Islands, Castles & Portable Ops 12/21/2007 Bulletin

I.C.P.O. (Islands, Castles & Portable Operations) UPDATE -
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28/12/2007: MJ/F5CWU (Flo), MJ/F4EGD (Sylvain), MJ/F5MOO (Terry) and GJ4FDM (Tom, GM4FDM) are heading to the isle of Jersey (EU-013, WLOTA L0818) for the New Year! Those needing GJ should check mostly on the low bands, 12, 17 and 30 metres as well as RTTY. They will begin on December 28th and continue through January 6th. Plans are to have three stations for HF and one for VHF (2 metres). They have a Web site at http://jersey2008.f5cwu.net, which will have on-line logs. QSL via their home calls either direct or via the bureau. [F5NQL]

Amsterdam Island -
The logbooks for the previous FB8ZP, in Amsterdam Island by Michel F6DWQ, during the year 1983, are now available online on the Clipperton DX pages at:
http://www.cdxc.org/dxp/1983-FB8ZP/searchlog_fb8zp.php [F5NQL]

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73 and Good DX!
Dave Raycroft - VA3RJ
Home of ICPO: http://webhome.idirect.com/~va3rj/
Contest Calendar, DX Calendar, Lighthouse Activations, 7000+ online logs and much more.

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Islands, Castles & Portable Operations Dec 20-28, 2007

Islands, Castles & Portable Operations. Listing is by calendar date (day/month/year). Note: Listings with announced digital operations are in italics.


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18/12/2007: On Friday December 14, 2007 the island of Saint Barthelemy was added to the "Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty" public list. Martti Laine, OH2BH and Olli Rissanen, OH0XX/HP1WW begin activity December 18th around 1200 noon local (1600z) as FJ/OH2AM from St. Barthelemy (NA-146, WLOTA L-0377). They will have two stations, using an FT-1000MP and FT2000MP along with Fin Fet amplifier. Initial operations will begin on 20 metre SSB and 17 metre CW. The goal of this operation will be to give as many DXers as possible a new country. Additional bands may be added as the DXpedition goes forward. Concentration will be to have one station on CW and one on SSB. They will remain active until December 27th. QSL cards for this operation should go via OH2BN. Further information to follow. *Approved by the ARRL DX Desk - FJ is a new country starting with December 14, 2007, contacts.* [K2FF]

20/12/2007: Newly licensed operator Petrus, ZS6GCM is currently on Bouvet Island (AN-002, WAP NOR-02) as 3Y0E, until February 14, 2008. He is part of a five man Norwegian led research team. Petrus is the medical officer of the team and will also be involved with the research. An Icom IC-735 and Hustler 4-BTV vertical antenna have been made available by the NCDXF, OKDXA and Bernie, ZS4TX. QSL sponsor and manager is Emil, LZ3HI (Emil Stoikov, P.O. Box 8, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria). The official 3Y0E operation webpage address is http://3y0e.wordpress.com/ and includes all information plus an on-line log. [hamspirit.wordpress]

20/12/2007: Pat, W8FV, will be returning to Mwanza, Tanzania, possibly December 20th and is expected to be active as 5H9PD until he returns stateside January 12th. Activity will be mostly on CW on 40-10 metres depending on propagation. He is going to try 80 metres but with only just 100 watts, and he doesn't know how successful he will be. He will also be active on PSK-31. QSL via his home call sign. [OPDX]

22/12/2007: Luis, CT3EE will activate CT9EPC, a special call sign for the EPC (European PSK Club) members on Madeira Island (AF-014, DIP MA-001, WLOTA L-0053), between December 22-28th. Activity will be mainly on 40/20 metres because of propagation. The call sign CT9EPC is used only on the digital modes, and the main objective is to have more activity on these modes. QSL direct to CT3EE (see QRZ.com) and not to the bureau (he is not a member of the Portuguese National QSL bureau). [OPDX]

22/12/2007: The Club Station of the Texas Lighthouse Radio Society, W5TLH will activate several lighthouses along the Texas Gulf Coast between December 22-29th for the "Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party". Lighthouses include: Texas Maritime Museum (ARLHS USA-1247), Corpus Christi (ARLHS USA-1137), Lydia Ann Channel (ARLHS USA-018, IOTA NA-092, USi TX-001S), Port Isabel (ARLHS USA-649, USi TX-038S), Brazos Santiago [New] (ARLHS USA-080), Brazos Santiago [Old] (ARLHS USA-081, IOTA NA-092, USi TX-007S) and Brazos Santiago Depot (ARLHS USA-1393). Primary SSB operating frequencies will be centered near 14.260 and 7.260 MHz. QSL direct with SASE to W5TLH, c/o Jim Martin, 637 Newberry Dr., Richardson, TX 75080-5622. For a QSL card use a #10 business size return envelope SASE). For a QSL card and an unfolded certificate send a 9" x 12" return envelope (SASE). Further information can be found at: http://www.w5azn.com/ [ARLHS]

23/12/2007: Horst, DJ6OV will show up as 9H3HW during his holidays in Malta (EU-023, MIA MM-001, WLOTA L-1113) from December 23, 2007 to January 5, 2008. QSL via DARC bureau or direct to DJ6OZ. [DX Newsletter]

25/12/2007: Frank, I2DMI, and his wife Giovanna are planning a trip to the Palau Islands (OC-009) between December 26th and January 1st (2008). He will be active, holiday style, as T88RY on the HF and WARC bands but only on RTTY. Further info will be available on QRZ.com (under T88RY). QSL via I2DMI: P.O.Box 55, 22063 Cantu', Italy. [OPDX]

