TenX DX News   December 1, 2025

Mike Davidson N5MT #24949

Welcome to the Winter DX season of the 10-10 News and today is December 1^st as I finish writing this article.  The biggest event this coming DX season could be better DX across the Atlantic, Pacific and into South America from now until March 2026.  The most popular December contest is in 13 days, the ARRL Ten Meter contest is on the second weekend December 13-14th. I have found new 10-10 members and said hello to many old friends over the past 46 years that I have logged the Ten Meter contest.  I remember one year in Houston, I used an amp to a four element beam, and logged over one hundred countries and scored my highest number of QSO’s in a weekend. 

If your are a new 10-10 member chasing DX and need help with being a successful DX’er, you need to be familiar with the American Radio Relay League and their website that deals with operating help and DXCC.  So please visit www.ARRL.org after you finish reading this article! 

This Solar Cycle 25 has just produced a bunch of solar flares that have given our planet some aurora this past quarter.  There have been several recorded storms on the Sun which produced bad propagation and some radio black-outs on the Earth over the past 3 months, so good luck with the coming DX season especially in the Ten Meter test!  The solar flux today is 180, A index 16, K 1 with poor prop on Ten meters.

There is better propagation on the lower frequencies than on Ten.  The highest solar flux this cycle was in Feb 2023 at  343 and in May this year, we saw a big X2.7 flare that caused radio blackouts.  I  have operated in five cycles and Cycle 25, in my opinion, could be ranked as the second strongest of the last five!

You can compare my DX reports below with your log to see if you found a DX member during the past three months.  Watch for future DX and work a new country or a new member in your log.  Remember, your 10-10 is assigned to you for life, so if you get a DX license, you can still give out your 10-10 number if you operate Ten in a DX country.

The most important 10-10 club event this summer was the  August Summer QSO Party.  This is usually the biggest 10-10 event of the year and it was a nice chance to have put a new 10-10 member in your log, which is one of my operating goals.  In past years a few QSO parties have had bad solar events and poor propagation when the Sun generated flares and radio blackouts on the HF bands.

I monitor the ARRL website for DXCC information as I follow all DXCC rules and take care of the 10-10 Countries Awards.  By design, 10-10 follows all the ARRL DXCC rules plus you must swap your 10-10 info for a contact to be valid for all awards.  The ARRL DXCC award function has been working smoothly and the LoTW function is saving users money by replacing a QSL swap.  The ARRL software hack on their computer system last year was fixed with no data loss.  ARRL DXCC processing this past month was taking about seven to ten working days to complete. 

All 10-10 awards for paid members get our awards free. 

The best time for logging 10-10 or a DX contacts in the USA during the winter season is now to talk into Europe, S. America and the Pacific.  http://hamgallery.com/W1JR/The ARRL Ten Meter contest in two weeks has always been the most popular contest on Ten.  During past Winter SSB QSO Parties, the band was sometimes noisy due to a solar flares and poor propagation.  If you are serious in logging DX, you should have a goal of finding members on Ten and logging them.  Each week I read DX emails and look for  members going places, so I can write about them.  My last new 10-10 country was logged about eight years ago, so I hope to log a new 10-10 country soon.  Watch for DX on the dates given below and work a new member or talk with an old friend that you might find on the air to pass the time.

I read a report that a USA station had talked via long path by pointing his beam antenna southeast to talk with several Asia stations.  Long path DX is a rare event and I have had QSO’s with this propagation when I had a beam antenna at my old qth in Texas. This rare event only happens when the radio path is  skipping in the opposite direction so its named long path skip.  Since long path is such a rare event you will probably will not hear it using a dipole or vertical antenna. 

Countries Awards:  There were no Countries Award applications submitted this past quarter.

General 10-10 DX reported in the past quarter:

4U United Nations NY.  The UN club station 4U1UN #55555, in New York City, was active on Twenty meters on Nov 12^th.  No activity on Ten meters the past quarter from 4U1UN except for the beacon on 28200 MHz.  By DXCC rules, the UN in New York is the closest DX country for USA hams to QSO.  The UN beacon is one of 18 beacons on five frequencies and all are on the air 24/7 and depend on propagation, so YES you may not hear all beacons because of skip around the world. 

4U Geneva.  The UN station in Switzerland 4U1ITU #11111, now has a new club callsign 4U0ITU to commemorate the ITU Union 160^th anniversary until year end.  The special call was used on SSB and digital FT8 this past quarter. Remember.  The 10-10 number is only assigned to 4U1ITU and not to the new callsign 4U0ITU!  So, ask them for the old call and log! LoTW.

A4 Oman.  The Royal Omani ARS club station A47RS #42043 was heard this past quarter on Ten meters.  No info if any 10-10 info was exchanged.  All guest operators probably do not know about 10-10 membership so 10-10 info may not happen.

9U Rep of Burundi.  A DXpedition to Burundi using call 9U1RU, took place from October 29^th to November 19^th 2025.  The two 10-10 ops were Vic UA3QLC #52770 and Hal W8HC #12502, who are both good operators on CW, SSB and Digi.  The last 10-10 op in 9U was Iris W6QL / 9U5QL #21226 in December 1991 and Iris is now SK.

