TenX DX News December 1, 2022

TenX DX News September 1, 2022

Mike Davidson N5MT #24949

 

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

Well we had a good Summer QSO Party event the first weekend in August with about 125 logs submitted for scoring. An old friend in Houston, Al N5XZ #4530 had a good score with almost 600 Q’s in his log using a four element yagi up 70 feet. At my station I use a vertical antenna and worked a total of 93 Q’s, with 12 DX and 12 new members. I decided that it is now time to begin sending in Bar award applications. My old Win1010 logging program could stop working if Windows sends out a software update that might stop it from working. I sent in my 600-900 Bar applications and got them back this week. I only have 160 more to send in for checking so its going to be a long process with the logging program.

I am sorry to announce another DX member has died in June, Sergey Karpov UA0SE #25998. Sergey was a 40 year DX member in Russia and collecting US counties. RIP.

All members are having fun with the rise in the Solar Flux numbers due to more sunspots! We reached a new high for cycle 25 during May with a record flux of 180 due to 50 sunspots popping up on the Sun.

I have had bad luck with the FT8 software that was related to some PC driver problem on my desktop. I was able to get my laptop working with FT8 for Field Day and made a bunch of contacts. I helped one station get his last state on digital. I have used FT8 the past three years just for Field Day Q’s.

I found a commemorative event in August for the Navajo Code Talkers of World War 2. The son of a Marine Code Talkers, Herb Godlike N7HG #72015, was on the air on several bands from Arizona. His father was Marine Private John V Godlike, was one of 29 Navajo Code Talkers who survived the war and died on April 1, 2000.

All paid up 10-10 members can apply for any award by using the website to get the needed forms and QSL cards are NOT required for our awards. But you do have to swap your membership number info to qualify for any 1010 award!

As the Countries award manager, my 10-10 job follows most all of the ARRL DXCC rules. If you are collecting contacts/numbers for a 10-10 award or if you want your score to count in a QSO party, you are required to exchange your Callsign, Name, State and 10-10 number over the air, on Ten. So record your QSO info in a logging program to save your data or use a paper log book. Then when you are ready to fill out the award application, move your 10-10 info from your PC to your award form. The honor system does apply for all contacts on 10-10 awards. I keep many DX records for award validation as the Countries award manager. As of September 2022, there remain 22 countries that have not been worked for 10-10 country credit. There are 645 members that have the basic Countries Award so you might want to look through your 10-10 log and fill out a form for the 10-10 Countries award if you have worked 25 countries.

 

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

General 10-10 DX reported in the past quarter:

4U United Nations. There was lots of activity from the ham radio club station 4U1UN #55555, in the New York UN building, this past quarter. The remote HF station was used and the Ten meter beacon has been heard on CW.

4U UN Switzerland. 4U1ITU #11111. There was lots of ham radio from the club station this summer.

5X Uganda. Elvira IV3FSG #54292 arrived in Uganda on June 23^rd using call 5X3R with in IC7300 radio running 100 watts to a dipole on SSB CW and digital. She was planning to leave on July 13^th and return to Italy. LoTW.

EA6 Balearic Islands. Andreas DK5ON #54260 was in Mallorca from June 8-17^th using call EA6/DK5ON.

EA8 Canary Islands. Michael DL3FCG #70802 is now operating as EA8/DL3FCG until September 4^th.

EY Tajikistan. Nodir EY8MM #52767 has been active on 6 Meters and FT8 but not on Ten. Good luck.

FO French Polynesia. Ros 4Z5LA #42000, was in Tahiti for an few days in June and is now back in Israel. He used call FO/4Z5LA but no Ten activity. LoTW.

FP St. Pierre & Miquelon Islands. Eric KV1J #31247 was on from June 28^th to July 12^th. Mostly HF plus the IARU HF contest. No special call was given.

HR Honduras. Alex K6VHF #77458 was on Roatan Island from June 27-31^st. All bands CW, SSB and FT8.

KL7 Alaska. Hal W8HC #12502 and Tim NL8F #32796 took a boat trip to the end of the state to Kiska Island in July. Kiska was a World War 2 site where Japan held the island for a time until we took it back in 1943. So the island is littered with rusting war relics. LoTW.

J6 St. Lucia. Bill K9HZ/J68HZ #2618 was back at his summer place with a friend from June 8-24^th. Bill made a Zoom presentation about building his station in St. Lucia to the Texas DX Society.

K USA. Matt K0BBC #76064 operated from Brush Lake State Park in Montana for a few days in June.
    Gene KB7Q #28147 operated mobile in Wyoming from several grids starting on June 16^th.
    Len K1NU #54523 was on Shelter Key, Florida in June using his club callsign K1JV/P only on CW & FT8.

TA Turkey. Berkin TA3J #74303 has been on weekly on Saturday/Sunday’s now until October 31^st from Yassica Island. All bands and modes and FT8. LoTW.

V4 St.Kitts & Nevis. Gary G0FWX #49106, was invited to the V47JA station to use his call V47FWX from August 20-31^st. The radio he used was an FTDX3000 with 400 watts to a vertical on SSB only. LoTW and Club log.

VP8 Falkland Isl. Bob VP8LP #8854 was actively operating from July to August on 10 to 20 Mtr. No LoTW.

ZF Cayman Islands. Jim WB2REM #48365 is on the big island using his ZF2OO callsign until January 2023. He has been on SSB and FT8 in August. LoTW.

Upcoming DX & New 10-10 Activity:

3B8 Mauritius. I have info that Mart 3B8MM/DL6UAA #54230 will operate with a friend in late November in the CQWW CW DX contest. This is rare 10-10 so good luck.

3Y Bouvet Island. A big DXpedition to Bouvet is planned for November to activate the #2 most wanted country. A shipping container is leaving Norway this week. The only member going is Bill KO7SS #8631. In 1990, this island was a first time country for 10-10. This DXpedition will be an expensive trip, so when the dates get published, take note and be ready. This is quite rare for 10-10, so good luck.

