, 8P, 8R, 9A, 9G, 9H, 9J, 9K, 9M2, 9M6, 9N, 9Q, 9V, 9X, 9Y, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C2, C3, C6, C9, CE, CE0Y, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D4, DL, DU, E4, E5/n, 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, HA, HB, HB0, HC, HH, HI, HK, HK0/a, HL, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J6, J8, JA, JD/m, JD/o, JT, JY, K, 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, PJ4, PJ5, PY, PZ, S0, S2, S5, S7, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T2, T7, T8, TA, TF, TG, TI, TK, TN, TR, TT, TU, TY, TZ, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, V8, VE, VK, VK9C, VK9M, VK9N, VK9X, VP2M, VP5, VP8, VP8/h, VP9, VR, VU, XE, XU, XX9, YA, YB, YI, YJ, YL, YN, YO, YU, YV, Z2, Z3, ZA, ZB, ZD7, ZD8, 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".

3C1, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (Update). Operators Yuris/YL2GM and Kaspars/YL3AIW
continue their activities as 3C1L from Luba located on the ocean's coast.
They are expected to go QRT possibly between November 8-10th. Activity
has been mainly CW by Kaspars, but on November 2nd, Yuris finally settled
issues in Malabo and was able to get their second K3 transceiver. So look
for Yuris to be on SSB and RTTY. QSL via YL2GN direct or ClubLog's OQRS
(direct or Bureau). Look for the logs to be uploaded to LoTW six months
after their operations. Updates are being posted to:
 http://www.lral.lv/3c0l_3c1l


4U24, ITALY. Members of the Global Service Centre Amateur Radio Club
(4U1GSC) are using the special callsign, 4U24OCT, to celebrate "United
Nations Day" (October 24th) which has been celebrated since 1948. The
purpose of the UN Day event is to promote to the people world-wide the
principles of humanity, unity, and world peace. The drawing on the QSL
(see QRZ.com) has been made by a Chilean painter, who was a guest visitor
for the 2017 UN Day event, organized by UN Humanitarian Response Depot
(UNHRD-WFP), Global Service Center and City of Brindisi. For DXCC purposes,
this station only counts for Italy. QSL via 9A2AA.


5X, UGANDA. Jonathan, KK7PW, will once again be active as 5X1O from Uganda
between November 8-20th. He states, "I may not be on the air everyday, but
will aim for early mornings/late evenings (EA times) on 40, 20, 17, 15,
or 10m. I will use an FT-857d (with MDSR) at 100w, to a CrankIR. Modes =
CW and SSB (usually "up 2"), WSPR, and possibly FT8 and JT65. QSL Manager
is Pedro, EA5GL.


6W1/6W7/6W6, SENEGAL. Earl, WA3DX, will once again be active from Senegal,
but from a few different areas as 6W1/WA3DX (Dakar), 6W7/WA3DX (Mbao) and
6W6/WA3DX (Kaolack and Saloum Islands) between December 25th and January
12th. Activity will be holiday style on 40-10 meters using SSB, SSTV and
PSK. QSL via WA3DX direct only.


9L. SIERRA LEONE. Mark, KW4XJ, is now active as 9L/KW4XJ from Freetown
(WW Loc. IJ38jk). The length of stay is not known, but he is waiting for
a permanent 9L callsign. Mark operates mainly on CW and the Digital modes
on the HF bands. His QTH station is an Icom IC-7300 into a magloop (with
power set to max. 10W) currently until more antennas arrive and get
installed. His QRP station is a Yaesu FT-817ND running 5 watts into mag-
loop (Chameleon F-Loop). QSL via his home callsign.


