Ten X DX News
June 7, 2000
Bhutan 10-10 Country No. 294?
East Timor 10-10 Country No. 295?
Chesterfield Islands 10-10 Country No. 296?
The Kingdom of Bhutan has completed the Telecom Act of 2000 which
authorizes amateur radio. On May 1st, two DXpedition groups began
transmitting from the second most wanted DXCC country and exchanged 10-10
numbers with several members. One well known operator, Jim Smith VK9NS
#47404, made 20,300 contacts operating by himself as A52JS until May 26. A
larger group with the callsign A52A, operated by Don N1DG #27629, Mark ON4WW
#49103 and Andy UA3AB #23433 and other non-members, transmitted from Thimphu
until May 12th making 7549 contacts on ten. Harry UN7FZ #45850 exchanged
numbers with both groups, so a new 10-10 Country will result when he submits
a QSL card for this rare location. Cards for the A52A operation were
available at the Dayton Hamvention. 4W, East Timor is now a new DXCC
entity! The 4W prefix may confuse some old timers in DXing because this
prefix used to belong to the Yemen before the North and South Yemen reunited
as one country in May 1990. For DXCC purposes, UN Temporary Administration of
East Timor will be added to the DXCC List with the effective date of March 1,
2000. QSL cards for QSOs made after that date will be accepted starting
October 1, 2000. Operators from Finland, Portugal and the USA were on the air
for two weeks in March. The team included Jose CT1EEB #58967 as 4W6EB and
Bernie W3UR #25731as 4W/W3UR and other non-members. Several UN personnel
stationed in East Timor also operated with the group like Tony, CT1EGH #66015
as 4W6GH who likes 15 meter SSB.
TX0 Chesterfield Islands: The ARRL DX Advisory Committee has voted
unanimously to add the Chesterfield Islands of New Caledonia to the DXCC
List as of April 10, 2000. This brings the DXCC entities total to 333. For
DXCC credit, contacts made on or after March 23, 2000 will be accepted. Cards
for this new entity may be submitted after October 1, 2000. A group using
the call TX0DX started operating on March 23rd but no one in the group was a
10-10 member.
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New DX Members.
New member from Ghana is Mike 9G1MR #71320 who I helped get his 10-10
application into Carol. Mike checked into the DX net 28555 Sunday 1400 utc
several weeks and gave many a new 10-10 country! QSL to IK3HHX.
Prospective member: Bill VQ9NL was worked May 27 on 28437 when I gave him my
number at 1700utc and then went out for several hours. When I returned, Bill
was still working the USA and he finally went QRT about 0100utc and the band
had been open all night for him on ten! Bill told me he posted his membership
application and maybe will have his number back by email before his ship
returns to Chagos in a few weeks! Rare 10-10 DX location!
Upcoming DX & New 10-10 Activity: Larry TZ6VV #28997 is back in Texas, he is
waiting a move to Corsica TK in 2001. Corsica is part of France and has a
CEPT agreement, his call will be TK/KB0VV. Larry will be speaking at HamCom
in Arlington, TX in June. All TZ6VV cards should be sent to KB0VV, 3850
Willomet Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76133.
The Kingman/Palmyra DX Group announced its planned Kingman Reef 2000
DXpedition for October: Ned Stearns, AA7A #11185, is the only member among
the dozen going to this desolate island.
4X Israel. David, W5WP #40058, will be traveling here July 2 and stay until
the 20th. He will visit with Shimon, 4X6RD and use his station. 3DA
Swaziland. Frosty K5LBU/3DA0CF #51322, will be going to Swaziland arriving
on July 5th. "We will only be there for three days so I plan to do as much
operating as I can every one else will be doing tour thing while I play. I
should also be operating mobile ZS." Frosty.