26/12/2007: Michael, G7VJR will be active as CU2/G7VJR from Ilha de São Miguel (AZ-002 for the Portuguese Islands Award, WLOTA L-2016), Azores (EU-003), from December 26th to January 3rd. He plans to operate CW only on a range of HF bands including 160 metres, with a small linear and verticals. QSL via G7VJR. Logs will be uploaded to LoTW shortly after the operation. [425 DX News]

26/12/2007: A Peru IOTA DXpedition by Jorge/OA4BHY, Daniel/DL5YWM, Rene/DL2JRM and Bodo/DL3OCH will start with the team being QRV December 26-27th as OA4/homecall from the Club station OA4O des Radioclub Peruano, located in Lima, Peru. They will then travel to Isla Blanca (SA-098, WW Loc. FH32WX) and be active December 28-30th, using the call sign OC6I, with 2 stations simulaneously from 10m to 160m. Note: dates can vary depending on the weather and the sea. The team will then travel to Isla Lobos de Tierra (SA-076, ARLHS PER-053, WLOTA L-1521) where they will be active again with 2 stations on all bands from January 2-7th, using the call sign OC1I. From January 8-12th the team will be back in Lima where Bodo/DL3OCH is planning to do some 23cm EME (JT65) work. QSL OC1I and OC6I via DL5WM, direct or bureau. QSL OA4/homecall via the operator's home call. For more information and how do you get a EME-Sked, check the website at http://www.qslnet.de/oc1i or http://www.qslnet.de/oc6i. [DE0MST]

27/12/2007: Ron, KC0JQO will be QRV as homecall/p or /m at Split Rock lighthouse (ARLHS USA-783), Lake Superior, Minnesota, on December 27th from 1900 - 2200 UTC. Activity will primarily be on 14.270 MHz SSB. QSL direct to KC0JQO with SASE/SAE + postage. [ARLHS]

28/12/2007: Kazu, JA0VSH and his wife Miyuki, JG0PBJ will be active from Pohnpei, Micronesia (OC-010) from December 28th to January 3rd. They will operate V63KZ (Kazu), V63MP (Miyuki) and V63BBQ (club call) on 160-10 metres CW and SSB. All QSLs direct to JA0VSH (Kazuhide Maruyama, 1-25-49 Iruma, Chofu, Tokyo 182-0004, Japan). [425 DX News]

28/12/2007: Igor VE3ZF will be active as a VE2IDX from Orleans Island (NA-128, CIsA QC-007), December 28th/29th during RAC Canada Winter Contest. Before and after contest he will use his regular call sign VE3ZF/2. His main frequencies will be 14260 kHz (daytime) and 3795/7260 kHz (during the night). SKEDs are welcomed at: Igor.Slakva_at_smithsdetection.com This is a good chance to work for the Canadian Islands Trophy (CISA Award program). Rules concerning the CISA Award program can be found at: http://www.qsl.net/ve3tpz/cisa/ . QSL via VE3ZF: Igor Slakva, 105 La Rose Avenue, PH #1410, Etobicoke, Ontario, M9P 1A9 Canada. [VE3ZF]

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LOOKING AHEAD -

01/01/2008: Special event station 8J7OZE will be aired between January 1st and September 30th to commemorate "The Birth of Oze National Park". Opened on August 30, 2007, the park is an area consisting of wetlands and mountains in Chubu, Japan. The park's area includes the marshes and the mountains in the Oze area, formerly part of the Nikko National Park, and other nearby areas including the Aizu-Komagatake and Tashiroyama mountains. The park is 37,200-hectares in area and includes parts of Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma and Niigata prefectures. QSL via the JARL bureau. [JJ1WTL/AC6IM]

01/01/2008: The special event call sign EI100SI will be aired from January 1 to December 31, 2008 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts in Ireland. QSL info will be available on QRZ.com. [F5NQL]

01/01/2008: Lions Clubs International, the world's largest volunteer service organization, will be sponsoring an amateur radio special event station to be operated by Great Britain's Bedworth Lions Club January 1-28th. The station will operate on 2 metre FM and 80-10 metre SSB with the call sign GB4BLC. Additionally for 2008, contacts via amateur satellite are planned. QSL via G8GMU, direct or via the RSGB bureau. Further details at: http://www.bedworthlionsclub.co.uk/evawa.htm [Southgate ARC]

07/01/2008: Steve, G0UIH plans to be active as VK2IAY/4 from South Molle Island (OC-160), January 7-11th. As with previous DXpeditions the main operation will be centered around 14.260 MHz, with the possibility of 15 and 17m also. Equipment will be the 706MK2G used previously on VK and 3D2 activations with homebrew wire dipoles. QSL route is fine either direct or via the bureau. Check out the website for further details at: http://www.percy.me.uk/ [RSGB IOTA]

21/01/2008: Andrew, G7COD, will be QRV for the forth time from Embudu Island, South Male Atoll (WLOTA L-3911), Maldive Islands (AS-013) using the call 8Q7AK from January 21st to February 2nd. Using mainly SSB with a little CW, he will be operational every day from approximately 0900 to 1100, 1400 to 1600 and 1800 to 1830 UTC. Spot frequencies to be used are 7.093, 10.123, 14.147, 18.133, 21.253 and 24.953 MHz (+/- 10kHz). For complete details of operating times, spot frequencies, QSL information etc., please check 8Q7AK on QRZ.com. QSL via G7COD, direct or bureau. [Pete's-DX-Newsdesk]

26/01/2008: Look for Ray, WQ7R to be active as HQ9R from Roatan Island (NA-057, WLOTA L-1671), Honduras, for the CQ 160-Meter CW Contest (January 26-27th) as a Single-Op/Low-Power entry. Outside of the contest look for him to be QRV as HR9/WQ7R. QSL both calls via K5WW. [NG3K]

