The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 1492
BID: $OPDX.1492
November 38, 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, W3LPL, W3UR & The Daily DX, K8YSE,
W8GEX & 60m DX News, DL1SBF, DL7UXG & The DX News Letter, DXNews.com,
DX-World.Net, F6AJA & Les Nouvelles DX, I1JQJ/IK1ADH & 425 DX News,
IK5SRF, OH2BH, Pete Rayer & ISWL, 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 CQWW DX CW Contest announcements.
 Also, we wanted to provide the readers with a consolidated listing
 of the CQWW DX CW Contest participants.

 P.S. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday and
 "GOOD LUCK in the Contest".

DXCC COUNTRY/ENTITY REPORT: According to the AR-Cluster Network for the
week of Sunday, 22nd/November, through Friday, 27th/Nov there were 214
countries active. Countries available: 3A, 3B8, 3D2, 3DA, 3V, 3W, 4J, 4L,
4O, 4S, 4U1U, 4X, 5A, 5B, 5H, 5R, 5T, 5Z, 6Y, 7Q, 7X, 8P, 8Q, 9A, 9G, 9H,
9J, 9K, 9M2, 9M6, 9Q, 9V, 9Y, A2, A4, A6, A7, A9, AP, BV, BY, C3, C6, CE,
CE0Y, CE9, CM, CN, CP, CT, CT3, CU, CX, D2, D4, D6, DL, DU, E5/n, E5/s,
E7, EA, EA6, EA8, EA9, EI, EK, EL, EP, ER, ES, EU, EX, EY, F, FG, FK, FM,
FP, FR, FS, FY, G, GD, GI, GJ, GM, GU, GW, HA, HB, HB0, HC, HH, HI, HK,
HL, HP, HR, HS, HV, HZ, I, IS, J3, J6, J7, J8, JA, JD/o, JT, JW, JX, 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, PJ7, PY, PY0F, PZ, S0, S2, S5,
S7, SM, SP, SU, SV, SV5, SV9, T33, T7, TA, TF, TG, TI, TK, TR, TT, TU, TZ,
UA, UA2, UA9, UK, UN, UR, V2, V3, V4, V5, V7, V8, VE, VK, VK9L, VP2E,
VP2M, VP5, VP6, VP8, VP9, VR, VU, XE, XT, XU, XW, XX9, YA, YB, YI, YJ, YL,
YN, YO, YS, YU, YV, Z3, Z8, ZA, ZB, ZD7, ZD8, 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".

5T, MAURITANIA. Dima, RA9USU, will be active as 5T3WW from 5T5PA QTH in
Nouadhibou during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 28-29th) as a Single-
Op entry. Listen for QSL route.

7Q, MALAWI (Surprise, Still There!) Vasily, R7AL, reports that two of
the 7Q7RU team have tested positive for COVID-19, and now must stay in
Malawi for at least another week while self-isolating. They are currently
running simple wire antennas at their new QTH and hope to be active during
the CQWW DX CW Contest this weekend.

8Q, MALDIVES. Juan, A65GC/HK4SNU, will be active as 8Q7AR from Saii Lagoon,
Maldives (AS-013, WW Loc. MJ64), between November 28th and December 4th.
Activity will be holiday style on the FM and SSB satellites during the
morning and late evening to coincide with his satellite passes. QSL via
LoTW, ClubLog or eQSL.

A91, BAHRAIN (Special Event). Members of the Bahrain Amateur Radio Society
(BARS) are now active again as A91UAE from Bahrain until December 2nd.
Activity is to celebrate their neighboring country United Arab Emirates's
(U.A.E) 49th National Day. QSL via EC6DX or LoTW.

C6, BAHAMAS. Operators George/AA7JV, Mike/KN4EEI, Gregg/W6IZT and Hal/W8HC
will be active as C6AGU from Wood Cay Island (NA-001) during the CQWW DX
CW Contest (November 28-29th) as a Multi-Op entry. QSL via HA7RY.