TA, Turkey. Watch for Keith (Treasurer of 10-10) KR7RK #63324, using the
callsign TA3/KR7RK between June 15 - July 5. FR5/G, Glorioso Island. Larry
F5PYI #54226 and several others, may be active in August 2000. Glorioso is
one of those very rare DX spots andthis will be a new 10-10 country!
VO2, Newfoundland Canada by Torsten DL2KG #68931 will be active in September
9-22nd. All QSL via homecall DL2KG 73 de Torsten Willms DL2KG CM Neanderthal
Chapter. TI, Costa Rica by Phil, N0KE #15182, used the callsign TI5N in the
CQ WPX CW contest. QSL via TI5KD. P4, Aruba. Carl, AI6V #14974, used the
call P40V in the CQ WPX CW contest. HC8, Galapagos Isl. Trey, N5KO #26780,
and a friend were active as HC8N during CQ WPX CW. I, Italy. Walter, IN3XUG
#62235, was active as IC8/IN3XUG from Ischia (EU-031) on April 23-30th. QSL
via home call. PJ2, Curacao. Joe, W8GEX #41393 and John, WZ8D #48825,
were active as PJ2/W8GEX and PJ2/WZ8D from Curacao (SA-006) April 15-22.
QSL direct to home calls. PY0_F Fernando de Noranha. By Gerard, F2JD/PY2ZDX
#63443 was active from Fernando de Noronha (SA-003) on May 7-14th. Many like
to go to this island but 10-10 members are rare! QSL via F6AJA. FH, Mayotte
by Chris, 6W1QV #45817 (ex-TR8SA), has been active as FH/TU5AX for six
months. QSL via F5OGL.
Z3, Macedonia Mike, NN6C #60345, was a guest operator from Z30M home with
callsign Z38/NN6C.
SJ9, SWEDEN. John, SM0DJZ #31801, will try to go to Morokulien for the CQ
WPX. 4S, Sri Lanka. John, NZ9Z #49670, may have been active as 4S7NZG in
April. QSL via W9DXA. AP, Pakistan. Peter, ON6TT/5X1T, #51565 is on a
business trip through Asia where he used the call AP2ARS. QSL via ON5NT.
SV5, Rhodes. John, SV5/SM0DJZ #31801 planned to operate during his 14-day
vacation starting on April 16th. SV9, Crete by Dennis K7BV #5414 at the end
of June, and then he goes to 4W East Timor in October! 4W is now a new DX
country. Check out his web site: www.qth.com/k7bv .
E4 Palestine. Nellie, XE1CI #45888, was active from Palestine from
April18-21st, using the QTH of E44B in Gaza. 9M6 E. Malaysia. A DX Group
went to the Hillview Gardens on Sabah from March 17-27th.. They were active
as 9M6AAC #70718 during the CQ WPX SSB Contest. QSL via N2OO #12732. BQ9P
Pratas Island. A team of DXers from Taiwan, Japan and the USA returned to
Pratas Island in April to reactivate BQ9P from April 5th -12th. The only
10-10 member was Leo K8PYD #44582. 7O1IYF/7O1II, Yemen. Hans DK9KX #21879 and
others were active from the capital of Yemen. They expect to receive the
licence upon arrival but no license was issued. After several days of
operating, the government asked them to stop, so will it count? FO/C,
Clipperton Island. A DXpedition got started on March1 for eight days. The
only 10-10 member was Mark ON4WW #49103, who unfortunately preferred the low
bands.
Propagation:
Solar flux will range from 135-235 during the third quarter of 2000. On
June 7st, the Solar flux was 186 the A index 18 and K index 3, which is the
same average flux numbers from last quarter. There will be a 100 point swing
in the flux numbers during the next three months as the sun gets more active.
Cycle 23 is now 30 months old, the flux continues to inch upwards as Phase 2
of this cycle continues for 2 1/2 more years of the best propagation.
However, during June-August, the summer months usually have poor DX
propagation with one hop skip being more likely for us in the USA. This
year, I predict we would be hearing Europe again in Texas by September 30th!
