Celebrating Our 2nd Year Anniversary of this Blog

It doesn't seem like it, but tomorrow is the 2nd anniversary of this blog, the Btown Monitoring Post and its sister blog, the Milcom Monitoring Post. On Wednsesday of this week it is the 2nd anniversary of Gayle's Shortwave Central Blog.

Gayle and I would like to thank all who have contributed to the effort to make these blogs the best in the world of radio. No one else even gets close in reader traffic or news content.

We would also like to take a second on this Memorial Day weekend to honor all those who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military. We would like to honor the service of those who have given the ultimate price for this country, and to all the military families. These are the folks who are always in our thoughts and prayers and we will never forget and will always honor.

So on this fantastic weekend, the official start of summer, let's celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Monitoring Post Radio Blogs - Milcom Monitoring Post, Btown Monitoring Post, and the Shortwave Central. Again thanks to all who have made these blogs possible with your stories, frequencies, and laissez les bons temps rouler.

Breaking News - Earthquake in China - Ute Freqs

Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (Photo courtesy of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Malta)

Here is a list of frequencies that have been monitored in the past from China. There is no guarantee that they are in use during the current crisis, only extensive monitoring will be able to determine what is in use at the present. Copyright 2008 by Teak Publishing. All rights reserved. Links to this material only.

People's Liberation Army (CW) 3330.0 3846.0 4440.0 4874.0 4928.0 5385.0 5588.0 5635.0 5755.0 6508.0 7079.0 7300.0 7307.0 7310.0 8042.0 9350.0 10820.0 10822.0 kHz

FSK8 (1750/125) 7070.0 14000.0 14002.0 14011.0 14035.0 14103.0 14104.0 14234.0
14325.0 14346.0 14347.0 kHz

Diplo (ALE) 7885.0 9050.0 11105.0 12335.0 14560.0 kHz

Military (Various) 5051.3 5227.0 5405.0 5416.5 6840.0 7059.0 7601.4 7978.0 8083.0 8803.0 8808.0 8889.0 9072.0 10130.0 10415.0 10466.0 10972.0 14216.0 kHz

Navy (CW) 3330.0 4440.0 4874.0 5383.0 5588.0 5588.0 5727.0 6508.2 6982.5 7052.2 7060.2 7074.0 7079.4 7083.2 7300.0 7307.0 7310.0 8042.0 8120.0 8438.3 9267.0 9343.5
9349.7 9437.0 10820.0 10822.0 kHz

And finally, Ray W5XE, on the UDXF newsgroup reports, "BD5RV sent a note on QRZ.com and requested two frequencies be kept cleared for emergency work in the quake area. They are: 7050 and 7060. Chinese linguists might be able to listen and pick up other freqs."

Shortwave broadcast information is available from our sister radio blog at
http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/2008/05/breaking-news-earthquake-in-china.html

ISS Amateur Radio MAREX-MG News 4-21-2008

ISS Amateur Radio Status: April 20, 2008
By Miles Mann WF1F,

MAREX-MG News
http://www.marexmg.org/

Manned Amateur Radio Experiment

International Space Station, Voice link, April 21, 2008, 17:48 UTC Monday

Starting at: 17:48 UTC (1:48 PM Boston time); Ending at: 17:58 UTC

Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, Florida, USA on 21 April

For the next few weeks the crew of the International Space Station will be treating Short-Wave-Listeners and Amateur radio operators to live down links from ISS via the Amateur Radio station on ISS. The crew will be conducting Weekly radio links to schools in North America. Everyone is invited to listen to the downlinks.

On Monday April 21, ISS will pass over the north western USA and will be actively talking to students.

The path of the International Space station will be entering the USA from the Pacific near Oregon, and heading north east into Idaho and Montana and south west Canada. The Best listening will Northern CA, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

Most people all along that line will be able to hear the Space Station with a modest outside antenna and a good scanner/receiver.

This week short-wave-listeners and amateur radio operators will be able to listen to the ISS via amateur radio directly. Listeners living within 500+ miles of one of the cities below should be able to hear the signals directly with a simple scanner or other VHF receiver (an outside antenna is recommended 0 dBd gain or better). ISS will be transmitting on 145.800 FM (5 kHz deviation). You will only be able to here one side of the conversation, since the school will be transmitting on an undisclosed uplink frequency (VHF or UHF).

If you do not have a tracking program, here is a live link to NASA that will show you where ISS is located.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/tracking/index.html

Tips on listening:
http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/issvoicetips.html

Link to Audio files from previous school schedules. All files recorded directly off the air via a public Amateur Radio down link frequency.

http://www.marexmg.org/fileshtml/issaudiofiles.html

Current ISS Crew Members as of August 2007

The new crew #17 consists of: Commander Sergei Volkov, Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko,
Garrett E. Reisman and Gregory E. Chamitoff will serve as flight engineers during Expedition 17.
Orbital Tracking Data from April 12, 2008

ARISS [+]
1 25544U 98067A 08102.86951319 .00025933 00000-0 15720-3 0 2918
2 25544 51.6418 358.2303 0000954 5.6626 86.6887 15.77368848538066
Copy of memo from ARISS and SAREX

An International Space Station Expedition 17 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, Florida, USA on 21 April. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:48 UTC.

The contact will be a telebridge between stations NA1SS and W6SRJ. The contact should be audible over most of the Western USA. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.
Audio from the QSO is planned to be fed into the EchoLink *AMSAT* (101 377) and *JK1ZRW* (277 208) servers during the contact.

Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children is located in Orlando, Florida. It is one of 8 hospitals under the Orlando Regional Healthcare umbrella and addresses the unique medical needs of children in the Central Florida area, including a level one trauma center. The children who participate
in this contact will be patients at the hospital. It will be an exciting surprise and enriching experience that will make their hospital stay a memorable event.

Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:

1. What kind of food do you eat, and is it good?
2. How long can you stay out on a spacewalk?
3. What experiments are you doing in space?
4. What duties are yours on the Space Station?
5. How do you communicate with your family?
6. What do you do if you get sick in space?
7. What can you see on Earth from Space?
8. How long will the Space Station last?
9. What skills do I need to be an astronaut?
10. What is your favorite thing to do on the Space Station?
11. How does the Space Station stay in orbit?
12. How does the air stay fresh on the Space Station?
13. If an object hits the Space Station, what would you do?
14. What was your launch in the shuttle like?
15. How much water do you use, and how do you get it?
16. Do the solar panels provide all the power for the Space Station?
17. How many computers do you use on the Space Station?
18. When and how will you return to Earth?
19. How do you exercise in space?
20. How many persons can stay on the Space Station?

Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be found at http://www.rac.ca/ariss/upcoming.htm#NextContact. Packet is transmitted on 145.825 simplex.

Next planned event(s):
1. Star City School, Shchelkovo, Russia - Mon 2008-04-23 09:24 UTC via ON4ISS.

2. The National Air and Space Museum (NASM), Washington, DC - Sat. 2008-05-03 15:52 UTC via NN1SS.

ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries.

ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on-board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize
youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.rac.ca/ariss (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).

055 Mystery Net - Do You Know Who They Are?

The radio community could use a bit of help. We have observed an extensive frequency ALE (Automatic Link Establishment) network in the HF spectrum that has not been IDed. The main station that sounds on this net is "055" and I call this the 055 Net. So if you recognize who the user is of this network, would appreciate a note at our address in the masthead. Anonymous responses are ok also.

