The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 1452
BID: $OPDX.1452
February 17, 2020
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF80.ORG (Cleveland, Ohio)
Written/Sent from Strongsville, Ohio

Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX
Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, the AB5K's AR Cluster
Networks, NJ1Q & W1AW, NG3K & ADXO, W3UR & The Daily DX, AA4NC, K4ZW,
WA8EFK, WB6RSE, K8GI, K8YSE, W8GEX & 60m DX News, WB8RFB, W9ILY, DL1SBF,
DL7UXG & The DX News Letter, DXNews.com, DX-World.Net, F5NQL, F6AJA &
Les Nouvelles DX, F6BGC, HA5AO, I1JQJ/IK1ADH & 425 DX News, RN3RQ, RW6HS,
Sixitalia Weekly, and VA3RJ & ICPO for the following DX information.

** EDITOR'S SPECIAL NOTICE: This week's bulletin was sent out earlier
 than normal to accommodate the late ARRL DX CW Contest announcements.
 Also, we wanted to provide the readers with a consolidated listing
 of the ARRL DX CW Contest participants.

DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT: According to the AR-Cluster Network for the
week of Friday, 7th/February, through Friday, 14th/February there were 220
countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3D2, 3V, 3W, 4J, 4L, 4O,
4S, 4U1I, 4U1U, 4X, 5B, 5H, 5R, 5T, 5W, 5Z, 6W, 6Y, 7X, 8P, 8Q, 9A, 9G,
9H, 9J, 9K, 9L, 9M2, 9M6, 9N, 9Q, 9V, 9Y, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV,
BY, C2, C3, C5, C6, C9, CE, CE0Y, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D4,
DL, DU, E4, E5/s, E7, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, ER, ES, EU, EX, EY, F,
FG, FJ, FK, FM, FO, FP, FR, FS, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, HA, HB,
HB0, HC, HH, HI, HK, HL, HP, HR, HS, HZ, I, IS, J3, J6, J7, J8, JA, JD/o,
JT, JW, JY, K, KG4, KH0, KH2, KH6, KL, KP2, KP4, LA, LU, LX, LY, LZ, OA,
OD, OE, OH, OK, OM, ON, OX, OY, OZ, P2, P4, PA, PJ2, PJ4, PJ5, PJ7, PY,
PY0F, PZ, S0, S2, S5, S7, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T5, T7, T8, TA,
TF, TG, TI, TI9, TK, TN, TR, TT, TU, TZ, UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3,
V4, V5, V7, V8, VE, VK, VK9N, VK9X, VP2E, VP2M, VP5, VP8, VP9, VR, VU, XE,
XW, XZ, YA, YB, YI, YK, YL, YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z3, Z6, ZA, ZB, ZC4, ZD7,
ZF, ZL, ZP, ZS

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

3V8, TUNISIA. Operator SWL Ashraf "Ash", 3V4-002 (KF5EYY) will be active
as 3V8SS from the "Radio Club Station of Tunisian Scouts" in Sousse during
the ARRL DX CW Contest (February 15-16th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/Low-Power
entry. QSL via LoTW or LX1NO. Read about Ashraf on the following Web page
at: http://www.kf5eyy.info

4UNR, AUSTRIA (Special Event). Members of the Amateur Radio Contest DX
Club (ARCDXC, http://www.cqdx.ru/4u1a ) are active using the special
callsign 4UNR during the month of February from the 4U1A station at the
United Nations Vienna International Center. Activity is celebrating World
Radio Day and will usually be on 80/40/20/15 meters using CW and SSB.
QSL Manager is UA3DX (via the Bureau or direct). For more details, see:
 http://www.cqdx.ru/4u1a/special-event/4unr-un-radio
ADDED NOTE: Just a reminder that this counts for Austria for DXCC purposes.

5H, TANZANIA (Reminder/Other Update). Chas, NK8O/VE3ISD, will once again be
active as 5H3DX from Zinga, Tanzania, sometime between February 23rd and
March 23rd. Activity will be from the pediatric hospital at Zinga. He
will be joined by his brother-in-law, Fred, to enhance their station's
operation. Fred, N8AX, will be issued the callsign, 5H3AX, if all goes
according to plan. Usual operations will be holiday style. Power output
will be the legal limit for Tanzania at 100w and the primary antenna
should be a Hexbeam configured for 40-6 meters, including the WARC bands
and phased verticals for 40/30/20 meters. Operations will be primarily
CW, with PSK31, FT8 and possibly SSB and 60m. He states that he will use
a simple wire antenna and his KX3 with a KXPA100 amp. See QSL info on
QRZ.com. Also, QSL via LoTW and eQSL. NO Bureau. Watch QRZ.com for updates.