CY0 Sable Island. The big DXpedition to Sable Island has been rescheduled to March 20-29, 2023. Website: www.CY0S.com. There will be two members on this trip: Bob K4UEE #75256 and Dan W4DKS #5395. Sable island is now a remote weather station for Canada and does not keep anyone on the island for WX station keeping. The ham operators are going to be able to rent Sable facilities where they can stay and operate but the cost is high! The only permanent residents on Sable are the 500 horses and seals that have to be protected from visitors. Travel to Sable is only by permission, and by an airplane landing on the beach or helicopter. Four air trips will be used to fly ham stuff to the island and four to go back home.

FJ St. Barthelemy. Phil K2LIO #7746 is going back to St.Bart in mid October to use his new call FJ4WEB. His new radio is an IC-7300 with a better antenna. This is a rare 10-10 location as Phil maybe the first member on St. Bart to stay on the island for long periods. The last St. Bart in my log is dated in February 2015 by Ray FJ/W2RE #49307.

FO Fr.Polynesia. Vincent K6VVK #77926, will be in Fr. Polynesia from September 27 to October 5^th.

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, 2023 trip to the island. All bands and modes and digital FT8. LoTW.

J6 St. Lucia Island. Dan W0CN #27026, is planning to be on St. Lucia in late October using call J68CN and J68HZ in the CQ WW DX contest.

JW Svalbard. Hal W8HC #12502 and friends will be operating JW0A (club station) from Svalbard from September 19-26^th using three stations CW, SSB and FT8.

PJ7 Sint Maarten. Ed N2HX #25435 will be back on the island from October 22 to December 9^th. SSB, CW & FT8.

VP2M Montserrat. Thaire W2APF #50022 will be using call VP2MDX from January 2^nd to March 31^st 2023.

VP5 Turks & Caicos Isl. Ron N4KE #5645 and a friend will operate call VP5DX from October 20^th to November 2^nd. They will run 100 watts to verticals on SSB, CW and FT8.

TF Iceland. Steve K4EU #11123 and two friends, will be in Iceland from September 6-20^th mostly CW.

TX Austral Islands. Haru JA1XGI #55571 will be on the island on November 2-9^th, all bands modes and digital.

Z6 Kosovo. Rene DL2JRM #69623 will be back in Kosovo again on September 9-12^th using call Z68XX. His 100 watts to a vertical may be tough to hear so good luck.

Miscellaneous Items & Notes:

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/

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

Propagation: I expect the solar flux to range from 92-135 during the Fall, with a slow rise of flux. The 2022 Fall Equinox is Thursday September 22^nd, fall starts for us in the northern hemisphere and the Sun is back at the equator, giving us equal day times and nights and in the southern hemisphere, Spring starts. Cycle 25 started on November 17, 2019 and the Sun is giving us a rising solar flux. NOAA predicted a flux of 130 for the winter of 2024 but we have seen a flux of 180. Sunspots are counted by looking at the Sun but solar flux is by radio at 2.8 GHz.

The 2022 monthly maximum solar flux: January was 130, February 130, March 151, April 166, May 180, June 149, July 176 and August 128. Average 151.

The 2022 monthly minimum solar flux: January was 84, February 93, March 94, April 96, May 98, June 96, July 91 and August 95 . Average 93.

On September 1^st, the solar flux was 126, the A index was 12 and K index was 3. There have been many sunspots on the Sun the past 6 months with increased solar flux up 15-25+ points. The USAF solar flux forecast for September 1^st to October 15^th is from a high of 130 to a low of 98 with average flux at 114.

My Prediction: Over the next three months, the best conditions on Ten could be: Sept 10-13^th; Oct 6-12^th ; Nov 4-10^th; and Dec 1-7^th. For the USA, expect a 40% chance of DX to Europe/Asia and 75% to S. America or Pacific. Use the beacons 28.175-28.300 MHZ to find if the band is open.

Three new DX member joined in June to August 2022. June: none; July: DL0XN #77991, DK0HMA #77992; and August: VA3WEB #78005. The highest 10-10 issued was to Matt KB5UTS #78018.

Thanks to the Daily DX by Bernie W3UR #25731 and the ARRL DX Bulletins. This DX News edition is my number 128^th of DXing reports for the past 32 years. DX Info 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 © 2022 by N5MT

In June 2022, at the direction of the Board of Directors, the Online member lookup has been removed due to security and privacy concerns.   As a result, Ten-Ten International has created a new stand-alone Member Lookup Utility that can be installed on your personal computer.

This utility is available for Windows Machines using Windows 8 or better. It will not function correctly on Windows 7 or prior.  It should run under the WINE emulator for Linux and Mac devices.

At the present time, due to the same security and privacy concerns with the online lookup, there are no plans to create Applications that will run on IOS or Android for phones and tablets.

This utility is for paid up members only.  If your dues are not current, the utility will cease to function with the exception of the Data Update and the Win1010 Export..

Click here to download the current Windows version (2.5.5.5).  If you are upgrading from a previous version,  Make sure you update the database.

Beginning with version 2.1.4, there is an option in the file menu to create a new 1010.txt file for your Win1010 software.

After you install this program and run it the first time, you will be asked to input your 10-10 number.  If you bypass this step, or enter an incorrect number, the utility may error out.  After you enter the 10-10 number, it will then download the initial data file.  If there is an error downloading the file, this is probably an indication that you need to add an exception into your AV and/or firewall to allow the program to access the internet.  Once you have done that, rerun the program and click past the error message and then click on the data update from the file menu.

Linux and Mac Users:

This utility has been checkout and  runs just fine using the WINE emulator for both Linux and Mac.  Before installing the program, make sure that you have WINE configure correctly and the WINPFX is setup to default to a Windows OS of 8 or better.  Then use the WINE installer to install the program.