9U, BURUNDI (Reminder/Update). Members of the Mediterraneo DX Club will
be active as 9U4M between November 6-17th. The international team will
include the following operators: Ant/IZ8CCW (Team Leader), Gab/I2VGW
(Co-Leader), Marco/IZ2GNQ (Technical Manager), Gerard/F2JD, Eric/ON7RN,
Alain/F6ENO, Tony/F8ATS, Jean/F5NKX, Dario/IZ4UEZ, Mario/IK4MTK, Patrick/
F2DX, Franc/ON4LO, Gabi/YO8WW, Feri/YO5OED, Steve/MW0ZZK, Marco/IZ3GNG,
Marco/HB9OCR, Ovidio/YO9XC, Andrea/IK5BOH, Henri/F1HRE, Fabio/IK4QJF and
Jean-Luis/F6BPZ. Activity will be on 160-10 meters with plans to set up
5 stations (2 for SSB, 2 for CW, 1 for RTTY). Suggested frequencies are:
 CW - 1826.5, 3505, 7005, 10105, 14025, 18075, 21025, 24895 and 28025 kHz
 SSB - 1840, 3799, 7080, 14200, 18145, 21295, 24950 and 28470 kHz
 RTTY - 3600, 7040, 10140, 14085, 18100, 21080, 24930 and 28085 kHz
QSL via IK2VUC, direct, by the Bureau, ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW. For more
details and updates, see: http://www.mdxc.org/9u4m


A3, TONGA. YL Naomi, JM6EBU, will be active as A35NM from Nuku'Alofa,
Tongatapu Island (OC-049), between December 5-7th. Activity will be
holiday style and limited to her free time on various HF bands. QSL via
her home callsign direct.


C2, NAURU. Operators Kuni/JA8VE, Mat/JA1JQY and Kaoru/JA3MCA will be
active as C21VE, C21JY and C21JY, respectively from Nauru (OC-031) between
November 8-14th. Activity will be on 80-10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY.
QSL via their home callsigns, direct or by the Bureau.


CU4/CT8, AZORES (Rare IOTA). Operators Alan/K0AV and Oliver/W6NV will
activate the rare IOTA Graciosa Island in the Azores Group as CU4DX
during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 25-26th). QSL via LoTW. Before
and after the contest, operators will be active as CT8/W6NV and CT8/K0AV.
QSL CT8/W6NV via W6NV direct. QSL CT8/K0AV via K0AV direct.


DXCC'S MOST WANTED (ClubLog). The "DXCC Most Wanted" entities list has
been updated on ClubLog as of October 31st. The top 10 entities still
remain the same and they are:
 1. P5 DPRK (North Korea) 6. CE0X San Felix Islands
 2. 3Y/B Bouvet Island 7. BV9P Pratas Island
 3. FT5/W Crozet Island 8. KH3 Johnston Island
 4. KH1 Baker Howland Islands 9. VK0M Macquarie Island
 5. BS7H Scarborough Reef 10. KH7K Kure Island
 The complete "DXCC Most Wanted" entities list is available at:
 https://secure.clublog.org/mostwanted.php


GU, GUERNSEY. Oleg, RL5D, will be active as GU3HFN (the Guernsey Amateur
Radio Society callsign) from St. Peter Port during the CQWW DX CW Contest
(November 25-26th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/Low-Power entry. QSL via the
Bureau.


HP, PANAMA. Will, AA4NC, will be active as HP/AA4NC from Panama between
January 10-24th, 2018. He will be operating portable from several different
call areas in Panama. QSL via AA4NC direct.


HS0, THAILAND. Franz, DJ9ZB, will be active as HS0ZLP from Bangkok until
November 6th. Activity will be on various HF bands (QRNs on 40/20/15m SSB).
QSL via DJ9ZB.


INDEXA NEWS. John Scott, K8YC, INDEXA VP/Editor, reports that the INDEXA
Fall 2016 Newsletter is now online. He states, "You'll enjoy reading
about the S21ZED/S21ZEE DXpedition to Bangladesh that occurred in March
of this year. Besides that, you'll have a chance to have a brief intro-
duction to our three new directors. And, a note from INDEXA's only fifth
President in over 34 years--Bob Schenck, N2OO--will give you comfort that
the reins of INDEXA are still in good hands." The 14 page addition can be
read and downloaded at:
http://indexa.org/documents/newsletters/Newsletter-Issue-119-Fall%202017.pdf


IOTA NEWS..............
 AF-045. Operators John/6W7JX, Ouzin/6W1PZ, Tafa/6W1KI and Jul/6W1QL
 will be active as 6V1A from Goree Island between December
 15-17th. Activity will be on CW and SSB on all bands using
 a FT-1000 and Icom 7300 with 150 watts into dipoles G5RV/
 Kelemen. QSL info TBA.


