Islands, Castles & Portable Ops 11/15/2007 Bulletin

I.C.P.O. (Islands, Castles & Portable Operations)
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15/11/2007: Gerben, PG5M will be active either as 9M2/PG5M/6 or with a 9M6 call sign of his own from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah [aka Borneo] (OC-088, WLOTA LH-0119), East Malaysia, November 15-18th. He plans to operate CW only on 10-40 metres with a beam for 10, 15, 20 and 40 meters, and a G5RV for the other bands. QSL via PG5M, direct or bureau. His website is at www.dx.to/ [425 DX News]

15/11/2007: Wayne, W5KDJ will be QRV as C91KDJ from 50km north of Maputo (WW Loc. KG64IK), Mozambique, between November 15th and 28th. Activity will be mostly CW and possibly RTTY, with emphasis on 160 and 80 metres. He uses splits of 15 kHz up, listens on the outer edges most of the time (15 up: -.5 down and 15 up: +3.). Online log will be available after the DXpedition. QSL direct with SASE to W5KDJ. Further information at: www.tdxs.net/c91kdj.html [W5KDJ]

15/11/2007: Ann/KP2YL and Brian/KP2HC have relocated to California, but will visit the island of St. Croix (NA-106, WLOTA LH-2477), November 15-23rd. They will be QRV on HF SSB and CW throughout their stay. Brian will monitor 6m and take full advantage of any openings on that band. Ann will take part in a Multi-Op effort for the ARRL November Sweepstakes Phone from the NP2B contest station. QSL KP2YL and KP2HC direct only via their California address. QSL NP2B via NP2B. [425 DX News]

15/11/2007: Operators Jörn/DG5XJ, Bernd/DH1ND and Jürgen/DJ5HD will be active November 15-28th as PJ7/homecalls from the island of Sint Maarten (NA-105) and as FS/homecalls from the island of St. Martin (NA-105, WLOTA LH-0383). Look for activity on all bands and modes. QSL via home calls, direct or bureau. Further info can be found at: www.dg5xj.de/dg5xjpj7.htm [RSGB IOTA]

15/11/2007: Oleg, RA4ST will be active November 15-17th as RA4ST/p from District MR-03 (Koz'moden'jansk City), Republic of Marij-El (MR). QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [RX3RC]

16/11/2007: Pekka, OH2YY to be QRV from Mauritius Island (AF-049) as 3B8/OH2YY, November 16-22nd. Look for him on be on 40-10m SSB, using 100w with vertical and dipole antennas. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [NG3K]

16/11/2007: A Dxpedition to Socorro Island (NA-030, WLOTA LH-2941, WW Loc. DK48MS), Revillagigedo (XF4) by the Federacion Mexicana de Radio Experimentadores, A.C. will take place between November 16th and December 16th, using the call signs 6E4LM, XF4YK and XF4YW. This expedition is to celebrate the 75th anniversary of FMRE. Their first stop will be Clarion Island (NA-115) where they will operate for 24 hours starting November 16th, then they will travel to Socorro Island where they will be QRV for one onth. Team members include Carlos/XE1YK, Manuel/XE1VVD, Eduardo/XE2YW and Daniel/XE3RBA. They will be QRV 160-10m plus 50 MHz-144 MHz-430 MHz and satellite activity using SSB, CW, and digital modes. The operators will focus on 160m and 6m, where they feel XF4 is most needed. QSL direct to XE2K (Jose Hector Garcia M., P. O. Box 73, El Centro, CA., 92244-0073, USA). QSL XF4YK via XE1YK (QRZ.com) and QSL XF4YW via XE2YW (QRZ.com). Logs will be uploaded to LoTW after all direct QSLs have been sent. Further information can be found at: www.6e4lm.xedx.org/ [FMRE]

17/11/2007: Look for Bruno, F4FIU/p to be active November 17th from the Mill of Bousignies sur Roc (DMF 59-057), Department Nord/59, Province Nord Pas de Calais (DPF 16). He plans to be QRV on 80 and 40 metres. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [Radioamateur.org]

17/11/2007: François/F5JNE and Gilles/F4FGJ will be QRV November 17th as F5JNE/p from the Castle of La Motte (DFCF 45-043), city of Châreaurenard (CP 45200) and county of Chateaurenard (DDCF 45-07), Department Loiret/45, Province Centre. As usually, starting around 0700 UTC, on 80 then 40m, both CW and SSB. Bureau cards preferred and SWL cards welcome. [F5NQL]

17/11/2007: Some members of the Beziers ARC (F6KEH) will be QRV November 17th from the XVII century built Castle of Bassan (DFCF 34-040), located in the City of Bassan (CP 34290), Canton [County] of Beziers (2nd) (DDCF 34-05), Department Hérault/34 and Province of Languedoc-Rousillon (DPF 12). QSL via F6KEH, direct or bureau. [F5NQL]

17/11/2007: Operators JA6RGJ/6, JK6IIS/6 and JO6RGZ/6 will be active November 17-18th from Muku Island (AS-012, JIIA AS-012-034), JA6 Kyushu Coastal Island Group, on the HF bands using SSB and CW. QSL via their home calls, direct or bureau. January 1 to December 31, 2007 is Japanese IOTA Islands Award "Activity Year". JIIA Award (http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~iota/newpage61.htm). [JI6KVR]

17/11/2007: Rosel/DL3KWR and Hardy/DL3KWF will be active as MD/DL3KWR and MD/DL3KWF from the Isle of Man (EU-116, WLOTA LH-0449), November 17-30th. They plan to operate mostly CW (CQWW DX CW Contest included) and on 12, 17 and 30 metres. Hardy will also try to operate RTTY and PSK31. QSL via home calls, direct or bureau (e-mail requests for bureau cards can be sent to dl3kwr-at-darc.de). Their web page is at www.mydarc.de/dl3kwr/ [425 DX News]