Frequencies (kHz):
5395.0 5782.0 8972.0 9070.0 9075.0 9080.0 10618.0 10627.0 10635.0 10640.0 11475.0 12297.0 12626.0 13348.0 13378.0 13442.0 14422.0 14535.0 14665.0 14731.0 14913.0 16528.0 17198.0 18021.5 18194.0 18212.0 18336.0 18480.0 18834.0 18836.0 19043.0 19309.0 19554.0 20107.0 20438.0 20759.0 22227.0 22571.0 22769.0 23428.0 25571.0

If you have any insight on this bunch, I really would like to hear from you. 73 from the mountains de Larry.

World QSL Book Now Available

This blog is supported and sponsored by Teak Publishing, and the sale of its radio hobby publications. We appreciate your support by purchasing our publications that keeps our radio blogs operational.



"The World QSL Book is an excellent guide for QSL collectors all over the world and can be highly recommended. It is useful for the beginner as well as for the DX-er who already has a big collection of QSL's. It is clearly and well written in a non-technical language." - Anker Petersen, DSWCI Short Wave News

Teak Publishing of Brasstown, North Carolina, has announced the release their first eBook – World QSL Book, 1st edition, by Gayle Van Horn, W4GVH. This is a complete guide to writing radio station reception reports and QSLing.

Radio hobbyists interested in receiving verifications from radio station now have a new CD-ROM publication to aid them in the art of QSLing. This 528-page eBook covers every aspect of collecting QSL cards and other acknowledgments from stations heard in the HF spectrum.

"The World QSL Book is a comprehensive resource and reference book on CD for any hobbyist who is interested in acquiring a verification of reception of almost any HF station, whether broadcast, utility, amateur radio, or unlicensed pirate or clandestine!" - Monitoring Times What's New column, October 2007.

This self-loading, easy-to-use reference begins with a comprehensive tutorial on how to QSL (verify) radio stations followed by address sections for broadcaster and utility stations. It is loaded with station addresses, internet websites, and email addresses. Coverage includes shortwave broadcasters (including clandestine and pirate stations); HF utility stations (civilian and military); and amateur radio QSL bureaus worldwide. It is the first comprehensive publication of its kind devoted to QSLing radio stations in the HF radio spectrum.

The book is written by MT QSL Report columnist Gayle Van Horn. In addition to the station address information, Gayle shares her 30 years of experience QSLing radio stations in an extensive introductory section on the art of QSLing that includes hints, tips and QSL techniques. If you are interested in QSLing the world of HF radio, then this book should be on your radio shack shelf.

"I have seen books about QSLing before but never as comprehensive as this one. The World QSL Book is a must for the radio hobbyist who wants to know how to write reception reports. A tutorial and address book covering every aspect of collecting QSL cards." -- Ary Boender, Utility DX Forum (UDXF)

Highlights from this new authoritative publication:

• Hints, Tricks and Tips of the Trade
• Prepared QSL Cards
• Most Wanted QSL List
• Multilingual Reporting
• Electronic QSLing and Creativity
• AM/FM Broadcast Station QSLing
• Continental/Regional/Country Shortwave Stations QSl Profiles
• QSL Non Broadcast Services
• QSLing Amateur Radio Stations
• Utility QSLing
• Shortwave broadcast Section
• Pirate Radio Stations
• HF Utility Stations
• Utility Coastal Stations
• Ships-Platforms-Rigs
• U.S. Coast Guard
• Canadian Coast Guard
• Amateur Radio IARU QSL Bureaus
plus more............................................

"Shortwave listeners now have a single, exhaustive CD source to identify the call signs and IDs heard in the busy 2-30 MHz global spectrum." - Bob Grove, President - Grove Enterprises and Publisher - Monitoring Times magazine.

The World QSL Book is published in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) electronic format and is fully searchable/printable. It can be run on any computer platform and uses the Adobe Acrobat reader program (a free Internet download).

CD-ROM System requirements: Autorun function supported on Microsoft Windows 98 or later for PCs (Adobe Reader Version 6, 7 or 8 loaded to view publication). Publication PDF files can be view on any Apple Macintosh computer that has Preview or Adobe Reader ver. 7 or 8 loaded (no autorun function supported on Mac platforms).

"It is the first comprehensive publication of its kind devoted to QSLing radio stations in the HF radio spectrum." - Fred Osterman, Universal Radio.

World QSL Book, 528 pages. 1st Edition. © 2007, by Teak Publishing of Brasstown, North Carolina (ISBN: 978-0-9796311-0-8).

This book can be ordered from Grove Enterprises, Universal Radio, or direct from the publisher Teak Publishing.

If ordering from Teak Publishing the cost for this book is $19.95 plus $3.00 (US) and $5.00 (International) first class mail. We accept Paypal, Cash, Check or Money Order. Send email to Teak Publishing or snail mail to Teak Publishing, P.O. Box 297, Brasstown, NC 28902. NC residents must add state sales tax. Dealer inquiries and orders are welcomed at the Teak Publishing link above.

USCG CAMSLANT HF on call SITOR termination advisory

Courtesy of Tom Sevart/UDXF list and copied via a 518 kHz NAVTEX broadcast.

ZCZC GA82
USCG CAMSLANT HF ON CALL SITOR TERMINATION ADVISORY

1. USCG CAMSLANT CHESAPEAKE VA (NMN, SELCALL NR 1097) WILL TERMINATE ALL HIGH FREQUENCY (HF) RADIOTELEX (ON CALL SITOR) SERVICES EFF 2359Z MAR 31, 2008. SHORE RECEIVE FREQUENCIES 6262.8, 8386.3, 12488.3, 16694.8, AND 22298.8 WILL NO LONGER BE ACTIVE AFTER THIS DATE.

2. AMVER AND NOAA METEOROLOGICAL REPORTS WILL CONT TO BE RECEIVED AT NO CHARGE THRU SHIPCOM HF RADIOTELEX (NBDP) SERVICE VIA WLO NEAR MOBILE, AL OR NOAAS SEAS (SHIPBOARD ENVIRONMENTAL (DATA) ACQUISITION SYSTEM) PROGRAM OVER INMARSAT C. AMVER REPORTS MAY ALSO BE SENT AT NO CHARGE THRU GLOBE WIRELESS.

3. BROADCASTS OF MARITIME SAFETY INFORMATION FROM CAMSLANT CHESAPEAKE VA BY HF SITOR (HF NAVTEX) ON FREQUENCIES 6312.3, 8414.8 12577.3 AND 16804.8 WILL NOT BE AFFECTED BY THIS ACTION.

4. CANCEL AT TIME//040001Z APR 08//

NNNN

Hotspot DXing: Fidel Castro Resigns

Press news reports and the morning newscast on Radio Rebelde carries news that Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro has resign as Cuba President and Commander-in-Chief.

You can monitor the latest developments (Spanish only) online at:

Radio Enciclopedia http://200.55.129.7/radioenciclopedia (Windows Media Player)

Radio Rebelde mms://media.enet.cu/radiorebelde (Paste URL into Windows Media Player)

Radio Marti Live (Office of Cuba Broadcasting) http://www.voanews.com/real/live/envivo.ram (Real audio service)

You can get the latest shortwave radio frequencies to monitor this story on our sister blog -- the Shortwave Central at http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/2008/02/hot-spot-dxing-cuba-castro-resigns.html

Monitoring the Aussie Gold Coast

I will be the first to admit I am a bit of an audio freak and the Internet gives me the ability to monitor communications from around the world that I would not normally hear. Case in point - Australia Public Safety communications.