26/01/2008: Ozer, TA2RC will be QRV from Izmit-Kocaeli, Turkey, during the CQ 160-Meter CW Contest (January 26-27th) as a Single-Op/Low-Power entry. QSL direct or via the bureau. [NG3K]

29/03/2008: Nobby, G0VJG will once again be QRV as V25V from the V26B super station at Gunthroppes, Antigua Island (NA-100, WLOTA L-1118), for the CQWW WPX SSB Contest (March 29-30th) as a Single-Op/High-Power entry. QSL via home call. [NG3K]

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SPECIAL EVENTS -

20/12/2007: Between December 20, 2007 and January 6, 2008 there will be 8 Christmas special event call signs QRV from The Netherlands. QSL for each special event station via the operator: PA07XMAS (via PG7V), PC07XMAS (via PA3AM), PD07SANTA (via PD0AT), PD07XMAS (via PD2J), PD08HNY (via PD0EMR), PF07XMAS (via PA1WLB), PG07XMAS (via PA7JWC) and PH07XMAS (via PA4CHE). All stations are valid for the Christmas 2007
award. All information can be found at: http://www.pg7v.net/xmas2007 [PG7V]

25/12/2007: Special event station 8N0SNOW will be aired from December 25, 2007 until February 22, 2008 to celebrate the 63rd Winter National Athletic Meet. Look for activity on all bands and modes. QSL via the JARL bureau. [JJ1WTL/AC6IM]

U.S.A. Special event station information can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/contests/spev.html

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LIGHTHOUSE CALENDAR -

22/12-28/12 CT9EPC: Ilha da Madeira WLOTA:0053 QSL CT3EE (d)
23/12-5/1/08 9H3HW: Malta Island WLOTA:1113 QSL DJ6OZ (d/b)
26/12-3/1/08 CU2/G7VJR: Ilha de São Miguel WLOTA:2016 QSL H/C (d/b)
27/12 KC0JQO/P: Split Rock ARLHS:USA-783 QSL H/C (d)




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QSL News -

- Ed, KU4BP (V26H QSL manager) reports that all QSL requests for V26H in the 2007 ARRL DX SSB Contest went into the mail December 18th. I apologize for the delay in getting them out in a timely manner. The ops were waiting for the final results to be published in order for them to be put on the card. Ed only has logs for the contest itself. Logs before and after the contest are in the hands of the ops. Thank you all for your patience. [KU4BP]

- SU8BHI QSL information: Gab, HA3JB reports that his new QSL card's will be will be ready by the end of January 2008. You can see new QSL design at: http://www.qsl.net/ha3jb (NEWS). QSL via direct only to HA3JB (Gabor Kutasi HA3JB, H-8601 Siofok, P.O.Box 243, Hungary - Europe). Please write Gab a e-mail if you received or not received his direct QSL! (ha3jb@t-email.hu). If you need a fast reply he can sent an old QSL. [Gab / SU8BHI]

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Satscape TV -

Satscape is one of the most popular programs for tracking Amateur Radio Satellites. Now Scott Hather, G7LIU has added Satscape TV to his website.

On the website Scott says:

"Satscape TV is a 24 hour TV Channel that broadcasts Videos all about Satscape, Space exploration, NASA, ESA, Amateur Radio and Amateur Satellite Radio tutorials and 'how-tos', and anything else I can think of that I think you'll want to watch.

We will also have special days where we'll put the serious stuff to one side and have a "comedy day", or some other theme, so what do you need to watch Satscape TV?

You probably already have everything, just a web browser and Flash installed, it works on Windows, Linux and Mac (much like Satscape for Java!)".

Satscape TV http://www.satscape.co.uk/tv.html

Download Satscape - Free Satellite Tracker for the 21st Century http://www.satscape.co.uk/download.html [Southgate ARC]

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New DXCC entity -

The ARRL DXCC Desk is pleased to announce the addition of St Barthelemy (FJ) to the DXCC List, making the island entity number 338 with an effective date of 14 December, 2007. Cards with contacts dated December 14, 2007 or after will be accepted for DXCC credit. New card submissions for St Barthelemy will not be accepted until January 1, 2008 in order to allow time for administrative adjustments.

The "event date" that caused St. Barthelemy to be added to the DXCC list was December 14, 2007, the date the US State Department Fact sheet was updated by the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. This update added St Barthelemy to the List of Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty with its Administrative Center in Gustavia, qualifying it under DXCC rules in Section II -- 1 Political Entities (c).

French St Martin (FS), while also added to the List of Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty, will remain on the DXCC List, but it is now considered a Point 1 Political Entity under the same classification as that of St Barthelemy.

Please direct any questions you may have about St Barthelemy, St Martin or the DXCC program to the ARRL DXCC Desk at, dxcc@arrl.org. [ARRL DX Bulletin 52]

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I would like to take this opportunity to wish you, your family and your friends "Season's Greetings and Best Wishes for The Coming New Year".

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73 and Good DX!
Dave Raycroft - VA3RJ
Home of ICPO: http://webhome.idirect.com/~va3rj/
Contest Calendar - DX Calendar - Lighthouse Activations
Join ICPO e-Group: http://webhome.idirect.com/~va3rj/icpo_mail.html

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ARRL Announces New DXCC Entity - St. Barthelemy (FJ)

The ARRL DXCC Desk is pleased to announce the addition of St Barthelemy (FJ) to the DXCC List, making the island entity number 338 with an effective date of 14 December, 2007. Cards with contacts dated December 14, 2007 or after will be accepted for DXCC credit. New card submissions for St Barthelemy will not be accepted until January 1, 2008 in order to allow time for administrative adjustments.