 

Updated February 18, 2026 

 

Data Privacy Update

 

During the 2022 annual Board of Directors meeting, the decision of the board was to remove the online lookup utility from the website due to ongoing security issues.  Allow me to explain in further detail what precipitated this action.

To start this discussion, we have to go back to April 2016 when the European Union (EU) published the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).  Full implementation of this regulation was slated for spring of 2018. So, the first question is, “…why do we in the United States care about the activities of a bunch of unelected Bureaucrats in Brussels?”  THE GDPR is written such that if you or your organization maintains personal data on any citizen of the European Union, despite where they may reside, then you and/or your organization is subject to the full complement of the GDPR.  This has been upheld through the World Court and back to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).  It was this action by our DOJ that caught every business in the United States off guard in early 2018 and created internal frenzies among company legal departments to bring their organizations into compliance prior to the implementation deadline.

The GDPR is written such that failure to comply, or any data breach that falls under the guidelines of the regulation is grounds for extremely severe fines. Since its implementation, the EU has levied millions of dollars in fines on a number of US companies, Microsoft and Google being the top recipients of monetary action by the EU.  As a result, companies in the US have had to add a slew of attorneys to interact with their organizations to create additional procedures the companies must follow to operating in an electronic environment and to keep the EU happy.  And a note from our attorney—we are not certain if the corporation would be required to submit to a foreign jurisdiction—meaning the courts of a country in the EU_-since our organization “does business” all over the word.  In other words, our CA corporation could perhaps lawfully be hauled into court in Europe and fined.

In 2018 the state of California implemented the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) which pretty much mirrors the GDPR, and it was fully implement in 2020.  Other States are beginning to implement their own variations of the GDPR.  As our corporation is domiciled in CA, any violation of the GDPR—or the CA equivalent—would certainly subject  us to a suit in CA.  In other words, if we violate the GDPR, we likely also violate CA law, and we are subject to fines whether in a CA court or a court of an EU country.

Ten-Ten International is a small, non-profit organization, licensed to do business in the state of California.  We are not equipped with personnel or funding to fully comply with the requirements of the GDPR and now the CCPA.  Our master membership database, which contains privacy information is maintained in a secure database that does exceed the requirements of the GDPR and CCPA.  However, it is the online interfaces that provide access to that database, such as the online lookup, that is the problem.  In early 2020 we modified that interface to remove personal information.  But we live in a society where bad actors spend every waking minute of their sorry, underworld existence looking for ways to breach an organization’s website and servers in order to steal personal data.  No matter how much in the way of security measures we apply to our servers and website, these actors are always two to three steps ahead.

Therefore, based on all of this, I made the recommendation to the BOD that we remove the online lookup all together.  Ten-Ten International is in the process of producing a secure, stand-alone utility for current members to perform the same lookup task that was provided on line.  This utility should be available for members before the middle of July 2022.

Since this decision by the BOD, there have been outlandish and unjustified attacks directed at the BOD by justifiably upset members who were, until now, simply ignorant of the compelling reasons for this action. The BOD was acting on my recommendation which is based on my professional working knowledge of the GDPR and CCPA.  I have seen firsthand the amount of time, effort and money that my company alone has spent to bring it line with the requirements of these regulations.  Ten-Ten just does not have the resources to do all of this.  If you still feel the need to throw shade and firebombs at someone, then direct them to me, but in a professional capacity!!

Jeff K. Steinkamp, N7YG, #65084

IT Manager, Ten-Ten International.

TenX DX News   June 1, 2022

Mike Davidson N5MT #24949  Download Article in PDF

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

For two quarters in a row, I am sorry to inform readers that one of our 10-10 friends has died.    Jim D Hardy K4HAV #17605, died at age 83 in Tifton, Georgia on May 17, 2022.   

Jim wrote the complicated Win1010 software that I and many members use to collect 10-10 QSO data.    Jim had a Physics BS degree, went into the Army and had a fellowship to Penn State Univ where he earned his Masters degrees in EE and    Physics in 1964.    Jim got his ham license in high school and he joined 10-10 in October 1977.    Jim got the urge to write software for 10-10 in 1990 when no existing logging program supported our QSO parties.    The Summer 1990 QSO Party was Jim’s first use of this new DOS program.    At the 1991 10-10 Convention in Arlington TX, the County Hunter award was announced and Jim had his new CH program to log the data for this award finished.    By 1998 the DOS programs became Windows.    Jim moved to Tifton in 1992 where he married his lifelong friend Linda.    Jim wrote his ham and commercial software for AM/FM radio stations under the name of Hardy Data Systems.

I was a Beta tester for his ham software for the DOS and OS versions and he also wrote a DOS program for the 10-10 Countries award that I have used for over 20+ years.    I also know that his K4HAV callsign owned several Field Day records with his local ham club in Georgia.    My first radio contact with Jim was on SSB during the February 1991 Winter QSO party.    We first met at a big 10-10 convention but it took dozens of phone calls and emails talking about software bugs and DX software challenges for the 10-10 Countries award to make things work and become better.

Thanks to Jim for all the technical skills and information that has helped with our awards and paper chasing over many years for all our members.    RIP my friend.

We now have nine new 10-10 members from Hawaii joined    the past year.    Better skip/propagation on Ten means more DX talking.    New DX members are listed towards the end, so read on for more DX news.

DX members are having more fun with the rise in the Solar Flux numbers due to the increase in sunspot activity!    We reached a new high for cycle 25 during May with a record 180 flux reading and about 50 sunspots identified.    On FT8, I saw S. America working Europe and Asia on Ten and we in Louisiana had no opening to Asia that day.    Steve HP9SAM #75838 in Panama, continues to try to show up on Saturday mornings on 28450 MHz.    I have worked Xenia ZL4YL #77957 two times on digital the past quarter as her antenna farm is well designed for Ten.   