Expect the best conditions on June 12-15, July 10-13, August 7-11! For
stations in the Eastern USA, expect a 35% chance of DX to the East-West path
into Europe or Africa. For stations in the Western USA, expect 10% chance of
DX into Europe and a 40% chance into Asia. All of the USA will get a 40%
chance into S. America in the mid afternoon. Expect a 5% chance of Long Path
into Asia or Europe starting at 0100 UTC for central USA. The beacons
(28.175-28.300) will tell you what is open, especially 28.200. .
IOTA: USA. Tony, WF1N #33959 and Lou, W1DIG #40472, were active from Pot
Island (NA-136) from April 28th to 30th. QSL via home calls. 8P, Barbados.
Dean, 8P6SH #45815, will be active as 8P2K for the all major contests, until
December 31st. P4, Aruba. John, W2GD #14109, will be active as P40W from
October 25-30th, which will include activity in the CQ WW SSB Contest. QSL
via N2MM. KG4, Guantanamo Bay. Vance, N5VL #63352, will be operating as
KG4VL from NA-015 from March 22-29th. HC8, Galapagos Island. Pedro, HC1OT
#38309, was active from San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands during
contest as HD8Z and other times as HC1OT/HC8. QSL via NE8Z. KH0, Saipan.
Mike, KH0AS #54281, has shut down and is leaving Saipan after thirteen years
on the island. His new callsign will be M0ALW in England. C6, Bahamas. Joe
W8GEX #41393, will be active from Berry Island (NA-054) from July 28-31st.
ZK1, S. Cook Islands. Mark, KM6HB #60321, will be here July 10-17th.
EJ, Ireland. Declan EI9QH #71019 wrote: "I will be on Iota EU-006 Aran
islands in July as EJ9HQ."
New DX members this Spring. DX Members for March: F5TYY 71311, VA3TRM 71312,
DK3DUA 71313, VA3TPV 71314, JH0BDK 71315, VE9UH 71316, F5INJ 71317, M0CBM
71318, SV1EDY 71319, 9G1MR 71320, UR5IIP 71321, YB0DX 71322, MM0BJG 71323,
LW1EGD 71324, GI0SFX 71700, ON4LCX 71701; April: GD3JIU 71702, ON5UE 71703,
F8BJI 71704, OD5PN 71705, OD5IU 71706, M0BTN 71707, MW0CPZ 71708, F5RBB
71709, F5KBA 71710, I0YO 71711, VO2JCR 71712; May: M0BYV 71714, JL1MVM
71715, PY3DJB 71716, DU1SAN 71717, IK6UBY 71718, VE3AAZ 71719, VK3FRB 71720,
F5AOV 71721 and OE6HFE 71722. DX data from Carol WA8YL #29588.
10-10 Countries Award: 135 Counties: Russ N5EJS #1525 Cert.# 13; 130 Ctys:
Lad W1CRL #8528 Cert.# 17; 80 Ctys: OB WA8YQR #12544 Cert.# 56; 75 Ctys:
Cliff WB4FBS #48461 Cert.# 77.
10-10 Bar Awards: Neldo LU5HE #10334 for 6400 Bar; Daniel LU3CT #68907
for 1500 Bar #765; Henry DL8YBM #36109 for 4700 Bar #94
Australia will commemorate the Olympic Games, by using the "AX" prefix from
June 15 to November 2.
The 10-10 DX Net is Sunday at 1400Z on 28.555 with N5MT as Net Control
in Texas.
Thanks too: the on-line DX List, QRZ-DX, Lee KH6BZF #8888 & Ohio/Penn DX
Bulletins. Send photos to Mike Davidson, 3518 Bellefontaine, Houston, TX
77025 USA Email: N5MT@aol.com
DX IS! 73 Mike Davidson N5MT #24949
Copyright 2000 by N5MT ...-.-
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