Country - St. Barthelemy
Prefix - FJ
ADIF # - 516
CQ Zone - 08
ITU Zone - 11
Continent - NA
Lat - 17.896 N
Long - 62.851 W
Unique IOTA NA-146

The ADIF number listed on the DXCC list for this new one has been confirmed by the DXCC Desk as #516 and not #338 that was publicized early on.

Map courtesy of WorldAtlas.com

The "event date" that caused St. Barthelemy to be added to the DXCC list was December 14, 2007, the date the US State Department Fact sheet was updated by the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. This update added St Barthelemy to the List of Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty with its Administrative Center in Gustavia, qualifying it under DXCC rules in Section II -- 1 Political Entities (c).

French St Martin (FS), while also added to the List of Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty, will remain on the DXCC List, but it is now considered a Point 1 Political Entity under the same classification as that of St Barthelemy.

Please direct any questions you may have about St Barthelemy, St Martin or the DXCC program to the ARRL DXCC Desk at, dxcc@arrl.org.

Propagation Forecast Bulletin 53 ARLP053

Sunspot 978 faded this week, with Tuesday, December 18 its last day visible. The average daily sunspot number dropped nearly 13 points from last week to 24.1, and average daily solar flux was down over three points to 83.9. Geomagnetic indicators were up, with the average daily planetary A index up three points to 7.4, and the mid-latitude A index up two points to 5.4.

Sunspot 978 held no indication for the next sunspot cycle, because the magnetic polarity was the same as spots from Cycle 23, which is now ending. It was also at mid-latitude, and spots from a new cycle tend to be high latitude. But there was quite an interest this week in a high-latitude area of reverse magnetic polarity. So far this has not turned into an actual sunspot, so we wait. You can read about it at, http://sidc.oma.be/news/100/welcome.html.

On Wednesday, December 19, Proplab-Pro version 3 was finally released. It claims to be "the most advanced propagation ray-tracing system in the world," and works on personal computers running Windows Xp or Vista. The introduction to the manual says it "is a state-of-the-art software package not for the feint of heart." Since the word "feint" implies a daring move, I suspect the author intended to say "faint," implying timidity in this context. With only a short time to look it over, I can say that it is quite complex. You can find information at, http://www.spacew.com/proplab/.

Tomorrow, December 22, 2007, the Sun reaches its lowest point in the sky, marking Winter Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere, which begins at 0608 GMT. For much of North America, this happens late tonight, and this week we begin the long shift toward more daylight. Perhaps better propagation will appear this Spring. The equinox is on March 21, 2008 at 0548 GMT. See an article at, http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/dark_days.php for an explanation from the U.S. Naval Observatory on why the earliest sunset in the mid-northern latitudes is around December 8, the latest sunrise is around January 5, with solstice in the middle.

We've seen no sunspots for a couple of days, and if this continues through the end of the year (10 days from now) the average sunspot number for the calendar year will be just 12.8. We will know for sure by the time the first propagation forecast bulletin of 2008 comes out, on January 4. The daily sunspot numbers averaged over each calendar year from January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2007 should be 170.3, 176.7, 109.2, 68.6, 48.9, 26.1 and 12.8. By comparison, the average daily sunspot numbers for each year, 1995-1997 (the previous solar minimum) were 28.7, 13.2 and 30.7. It seems 2007 must have been a solar minimum year, but of course dividing the data into calendar years is completely arbitrary.

We may not end the year with a blank Sun. The predicted solar flux from NOAA and the US Air Force for December 21-22 is 72, 71, and then 70 for December 23-28, then rising to 75 December 29 through January 1, then 80 for January 2-3, and 85 for January 4-11. Recently when solar flux was above 80 for ten days, sunspot numbers ranged from 24 to 43.

The predicted planetary A index for December 21-23 is 15, 10 and 8, then dropping to 5 for December 24 through January 5. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts unsettled conditions December 21-22, quiet to unsettled December 23, and quiet December 24-27.

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers, email the author at, k7ra@arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL Technical Information Service at, http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html. For a detailed explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see, http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/k9la-prop.html. An archive of past propagation bulletins is at, http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/. Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve overseas locations are at, http://www.arrl.org/qst/propcharts/.

Sunspot numbers for December 13 through 19 were 39, 35, 39, 28, 14, 14 and 0 with a mean of 24.1. 10.7 cm flux was 93.8, 91.9, 88.9, 81.7, 79.5, 76.8, and 74.5 with a mean of 83.9. Estimated planetary A indices were 4, 2, 1, 2, 17, 18 and 8 with a mean of 7.4. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 3, 2, 2, 1, 12, 11 and 7, with a mean of 5.4.

Unidentified Arab HF Voice/ALE Numbers Nets

One of the more interesting utility shortwave nets uncovered in 2007 has turned out to be quite a mystery. Documented by the information below, if you know anything about this net, I would like to hear from you. I would like to thank Sam in Europe and Thomas M. Rosnet, DL8AAM, for sharing their research below with the Btown Monitoring Post Blog audience. You guys are super.