CE0Y Easter Island.  George CE0YHF #39382 is still working at a job on the island.  Bad weather broke his first antennas so he  replaced it with a vertical for his 10-watt radio. I see a few QSO’s in November for him on FT8 and SSB.

ET Ethiopia.  Ken K4ZW #18573 did not operate from ET this past quarter.  The club call ET3AA is not a 10-10 member but it was active on Ten meters in October/November.  So you must find Ken when he visits the club to get his number and log a 10-10 QSO for Ethiopia.  Ken only operated in the USA in November on Ten meters. 

FO French Polynesia.   Haru JA1XGI $55571 is using call TX9XG from November 30^th to December 6^th on HF.   

FP St. Pierre & Miquelon Isl. Eric KV1J #31247 was active as FP/KV1J from Miquelon on Ten using FT8/4 from June to July 13^th on FT8 and SSB on Ten meters. 

HB0 Liechtenstein. Rene DL2JRM #69623 and a friend were using call HB0DX from November 28^th to December 1^st.  They also used HB0DX in a contest October 25-26^th.   

HR Honduras.  Tom AK2G/HR9 #77206 was on an island off Honduras in September for a week until the 26^th.    Several members have been on Rotan Island this year and I  know he was on Ten meters in September on SSB.  

J6 St. Lucia.  Bill K9HZ #2618 was in a CQ CW contest in late October at J68HZ.  It is hard to get a 10-10 swap during a CW contest so hopefully you found Bill outside of the contest at the Villa Grand Piton for a QSO.  LoTW.

KH0 Mariana Isl.  Tom KC0W #67688 used his new call KH0W on CW in November on Ten and he was active on 6 to 40 Meters from September thru November all on CW.   

OZ Denmark.  Rene DL2JRM #69623 was in Denmark from September 12-21^st as OG7Z and also in July 12-13^th.

P4 Aruba.  John W2GD #14109 was active with the P4 calls P40W from October 22-26^th and P44W from Nov 29-30^th , July 9-16^th and May 22-25^th.. 

T8 Palau.  Al K7AR/T88AR #2736 was in a CW contest in late November on Palau.

VP2M Montserrat.  A group of four ops were using call VP2MMA which is not a member, from now to December 5^th.  Look for Juan AC6ZM #65893, Randall WK9M #57317, and Catherine W4CMG #77738.   

VP6 Pitcairn Island.  Miralda VP6MW #50434, was active on Ten with FT8 and no SSB, on August 11-13^th , September 16-18^th  and November 17-22^nd.

ZD7 St. Helena Island.  A three ops will be using separate calls from ZD7 until December 7^th.  Look for Fred  G4BWP #28684 using call ZD7WP. 

ZL7 Chatham Islands.  Holger ZL3IO #22401, is still on  Chatham as ZL7IO until December 4^th on CW.  He operated in October/November on FT4 and in the WPX CW contest.  There is not a member living on Chatham so anyone operating there is a rare DX contact for DXCC.

________________________________________________

Future DX & New 10-10 Activity:

CY0 Sable Isl.  A DXpedition scheduled for March 2026, the only 10-10 members that I found were: Ralph K0IR #2609 and Michael K9NW #29804. Web: www.CY0S.com.

PJ2 Curacao Isl.  Thaire W2APF #50022 will use call PJ2/W2APF from January 10^th to March 31, 2026.  He was on Curacao from January to April 9^th in 2025 on CW.  His  QRZ page has pictures of sites he operated from.  LoTW. 

VP0 South Georgia Island.   A DXpedition to this rare island will take place in March 2027.  South Georgia is owned by Norway.  The list of operators that will man the stations is still not available on the website as yet. 

Miscellaneous Items & Notes:

Ten-Ten Website: http://www.Ten-Ten.org . 

WM7D Solar: https://www.wm7d.net/hamradio/solar/ .

Propagation forecast: http://www.solen.info/solar/ ,  www.SolarHam.net  and  http://ARRL.org/Propagation .

More propagation: http://dx.qsl.net/propagation/ .

DX Calendar: http://www.dxwatch.com/ .

DX:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4dJcK-WVRw.Https://Secure.Clublog.org/mostwanted.phphttp://ebarc.org/pdf/dx-entity-history.pdf

Ham Lookup various ways:

https://Haminfo.tetranz.com/map .

Ham LoTW users: http://www.hb9bza.net/lotw-users-list .

FT8 Fox/Hound Video:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=GcbtTKSRkus . 

DX Propagation:   I expect the solar flux to range from 120-210 this Winter DX season.  The December 21^st Fall Equinox will be in three weeks.  There was an M class flare in August and an X2.7 class flare in May 2025.  Days are getting shorter for us in the Northern Hemisphere.  Cycle 25 started seven years ago in November 2019.  Sunspots are counted by looking at the Sun each day but the solar flux is measured by radio at  2.8 GHz several times a day.

The monthly max solar flux was:  Jan 2025 234, Feb 220, March 204, April 182, May 159, June 161, July 156, Aug 317 Sept 202, Oct 184 and Nov 180.  Average 200.

