TenX DX News      December 1, 2023

Mike Davidson N5MT #24949           Download as
PDF

Welcome to the Winter DX season of the 10-10 DX News. The Sun is still producing Sun
spots that keep the Solar flux high but high absorption conditions have kept Ten meters skip questionable!    We
had less DX into Europe and Asia when the absorption numbers are above A=15 and K=3.

BREAKING NEWS:    Several coronal mass ejections have been seen on the Sun the past 3
days with 10 new sunspots!    Expect disturbed conditions and Northern lights to be present the next few days.   
Hopefully this will not affect the ARRL Ten meter contest on December 9-10^th , Good luck.   

With the change of season its now cooler and daytime skip been better. This season
change has already helped skip for the Fall and Winter season allowing us to hear Europe and the Pacific areas.   
The CQ WW DX SSB contest just finished and I found seven ten ten members in my log!    The big ARRL 10 Meter
contest will start in just a few days on December 9-10^th so please be ready for DX
that weekend.    This year is the 61^st anniversary for 10-10, so
find a members with a 61 in their 10-10 number and log them. I have 11 members with the anniversary date so far
this year.

Now to update everyone of the Countries Award program.    In my last DX report I talked
about restoring the 10-10 Countries Award program on my old XP PC here.    This was an old DOS program from Jim
K4HAV/SK.    My hopes of a      member to rewrite a similar OS program with features to help file for most 10-10
awards that managers process will be a great asset for 10-10.    I did not have any countries award applications
this past quarter so if you have the basic 25 countries with a 10-10 number in your log, put the info on a form
and send it to me for country credit.    Remember when your dues are paid all awards are free.

Update on the development of the Win1010 program replacement.    Jeff N7YG #65084, has
started re-writing the program, and he should have a report in this issue of the News.    My comments are from a
Beta tester viewpoint.    My 10-10 log contains 44 years of history so when I use that data to test the new
program, the chances of finding something in the new program are increased.    My testing looks through 17900
members in my logs, a lots of DX countries, the 250 OM/XYL teams, the 1800 VP numbers, the 2300 counties and 1650
prefixes that I have logged.    I still have not submitted for all awards that the old Win1010 program supported
but my data adds a lot Beta test.    I expect it will take three months of programming and testing to get a final
version ready for release next year for the new Win1010.

     

OK its time to talk DX.    The fall months have been better for Ten meter skip. The CQWW
SSB contest was a good start for the fall DX season with over 100 countries worked by two friends in Houston TX. 
  When you work a DXCC on Ten in 48 hours, you must say you had a good antenna and propagation that weekend for a
hundred country count!

We should be talking into Europe for several hours each day this Winter. QSO Party
results are posted in this issue and the 10-10 Website.    So good luck with the upcoming ARRL Ten Meter contest
in 8 days!    I hope some of you will have worked a new 10-10 country in Africa this past quarter so good luck on
Ten as we enter 2024 in a few weeks.    Sun spots this quarter have cause less DX but I expect the best DX of the Solar cycle in 2024!

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

General 10-10 DX reported in the past quarter:

      4U United Nations.    The UN station 4U1UN #55555, in the New York UN
building, was heard in Sept on CW and in October and Nov on SSB plus the beacon 28200 MHz.

      A2 Botswana.    A DXpedition group was
active from November 3-6th using call A25A. The only member was Victor UA3QLC #52770 but there was little
Ten xmit.   

      C6 Bahamas Island.    Joe W8GEX #41393 was again using
C6ADX with mode FT4 on his 62^nd trip.   
LoTW.

      CY0 Sable Island.    The DXpedition to Sable Island was from March 21-31st call CY0S.    They had cold
weather and bad winds that caused problems with antennas.    http://www.CY0S.com.

      FJ St. Barthelemy.    Vincent    KB9DVC #69254 was on St. Bart in
late November in the CQWW CW contest.

      H44 Solomon Isl.    A DXpedition group was on    Guadalcanal, operating all bands from November
15-29^th    with call H44WA. The
only member was Tom NU7J #71381.    Website was:
https://www.H44WA.com .

      HP Panama.    Harvey
NK0S #34184 using call HP1/NK0S
was on 10-20 Meters with some digital.

      HR Honduras.    Alex
K6VHF #77458 was portable
HR9/K6VHF from November 21-28^th and some digital.   