A paid up 10-10 member, can apply for all 10-10 awards by using the website to get the needed forms.    No QSL 

cards are required for our awards, unlike the ARRL system.

As the Countries Award Manager, I follow most all of the ARRL DXCC rules.    We require that you exchange your Callsign, Name, State and 10-10 number over the air, only on Ten, and you need to use a logging program to save your data or the old paper log book.    Then when you are ready to fill out the award application, move your 10-10 info from the logging program to your award form. The honor system does apply for all contacts on 10-10 awards.    I keep many DX records for award validation with my job.    As of June 2022, there remain 22 countries that have not been worked for 10-10 country credit as published in the 2021 March News.    There are 645 members that have the basic 10-10 Countries Award for 25 countries, but only 52 members that have credit for 100 countries, which is the total needed for the ARRL DXCC.    The present record is 302 countries worked and the next highest count is 208 countries worked by a German SK member.

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

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

 

General 10-10 DX reported in the past quarter:

3B Rodriguez Isl.    Robert 3B9FR #61550, has been on FT8 and CW in May on Ten and 6 Meters.    I believe he has a new cubical quad antenna that he uses on Ten and 6.    His Rodriguez QTH is 10,675 miles from my station in LA.

4U United Nations.    There was activity from the ham radio station 4U1UN #55555, in the New York UN building, this past quarter.    The remote HF station was used and the Ten meter beacon was heard here in LA.   

4U ITU UN Switzerland.    4U1ITU #11111.    After a two year Covid closure of the ITU building, it is open again until renovations start on June 3, 2022. Ham radio was active for a few weeks at the end of May until June 3^rd.

FO French Polynesia.    Ros 4Z5LA #42000, is now in Tahiti for an unknown time period.    He was in Israel until May 20^th and May 27 started FO/4Z5LA on 15 Mtr.    No info given, use DXSummit.FI for DX search.    LoTW.

HP Panama.    Steve HP9SAM #75838, continues to operate on Saturday mornings, as he visits with the Pelican net on 28450 MHZ at 1510 UTC.     

      Jose HP2AT #42071, has not been using a special callsign HP32AT as previously reported.    LoTW.

      Emilio HP2NG #62294 had a callsign change from HP2DFU and our 10-10 database has been updated.

HS Thailand.    Fred K3ZO/HS0ZAR #8859, reported many new HS hams passed their HF written and CW test recently.    No active 10-10 member is in Thailand now but I see a lot of HS0 callsigns are now active on various bands.

J6 St. Lucia.    Kyle WA4PGM #50763 and Dan W0CN #27026, visited with Bill K9HZ/J68HZ #2618 from March 1-7^th.      Be sure you worked the correct 10-10 number.    Bill made a good Zoom presentation about building his station in St. Lucia to the Texas DX Society on May 26^th.

OH0 Aland Islands.    Hans DK8RE #75943 and friends, used callsign OH0EG from April 26-29^th.

P4 Aruba.    John W2GD #14109 operated as P44W from his station in Santa Cruz May 24-31^st.      When not in a contest, he likes CW and the WARC bands.    LoTW.

      Tony N2TK #22425, was on Aruba from March 2-8^th.    His call was P40F and only uses LoTW.   

PJ2 Curacao.    Andreas PJ2/DK5ON #54260, was on from March 1-17^th all bands, FT8 and SSB.

PJ5 St. Eustatius.    Frank PJ5/K3TRM #69974, was on the island from March 6-10^th.    He operated SSB, RTTY, and FT8 on 40-10 Mtr.    LoTW.    Note: Frank and his father had the same callsign but different 10-10 numbers.

V3 Belize.    Chuck WO9K #54906, was in Belize using call V31WO from May 5^th until May 14^th.    Chuck was on FT8 mostly with only 3 watts.

VP2M Montserrat.    Just found out, that Thaire W2APF #50022 was using call VP2MDX in Montserrat from    January thru February 2022 and will be returning again using the same call, in 2023 from January 2^nd to March 31^st.

   

VP6 Pitcairn Island. Miralda VP6MW #50434, has been on the radio on Ten & 15 Mtr in April and May.    Good luck.

VP8 Falkland Isl.    Bob VP8LP #8854 operated in May on FT4, FT8 & SSB on Ten and 12 Mtr in May.    Bob is the only 10-10 member on the Falkland Isl.    NO LoTW!

Z6 Kosovo.    Rene DL2JRM #69623 and a friend were in Gjilan from May 23-30^th.    Rene’s call was Z68QQ except for the CQ WW WPX contest it was Z66BCC on CW.

ZF Cayman Islands.    Jim WB2REM #48365 is on the big island using his ZF2OO callsign until January 2023.    LoTW.    I heard him on Ten the last week of May on FT8.

Upcoming DX & New 10-10 Activity:

3Y Bouvet Island.    A big DXpedition to Bouvet will be attempted in November for the #2 most wanted country.    The only member that might be going is Bill KO7SS #8631.    In 1990, this was a first time country for all 10-10 members.    This DXpedition will be an expensive trip so when the dates get published, take note and be ready!

ET Ethiopia.    Ken K4ZW #18573 will be back at the ET3AA station in mid June and will have a new 6 meter antenna for the station.    The ET3AA station is not a 10-10 member so you will have to find Ken as the operator on Ten.

K USA.    Len K1NU #54523 will be on Shelter Key, Florida from June 11-18^th using his club callsign K1JV/4.    Mostly CW and FT8 on 10 to 20 Mtrs.    LoTW.

VY Canada/Yukon.    Jay VY1JA #18433 has made repairs to his station outside of Whitehorse Yukon Territory.    I did not find any remarks if he or friends will be using his call or a special VY1AAA in 2022 for the Queen’s Jubilee event.