Now you can listen to Aussie Gold Coast Police, Fire/Rescue, Ambulance, Surf Rescue, Lifeguards, Gold Coast City Council Safety Patrol, VHF Marine channels 16, 63, 73, and the Gold Coast International Airport tower frequency courtesy of Geoff at the Moreton Diver website.

Point your browser to http://www.moretondiver.com/livescannerfeed.html for public safety comms with a G'Day twist.

The live scanner feed URL is http://210.11.123.49:8080

Rascom-QAF1 Service Life Reduced

Aviation Week and Space Technology is reporting in an online article by Michael A. Taverna/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, that the Rascom-QAF1 satellite will not operate the full 15 years service life as planned.

Thales Alenia Space says engineers have managed to place the Rascom-QAF1 satellite in final orbit, following a helium leak that occurred after its late December launch, but at the cost of a sharply reduced lifetime.

Engineers last week said four weeks of apogee motor firings, beginning with a main motor burst and followed by 18 apogee maneuvers using smaller backup thrusters, had moved the pioneering African telecom spacecraft into its intended orbit at 2.85 degrees east longitude (DAILY, Jan. 9).

However, barring further steps, satellite life will be barely more than two years, instead of the 15 years initially planned. Nevertheless, this could be enough for operator RascomStar-QAF to order a replacement satellite.

The Beatles Will Be Beaming to Polaris the North Star

WASHINGTON -- For the first time ever, NASA will beam a song -- The Beatles' "Across the Universe" -- directly into deep space at 7 p.m. EST on Feb. 4.

The transmission over NASA's Deep Space Network will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the day The Beatles recorded the song, as well as the 50th anniversary of NASA's founding and the group's beginnings. Two other anniversaries also are being honored: The launch 50 years ago this week of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite, and the founding 45 years ago of the Deep Space Network, an international network of antennas that supports missions to explore the universe.

The transmission is being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth. The song will travel across the universe at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney expressed excitement that the tune, which was principally written by fellow Beatle John Lennon, was being beamed into the cosmos.

"Amazing! Well done, NASA!" McCartney said in a message to the space agency. "Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul."

Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, characterized the song's transmission as a significant event.

"I see that this is the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe," she said.

It is not the first time Beatles music has been used by NASA; in November 2005, McCartney performed the song "Good Day Sunshine" during a concert that was transmitted to the International Space Station. "Here Comes the Sun," "Ticket to Ride" and "A Hard Day's Night" are among other Beatles' songs that have been played to wake astronaut crews in orbit.

Feb. 4 has been declared "Across The Universe Day" by Beatles fans to commemorate the anniversaries. As part of the celebration, the public around the world has been invited to participate in the event by simultaneously playing the song at the same time it is transmitted by NASA. Many of the senior NASA scientists and engineers involved in the effort are among the group's biggest fans.

"I've been a Beatles fan for 45 years – as long as the Deep Space Network has been around," said Dr. Barry Geldzahler, the network's program executive at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "What a joy, especially considering that 'Across the Universe' is my personal favorite Beatles song."

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., operates the Deep Space Network. For information about the Deep Space Network, go to http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn/index.html

Monitor the Airspace at Superbowl XLII this Weekend

Are you are interested in hearing the coming and goings of aircraft in and around the SuperBowl in the Phoenix area this weekend? If the answer is yes then I have a neat online service for you (and it is free).

Now you can monitor Phoenix Approach/Departure Control communications and view their radar screen of air fraffic in the area via the Internet.

This service is courtesy of LiveATC.net and SquawkVFR. Point that browser at
http://atcmonitor.com/superbowl/superbowlairspace.html and get in on all the action.

Be sure to tell them that the Milcom and Btown Monitoring Post sent ya.

Happy Anniversary US Space Program

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first US space satellite Explorer 1.

In 1957 an "International Geophysical Year" (IGY) was organized, later extended to 1958, and both the Soviet Union and the USA announced their intention to launch that year artificial Earth satellites. The USSR was first, sending off its first "Sputnik" ("satellite") on October 4, followed by Sputnik II on November 3. However the official US entry, the Vanguard satellite, went up in flames in a launch failure in December. The US then authorized a back-up spacecraft mission, initiated unofficially a few years earlier by Wernher Von Braun. Von Braun had built large missiles for the US Army and had all the hardware ready, but until then was given no permission to launch a satellite.

The spacecraft, named Explorer 1, was launched 31 January 1958 and was designed and built by a group of scientists from the University of Iowa, led by James Van Allen. That group had been previously credited with the first observation of auroral electrons from a rocket; incidentally, the idea of the IGY itself started in 1950 at a dinner party at Van Allen's home (at the time, near Washington).

Unlike the orbits of the Sputniks, that of Explorer 1 was quite elliptical and it rose to an altitude of about 2500 kilometers. Furthermore, since it had been decided to omit the spacecraft's tape recorder on the first flight, data could only be collected when Explorer 1 was within range of a tracking station, for at most a few minutes each time. The data were puzzling. At low points of the orbit the number of energetic particles was near the expected value, but at the high portions of the orbit none were counted at all.

Story courtesy of http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wexp13.html

HAARP - LWA Moon Bounce Experiment Jan 19-20

The HF Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) in Alaska, and the Long Wavelength Array (LWA) in New Mexico, conducted a bistatic low frequency lunar radar experiment in October 2007. A brief description of the experiment and an example of the lunar echo radio waves received may be found in this press release.

HAARP and LWA are planning an additional lunar echo experiment for 19 and 20 January 2008. Interested radio amateurs and short wave listeners are invited to participate in this experiment by listening for the lunar echoes and submitting reports. The following table shows the planned schedule, where dates and times are in Universal Time (UTC):

HAARP-LWA Experiment Schedule

    Date                From      To      Transmitted Frequency
    (UTC)                  UTC Hr:Min)            (MHz)

19 January 2008         05:00    06:00          6.7925
                        06:00    07:00          7.4075

20 January 2008         06:30    07:30          6.7925
                        07:30    08:30          7.4075

Based on the previous experiment, we believe it should be possible to hear the lunar
echoes with a standard communications receiver and an antenna as simple as a 40 meter dipole. If you have a 40 meter beam antenna, point it in the direction of the moon. Other antennas may also yield acceptable results. The format for the transmissions will follow a five second cycle as shown in the following figure.

The HAARP transmitter will transmit for the first two seconds of the five second cycle. The next three seconds will be quiet to listen for the lunar echo. Then HAARP will transmit again for two seconds, repeating the cycle for the first hour using the first HF frequency. During the second hour, this periodic five second cycle will be repeated but using a different HF frequency as shown in the table above. Transmissions from HAARP during each two-second period, will be carrier only (no modulation). Therefore, listeners should use the CW mode on their receiver to hear HAARP and the lunar echo. We hope to operate this experiment using the frequencies given in the table above. However, depending on frequency occupancy at the time of operation, it may be necessary to adjust the frequency slightly.

Depending on ionospheric conditions, it may or may not be possible to hear the HAARP transmission via skywave. If conditons allow, the HAARP transmission will always be heard during the first two seconds after the five second cycle starts, for example, between 05:00:00 and 05:00:02 and again between 05:00:05 and 05:00:07. The lunar echoes will occur during the three second "quiet" period after HAARP transmits, for example during the interval 05:00:02 until 05:00:05 and again between 05:00:07 until 05:00:10. Depending on a number of factors, you may hear HAARP, the lunar echo, both or neither.