 AF-111. (5L3BI Baiyah Island Update) Col, MM0NDX, reported on "DX-
 World.net", November 1st: After trying for 2 days the 5L3BI
 team couldn't make a landing. Way too dangerous. Jeremy/EI5GM
 and Col/MM0NDX almost capsized next to rock. The swell around
 the rock never eased. There's lots more to say but not at this
 moment in time."


 OC-129. Mike, DF8AN, will be active as DU7/DF8AN from Negros Island
 between November 5-16th. Activity will be on various HF bands
 using CW, RTTY, FT8 and PSK. QSL via DF8AN.


KH7, HAWAII. Jim, N6TJ, will once again be active as KH7M (the Pu'u O'o
Radio Club callsign) from Volcano during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November
25-26th) as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL via KH6ZM (USA/Canada) or to
I0MWI (the rest of the world).


KP2, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. Scott, NE9U, will once again be active as
NE9U/KP2 between November 21st and December 5th. Activity will include
the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 25-26th) and the ARRL 160 Meter Contest
(December 1-3rd) signing as NP2X. QSL NE9U/KP2 via NE9U. QSL NP2X via
K5WW or LoTW. Sorry no bureau cards and eQSLs.


PRESS RELEASE (via OH9MM from the Arctic Circle, date October 27th).
 HEAD OFFICE OF SANTA [edited] -- Rovaniemi, Arctic Circle, 27.10.2017
 PRESS RELEASE -- News from the Land of Santa Claus, OH9SCL
 Meet the Christmas spirit also on 2017! Santa's own radio amateur
 station has been active since December 1986 from Finnish Lapland.
 Mostly the activations has been above the Arctic Circle.
 In December 2017, OH9SCL will be active from several OH Counties
 (OHC) from Lapland.
 Possible OH9/OG9/OF9 counties:
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 901 Enontekiö 908 Kolari 914 Rovaniemi 921 Tornio
 902 Inari 909 Muonio 916 Salla 922 Utsjoki
 903 Kemi 910 Pelkosenniemi 917 Savukoski 923 Ylitornio
 904 Keminmaa 911 Pello 918 Simo
 905 Kemijärvi 912 Posio 919 Sodankylä
 907 Kittilä 913 Ranua 920 Tervola


 OHC number for stations located in Lapland starts always with the
 number 9! If you are unsure about our location you can always ask OHC??
 We are really located in the northern part of Finland. There is no
 remote stations used. We let the nature decide where we can make the
 contacts. Visiting Arctic Circle is also an experience for visiting
 ham radio operators. See info for visiting amateurs on our brand new
 homepage!
 For additional information:
 Homepage: http://oh9scl.fi
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oh9scl
 QRZ.com: https://qrz.com/db/oh9scl


P2, PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Haru, JA1XGI, will be active as P29VXG from Rabual,
Bougainville, New Britain Island (OC-008), between February 1-7th, 2018.
Activity will be mainly CW on 160/80/40/30 meters with a special focus on
EU/NA on 160m. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the Bureau. Visit
his Web page at: http://island.geocities.jp/P29vacation


PACIFIC TOUR (WWII Commemorative DXpedition). Operators Will/AA4NC and
Ron/AA4VK will be active next year from the Pacific to commemorative WWII
in the months of February and March. Their announced tentative schedule
(so far) is as follows:
 February 13-21st -- Palau (T8); callsigns are pending
 February 22-28th -- Saipan, Mariana Islands (KH0); callsigns are
 KH0/AA4NC and KH0/AA4VK
 March 1-8th -- Hawaii (KH6); callsigns are KH6/AA4NC, KH6/AA4VK


 The Guam Islands (KH2) are also listed, but dates and callsigns have
not yet been provided as well as modes and bands of operations. QSL via
their home callsigns.