CR2X AZORES TESTING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CQWW CW (By OH2BH, Martti Laine,
dated November 26th) [edited]. Niko, OH2GEK, will pilot the Radio Arcala
Atlantic outpost remotely in the CQWW CW on 15M mono-band. While taking
full advantage of the favorable footprint of the most western point of
Europe, he will also once more try to find the right mixture of ways to
reduce the Flex Radio internal latency and make operating comfortable.
 The painful CQWW SSB experience may result in the station not using
the control panel (Maestro) at all because of the added latency of some
500ms. https://www.3830scores.com/showrumor.php?arg=T7arzKqcqiamR
 Watch for CR2X operating procedures and please report back in case of
any inconsistency.
 Comments to Niko, OH2GEK, QSL via Martti, OH2BH.

CR3/CT9, MADEIRA ISLANDS. Operators Falk/DK7YY, Arno/DL1CW, Ulf/DL5AXX,
Paul/DL5CW, Mike/DL7UGN and Emil/DL8JJ will be active as CR3W from Santana,
Madeira Island (AF-014), during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 28-29th)
as a Multi-2 entry. QSL CR3W via DL5AXX's OQRS or LoTW. Look for operators
to possibly sign as CT9/homecall before and after the contest on 80-10
meters using CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via their home callsigns.

EA6, BALEARIC ISLANDS. Roger, EA3M, will be active as EA6FO from Ibiza
Island (EU-004) during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 28-29th) as a
Single-Op/All-Band/Assisted /High-Power entry. QSL via LoTW.

GU, GUERNSEY (EU-114). Dick, GU4CHY, will once again be active during the
CQWW DX CW Contest (November 28-29th) as a Single-Op/Single-Band (20m)/
High-Power/Unassisted entry. QSL via his home callsign, direct (preferred)
or by the Bureau (long QRX).

HB0, LIECHTENSTEIN. Operators Silvio/HB9LCW and Waldemar/HB0WR will be
active as HB0A during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 228-29th) as a
Multi-Op entry. QSL via LoTW or CBA.

IOTA NEWS. The following are IOTA operations that were active this past
week between November 23-26th (as per the DXCluster):

 IOTA Callsign Island/GROUP Bands/Modes
 ------ ---------- ------------- ------------
 AF-004 EA8NF CANARY 10m; SSB
 AF-014 CT9ABV MADEIRA 160m;
 AF-018 IH9YMC PANTELLERIA 17m; CW
 AF-032 5H1FF ZANZIBAR 10m; FT8
 AN-016 LU1ZG ANTARCTICA 17m; FT8
 AS-004 5B4AMM CYPRUS 80m; CW
 AS-004 5B4VL CYPRUS 10m; SSB
 AS-007 JA7RQK HONSHU 12m; FT8
 AS-007 JG1HQA HONSHU 15m; SSB
 AS-007 JH3NGD HONSHU 40m; SSB
 AS-020 BU2EQ TAIWAN 20m; FT8
 AS-024 JA1FUI/P YAEYAMA 20m; FT8
 EU-004 EA6FM BALEARIC 40m; SSB
 EU-005 2E0KLX GREAT BRITAIN 40m; FT8
 EU-005 GW3YDX GREAT BRITAIN 40m; CW
 EU-005 M0BEW GREAT BRITAIN 40m; FT8
 EU-009 MM5DWW ORKNEY 30m; FT8
 EU-023 9H1ET MALTA 17m; FT8
 EU-025 IT9JAV SICILY 40m; SSB
 EU-030 OZ8IE/P BORNHOLM 40m; SSB
 EU-031 IC8HRG Ischia 12m; SSB
 EU-032 F6BFH POITOU-CHARENTES REGIO 20m; FT4
 EU-115 MI0GTA IRELAND 12m; SSB
 EU-116 GD0OUD ISLE OF MAN 20m; CW
 EU-129 DL100BKW USEDOM 80m; CW
 EU-131 IK3PQH/P VENETO REGION 20m; SSB
 EU-183 YO9CKJ SACALINU MARE 15m; SSB
 EU-186 TA1CQ TURKEY 40m; FT8
 NA-015 CO8LY CUBA 12m; CW
 NA-015 CO8MGY CUBA 20/10m; SSB
 NA-016 ZF2MJ CAYMAN 20m; CW
 NA-029 VY2WW Prince Edward 160m;
 NA-096 HI3Y HISPANIOLA 160m; FT8
 NA-099 KP4M PUERTO RICO 15m; FT8
 NA-105 FS5GD ST MARTIN 15m; CW
 OC-001 VK6OZ AUSTRALIA 12m; FT8
 OC-001 VK6XN AUSTRALIA 40m; FT8
 OC-019 K2GT HAWAIIAN 12m; FT8
 OC-019 KH6OO HAWAIIAN 12m; FT8
 OC-019 NH6RF HAWAIIAN 40m; FT8
 OC-032 FK4QX NEW CALEDONIA 20m; SSB
 OC-036 ZL1ANH NORTH 20m; SSB
 OC-036 ZL4YL NORTH 10m; FT8
 OC-042 DU3CQ LUZON 40m; FT8
 OC-070 YB8XOB SERAM 30m; FT8
 OC-086 KH0W NORTHERN MARIANA 15m; CW
 OC-144 YE4IDL BANGKA AND BELITUNG 40m; SSB
 OC-144 YF4KIE BANGKA AND BELITUNG 40m; FT8
 SA-002 VP8LP FALKLAND 20m; SSB
 SA-011 9Z4AH TRINIDAD 17m; SSB
 SA-011 9Z4FE TRINIDAD 12m; SSB
 SA-011 9Z4FT TRINIDAD 12m; SSB
 SA-011 9Z4Y TRINIDAD 10m; CW
 SA-055 LU7EHR/E BUENOS AIRES 40m; CW