      J2    Cameroon.    A big group of DX ops went to Cameroon from November 2-15^th using callsign TJ9MD.   
The only member was Tony IZ8CCW #70101 from Italy.   

      KH0 Mariana Isl.    Scott WA0TPN #71279 is on Saipan from
November to December 7^th as KH0/WA0TPN.    He could
on from 800-1300 UTC on low power to a long wire.

      KH2 Guam.    Vincent
K2ZW #439 was on Guam for a
short stay.    No info at present.   

      KH8 Swains Island.    A DXpedition to Swains was from October 4-17^th.    The only 10-10 member
is Max NG7M #68542.    Callsign was W8S
from two separated camps with six stations total.    Website: http://Swains2023.com.

         

      OA Peru. Ed OA4SS #10802 is back on the Air
with his rig an dipole for Ten and Ed likes CW on 28028.   

      P4 Aruba.    John
W2GD #14109 was back again in
Aruba for the CQWW CW contest in late November.   

      V3 Belize.    Scott
K5PS #52535, was active in from
November 18-28th as V31CQ in Blackman Eddy.   

Uwe DL8UD #70315, on from September
7-14^th as V3O.

     

      V5 Namibia.    Mike
V51MA #64688 was worked this past
quarter on SSB as he is the only Daily Net Control DX op on 28380. Mike lost his 10-10 number a few years ago but
I found his membership number which got him active on Ten again.    So remember your 10-10 number it’s yours for
life.

      VP6 Pitcairn Island.    Miralda VP6MW #50434, is back on the air
with fixes to her rig and computer.    She likes FT4 on 28180 or SSB on 28555 as I saw her active in
Nov.

   

      VP8 Falkland Isl.    Bob VP8LP #8854 was on SSB around
28492 and FT4 on 28180 in Oct and November.

      YJ Vanuatu.    A DXpedition to Vanuatu
by several ops was from October 26 to November 3^rd using call YJ0TT.    There
were two members in the group, Osiel NG7E #77665 and Alex
K6VHF #77458.    They were active
in the CQWW SSB contest with a good signal.    This was rare 10-10 DX.

ZL7 Chatham Island.    My friend Holger
ZL3IO #22401 was back on Chatham
Island for more DX contesting.    He setup in September then came back to operate CQ WW SSB & CW in October
and November.    He used solar power and batteries on Chatham, with his callsign ZL7IO.    LoTW.   

Upcoming DX & New 10-10 Activity:

      C6 Bahamas.    John W6JTB #49445 will be in the
Bahamas from January 2024 to April.    His call will be C6ABJ and remember DXCC counts for land QSO
only.

      CE0Z Juan Fernandez.    A group of ten ops will be on Juan Fernandez from February 13-20, 2024 using call
CB0ZA.    The only 10-10 members are Ramon NP4G #36218 and Robert
N5KO #26780.    Rare 10-10
DX.

      CE0Y Easter Isl.    Jorge CE0YHF #39382, will be on Easter
Isl. until December 10^th while helping at a
hospital.

      CY9C St.Paul Isl.    A DXpedition for June 2024 will take place by ops that were on Sable Isl recently. 
  More info will be coming in the next DX news.    Good luck for a new one.

      ET Ethiopia.    Ken K4ZW #18573 will be back at the
club station ET3AA helping club members operate in December.

Ken and two friends will operate in the January 12-20, 2024 time period. Ken likes CW so
good luck for a new one.

      FJ St. Barthelemy.    Phil K2LIO/FJ4WEB #07746 is expected to be
back on St. Bart until December 31^st .

      FO Austral Isl.    Haru JA1XGI #55571 will be using call
TX5G from March 25 to April 3, 2024 on Austral Island.

      H40 Temotu.    A DX group of 8 ops
will be on Temotu from February 22 to March 7, 2024 using call H40WA.    The only member is Paul
N6PSE #68859.

      PJ7 St. Maarten.    Ed N2HX #25435 will be in PJ7 for
fall contest like ARRL Ten using call PJ7PL.    He was on St. Kitts with his new DX call V49R recently.

      TX Clipperton Island.    A large group of ops is going to Clipperton in January 2024 using call
TX5S.    Members are: Gene
K5GW #15119, Paul
N6PSE #68859 and Nodir
EY8MM #52767, are experienced DX
ops.