 

Miscellaneous Items & Notes:

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 .

History of ARRL DXCC program:

http://ebarc.org/pdf/dx-entity-history.pdf .

NEW-> Ham Lookup various ways:

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

NEW-> Ham website for LoTW users: http://www.hb9bza.net/lotw-users-list .

Propagation:      I expect the solar flux to range from 100-175 during the Summer, which means the flux continues to rise as we are seeing more sun spots in cycle 25.

The 2022 Summer Solstice is on Tuesday June 21^st, summer starts in the northern hemisphere and the Sun is 23.5 degrees north of the equator, giving the US its longest day times and shortest night.    In the southern hemisphere, winter    starts on this day.    Cycle 25 started on November 17, 2019.    A steady active Sun is now giving us a moderate rising solar flux.    NOAA predicted a flux maximum of 125-130 for the winter of 2024 but we have already seen higher flux levels last month.    Sunspots are counted by looking at the Sun but solar flux is measured by radio at 2.8 GHz.

The 2021-2022 monthly maximum solar flux was:   

Jan 79, Feb 79, March 79, April 85, May 81, June 94, July 95, Aug 90, Sept 102, October 112, November 100, December 131, January 2022 was 130, February 130, March 151, April 166 and May 180.    Average 111.

The 2021-2022 monthly minimum solar flux was:

Jan 70, Feb 67, March 72, April 71, May 70, June 69, July 73, Aug 71, Sept 75, October 76, November 78, December 76, January 2022 was 84, February 93, March 94, April 96 and May 98.    Average 78.   

On June 1^st, the solar flux was 98, the A index was 9 and K index was 1.     There have been good sunspot regions on the Sun the past 3 months with increased solar flux up 20-40+ points.    The USAF solar flux forecast for June 1^st to July 15^th is from a high of 175 to 

a low of 98 with days at a 140 average flux.    This means you might see a solar flux of 100-110 for the 2022 Field Day.    Good Luck at Field Day.

My Prediction:    Over the next three months, the best conditions on Ten could be: June 13-19^th; July 10-15th; August 6-10^th; and Sept 2-8^th.    For the USA, expect a 65% chance of DX to Europe or Asia with a 85% chance of DX to South America or the Pacific.    Listen to the beacons 28.175-28.300 MHz to find if the band is open.

There was only one new 10-10 DX member joining from March to May 2022.    March: none;    April: none;    and May: KH6HAK Henry #77973.

Thanks to the Daily DX by Bernie W3UR    #25731 and the ARRL DX Bulletins.    This DX News edition is my number 127^th of DXing reports.    DX Info 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 © 2022 by N5MT

 

TenX DX News      March 1, 2022

Mike Davidson N5MT, #24949    Download Article in PDF

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

I am sorry to inform readers that one of our DX members has died.  Paul Herbet F2YT #22871, gave out his 10-10 from many countries.  Paul was a member of the A-1 Op Club and operated all modes and bands.  I looked at my computer log to check for QSOs and found 15 entries for Paul.  His last QSO was on 15 Mtr on Sept 24, 2021. 

Another local member has passed, Jeff Hawkins WA5RRT #28434.  Jeff was the net control for the La Pelican net on Saturday morning at 10:10 am local time for many years. 

I will probably get promoted as net control since I subbed for him when he was out sick.  RIP my friends.

We now have eight new 10-10 members from Hawaii joined  the past nine months.  This indicates we are having more propagation on Ten to talk with DX.  New DX members are listed farther down, so read on for more DX information.

Well I’ll try to give you some 10-10 history about Russia and Ukraine members that have been on Ten.  My first QSO was Vic UA0FCK #28646 in 1981 from Asia Russia.  Next was Tom RA6AR #25950 in 1988 and I met Tom at a 10-10 convention in 1989.  Tom works at the Sochi Airport on the Black Sea coast of Russia.  I have a total of five Russian members in my log. My last QSO was Vic UA9OS #55518 in 2002, and no others the past 20 years.  My first Ukraine member was Vic RB7GG #42055 in 1988, his call now is UR5MPA.  I have worked a total of five members in Ukraine, my last was also in 2002.  It takes good propagation to make the 6500 mile path and nine time zones for our radio signals to get into Russia and talk to these DX members!

I continue to see DX members traveling to give out DX.  During the Winter QSO Party the first week of February, I was able to talk with 82 stations, 29 members but only 2 DX members.  Steve HP9SAM #75838 in Panama and Cliff ZL4AS #23481 in New Zealand.  I did help Xenia ZL4YL get her new 10-10 number #77957 from New Zealand.  Her family now has three 10-10 members, father Holger ZL3IO #22401, and mother Birgit ZL3IQ #62276.   

OK the good ham propagation news is better. We are having increased sun spots appearing on the Sun surface. This makes the solar flux go higher which is helping cycle 25 give us better skip conditions on Ten into Europe and the South Pacific.  I have talked into Europe several times this winter on Ten. The east coast of the USA and South America have been talking into Europe a bunch the past three months.

The 15-17-20-30 meter bands continue to be the best DX bands this past winter, so use these bands for DX, when Ten is not open.  Stay on the radio and call CQ to see where you can talk.  When propagation is poor on Ten, I start the FT8 software where I will find weak stations to work when you think the band is closed.  Here in Louisiana, FT8 QSO’s beat out the SSB signals when propagation was poor on Ten. 

I see a small increase in people traveling in the future as the Covid infections are allowing more travel.  I do not expect to see a new 10-10 country show up on Ten this year but a big DXpedition in 2023 might be coming.  Until we get better propagation in cycle 25, the rare DX locations will not get visited by an organized DXpedition.  Accordingly, ops are staying home and the amount of DX news is still reduced.  Please keep turning on you HF radio to find DX that may be calling CQ on a band besides Ten. 