 ** Thanks to the individuals who put the island/group and mode
 on their QSNs on their PacketCluster reports. The format we
 suggest is "IOTA#/Mode/Island or Group" (ex. OC-146/FT8/Celebes).

 EU-093. Operators Pedro/EA5BJ, Gen/EA5EL, Antonio/EA5RM and Jose/
 EA5BCQ will be active as EA5BJ/P, EA5EL/P, EA5RM/P and EA5BCQ/P
 from Tabarca Island between December 2-6th. Activity will be
 on 80-10 meters using CW and SSB, with two stations on air.
 QSL via their home callsigns.

 NA-026. Bodo, DF8DX, will be active as KT3Q/2 from the New York State
 IOTA group between December 1st and 23rd. QSL via DF8DX only,
 direct or by the Bureau.

 OC-150. Ten operators calling themselves the Bima DXpedition Team
 will be active as 7C9B from Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, between
 December 1-10th. Activity will be on 160-10 meters using SSB
 and FT8. It is being suggested to PLEASE be patient to give
 these newcomers a chance for a successful QSO. QSL via DL3KZA.

 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......

ISWL CALLSIGNS (For December 2020). The following ISWL club callsigns
will be used throughout the month of December 2020:
 GN4BJC/A - Operated /A, from Belfast, in Northern Ireland, by Alan,
 GI0VWU (WAB Square - J36 - N. Ireland, IOTA EU-115, WLOTA
 1439).
 MX1SWL/A - Operated from Walton on the Naze, in Essex, by Herbie, G6XOU
 (WAB Square - TM22 - England, IOTA EU-005, WLOTA 1841).

 ALL QSLs will be handled by Dick, M5DIK - The QSL Manager and NOT the
individual operator. The I.S.W.L. is a member of the European PSK Club.
All QSL info is on (www.iswl.org.uk) or (www.qrzcq.com) or (www.qrz.com)
or via (www.eQSL.cc). NO LoTW.

JW7, SVALARD. Ken, LA7GIA, will be active as JW7GIA from Longyearbyen,
Svalbard (EU-026) during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 28-29th) as a
Single-Op entry on 80-40 meters. QSL via M0OXO or OQRS. ADDED NOTES:
Ken stated, "Tuning the spiderpole in -8C and snow. A bit chilly...
Africa next." Pictures on FaceBook:
 https://www.facebook.com/L-A-7-G-I-A-DXpeditions-707222219710335

KH6, HAWAII. Alex, KU1CW, is now active as KH6/KU1CW from Oahu Island
(OC-019) in the Hawaiian Islands. Length of stay is not known. Activity
has been on various HF bands using mostly FT8 with some CW. Look for him
to sign KH7Q, the "Oahu CQ Contesting Club" callsign, during the CQWW DX
CW Contest (November 28-29th) as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL KH6/KU1CW
via LoTW. QSL KH7Q via LoTW or direct address on QRZ.com or AH6NF.