60 METERS NEWS. W8GEX & 60m DX News reports the following: Amateurs in
all French territories now have access to the new WRC-15 60m Secondary
Allocation of 5351.5-5366.5 kHz at a maximum power of 15W EIRP following
the publication in the French Official Journal of the order establishing
it. 
 https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=517BE924C82826153E8C43316191C330.tplgfr42s_2?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000041567594&dateTexte=&oldAction=rechJO&categorieLien=id&idJO=JORFCONT000041566809

 The French national amateur radio society, REF, advocates the use of
the IARU 60m Bandplan. https://www.r-e-f.org

6W, SENEGAL (Update/Reminder). Willy, ON4AVT, will once again be active
as 6W7/ON4AVT between February 16th and March 27th. His main activity
will be on 60/40/20/10 meters using mostly FT8/FT4, with some CW and SSB,
with a FT-891 with 100 watts into a HyEndFed antenna. QSL via the Bureau.
For more details and updates, watch:
 https://www.on4avt.be/trip_to_senegal.htm

6W, SENEGAL. Dani, EA4ATI, Dani, is once again active as 6W1/EA4ATI from
Dakar until February 26th. Activity will be on 40/20/15/10 meters using
SSB with a FT-857D w/100 watt into a vertical antenna. QSL via EA4R or
LoTW.

8Q, MALDIVES (Satellite Op). Juan, A65GC/HK4SNU, will be active as 8Q7AR
from Maldive Islands (AS-013) between February 14-17th. Activity will be
mainly FM Satellites from WW Loc. MJ64. The operation will be a joint
effort between the Liga Colombiana de Radioaficionados and the Maldivian
Amateur Radio Club to teach local hams how to operate SATS and activate
the grid on a permanent basis. QSL via ClubLog's OQRS, LoTW or eQSL.

8Q, MALDIVES. Noel, F6BGC, will be active as 8Q7NC from Veligandu Island,
Rashdoo Atoll, in the Maldives Islands (WW Loc. MJ64MH, IOTA AS-013)
between March 12-21st. Activity will be holiday style (Suitcase Expedition)
on 80-10 meters (depending on conditions) with 100w and a vertical, using
all modes CW, SSB, and the Digital modes. QSL via F6BGC, direct or LotW.
More information at: https://www.qrz.com/db/8Q7NC

9J2LA ZAMBIA DXPEDITION NEWS (Press Release, dated February 8th). [edited]
 Some good news have to be shared today. After an endless long process to
get our Zambian license we are finally there. A big thanks to Mario/9J2MYT
(IK1MYT) and Brian/9J2BO in Lusaka who helped us achieving this important
goal. The license has been received just before the weekend. We are con-
centrating on our “boy scout trip” now. Our QTH in Zambia is secured, bus
transportation from Lusaka airport to the lodge is booked and flight
tickets are purchased. We are still working on customs clearance details,
but we hope that we have it sorted out soon. We will leave Oslo the 4th
of March at 18:45 with a scheduled arrival at Lusaka airport the day after
at 12:30 local time. Let’s hope that the customs clearance will go smooth
and don’t make too much of a headache ... however, you never know. The
bus ride to the QTH is short of 2 hours, depending on traffic.
 Furthermore there is an ongoing power shedding through the whole country
right now as it has been over the last few months. The reason is that the
country has some issues with one of the main power electricity generators.
According to our last conversation with the lodge owner, they suffer 4
hours of power cut each evening. For this reason, we are also in the
process of purchasing a portable electricity generator as a backup. The
rainy season that comes late this year, has been rather dry as well.
 Stay tuned for more updates coming up soon!
 73 de Rune LA7THA
 9J2LA Team Leader

 EDITOR'S NOTES: The 9J2LA team is planning to be active from Zambia
between March 5-15th. Activity will be on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB,
RTTY and FT8. The update suggested frequencies are:
 CW - 1826.5*, 3524, 7024, 10124, 14024, 18074, 21024, 24894 and 28024
 SSB - 7082, 14185, 18140, 21295, 24955 and 28495
 RTTY - 7045, 10142, 14082, 18096, 21082, 24912 and 28082
 FT8 - 1844/1908**, 3590, 7060, 10140, 14086, 18104, 21095, 24918 and 28095
 6m - 50104/CW and 50313/FT8
 (*) 160m: 1826.5 kHz lsn dwn for JA, up for EU, NA and other continents.
 (**) 160m: FT8, QSX 1908 for JA