PROPAGATION FORECAST/REPORT (November 6-12th).......
 Nov/06th AN Nov/09th DIS Nov/11th LN
 Nov/07th LN Nov/10th BN Nov/12th AN
 Nov/08th LN


 SOLAR REFERENCE KEYS/INDEXES AND GEOMAGNETIC REFERENCE
 ======================================================
 NORMALITY GEOMAG K Values Alpha
 ----------------- ------ -------- ------
 AN - Above Normal Quiet K=0-1 0-7
 HN - High Normal Unsettled K=2 8-15
 LN - Low Normal Active K=3 16-29
 BN - Below Normal Minor Storm K=4 30-49
 DIS - Disturbed Major Storm K=5 50-99
 VRY DIS - Very Disturbed Severe Storm K=6-9 100-400


 REALTIME BAND CONDITIONS WEB SITE :
 The purpose of this experimental Web site is to provide 24-7-365 actual
 (REALTIME) band condition information to CW QRPp, QRPe and CW/SSB for
 Contesters interested in increasing their scores. It can also be of
 benefit to other Radio Amateurs to determine band conditions for Nets
 and casual QSO's. This information is NOT based on any software pre-
 dictions or any kind of satellite based readings. It is based on a
 new Ionospheric sounding method called "HF Ionospheric Interferometry"
 which operates very similarly to the PolSAR system used by NASA.


 Also, check out the VOACAP predication Web page at:
 http://www.voacap.com/prediction.html
 A daily HF radio wave propagation forecast can be found at:
 https://www.facebook.com/thomasfranklingiellaw4hm
 Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@GiellaW4hm


PS0F, FERRNANDO DE NORONHA. Operators Julio/PP2BT and Renner/PY7RP will
be active as PS0F from Fernando de Noronha Islands (SA-003) during the
CQWW DX CW Contest (November 25-26th) as a Multi-Single/Low-Power entry.
QSL via PY7RP (OQRS via Clublog/Direct QSLs/No Bureau). PLEASE NOTE:
QSOs on and before 2012, QSL via WD9DZV.


QSL INFO AND NEWS...................
 QSL-INFO from DB0SDX by Lothar, DL1SBF (November 5th) 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 4K8YL via 4K4K (d) HG72QRP via HA5MA PJ4/NA2AA via NA2AA
 5C42KD via EA7FTR IO2X via IK2NCJ PQ1LM via PY1AA 7 & (e)
 8J7ASK via (JA-B) IQ4AX via IZ4REF R100OR via R4AS
 9A/OE6SWG/P via OE6SWG KH0/OH1JD via OH1JD (L) SM/UR5UT via UR5UT (d)
 AH2D via JA1NEJ KP2/WA0ROI via WA0ROI SN8T via SQ8GBN
 CN42MS via EA7FTR LZ307MU via LZ1KCP SV8/F1RAF via F1RAF 
 CO6RD via EA5GL M3D via G3XTT SV8/F1RAF via F1RAF 
 CT8/DJ7ZG via DL7AFS OE500ML via (OE-B) TC10U via TA5FA 7 (L)
 DK60HERTEN via DJ5QE (**) ON1418POP via ON4HRT (**) TM40SM via F5KPO & (e)
 EA8/SM7BUA via SM7BUA OP17AR via ON7SS TM44RT via F5KBB
 EC1L via EB1DNA OP17N via ON4CRD V26B via KA2AEV
 EH2GRE via EA2RKW OP2CYV via ON2CYV V31WB via WB5TKI
 GS8VL via GM4FDM (d/C/L) OP5C via ON8HQ V73/PD0LK via PD0LK
 HA44LW via (HA-B) OY/DK2AJ via DK2AJ & (L) VK9MA via N7QT (O/d/L)
 HA60FMV via HA5FMV OZ0BO/P via DK5OPA VR20XMT via VR2XMT (d/L)
 HG3IPA via HA3JB PA10TA via PA2TMS (d) ZF2ZE via NE8Z
 HG44L via (HA-B) PA160HZ via PA5V ZF9CW via K5GO & (L)
 HG44QRP via (HA-B) PA6RW via PE1GUR
 HG44X via (HA-B) PI4DHG via PD4LYN
 (e) eQSL only (d) direct only (B) Bureau only (*-B) DX's- Bureau
 (O) OQRS only (C) ClubLog only (L) LoTW only (88) no QSL required