The  monthly min solar flux was:  Jan 2025 156, Feb 153, March 140, April 148, May 115, June 117, July 115, Aug 114,   Sept 114, Oct 118 and Nov 115.  Average 128.

On December 1^st, the solar flux was 180, the A index 16 and K index 1.  Previous solar cycle peaks happened in 2014, 2001, 1989 & 1979.  A current solar flux graph is indicating cycle 25 has peaked in August 2024.  At this time, NOAA has not declared a peak solar flux date. The USAF forecast for Dec 1^st to Jan 14^th has a range of 120-175 (55 points), with average flux 147, which is down a lot from the last quarter.

My Prediction: The next four months, I think the best propagation on Ten could be on: Dec 5-7^th, Jan 1-3^rd & 27-30^th, Feb 23-26^th and March 24-27^th..  For USA, expect a 25-45% chance of DX to South America, Europe, Asia or the Pacific.  Turn on your radio to the beacons on 28.175-28.300 MHZ to first see if the band is open.  If the band is closed for SSB or CW, try CQing on FT8 on 28074 for a QSO.

One DX members joined 10-10 this fall: WH6LC #78440 is Leigh Critchlow from Hawaii.  The last member to join 10-10 was Steve Hildreth  KK7GXQ #78443 in November 2025.

Thanks to the Daily DX by Bernie W3UR #25731 and the ARRL DX Bulletins.  This 10-10 DX News edition is my number 136^th of DXing reports for a record 34 years.

DX news to:  Mike Davidson, 26274 Whispering Pines Ave, Denham Springs LA 70726 USA Email:  N5MT@aol.com.

DX IS!   73  Mike Davidson N5MT  #24949

   Copyright © 2025 by N5MT

TenX DX News  March 1, 2026

Mike Davidson N5MT #24949

Welcome to the Spring DX season of the 10-10 News and today is March 1^st as this article goes to the 10-10 Editor.  A Solar event for the first time in Cycle 25 just occurred on February 24, 2026 when new sunspots did not occur on the Sun for three days, marking the end of the Sun’s spotless phase! This may be another indicator that Cycle 25 has peaked, in 2023. The most important radio event this DX season will be DX across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and down into South America.  The most recent contest was the Winter QSO Party contest back on the first weekend of February 7-8th. I found/talked to a few new 10-10 members and said hello to old friends over the past 47 years that I have been able to log.  I remember several years when I lived in Houston, I operated with an amp to a big four element beam and logged many countries on Ten.  

If your are a new 10-10 member chasing DX and need help with being a successful DX’er, you must be familiar with the American Radio Relay League and their website that deals with operating help and DXCC.  10-10 follows all the same rules for the DX Countries award as what you must do for DXCC credit plus swapping your 10-10 information.  So you might want to visit the website www.ARRL.org after you finish reading this article!  The ARRL does email a weekly DX news that you can sign up.  Remember, many DX’ers are not always 10-10 members!

This Solar Cycle 25 has produced some solar flares that have given our planet big aurora this past year.  There have been several recorded storms on the Sun which produced bad propagation and radio black-outs on the Earth, so good luck with the coming DX season!  Today’s solar flux is 147, A index 10, K index 1 with average propagation on Ten.

Propagation on the lower frequencies has been better than on Ten recently.  The highest solar flux this cycle was back in February 2023 at 343.  I  have operated as a ham operator in five cycles and this Cycle 25, I would rank in my opinion, as the second strongest of the last five!

You can try to compare this DX reports below with your log to see if you found a DX member during the past three months.  Watch for future DX announcements and work a new country or a new 10-10 member in your log.  Remember, your 10-10 is assigned to you for life, so if you get a DX license, you can give out your 10-10 number if you operate Ten Meters in a DX country.

The most important 10-10 club event this winter was the  Winter QSO Party in February.  This is usually the biggest 10-10 event of the year and it was your best chance to have put a new 10-10 member in your log, which is always one of my QSO Party goals.  In some past years a few QSO parties have had poor propagation when the Sun generated flares and radio blackouts on the HF bands.

As the 10-10 Countries Award manager, I monitor the ARRL website for DXCC for DX information.  I follow all DXCC rules as required to take care of the 10-10 Countries Awards.  By design, 10-10 follows all the ARRL DXCC rules plus you must swap your 10-10 info for a contact to be valid for all our awards.  The ARRL DXCC award function has been working smoothly and the LoTW function is saving you money by replacing the required QSL swap. 

A software hack last year at the ARRL on their computer system, was fixed with no data loss.  The DXCC processing this past quarter was taking about ten working days to complete. 

All 10-10 paid members get 10-10 awards free. 

The best time for logging a DX contacts during the spring season is now if you talk into South America, Europe, or the Pacific.  http://hamgallery.com/W1JR/There are many 10 Meter contest this spring so you will have many weekends to log DX on Ten.  If you are serious in working DX, you should have a goal of finding members on Ten and logging them.  I read a lot of DX email and look for  members going out of town, so I can write about them.  My last new 10-10 country was logged about nine years ago, so I hope to find a new 10-10 country soon.  Watch for DX on the dates given below and work/log a new member.  Or talk with an old friend that you might find on the air to pass the time and keep the ten meter band active.