 9J2LA TEAM plans to use FT8 as the primary data mode. They will use FT8
DXpedition mode, operating as the Fox. If you hear them on the normal FT8
frequencies, they will not be using DXpedition mode and only work one station
at the time. If the number of callers is high, they will announce a QSY to
their DXpedition frequencies.
 QSOs will be uploaded to ClubLog if internet access is available. QSL
via M0OXO QSL service. The 9J2LA Web page is available at: https://9j2la.com
Facebook and Twitter will be used for “Breaking News” the weeks before
departure and during the Expedition. The media Web pages are:
 FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/9j2la
 Twitter: https://twitter.com/9J2LA

AH2, GUAM. Operators Toshinobu/JI3ERV/NH2C and Mikawa/JR7OMD will be
active as AH2R during the ARRL International DX CW Contest (February
15-16th) as a Multi-2 entry. QSL via LoTW.

ARRL GREAT LAKES DIVISION CONVENTION/HAMFEST. The Great Lakes Division
Convention will be held in conjunction with the Toledo Mobile Radio
Association’s annual hamfest in Perrysburg, OH, on March 14th and 15th.
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, will be there to meet members and
give keynote address. Another special attendee is Bob Heil, K9EID, of
Heil Sound who will also be a guest speaker. Check the following Web
pages for the full details at: http://www.toledoglc.org

C6A & YS, BAHAMAS AND EL SALVADOR (Reminder/Update Change). Gerhard,
OE3GEA, will be active as C6AGE (possibly from Nassau) between February
20-23rd (not 20-25th) and as YS/OE3GEA from El Salvador between February
26-28th. He informed OPDX, "Had to change dates a little in order to
meet several friends on my Route, as this is a trip to see friends, of
course in combination with some radio activity...hi; so I am looking
forward to a numbers of nice CW contacts." Activity will be on CW and
on 40-10 meters using a TS-480SAT with 100 watts into an Outbacker and
dipole. QSL via OE3GEA, by the Bureau or direct. Logs will not be uploaded
to LoTW or ClubLog.

CN, MOROCCO. A group of several operators will be active as CN4M from
Casablanca between February 22-23rd. No other details were provided.
QSL via RW6HS.

CN, MOROCCO. Guy, F8ALU, is once again active as CN2BG until early March.
Look for him on SSB generally on 14115 or 14130 kHz. QSL via his home
callsign.

FJ, ST. BARTHEMELY (Reminder/Update). Operators Pat/N2IEN, Lee/WW2DX,
Rock/ WW1X and Ray/W2RE will be active as FJ/N2IEN, FJ/WW2DX, FJ/WW1X
and FJ/W2RE, respectively, from St. Barthemely (NA-146) between February
15-22nd. Activity will be holiday style on various HF (160-6m)/VHF/UHF
bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, EME and satellites. QSL via their home call-
signs. The group will also be in the ARRL DX CW Contest (February 15-16th)
[possibly as FJ/N2IEN].

FJ, ST. BARTHELEMY. Operators Thierry/F6CUK and Gerard/F6EHJ will be
active as FJ/F6CUK and FJ/F6EHJ, respectively, from the QTH of FJ5AB,
between May 4-16th. Activity will be on various HF bands using CW and
SSB. The duo and FJ5AB are planning to operate from Tintamarre Island
(NA-199), St. Martin, sometime during their stay using a special call-
sign. Look for more details to be forthcoming.

GERMAN NORTH POLE DXPEDITION. Operators Martina/DF3TS and Thomas/DC8TM
will activate Svalbard as JW/homecalls to start their DXpedition between
April 10-13th. They will then be active from a Russian "Severnyi Polyus"
the Scientific Polar Drifting Base (enclave by RFF) approx. 80kms from
the North Pole on the Arctic Ocean where they will activate the WWFF area
RFF-0176. Operators will use their special callsigns DP0LE (like POLE)
and as RA/DC8TM/P and RA/DF3TS/P to represent the Russian flag of the
camp between April 14-17th. Activity will be on 40/30/20/17 meters using
SSB and FT8. Activity from the North Pole (90 Degrees North) - under
DP0LE and DC8TM/P together with Martina DF3TS/P will take place sometime
during this time (The exact schedule will depend very much on weather
conditions) on 20 meters [14244 kHz (+/-)]. !! Activity is limited to
approx. 30 minutes!! For more details and updates, watch:
 https://www.qrz.com/db/DC8TM
 