17/11/2007: Starting November 17, 2007 up to March 2008, all Belgian SOTA references on several bands and modes (always QRP) will be activated by the team of Nick/ON3DSN, Johan/ON3IWB, Ed/ON4EDM, Paul/ON6AW, Luc/ON6DSL and ONL Jeroen as homecall/p. The teams schedule is as follows: November 17th from Signal de Botrange summit (SOTA ON-001), November 17th from Baraque Michel summit (SOTA ON-002), November 24th from Massif de Saint-Hubert summit (SOTA ON-004), December 1st from Baraque de Fraiture summit (SOTA ON-003), December 9th from Recogne-Bastogne summit (SOTA ON-005), January 26, 2008 from Preusswald summit (SOTA ON-007), February 2, 2008 from Croix Scaille summit (SOTA ON-006) and March 8, 2008 from Kemmelberg summit (SOTA ON-008). ON4EDM/p will be QRV 144300 kHz SSB, 145475 kHz FM. ON3IWB/p will be QRV 14070, 7035 kHz digital modes. ON3DSN/p, ON6AW/p and ON6DSL/p will be QRV
14285, 7090 kHz SSB. QSL via operator's instructions. [UBA HF News]

17/11/2007: Operators Roger/W7VV, Ralph/VE7XF, Harry/K7LAZ and Jim/K7WA (FISTS #13341) will be active as VP5/homecall from VP5JM's "Hamlet" on Providenciales (Provo) Island, Caicos Islands (NA-002), between November 17th and 30th, including a Multi-Two entry in the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as VP5W. QSL VP5W via W7TSQ. QSL others via their home call. [NG3K]

17/11/2007: Members of the Cherokee County DX Society, namely Doug/KI4PAU, Kenney/KF4HUD, Phil/K4PBW and Bob/KI4BDM will be active November 17th, using the club call W4CDX, from Godfrey's Island (USi AL-009L, WW Loc. EM74FE), located in Weiss Lake, Cherokee County, State of Alabama. Activity is planned for 40, 20, 17 and 10 metres. QSL via W4CDX (CBA). [USi]

18/11/2007: Ray, ND6S has planned a vacation operation to Treasure Cay Villa 415, Bahamas (NA-080), from November 18th to December 1st. He will use the call sign C6AGY and will also participate in the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th), as a Single-Op/All-Band or Single-Op/Single-Band (15m) entry. QSL via ND6S. [NG3K]

18/11/2007: Fred, KE7X will be signing C6AKX from Eleuthera Island (NA-001), Bahamas, November 18-26th. Look for him mainly on 160-20 metres. He will also participate in the CQ WW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as a Single-Op/Single-Band(20m)/Low-Power entry. QSL via WA4WTG. [NG3K]

18/11/2007: Kenny, K2KW will be QRV November 18-26th from the Bahamas as C6ATA, including a Single-Op/Single-Band/Low-Power (40m) entry in the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th). Outside of the contest he will be active on 30-160m, mostly CW. QSL via home call. [NG3K]

18/11/2007: Osamu, JR8VSE will be QRV November 18-21st from Koror, Palau Islands (OC-009) and will be active as T88SE using CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK31 and SSTV on all bands. QSL via JR8VSE, direct or by the JARL bureau. [NG3K]

18/11/2007: Bernd/VK2IA (VK9AA) and Jan/DJ8NK (VK9CCC) will operate from Cocos Keeling (OC-003) during November 18-26th. Actvity will be on 160-10m CW, SSB and RTTY. VK9AA will be active in CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) with QSL via DL8YR. VK9CCC via DJ8NK. [NG3K]

18/11/2007: Hotang, YC0IEM will be active from Bangka Island (OC-144, WLOTA LH-1308) as YC0IEM/4 between November 18th and December 5th. QSL VIA IZ8CWW, direct or bureau. [4X4-2238]

18/11/2007: Jean Michel, F5PRR/p will be active November 18th from the Fort du pas de la Masque (DFCF 83-117), Toulon 4th county (DDCF 83-30, CP 83000), Department Var/83, Province Cote d'Azur (DPF 20). QRV on 80 and 40 metres. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [F5PRR]

19/11/2007: Look for Alex, GM0DHZ to be QRV from the 3V8SS station in Tunisia between November 19th and December 24th. Expect activity on all bands/modes. QSL direct to GM0DHZ for this operation only. [NG3K]

19/11/2007: Jacques, F6BEE will be active from Senegal as 6W1RW between November 19-25th, CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) included as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. Look for Jacques to be active on all bands prior to the contest. QSL via his home call. [NG3K]

19/11/2007: Jim, W7EJ will be active from Casablanca, Morocco, as CN2R starting around November 19th and plans to be active in the CQ World Wide DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as a Single-Op/Single-Band (160m) entry. QSL via W7EJ. [OPDX]

19/11/2007: Operators Tom/K3WT, Vlad/N0STL, Bill/W0OR and Ron/N0AT will be QRV November 19-27th from San Andres Island (NA-033, WLOTA LH-2990) as HK0/homecall. They will also participate in the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as 5J0A, a Multi-Single entry. QSL 5J0A via W0JAR and QSL others via home call, direct or by the W0 QSL bureau. [NG3K]

20/11/2007: Operators Rudi/DF8AE, Burkhard/DF8XC, Georg/DK5QN, Dirk/DL1YDI and Pete/DL1YAW will be QRV November 20-27th from Vendsyssel-Thy/Nordjylland (EU-171, NJ-001 for the Danish Islands Award). They will use the call sign 5P3WW, with 3 stations operating CW, SSB and digital modes. Look for them in the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as a Multi-Two entry. QSL via DL1YAW, direct (CBA) or by the bureau. [RSGB IOTA]

20/11/2007: John/K3TEJ and Ted/K3VA will be active as KP2/homecall from the U.S. Virgin Islands (NA-106) between November 20-27th, including a Multi-Two entry in the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as KP2M. QSL KP2/K3TEJ and KP2/K3VA via their home calls. QSL KP2M via AI4U. [NG3K]