Countries Awards:  There have been no Countries Award applications submitted to me this past quarter.

General 10-10 DX reported in the past quarter:

4U United Nations NY.  The UN club station 4U1UN #55555, in New York City, was active in Feb on CW only three days on Ten.  I use a website called DXSummit to watch for callsign activity like the UN club.  Little activity the past quarter from 4U1UN plus the daily beacon on 28200 MHZ.  By DXCC rules, the UN in New York City is the closest DX country for USA hams to QSO.  The UN beacon is one of 18 beacons on five frequencies on the air 24/7 and depend on propagation, you may not hear all beacons because of skip! 

4U Geneva.  The UN club station in Switzerland 4U1ITU #11111, used a new club callsign 4U0ITU until year end 2025.   4U1ITU does not have a 10-10 number, sorry!  LoTW.

3Y Bouvet Island.  This rare island has just started operating with callsign 3Y0K at the end of February.  I am listing the event here but there are no 10-10 members in the group of ops. The website is: https://3y0k.com/ .

A4 Oman.  The Royal Omani ARS club station A47RS #42043 was heard several times the past quarter on Ten.  Guest ops may not know about 10-10 info so a 10-10 swap may not happen.

CE0Y Easter Island.  Jorge CE0YHF #39382 may be QRT.  Last year, he broke his antennas and replaced it with a vertical.   I saw no QSO’s for him on SSB or FT8.

ET Ethiopia.  Ken K4ZW #18573 is at ET3AA until March 2^nd at the club station.  The club ET3AA is not a 10-10 member so you must find Ken when he is there on Ten! If its another operator it good for DXCC.  You can always ask the op if they are a 10-10 member to get a 10-10 number for a QSO.

J6 St. Lucia.  Bill K9HZ #2618 likes all CW contests in  the winter at the J68HZ station but not the past two months.  It is hard to get a 10-10 swap during any contest so hopefully you will find Bill when not in a contest for a 10-10 QSO.  LoTW.

KP5 Desecheo Island.  A rare DXpedition KP5/NP4VI began on January 12, 2026 until sometime in March, has made more than 100,000 QSO which is a record for a solar-only operation!  A lot of Remote Radio equipment was used on KP5 with a large group of remote ham ops in Porto Rico. I found five 10-10 members that were listed as Remote ops. Since many ops are off island, you will have to find out who was the op and maybe get a 10-10 member on Ten? LoTW.

P4 Aruba.  John W2GD #14109 was active as P40W and P44W in February mostly on CW on Ten and other bands. 

PJ2 Curacao Isl.  Thaire W2APF #50022 used PJ2/W2APF from January 10^th to March 31, 2026.  He was on Curacao from January to April 9^th in 2025 on CW.  His  QRZ page has pictures of sites he operated from.  LoTW.

T8 Palau.  Al K7AR/T88AR #2736 was in a CW contest in late November as T8 and returned home to be on CW in Feb.

VP2M Montserrat.  A group of operators were using call VP2MMA which is not a member, in Jan/February.  Look for Juan AC6ZM #65893, Randall WK9M #57317, and Catherine W4CMG #77738.   

VP6 Pitcairn Island.  Miralda VP6MW #50434, was last active on Ten with FT8 in early December 2025 and no Ten meters in 2026 as yet. 

ZL7 Chatham Islands.  Holger ZL3IO #22401, is now back home in New Zealand.  His last CW operations on  Chatham as ZL7IO ended on December 3^rd , 2025.  There is no 10-10 member living on Chatham.  Anyone operating ZL7 would be considered a rare DX contact for DXCC.

________________________________________________

Future DX & New Activity:

CY0 Sable Isl.  A DXpedition is set for March 19-31, 2026.  The preparations for Sable have started as they are expecting strong winds up to 50 mph on the island, so securing the antennas will be a major project to protect the setups.  Sable is allowed to be used just a few times a year for ham radio. The only 10-10 members are: Ralph K0IR #2609 and Michael K9NW #29804.  Web: www.CY0S.com.

J5 Guinea Bissau.  A DXpedition began in February going until March 15^th using callsign J51A ops are German.  None of the ops are 10-10 members.  There island is off the west coast of Africa near the Equator.  LoTW.

TX Austral Island.  A DXpedition to the Austral Islands is set for March 13-25^th callsign TX5EU.  There are no 10-10 members listed on the website. 

VP0 South Georgia Island.   A rare DXpedition to South Georgia will take place in March 2027 using callsign VP0SG with about twelve operators.  As of today, the only 10-10 member listed is Steve W0ZB #37921.

Biggest Hamfest May 15-17^th in Dayton, Xenia, Ohio.

Big Germany Hamfest June 26-28^th in Friedrichshafen.

Little Louisiana Hamfest August 7-8^th in Shreveport LA. 

Miscellaneous Items & Notes:

Ten-Ten Website: http://www.Ten-Ten.org . 

WM7D Solar: https://www.wm7d.net/hamradio/solar/ .