HQ/HR, HONDURAS. Dennis, W1UE, will once again be active as HQ9X during
the ARRL International DX CW Contest (February 15-16th) as a Single-Op/
All-Band entry. QSL HQ9X via KQ1F or W1UE. Dennis will be active outside
of the contest (as time allows) signing homecall/HR9, and will be there
until February 28th. QSL via his home callsign.

IOTA NEWS..............
 EU-123. Gordon, MM0GOR, will once again be active as MM1E from Great
 Cumbrae Island during the RSGB IOTA Contest (July 25-26th) as
 a Single-Op/All-Bands/SSB-Mode/DXpedition/High-Power entry.
 QSL via MM1E, by the Bureau, ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW.

 NA-040. Henry, NL0H, is once again active as NL0H/P from St. Lawrence
 Island, Alaska. His length of stay was not provided. Activity
 is limited to his spare time on 80/40/30/20 meters using mainly
 FT8, possibly some SSB. QSL only direct to his QRZ.com address
 (see details). NO Bureau.

 PLEASE NOTE: Since the Webmasters of the new  have
 decided NOT to post or dedicate a Web page to announce upcoming IOTA
 operations, PLEASE send your IOTA operations information to the OPDX,
 and we will post it here in an upcoming bulletin......

LATIN AMERICAN LIGHTHOUSE WEEKEND. This weekend (February 15-16th) is the
Latin American Lighthouse weekend. Some of the lighthouses may also be
activated on some IOTA islands. For a comprehensive list, see:
 http://www.grupodxbb.com.ar/FAROS2018/faros2020.html

LX20, LUXEMBOURG. Operators Rene/DL2JRM, Dan/DL5SE and Holger/DL5KUT will
be active as LX20I from Eschdorf (WW Loc. JN29XV) during the ARRL DX CW
Contest (February 15-16th) as a Multi-Op entry. The special callsign is
for the 20th anniversary of the LX7I contest station. QSL via LX2A. In
celebration, they will issue a special LX20I Award for those who work
them on many Band/Mode slots in 2020. For more details, see:
 http://lx7i.com/lx20i

NP4, PUERTO RICO (NA-099). Operators Van/N5TOO and Alexis/W4XO will be
active as NP4DX in the ARRL International DX CW Contest (February 15-16th)
as a Multi-Single entry. Activity will also count for the WLOTA as LH-2802.
Operations outside of the contest will be holiday style on 80-10 meters
using CW and 100 watts. QSL via W3HNK, direct preferred.

OPDX MAILING LIST (Just A Reminder). The "new" OPDX Mailing List is back up
and running! Details on how to subscribe/unsubscribe are at the bottom of
this bulletin. PLEASE pass the word around.... Thanks and 73 de Tedd KB8NW

P4, ARUBA. John, KK9A, will once again be active as P40A from Aruba
(SA-036) between March 1-8th. Activity will be on 160-10 meters using
CW ad SSB. Operations will include activity in the ARRL DX SSB Contest
(March 7-8th). QSL via WD9DZV direct.

PACIFIC TOUR (Update/Reminder). Operators Will/AA4NC and Ron/AA4VK will
be active from 8 different islands during this year. Their updated schedule
is as follows:
 French Polynesia -- As TX4N and TX4VK between now and February 17th.
 Look for Will to be active during the ARRL DX CW
 Contest (February 15-16th) as a Single-Op-Low-Power
 entry signing TX4N.
 New Zealand ------- As ZL/AA4NC and ZL/AA4VK between February 18-20th
 Norfolk Island ---- As VK9NR and VK9NN between February 21-24th
 Australia --------- As VK/AA4NC and VK/AA4VK between February 24-27th
 Papua New Guinea -- As P29NC and P29VK; between February 28th & March 1st
 Solomon Islands --- As H44NC and H44VK between March 1-3rd
 Vanuatu ----------- As YJ0NC and YJ0VK between March 3-6th
 Fiji -------------- As 3D2AA and 3D2VK (callsign tentative); Look for
 Will to be active as 3D2AA during the ARRL DX SSB
 Contest (March 7-8th) as a Single-Op-Low-Power entry.