        V4 St. Kitts & Nevis.    Jeff K1ZN #60508 will use call
V44/K1ZN from February 25 to March 4, 2024.   

      VP2M Montserrat.    Thaire W2APF #50022 will be on
Montserrat from January 11, 2024 to April 11 as VP2MDX

Miscellaneous Items & Notes:

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

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 .

NEW: WM7D Solar Values:

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

FT8 Fox/Hound Video:

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

Propagation:      I expect the solar flux to range from 115-175 this
Winter.    The winter solstices is
December 21^st it’s the day of the year
that has the shortest day times in the northern hemisphere.    The Earth is tilted so South America gets their
Summer but in the USA we get    the shorter daylight Winter.    Cycle 25 started on November 17, 2019 just over
four years ago!    This quarter saw a lot of sunspots visible with X and M class flares increased the solar flux
but produced less skip.    Sunspots are found by looking at the Sun and the flux is measured at 2.8 GHz.   

The 2023 monthly max solar flux:    January 234,
February 215, March 188, April 176, May 180, June 180, July 179,    August 176, Sept 176, Oct 166, Nov 190.   
Average 187.

The 2023 monthly min solar flux:    January 136,
February    134, March 129, April 125, May 134, June 144, July 154,    August 139, Sept 131, Oct 119, Nov 119.
Average 133.   

On December 1^st, the solar flux was
167, the A index was 5 and K index was 5.     There have been sunspots
on the Sun over the past two years with increased solar flux up 20-40 points.    The USAF forecast for Dec
1^st to Jan
14^th has a range of 160-140 with
average flux 150 which is down 2 points from the last quarter 45 day average forecast.

My Prediction:    Over the next four
months, the best conditions on Ten could be: Dec 26-31^st; Jan
26-29^th, Feb
26-29^th & March
28-30^th.    For the USA, expect a
35%    chance of DX to Europe, Asia, S. America or Pacific.    Use the beacons 28.175-28.300 MHZ to find if the
band is OK and if it’s closed for SSB, go to 28074 and FT8 for a Q.

Two new DX member joined in Sept to November 2023.    Eric F5AUI #78206 and Stephan
DD2SM #78209 were the last DX
calls issued. David KC8EEY #78234 was the last new
member in Nov and 52 members join this quarter.

Thanks to the Daily DX by Bernie W3UR    #25731 and the ARRL DX Bulletins.    This DX
News edition is my number 129^th of DXing reports for the
past 32 years.    DX news to:    Mike Davidson, 26274 Whispering Pines Ave, Denham Springs LA 70726 USA    or
Email: N5MT@aol.com.

DX IS!     73    Mike Davidson N5MT    #24949

      Copyright © 2023 by N5MT

TenX DX News      June 1, 2023

Mike Davidson N5MT #24949         Download as PDF

Welcome to the Summer DX season of the 10-10 DX News. The Sun continues to produce propagation into Europe and Asia on 10 Meters with high solar flux numbers when the Sun is not showing big sun spots.    New members have joined the ranks which give you a chance to talk with a new member and swap 10-10 numbers for an award.    Remember, this is year 61 for the 10-10 Anniversary so find some new members with a 61 in their member number and log them. So I will talk about some DX that has popped up the past three months and see what’s coming later this year.

Father Ed Schmidt    OA4SS #10802 is now 84 years old and he has been a 10-10 member since 1975 for 48 years!    I first talked with Ed in 1980 and more than twenty times since.    But Ed’s life has slowed down and he has moved into assisted living.    His radio gear was moved to a high school to be a club station where he may be able to use his radio.   

Someone asked me what new DX members that I have put in the log so I sorted the log and looked.    So far in 2023 I have seven new members.    George 9G4X #73941 in Ghana,    Troy WH6WAV #77927 Hawaii,    Lorenzo IK6PTH #62288 Italy,    Jim ZF2OO #48365 Cayman Isl.,    Oscar HK6DOS #39978 Columbia, Ernst VE3GNU #8738 Canada, and    Adam VK4IM #73123 Australia.    In year 2022, I put 18 new members in my log.    In 2002 I found 139, and in 2001 found 158.    My best year was in 2000 I set my record of 264 new members and I put 1843 old members in my log.    I retired in 2000, so my hobby/radio time increased a lot.