Propagation forecast: http://www.solen.info/solar/ ,  www.SolarHam.net  and  http://ARRL.org/Propagation .

More propagation: http://dx.qsl.net/propagation/ .

DX Calendar: http://www.dxwatch.com/ .

DX:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4dJcK-WVRw.Https://Secure.Clublog.org/mostwanted.phphttp://ebarc.org/pdf/dx-entity-history.pdf

Ham Lookup various ways:

https://Haminfo.tetranz.com/map .

Ham LoTW users: http://www.hb9bza.net/lotw-users-list .

FT8 Fox/Hound Video:                                                                                                                                            

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=GcbtTKSRkus .

K9LA Cycle 25 Expectations 2026:

DX Propagation:   I expect the solar flux to could range from 100-150 this Spring and Summer DX season. 

The March 20^th Equinox (equal night/day) will be in three weeks so days will be equal for us in the N. Hemisphere on the 20^th.  The last X-flare was on Feb 4^th at X4.21 and the next day an M-flare M2.4 occurred, and the last Geo storm was Feb 22^nd.  The high flux this Cycle 25 was on Feb 17, 2023.  Last year on Nov 11, 2025 we had a X5.1 flare, the sixth strongest solar flare of Cycle 25!  Cycle 25 started seven years ago in Nov 2019.  Sun spots are counted by looking at the Sun daily but the solar flux is measured by radio at 2.8 GHz several times a day.

The monthly max solar flux was:  Jan 2025 234, Feb 220, March 204, April 182, May 159, June 161, July 156, Aug 317 Sept 202, Oct 184, Nov 180, Dec 220, and in Jan 2026 194,  Feb 178.  Average 199.

The  monthly min solar flux was:  Jan 2025 156, Feb 153, March 140, April 148, May 115, June 117, July 115, Aug 114,   Sept 114, Oct 118, Nov 115, Dec 116, and in Jan 2026 111, Feb 108.  Average 125.

On March 1^st, the solar flux was 147, the A index 10 and K index 1.  Previous solar cycle peaks happened in 2014, 2001, 1989 & 1979.  A current solar flux graph indicates cycle 25 may have peaked in August 2024.  At this time, NOAA has not declared a peak solar flux date. The NASA solar flux forecast for the next 45 days has a range of 110-130, with Avg 121.5, which is down a lot from the last quarter.  The USAF forecast is scheduled to be replaced by a NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center new product on March 1^st.  The new website path is: Services.SWPC.NOAA.gov .  Select: Parent Directory then select: 45-day-ap-forecast.txt. 

My Prediction: In the next three months, I think the best propagation on Ten could be on: March 5-9^th, April 2-4^th , May 1-4^th and 29-31^st..  For USA, expect a 20-45% chance of DX to Europe, South America, Asia or the Pacific.  First turn on your radio to the beacons on 28.175-28.300 MHZ to see if the band is open.  If the band is closed for SSB or CW, try CQing on FT8 on 28074 for a QSO. Good luck.

One DX members joined 10-10 in February:

Ian McGovern VK4QRZ #78462 from Australia. 

The last US member was Jesse Mans  KE0OSV #78461. 

Thanks to the Daily DX by Bernie W3UR #25731 and the ARRL DX Bulletins.  This 10-10 DX News edition is my number 137^th of DXing reports for the past 34 years.  Any DX news to:  Mike Davidson, 26274 Whispering Pines Ave, Denham Springs LA 70726 USA Email:  N5MT@aol.com.

DX IS!   73  Mike Davidson N5MT  #24949

   Copyright © 2025 by N5MT

2025 Scholarship Winners

My name is John Horan, AE0ZY from Webb City, Missouri and I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for the support I received through the 10-10 International Scholarship. Your donation has made a meaningful difference in supporting me in my educational journey. I am honored to be among the students supported by the 10-10 Scholarship Foundation and its donors. I am currently studying Industrial Engineering Technology (IET) at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin Missouri. This engineering program has helped me develop technical manufacturing skills and a diverse set of problem-solving abilities, combined with innovating and utilizing engineering skills that I’m passionate about. I am planning on completing my engineering program this fall, to graduate with my B.S. in Industrial Engineering Technology. Amateur radio has become an integral part of my daily life. I enjoy amateur radio because it allows me to connect with people from all walks of life. I enjoy learning about technology, building things hands on, and learning from people such as my Elmer, who worked in radio broadcasting. Amateur radio has had a lasting impact on my life through the many invaluable mentors I have gained along the way. I have enjoyed volunteering for many local events that Joplin Amateur Radio Club coordinates, giving back to my community. After graduation, I plan to begin full-time work at a local manufacturing company in Joplin, where I’ve received a job offer. There, I hope to apply the fundamental skills I’ve learned throughout my academic career to drive process improvements, streamline operations, and enhance the company’s environmental impact. Thank you again for your incredible support. I am excited to finish this journey and honor your investment in my future.