LZ2020, BULGARIA (Special Event). Look for special event station LZ2020XMAS
from Sliven to be active between December 1st, 2020, and January 1st, 2021.
QSL via LZ1VKI.

OH0, ALAND ISLANDS. Pertti, OH2PM/OH0PM, will be active as OH0R from
Brändö Island during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 28-29th) as a
Single-Op/Single-Band (80m) entry. QSL via OP2PM.

OPDX MAILING LIST (Just A Reminder). Details on how to subscribe and
unsubscribe from the "OPDX Mailing List" are at the bottom of this
bulletin. PLEASE pass the word around.... Thanks and 73 de Tedd KB8NW

OY, FAROE ISLANDS. Carsten, OY1CT, will operate from Streymoy Island in
the Faroe Islands (EU-018) during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 28-29th)
as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL via OY1CT direct, ClubLog or LoTW.

P44, ARUBA (Rare Prefix). Mathias, DL4MM, will be active as P44AA from
Aruba (SA-036) during the CQ 160m CW Contest (January 29-31st, 2021) as
a Single-Op/Assisted/High-Power entry. QSL P44AA via DL4MM. Look for him
to sign P4/DL4MM before and after the contest with a focus on the low
bands. QSL via DL4MM, direct (via ClubLog), LoTW or by the Bureau.

PROPAGATION FORECAST/REPORT (November 30th-December 6th).......
 Nov/30th AN Dec/03rd HN Dec/05th HN
 Dec/01st AN Dec/04th AN Dec/06th AN
 Dec/02nd 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
 * Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) & National Oceanic and
 Atmospheric Adminisration (NOAA):
 https://www.swpc.noaa.gov
 https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/solar-cycle-progression
 * 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
 * Real-time propagation at: http://www.predtest.uk
 * Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@GiellaW4hm

PJ4, BONAIRE. Martin, DL6KR, will be active as PJ4/DL6KR from Bonaire
(SA-006, WW Loc. FK52UD) until November 29th. Activity will be on various
HF bands using CW, SSB and the Digital modes. He will also participate in
the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 28-29th). QSL via DL6KR, direct, by the
Bureau, LoTW or ClubLog. SWL cards are welcome.

QSL INFO AND NEWS...................
 QSL-INFO from DB0SDX by Lothar, DL1SBF (www.qslinfo.eu) (November 27th)
 and by OPDX from other sources
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 3D2TS via M0OXO CT9/DL1CW via DL1CW OH0PM via OH2PM
 3E1FP via HP3BSM CT9/DL5CW via DL5CW & (L) OL1A via OK1CW
 3G3G via EA5GL CT9/DL5LYM via DL5LYM & (L) OZ/YT2SIN/P via YT2SIN
 4U75B via 9A2AA D2XX via CT1CRS P40W via N2MM
 5B4AAB via G8CLY EH2EUS via EA2TP P43K via RW6HS
 5B4AMM via UT5UDX DP0GVN via DL5EBE PJ4/KU8E via K4BAI
 9A0DIG via 9A3SM HC1M via EA5GL SM5X via SM5GMZ
 9V1VV via EA5GL HC3RJ via EA5GL SN0LEWIN via SP2KPD
 A25SL via N4GNR HF20ISS via SP5PMD TC61CAT via TA3LCK (d)
 A450MO via A47RS HF7ISS via SP7O TG9ADM via EA5GL
 A61DL via A61BK HG120BAY via HA5GY TG9ADQ via VE7BV
 A91UAE via EC6DX HP2DFA via EC6DX TI2VVV via EC6DX
 AU2JCB via VU2DSI HZ1UAE via HZ1SAR V31PS via M0OXO
 AU6JCB via VU2LR JW7GIA via M0OXO V51LZ via EA5GL
 C6AGU via HA7RY K3A via K3MJW V7/KX4QD via KX4QD
 CE2SV via N7RO KO8SCA/VP9 via KO8SCA VK9LF via VK4YQS
 CN8PL via RW6HS (d) LZ7G via LZ1NK (d) VP5/K4QPL via K4QPL
 CO9JAB via IK2DUW LZ8E via LZ2BE YB0AR via EB7DX
 CT9/DK7YY via DK7YY OE25JML via OE5JML ZM1M via ZL1BBW

