DX News
March 10, 2001
This article is dedicated to our deceased President Tom Henderson K4CIH who
did much to improve the tracking of our Countries award. Tom took over
this award twice when a manager had to give up their job. When this
happened the first time, a computer program was written by Jim K4HAV to help
track the
award and country details. Tom started entering many of the paper records
to get this program started. Russ N5EJS took over the job and soon
completed
entering all the data. When Russ recently gave up the job last fall, Tom
stepped in again to take over, until another qualified manager was found.
During the upcoming July convention, a new Countries manager will be voted
on by the board of directors.
The 1010 Winter QSO Party in February was better this year than last with
all the DX stations that gave out wanted contacts. Good propagation as a
result of high solar flux numbers have peaked and we are now on the downside
of Cycle 23, but I expect good propagation during the next winter DX
seasons.
The 10-10 country count will soon increase by two as Syria and Egypt were
worked recently for the first time!
Syria YK9A provides a few of us with a new Country during February. Carl
K9LA #41258 was in my log on February 7th and my records show that this was
the first time any 10-10 activity has come from Syria! My contact was a
bitter sweet situation. Carl had not used his number and had forget it. I
reminded Carl what his 10-10 number was and we exchanged numbers for a new
one. One other operator, Al K7AR #2736, was also on this trip and may have
given out his number. Website: http://www.qsl.net/k7ar . QSL manager K9LA.
Egypt by Frosty SU1ER/K5LBU #51322 was a guest operator at non-member
SU1ER station. I told my good friend Frosty before he went on his trip,
that
he would be the first to ever operate 10-10 from Egypt and to be sure to not
come back to Houston until that happened. On December 28th about 9am local
time, I heard he was looking for me on ten meters and I found him on 28491
with a 4 by 1 signal. It took a minute to copy his 10-10 number while he
tried to quiet the Europeans that kept calling him while working me. He
then moved to 12 meters for another weak contact but I am in the log twice.
Please QSL to Frosty's call book address with an SASE.
A New World Record was set from the Comoros by D68C DXpedition when 26
operators logged a total of 168,722 QSOs during three weeks in February.
Four of the operators were 10-10 members: Nigel G4KIU, Justin G4TSH, Hawk
SM5AQD and Victor UT8LL. A total of 37,197 contacts were made on ten,
that's really a bunch! 3V Tunisia. Antonio, IK7YZG, was active from
3V8BB #70613 in January. QSL to his home call.
5A Libya. Abubaker 5A1A #69222 is active several time a week around 28420
from 1600-1700 UTC.
7J Japan. This came from Juan, AC6ZM # 65893. "I am currently stationed in
Okinawa, Japan with the U.S. Marines until 2003. I operate with the callsign
7J6CEC using a TS450 and a 4 element yagi. I would love to confirm Okinawa
Island for the many 10-10's out there. Okinawa is located south of mainland
Japan. Japan has stopped issuing 7J calls, so my call is sought after by
many. My email is listed on QRZ.com. QSL direct with SASE 34 cents US stamp
to: GYSGT Juan Lopez, PSC 557 Box 2525, FPO AP 96379-2525. " 73 Juan.
9M6 E. Malaysia. Dave W6AQ #13883, operated from 9M6AAC #70718, in
February.
ANTARCTICA. A DXpedition to the South Pole took place in January.
Operators were Valery RW3GW #54285, UA3GVV and UA0XB. QSL via RW3GW.
FG Guadeloupe. Jacques F6HMJ #52711, was active as FG/F6HMJ from about
January 10-24th.
GM Scotland. Sandy GM3BCL #49169 was on 28620 at 1700-1800utc. He has
worked all US counties, he is retired and all email to:
Sandy@GM3BCL.demon.co.uk.
KH9 Wake Island. Bruce, AC4G #49089, was active as AC4G/KH9 and as V73CW,
from Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands from February 9-27th.
JY Jordan. Ali, JY4NE #71018, has been active on 28420 kHz around
1230-1530z. QSL via KB6NAN.
S7 Seychelles. Kurt HB9MX operating as S79MX #36152 was spotted on 28475 at
1420utc March 7th.
TT8, Chad. Christian #45817 (ex-6W1QV, D2SA, FH/TU5AX, TT8SA, TR8SA etc. )
is now active for the next 13 months as TT8DX from Moundou. Activity will be
SSB using a TS690 with a linear and a beam for the upper bands. QSL via
F5OGL.
VP5 Turks & Caicos Is. Don N5DD #32255 will there from March 10-17th. He
will be staying at VP5JM #52729 Judy's place, using VP5/N5DD. Don KN4UG
#59764, operated from VP5 from January 19-30th.
ZC4 UK Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus. Steve, ZC4BS #52763, will soon be
active from the ZC4ESB club station for the next three years.