Remember, as a paid up 10-10 member, you can apply for a 10-10 award by using the website to get forms for all awards at no cost.  No QSL cards are required for our awards unlike the ARRL where you can sign up for the LoTW system of QSL matching or paper QSL checking.

As the 10-10 Countries Award Manager, I follow most all of the ARRL DXCC award rules.  We do require for you to have exchanged your Callsign, Name, State and 10-10 number over the air, only on Ten, and record all of that info on your award application.  The honor system does apply for all contacts on 10-10 awards.  I keep the 10-10 DX records with my job as the Countries Award manager.  As of March 2022, there remains 22 countries that have not been worked for 10-10 country credit as published in last years March News.

There are now 645 members that have the basic 10-10 Countries Award certificate for 25 countries, only 52 members that have an award for 100 Countries, which is the equivalent to the ARRL DXCC award.  The present record of the most countries worked by a member is  302, the next high is by a silent key member with 208 countries.

Countries Award:  There were no Countries Award application submitted this past quarter.  One lost certificate was replaced for a member.

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

______________________________________________

General 10-10 DX reported in the past quarter:

4U United Nations.  The ham radio station 4U1UN #55555, in the New York UN building, has a remote HF station setup and where the Ten meter beacon is located.  I have copied the beacon a few times the past three months. Check DXSummit for QSO reports and wait for an opening. 

F France.  Gerard F2JD #63443, was not on from HR  Honduras as planned but was home in France from December 2021 to March 2022 on HF.  LoTW.

HP Panama.  Steve HP9SAM #75838, continues to operate on Ten on Saturday mornings.  We talked several times this past winter, as he tries to be on the LA Pelican net on 28450 MHZ at 1610 UTC. 

HR Honduras.  John AD8J #16120, was on Guanaja Island in Honduras for several weeks in February.  He used wire antennas from 10-80 meters on CW, SSB and FT8.  John prefers LoTW and will upload logs ASAP.  No eQSL.

His call was HR9/AD8J from February 12-26^th.

HS Thailand.  Fred K3ZO/HS0ZAR #8859, reported many new HS hams passed their HF written and CW test in February.  No active 10-10 member is in Thailand now.

LX Luxembourg.  Andy LX1DA #50458, was using the callsign LX40DA on FT8 until  December 31^st.

P4 Aruba. John W2GD #14109 was operating as P44W from February 14^th to 22^nd.   When not in a contest, he operates on the WARC bands. LoTW.

PJ2 Curacao. Mike W1USN #51238 was on Curacao from February 2-12^th using call PJ2/W1USN. He operated 100 watts with his FT-891 to a dipole. LoTW.

PJ7 St. Maarten. Jeff PJ7/VA3QSL #73406, was on the island from February 21-23^rd.   No reports of activity.

  

V4 St. Kitts and Nevis. Chuck KG9N #17038, was on St. Kitts using call V4/KG9N from February 8^th until March 1^st. Chuck is using a Icom 7300 at a rental home with antennas.

VP2M Montserrat. Thaire W2APF #50022, was using call VP2MDX in February until the 18^th on CW and SSB.

VP6 Pitcairn Island. Miralda VP6MW #50434, has been on the radio with huge pileups in February. Good luck.

VP8 Falkland Isl. Bob VP8LP #8854 and friends in the Falklands ARC, operated from January 14-16^th on SSB and Digi FT8. Bob is the only 10-10 member on the Falklands.

ZF Cayman Islands. Jim WB2REM/ZF2OO #48365, has been operating remotely in February around 1530 UTC.

Upcoming DX & New 10-10 Activity:

3Y Bouvet Island. A DXpedition to Bouvet will be attempted in November for the #2 most wanted country. The only op that might be going is Bill KO7SS #8631.

In 1990, this was a first time country for a 10-10 member.

HP Panama. Jose HP2AT #42071, will be using callsign H32AT for his 32 years in ham radio all of 2022. LoTW.

J6 St. Lucia. Kyle WA4PGM #50763 and Dan W0CN #27026, will visit with Bill K9HZ/J68HZ #2618 starting March 1-7^th.   Be sure to work the correct 10-10 number.

OA Peru. Father Ed OA4SS #10802 is a 83 year old Jesuit priest who has worked in Peru for the past 50 years. Several people donated a set of new 3-500 tubs for his amp recently, so watch for him on Ten.

OH0 Aland Islands. Hans DK8RE #75943 and friends, will be using callsign OH0EG from April 1-9^th and 22-29^th.

P4 Aruba. Tony N2TK #22425, will be on Aruba from March 2-9^th. His call will be P40F and only use LoTW.

PJ2 Curacao. Andreas PJ2/DK5ON #54260, will be on from March 1-16^th all bands and modes.

PJ5 St. Eustatius. Frank PJ5/K3TRM #69974, will be on the island from March 6-12^th. He will operate SSB, RTTY, and FT8 on 40-10 Mtr. LoTW. Note: Frank and his father had the same callsign but different 10-10 numbers.

ZF Cayman Islands. Jim WB2REM #48365 will be on the island as ZF2OO until January 2023 on FT8, CW and SSB. LoTW.

Miscellaneous Items & Notes:

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 .

History of ARRL DXCC program:

http://ebarc.org/pdf/dx-entity-history.pdf .

NEW-> Ham Lookup various ways:

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

NEW-> Ham website for LoTW users: http://www.hb9bza.net/lotw-users-list .

Propagation:   I expect the solar flux to range from 94-119 during the Spring which means the flux continues to rise as we get more spots on the sun for cycle 25.  