20/11/2007: Operators Geoff/W0CG, Jeff/K8ND, Jim/W0NB, Jim/W8WTS, Gerry/G0RTN and others will be QRV as PJ2/homecall from Signal Point, Curacao (SA-006, WLOTA LH-0942), November 20-26th. Their main goal is the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th), as a Multi-Two entry using the call PJ2T. QSL PJ2T via N9AG. QSL others via their home calls. Operators Jeff/K8ND and Jim/W8WTS will stay on until December 3rd. [CCC]

20/11/2007: Operators Jeff/KU8E, John/K4BAI and Larry/K5OT will be active from the island of Bonaire (SA-006, WLOTA LH-1279) as PJ4/homecall between November 20-27th. They also plan to enter the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th), as a Multi-Single entry, using the call sign PJ4A. QSL via K4BAI. [NG3K]

20/11/2007: Tomas, VK2CCC will be active November 20-27th as VK9Lxx (to be confirmed) from Lord Howe Island (OC-004), CQWW DX CW Contest included. Focus will be on the low bands, mainly CW. QSL via LoTW or via LY1F (QRZ.com). [NG3K]

20/11/2007: Operators Larry/K3VX, Greg/K4NO, Lee/K7NM, Howard/AK9F, Don/K9NR and Carl/K9CS (VP2MSC) plan to be active from the island of Montserrat (NA-103) between November 20th and December 3rd. Activity will include entries in the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) and ARRL 160 Contests (November 30th-December 2nd). Call signs and other info will be forthcoming. QSL via K9CS. [OPDX]

20/11/2007: As the Iraqi government has reopened the amateur radio service as of November 20th, I'd like to annouce the following operation: Scott, AD7MI/YI9MI will be active November 20, 2007 to May 15, 2008 from US Army Camp Taji, Iraq, using the call YI9MI. QRV 80-10m using SSB, CW, PSK-31 and RTTY. QSL via the Bureau to AD7MI or QSL direct: MAJ Scott Hedberg 3 BN, 2 BDE, 9 DIV MiTT, TAJI, IRAQ, APO, AE 09378, USA. [NG3K]

21/11/2007: The VooDoo Contest Group previously announced that its project for the 2007 CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) will be in 3X, Guinea. This is our 14th straight year operating from various countries in West Africa in the Multi-Multi category of the contest. They will mount seven 1KW stations with monoband antennas for all six bands right beside the Atlantic ocean in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. The call-sign they have been allocated is 3XY5D. The group still hopes to secure a shorter call but this is now the most likely to be used in the contest. They also have a VHF licence for 2mtr EME: 3XT1 (3X tango one with no suffix). QSL 3XY5D via G3SXW. Look for the team to be QRV a few days before and after the contest. All logs will be uploaded to LoTW soon after their return home. More information at: www.voodoocontestgroup.com/. This is one of the groups more daring DXpeditions. They face the possible risk of civil unrest, washed-out roads and banditry, not to mention zero sunspots! [G3SXW]

21/11/2007: Nick, G3RWF will be in Kampala, Uganda from November 21-30th using the call sign 5X1NH. He will be operating from the station of 5X1GS, including the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as a Single-Op/Low-Power entry. This is a solo dedicated DX outing with a short safari to the Mountains of the Moon after the contest. Nick will also travel to Western Uganda and will do some "spare time" portable work on the low and WARC bands using CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK. QSL via home call (Nick Henwood, Conifers, Church Rd, Littlebourne, Canterbury CT3 1UA, England). [NG3K]

21/11/2007: Rich/K2WR, Dick/GU4CHY and possibly others will be active from the isle of Jersey (EU-013, WLOTA LH-0818) as MJ0AWR and GJ4CHY respectively, including a Multi-Single or Multi-Two entry in the CQWW DX CW Contest using the call GJ2A. QSL GJ2A via K2WR or GJ3DVC. For pre-contest activity QSL MJ0AWR via K2WR and GJ4CHY via GU4CHY. [NG3K]

21/11/2007: Look for Dave, G3TBK to be QRV November 21-29th from the island of St. Vincent (NA-109, WLOTA LH-0492) as J88DR, CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) included as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. Outside the contest he will be active on all bands, WARC included. QSL via G3TBK, direct or via the RSGB bureau. [NG3K]

21/11/2007: Hiro, JA6WFM will be operating as JF6YME/6 from Yoron Island [Yoron Shima] (AS-023, JIIA AS-023-013, WLOTA LH-0287), JA6 Amami Island Group, November 21-24th. Look for him on the HF bands using SSB, CW and RTTY. QSL via the JARL bureau. [JI6KVR]

21/11/2007: Nikolay, LZ1NK will be active as TA3/LZ1NK from the Bursa region of Asian Turkey between November 21-26th, including the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as a Single-Op/Single-Band (40m)/Low-Power entry using the call sign TC3A. Skeds OK before the contest. QSL via home call. [NG3K]

21/11/2007: Bud, AA3B, will be active as V26K from the island of Antigua (NA-100, WLOTA LH-1118) between November 21-26th. Activity will include the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/Low-Power entry. This will be an all CW operation on the contest HF bands only. Please QSL via AA3B. [OPDX]

21/11/2007: Mike, K9NW will be active from Nicaragua as H7/K9NW, November 21-28th, including a Single-Op/All-Band entry in the CQWW DX CW Contest. QSL via home call. [NG3K]
22/11/2007: Kei, JJ1RJR will be active as T88RJ from the Palau Islands (OC-009), November 22-26th, including a Single-Op/High-Power entry in the CQWW DX CW Contest. QSL direct to JJ1RJR. [NG3K]

22/11/2007: Jim, K1NA will be QRV as PJ5NA from St. Eustatius Island (NA-145, WLOTA LH-1851) from approximately November 22nd and 27th, including a Single-Op/All-Band entry in the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th). QSL via home call, SASE only. [NG3K]