We are interested in receiving signal reports from radio amateurs who may be able to detect, or not detect, the lunar echo or the transmitted skywave pulse from HAARP. It will be helpful if your report includes your call sign and the type and location of your receiving equipment and antennas. Reports may be sent to the following address: mbreport@haarp.alaska.edu.

Saint Barthelemy Amateur Radio Update

After much controversy Bill Moore on the DXCC Desk has ruled on the OH2BH and OH0XX DXpedition to Saint Barthelemy. See my original story at http://monitor-post.blogspot.com/2007/12/fjoh2am-ops-may-not-count-for-new-fj.html

The final word from the ARRL website page http://www.arrl.org/blog/DXCC%20Dialog

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Announcement from the ARRL DXCC Desk
Jan 11, 2008 15:50 ET
Bill Moore, NC1L

FJ/OH2AM

This operation by OH2BH and OH0XX was conducted under CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01. This Recommendation makes it possible for radio amateurs from CEPT countries (and certain non-CEPT countries) to operate in other CEPT countries without obtaining an individual temporary license from the visited CEPT country.

Complaints were received from several individuals. The main thrust of the complaints is that the operators used a club call for which Laine is station trustee, rather than their individual callsigns.

The intention of the operators in using a single callsign was to limit the number of duplicate contacts. Many DXpeditions use club or special-issue callsigns for this reason. The Recommendation makes no mention of club callsigns but says that the visiting license holder "must use his national call sign preceded by the call sign prefix of the visited country." Other operations using club callsigns from French territory, including in the Caribbean, have taken place under provisions of the Recommendation and have been credited for DXCC.

Since the question was raised, checking with various CEPT administrations and with the European Radiocommunication Office (ERO) has revealed different views regarding the use of club callsigns under the Recommendation. The ERO observes that the use of a club callsign could prevent an administration from determining whether a particular operator is qualified and concludes, "Club members, including the holder of the club call sign, should use their national personal call signs when abroad."

In the case of FJ/OH2AM, the two operators clearly were qualified to operate in St Barthelemy under the Recommendation. They utilized a call authorized to them by their national authority. The purpose of a radio station callsign is to identify the administration and the licensee responsible for the operation of the station. The use of FJ/OH2AM rather than FJ/OH2BH and FJ/OH0XX did not thwart this purpose.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And this update from ICPO and David Raycroft:

We are delighted to inform you that QSL cards for the FJ/OH2AM operation
will start going out early next week now that the operation is
accredited for the DXCC award program as of January 11, 2008.

Full-color cards will be arriving from the printers in Poland on the
15th of January (Tuesday) and we will start processing direct requests
immediately. The legwork is already done, all envelopes opened and
sorted.

Those 23.340 QSOs made by the duo represent 11.730 individual DXers and
obviously that many QSL requests as well. The logbook will be included
in the LoTW later this year.

Because of the close DXCC Honor Roll submission date, March 31, 2008, we
plan to make out all QSLs received during January to be released during
the month of February. By the 20th of February we will release a status
report and probably another option to bypass the queue for those who at
that time still want to have QSLs received for a late March submission.

We thank you for your kind words about the operation and support
received through the QSL mail.

Jarmo J. Jaakola, OH2BN
Kiilletie 5 C 30
FI-00710 Helsinki
FINLAND

http://www.kolumbus.fi/oh2bn/barts.htm

Islands, Castles & Portable Operations 1/10-1/18/2008

I.C.P.O. Bulletin (January 10-18, 2008) Islands, Castles & Portable Operations. Listing is by calendar date (day/month/year). Note: Listings with announced digital operations are in italics.

===========================================



10/01/2008: Gildas, TU5KG has left for a new campaign in the southern Indian Ocean area, around Kerguelen and Crozet Islands. For 2008 he will use a new callsign; now it's FT5XR and FT5WN and also maritime mobile. No particular dates for the moment. Further information to follow. QSL via F4EFI, bureau or direct. [F4EFI]

10/01/2008: John, KC4ZGQ will be active January 10-13th from Sapelo Island (NA-058, USi GA-007, WW Loc. EM91JL), Georgia. He plans to work mostly 17, 20 and 40 metres. Primary will be around 14.260 MHz (+/- QRM). Further information can be found on his web site at http://kc4zgq.com/sapelo/ [RSGB IOTA]

10/01/2008: JI5USJ and JI5RPT will be active as KH0/JI5USJ and AH0V from Saipan (OC-086), January 10-14th. They plan to operate CW, SSB and digital modes on 80-6 metres, plus satellite and 60m for the US. QSL KH0/JI5USJ via JI5USJ, QSL AH0V via JI5RPT. A web page is available at http://www.ji5rpt.com/ah0v/ [425 DX News]
10/01/2008: Jack, V51KC is currently using the special Strange Radio Team (http://www.strangeradioteam.com/) call sign V55SRT from Okahandja, Namibia, until September, 2008. QRV on all bands, using SSB, RTTY, BPSK and PSK-31. QSL via IZ8EDJ. [F5NQL]

10/01/2008: Salvatore, YA/IZ1BWB is positioned in Kabul and has been QRV since December 23, 2007. He will remain there until August, 2008. He is regularly working for about two hours starting around 0830 UTC. His equipment consists of a FT-897D with 100 watts and a folded dipole. He has been spotted in CW on 20m already. QSL via his home call, direct or bureau. [DXNL]

11/01/2008: Peter, DL9DAK will be active from Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands as follows: January 11-14th as DL9DAK/HC2 from Guayaquil, Ecuador; January 15-18th as DL9DAK/HC8 from the Galapagos Islands (SA-004); and January 19-21st as DL9DAK/HC2 from Guayaquil, Ecuador. He will operate only digital modes (PSK, Olivia, RTTY, Feldhell, etc.) on 17, 20 and from time to time 40 metres, with vertical dipoles and 50 watts. QSL via home call. Further information at: http://www.dl9dak.de/ [425 DX News]

12/01/2008: The "F6KOP Team" will be active as J5C from Bubaque Island (AF-020, WLOTA LH-1146), Guinea Bissau, January 12-21, 2008. Operators include Frank/F4AJQ (leader) Jean-Marc/F8IXZ (logistic) Pascal/F5JSD, John/F5VHQ, Franck/F5TVG, Matthieu/F5PED, BenoîtF8PDR, Romain/F8BUI, Jean-Paul/F8BJI, Gérard/F2JD, Gérard/F2VX, Bernard/F9IE, Bill/N2WB, Bob/N6OX and Dieter/OE8KDK. They plan to be QRV 160-10m, with 5 stations operating 24/24, using SSB, CW, digital modes, SSTV and FM. Equipment will be IC7000, FT480, TS857D, 4 ACOM 1010 amplifiers, 4 Spiderbeams, 2 verticals and 3 dipoles. QSL via F5TVG direct, bureau OK. Further information can be found on their web site at: http://www.j5c.eu/ [NG3K]

12/01/2008: Look for Gerhard, OE3GEA to be active as OE3GEA/J3 from the island of Grenada (NA-024, WLOTA LH-0718), January 12-24th. He will be QRV on all bands using low power CW only. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [RSGB IOTA]

