Ten X DX News
June 1, 1999
   The CQ WPX contest is in full swing as I begin this article and I just
logged E4/OK5DX Palestine on ten for a new country, but the operator was not
a 10-10 member!  I made about two hundred DX contacts in WPX as skip was good
into Europe, Africa and South America during both contest.
  The highest solar flux in May was on the 31st at 165 and the low for the
period was April 23rd when it went down to 98.  Many Dxer's are making a fuss
about the poor condition of Cycle 23 with the low flux numbers after only 18
months into the cycle.  The best DX months for the USA are doing the winter
and not during our summer when the tilt of the earth favors the southern
hemisphere.  Cycle 23 will get better, just go to fifteen meters if you
really want to work a new one!   DX-IS.
  OK lets start out with some information about what 10-10 DX was worked this
quarter.
  P3, Cyprus.  Andy UA3AB #23433 and Harry, UN7FZ/UP6F#45850, were with a
team operating P3A for the CQ WPX CW Contest. Mike G4BLH #18446, worked Andy
UA3AB/5B4 May 28th on 28.495 at 1720z. Andy told Mike that he had a 10-10
number, but he could not remember it.  Mike looked it up and remind Andy. QSL
via W3HNK.
  EK4 Armenia. I talked with Serge EK4JJ #23431 who told me he has trouble
with his mail and has not been getting his 10-10 News for several years. I
arranged for him to get the News for the next year so you might hear more
from Serge and his son Alex EK4GK #62248.
  3B9R Rodrigues Island. Ned Stearns, AA7A #11185, gave me a new 10-10
country from this rare Island in April.  Ned was part of a group of operators
on this DXpedition that made over 47,000 contacts, so I hope you found him
for a new one.  QSL to Joyce Johnson N7LVD.
  5N Nigeria. Stan, OK1JR #20103, just returned to Prague after completing a
successful trip using 5N0MSV.  He was working/operating from the Embassy of
the Czech Republic using a TS-950SDX and a 1K amp into a 12 element
Log-Periodic. "Greetings from Nigeria and I want to say hello to your
readers. We just finished using the 5N99 prefix in April. I hope I made many
happy with the 5N prefix as a new one." Stan made over 17,000 QSO's plus RTTY
using the BTL software. QSL to Stan Matejicek, Moskevska 1464, 101 00 Praha
10, Czech Republic.

Newest DX Member and New 10-10 Country!
  3V8BB Tunisia.  This is the only authorized club station in Tunisia that is
recognized by the ARRL for DXCC!  The club station is situated right on the
beach, the beam is overlooking the Mediterranean.  The name of the QTH is
Bir-el-Bey, close to the City of Hammam-Lif, about 20 miles from Tunis, the
capital of 3V.
  I received a message from Felix DL8OBC/N5BC #55519, that he had
unexpectedly operated from 3V8BB on March 20, 1999, and stayed on Ten meters
only, working many members.  All the contacts Felix made count for 10-10
country status for 3V using his number!  I then realized a new 10-10 country
was at hand if the club station was to become a 10-10 member and I jumped on
the opportunity.  I asked Felix to send me the QSO information so that his
operating of 3V8BB would be submitted for 10-10 membership.  I then sent the
application to Carol K8DHK, along with the fee, and Carol issued #70713 to
3V8BB.  Felix was notified by Email that the paperwork had been processed.
That was the easy part, now the work begins for Felix and the trustee.
  Felix now has to contact the club trustee who's name is Lotfi, so Felix can
explain about the number.  Lotfi may come to Friedrichshafen (Europe's
smaller version of Dayton) on June 26, so Felix will talk to him there.  If
he does not show up, Felix will try to explain it all in a letter.
  Felix was able to do the same thing with Libya 5A1A #69222, explaining to
trustee Abubaker.  So please be patient if you work this station and they
tell you that they do not know about a 10-10 number. Remember, guests will
not know about 10-10, so be polite and remember this is only a hobby!  I will
get more information and publish it when possible.  For the record: 3V8BB is
expected to be 10-10 country number 292!

  OJ0 Market Reef and OH0 Aland Island.  Dennis OH0/K7BV #5414 operated as
OH0Z in the WPX CW contest making 3,000 contacts.  Dennis started his trip as
OJ0/K7BV on Market Reef where he made 6,000 contacts.  Both places are hard
to work and as of June 1st there has been no skip into Texas on ten.
Conditions are improving so I hope some of you get to work him on Aland
Island before he leaves on June 5th.  QSL OH0/K7BV via KU9C and OH0Z via
OH1EH.
Also, in mid July, Dennis will return to Barbados as 8P9JJ and 8P0V in the
IARU HF contest.  He is a partner in a cottage in 8P so he will be active a
lot over the coming years.

  4U1UN was active by Peter ON6TT/5X1T #51565 and a Swedish friend just after
Dayton.  QSL to POBox 3873, NY, NY 10017.
  EA6 Balearic Island. I worked Hans EA6/DL1KBQ #70303 and his wife Heide
DH3KAT #70302 on 28.420 at 1420z yesterday. Hans said that they will be on
Balearic Island through June.  Hans has a special call ED6DIG.