 4L QSL BUREAU ADDRESS CHANGE. Mamuka Kordzakhia, 4L2M, President of
 NARG, informs OPDX that the 4L QSL Bureau has changed their address.
 The new address is: BOX 12, (SADGURI) 0102, Tbilisi, Georgia
 The new QSL manager is Irakli Kordzakhia, 4L2IKA.


 LOGS ONLINE AT CLUBLOG.ORG THIS WEEK......
 https://secure.clublog.org/logsearch/3C0L
 https://secure.clublog.org/logsearch/3C1L
 https://secure.clublog.org/logsearch/F6KOP/P-EU148
 https://secure.clublog.org/logsearch/RI1F/EU-190
 https://secure.clublog.org/logsearch/RI1F/SAT
 https://secure.clublog.org/logsearch/VK9CZ
 https://secure.clublog.org/logsearch/VK9MA


 HK3W QSL STATUS. Siso, HK3W, informs OPDX that on October 26th, he used
 the URE's QSL Bureau system to send more than 2000 QSOs on 1550 QSL cards.
 He also states, "If you want to send me your QSL card, please do it via
 EA4URE QSL Bureau Only. Think twice before send your QSL cards via bureau
 to Colombia (HK) because it won't arrive, your cards will disappear. So,
 don't waste your time and money, use Clublog.org OQRS systems, LoTW
 or EA4URE QSL Bureau to get your card or confirmation."


 OLD QSL COLLECTION (Update). Jean Michel, F6AJA, wants to remind everyone
 to visit the Les Nouvelles DX (LNDX) Web page to see more than 15,100 old
 QSL cards in several different albums/galleries. This site contains:
 - The ten most wanted DXCC entities (2007 to 2016) with more than
 500 QSLs
 - At least one card for each 60 deleted DXCC countries (more than
 1800+ QSLs)
 - Nearest the totality of current prefixes, disappeared now (more
 than 5000+ QSLs)
 - Album for stations from North Africa 1945-1962 (400+ QSLs)
 - More than 950+ QSLs from the Antarctic bases.
 - With 270 QSLs from the TAAF (Terres Australes and Antarctiques
 Francaises).
 - More than 450 QSLs for the rare French Pacific Islands such as
 FK, FK/C, FO/C, FO/A, FO/M, FO/C and FW
 - More than 100 cards from Eparses Islands such as FR/B/E/G/J/T
 - The FG, FM, FP, FS, FY stations from 1945 to 1969
 - Commemoratives stations for ITU and IARU with more than 700 QSL.
 - More than 2500 cards for the old timer with more than 150 countries
 before 1945.
 - Cards from the French Department before 1945.
 - At least one card from each of the states in the U.S. before 1945.


 The URL address for the Web site is: http://LesNouvellesDX.free.fr
 Some cards are still needed for the collection, and your particip-
 ation is welcome. Only a ".jpg" file (both sides of the card) is required.
 Please visit the site and give them your comments by sending an E-mail
 to: LesNouvellesDX@free.fr


 
 QSLS RECEIVED VIA LoTW: 4Z4DX, 9G1SD, 9Y4W, 4S7AYG, 4S7BHG, ES2HV,
 F6KOP/P (EU-148), GM7TUD, JA5EXC, KC4AAA, LA1JKA, NL7S, R9MT, RI1ANO,
 SP9KR, TX5EG, TY2AC, VI6BLT50, VK2DX, VK9CZ, VP5W, VU2TMP, XT2AW and
 YO2RR


 QSLS RECEIVED VIA MAIL: 5A1AL, 5A5A, AL3/AA7CH, NL6/AA7CH, RI0LI 
 (AS-022), RI1ON (EU-066) and ST100S


 QSLS RECEIVED VIA THE BUREAU: NONE REPORTED THIS WEEK!!!