The DXpedition to Bouvet Island was a big disappointment for many DX chasers in February with the bad weather at Bouvet!    High seas made dangerous boat landing conditions on the island.    A few ops made it ashore with limited stuff and they put up two of the planned five stations.    The resulting setup caused the QSO counts to be only    9% of what was expected to log with five stations.    I did not hear any activity on Ten but they logged 675 QSOs on Ten.    Most of the ten-meter Q’s were into Europe and Asia and only two Q’s to North America.    You will find some Bouvet videos on YouTube.    This bad-luck DXpedition will be remembered and just blame it on a lot of bad WX weather.

Members are having a good time with the rise in the solar flux.    The Sun gave us two solar flux highs the past year, so enjoy the better propagation.    We had many large sun spots this past quarter on the Sun to cause some bad propagation!    And I expect to get more bad sunspots and flares this year!

Canada hams can use four special prefix changes during June until July 2^nd.    Most VA become CJ , the VE becomes CK, VO becomes CY and VY becomes CZ.    Do a Google search for more info and log a new 10-10 prefix in June.

Countries Award:    There were no Countries Award 

applications submitted this past quarter.    Thanks to Marcus KM5EH #71103 for sending me my OM/XYL certificate for 50 teams number 76.    I will have more coming soon.

________________________________________________

General 10-10 DX reported in the past quarter:

      3B9 Rodriguez Island.    Robert 3B9FR #61550 was active in mid April about 0545 UTC on FT8.   

      4L Georgia.    Rene DL2JRM #69623, was in Georgia for a short time until March 20^th as 4L/DL2JRM only on CW.

Rene will be back in Georgia from June 16-19^th.

    9G Ghana.    A DXpedition of nine ops went to Ghana from March 23-30^th.    George N4GRN #73941 and Hal W8HC #12502 used callsign 9G4X from Accra.    They were on SSB, CW and FT8 for digital.

      9M2 West Malaysia.    Rich PA0RRS #24343, was back in West Malaysia from January to March 26^th using call 9M2MRS.    West and East Malaysia are both rare for us! No SSB, some CW but mostly FT8 on 28074 or 28180.    On air times were early morning for us in the USA.

      4U United Nations.    The UN club station 4U1UN #55555, in the New York UN building, was heard this past quarter.    The remote HF station was on Ten along with the beacon on CW but only FT8 digital and no SSB.

      4U UN Switzerland.    4U1ITU #11111.    There was radio from the club station using Fox/Hound on FT8 in March.

      CY0 Sable Island.    The big DXpedition to Sable Island was from March 20-30.    Dan W4DKS #5395 and John W2GD #14109 were the 10-10 members.    Website: www. CY0S.com.    Sable is now a remote weather station for Canada and does not keep anyone on the island for station keeping.    They rented facilities where they stayed and operated and the only permanent residents on Sable are the seals and horses that have to be protected from visitors.

      EY Tajikistan.    Nodir EY8MM #52767 was on FT8 a lot over the past five months.    He travels to DX places a few times a year so watch for Nodir to operate from Africa.

      FJ St. Barthelemy.    Phil K2LIO/FJ4WEB #7746 was back on St. Bart for a short while in March and April.    He did not spend a lot of time on Ten but he is the only member to stay on St. Bart for long periods.

      HB9 Switzerland.    Rene DL2JRM #69623, operated from April 29-30^th in a contest.    No info if he made any 10-10 contacts as propagation was bad on Ten.

   

C8 Galapagos Island.    James WB2REM #48365 and three friends were on the island from March 1-11^th.    They used all bands, modes and digital using callsign HD8M.

      HR Honduras.    Gerard F2JD #63443 was on Ten using FT4 as HR5/F2JD. He has been there since December 22.

      J6 St. Lucia.    Dan W0CN #27026 and Bill K9HZ #2618 were back in St. Lucia until March 7^th using call J68HZ.    Bill may have returned in April to the station as J68HZ.   

    K USA.    Tim NL8F #32796 has been on FT8 after work hours from Dutch Harbor Alaska.    I have no info if Tim made any 1010 Q’s but he likes to use other bands for DX.

      George W3AB #70708 operated from Pigeon Point Light on May 26-27^th.    This location is 50 miles south of San Francisco CA and the lighthouse is really tall at 115 ft.