The 2022 Spring Equinox is on Sunday March 20^th. Spring starts in the northern hemisphere and the Sun is above the equator giving the US its night/day times equal time. In the southern hemisphere, fall starts on this day. Cycle 25, started on November 17, 2019. The Sun was really active in December 2020 but now has started a slow rising flux. A solar flux maximum of 125 has been forecast by NOAA for the winter of 2024. Sunspots are counted by looking at the Sun but Solar flux is measured by radio at 2.8 GHz.

The 2021-2022 monthly maximum flux was: Jan 79, Feb 79, March 79, April 85, May 81, June 94, July 95, Aug 90, Sept 102, October 112, November 100, December 131, January 2022 was 130, February 130. Average 99.0.

The 2021-2022 monthly minimum flux was: Jan 70, Feb 67, March 72, April 71, May 70, June 69, July 73, Aug 71, Sept 75, October 76, November 78, December 76, January 2022 was 84, February 93. Average 74.6.

On March 1^st, the solar flux was 99, the A index was 8 and K index was 2.  There have been good sunspot regions on the Sun the past few months with increased solar flux up 9 points average. The USAF solar flux forecast for March 1^st to April 15^th is from a high of 105 to a low of 95 with most days ranging from 98 to 102.

My Prediction: Over the next three months, the best conditions on Ten could be: March 3-5^th, 28-30^th; April 23-27th; May 21-24^th; and June 16-20^th. For the USA, expect a 50% chance of DX to Europe or Asia with a 85% chance of DX to South America or into the Pacific. Listen for the CW beacons from 28.175-28.300 to see if Ten is open.

 

There were three new 10-10 DX members joining from December 2021 to February 2022. December: WH6GOG #77928; January 2022: none; and February: VE7RVZ #77949, ZL4YL #77957.

Thanks to the Daily DX by Bernie W3UR #25731 and the ARRL DX Bulletins. This DX News edition is my number 126^th of DXing reports. DX Info 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 © 2022 by N5MT

 

TenX DX News      December 1, 2021

Mike Davidson N5MT #24949    Download Article in PDF.

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

I want all to know we have seven new 10-10 members from Hawaii join the past six months.    New DX members get listed at the bottom of this news, so read on for more info.

Well I see several Europeans hams are traveling for DX.    I just missed 3A3A from Monaco, the call was used by five ops who were in the CQWW SSB contest at the end of October.    The 10-10 member that was in the group was Dmitri UA9USU #54234.    Dmitri reports on QRZ.com that he has been to 119 countries and you can see a list of his call signs under his UA9USU callsign details.    Dmitri might operate from the south pacific ocean area in Nov/December.    There is only one 10-10 member living in Monaco, he is Claude 3A2LF #36994 who likes to operate low power. We have made several QSOs on the radio, just not on Ten.    Claude likes CW over SSB and the large mountain west of his station hampers his weak signal, so good luck in talking to Claude in Monaco.

I survived hurricane Ida with one tree blown down and no    damage to the house or antennas.    We were without power for 70 hours but I had a generator that kept my food cold during the power outage.    I cut up the tree and stacked the limbs out at the street for pickup so the yard is now clean.   

Ida was a Cat 4 storm when it went through my hometown in Terrebonne parish which is 70 miles from where I now live.    Ida slowed down its path and reduced its winds to a Cat 1 storm when it reached the Baton Rouge area.    The hurricane eye came about 20 miles east of my house and we had a big gust of wind, estimated at 80 mph, bring down trees. The higher winds for this hurricane were much worse this year, as compared to weaker storms last year!    Ida’s winds easily brought down trees, and damaged roofs and power lines.    I read that an estimated million trees were blown down by Ida.    New Orleans lost all power when their main power line feed going across the Mississippi river came down and it took ten days to hook up a temporary replacement.    Ida was not a flooding hurricane like 2005 Katrina but the damage was bad.   

OK now for better ham propagation news.

We are seeing increased sun spots appearing on the Sun.      This is increasing the solar flux that is available and the new flux has helped cycle 25 to give us better skip conditions on Ten.    The 10-10 Day Sprint is over for my station and I was able to talk into Europe about six times during the Sprint.    I was having trouble with my vertical antenna due to a lightning strike. My backup antenna was a dipole mounted about 12 ft off the ground for most of the Sprint on Oct 10^th.    The east coast of the USA and South America have been talking into Europe the past three months, so good luck.

continue to hope all who are reading this can feel safer from the Covid virus by having been vaccinated.    At the end of November 2021, we are seeing good relief with hospital admissions and critical equipment usage.    We also see people    that avoided vaccination earlier or now waiting in line to get covered and there is now another recently discovered mutation.    Even some of us that were vaccinated have come down with mild cases so its still a problem and no one knows how Covid will react this winter for us and in 2022.   

Remember, its also Flu season so get your Flu shot as well and Covid mutated just like the Flu has, so we probably have not seen the end of Covid mutations.    The Covid virus is not going to be gone until 80-90 percent of us get vaccinated.    Please listen to the medical science instead of the rumors so    get protected and stay safe.

The 15-17-20-30 meter bands were the best DX bands this fall so keep looking for winter DX, when Ten is not open.

Stay on the radio and call CQ to see where you can talk.    When propagation is poor on Ten, use FT8 and you might find stations to work when you think the band is closed.    Here in Louisiana, the FT8 QSO’s were better than SSB and a lot of QSO’s were put in the log.   

I see more reports of an increase in DX traveling this winter season as less travel restrictions have allowed air travel to    increase.    I do not expect a new 10-10 country to show up on Ten for a few years.      Because of the pandemic, weak propagation, and many DX ops staying home, the amount of news reporting is still reduced.    Keep using your station to find DX that may be calling CQ on a band besides Ten.   

Use our 10-10 website for all award rules and if you are a paid up dues member, you qualify for all 10-10 awards, you can print out the 10-10 award form on the website and send it to the 10-10 awards person as listed on the form at no cost.    And no QSL cards are required for all of our awards.