RI1, ANTARCTICA. Nikolai, RW6ACM, will be active as RI1ANL from the
Novolazarevskaya Antarctica Base Station (AN-016) between March 2018
and March 2019. Activity will be limited to his spare time on various
HF bands using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. QSL via RN1ON, direct,
by the Bureau, ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW.


STANDARD TIME. Did you remember to change your clocks? Countries who
observe Daylight Saving Time (DST), which took place on Sunday, March
12th, are now expected to move their "local clocks" backward 1 hour on
Sunday, November 5th, from 2:00 AM local time to 1:00 AM. In 2018, Day-
light Saving Time (DST) will again go into effect on Sunday, March 11th,
at 2:00 AM local time. For the history and details about ST and DST, as
well as an interesting map of the world (showing the countries who observe
DST), see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_time
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time
 http://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/2018.html
ADDED NOTE: Hopefully, all amateur radio operators know not to change
their GMT/UTC/ZULU clocks. However, since most operators usually set their
computers to local time, some may have to change their settings on "some"
ham radio software (ex. logging, propagation, DXTelnet, etc..) programs.


SU9, EGYPT. Nacho, EA1AK/EA7TN, will be active as SU9JG from Cairo (Zone
34) during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 25-26th) as a Single-Op/
Single-Band (15m)/Low-Power entry. QSL via LoTW or EA5GL.


T8, PALAU. Noboru, JH1OLB, will be active as T88DT from the VIP Guest
Hotel (Free Radio Room) on Koror Island (OC-009) between November 23-29th.
Activity will be on 160-6 meters (depending on condition) using CW, SSB,
RTTY, PSK31, SSTV and JT65A. QSL via his home callsign, direct, by the
Bureau or LoTW. No eQSL. For more details about the VIP Guest Hotel
(Free Radio Room), see: http://www.palau-radio.com/index.php?page=rr2014


TO5, MARTINIQUE. Adrian, KO8SCA, is planning a 7-day holiday style DX-
pedition to Martinique between November 21-28th. He will be using the
special callsign TO5W for the entire week, including the CQWW DX CW
Contest (November 25-26th). Activity outside of the contest will be on
all HF bands, 160-10 meters using CW ad SSB. Log will be uploaded to
ClubLog during his DXpedition. Paper QSL cards are available through
ClubLog's OQRS. Log will be uploaded to LoTW after the DXpedition. For
more details, see the KO8SCA QRZ.com webpage.


V2, ANTIGUA. Bud, AA3B, will once again be active as V26K from Antigua
(NA-100) between November 22-27th. Activity will be mainly on CW with
the potential for RTTY operations on November 27th. Bud will also be in
the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 25-26th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/Low-
Power entry. QSL via LoTW or via AA3B, direct or by the Bureau. An OQRS
will be available via ClubLog.


VE2, CANADA (Zone 2). Operator Yuri, VE3DZ, will once again be active as
VE2IM from Sept-Iles, QC (Zone 2), during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November
25-26th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power. Yuri states he will be there
between November 21-28th. Activity (usually) before and after the contest
will be on CW, SSB and RTTY, and all HF bands including the 30/17/12 meter
bands. QSL via VE3DZ, direct or by the VE3DZ OQRS. He usually uploads to
the LoTW.