      PJ2 Curacao.    Andreas PJ2/DK5ON #54260, was on Curacao Island from March 4-22^nd.    All modes.    LoTW.

    David KE3VV #69831 was using PJ2/KE3VV in early March outside of the DX contest for CW and FT8.

      PJ7 Sint Maarten.    Gary KC9EE #16977 was on the island from March 1-8^th.    His call was PJ7EE using a low power QRP radio on FT8 and CW.    LoTW.

      V2 Antigua.    Eleven operators were using V26EI from Antigua from March 24 to April 2^nd.    Two 10-10 members were Declan EI9HQ #71019 and Thos EI2JD #73610.

      V26K by Bud AA3K #53485, was in Antigua from March 21-27^thon FT8 and CW except for the WPX SSB contest.

      V3 Belize.    Walt W0CP #14291 was using call V31DJ until March 11^th from Belize on CW, SSB and FT8. LoTW.

      V5 Namibia.    Mike V51MA #64688 is now an alternate net control on 28380 on the daily 10-10 net at 1800 UTC.    He has been on 28074 FT8 at 2000 UTC on Ten.    Mike lost his 1010 number and log records a few years ago.    But last year in November, I was able to give it back to him when we talked.    So remember your 10-10 number is yours for life.   

      V7 Marshall Islands.    Bob V7/N7XR #26991 will be on Kwajalein Atoll until early July.    His radio is an IC7410 into a dipole and vertical mostly CW or digital modes.    Bob and one other ham are the only radio operators on the Atoll.

      VP2M Montserrat.    Thaire W2APF #50022 was using call VP2MDX until March 30^th.    He operated CW & SSB into a hexbeam with a small amp.    His location is not far from the big local volcano on the island.

      VP5 Turks’ & Caicos Islands.    Ross VP5/W2TT #25714 was in Providenciales from March 22-29^th with ham friends.    They used call VP5P in the CQ WPX SSB contest so you would have had to find Ross for his 

10-10.   

      Hal W8HC #12502 was on for a few days as VP5/W8HC    in late April.    This was a quick vacation trip for Hal.    LoTW.

      VP8 Falkland Isl.    Bob VP8LP #8854 was on Ten operating SSB from March to May.    Sorry no LoTW.

      Z6 Kosovo.    Rene DL2JRM #69623 was using Z68XX in May from Kosovo for only four days.

Upcoming DX & New 10-10 Activity:

      BY China.    David K6FA #5908, landed in Shenyang in April and will stay until mid August 2023.    He sometimes uses his remote home station in CA on Ten.    His China call will be BY#/K6FA.    LoTW upload in September. Note: the physical antenna determines the DXCC country location.

      FP St. Pierre & Miquelon Isl.    Eric KV1J #31247 is planning a June-July 2023 trip to operate as FP/KV1J.

      KH8 Swains Island.    A DXpedition is going to Swains from October 4-17^th, 2023.    The only 1010 member is Max NG7M #68542, using callsign W8S from six stations split into two separated camps.    Web: https://Swains2023.com.

      TX Clipperton Island.    A large group of ops is going to Clipperton in January 2024 using call TX5S.    Members Gene K5GW #15119, Paul N6PSE #68859 and Nodir EY8MM #52767, are all experienced DX ops, so good luck.    HISTORY:    A 10-10 member using the call FO0XX in April 1985 give some of us a new 10-10 country

      V3 Belize.    Uwe DL8UD #70315, will be in Belize from September 6-14^th.    His new call will be V31KO or maybe V3O if they authorize his special request.   

Miscellaneous Items & Notes:

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

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.php http://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 .

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

FT8 Fox/Hound Video: https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=GcbtTKSRkus http://WWW.K7UA.com.

Propagation:      I expect the solar flux to range from 128-165 this Summer.    The summer solstice is Wednesday, June 21^st, it’s the longest day of the year and summer starts for us in the northern hemisphere.  

The Earth is tilted as far as possible, giving us the longest daylight of 2023 in the USA.    Cycle 25 started on November 17, 2019.    There were sunspots visible on the sun this past quarter with X and M class flares that increased the solar flux accordingly.    Sunspots are found by looking at the Sun and the flux is measured at 2.8 GHz.

The 2023 monthly max solar flux:    January 234, Feb 215, March 188, April 176, May 180.    Average 199.