13/01/2008: Hans, DL7CM will be operating holiday style (with xyl) using the call 5H1CM from Uroa White Villa, Zanzibar Island (AF-032, Grid KI93, WLOTA LH-1080), Tanzania, January 13-24th. He plans to be QRV 160m to 6m, CW, SSB and RTTY with emphasis on the low bands. Hans will be using IC706 + 800 Watt amp, 31mtr long sloper for 160/80 and other wires. QSL via DL7CM direct preferred (Hans-Rainer Uebel, Hartmannsdorfer Chaussee 3, 15528 Spreenhagen, Germany), bureau ok. Further information can be found at http://www.qsl.net/dl7cm/5H1.htm [NG3K]

13/01/2008: Bob, I2JIN will be active January 13-27th as YS3/I2JIN from El Salvador. He plans to operate on all bands CW ony. QSL via home call. [425 DX News]

14/01/2008: Niels, OZ7FOC reports he will be active as EA8/OZ7FOC from Isla de Tenerife (DIE S-012, WLOTA LH-1276), Canary Islands (AF-004), January 14-26th. QSL via home call. [425 DX News]

15/01/2008: Peter, HA3AUI reports that he will be leaving for Africa just after the New Year, 2008. During the period of January 15th and April 15th he will be QRV from Senegal (6W/, 6W2SC) and Guinea-Bissau (J5/, J5UAP). Activity will be mainly digital modes, with some SSB, on 160-10m from 6W, 30-10m from J5. This will be a long, spare time operation. QSL via HA3AUI, direct or by the bureau. [NG3K]

18/01/2008: Chae, HL5YI will be active as HL5YI/4 from Sorok Island [Sorok To] (AS-060, WLOTA LH-1252), January 18-21st. He plans to operate CW, RTTY and SSB on 80, 40, 20 and 10 metres, and to participate in the UK DX RTTY Contest (January 19-20th). QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [425 DX News]

18/01/2008: Unni, LA6RHA plans to be QRV from Svalbard [Spitsbergen Island] (EU-026, WLOTA LH-0125) using the call sign JW6RHA between January 18th and 24th. She will try to be on 14.248 MHz or down. This will be Unni's 16th time on JW-land. QSL is via LA6RHA. [NG3K]

===========================================

LOOKING AHEAD -

20/01/2008: Carlos, CE6AMN/p will be active from the Punta Lutrin Lighthouse (ARLHS CHI-071) 0000 UTC continuous through 2359 UTC on January 20th. QRV 10-40m, using SSB/CW. QSL via home call. [ARLHS]

21/01/2008: Andrew, G7COD, will be QRV for the forth time from Embudu Island, South Male Atoll (WLOTA LH-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. IMPORTANT NOTE: "I am completely up to date with the return of QSL's for those received direct and/or eQSL's. If you have not received yours, please send your QSL again". IMPORTANT NOTE: "If you have not received a return QSL for cards sent via the bureau this is because of the slow process rate. I will return cards via the bureau as soon as possible, as and when I receive them". All QSL's should be sent via the bureau or direct to G7COD. [Pete's-DX-Newsdesk]

09/02/2008: John, KX7YT will be active from Dhaka, Bangladesh as S21YV during the CQ WW RTTY WPX Contest (February 9-10th), as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL via KX7YT (John Core, 9831 NW Silver Ridge Loop, Portland, Oregon 97229, USA). [NG3K]

11/02/2008: Ulf, DK5TX will be active February 11-17th as PA/DK5TX from Goeree Overflakkee (EU-146). QRV on 2m (SSB/slow-CW), 6m (SSB/slow-CW) and 10-80m (SSB/slow-CW/RTTY). QSL via home call, bureau preferred or direct (QRZ.com). Email request for a bureau card can be made to dk5tx@gmx.net instead of sending a QSL. [RSGB IOTA]

12/02/2008: Look for Yuri, VE3DZ to be active from Belize as V31?? (call pending) between February 12-18th. He will also participate in the ARRL DX CW Contest (February 16-17th) as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [NG3K]

13/02/2008: Koya/JI5RPT (JD1BLY), Motoaki/JE1EKS (JD1BMO) and Iseki/JM1WBB (JD1BMP) will be active from Chichijima Island (AS-031, WW Loc. QL17CB, JCG#1007), Ogasawara, on 160m to 6m + Satellite CW/SSB/DIGI + 2m WSJT EME from February 13-28th. The team will have 1st time 2m EME 500Watts license during in this expedition. They plan to focus on 160m, 80m and 2m EME. They also plan to be active in the ARRL DX CW Contest (February 16-17th) as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL via home calls. Further information on their web site at: http://www.ji5rpt.com/ogasawara2008/jd1-2008.php [NG3K]

15/02/2008: Look for Yoshi AB2ST/KH2, Toshi KB3LTB/KH2 and Toshi KG6WTW/KH2 to be QRV from the island of Guam (OC-026, USi GU-003S, WLOTA LH-0064), February 15-17th. Activity will be on HF, all bands. QSL all calls via JF1TEU, direct or bureau. [NG3K]

16/02/2008: Members of the Rhein Ruhr DX Association Contest Team, namely Falk/DK7YY, Ulf/DL5AXX, Tom/DL5LYM and Frank/DL8WAA will be active as CT9L from Santana, Madeira Island (AF-014, MA-001 for the Portuguese Islands Award, WLOTA LH-0053) during the ARRL DX CW Contest (February 16-17th), as a Multi-2 entry. Before and after the contest
they will be QRV as CT3/homecall. QSL CT9L via DJ6QT, direct or bureau. QSL others via their home calls. [NG3K]

01/03/2008: John, KX7YT will be active from Dhaka, Bangladesh as S21YV during the ARRL DX SSB Contest (March 1-2nd), as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL via KX7YT (John Core, 9831 NW Silver Ridge Loop, Portland, Oregon 97229, USA). [NG3K]

14/03/2008: Operators Axel/DH8AK, Sebastian/DO6ELW, Dirk/DK4DJ and Henning/DK9LB will be active as homecall/p from Fehmarn Island (EU-128, O-01 for the German Islands Award) from March 14-21st. They will also activate two lighthouses: Marienleuchte - Old Tower (ARLHS FED-151) and Marienleuchte - New Tower (ARLHS FED-016, WLOTA LH-0637). QRV 80-10m SSB/PSK31 and 2m SSB. QSL via home calls, direct or by the bureau. [RSGB IOTA]

25/03/2008: Mike, WA2VQW reports that the W2RZS amateur radio club will be active in the CQWW WPX SSB Contest (March 29-30th) from the island of Saint Barthelemy (NA-146, DIFO FJ-001, WLOTA LH-0377). The team, consisting of Bob/WB2NVR, Mike/WA2VQW, Bob/N2DVQ and Adam/N2DHH will be on the island from March 25th to April 1st. QRV on 160m and the WARC bands before and after the contest, and on the bands 160-10m during the
WPX. They will be looking out for the weak ones and especially the mobiles. A special call sign has been requested for this event. QSL via W2RZS for direct replies, and the bureau. [NG3K]

21/05/2008: Bob, K0OK will be active May 21-28th as VP5/K0OK from Providenciales Island [aka Provo] (NA-002). He will also participate in the CQ WPX CW Contest (May 24-25th) using the call sign VP5E. Outside the contest look for activity on all bands. QSL VP5/K0OK via home call, direct (Robert D Novak, 26502 Esteban Mission, Viejo, CA 92692-3355 USA) or LoTW. QSL VP5E via K0OK either direct, bureau or LoTW. [RSGB IOTA]