Unidentified Arab Voice Nets
Tag: A1

Frequencies (USB) : 4600 4750 4900.5 5258 5540 5575 5667.7 5817 6789 6881.5 6902.5 8600 10390 10596.4 22580(H)

ALE ID’s: 1030 1050 1052 1101 1108 111 1410 1474 15xx 1643 1644 1660 1704 1706 1717 1912 1914 1918 1919 1966 3002 (H) 3023 3311 3316 3355 3600 3610 4020 4024 4400 4411 4920 4922 5000 5111 5112 5113 5201 6612 7004 7010 7310 8205 8304 8762 50403 73111 77004

Layout: Net Header:
Net relationship:
ID’s in group:

10xx
1030>1643
1050>1101
1050>3023
1050>8205
1050>50403
1030 1050 1052

1101
1101>1717
1101>1919
1101>1966
1108>6612
1101 1108

1111
1111 not monitored

1410
1410 > 4024
1410 > 73111
1410

1461 6881.5#
1494 5575 6881.5 6902.5

1474
1474>1912
1474>4400
1474

15xx (see attached 15xx Id list)
1552>4066
1554>4066
1557>1052

16xx
1660>8672
1643 1660

17xx
1706>1101
1706>1108
1706>5201
1704 1706 1717

19xx
1912>1108
1912>4411
1919>1030
1919>1050
1919>1101
1919>1474
1919>33xx
1919>4400
1912 1914 1918 1919 1966

30xx 34xx 36xx
3610>4020
3023 3311 3316 3355 3401 3600 3610

33xx
3311 3316 3355 not monitored

40xx
4020>1050
4020>36xx
4020>3401
4024>1101
4024>1919
4066>1912
4020 4024 4066

44xx
4400>1912
4400 4411

49xx
4920>1111
4922>4024
4920 4922

5000
5000>1912
5000

51xx
5111>1050
5111>7004
5111 5112 5113

5201
5201>1706
5201

6612
6612 not monitored

70xx
7010>1101
7004 7010

7310
7310>1912

8xxx
8205 (8672 not monitored)

73111
73111

77004
77004 > 1912

77004
77440 5575 6789 6902.5#
77443 6881.5 6902.5#
77449 5667.7#
77451 6789 6881.5 6902.5#

50403
50403

At this time the bolded Id’s are only possible members of the group, no confirmation as yet has been monitored.

Unidentified HF ALE Numbers Net - 1K5

Here is another unidentified HF ALE network profiled by my good friend Sam in Europe. As always, if you have anything to add, please pass it along using the email address in the masthead.

Network: 1K5 [15xx]

Frequencies (USB) : 4900.5 5002 5575 5600 5667.7 5817 6789 6881.5 6902.5 8600 10596.4

ALE ID’s:
1500 1506 1508
1511 1512 1513
1529
1530
1542 1543 1548
1550 1552 1554 1556 1557
1561
1574 1575 1577
1580 1581 1588 1589
1590 1592 1595 1597

Channel Activity
1500 6902.5#
1506 6789#
1508 6789#
1511 5575 and 6881.5#
1512 5667.7#
1513 5575#
1529 see history note
1530 see history note
1542 clg 1556 5575
1542 clg 1543 6881.5
1542 clg 1556 6881.5
1542 clg 1580 6881.5
1542 clg 1543 6902.5
1542 clg 1552 6902.5
1542 clg 1556 6902.5
1542 clg 1580 6902.5
1543 Not monitored
1548 5667.7 6789#
1548 clg 1542 6902.5
1550 6881.5#
1552 clg 4066 6902.5
1554 clg 4066 6902.5
1556 clg 1542 6881.5
1557 6881.5#
1561 5575 5667.7 and 6881.5#
1574 Not monitored
1577 5002 6789#
1580 see history note
1581 clg 1590 4900.5
1581 clg 1590 5575
1581 clg 1574 5575
1581 clg 1590 6789
1581 clg 1592 6881.5
1581 clg 1595 6902.5
1588 5817#
1589 see history note
1590 Not monitored
1592 clg 1575 6902.5
1595 not monitored
1597 5575 5667.7 and 6902.5#

Note: # following the channel indicates sounding only.

Historic Note:
1529 8600# (16/10/06)
1530 10596.4# (13/10/06)
1558 clg 1556 10596.4 (20/09/06)
1580 5600# (10/04/06)
1589 8600# (08/04/06)

Radio-amateurs de St Barthélemy ***FJ5KH***

Will be QRV Dec 22-29 to commemorate the new DXCC Entity starting around 1030 UTC,
FJ5DX will be on the air and will be joined by the other club members DK6ST FJ5AB
FJ5BC FJ1CM.

FREQUENCIES:

7065 kHz + QRM
14165 kHz + QRM
21265 kHz + QRM

Good luck in working this new DXCC Country entity.

New Newman Field/Easton, Maryland Aero Freqs

Effective 14 Feb 2008 the following freqs will be used at Newman Field in Easton, MD (KESN).

118.525 Tower (LCL/p)
119.075 Ground Control
124.475 ATIS

New Unidentified HF ALE Net

Sam in Europe has passed along another new unidentified HF ALE numbers net info. Again if you have anything to add or wish to share some insight please contact me via the email address in the masthead. Anonymous contributions remain that way.

Unidentified Net

Unidentified Net

Frequencies (USB) : 4600 (4900.5) 5575 5667.7 6881.5 6902.5 8600 10596.4

ALE ID’s: 1030 1050 1474 1643 1644 1912 1914 1918 1919 3023 3311 3316 3355 3600 3610 4020 4400 5000 8205 8304 50403

Channel Activity

1030 clg 1643 8600 and 10596.4
1050 clg 8205 6881.5
1050 clg 50403 6881.5
1050 clg 8304 6881.5 6902.5
1050 clg 3023 6902.5
1474 clg 4400 5575
1474 clg 4400 5667.7
1474 clg 4400 6881.5
1474 clg 1912 6902.5
1474 clg 4400 6902.5
1643 4600#
1644 8600#
1912 6881.5# 6902.5#
1914 clg 1912 5575 and 6881.5
1918 clg 1050 6881.5
1918 6902.5#
1919 5575 and 5667.7#
1919 clg 1030 6881.5 and 6902.5
1919 clg 1474 5575 6881.5
1919 clg 1912 6881.5
1919 clg 3311 6881.5
1919 clg 3316 6881.5
1919 clg 3355 6881.5
1919 clg 4400 6881.5 and 6902.5
3023 Not monitored
3311 Not monitored
3316 Not monitored
3355 Not monitored
3600 Not monitored
3610 Not monitored
4020 clg 1050 6881.5
4020 clg 3600 5575 and 6902.5
4020 clg 3610 6881.5
4400 6881.5 and 6902.5#
4400 clg 1912 6881.5
4400 clg 1919 5575
5000 clg 1912 6881.5
8205 6881.5#
8304 Not monitored
50403 5575 6881.5 and 6902.5#

Note: # following the channel indicates sounding only.