 Activity on most islands will be holiday style on 160-10 meters using
CW, SSB and FT8/FT4, with 100 watts and wire antennas. QSL routes have
been changed. QSL all callsigns via EA5GL.

PROPAGATION FORECAST/REPORT (February 18-24th).......
 Feb/18th AN Feb/21st AN Feb/23rd AN
 Feb/19th AN Feb/22nd AN Feb/24th AN
 Feb/20th AN

 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

 Meanwhile, check out the following Web sites for propagation:
 * VOACAP predication Web page at: http://www.voacap.com/hf
 and http://www.voacap.com/prediction.html
 * DX.QSL.NET Propagation page: https://dx.qsl.net/propagation
 * A daily HF radio wave propagation forecast can be found at:
 https://www.facebook.com/thomasfranklingiellaw4hm
 * SolarHam Web page: http://www.solarham.net
 * Radio Propagation/Space Weather/Sunspot Cycle Information at:
 http://sunspotwatch.com
 * News and Information About The Sun-Earth Environment:
 https://www.spaceweather.com
 * Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve
 overseas locations are at: http://arrl.org/propagation
 * Information and tutorials on propagation are at: http://k9la.us
 * Graphic propagation tool by DR2W: http://www.dr2w.de/dx-propagation
 * Point to point propagation at: http://www.predtest.uk/p2p.html
 * Realtime propagation at: http://www.predtest.uk
 * Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@GiellaW4hm

PQ0, ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL ROCKS (Now on Hold). Last week it was reported
that some operators were planning be active as PQ0S from Saint Peter and
Saint Paul Rocks (SA-014, DIB OC-03) sometime in March (possibly 14-16th).
It has now been reported that a larger team is planning to activate Saint
Peter and Saint Paul Rocks (details and dates are unknown), and now the
PQ0S team has decided to take "a standby and let the others progress."

PY0F, FERNANDO DE NORONHA. Stephano, PT2IC, member of the Noronha Contest
Group (NCG), will be active as PY0F from Fernando de Noronha Island (SA-003)
during the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 7-8th) as a Single-Op entry. QSL
via PY7RP. For more info about the station, see: https://py0f.wordpress.com

QSL INFO AND NEWS...................
 QSLS RECEIVED VIA LoTW: BG2AUE, FG/F5HRY, J68HZ, OP2A and SQ2OFS

 QSLS RECEIVED VIA MAIL: 3A/OJ0Y, 5N7Q, D2EB, D68CCC, TK0C, YL3FT,
 YW5F (SA-058) and ZK3A

 QSLS RECEIVED VIA THE BUREAU: 3D2VR, 4J6R, 4K6OF, 4S7NHG, 4W/OZ1AA,
 5W0GC, 5W0VR, 6V1IS (AF-045), 9H3FN, 9Y4/LY2IJ, A35JY, C21EU, D3YL,
 ES0KA (EU-034), GB5SM (EU-011), HB0/DJ2AX, JW/DJ2AX, KP4SX, OH0BT,
 OH0NOA, OH8AA (EU-192), OJ0BH, OJ0DX, OV3X (EU-029), OY/DL2VU, PJ4Y,
 SF2CW (EU-192), TC3A, TK/HB9FND and UK8AR
 --- We would like to see more QSL Bureaus (such as AS/US/SA/AF.. etc)
 to send in their info....

T30, WESTERN KIRIBATI (Update/Change). Alex, 5B4ALX, will be active as
T30ET from Tarawa Atoll (OC-017) between March 18th and April 7th (not
April 2nd). Activity will be on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB, FT8/FT4 and
RTTY. QSL via ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW. For more details and updates, see:
 http://www.5b4alx.cloud/t30et-tarawa-atoll-2020

T8, PALAU. Ichiro, JH7IPR, will once again be active as T88UW from the
VIP Guest Hotel (Free Radio Room) on Koror Island (OC-009), between
October 7-15th. Activity will be on 160-6 meters using CW, SSB and the
Digital modes (FSK, JT65, JT9 and FT8). QSL T88UW via JH7IPR, direct,
by the Bureau, eQSL, LoTW or ClubLog.