23/05/2008: Mike, DF3IS will be active May 23-28th from Thasos Island (EU-174, MIA MG-124, WLOTA LH-4186 [Nisos Thasos]), Greece, using the call sign J48IS. He will also participate in the CQWW WPX CW Contest (May 24-25th) using the same call. QSL via his home call, direct or bureau - NO E-QSL !!! [NG3K]

26/07/2008: Look for Jon, M0OVL/p to be active July 26-27th from Holy Island/Lindisfarne (EU-120) for the RSGB IOTA Contest. QSL via home call, direct or by the RSGB bureau. [RSGB IOTA]

06/09/2008: Tom, DL4VM will be active as OZ/DL4VM from Rømø Island (EU-125, NS-001 for the Danish Islands Award) between September 6th and 20th. He will work only QRP 5 watts and only CW on 40m, 20m and 15m and perhaps 10m and 6m depending on conditions. QSL via home call, direct (Thomas Scheliga, Stockenbruch 12, 66119 Saarbr, Germany) or by the bureau. [RSGB IOTA]

===========================================

SPECIAL EVENTS -

01/01/2008: Nike Hercules Memorial Year - The last symbol of Cold War left the launcher of an Italian Air Force base last November 24th 2006. Nike Hercules missile system was a Silent Guardian of the European N.A.T.O. skys and some Asian States for the all the second half of the last Century. Special event station II3NIK will be aired January, 1st 2008 until June, 30th 2008 to commemorate this event. QRV on 80m, 40m, 30m and 20m bands, using SSB, CW and PSK31 modes. All the contacts made with the II3NIK special event station will be confirmed via bureau or via direct to the address manager: IZ3JJD Andrea Zecchinato, Vicolo Gorizia 1/A, 35020 Albignasego (PD), ITALY. More information and photos at: http://www.iz3jjd.eu/I%20I%203%20N%20I%20K.htm [IZ3JJD]

01/01/2008: The Belgian Air Force Amateur Radio Association (BAFARA) celebrates its 40th anniversary and will activate the special call sign ON40BAF during 2008. QSL via ON6KN, direct or via bureau. [DXNL]

01/02/2008: Special event station 8J8SSF will be aired February 1-11th to celebrate the 60th Sapporo Snow Festival. The Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo Yuki Matsuri) is held during one week every February in Hokkaido's capital Sapporo. The festival is best known for the ice sculpture competition attracting artists from around the world, competing to create the largest and most elaborate artworks from ice and snow. QSL via the JARL bureau. [JJ1WTL/AC6IM]

09/02/2008: The Swedish Heathkit Club, SK7XN located in Huskvarna, Sweden, will be QRV February 9th (0700z-1800z) for Heathkit Activity Day and to celebrate the birth of Howard Anthony. Look for activity on 3.540, 3.700, 14.040 and 14.287 MHz. A special QSL card will be
available by sending a direct request to: Swedish Heathkit Club, Mats Gunnarsson, Baldersgatan 6, Ljungby SE-341 33, SWEDEN. The Swedish Heathkit Club web site can be found at: http://www.heathkit.se/ [SK7XN]

18/02/2008: The Blue Mountains Amateur Radio Club is celebrating its 50th birthday in January 2008. The original club was formed as the 'Blue Mountains Radio Club' in 1958, by the late Bill Moore after the disastrous bushfires that raged through the Blue Mountains in November and December of 1957. Bill held the callsign VK2HZ. By request, VK2HZ was adopted by the current Blue Mountains Amateur Radio Club Inc after Bill became a silent key. It was 1974 when the club became 'The Blue Mountains Amateur Radio Club'. The current club still has 3 members who were members of the original club. A special call sign to commemorate the 50 years has also been allocated by the ACMA. The call sign is VI2BMARC50 and will only be valid for 10 days from January 18th to January 28th 2008. A special QSL card will be available for all stations contacting VI2BMARC50. Further information can be found at http://www.bmarc.org/ [Southgate ARC]

15/05/2008: On the occasion of the European soccer competition 2008, special event stations OE2008A-Z and HB2008A-Z will be QRV May 15th up to June 30th. A relevant award is also available for working these stations. For more information visit: www.uska.ch/ [UBA HF News]

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

===========================================

LIGHTHOUSE CALENDAR -

10/01-21/01 J5C: Bubaque Island WLOTA LH-1146 QSL F5TVG (d/b)
12/01-24/01 OE3GEA/J3: Grenada Island WLOTA LH-0718 QSL H/C (d/b)
13/01-24/01 5H1CM: Zanzibar Island WLOTA LH-1080 QSL DL7CM (d/b)
14/01-26/01 EA8/OZ7FOC: Isla de Tenerife WLOTA LH-1276 QSL H/C (d/b)
14/01-16/01 FJ/W6IZT: Saint Barthelemy WLOTA LH-0377 QSL H/C (d/b)
17/01-20/01 VK7AAP/3: Australia (Main) WLOTA LH-1520 QSL IK1PMR (d)
17/01-20/01 VK7CLA/3: Australia (Main) WLOTA LH-1520 QSL IK1PMR (d)
18/01-21/01 HL5YI/4: Sorok To WLOTA LH-1252 QSL H/C (d/b)
18/01-24/01 JW6RHA: Spitsbergen Island WLOTA LH-0125 QSL LA6RHA (d/b)

===========================================

J5C Diary -

Dakar, today (January 10th), 1800 utc from Frank, F4AJQ via Serge, F6AML and John, F5VHQ via Pilot Bruno, F5AGB.

All is OK at the sunset landing in Dakar.

At the Dakar Airport Murielle and Daniel, 6W7RP, made a big surprise by welcoming the crew members for their first steps 2008 in Africa.

During the flight, the crew members have been divided in little teams who were each assigned their instructions for setting up the gear.

All of them know what they will have to do and to each one tomorrow.

This being the case the schedule for the first signals is maintained, late in the evening, but maybe we will have a good surprise around the Bubaque sunset.

More than ever have a look on the DX clusters

More info and pictures to follow.

Maurice, F5NQL, Internet Communications Officer for J5C.

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TI9K - COCOS ISLAND - UPDATE

We started planning with one generator and 3 radio stations. But too many hams are waiting for a contact with Cocos Island. Now we'll have 7 stations plus one EME-station on air. Now we have 4 generators. But the costs are growing, too. Experienced hams, who worked on the radio on Scarboroughreef or Heard Island join the team. Please consider to support our team." Andy EA2CRX/DH8WR, teamleader. Full details at: http://www.ti9.eu.com/

TI9K will be QRV from Coco's island (NA-012) starting from 04/02/2008 up to 16/02/2008, all bands and modes. QSL via the bureau to EA2CRX. [UBA HF News]

===========================================

CCF PileUP! - read about about OH's on Saint Barthelemy - Words and pictures of Martti and Olli on St. Barthelemy: http://www.helsinki.fi/~korpela/PU/PU4_2007.pdf [AD1C]

===========================================

On-line logs for OC6I Isla La Leona SA-098 December 29-30, 2007 and OC1I Isla Lobos de Tierra SA-076 January 2-7, 2008 activations can be found at http://dx.qsl.net/logs/index.html
On-line log search for TO5FJ, St. Barthelemy, can be found at http://www.f6exv.org/LOG_ONLINE/ [K4HB]