The 2023 monthly min solar flux:    January 136, Feb 134, March 129, April 125, May 134.    Average 132.   

On June 1^st, the solar flux was 161, the A index was 10 and K index was 3.     There have been many sunspots on the Sun over the past fifteen months with increased solar flux up 10-30+ points.    The USAF flux forecast for June 1^st to July 15^th is from a high of 160 to a low of 130 with average flux of 143, which is good for DX.

My Prediction:    Over the next three months, the best conditions on Ten could be: June 17-20^th; July 14-16^th; August 10-13^th; & Sept 6-9^th.    For the USA, expect a 60%    chance of DX to Europe, Asia, S. America or Pacific.    Use the beacons 28.175-28.300 MHZ to find if the band is OK and if it’s closed for SSB, go to 28074 and FT8 for a Q.

One new DX member joined in March to May 2023.    March: none; April: none; and May: Stephan DM4KA #78183 and this is the highest 10-10 issued to date.

Thanks to the Daily DX by Bernie W3UR    #25731 and the ARRL DX Bulletins.    This DX News edition is my number 129^th of DXing reports for the past 32 years.    DX news to:    Mike Davidson, 26274 Whispering Pines Ave, Denham Springs LA 70726    USA and Email: N5MT@aol.com .

    DX IS!     73    Mike Davidson N5MT    #24949

      Copyright © 2023 by N5MT

 

TenX DX News      March 1, 2023

Mike Davidson N5MT #24949      Download as PDF

Welcome to the Spring DX season of the 10-10 DX News.

We had a nice Winter QSO Party in February with good signals from all over Europe and Asia.    I had almost 300 Q’s in my log but a Texas friend with a better antenna, talked with all 50 states, 68 countries and logged 1600 QSO’s, came in first place again. The solar flux during the QSO party was 140 giving us excellent DX propagation on Ten.

The DXpedition to Bouvet Island was a big disappointment for many DX chasers in February with the bad weather around Bouvet!    High seas caused dangerous boat landing conditions on the island.    A few made it ashore with limited stuff and they put up two of the planned five stations.    The resulting setup caused the QSO counts to be only    9% of what was expected to log with five stations.    I did not hear any activity from Bouvet on Ten but they logged 675 QSO on Ten.    Most of the Ten meter Q’s were into Europe and Asia and only 2 Q’s to North America.    You will find some Bouvet videos on YouTube.    This bad-luck DXpedition will be remembered and blame it on a lot of bad weather.

The Winter QSO party allowed my station to find 17 old DX members and 28 members that were a first time in my log!    I got one three digit old member from the west coast for a new one.    I worked a lot of non-members looking for numbers so they could get qualified to join 10-10.    I think I talked with about 90 stations that were looking for numbers.    I worked a total of 110 members and 185 non-members all weekend.    I looked at our 10-10 database after the party and over 104 new member numbers had been added to the database!    So thanks to all the new members and I have talked with two new members that joined from the QSO party in my log.

All members are having a good time with the rise in the solar flux due to more sunspots!    The Sun gave us a solar flux high last year in September of 154 but a new high of 234 was recorded in January 2023.    On Feb 17^th a mistake was posted for a flux of 343 so please ignore that posting. We had many sun spots this past quarter on the Sun to cause the record solar flux.    And more are expected this year!

Over 165 logs were submitted for the a Winter QSO Party which was great news for 10-10.    Award forms and membership renewal info are at the website.    Please swap your 10-10 number over the air on Ten to qualify for awards!    When you collect 10-10 numbers, DX, Counties, Bars or you want your score to count in a QSO party, you must exchange your callsign, name, state and 10-10 number on Ten over the air.    So save your QSO info in a logging program.    Then when you are ready to fill out an award application, move your 10-10 info from your saved place to your award form. The honor system applies for all contacts on awards.    I keep DX records for award validation as the DX Countries award manager.    After filling out an award form, submit it to the email address on the form.    There are 340 

ARRL DXCC countries available but only 318 10-10 countries have been worked for country credit so far.

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

______________________________________________

General 10-10 DX reported in the past quarter:

      3B9 Rodriguez Island.    Robert 3B9FR #61550 was active in January on Ten with FT8 from 1545 to 1715 UTC.   