TU, CÔTE D'IVOIRE (Reminder/Update). Operators Petr/OK1BOA, Petr/OK1FCJ,
and David/OK6DJ will be active as TU5PCT from the Radio Club ADRASEC
RCI in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), between February 24-29th.
Activity will be on 160-10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8. QSL via
OK6DJ, ClubLog's OQRS or LoTW. For more details and updates, see:
 https://www.cdxp.cz

V2, ANTIGUA & BARBUDA. Alan, N3AD, will once again be active as V26M
from Antigua until February 17th. Look for him to be in the ARRL Inter-
national DX CW Contest (February 15-16th) as a Single-Op/All-Band entry.
Alan will return in March to be in the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 7-8th)
as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL both operations via W3HNK.

V3, BELIZE. Operators Robert/K5PI (V31AT), John/WC0W (V31TP), Karl/AD0KH,
Nancie/NM0C, Leigh/WC0T, Steve/WW0G and Keith/VE7KW will compete in the
ARRL International DX CW Contest (February 15-16th) as a Multi-Single/
Low-Power entry from San Ignacio, Belize. They will use V3T for the contest
callsign. QSL V3T and V31TP via WC0W or LoTW (no ClubLog). Look for oper-
ations before and after the contest by the operators. They will mostly
focus on CW and on the 30/17/12 meter bands. QSL V31AT via K5PI, direct,
by the Bureau or LoTW. 

V4, ST. KITTS AND NEVIS. Randy, K5ZD, will be active as V47T from the QTH
of V47KP on St. Kitts (NA-104) during the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March
7-8th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. QSL via W2RQ direct or
LoTW.

V8, BRUNEI. Hajime, JO1RUR, will once again be active as V85RH from Brunei.
The length of his stay is not known. Activity will be during the ARRL DX
CW Contest (February 15-16th) as a Single-Op entry. QSL via LoTW only.

V84, BRUNEI (Special Event). Look for special event station V84SHK to be
active between February 23rd and March 2nd. Activity is to commemorate
the 36th anniversary of the Brunei Darussalam National Day in the year
2020. Operations will be on various HF bands using CW, SSB and the Digital
modes. QSL via: P.O.BOX 849, MPC OLD AIRPORT, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN BB 3577,
BRUNEI. See QRZ.com for more details.

VP2M, MONTSERRAT. Ed, K1EP, is now active as VP2MEP from Montserrat
(NA-103) until February 17th. Activity will be on various HF bands using
CW, SSB and FT8. QSL via his home callsign. ADDED NOTE: Ed is there to
join the VP2MSS team for the ARRL DX CW Contest (February 15-16th) as a
Multi-Single entry. QSL VP2MSS via LoTW only.

VP2M, MONTSERRAT. Charles, K1XX, will once again be active as VP2MMF from
Gingerbread Hill, Montserrat (NA-103), during the ARRL International DX
SSB Contest (March 7-8th) as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL via KU9C or
LoTW.

VP8PJ SOUTH ORKNEY DXPEDITION NEWS (Update). Gene, K5GS, reports on
Tuesday, February 11th and 12th [edited]: "Most of team arrived in Punta
Arenas, Chile, with the longest travel time being 40 hours, Perth, Australia
=> Sydney => Auckland => Santiago, Chile => Punta Arenas. Remainder of
the team due in on Weds. Braveheart expected in on Feb 13th or 14th, we
load the ship on the 14th and depart for Signy Island on Feb 15th. Depending
on the weather, 6 days travel time to the island...... We have selected
the callsign ZL1NA/MM for use during the transit between Punta Arenas ->
Signy Island -> Punta Arenas. QSL Manager: Tim Beaumont, M0UWX.com.
Please, do not send Bureau cards, use the OQRS for free Bureau cards.
(https://sorkney.com/qsl/) The donation process for VP8PJ will also count
as a ZL1NA/MM donation. However, there is no internet on the ship, log
and LoTW uploads will be done at a later date..... Nigel Jolly arrived
Punta Arenas late last night / early morning. He contacted our freight
agent and arranged to load the ship on Friday morning. Still on schedule
to leave for Signy on Saturday." Then on the 13th, Gene reported on the
following updates:
 "The entire team has now arrived in Punta Arenas. We are planning our
 departure for Saturday, exact time to be determined. We'll have immi-
 gration and customs formalities and ship clearance, we'll put out a
 bulletin at departure time."
 "Braveheart arrived Punta Arenas on Thursday morning. She'll be
 assigned a dock on Friday morning, take on fuel, supplies and generator
 petrol. Customs, Immigration and health inspections will follow.
 DX-pedition equipment will be loaded on Friday afternoon.
 DX-pedition team will board the ship Saturday morning.
 We plan to leave Punta Arenas 3PM - 4PM on Saturday."
 Last minute update from K5GS before going to print on February 14th:
 "This morning's schedule was reversed due to late arriving fuel trucks.
 We loaded the team's equipment first and will take on fuel this after-
 noon. Everything looks to be in good order and the crew is busily stowing
 the equipment in a particular sequence so we can reverse the process
 and offload in a priority sequence. The weather is cool, with some
 periods of rain. We had coffee with Skipper Matt and owner Nigel, then
 outside to watch the loading process. We're on schedule for Saturday
 afternoon departure."