 (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 (n) no printed QSLs

 LOGS ONLINE (New/Updated) AVAILABLE ON CLUBLOG.ORG THIS WEEK......
 https://clublog.org/logsearch/7Q7RU (Updated 11/24th)
 https://clublog.org/logsearch/9G5FI (Updated 11/26th)


 QSLS RECEIVED VIA LoTW: 4U75UN, 5Z4VJ, 9G5FI, BH4TVU, BV1EK, IS0KNG,
 KG6DX, KT3Q/6 (NA-144), R1MVA, S59SV, T6AA, V51LZ, V73NS, YB9YKI (OC-147)
 and VK4DX/P (OC-137)

 QSLS RECEIVED VIA MAIL: 4U25B, J35X, LA9VFA, MD0CCE, MD2C, OK1MIQ,
 PI75ZUT, TT8SN and YB9YKI (OC-147)

 QSLS RECEIVED VIA THE BUREAU: NONE REPORTED THIS WEEK!!!!
 --- We would like to see more QSL Bureaus (such as AS/US/SA/AF.. etc)
 send in their info....

SOLAR CYCLE 25 (Sudden Increase, As We Approach the CQWW CW DX Contest).
Frank, W3LPL, posted the following (on November 26th) for the contesters
on some interesting details about Solar Cycle 25 [edited]:
 Sunspot activity has increased dramatically over the last two months.
Most days this month have had multiple and more active sunspots resulting
in the solar flux index exceeding 100 for the first time since September
2017. SFI is likely to remain above 100 during the CQWW CW DX Contest and
remain at 90 or above for at least another week.
 But recall that both the sunspot number and the 2800 MHz solar flux
index are proxies for the the actual source of F layer ionization that
cannot be observed on the surface of the Earth: extreme ultraviolet
radiation
 We can't yet determine if this is a short term surge or a sustained
increase in sunspot activity. We'll have a better understanding in about
six months.
 The first year of increased sunspot activity is a sweet spot in the
solar cycle because:
 - increased extreme ultraviolet radiation starts to open the 10 meter
 band, makes 15 meters more reliable including more frequent JA and
 long path openings keeps 20 meters open later into the night and
 opens it well before sunrise keeps the MUF into Europe above 7 MHz
 during most or all of the night
 - coronal hole high speed streams that cause elevated K indices during
 the declining years of the solar cycle and during solar minimum are
 now less frequent and not as strong, keeping the K index consistently
 low for about the next year.
 - fast coronal mass ejections (fast CMEs) that cause much more severe
 and more frequent geomagnetic disturbances won't start to occur
 regularly until at least late next year.
 - daytime D layer absorption that affects 160 and 80 meters much more
 severely than 40 meters hasn't yet begun to increase significantly
 as it will when we get closer to solar maximum
 - E layer ionization (not sporadic-E -- that's completely different)
 hasn't yet begun to increase significantly. As we get closer to solar
 maximum consistently higher E-layer MUFs will blanket 40 meter DX
 openings until later in the afternoon.

 Enjoy the ride especially this weekend in the CQWW CW DX Contest...
 73 , Frank W3LPL

SI9, SWEDEN. A contest team with Lars/SM3EAE and Göran/SM5SIC will be
active as SI9AM during CQWW DX CW Contest (November 28-29th). QSL via
SM3FJF. REMINDER: The SI9AM from the "King Chulalongkorn Memorial", the
largest Thai Pavilion in the world outside Thailand in Raganda, Sweden,
will be closing down. See OPDX.1484 for details or the following Web
pages: http://www.si9am.com
 http://www.si9am.se
 https://www.qrz.com/lookup/SI9AM

TI, COSTA RICA. Chris, KL9A, will be active as TI7W during the CQWW DX
CW Contest (November 28-29th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry.
Activity outside of the contest Chris will operate as TI5/KL9A. QSL via
M0URX.

TM20/TM21, FRANCE (Special Event). Members of the "Radio Cluub du Val
D'Issole" (F8KGH) located in the south of France on the Côte d'Azur near
the Mediterranean Sea, 28 kilometers north of the port of Toulon, will
be active with the special callsigns TM20XMAS and TM21HNY to celebrate
the Christmas and New Year holidays. QSL Manager is F4GPB. Log will be
uploaded to eQSL, QRZ.com, LoTW, ClubLog and HRDLOG for only a digital
QSL.