I am Elizabeth Todd, KQ4ZAL from Norcross, Georgia. I am writing to express my heartfelt thanks for selecting me as the recipient of your generous $2,000 scholarship toward my Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the University of St. Augustine in San Marcos, CA. It is an incredible honor, and I’m truly grateful for your support. With so many deserving applicants, receiving this award means more than I can fully express. Your generosity has eased the financial burden of graduate school and reaffirmed my commitment to growing in this profession and serving others through compassionate, skilled care. Since beginning full-time graduate work in January 2025, I’ve had less time to stay actively involved in ARRL service and learning opportunities. However, I remain deeply connected to the values of the ham radio community and look forward to re-engaging after graduation in 2027. I’m especially eager to find ways to give back—whether through local involvement or supporting others as so many have supported me. Thank you again for this invaluable opportunity. Your belief in my journey means more than I can say, and I am honored to carry this encouragement with me as I continue my education.

My name is Frank D’Urso K1MKY from Tucson, Arizona. Thank you for the honor of being selected for the 10-10 International Net Scholarship. I earned my first amateur radio license just a year ago and quickly discovered how exciting the hobby can be. After being introduced to radiosport during my first ARRL Field Day, I upgraded to General and then to Amateur Extra. I now operate under the vanity callsign K1MKY, which was held several decades ago by my great grandfather, Harry Rudnick. He held a Technician Plus and used his Gonset G-50 6-Meter Communicator to talk to his brothers around Manchester, NH. I have his radio and it still works! He must have taken good care of it! I am in my final year at the University of Arizona, where I study Electrical and Computer Engineering. My professional focus is defense acquisitions, particularly in communications and energy infrastructure, while my academic interests extend to vacuum tubes and audio circuitry. I hope to apply my training in circuit design and fabrication toward building a HiFi tube amplifier. Last year I served as Vice President of the K7UAZ Amateur Radio Club, where I had the chance to help new operators get started and support the station’s projects and events. Outside of class, I’m teaching myself Morse code. I look forward to my first proper CW QSO and plan to use a portion of this scholarship to purchase a straight key and a QMX transceiver kit from QRP Labs. Building and operating my own radio will give me a more hands-on, personal experience to complement the sophisticated equipment I use in the K7UAZ shack. I look forward to checking into 10-10 nets, meeting fellow members, and sharing my progress as I continue to grow in the amateur radio community. 

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN 10-10?

Here is what you need:

1. You must hold a valid amateur operator license.
2. Your valid amateur operator license MUST authorize or qualify you for unsupervised transmitting operations in the ten meter amateur band under your own personal call sign.
3. You must make contact with ten members of 10-10 and submit a log listing all contacts, their 10-10 number, call sign, name/handle (as received on the air), date of contact, and QTH (state/province/country). The contact form and membership application can be found here.
4.  You must remit dues for one or more year’s full membership. Fee schedule and payment information can be found on the Fee Schedule Page.

TYPES OF MEMBERSHIPS

To become a member either fill out the form on the following page and mail to the Data Manager at the indicated address or go on-line to the 10-10 web page, www.ten-ten.org and follow the links from ‘membership’ to ‘application’ and select membership category.

Primary Membership
Primary membership is available with yearly dues, although there is a special incentive available when you pay for three years at once.

Family Membership
Family membership consists of a primary member and one or more family members who qualify as a 10-10 member (has made the necessary 10 contacts) and who reside at the same location and postal address. Family memberships run concurrently with that of the primary member. Add $5.00 for each additional family member for each year. 

Life Membership
Life membership is available and may be paid in one lump sum or spread across two or three years. For information refer to the “Life Membership Application” form on the web or contact the 10-10 Data Manager.

Senior Life Membership
Senior life membership is available to anyone who is currently 65 years of age or older. Payment can be made as one lump sum or within a one year period. For information refer to the “Life Membership Application” form on the web or contact the 10-10 Data Manager.

Club Membership
Club membership is available to any Amateur Radio Organization which holds a valid Amateur Radio License. Application must be made by the club trustee. Dues are the same as the Primary member. No family or life memberships are available. Clubs have all the same rights and privileges as primary members except the right to vote in elections.

TenX DX News   September 1, 2025

Mike Davidson N5MT #24949

Welcome to the Fall DX season of the 10-10 News and today is September 1^st as I finish writing this article.  Someone asked me to define DX: A distant amateur radio station in a foreign country or ARRL defined country, that is properly licensed to operate and make radio contacts.

 The present Solar Cycle 25 has produced a lot of solar flares this past quarter and the solar flux is becoming less intense as the sun in now six years into Cycle 25. 

There is propagation on the lower frequencies but almost none on Ten with minor blackouts.  The highest recorded flux was 343 in Feb 2023 and in May this year, the biggest X2.7 flare caused blackouts in Europe and Asia.   I have operated in the last five cycles and this cycle in my opinion is the second strongest!

There are DX reports below that you can see if you worked a DX member the past three months in your log and watch for a future DX trip and maybe work a new country in your log.

The most important on the air event this summer was the 10-10 Summer QSO Party the first weekend in August.  This party is usually the biggest 10-10 event of the year and your best chance to have put a new 10-10 members and DX in your log, which should be one’s goal.  In past years some QSO parties have had bad solar events which caused poor propagation.  The sun continues to generate solar flares that do cause radio blackouts depending on the intensity.