The Id’s listed below are only included because they share the same channels and the Id’s are similar. I have yet to monitor an association.

1410 5667.7 6789 6881.5 and 6902.5#
1461 6881.5#
1494 5575 6881.5 and 6902.5#
1966 sndg only 5575 6881.5 and 6902.5
3029 sndg only 4900.5 5667.7 6881.5 and 6902.5
4066 sndg only 6881.5 and 6902.5

Regarding the 5667.7 I am aware of the possibility of the channel being operated in LSB 5670 but as yet I have not monitored any activity myself.

The decode below showing 191 could be a truncated ID of the 19XX group which indicates a further association.

[16:24:35][FRQ 06881500][TO ][6011][TWS][191][AL0] BER 4 SN 03 [AMD]EHW

Unidentified HF ALE Numbers Nets - 15xx

More unidentified HF ALE numbers net info from Sam in Europe. Again if you have anything to add or wish to share some insight please contact me via the email address in the masthead. Anonymous contributions remain that way.

Unidentified Net 15xx

Frequencies (USB) : 4900.5 5575 5667.7 6789 6881.5 6902.5

ALE ID’s: 1508 1511 1512 1513 1542 1543 1548 1550 1552 1556 1557 1561 1574 1580 1581 1590 1592 1597

Channel Activity

1508 6789#
1511 5575 and 6881.5#
1512 5667.7#
1513 5575#
1529 see history note
1530 see history note
1542 clg 1556 5575
1542 clg 1543 6881.5
1542 clg 1556 6881.5
1542 clg 1580 6881.5
1542 clg 1543 6902.5
1542 clg 1552 6902.5
1542 clg 1556 6902.5
1542 clg 1580 6902.5
1543 Not monitored
1548 5667.7#
1548 6789#
1548 clg 1542 6902.5
1550 6881.5#
1552 6881.5#
1556 clg 1542 6881.5
1557 6881.5#
1561 5575 5667.7 and 6881.5#
1590 Not monitored
1574 Not monitored
1580 see history note
1581 clg 1590 4900.5
1581 clg 1590 5575
1581 clg 1574 5575
1581 clg 1590 6789
1581 clg 1592 6881.5
1589 see history note
1590 Not monitored
1597 5575 5667.7 and 6902.5#

Note: # following the channel indicates sounding only.

Historic Note:
1529 8600# (16/10/06)
1530 10596.4# (13/10/06)
1580 5600# (10/04/06)
1589 8600# (08/04/06)

The Id’s listed below are only included because they share the same channels and the Id’s are similar. I have yet to monitor an association.

Regarding the 5667.7 I am aware of the possibility of the channel being operated in LSB 5670 but as yet I have not monitored any activity myself.

Unidentified HF ALE Numbers Nets - 17xx/51xx/55xx

The following information is courtesy of Sam in Europe. Thanks Sam. If anyone has any additional information or can ID these nets please contact me at the email address in the masthead.

Unidentified Nets 17xx related to 5201

Unidentified Nets 17xx related to 5201

Frequencies (USB) : 4900.5 6881.5 6902.5

ALE ID’s: 1704 1706 1717 5201

Channel Activity

1704 4900.5 and 6902.5#
1706 6881.5#
1706 clg 5201 6902.5
1717 6881.5 and 6902.5
5201 6881.5#
5201 clg 1706 6902.5

Unidentified Nets 55xx

Frequencies (USB) : 4900.5 6881.5 6902.5

ALE ID’s: 5500 5502 5511 5512 5513 5533

Channel Activity

5500 5575#
5500 clg 5513 6881.5
5500 clg 5513 6902.5
5502 4900.5 and 6881.5#
5511 6881.5#
5513 clg 5500 6902.5
5533 6881.5#

Unidentified Nets 51xx related to 7004

Frequencies (USB) 5667.7 6789 6881.5 8600 10390

ALE ID’s: 5111 5112 7004

Channel Activity

5111 5667.7 6789#
5111 clg 7004 6881.5
5112 6789 6881.5 8600 and 10390#
7004 6789 and 6881.5#

Note: # following the channel indicates sounding only.

Historic note:
5111 9200# (13/02/05)
5112 clg 7004 5478 (27/05/05)
7004 clg 7011 8600 (03/09/06)
7011 11495# (27/06/04)

The Id’s listed below are only included because they share the same channels and the Id’s are similar. I have yet to monitor an association.

7001 6583 and 8180#
7003 6881.5#
7010 5575 and 6902.5#
7012 6881.5#

St. Barthelemy (FJ) to Count for CQ DX Awards

From the CQ Newsroom...

St. Barthelemy (FJ) to Count for CQ DX Awards

CQ DX Awards Manager Billy Williams has announced that the Caribbean island of St. Barthelemy - prefix FJ - has been added to the CQ DX Awards entity list, effective immediately, for confirmed contacts with the island made on or after February 21, 2007. For purposes of the CQ DX Field Awards, St. Barthelemy is in grid field FK.