 EDITOR NOTES: VP8PJ will be active from the South Orkney Islands (AN-008)
from approximately February 21st, through March 5th. South Orkney Island
is currently #16 most wanted on Clublog. QSL via M0URX, direct or OQRS
(direct and Bureau). LoTW will be uploaded 6 months after DX-pedition.
The following are media pages to watch:
 The VP8PJ Web page is at: https://sorkney.com
 The VP8PJ Twitter page is at: https://twitter.com/SouthOrkneyDX
 The VP8PJ Groups.io group is at: https://groups.io/g/VP8PJ

VP9, BERMUDA. Kurt, W6PH, will once again be active as VP9/W6PH for the
ARRL International DX CW Contest (February 15-16th) as a Single-Op/Single-
Band (10m)/Low-Power entry. Activity outside of the contest will only be
on CW on all bands (except WARC) with 100 watts (IC7000) and low antennas
(25 feet). QSL only direct to his home callsign W6PH.

VU4, ANDAMAN ISLANDS. A VU Team (8 operators) will be active as VU4R from
Neil Island in the Andaman Islands group (AS-001) during the CQWW WPX SSB
Contest (March 28-29th) as a Multi-Op entry. Before and after the contest,
the team, which will be there between March 20-31st, will focus on 160/80/40
meters on various modes. QSL via VU2RS, direct or LoTW. Look for more details
to be forthcoming.

YASME NEWS (Press Release, date February 14th) [edited]. YASME FOUNDATION
GRANTS AND EXCELLENCE AWARDS -- The Board of Directors of The Yasme Founda-
tion announces that it has made the following grants at its board meeting
in Orlando, Florida on February 9, 2020:

 * Ethiopian Amateur Radio Society (ET3AA) for VHF equipment.
 * Support to the SU8WRC/SU8X demonstration station at the World Radio
 Conference in Egypt.
 * YOTA (Youth On The Air) and HamSCI displays at Dayton Hamvention 2020.
 * Contest University at Dayton Hamvention 2020 - support of audio/visual
 equipment, student materials (handouts and books), and live internet
 streaming connections.
 * Hrvatski Radioamaterski Savez, HRS (Croatian Amateur Radio Association)
 to support YOTA (Youth On The Air) 2020 Region 1 conference.
 * * * * *
 The Yasme Excellence Award is presented to individuals and groups who,
through their own service, creativity, effort and dedication, have made
a significant contribution to amateur radio. The contribution may be in
recognition of technical, operating or organizational achievement, as all
three are necessary for amateur radio to grow and prosper. The Yasme
Excellence Award is in the form of a cash grant and an individually-
engraved crystal globe.
 The Board of Directors of The Yasme Foundation is pleased to announce
the latest recipients of the Yasme Excellence Award:
 James Sarté, K2QI and Adrian Ciuperca, KO8SCA -- For their efforts in
 combining the latest state of the art technology, diplomatic skills,
 persistence, and leadership. Additional help with gathering equipment
 and logistical support was provided by RA9USU, NT2Y, NT2X, K2LE, and
 N2UN (SK) culminating in reactivation of the United Nations Club Station
 4U1UN.
 * * * * *
 The Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation organized to support
scientific and educational projects related to amateur radio, including
DXing (long distance communication) and the introduction and promotion of
amateur radio in developing countries. For additional information about
The Yasme Foundation, visit our website at www.yasme.org.
 Ward Silver, NØAX, President 
 The Yasme Foundation

 Board of Directors:
 Ward Silver, NØAX, President and Director
 Ken Claerbout, K4ZW, Vice-President, Secretary and Director
 Rusty Epps, W6OAT, Treasurer and Director 
 Hans Blondeel Timmerman, PB2T, Director
 Martti Laine, OH2BH, Director
 Fred Laun, K3ZO, Director 
 Robert Vallio, W6RGG, Director
 Marty Woll, N6VI, Director
 James Brooks, 9V1YC, Director

YS, EL SALVADOR. Roberto, YS1RS, from San Salvador, will be in the ARRL
DX CW Contest (February 15-16th) as a Single-Op entry. QSL via EB7DX.