As the 10-10 Countries Award Manager, I follow most all of the ARRL DXCC award rules.    But you must have exchanged your Callsign, Name, State and 10-10 number over the air only on Ten, and record that members information on your award application.    The honor system does apply for all contacts on 10-10 awards.    I keep the 10-10 DX records with my job as the DX Countries Award manager.    As of December 2021, there remains 22 countries that have not been worked for 10-10 country credit as published in the March 10-10 News.

Congratulations to VE3XN Garry #10120, has been inducted into the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame by Radio Canada.    Garry has been a ham for 55 years and was a geography teacher when he got into 

DXing and his love of collecting QSL’s.

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

NOTE: There has been no legitimate EZ Turkmenistan

radio activity since August 2006 for DXCC.    The rumors of 8P Barbados being a new DXCC entity are just rumors.    Nothing has changed in its DXCC status.   

You can download the DX’ers Handbook written by Bryce Anderson K7UA, at website: www.K7UA.com.

 

General 10-10 DX reported in the past quarter:

C9 Mozambique Island.    My friend Elvira IV3FSG #54292, was in Mozambique until November 30^th using SSB and digital with callsign C92R.    No reports.

4U United Nations.    The remote ham radio station 4U1UN #55555, in the New York UN building, has been on the air but only from its radio beacon on 28200 MHZ.    So watch DXSummit for QSO reports and hope for a band opening.   

8Q Maldives.    Tom WV6E #61526 was using call 8Q7JT in November but no reports of Ten meter QSOs.       

DP0 Antarctica.    Felix DL5XL #55519, is in Antarctica at the German Polar Institute station callsign DP0GVN.

EY Tajikistan.    Ken K4ZW #18573, was in Tajikistan for a short visit as EY/K4ZW during early October.

HC8 Galapagos.    Gerard F2JD #63443 and Flo F5CWU #71813, were on Galapagos from October 26^th to November 7^th with a DX group using call HD8R.

   

HP Panama.    Steve HP9SAM #75838, likes to operate on Ten when the band is open on Saturday mornings.    We talked several times in November as he tries to be on the LA Pelican net on 28450 MHZ at 1510 UTC Saturdays.   

HR Honduras.    Dennis W1UE #10948 was on Rotan Island at the end of November using call HQ9X or W1UE/HR9.

J6    St. Lucia.    Bill K9HZ #2618 was back in St. Lucia from October to November 2^nd using call J68HZ on CW, SSB and FT8.

KL7 Alaska.    George KF2T #66749 and James K6ZH #40118 were using call KL7RA during the CQWW CW.

LX Luxembourg.    Andy LX1DA #50458, was using the callsign LX40DA in October on FT8 and will be using the special call until    December 31^st.

P4 Aruba.    John W2GD #14109 was operating as P40W from October 26-31^st.      He was on SSB for the 

CQ WW DX contest but in November for the CW contest, the call was P44W.

YN Nicaragua.    Rob DM4AO #23450, was on the air for CQWW CW on November 27-28^th as YN5AO.

Upcoming DX & New 10-10 Activity:

HR Honduras.    Gerard F2JD #63443, will be on from Copan from December 8^th to April 5, 2022 on CW, SSB and digital modes on HF.    Call HR5/F2JD.    LoTW.

V4 St. Kitts and Nevis.    Charles KG9N #17038, will be using call V4/KG9N on the islands from February 8^th to March 1, 2022.

 

Miscellaneous Items & Notes:

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 .

History of ARRL DXCC program: http://ebarc.org/pdf/dx-entity-history.pdf .

NEW-> Ham Lookup various ways: https://Haminfo.tetranz.com/map .

NEW-> Ham website for LoTW users: http://www.hb9bza.net/lotw-users-list .

Propagation:      I expect the solar flux to range from 78-114 during the Winter which means the flux continues to rise as we get more spots on the sun for cycle 25.    

The 2021 Winter Solstice is on December 21^st.    Winter starts in the northern hemisphere and the Sun is below the equator giving the US its longest night times and shortest day of the year.    In the southern hemisphere, summer starts on this day.    Cycle 25, started on November 17, 2019.    The Sun was really active a year ago in December 2020 but now has quieted down with a slow rising flux.    A solar flux maximum of 125 has been forecast by NOAA for the winter of 2024.    Sunspots are counted by looking at the Sun but Solar flux is measured by radio at 2.8 GHz.

The 2021 monthly maximum flux was:    Jan 79, Feb 79, March 79, April 85, May 81, June 94, July 95, Aug 90, Sept 102, October 112 and November 100.    Average 90.5.

The 2021 monthly minimum flux was:    Jan 70, Feb 67, March 72, April 71, May 70, June 69, July 73, Aug 71, Sept 75, October 76 and November 78.    Average 72.0.

On December 1^st, the solar flux was 89, the A index was 11 and K index was 4.     There were several good sunspot regions on the Sun the past month and this helped increase the solar flux the past months.    The USAF solar flux forecast for December 1^st to January 

15^th is from a high of 94 to a low of 78 with most days ranging from 79 to 85.

My Prediction:    Over the next three months, the best conditions on Ten could be: Christmas – December 25-29^th, January 2022: 19-24^th , February 15-19^th and March 13-16^th.    For the USA, expect a 40% chance of DX to Europe or Asia with a 75% chance of DX to South America or into the    Pacific.    Listen for the CW beacons from 28.175-28.300 to see if Ten Meters is open and always use WSJT-X FT8 for all weak/low propagation QSO’s.

There were four new 10-10 DX members joining from September to November 2021.    September: none;    October: DG3WN 77915, WH6GPG 77919, NH6ET 77920; and November: WH6WAV 77927.

Thanks to the Daily DX by Bernie W3UR    #25731 and the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletins.    This DX News edition is my number 125^th of DXing reports.    DX Info 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 © 2021 by N5MT