CLIPPERTON 2008 - The website of the next Clipperton DXpedition 2008, is now available both in English and French languages at http://www.clipperton2008.org/ [F5NQL]

From Rafik, F5CQ his QSL manager - Freddy FO5RU is finally active until January 21st 2008, and hopes to be back home on January 25th. He's preparing his QSL card project, and the first batch of QSL cards is expected as soon as possible. Allow some time for the ending of the
project designing and printing. This weekend Rafik expects a new log update, to be uploaded at
http://www.f5cq.net/dxp/2007-FO5RU/searchlog_fo5ru.php. Freddy regrets so few European stations in his log. [F5NQL]

Marquesas FO - "Fellows: 0820 UTC, Thursday! Just got a message from FO that one station is now QRV on 40M CW with R8 hoisted in the dark. More power at their day break! Martti, OH2BH, Pilote" The log will soon be put online at:
http://sm0w.com/marquesas/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=3
[F5NQL]

===========================================

Antarctic Activities Week
(http://www.waponline.it/Default.aspx?tabid=113)

Between February 18-24th will happen the 5th Antartic Activity Week (AAW). A lot of special call signs have been announced. Among them -

FRANCE - Look for Jean-Claude, F5IL to be active as TM5ICE (WAP-127) from February 15-19th, from his QTH in the Eure department/27 (Normandy). Mainly on digital modes, RTTY & PSK31. Active also in CW, for the DDFM award hunters, and a little SSB. QSL via F5IL, direct (sae + postage) or via the REF-Union-bureau.


FRANCE - TM8ANT (WAP-14) by François, F8DVD in HF, CW/SSB. QSL via F8DVD, direct (sae+postage) or via the REF-Union-bureau.

Other callsigns announced today January 10th 2008:

VA2WAP WAP-109 by VE3LHP - QSL via VE3LHP
VA3WAP WAP-111 by VA3NQ - QSL via VA3NQ
IR1ANT WAP-02 by I1HYW - QSL via I1HYW
UE6ANT WAP-24 by UA6GG (UA6HPR) - QSL via UA6HPR
IU8ANT WAP-44 by I8QJU - QSL via I8QJU
IO4WAP WAP-124 by IK4QIB - QSL via IK4QIB
OE3HM/AAW WAP-125 by OE3HM - QSL via OE3HM
OE3AGA/AAW WAP-126 by OE3AGA - QSL via OE3AGA
OE3WWB/AAW WAP-85 by OE3WWB - QSL via OE3WWB
OE3RPB/AAW WAP-86 by OE3RPB - QSL via OE3RPB
OE3KTA/AAW WAP-87 by OE3KTA - QSL via OE3KTA
OE3KKA/AAW WAP-88 by OE3KKA - QSL via OE3KKA
OE3AIS/AAW WAP-89 by OE3AIS - QSL via OE3AIS
OE3SGA/AAW WAP-90 by OE3SGA - QSL via OE3SGA
HB9ICE WAP-81 by HB9BHY @ Swissair Radio Club - QSL via HB9BHY
VA7AAW WAP-70 by VE7IG - QSL via VE7IG
DA0ANT WAP-128 by DC2SF - QSL via DC2SF
IR1AAW WAP-129 by IW1CYZ - QSL via IW1CYZ
IR2WAP WAP-130 by IK2FIQ - QSL via IK2FIQ
II3ANT WAP-131 by IZ3DBA (CW only) - QSL via IZ3DBA
N5T/ANT WAP-91 by W5BOS - QSL via W5BOS
IO0ANT WAP-35 by I0YKN - QSL via I0YKN
II2EFA WAP-132 by Italian Air Force & ARI Gallarate - QSL via IW2MNO
K4A WAP-73 by K6EID - QSL via K6EID
GB0ANT WAP-72 by M0OXO - QSL via M3ZYZ
IP0ANT WAP-136 by IZ0HAM - QSL via IZ0HAM
GB4IPY WAP-98 by M0OXO - QSL via M3ZYZ
AO1WAP WAP-137 by EA1CUB, EA1WX, EC1AIJ, EC1KV, EB1BOA, EA1EEY, EA1AST,
EA1GHT, EA1AUM - QSL via EA1CS
II1ANT WAP-032 by IZ1JJE, IZ1HKE, IZ1FHF, IZ1GJK, IW1QN [F5NQL]

===========================================

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

===========================================

This Weekend on Ham Radio 12-13 Jan 2008

The North American CW QSO Party, HuntingLions in the Air Contest, 070 Club PSKFest, NCCC CW Sprint, MI QRPJanuary CW Contest, Midwinter CW Contest, NRAU-Baltic CW Contest,Midwinter Phone Contest, NRAU-Baltic SSB Contest and the DARC10-Meter Contest will certainly keep contesters busy this weekend.

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.

ARLP002 Propagation de K7RA

We just saw eight days of sunspots, but now the solar disk is spot-free. The big story this week is the sighting of the first spot of sunspot Cycle 24. The sunspot has now faded away, but a new spot is emerging near the solar equator, and it has the same polarity as the Cycle 24 spot last week. This is odd, because the spots from the new cycle should emerge at high latitudes, like last week's did.

News reports this week said Cycle 24 has begun, but actually Cycle 23 hasn't ended yet. Cycle 24 spots should gradually increase in number, while Cycle 23 spots fade away. Some time around solar minimum we should see the count of Cycle 24 spots equal, and then outnumber Cycle 23 spots. I believe that is really the start of the next cycle, when we begin to see more Cycle 24 spots emerging than Cycle 23 spots.

Average sunspot numbers this week were nearly 10 points above last week's average, at 13.3. Unsettled geomagnetic conditions were observed on January 5-8. Last week the prediction for solar flux for earlier this week looked optimistic. Go to
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/forecasts/45DF.html and click on the December 30 forecast.

Note the prediction for solar flux of 85 for January 4-11. Then click back, and look at December 31. On that day it predicted a solar flux of 90 for January 5-7. The January 1 prediction is even higher at solar flux 95 for January 7-8. The next day, January 2 shows flux at 95 for January 7-9. January 3 is less optimistic, with flux peaking at 90 for January 9-11, although some of the dates are mislabeled. January 4 shows flux peaking for one day, January 6, at 85. None of those predictions came to pass, and solar flux was actually below 80 the entire week.

NOAA and the Air Force predict planetary A index values for January 11-17 at 5, 5, 15, 15, 10, 12 and 10. If you want an updated forecast after 2100z today, use the URL above and go to the January 10 forecast (if January 11 isn't shown yet). Then change a series of characters in the URL from 011045DF.txt to 011145DF.txt, and hit the Enter key. You should see an updated forecast for solar flux and planetary A index before the link appears on the main page.

Australia's IPS Radio and Space Services released a warning for a geomagnetic disturbance caused by a high speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole for January 13-14. This is reflected in the forecast in the previous paragraph, calling for a planetary A index of 15 for both those days. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet conditions January 11-12, quiet to unsettled January 13, active conditions January 14, unsettled to active January 15, and unsettled conditions January 16-17.

For HF radio propagation, we would generally like to see sunspot numbers high, and A index geomagnetic readings low.

Last week Randy Crews, W7TJ reported excellent short path propagation to Europe on 160 and 80 meters on the night of January 3. Bob Culbertson, WA3YGQ of Cranberry, Pennsylvania said 80 meter propagation to Europe was the best he ever heard, with signals 20 db over S9. At 1230z he could hear Japan quiet strongly.