22/11/2007: Esa, OH7WV will be signing T88WV from the Palau Islands (OC-009) from around November 22nd to November 27th, CQWW DX CW Contest included as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. Before and after the contest it will be casual operation only. QSL via OH7WV, direct or by the bureau. [NG3K]

22/11/2007: Jack, F6BUM will be active as XU7BUM from Cambodia from November 22nd to December 12th. He plans to operate only CW during his spare time. QSL via F6CXJ. [425 DX News]

22/11/2007: Look for Tony, KM0O to be active from Cambodia as XU7MWA between November 22-26th, including the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as a Single-Op/High-Power entry. QSL via home call. [NG3K]

23/11/2007: Yoshi, JK2VOC plans to be active as T88IW from Koror, Palau Islands (OC-009) between November 23-26th, including a Single-Op/All-Band entry in the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) using the call sign T88FY. Before and after the contest, Yoshi will be QRV on the WARC bands, and also satellite operation (VO-52, FO-29, AO-7, AO-51, AO-27). QSL T88IW via JF2IWW and QSL T88FY via JK2VOC [NG3K]

23/11/2007: Operators JA1OZK, JA1CGC, JA1OHP, JF1TAB, JH1FUD, JL1LOW, JQ2IQW and JK1DRM will be active from Australia (VK4) between November 23rd and 28th. The will participate in the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th) as VK4AHY, a Multi-? entry. Outside the contest they will be active using their personal home calls. QSL via the operators home call. QSL VK4AHY via JA1OZK. [NG3K]

23/11/2007: Juhani, OH3SR plans to be active holiday style as VP9/OH3SR from the island of Bermuda (NA-005, WLOTA LH-0201), November 23-27th, including a casual entry in the CQWW DX CW Contest as a Single-Op/Low-Power entry. Outside the contest Juhani will be QRV on all bands using SSB, CW and RTTY. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Look for Didier, FY5FY to be active from Kourou, French Guiana, in the upcoming CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th), as a Single-Op/All-Band/QRP entry. QSL via FY5FY, direct or bureau. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Look for Dan, HR2DMR to be QRV during the CQWW DX CW contest from Progreso, Honduras, as a Single-Op/Single-Band (160m)/Low-Power entry. He has a full set of sloper antennas for 160m. QSL via QRZ.com. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: John, KK9A will be QRV as P40A from Iguana Villa, island of Aruba (SA-036, WLOTA LH-0033), during the CQWW DX CW Contest (November 24-25th), as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL direct to Tim, WD9DZV, with sufficient postage/IRC and SAE. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Prasad, VU2PTT plans to be active from Bangalore, India, during the CQWW DX CW Contest, as a Single-Op/All-Band/Low-Power entry. QSL via the bureau, direct or LoTW. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Steve, G4EDG will be active as ZL4LW or ZL/G4EDG from the South Island (OC-134, WLOTA LH-0342), New Zealand, during the CQWW DX CW Contest. Notes: ZL4LW if the licence arrives in time, ZL/G4EDG if not. QSL via G4EDG. [NG3K]

LOOKING AHEAD

24/11/2007: Ismael, XE1AY will be active during the CQWW DX CW Contest from Manzanillo, Mexico, as 6H1AY. No operating category was given. QSL via XE1AY (P.O. Box 440, 28200 Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico). [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Jovica, T98A will be active from Senegal as 6W1SJ during the CQWW DX CW Contest as a Single-Op/Single-Band (40m)/Low-Power entry. QSL via T93Y, direct or bureau. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Stefano, IK2QEI plans to be QRV from Morocco as CN3A during the CQWW DX CW Contest, as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. QSL via I2WIJ. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Look for Luis, CO6LP to be active during the CQWW DX CW Contest as a Single-Op/Single-Band (80m) entry. He will be using a FT-80C at 100w, with dipole antenna at 10 metres above ground. Especially listening for EU on 3580-3590 MHz and Asia on 3505-3520 MHz. QSL direct only! [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Operators Lars/DF1LON, Adam/DJ0IF, Diethelm/DJ2YE, Falk/DK7YY and Stewart/GM4AFF will be QRV as CT9L from Santana, Ilha da Madeira (AF-014, DIP MA-001, WLOTA LH-0053) during the CQWW DX CW Contest, as a Multi-? entry. QSL via DJ6QT. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Toni, OH2UA will be active from Ponta Delgada, Ilha de Saõ Miguel (EU-003, DIP AZ-002, WLOTA LH-2016) as CU2A for the CQWW DX CW Contest, as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. QSL via OH2BH. Web site at: www.cu2a.com/ [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Look for Dej, E21YDP to be active from Thailand during the CQWW DX CW Contest as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL via QRZ.com. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Fred, K3ZO will be signing HS0ZAR from Thailand during the CQWW DX CW Contest, as a Single-Op/All-Band entry. QSL via K3ZO. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Cha, HS8KAY will be active during the CQWW DX CW Contest as a Single-Op/Single-Band (20m)/Low-Power entry, from Phuket Island (AS-053, WLOTA LH-0701), Thailand. QSL via QRZ.com. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Joel, KG6DX will be active during the CQWW DX CW Contest as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry, from Guam (OC-026, USi GU-003S, WLOTA LH-0064). QSL via QRZ.com. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Operators Tom/DL1QW, Juergen/DL4SDW, Bernd/DL8SCG, Philippe/LX2A and maybe others will be QRV from Luxembourg as LX7I during the CQWW DX CW Contest, as a Multi-Single entry. QSL via LX2A. [NG3K]

24/11/2007: Ozer, TA2RC will be active from Turkey during the CQWW DX CW Contest as a Single-Op/Single-Band (160m)/Low-Power entry. QSL TA2RC direct or by the bureau. [NG3K]