ZZ2, BRAZIL (Special Event). During February, look for special event
station ZZ2DC to be active. Station is commemorating the 44th anniversary
of the Civil Defense of the State of São Paulo. They will be operating on
several frequencies, including TG 724193 in DMR, Brandmeister network.
Also, look for them to be in the ARRL DX CW Contest (February 15-16th)
as a Single-Op/Single-Band (20m)/High-Power entry. A commemorative QSL
will be available. QSL via PY2CGE.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 The following stations are expected to be active in the
 ARRL International DX CW Contest (February 15-16th, 2020)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Thanks to Bill, NG3K, for providing OPDX readers with the following
consolidated listing of the participants in the 2020 ARRL DX CW Contest.
For a more detailed listing (and up-to-date changes/corrections) in HTML
format, please visit Bill's Web page at:
 http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/adxc2020.html (By callsign)
 http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/adxcd2020.html (By entity)
For the complete set of rules, see: http://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Contest DXCC Class QSL
Callsign Entity Route
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3V8SS Tunisia SOAB LP LoTW; QSL via LX1NO
5H4WZ Tanzania M/? OM3PA
8P5A Barbados SOAB HP LoTW; QSL via HA1AG
AH2R Guam M/2 LoTW
CR3EE Madeira SOAB LP OZ2I
DU6/N6SS Philippines SOSB 80M LoTW
FS/RW0CN St. Martin SO LoTW; QSL via (C; preferred) or
 VE7ACN (B/d)
HH2AA Haiti SOAB LP LoTW
HQ9X Honduras SOAB KQ1F
J8/WJ2O St. Vincent SOAB HP N2ZN
JW7QIA Svalbard SO LA7QIA (d)
KP2/ND3F U.S. Virgin Islands SOAB LP EA5GL
KH6/N6DA Hawaii M/M LoTW
KP3DX Puerto Rico SO HP N4AO
LN8W Norway M/M LA9VDA
LX20I Luxembourg M/? LX2A
LY4A Lithuania M/2 (C)
NP2P U.S. Virgin Islands SO LoTW
NP4DX Puerto Rico M/S W3HNK 
P40SW Aruba SOAB HP LoTW (d/NB)
P44W Aruba SOAB HP LoTW; QSL via N2MM; (NB)
PJ4A Bonaire M/2 K4BAI
PJ5/KG9N Saba & St Eustatius SO LoTW
PY0FF Fernando de Noronha SO LoTW
TI7W Costa Rica M/? LoTW; QSL via W4FS
TO4A Martinique SOAP HP VE3DZ
TX4N French Polynesia SO LP EA5GL
V26M Antigua & Barbuda SOA W3HNK
V3 Belize SOSB LoTW
V31CO Belize SO QRP LoTW
V3O Belize SO DL8UD; QSL via (C)
V3T Belize M/S WC0W
V4/K3VX St. Kitts & Nevis M/S K3VX
V47UM St. Kitts & Nevis SO
V47T St. Kitts & Nevis SOAB HP W2RQ
V85RH Brunei SO LoTW
VE3VSM/HR9 Honduras SO LoTW; QSL via VE3VSM
VP2MSS Monserrat M/S LoTW
VP5K Turks & Caicos M/S LoTW; QSL via K0PC & (C)
VP9/W6PH Bermuda SOSB 10M LoTW
YB2DX Indonesia SOAB LP LoTW; QSL via YB2DX (d)
YS1RS El Salvador SO EB7DX
ZF1A Cayman Islands M/S LoTW; QSL via K6AM (B/d)
ZF5T Cayman Islands M/? LoTW; QSL via K5GO (d)
ZL3X New Zealand M/2 LoTW
ZP5AA Paraguay M/? ZP5AZL (d)
ZP9MCE Paraguay SO LoTW

 (e) eQSL only (d) direct only (B) Bureau only (*-B) DX's- Bureau
 (O) OQRS only (C) ClubLog only (L) LoTW only (N) No QSL needed
 (I) No IRC (P) PayPal (NB) No Bureau