Until now, the island (along with surrounding smaller islands) has been considered part of French St. Martin (FS) for awards purposes. Last February 21, the French government gave St. Barthelemy a new status as an "overseas collective," leading the U.S. State Department last Friday (December 14) to add the island to its list of "Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty." Presence on this list is one of the criteria used to designate a location as a separate entity for award purposes. The ARRL was expected to add St. Barthelemy to its DXCC list in the near future as well.

For more information on the CQ DX Awards, visit http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/awards.html on the CQ website or the CQ DX Awards homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~bfwillia/page3.html.

Special event Christmas callsigns in The Netherlands

Information below courtesy of an I.C.P.O. (Islands, Castles & Portable Operations) update.

Between Dec 20, 2007 and Jan 6, 2008, there will be eight special event callsigns QRV from The Netherlands. QSL for each special event station is via the operator (QSL manager) listed below.




Callsign Operator/QSL manager
PA07XMAS PG7V
PC07XMAS PA3AM
PD07SANTA PD0AT
PD07XMAS PD2J
PD08HNY PD0EMR
PF07XMAS PA1WLB
PG07XMAS PA7JWC
PH07XMAS PA4CHE

All stations are valid for the Christmas 2007 award, all info on www.pg7v.net/xmas2007 [PG7V]

From Dave Raycroft - VA3RJ
Home of ICPO: http://webhome.idirect.com/~va3rj/
Contest Calendar, DX Calendar, Lighthouse Activations, 7000+ online logs and much more.

Longest ham radio special event callsign in history?

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued what might be the longest special event callsign in the history of amateur radio. The Blue Mountains Amateur Radio Club has been granted the callsign VI 2 B M A R C 50, to commemorate the club's 50th anniversary. VI2BMARC50 will be on-air from 18 to 28 January 2008.

Details of the operating schedule and QSL information will be posted on the club's website at http://www.bmarc.org/. Information above courtesy of RSGB News on their website at http://www.rsgb.org/news/hl4.php.

ARLP052 Propagation de K7RA

Sunspot 978 made a strong showing this week, and daily sunspot numbers are up as a result. The average daily sunspot number for this week rose over 25 points to 36.7, and average daily solar flux rose over 14 points to 87.2. The sunspot numbers on December 9-11 were 42, 43 and 44. Sunspot numbers haven't been nearly this high since July 14-15 of 2007, when it was 41 both days. The daily sunspot number hasn't been higher since June 2 to June 8 of this year, when it was 45, 58, 58, 63, 47, 59 and 51.

You can make your own animation of the emergence and movement of sunspot 978 with photos on http://www.spaceweather.com. Just click on http://snurl.com/ss978 and in the URL field change /06dec07/ to /07dec07/, hit the Enter key, then change it to /08dec07/, hit Enter, and repeat until you reach /13dec07/ (14dec07 will probably also work by the time you read this bulletin). Now you can use your browser's forward and back keys to animate the sunspot and watch it move. It is a big sunspot.

Geomagnetic activity was very low, although it was slightly unsettled around December 11-12 at northern latitudes. But take a look at the table at, http://snurl.com/geokna. Note the absence of any geomagnetic activity in the far north, represented by the strings of zeros for Alaska's College A and K index from November 30 to December 9. The K index is measured every three hours, or eight times per day. Notice in the 64 readings from 1200z December 1 to 0900z December 9, the College K index rose from 0 to 1 only twice.

Tim Goeppinger, K6GEP of Orange, California wondered why, with the higher sunspot numbers, he didn't see better propagation last weekend in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest. Recently this bulletin mentioned unexpected 10 meter propagation when there were no sunspots. This may be a case where this week's sunspot activity wasn't enough to support F layer propagation at 28 MHz, but perhaps recent 10 meter DX was actually supported by sporadic E propagation.

The US Air Force and the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center forecast solar flux at 95 for December 14-16, and 90 on December 17-19. This suggests a possible continuation of recent sunspot activity, because sunspot numbers this week were 39-44 while solar flux was 89-94.

They also predict a planetary A index for December 14-20 at 5, 5, 10, 20, 15, 15 and 10, so expect unsettled to active geomagnetic conditions on Monday, December 17. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet conditions December 14-16, active December 17, and unsettled December 18-20.

This week there are a slew of new articles from various sources on solar science and Hinode. Rather than give you a multiple links, let's try something new. Copy and paste or just type http://snurl.com/sunmem1 to your web browser's URL field and hit the Enter key to read the first article. For the second, paste again, but change sunmem1 to sunmem2. Keep up that process through sunmem7 to read all seven articles.

Next week is Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, on Saturday, December 22. After that the hours of daylight will gradually grow longer, and the increased sunlight will improve propagation on the higher bands. Three months away is the Spring Equinox, and if we have more sunspots by then, so much the better.

In the interim, we can take advantage of the long nights and low geomagnetic activity to enjoy the low bands, 160 and 80 meters.

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers, email the author at, k7ra@arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL Technical Information Service at, http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html. For a detailed
explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see, http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/k9la-prop.html. An archive of past propagation bulletins is at, http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/. Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve overseas
locations are at http://www.arrl.org/qst/propcharts/.

Sunspot numbers for December 6 through 12 were 29, 24, 36, 42, 43, 44 and 39 with a mean of 36.7. 10.7 cm flux was 78.2, 82.2, 86.9, 88.9, 86.9, 93.4, and 93.9 with a mean of 87.2. Estimated planetary A indices were 1, 1, 0, 2, 8, 12 and 7 with a mean of 4.4. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 1, 0, 1, 1, 5, 9 and 7, with a mean of 3.4.

Is a New Solar Cycle Beginning?