30/11/2007: Rick, K6VVA will be going back to Revillagigedo Island (NA-041, USi AK-141S, 1st S. Eastern County), Alaska, again for the ARRL 160m Contest (Nov 30 - Dec 02) operating as KL8C, and also hopes to be QRV on other bands as K6VVA/KL7 again (the Sept/2007 QSLs are being printed - QSL via N6AWD). The operating QTH has a great over-salt-water path to the U.S. and much of Europe, although condx in Sept. here not good for EU. There is a big hill in the direction of JA, so Rick may try to operate from the other side of the Island with a clear shot to JA for a while during the daytime/non-160m hours (if not this trip, then the next time). QSL via N6AWD. [K6VVA]

01/12/2007: Look for special event station SP80KKK to be aired from Cracow, Poland during the month of December to commemorate the area of Crakow 80 years of revolt of movement (traffic) Krótkofalarskiego and Cracow land (earth). QSL via SP9PKZ. [DX Summit]

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]

26/02/2008: Ulli, DL2AH plans to be active holiday style as VP8/DL2AH from Pebble Island, Falkland Islands (SA-002), between February 26th and March 13th. QRV 40-10m with FT897 and Windom antenna, using mainly SSB with some RTTY. QSL via DL2AH, direct (QRZ.com) or by the bureau. [NG3K]

March/2008: Dave Vittum, W1DV will be activating TL8DV Central Africa starting last week of March 2008 or 1st week of April 2008, for about 8 or 9 weeks. Mainly CW, some phone. For more information see W1DV at QRZ.com. Will have internet so will be able to view spots. [NG3K]

18/06/2008: Jimmy, W6JKV will be operating on 6 meters from Alaska (KL7) between June 18 and June 30, 2008. Location is from a mountain top 30 miles NE of Fairbanks with outstanding view in all directions. Altitude 2500 feet. Distance to London is 4200 miles, 4000 to Frankfurt, 4100 miles to Tokoyo. Will have 800 watts and big antenna. QSL via home call. [F5NQL]

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SPECIAL EVENTS

01/11/2007: Look for special event station HF80KKK to be aired from Cracow, Poland during the month of November to commemorate the area of Crakow 80 years of revolt of movement (traffic) Krótkofalarskiego and Cracow land (earth). QSL via SP9PKZ. [DX Summit]

15/11/2007: Special event station TU0PAX will be aired November 15th for the yearly Ivorian Peace Fest. Look for activity on all HF bands using SSB, CW, RTTY and PSK31. QSL via TU2CI [ARAI, Association des Radio-Amateurs Ivoiriens, 01 BP 2946 Abidjan 01, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)]. [F5NQL]

17/11/2007: Special event station 8N1420T will be QRV by JARL between November 17th and December 16th to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Tsukuba-city (Ibaraki Prefecture, JCC #1420). QSL via the JARL bureau. [JJ1WTL/AC6IM]

19/11/2007: COTA (Carabinieri on the Air) members will be active from HV5PUL, the amateur radio station at the Pontifical Lateran University (Vatican City), between November 19-21st. Expect them to operate on all modes and bands, 6 metres included. This activity celebrates Saint Mary "Virgo Fidelis", patron saint of the Carabinieri, the Italian military police. QSL via the information at QRZ.com. [425 DX News]

U.S.A. Special events can be found at: www.arrl.org/contests/spev.html

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LIGHTHOUSE ACTIVATIONS -

15/11-17/12 6E4LM: Isla Socorro WLOTA:2941 QSL XE2K (d)
15/11-18/11 9M2/PG5M/6: Borneo (Sabah) WLOTA:0119 QSL H/C (d/b)
15/11-28/11 FS/DG5XJ: St. Martin Island WLOTA:0383 QSL H/C (d/b)
15/11-28/11 FS/DH1ND: St. Martin Island WLOTA:0383 QSL H/C (d/b)
15/11-28/11 FS/DJ5HD: St. Martin Island WLOTA:0383 QSL H/C (d/b)
15/11-23/11 KP2HC: St. Croix Island WLOTA:2477 QSL QRZ.com
15/11-23/11 KP2YL: St. Croix Island WLOTA:2477 QSL QRZ.com
15/11-17/12 XF4YK: Isla Socorro WLOTA:2941 QSL XE1YK (d)
15/11-17/12 XF4YW: Isla Socorro WLOTA:2941 QSL XE2YW (d)
17/11-30/11 MD/DL3KWF: Isle of Man WLOTA:0449 QSL H/C (d/b)
17/11-30/11 MD/DL3KWR: Isle of Man WLOTA:0449 QSL H/C (d/b)
17/11-19/11 NP2B: St. Croix Island WLOTA:2477 QSL QRZ.com
18/11-05/12 YC0IEM/4: Pulau Bangka WLOTA:1308 QSL IZ8CWW (d/b)
19/11-27/11 HK0/K3WT: Isla San Andres WLOTA:2990 QSL H/C (d/b)
19/11-27/11 HK0/N0AT: Isla San Andres WLOTA:2990 QSL H/C (d/b)
19/11-27/11 HK0/N0STL: Isla San Andres WLOTA:2990 QSL H/C (d/b)
19/11-27/11 HK0/W0OR: Isla San Andres WLOTA:2990 QSL H/C (d/b)
20/11-23/11 GJ4CHY: Jersey Island WLOTA:0818 QSL GU4CHY (d/b)
20/11-23/11 MJ0AWR: Jersey Island WLOTA:0818 QSL K2WR (d/b)
20/11-26/11 PJ2/G0RTN: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/C (d/b)
20/11-26/11 PJ2/K8ND: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/C (d/b)
20/11-26/11 PJ2/W0CG: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/C (d/b)
20/11-26/11 PJ2/W0NB: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/C (d/b)
20/11-26/11 PJ2/W8WTS: Curacao Island WLOTA:0942 QSL H/C (d/b)
20/11-27/11 PJ4/K4BAI: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL H/C (d/b)
20/11-27/11 PJ4/K5OT: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL H/C (d/b)
20/11-27/11 PJ4/KU8E: Bonaire Island WLOTA:1279 QSL H/C (d/b)
21/11-29/11 J88DR: St. Vincent Island WLOTA:0492 QSL G3TBK (d/b)
21/11-24/11 JF6YME/6: Yoron Shima WLOTA:0287 QSL JA6WFM (b)
21/11-26/11 V26K: Antigua Island WLOTA:1118 QSL AA3B (d/b)
22/11-27/11 PJ5NA: St. Eustatius Island WLOTA:1851 QSL K1NA (d)
23/11-27/11 VP9/OH3SR: Bermuda WLOTA:0201 QSL H/C (d/b)