But Ken Gordon, W7EKB of Moscow, Idaho runs regional message traffic on 80 meters, and reported that the same night he experienced terrible conditions on 80 meters. Ken was net control for the RN7 net on 3560 kHz at 0330z and again at 0530z, and he could hardly hear anyone. But stations sitting at 800 miles and beyond were booming in. Lately he's had an experience earlier in the evening on a net at 0030z on 3910 kHz in which signals from Montana are readable, but 10-15 minutes later they fade away and signals from the West Coast come in quite strong. The skip seems to be going long.

Jon Jones, N0JK of Wichita, Kansas sent comments regarding 10 meter Winter E-skip. He noted a number of strong E-skip openings on Saturday night in December's 10 Meter Contest. He made many contacts running QRP into a 6-meter loop.

Jon said he agrees with Bill Van Alstyne, W5WVO of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, that "most of the winter E-skip occurs during late afternoon and early evening hours. Summer E-skip tends to occur more frequently in the mid-morning hours, with a secondary peak in the evening." He wonders why Winter and off-season E-skip is more likely in the evening, but Summer E-skip seems more frequent in the morning?

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 January 3 through 9 were 13, 26, 12, 12, 14, 16 and 0 with a mean of 13.3. 10.7 cm flux was 79.3, 79, 79.7, 79.2, 77.7, 75.5, and 76.5 with a mean of 78.1. Estimated planetary A indices were 1, 2, 18, 13, 12, 13 and 6 with a mean of 9.3. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 1, 2, 13, 12, 10, 11 and 6, with a mean of 7.9.

Terrorist Threat Against the Eiffel Tower Monitored via Shortwave

NAT MWARA Graphic courtesy of Risto Hirvonen.

Reuters and the Associated Press are reporting on Friday that a threat against the Eiffel Tower in Paris has been intercepted by Portuguese Air Traffic Control authorities.

An unnamed source quoted by both news agencies said the vague threat was monitored on Thursday via an unidentified shortwave radio frequency. "It is true we intercepted a conversation with terrorist threats to the Eiffel Tower yesterday," the source, who asked not to be named. "Our air force informed the French air force of this matter."

The French daily Le Monde reported on Friday that the French intelligence services were tracking the authors of the threatening message.

Unfortunately, neither the AP or Reuters passed along what frequency in the shortwave spectrum this incident occurred on. Given what information we have from all sources our best guess here in the Monitoring Post is the intercept probably occurred on one of the NAT MWARA Aero frequencies from Santa Maria, Azores. Santa Maria is part of the NAT-A/E MWARA family of frequencies. You can get complete information on the NAT MWARA freqs and more on this blog on the link below.

http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2006/08/uk-thwarts-massive-terror-plot-north.html.

If you have any additional information on this event, please contact us at the email address in the masthead. Anonymity is guaranteed.

Solar Cycle 24 Begins

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Production Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

Jan. 10, 2008: Hang on to your cell phone, a new solar cycle has just begun.

"On January 4, 2008, a reversed-polarity sunspot appeared—and this signals the start of Solar Cycle 24," says David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Above: Images of the first sunspot of Solar Cycle 24 taken by the NASA/ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

Solar activity waxes and wanes in 11-year cycles. Lately, we've been experiencing the low ebb, "very few flares, sunspots, or activity of any kind," says Hathaway. "Solar minimum is upon us."

The previous solar cycle, Solar Cycle 23, peaked in 2000-2002 with many furious solar storms. That cycle decayed as usual to the present quiet leaving solar physicists little to do other than wonder, when would the next cycle begin?

The answer is 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 sunspot that appeared on January 4th fits both these criteria. It was high latitude (30 degrees N) and magnetically reversed. NOAA named the spot AR10981, or "sunspot 981" for short.

Sunspot 981 was small--only about as wide as Earth, which counts as small on the grand scale of the sun--and it has already faded away. But its three day appearance on Jan. 4-6 was enough to convince most solar physicists that Solar Cycle 24 is underway.

Doug Biesecker of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, likens sunspot 981 "to the first robin of spring. There's still snow on the ground, but the seasons are changing." Last year, Biesecker chaired the Solar Cycle 24 Prediction Panel, an international group of experts from many universities and government agencies. "We predicted that Solar Cycle 24 would begin around March 2008 and it looks like we weren't far off," he says.

Right: The first auroras of the new solar cycle, photographed Jan. 4, 2008, by Calvin Hall of Palmer, Alaska. [more]

The onset of a new solar cycle is significant because of our increasingly space-based technological society.

"Solar storms can disable satellites that we depend on for weather forecasts and GPS navigation," says Hathaway. Radio bursts from solar flares can directly interfere with cell phone reception while coronal mass ejections (CMEs) hitting Earth can cause electrical power outages. "The most famous example is the Quebec outage of 1989, which left some Canadians without power for as much as six days."

Air travel can be affected, too.

Every year, intercontinental flights carry thousands of passengers over Earth’s poles. It's the shortest distance between, say, New York and Tokyo or Beijing and Chicago. In 1999, United Airlines made just twelve trips over the Arctic. By 2005, the number of flights had ballooned to 1,402. Other airlines report similar growth.

Solar storms have a big effect on polar regions of our planet," says Steve Hill of the Space Weather Prediction Center. "When airplanes fly over the poles during solar storms, they can experience radio blackouts, navigation errors and computer reboots all caused by space radiation." Avoiding the poles during solar storms solves the problem, but it costs extra time, money and fuel to "take the long way around."

Now for the good news: More solar storms also means more auroras—"the greatest show on Earth." During the last solar maximum, Northern Lights were spotted as far south as Arizona, Florida and California. Not so long ago, only visitors to the Arctic regularly enjoyed auroras, but with increasing attention to space weather and constantly improving forecasts, millions of people at all latitudes will know when to go out and look.



Much of this is still years away. "Intense solar activity won't begin immediately," notes Hathaway. "Solar cycles usually take a few years to build from solar minimum (where we are now) to Solar Max, expected in 2011 or 2012."

It's a slow journey, but we're on our way.

More Information

Strange but True: While Solar Cycle 24 has begun, Solar Cycle 23 has not ended. Both cycles will coexist for a period of time, perhaps a year or more, as one dies down and the other comes to life. In the months ahead we may see old-cycle sunspots and new-cycle sunspots on the sun at the same time.

NASA is gearing up to study the active sun during Cycle 24 with the launch of a new spacecraft, the Solar Dynamics Observatory. "SDO is a very special observatory," says project scientist Dean Pesnell at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "Using a technique called helioseismic imaging, the spacecraft will be able to look inside the sun where solar activity begins. SDO will join SOHO, STEREO, Hinode and other missions already in orbit to improve our understanding of solar storms and lay the groundwork for better space weather forecasts."

Has Solar Cycle 24 started? Looks like it has!!

Space Weather News for Jan. 4, 2008
http://spaceweather.com



Solar physicists have been waiting for the appearance of a reversed-polarity sunspot to signal the start of the next solar cycle. The wait is over. A magnetically reversed, high-latitude sunspot emerged today. This marks the beginning of Solar Cycle 24 and the first step toward a new solar maximum. Intense solar activity won't begin right away. Solar cycles usually take a few years to build from solar minimum (where we are now) to Solar Max (expected in 2011 or 2012). It's a slow journey, but we're on our way!