      3D2 Figi.    Wayne N0UN #11317 is now using 3D2UN from Figi.      He is good on LoTW.

      3Y Bouvet Island.    A rare DXpedition to Bouvet started on February 6-13^th.      The only member was Bill KO7SS #8631 and there was no report of any Ten meter QSO’s by Bill.    They made very few QSO’s on other bands due to bad weather and bad landing conditions with high waves.    In 1990, Bouvet was a first time country for 10-10.

      5W Samoa.    Paul W7IV #27182 and friends were on Savai Island from February until the 28^th.    The usual bands and modes plus FT8 were used.    Call was 5W0DX.

      9M2 West Malaysia.    Rich PA0RRS #24343, was back in West Malaysia from January to March 27^th using call 9M2MRS.    West & East Malaysia are rare 10-10!    No SSB, some CW but mostly FT8 around 28074 or 28180.    LoTW.

      9U Burundi.    Elvira IV3FSG #54292 was in Burundi, Africa from February 4-27^th as 9U5R along with a friend Vlad OK4WX/9U4WX.    All modes all bands.    A lot of FT8 from Elvira on Ten in February.    The last 10-10 member to operate from 9U was Iris Colvin W6QL/9U5QL in February 1991.    So this is a rare 10-10 country!

      4U United Nations.    The UN club station 4U1UN #55555, in the New York UN building, was heard this past quarter.    The remote HF station was on Ten along with the beacon on CW.

      4U UN Switzerland.    4U1ITU #11111.    There was radio from the club station on 20 & 30 Mtrs and some on FT8 but nothing on Ten in February.

      ET Ethiopia.    Ken K4ZW #18573 and Nodir EY8MM #52767 were using the club station ET3AA during January.    I saw the station active on Ten using FT8 in January from 1230 to 1430 UTC.    I do not have individual info on each.    Remember this is a rare DX location.

      EY Tajikistan.    Nodir EY8MM #52767 was active on FT8 in early January.    He then went to Ethiopia but is now back in Tajikistan from February 17^th.

      FJ St. Barthelemy.    Phil K2LIO #7746 left the island at the first of the year 2023 and has not returned. His new call FJ4WEB.    His radio is an IC-7300 with a better antenna for Ten.    Phil is the first 10-10 member to stay on the island for long periods.

      HR Honduras.    Gerard F2JD #63443 was on Ten using FT8 in mid January as HR5/F2JD from 1500-1600 UTC.

      Alex K6VHF #77458 was on Roatan Island using call K6VHF/HR9 from February 12-15^th using FT8 and CW.

    KH0 Mariana Islands.    Gerard W5TZX #49308, was on the Mariana Islands in February.    His radio was QRP 10 watts using FT8 on 20-15 Meters, no Ten.    LoTW.

      J7 Dominica.    Laurent F5MUX #42039 used callsign J79BH on Dominica in late February.    He has had eight callsigns over several years, so be careful.   

      PJ7 Sint Maarten.    Gary KC9EE #16977 will be on the island from March 1-8^th.    His new call will be PJ7EE using a QRP radio on CW and FT8.    LoTW.

      V3 Belize.    Walt W0CP #14291 is using call V31DJ until March 11^th from Belize.    CW, SSB and FT8. LoTW.

      V5 Namibia.    Mike V51MA #64688 has been showing up on 28450 on Saturday mornings at 1610 UTC with the LA Pelican Net. I just missed him on FT8 at 1945 UTC on Ten.

      VP2M Montserrat.    Thaire W2APF #50022 was using call VP2MDX from January 2 to March 30^th . He operated CW & SSB into a hexbeam with a small amp.

      VP8 Falkland Isl.    Bob VP8LP #8854 was on Ten operating SSB from December to February.    No LoTW.

      YJ Vanuatu.    Al K7AR #2736 and friend Bob W7YAQ were in Vanuatu in February for two contests.   

      ZF Cayman Islands.    Jim WB2REM #48365 was on the big island using ZF2OO callsign until January.    He was on Ten SSB and FT8.    LoTW.

Upcoming DX & New 10-10 Activity:

      9G Ghana.    A DXpedition of nine ops are going to Ghana from March 22- 30^th.    Look for George N4GRN #73941, and Hal W8HC #12502.    Special callsign is 9G4X for a contest.