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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.
===========================================

ARLP048 Propagation de K7RA

This is an off-schedule bulletin before Thanksgiving. Because ARRL headquarters is closed on Friday, the day this bulletin is normally released, and this bulletin was written before the end of our reporting week (which is Thursday through Wednesday), the sunspot, solar flux and geophysical numbers normally at the end of this bulletin will appear in a new propagation bulletin on Monday, November 26. Friday, November 30 will find us back on the regular schedule.

Another sunspot appeared in the past week, but just for two days, November 16-17. The sunspot number was 13 on both days.

Neil Klagge, W0YSE of Layton, Utah wondered why the last Propagation Forecast Bulletin ARLP047 said there was only one sunspot on November 6 when the sunspot number for that day was 11. That is because of the arcane method used to derive sunspot numbers. A sunspot number of 11 means just one sunspot. The number is derived by counting 10 points for each sunspot group, and adding one point for each spot. So 11 is also the minimum non-zero sunspot number. It is either 0, or 11, or something higher, with nothing from 1-10. So in reality, this week when we said there was one sunspot for November 16-17, because the sunspot number was 13, that can only mean that there was one group of sunspots, but three spots were observed, although they were tiny.

We had some geomagnetic activity this week from a coronal wind stream. On November 20 the planetary K index rose to 6 for one period, and the planetary A index for the day was 28. Alaska's College A index was 48. The predicted planetary A index for November 21-27 is 20, 15, 10, 8, 15, 10 and 5. Note that this weekend, November 24-25, is the CQ Worldwide DX CW Contest. Sunspot and solar flux numbers should remain about the same, with an occasional spot appearing, and solar flux hanging around 70 or slightly lower.

Jon Jones, N0JK noted some trans-equatorial 6-meter e-skip propagation from Florida to Brazil on the evening of November 18. From 2358z November 18 through 0002z November 19, KE4WBO worked PY2XB. K4CVL, also in Florida, worked P43A in Aruba on 6 meters at the same time, 0001z. All reported good signals.

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/.
NNNN
/EX

ARLP047 Propagation de K7RA

Another quiet week, but strangely, like the previous week there was just a single sunspot appearing for one day, and it was also on a Tuesday. Just like the previous week, the daily sunspot number was 11, and then it went back to 0 when the spot disappeared. No spots expected in the near future.

Geomagnetic indices have been quiet, but may become unsettled in the near term. Geophysical Institute Prague predicts quiet to unsettled conditions for November 16, quiet November 17, quiet to unsettled November 18, quiet November 19, quiet to unsettled November 20, unsettled to active November 21, and unsettled November 22. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center sees a planetary A index of 10 for November 16, 5 for November 17-19, 10 for November 20, 15 for November 21, and 10 for November 22.

Many interesting emails this week, and one came from Bob Marston, K6TR of Fremont, California. He mentioned the theory about magnetic polarity of sunspots, and how we expect them to shift as we move into a new cycle. But some time back a reverse polarity spot appeared, and was hailed by some as the first spot of Cycle 24, but it turned out this wasn't the case. Bob says about 3 percent of the spots in any cycle are rogue spots with reverse orientation. What will be significant is when we start to see spots appearing away from the equator.

Bob continued, "The second topic I want to address is the item Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, brought up referencing his communication with Mike Keane, K1MK. The 30.4 nm resonance line is the best indicator for gauging the state of ionization of the ionosphere. What I would like to point out is the future of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). SOHO was originally intended to last a few years when it was launched in 1995 and has lasted four times as long. It has done yeoman's service and done more to increase man's understanding of the Sun than any other space-based solar observatory. But it is getting long in the tooth and in need of replacement."


He goes on to say, "To that end, NASA will launch a replacement satellite observatory called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). It is currently undergoing final assembly at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center near Greenbelt, Maryland. Launch date is currently scheduled for no earlier than December 1, 2008 and it is expected to be operational within 90 days of launch. "The assembly team is in the early stages of construction with the first of three instruments delivered last month. That instrument is the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE). It is the analogous instrument to the SEM on SOHO. When you check out the specs of the new instrument, it is readily apparent the jump in capability the new instrument offers over the SEM on SOHO."

Solar Dynamics Observatory
He continues, "Unlike SOHO, SDO will be placed into a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. That is to provide better communications to handle the higher data rate coming from the new satellite. Images that are updated every five minutes on SOHO will be updated once a second on SDO. SOHO orbits the Sun at a Lagrange point, one million miles from Earth. This provides uninterrupted observation of the Sun. SDO will have two 90 day periods per year where its observations will be interrupted for a maximum of 72 minutes while it passes behind the Earth."
Bob ends by saying, "You might want to remind your readers, especially the younger ones, that while conditions may be challenging right now they will get better. And the set of new tools coming online in the next year and a half will provide us with the information to exploit F layer ionospheric propagation like never before, regardless of what the sunspot count at the peak of Cycle 24."

SDO Home Page: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
SDO Mission Page: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/mission/about.php
SDO Instrument Page: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/mission/instruments.php
SDO EVE Overview Page: http://lasp.colorado.edu/eve/instrument/eve_instrument.htm

Thanks, Bob for the great information.

This week several people wrote in about an article from NASA about ion plumes, titled "Strange Space Weather Over Africa." You can read it at http://tinyurl.com/3yyok8.