The ARRL website hack last year has been back to normal.  The DXCC award function was fixed and the LoTW data was all ok.  The fix of all DXCC awards took longer but now all awards are back to normal.  DXCC processing this past month was taking about a week to complete.

The 10 Meter contest in December has always been the most popular ARRL contest on Ten and I logged a few DX friends last year.  The best time for logging DX or 10-10 contacts during the past year was the winter season for the USA to talk into Europe, South America and Pacific.  In the February Winter SSB QSO Party, the band was noisy due to a solar flare and caused poor propagation. 

If you are serious about working 10-10 DX, you should have a goal of finding members on Ten and logging them.  Each week I read a lot of DX and look for 10-10 members going places, so I can write about them here.  At my station, I have not found a new 10-10 country in about seven years so I hope to catch a new country soon.  Watch for DX on the dates given below and work a new one or talk with an old friends on the air to pass the time.

I read a DX report in late August that Bruce AC4G #49089 from Tennessee, that he talked on Ten via long path by pointing his antenna southeast to log Asia stations on Ten.

Long path on Ten is rare and I have had QSO’s with this propagation when I had a beam antenna at my old qth in Texas. This happens only when the DX path is skipping in the opposite direction so its called long path skip.  It’s like working the elite DX QSO and you will probably never hear it with a dipole or vertical. 

Countries Awards:  There were no Countries Award applications submitted this past quarter.

__________________________________________________

General 10-10 DX reported in the past quarter:

4U United Nations NY.  The UN station 4U1UN #55555, in New York City, was active on Ten this past quarter on CW and FT8.  The UN is the closest DX country for USA hams to work.  The UN beacon is on 28200 MHZ along with other beacons every ten seconds, and on the air 24/7 all the time.

 4U Geneva.  The UN station in Switzerland 4U1ITU #11111, now has a new club callsign 4U0ITU to commemorate the ITU Union 160^th anniversary until year end.  The special call was used on SSB and digital FT8 this past quarter. Remember, the 10-10 number is only assigned to 4U1ITU and not to the new callsign 4U0ITU!  So ask them for the old call!  LoTW.

A4 Oman.  Roman R5AA was using the A47RS club station  #42043 in June while waiting for a new home to be finished.  Roman should be giving the club info when he is visiting and operating from the club station!

5A Libya.  Abubaker 5A1A #69222.  A pirate using his new call 5A1AL on FT8 from north Germany and not Libya on May 25^th and June 25^th.  This will not count for ARRL DXCC nor for any 10-10 credit!

C9 Mozambique.  Vic UA3QLC #52770 and friends, were on two islands in July.  I do not find Vic using a C9 callsign and he is the only 10-10 member in this group.

CE0Y Easter Island.  George CE0YHF #39382 has a job on the island.  Bad weather broke his first antennas so he wanted to replace it with a vertical for his 10-watt radio.  I did not see any QSO’s since April 2025 for him on FT8.

EA6 Balearic Islands.  Rene EA6/DL2JRM #69623 was on   Balearic Island until May 18^th using CW.  He is scheduled to go to a lot of other DX places thru the next few months.

ET Ethiopia.  Ken K4ZW #18573 did not go back to ET this past quarter.  The club call ET3AA is not a 10-10 member.  So you must find Ken when he visits at the club to get his number and log it for Ethiopia 10-10 DX.  The last report for Ken operating in the USA was on RTTY in February.

 FP St. Pierre & Miquelon Isl. Eric KV1J #31247 was active as FP/KV1J from Miquelon on Ten using FT8/4 from June 25^th to July 13th.

 HR Honduras.  Alex K6VHF #77458 was on Roatan Isl in July using call HR9/K6VHF.  His 100 watt radio went to a big vertical on all bands and digi modes. LoTW.  Alex, is planning to return to Roatan Island from September 1-4.  He may use call  HR9/K6VHF remotely between September 3 and the end of November.  Remotely means the antenna determines the QTH for the contact which probably will be Honduras.

J6 St. Lucia.  Several ops were at club J62K this past quarter   and Bill K9HZ #2618 was hoping to operate from the club with some youth operators.  LoTW.

K USA.  Howard K1VSJ #35318 was on Nantucket Island or Martha’s Vineyard from July 9^th to September 1^st.

KH0 Mariana Isl.  Tom KC0W #67688 used his new call KH0W on CW last April.  No reports of him being on Ten this past summer from the Mariana’s.  

P4 Aruba.  John W2GD #14109 was on CW from home in August.  The last use of the P4 station was in July 10-12^th. John was at P44W in Aruba in May using CW for the WPX contest since he is a good CW op.  LoTW.

VP6 Pitcairn Island.  Miralda VP6MW #50434, was only active on FT8 28074 on August 11-13^th and no SSB.

VP9 Bermuda.  Eric K9GY #22330, was on Bermuda on August 10^th using CW on Ten using call VP9/K8GY. 