ULTRA-MARATHON (Less Than 6 Weeks To The Start). Pete, MM0TWX, Founder
and CEO of the True Blue DXers Club (TBDXC), sent out the following press
release on November 23rd [edited]: "300 pre-registered with six weeks
to go" -- Dear fellow DXers,
 We want to wholeheartedly thank all those who have pre-registered
 for the 2021 Ultra-Marathon "Bands Alive" organized by the True Blue
 DXers Club.
 The level of interest and enthusiasm for this initiative is very
 high - so many have written saying that they find the format exciting
 and they cannot wait for the start of the operations on January 1st,
 2021. Also, the Sun seems to be gracing us with a very good start of
 cycle 25, and this bodes extremely well for good levels of activity
 next year.
 Although having very nearly 300 people already pre-registered for
 this event is a major success, we think we all can do even better! I
 would like to appeal again to all of you to do what you can to raise
 the profile of this event even further. Talk to your friends, talk to
 your local Club, write to the DX editor of your national Ham Radio
 magazine, write a post on a discussion forum - any of these simple
 actions can result in more people participating. And remember: more
 people = more fun = bands more alive than ever! All you have to do is
 to point people to (www.tbdxc.net/marathon), where they will find all
 the information they need.
 I also wanted to give you feedback on a promise I had made in my
 first email. I did indeed contact about a dozen manufacturers of radio-
 related products and accessories, asking for a sponsorship, in the form
 of a product or a discount voucher, for a prize to go to the winners
 of the CW and SSB categories. 9 of these had the courtesy of replying,
 wishing us luck with the initiative, but saying that - owing to the
 difficult economic situation - they cannot afford a sponsorship at the
 moment. At least they responded, which I really appreciated and is more
 than many would have done... I still hope to be able to motivate poten-
 tial sponsors to contribute next year, especially if we can show partic-
 ipation numbers in the high hundreds.
 Meanwhile, everybody please stay safe, enjoy DXing and stay tuned for
 the next and last Marathon update before we actually begin. And don't
 forget to do your part for promotion! :-)
 .... 73 to all, Pete, MM0TWX, TBDXC Founder and CEO

XR50, CHILE (Special Event). Members of the Chilean Pacific DX Group are
now active as XR50BA until November 30th. Activity is to commemorate the
50th anniversary of the "Escuadrilla de Paracaidismo Boinas Azules" of
the Chilean Air Force (FACH). Activity will be on all HF bands with a
focus on FT8. QSL via direct (see QRZ.com), LoTW or eQSL. SWLs reports
are welcome.

YI9, IRAQ (Updates). OPDX received the following from Paolo, IK5SRF, to
provide some updates on behalf of Giorgio, IU5HWS, who is operating from
Iraq. Giorgio is still active and the good news is that he finally received
his official license from the local authorities. Start looking for Giorgio
to be signing as YI9WS (as of November 25th). Paolo has provided the
following important points [edited]:
 * All the previous QSOs made by Giorgio, as YI9/IU5HWS, will be confirmed
 via mail.
 * Paolo is working with Giorgio to apply for a YI9WS account on LoTW.
 So all QSOs made starting November 25th will be confirmed this way
 also.
 * Remember, Giorgio is there on duty. Activity will be on a regular
 bases, but always on his spare time. Please follow what Giorgio
 asks for, especially when he is trying to call "outside EU".
 * For special needs and sked, stations outside EU can ask and send an
 E-mail to IK5SRF (listed on his QRZ.com Web page). They are focused
 to help stations that need YI.
 * Remember he is working with a simple dipole and mainly on 15/17/20/
 40/80 meters band. No CW activity is planned so far.

 Over the last two days, Giorgio has been on 80/40/17/15 meters SSB.
 Hours of activity have been between (+/-) 0815-0930z (17m), 1100-1200z
 (15m) and 1805-1840z (80m) and 2040-2122z (40m).