Upcoming DX & New 10-10 Activity:
3W Vietnam. Claude F5PBL #71724 will be active from Saigon on ten and
fifteen meters from March 22 to 31st. Claude is new to 10-10 and this will
be his first DX trip. No callsign available yet, but it will be like 3W2xx.
He will be using a 3 element yagi and amplifier, so try to get his number in
the log for a new 10-10 country. QSL to F5PBL. Another operator, Hans
WA1LWS #7119, was on in March as 3W2LWS but no reports of 10-10 activity.
J3 Grenada. A two-week mini-DXpedition is planned for Grenada by Dee W1HEO
and Paul W5PF #5921 from March 30th through April 11th. Listen on 28440 and
28030 for CW. They will have two 100 watt radios, a beam for 10/15/20
meters and inverted Vees for 12/17/40 meters.
CE0X, San Felix Island DXpedition was canceled due to a major
transportation problem. This is the last S. American island that has NOT had
any 10-10 activity.
Propagation: A very little know fact about the Sun changing its poles from
North to South occurs just after the peak of each cycle. This event was
recorded by scientists in late 2000 so Cycle 23 has peaked!
I saw better propagation this winter than the previous. Last month,
propagation was very good for the QSO Party and several DX contests. My
prediction is for the Solar flux to range from 110-190 during the second
quarter and decreasing during each quarter of 2001.
On March 10th, the Solar flux was 161 the A index 5 and K index 1, which is
above the flux numbers three months ago but the average flux is really
coming down from the August 2000 high! I foresee a smaller 70-80 point
swing in the flux during the next year and by December 2001, I expect a
Solar flux
range of 90-160.
Cycle 23 is now 3.2 years old. The flux continues to stay high as this
phase of the cycle turns down for two more years of the good propagation.
USA begins to loose some of the multi-hop F layer skip during the spring
months. The daily Europeans which we heard in Texas this winter, will return
in the next fall DX season.
Expect the best conditions on March 13-14, April 9-10, May 6-7 and June
2-3. For stations in the Eastern USA, expect an 50% chance of DX to the
East-West path into Europe or Africa. For stations in the Western USA,
expect 20% chance of DX into Europe and an 50% chance into Asia. All of the
USA will get a 50% chance into S. America in the mid afternoon. Expect a 2%
chance of Long Path into Asia or Europe starting at 0030 UTC for central
USA. The beacons from 28.175-28.300 will tell you what is open, especially
28.200. Good luck.
IOTA: KH0 Mariana Islands. Kenji JQ1NGT #64623 was active as KH0/JQ1NGT from
Saipan on February 16-19th. Haru, JA1XGI #55571, was active as KH0/JA1XGI
from Rota, OC-086, and then from Saipan, OC-086, in January. FG Guadeloupe.
Jacques, F6HMJ #52711, was active as FG/F6HMJ until January 24. P4 Aruba.
Alan, K4AVQ #15889, was active as P40AV in January. YV, Venezuela. Rick,
W0IS #10901, was on Los Roques, SA-035 in January. MJ Jersey. Pete K8PT
#24099 will be to the Channel Island of Jersey and be active on March
14-20th.
New DX Members.
TF Iceland. Gulli TF8GX #712114 was persuaded to become a member by my
invitation. TF5BW Billi #3714 is no longer active and I wanted to get
someone that operated Ten from Iceland to be a new member. I found Gulli
when I did DX packet search. It took one email to get him interested, he
sent me his ten contacts which were mailed to Carol WA8YL and Gulli came up
on the
28555 DX net where he gave out his new number on January 28th. QSL to Gulli
Jonsson, Box 345, Keflavik, IS-230, Iceland.
New Spring DX members by Carol WA8YL #29588.
December 2000. No activity. January 2001. VE6ACA 72105, OD5TE 72106, JH1KLM
72107, EW6OO 72108, VE9ALX 72109, CT3FN/HB9CRV 72110, VE7CYY 72111, CO8DM
72112, DH0MB 72113, TF6GX 72114, JA6WJL 72115 and VE9ST 72116.February.
V73GOD 72117, VE4PDR 72118, M5ADX 72119, VE7XL 72120, VE9DH 72121, G4VVQ
72122, VE3ELM 72123, VE3LTG 72124, EW6CQ 72400, VE2ZA 72401, DL4OCH 72402,
and HB9AID 72403.
10-10 Bar Awards: Wolf DK3KD #58990 for 6500 Bar #52; Henry DL8YBM #36109
for 5400 Bar #68; Horacio LU1BJW #38329 for 3100 Bar #245; Alan ZL3KR #6251
for 1800 Bar #604; Justin AA8FY/KL7 #62867 1000 Bar #1491; and Fred VE7IDV
#24752 for 2000 Bar #536.
The 10-10 DX Net meets on Sunday at 1400 UTC on 28555 with Net Control in
Texas. Thanks to 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 2001 by N5MT
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