The article mentions a site at, http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ustec/ in which users can look at changing electron content in the ionosphere over North America. Note that you can look at animations of the shifting patterns of electron content over 24 hours.

Jose Nunes, CT1BOH of Lisbon, Portugal sent in a link to an article about the cycle minimum at, http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/pickoftheweek/old/05oct2007.

Next week we hope to have more details on some unusual long path propagation on 80 meters from the West Coast to South Africa, while both ends of the path were in daylight. Don't forget ARRL Phone Sweepstakes this weekend. Conditions should be fine for this domestic contest.

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 November 8 through 14 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 11 and 0 with a mean of 1.6. 10.7 cm flux was 69.7, 69.5, 69.8, 69, 69.7, 69.9, and 70.4 with a mean of 69.7. Estimated planetary A indices were 3, 2, 3, 1, 2, 8 and 9 with a mean of 4 Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 3, 2, 2, 1, 2, 7 and 9, with a mean of 3.7.

Irish Get 5 MHz Authority

Courtesy of ARRL Letter Vol. 26 No. 46 (Nov 16, 2007)

Irish Amateurs Now Able to Apply for Permission to Operate on 5 MHz: Four 3 kHz channels at 5 MHz are being granted to Irish amateurs, according to the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS), Ireland's IARU Member-Society. These frequencies are centered on 5.280, 5.290, 5.400 and 5.405 MHz (the suppressed-carrier frequency for USB is 1.5 kHz lower). This follows extensive contacts with the military authorities
and with the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg -- Ireland's equivalent of the FCC) by the IRTS. The facility will be available for an initial trial period of a year and individual application is required. The power allowed will be 23 dBW (200 W) to an antenna with not more than 0 dBd gain (e.g. a dipole). Some or all of these channels are also in use in the UK, Iceland, Finland, Norway,
Canada and the US. Some administrative details remain to be attended to by ComReg but it is anticipated that the first variations of licenses could be issued at the end of November or early December. The IRTS stresses that individuals must apply to operate at these 5 MHz frequencies. Permission for a 5 MHz beacon has been granted; a call sign and frequency are in the works.

WRC-07 Wraps Up in Geneva

Courtesy of ARRL Newsletter Vol. 26 No. 46 (Nov 16, 2007)

The final working session of the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) in Geneva drew to a close Thursday afternoon, November 15. The signing ceremony for the Final Acts will take place Friday. According to International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, the principal achievements and disappointments, as they relate to the Amateur Services, of the conference are:

Achievements
* Maintenance all existing amateur allocations, including the 7.200-7.300 MHz allocation in ITU Region 2 (the Americas) that had been somewhat at risk in connection with consideration of additional allocations for HF broadcasting (see below).

* A new worldwide secondary allocation at 135.7-137.8 kHz with a maximum radiated power limit of 1 W e.i.r.p. (given the low efficiency of practical antennas for this frequency range, this limit is not as severe as it may sound).

* Inclusion of an item, "to consider an allocation of about 15 kHz in parts of the band 415-526.5 kHz to the Amateur Service on a secondary basis, taking into account the need to protect existing services" on the provisional agenda for WRC-11 (set for 2011).

* Avoidance of future agenda items that pose serious threats to key amateur allocations.

* Some improvement in the so-called "country footnotes" that provide for different allocations by country in all or part of the 1.8, 3.5, 50 and 430 MHz amateur bands.

Disappointments
* No new allocation for the Amateur Service in the vicinity of 5 MHz, and no agenda item to consider such an allocation at a future conference.

* No future agenda item to consider an amateur allocation at 50 MHz in ITU Region 1 (Europe, the former Soviet Union, Mongolia, Africa and parts of the Middle East).

The amateur issues were of course a minor part of the WRC-07 agenda, but the Amateur Service was involved in one of the most contentious agenda items dealing with allocations between 4 and 10 MHz. A series of European Common Proposals had proposed changes to allow for an increase of 350 kHz in HF broadcasting allocations, with a footnote for administrations to allow the Amateur Service to use 5.260-5.410 MHz on a secondary basis and with a radiated power limit of 250 W; however, HF broadcasting had no support from the other regional organizations and no compromise acceptable to all parties could be found. Ultimately the European administrations had to accept "no change" for broadcasting, effectively scuttling our chances for a 5 MHz allocation.

The IARU had hoped that if an allocation could not be achieved at WRC-07, an appropriate agenda item could be included for WRC-11. The 2007 conference, however, had little interest in taking up HF issues at the next conference, tentatively set for 2011, having little to show for a great deal of effort expended on HF in preparing for WRC-07. The only HF issues on the provisional WRC-11 agenda have to do with oceanographic radar applications and the implementation of new digital technologies for the maritime mobile service.

The International Telecommunication Union's planning for the next World Radiocommunication Conference begins on Monday in Geneva, with the convening of a two-day Conference Preparatory Meeting for WRC-11. Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, will attend on behalf of the IARU.

The Btown Weekend Ham Radio Contest Report

The All Austrian 160-Meter Contest, ARRL SSB Sweepstakes Contest, EU PSK63 QSO Party, Feld Hell Sprint, LZ DX Contest, NCCC CW Sprint, North American Collegiate ARC SSB ChampionshipRSGB 2nd 1.8 MHz CW Contest, SARL Field Day Contest, and the YO International PSK31 Contest will be on the air on the ham bands this weekend. N5FPW hopes to catch a few of these on the digit waterfall display. 73 and CU OTA.

T8 Palau to Activate on PSK31

Courtesy of the ARRL DX Bulletin ARLD047:

PALAU, T8. Osamu, JR8VSE will be QRV as T88SE from November 18 to 21. Activity will be on the HF bands using CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK31 and SSTV. QSL to home call.

HV Vatican to Activate on All Ham Bands

Courtesy of the ARRL DX News bulletin ARLD047:

VATICAN, HV. Members of Carabinieri On The Air plan to be QRV as HV5PUL from Pontifical Lateran University station from November 19 to 21, 2007. Activity will be on all HF bands, and 6 meters, using all modes.