Upcoming DX & New 10-10 Activity:
  CY9, St. Paul Island. Stan AC2W #62885 and four others were active May
23-31st as CY9RF.  This operation is a YASME DXpedition and QSOs count for
the YASME awards.  QSL via K8RF.
  HK Columbia. Gerard, F2JD (ex-HK3/G0SHN) #63442, has received his new
callsign HK3JBR. Gerard will be in Columbia for 2 years.
IOTA:  8P Barbados. Dean, 8P6SH #45815, will be active as 8P2K for the all
major contests, until December 31,2000.  QSL via KU9C.
  HC8, Galapagos Islands.  Trey N5KO #26780, Ralph K9ZO #6142 and Robert N6TV
#8750, were very active as HC8N from May 26th to June 2nd from San Cristobal
Island.
  ZK1, NORTH AND SOUTH COOK ISLANDS.  Wolf DL2SCQ #62241and his wife Ann
DL1SCQ #62240 will activate a few IOTAs during August. Their callsigns will
be ZK1SCQ and ZK1SCR and their schedules are as follows: August 4-8th -
Rarotonga Island (OC-013), S.C.I.  Aug. 10-12th - An island in the Aitutaki
group (OC-083), S.C.I.   Aug. 14-17th - Mangaia Island (OC-159), S.C.I.  Aug.
20-25th - Manihiki Atoll (OC-014), N.C.I.  Aug. 28-31st - Palmerston Atoll
(OC-124), S.C.I.  Bands/Modes activity were not mentioned. QSL via DL6DK,
Peter Voilts, Uhlandstr 28, D-59192 Bergkamen, Germany.
  NA-136.  Tony WF1N #33959 and Lou W1DIG (ex-KA1DIG #40472) will be on Pot
Island in the Thimble Island Group, May 21-23rd.
  EU-074.  Daniel F5LGQ #64684 was F5LGQ/P from Brehat Island from May 8-16th.
  EU-127.  Starting July 23, Felix DL8OBC #55519, will be active from
Helgoland Island in the North Sea.  He has been there many times since 1992,
and this will be his fifth time in the IOTA Contest from EU-127.  In the
contest, he will use CW only, but he will be on the island for two weeks both
modes. QSL go bureau or POBox 1253, D-30984 Gherkin, Germany.
(www.afthd.tu-darmstadt.de/~dl8obc/).

   Propagation: Solar flux will range from 115-185 during the third quarter
of 1999.  On June 1st, the Solar flux was 165 the A index 3 and K index 1,
now that Cycle 23 is 18 months old, the flux continues it stair step climb
upwards.  The short term: the solar flux should reach 175 by June 7, then
drop to 150 around June 11, 140 by June 16, and 130 around June 21.  June 14
could be bad for HF due to geomagnetic disturbances caused by coronal hole
effects. Expect the best conditions on June 5-8 , July 1-4 & 27-30, and
August 25-30! There will be a seventy point swing in the flux numbers during
the next three months as more new sun spots appear and the first phase of
Cycle 23 will last 2 more years!  For stations in the Eastern USA, expect a
70% chance of DX to the East-West path into Europe or Africa.  For stations
in the Western USA, expect 30% chance of DX into Europe and a 70% chance into
Asia.  All of the USA will get a 50% chance into S.America in the mid
afternoon. Long haul F Layer skip continues to be the dominant mode of skip.
Expect a 5% chance of Long Path into Asia.  The beacons (28.175-28.300) will
tell you what is open, especially 28.200.

  New DX members this Spring: March 1999 DX Members:DL4MDQ 70323, DF1LON
70324, G0IOM 70600, G4ZMB 70601, VK3MRG 70602, F5MOO 70603, ON4LCY 70604,
UA0EX 70605, GI4XSF 70606, OZ1LNL 70607, VE5RMO 70608. April: J69AZ
70609,VK3CNX 70610, LU5VV 70611, IK7WUJ 70612, 3V8BB 70613, G3XPO 70614 and
VA3JFF 70615.  May: EA3OP 70616.
DX members data is from Carol K8DHK #29588.
  The ARRL DXCC will start accepting QSL cards for Palestine E4 in October.
(Editor: I would appreciate confirmation of 10-10 activity from E4 or 3V8BB!)

Congratulations: 10-10 Countries Award: Joshua AE2L #14076 for 125 Countries
Cert. # 15.
BAR Awards: Henry DL8YBM #36109 for bar 3700 #150, Evillo KH6DRT #33751 for
2400 #389, Neldo LU5HE #10334 for 5400 #63, and Janis VE7AAP #50407 for bar
1600 #680.
  Thanks too: the on-line DX List, QRZ-DX, 425 DX News & 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 1999 by N5MT ...-.-

Back to 10-10 DX News Index