VK9CGJ/VK9XGJ 6M EME UPDATE. Lance, W7GJ, reported to OPDX the following
on October 27th: "I finally returned home from Australia this week, ending
the 6 week DXpedition to both VK9C and VK9X to activate them both for the
first time on 6m EME. A record 86 contacts were made via 6m EME from VK9C,
more than any previous 6m EME operation. Then I completed 106 6m EME con-
tacts from VK9X. QSL cards are on order and will be mailed directly to
all contacts. Many more stations were copied, but not worked. Daily
updates with details were posted on the DXpedition website:
 http://www.bigskyspaces.com/w7gj/Indian%20Ocean%202017.htm
I attribute some of the great success to the new receiver setup I used
on this operation - an ARR pre-amplier ahead of a DEMI 50 MHz band pass
filter feeding an RTL-Dongle used with G4ELI's SDR-Console Version 3
software driving K1JT's WSJT10 version of JT65A for EME. Thanks to all
who put in the time and effort to try for an ATNO via the long path of
half a million miles! Hope to see you all again from another rare one
next year! .... GL and VY 73, Lance"


VK9M, MELLISH REEF (Update). Operators Dietmar/DL3DXX, Morten/LB8DC,
Robert/N7QT (Team Leader), Brian/N9ADG, Eric/SM1ALH, Hawk/SM5AQD (Co-
Team Leader), Lasse/SM5GLC, Dave/WJ2O and David/W5XU are now active
as VK9MA from Mellish Reef (OC-072) until November 16th. The team arrived
on the island on November 3rd. Activity will be from Heralds-Beacon Islet,
the only permanent land in the reef, on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB and
RTTY. They plan to have five stations on the air. QSL via N7QT, direct,
by the Bureau, ClubLog's OQRS (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED), LoTW or eQSL. All
QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW and eQSL shortly after the operation. For
more details and updates, see: https://vk9ma.com


VK9N, NORFOLK ISLAND. You may catch Robert, M0VFC, on his last day (November
6th) from Norfolk Island (OC-005) as VK9/M0VFC. Activity is primarily on
30 and 20 meters (possibly 40/17m). QSL via ClubLog's OQRS only.


VP9, BERMUDA. Georg, DK7LX, will be active as VP9/DK7LX from St. David's
Island between November 7-21st. Activity will be holiday style on various
HF bands. QSL via his home callsign.


XR0Y, EASTER ISLANDS. A German team has announced their next DXpedition
will be to Hanga Roa, Easter Island (CE0Y). This time the group consists
of experienced team members Andy/DH8WR, Werner/DJ9KH, Guenter/DL2AWG,
Norbert/DL2RNS, Georg/DL4SVA, Paul/DL5CW, Olaf/DL7JOM, Wolf/DM2AUJ,
Kalle/DM3BJ and Rolf/DL7VEE. Their callsign, XR0YD, has been confirmed
and the dates of activities are between March 2-15th, 2018. They will
have three well equipped stations on the air 24/7 on 160-10 meters using
CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. QSL via Manager DL4SVA, ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW 6
months later. Look for a Web page to be online in the coming weeks.


ZC4, U. K. SOVEREIGN BASE AREAS ON CYPRUS (POSTPONED). Adrian, G0KOM,
who was expected to be active as ZC4MK last week, announced the following
on October 27th (after OPDX went to print last week): "Due to my father
in law being admitted to hospital here in the UK, I have had to delay
flying to Cyprus, I'm looking at a couple of weeks time, my stuff is
all packed and ready to go, I just need to reschedule my flights, I'm
gutted I'm going to miss the CQ WW, but family comes first at this time,
I will pop up the revised dates in the next day or two when I've finalized
my flights."
 Adrian has posted the following two updates (October 28th and 29th) on
QRZ.com: "Revised flights booked, will arrive in Cyprus on the afternoon
of the 5th of December and be there for a week, departing on the morning
of the 12th." "Due to the delay in my arrival the upside is I have a chance
to sort some extra antennas, so I would like to try and at least make some
sort of an attempt on 160m, looking for any advice as the best way forward,
bearing in mind I won't have a huge amount of luggage space. I will be
taking a Cushcraft R7 (10m - 40m) and possibly a 12m Spiderbeam pole for
possibly an 80/40m dipole, so what are the options for top band, having
never used the band before I'm open to suggestions. I have already lost
the cost of my first lot of flights as changing the dates would actually
have cost more than booking new flights (Thanks Ryanair), so I am really
conscious of costs now."