ZL7 Chatham Islands.  Holger ZL3IO #22401, was last on Chatham in May on Ten CW.  He only operated low power as ZL7IO in the WPX CW contest.  His daughter Xenia ZL4YL #77857, did help so they used her call as ZL7YL.  Chatham is located about 500 miles from his home in New Zealand.  There is not a 10-10 member living on Chatham Island.  So considered ZL7IO a rare DX contact for 10-10 and DXCC when he is on the island!  _______________________________________________

Future DX & New 10-10 Activity:

3Y Bouvet Island.  A big DXpedition will land in February  2026 on Bouvet using call 3Y0K.  No 10-10 member is on the DX team at this time.  Good luck.

9U Rep of Burundi.  A DXpedition to Burundi using call 9U1RU, will take place from October 29^th to November 19^th 2025.  The only 10-10 ops are Vic UA3QLC #52770 and Hal W8HC #12502 who both are experienced operators.  They are planing to have 7 stations active on all bands. The last 10-10 op from Burundi was Iris W6QL / 9U5QL #21226 in December 1991 and she is now SK.

CY0 Sable Isl.  A DXpedition scheduled for March 2026 will take place by ops that were on Sable in 2024.  Members  were: Mike K9NW #29804, Larry W0PR #31559 and Dan W4DKS #5395.  Website: www.CY0S.com .

HB0 Liechtenstein. Rene DL2JRM #69623 and a friend will be in the CQ WW DX SSB contest Oct 25-26, 2025. 

OZ Denmark.  Rene DL2JRM #69623 will be in Denmark from September 12-30^th as OG7Z for contests.

PJ2 Curacao Isl.  Thaire W2APF #50022 will use call PJ2/W2APF from January 10^th to March 31, 2026.  He was on Curacao from January 10^th to April 9^th this year on Ten  CW.  Thaire’s QRZ page has pictures of two dozen DX sites he has operated from over the years.  LoTW.

VP0 South Georgia Island.   A DXpedition to this rare island will take place in March 2027.  South Georgia is owned by Norway.  The list of operators that will man the stations is still not available on the website as yet.

Miscellaneous Items & Notes:

Ten-Ten Website: http://www.Ten-Ten.org . 

WM7D Solar: https://www.wm7d.net/hamradio/solar/ .

Propagation forecast: http://www.solen.info/solar/ ,  www.SolarHam.net  and  http://ARRL.org/Propagation .

More propagation: http://dx.qsl.net/propagation/ .

DX Calendar: http://www.dxwatch.com/ .

DX:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4dJcK-WVRw.Https://Secure.Clublog.org/mostwanted.phphttp://ebarc.org/pdf/dx-entity-history.pdf .

Ham Lookup various ways:

https://Haminfo.tetranz.com/map .

Ham LoTW users: http://www.hb9bza.net/lotw-users-list .

FT8 Fox/Hound Video:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=GcbtTKSRkus .

DX Propagation:   I expect the solar flux to range from 100-225 this Fall DX season.  The September 22^st Fall Equinox will be in three weeks.  There was a M class flare on Aug 30^th and an X2.7 class flare in May 2025.  Days are getting shorter for us in the  Northern Hemisphere.  Cycle 25 eleven-year cycle, started six years ago in November 2019.  Sunspots are always counted by looking at the Sun each day but the solar flux is measured by radio at  2.8 GHZ several times a day.

The monthly max solar flux was:  Jan 2025 234, Feb 220, March 204, April 182, May 159, June 161, July 156, Aug 217.  Average 171.

The  monthly min solar flux was:  Jan 2025 156, Feb 153, March 140, April 148, May 115, June 117, July 115, Aug 114.  Average 132.

On September 1^st, the solar flux was 215, the A index 20 and K index 6.  Previous solar peaks happened in 2014, 2001, 1989 & 1979.  The USAF forecast for Sept 1^st to Oct 15^th has a range of 120-220 (100 point range), with average flux 127, which is down 105 points from the last quarter. A declining flux graph does indicate the solar flux and the peak have past in 2024.  At this time, NOAA has not declared a peak solar flux date.

My Prediction: The next four months, I think the best propagation on Ten could be on: Sept 1-2^nd & 27-30^th, Oct 23-26^th, Nov 18-20^th and Dec 14-18^th which is the weekend of the most popular ARRL Ten Meter contest.  For USA, expect a 20-33% chance of DX to South America, Europe, Asia or the Pacific.  Use the beacons on 28.175-28.300 MHZ to first see if the band is open.  If the band is closed for SSB, try calling CQ with your FT8 software on 28074 for a QSO.

Two new DX members joined 10-10 this summer: Aleksander S51JQ #78436 from Slovenia and Frank VK5KV #78437 from Australia.  The last USA member to join 10-10 was Ryan Fuller KF0RFZ #78438 in late August.

Thanks to the Daily DX by Bernie W3UR #25731 and the ARRL DX Bulletins.  This 10-10 DX News edition is my number 135^th of DXing reports for the past 33+ years.

DX news to:  Mike Davidson, 26274 Whispering Pines Ave, Denham Springs LA 70726 USA Email:  N5MT@aol.com. 
Copyright © 2025 by N5MT

DX IS!   73  Mike Davidson N5MT  #24949