      CY0 Sable Island.    The big DXpedition to Sable Island is scheduled for March 20-30, 2023.    Look for Dan W4DKS #5395 and John W2GD #14109 the 10-10 members.   

Website: www.CY0S.com.    Sable island is now a remote WX weather station for Canada and does not keep anyone on the island for station keeping.    The ham operators are going to rent Sable facilities where they can stay and operate.    The only permanent residents on Sable are 500 horses and seals that have to be protected from visitors.

      FP St. Pierre & Miquelon Isl.    Eric KV1J #31247 

is planning on a June-July 2023 trip to operate as FP/KV1J.

      HC8 Galapagos Island.    James WB2REM #48365 and friends are planning a March 1-11^th trip.    All bands, modes and digital FT8.    Unknown callsign.    LoTW.

      J6 St. Lucia.    Dan W0CN #27026 and Bill K9HZ #2618 will be back in St. Lucia from February 28^th to March 7^th and the ARRL DX SSB contest using J68HZ.    Outside contest Dan may be using J68CN.

      PJ2 Curacao.    Andreas DK5ON #54260, will be on Curacao Island from March 4-22^nd.    All modes,    LoTW.

      V2 Antigua.    Eleven operators will be using V26EI from Antigua from March 24 to April 2^nd.    The 10-10 members are Declan EI9HQ #71019 and Thos EI2JD #73610.

      V3 Belize.    Uwe DL8UD #70315, will be in Belize from September 6-14^th.    His new call will be V31KO or maybe V3O if they authorize his special request.   

Miscellaneous Items & Notes:

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

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.

DXCC Most Wanted at: https://Secure.Clublog.org/mostwanted.php .

ARRL DXCC : http://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 .

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

FT8 Fox/Hound Video: https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=GcbtTKSRkus

Download the DX’ers Handbook by Bryce Anderson K7UA/SK, at: www.K7UA.com.

Propagation:      I expect the solar flux to range from 125-185 during the Spring, with a rise of flux.    The 2023 Spring Equinox is Monday March 20^th, and Spring starts for us in the northern hemisphere.    The Earth is equally over the equator, giving us equal daylight/night time days.    Cycle 25 started on November 17, 2019.    There are 5 sunspots visible on the sun today with one near X class flare and 2 M class flares last week!    Sunspots are seen by looking at the Sun and the flux is measured at 2.8 GHz.

The 2022/23 monthly max solar flux:    Jan was 130, Feb 130, Mar 151, Apr 166, May 180, Jun 149, Jul 176, Aug 128, Sep 154, Oct 163 Nov 142, Dec 166, 2023 Jan 234 and Feb 215.    Average 163.

The 2022/23 monthly min solar flux:    Jan was 84, Feb 93, Mar 94, Apr 96, May 98, Jun 96, Jul 91, Aug 95, 

Sep 116, Oct 105, Nov 108, Dec 119, 2023 Jan 136 and Feb 134.    Average 105.   

On March 1^st, the solar flux was 161, the A index was 24 and K index was 4.     There have been many sunspots on the Sun and the past nine months with increased solar flux up 20-30+ points.    The USAF solar flux forecast for March 1^st to April 14^th is from a high of 180 to a low of 140 with average flux at 162 which is a record high average.

My Prediction:    Over the next three months, the best conditions on Ten could be: March 16-20^th ; April 12-17^th ; May 9-13^th; and June 5-10^th.    For the USA, expect a 85%    chance of DX to Europe, Asia, S. America or Pacific.    Use the beacons 28.175-28.300 MHZ to find if the band is open.    If Ten is closed for SSB, go to 28074 and use FT8 for another Q.

Three new DX member joined in Dec 22 to Feb 2023.   

Dec: none; Jan 2023: none; and Feb: Gilbert VA3NQ #78103, John VE3TG #78116 and Dan VE7VU #78121.    The highest 10-10 issued is to Rick KX4PP #78154.

Thanks to the Daily DX by Bernie W3UR    #25731 and the ARRL DX Bulletins.    This DX News edition is my number 129^th of DXing reports for the past 32 years.    DX news to:    Mike Davidson, 26274 Whispering Pines Ave, Denham Springs LA 70726    USA and Email: N5MT@aol.com .

    DX IS!     73    Mike Davidson N5MT    #24949

      Copyright © 2023 by N5MT