By Dr. Tony Phillips courtesy of Science@NASA

The solar physics community is abuzz this week. No, there haven't been any great eruptions or solar storms. The source of the excitement is a modest knot of magnetism that popped over the sun's eastern limb on Dec. 11th, pictured below in a pair of images from the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

It may not look like much, but "this patch of magnetism could be a sign of the next solar cycle," says solar physicist David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Above: From SOHO, a UV-wavelength image of the sun and a map showing positive (white) and negative (black) magnetic polarities. The new high-latitude active region is magnetically reversed, marking it as a harbinger of a new solar cycle.

For more than a year, the sun has been experiencing a lull in activity, marking the end of Solar Cycle 23, which peaked with many furious storms in 2000--2003. "Solar minimum is upon us," he says.

The big question now is, when will the next solar cycle begin?

It could be starting now.

"New solar cycles always begin with a high-latitude, reversed polarity sunspot," explains Hathaway. "Reversed polarity " means a sunspot with opposite magnetic polarity compared to sunspots from the previous solar cycle. "High-latitude" refers to the sun's grid of latitude and longitude. Old cycle spots congregate near the sun's equator. New cycle spots appear higher, around 25 or 30 degrees latitude.

The region that appeared on Dec. 11th fits both these criteria. It is high latitude (24 degrees N) and magnetically reversed. Just one problem: There is no sunspot. So far the region is just a bright knot of magnetic fields. If, however, these fields coalesce into a dark sunspot, scientists are ready to announce that Solar Cycle 24 has officially begun.

Below: Solar Cycle 23 is coming to an end. What's next? Image credit: NOAA/Space Weather Prediction Center.



Many forecasters believe Solar Cycle 24 will be big and intense. Peaking in 2011 or 2012, the cycle to come could have significant impacts on telecommunications, air traffic, power grids and GPS systems. (And don't forget the Northern Lights!) In this age of satellites and cell phones, the next solar cycle could make itself felt as never before.

The furious storms won't start right away, however. Solar cycles usually take a few years to build to a frenzy and Cycle 24 will be no exception. "We still have some quiet times ahead," says Hathaway.

Meanwhile, all eyes are on a promising little active region. Will it become the first sunspot of a new solar cycle? Stay tuned for updates from Science@NASA.

This Weekend on Ham Radio 8-9 Dec 2007

The Croatian CW Contest, North American High Speed Meteor Scatter Winter Rally, NCCC CW Sprint, Russian 160-Meter Contest, MDXA PSK DeathMatch, OK DX RTTY Contest, Feld-Hell Sprint, ARCI Holiday Spirits Homebrew CW Sprint and the International Naval Contest are all scheduled for this weekend. The Lighthouse Christmas Lights QSO Party runs from December 15 to January 1. The Run for the Bacon QRP CW Contest is scheduled for December 17.

The GEMINIDS meteor shower will have a PEAK at 1645 UTC 2007-12-14. The BCC MS contest will be held again also in this year! All 2006 Results and the 2007 Rules will be available from MMM to a link to DL1MAJ Page: http://www.mmmonvhf.de/latest.php?id=888.

See the ARRL Contest Branch page http://www.arrl.org/contests/, the ARRL Contester's Rate Sheet http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/ and the WA7BNM Contest Calendar http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html for more info.

Custom DXCC Country List / Beam Headings

Want a set of beam headings for your listening location? Then look no further than the free service offered online by the New Jersey DX Association at http://njdxa.org/dx-tools/dxcclist.shtml

Thanks for the great service guys.

Rascom 1 and Horizons 2 to Launch Dec 20 from Kourou

Arianespace has announced a December 20 launch date for the Rascom 1 and Horizons-2 satellites.

Rascom 1 was built by Thales Alenia Space as part of a turnkey contract with the Regional African Satellite Communication Organization (RascomStar-QAF). It will provide telecommunication services in rural areas of Africa, as well as domestic and international connections, direct TV broadcast services and Internet access across the African continent. The satellite's coverage footprint also extends beyond Africa to include part's of Europe and the Middle East.



The spacecraft is based on the Spacebus 4000B3 platform and is designed for an operational lifetime of 15 years. Rascom 1 carries 12 Ku-band transponders and eight C-band transponders, and will weigh about 3,200 kg. at launch. Rascom 1 will occupy an orbital slot at 3 degrees East.

Horizons-2 was developed for the Horizons Satellite LLC joint venture of Intelsat and JSAT, and will provide services that range from digital video, high-definition television (HDTV) and IP-based content distribution networks, to broadband Internet and satellite news services for the continental United States, the Caribbean and parts of Canada. Horizons-2 going to a 74 degrees West orbital slot where SBS 6 (20827) and Galaxy 17 (31307) are currently located.



Horizons-2 will replace Intelsat's SBS-6 satellite. The Orbital Sciences STAR-2 spacecraft will deliver sixteen 36MHz transponders with 85 Watts of power and four 72MHz transponders with 150 Watts of power. This results in excellent CONUS coverage of the U.S. along with a high-powered East Coast Beam that extends connectivity to the Caribbean and parts of Canada.

Space Shuttle mission cancelled until January 2

STS-122 Space Shuttle mission (Atlantis) to the International Space Station carrying the ESA Columbus module has been cancelled and rescheduled for a January 2 launch. The postponement will give engineers time to evaluate false readings from the engine cutoff sensor system that measures liquid hydrogen in the external tank.

Of the four engine cutoff sensors, ECO sensor number three gave false readings during Sunday's launch attempt. The sensor system is one of several that protect the shuttle's main engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low.

Atlantis' scheduled launch on Thursday was delayed after two of the four engine cutoff, or ECO, sensors in the shuttle's external fuel tank gave false readings. A third sensor failed after the tank was drained of fuel.