ZF, CAYMAN ISLANDS. Dan, N6MJ, will once again be active as ZF1A from
Grand Cayman Islands (NA-016) during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November
28-29th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. QSL ZF1A via LoTW or
K6AM. Activity outside of the contest, Dan usually will sign as ZF2MJ
on 160-10 meters including 30/17/12 meters. QSL via ClubLog or LoTW.

ZF, CAYMAN ISLANDS. Stan, ZF9CW, will be active as ZF5T from Cayman Brac
during the CWWe DX CW Contest (November 28-29th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/
High-Power/Assisted entry. QSL via K5GO direct or LoTW.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 The following stations are expected to be active in the
 CQ World Wide DX CW Contest (November 28-29th, 2020)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Thanks to Bill, NG3K, for providing OPDX readers with the following
consolidated listing of the participants in the 2020 CQWW 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/cqc2020.html (By call sign)
 http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/cqcd2020.html (By entity)
 http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/cqcz2020.html (By zone)
 The CQ World-Wide DX Contest Web page and rules:
 http://www.cqww.com/rules.htm

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Contest DXCC CQZ Class QSL
 Callsign Entity Route
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3V8SS Tunisia 33 SOAB LP LoTW; QSL via LX1NO
4L8A Georgia 21 SOSB 20M LoTW; QSL via M0OXO
5T3WW Mauritania 35 SO
7Q7WW Malawi 37 MO LoTW
8P1W Barbados 08 SOAB KU9C
8Q7ZO Maldives 22 MO LoTW; QSL via OH0XX (d)
9K2K Kuwait 21 SOAB LoTW; QSL via EC6DX
9M6NA East Malaysia 28 SOAB LP LoTW; QSL via (C)
C6AGU Bahamas 08 MO HA7RY
CU2/WJ2O Azores 14 SOAB N2ZN
EA6FO Balearic Islands 14 SOAB(A) HP LoTW
EA8RM Canary Islands 33 SOAB LoTW; QSL via EB8DX
GU4CHY Guernsey 14 SOSB 20M GU4CHY (d)
GU4YOX Guernsey 14 SOSB 40M LoTW; QSL via GU4YOX (B/d)
HB0A Liechtenstein 14 MO LoTW; QSL via HB0A (d)
IH9YMC African Italy 33 SOSB LoTW
J8/UR5BCP St Vincent 08 SO LP KD7WPJ
JW7GIA Svalbard 40 SO M0OXO OQRS
KH7M Hawaii 31 SOAB LoTW
KP2B U.S. Virgin Islands 08 SOSB 20M EB7DX
KP3DX Puerto Rico 08 SOAB N4AO
LN8W Norway 14 M/M LoTW
NP2J U.S. Virgin Islands 08 SOSB 160M LoTW; QSL via K8RF (d)
NP3X Puerto Rico 08 SO LP EB7DX
OH5Z Finland 15 M/2 LoTW
OH0R Aland Island 15 SOSB 80M OH2PM
OH0Z Aland Island 15 M/S W0MM
OY1CT Faroe Island 14 SOAB LoTW
OZ5E Denmark 14 M/S OZ1ACB
P40W Aruba 09 SOAB LoTW; QSL via N2MM (d)
PJ4/KU8E Bonaire 09 SO HP K4BAI
PJ4A Bonaire 09 SOSB 40M LoTW; QSL via K4BAI
TF3W Iceland 40 SOSB 20M LoTW
TI7W Costa Rica 07 SOAB HP M0URX
V31AZ Belize 07 SOAB LoTW; QSL via N1SNB
VE2IM Canada 02 SOAB HP VE3DZ
VE2NCG Canada 02 SOSB 15M LoTW
VK2IA Australia 30 M/S DK2BJ
VP5M Turks & Caicos 08 SO LoTW; QSL K4QPL (d)
VP9I Bermuda 05 SOAB LP WW3S
WP3C Puerto Rico 08 M/S W3HNK
YB2DX Indonesia 28 SOAB LoTW; QSL via YB2DX (d)
YB0ECT Indonesia 28 SOSB 20M W2FB
YT5A Serbia 15 M/M YT1AD
ZF1A Cayman Islands 08 SOAB HP LoTW; QSL via (C)
ZF5T Cayman Islands 08 SOAB HP LoTW; QSL via K5GO (d)
ZL3X New Zealand 32 M/S LoTW
ZP9MCE Paraaguay 11 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