Who runs the 055 HF ALE Net

I have been trying to dig up anything on this mystery ALE net and so far, nothing!

So to the readers of this blog, anyone have a handle on the net below> If so drop me a note at the address in the masthead.

ALE Address: 055 (Net NCS)
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 kHz.

HF broadcasters will leave Geneva empty handed. About time!

Story courtesy of the November 9 ARRL Letter (Vol 26 No 45). My comments will be in the brackets and are my own. They have nothing to do with the ARRL.

As the International Telecommunication Union's 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07) in Geneva headed toward its fourth and final week, the proponents of additional allocations to HF Broadcasting conceded defeat and accepted that there will be no additional allocations made to HFBC at this conference. The slim possibility of a 5 MHz allocation to the Amateur Service also evaporated late Friday evening, according to IARU Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ.

[Absolutely outstanding. The HFBC community got exactly what they deserve - nothing.]

HFBC has been a contentious issue at ITU conferences for decades. [Duh!] At WRC-07, additional HFBC allocations between 4 and 10 MHz were supported by 25 European administrations and a few outside Europe but were strongly opposed by every other regional organization. Opposition to additional HFBC allocations was based mainly on a desire to protect military and other government fixed and mobile communications, although some of the administrations that were the most outspoken opponents of HFBC expansion authorize HFBC stations under their jurisdiction to operate out-of-band in the fixed and mobile allocations. Some HFBC proponents predict that the unsatisfactory outcome of the conference on this issue will lead to even more out-of-band broadcasting.

[I am sick and tired of hearing the HFBC community say that their HF audiences are shrinking, they aren't making any money, and they are going to have to go off HF. Then in the same breath they turn around and ask for more frequencies in Geneva. These are the same folks who make a living tuning up their high power transmitters anywhere in the spectrum they want and interfering with other legitimate services. There is absolutely no good reason for any broadcaster to operate outside of their assigned bands, and the FCC and other regulatory agencies worldwide should rein in this abuse ASAP. How can any radio service beg for more freqs to be assigned to them and they can't even regulate themselves and exhibit some form of self control in their operations.

And to make matters worse, the out-of-band broadcasting by SW broadcasters in this country is completely out of control. I blame the corrupt, political commissioners at the FCC for letting this happen (are you listening up in DC). It is time to stop spectrum management by highest bidder and get back to basic, sound and scientific techniques.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is suppose to be an independent regulatory commission, directly responsible to Congress. The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. It is directed by five commissioners appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for 5 year terms.

Congress and the FCC have made a mess of the radio spectrum. I see absolutely NO leadership in these matters in DC - only greed and money. Seems the greed, money, power and corruption we see in Congress has now migrated into various federal agencies as well. Money pays for power. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This is a serious situation when at a World Regulatory Conference, the HFBC community predicts that because they didn't get their way on their issues it will lead to even more out-of-band broadcasting.

My message to any of you broadcasters who are out-of-band or supported the initiatives at WRC-07 for more frequency spectrum -- get a grip and clean up your act. Only then will the rest of the spectrum users you constantly screw over might listen and support your intiaitives. You have an extremely poor track record in these matters and an even poorer image in the world of international communications. The rest of us who have to share the HF spectrum with you are done with your tricks, tirades and shenanigans. ]

A footnote specifically authorizing administrations to allow amateur stations to use spot frequencies in the 5 MHz range was considered Friday evening (Geneva time) at the Sub Working Group level as one of the last items of business concerning the 4-10 MHz range. The footnote failed to attract sufficient support and was withdrawn from consideration by its sponsor, the European regional organization (CEPT). This has no effect on the administrations that have authorized amateur operations under the no-interference provisions of Radio Regulation 4.4.

On a more positive note for radio amateurs, a secondary allocation of 135.7-137.8 kHz to the Amateur Service was approved on first reading in Plenary on Friday afternoon, November 9. This marks the first time since allocations to radio services began that the Amateur Service has had an allocation below the medium wave broadcasting band. The effective date is not yet set, but is likely to be the date of entry into force of the Final Acts of the Conference. Of course, amateurs must wait until their own administrations authorize the new allocation before they can use it. Some administrations, while not wishing to block the international allocation, have indicated a reluctance to implement it in their countries because of various interference concerns.

[It is about time the international community got off their butts and made this a reality. Time to put this wasted spectrum to use by some folks who will put it to good use. I am sure that all of my fellow hams sicnerely appreciate the new radio spectrum.]

Work continues on the agenda for future WRCs, tentatively scheduled for 2011 and 2015. There are many more proposals for agenda items for the next conference than can be accommodated, so only those with broad support are likely to be included. Committee work on the future agendas is scheduled for completion early next week.

The Real Story on the Vertex - Mot Biz Venture

As is usually the case in matters like this there are a lot of insane, stupid and just plain wrong comments by the usual cast of uninformed radio hobbyist regarding the Vertex-Motorola announcement. Give an idiot a keyboard and they think they have all the answers - duh huh! So let's see if an old friend, Dennis K7BV, who works at Vertex (Yaesu) can set the record straight (not that any of these conspiracy nuts will listen). Thanks Dennis for clearing the air and glad to see that Yaesu will continue their presence in the amateur marketplace.

From Dennis, K7BV:

Friends,

By now, many of you may have heard that Vertex Standard Co., Ltd, (Vertex Standard USA's parent company) announced that they have agreed to form a collaborative joint venture with Motorola, Inc. I personally believe the most important words in this sentence are "collaborative joint venture" a business relationship that indicates a far different outcome intent than the demise of one of the venture partners.

Since Yaesu is the Amateur Radio Division of Vertex Standard, I am sure you are just as curious as me, a Yaesu employee with a job at stake, to know what this business transaction will mean to all of us in the hobby.

Predictably, I see that the news about the pending new Motorola relationship with Vertex Standard, hence Yaesu, is giving life to all sorts of misinformation and "doomsday" Internet postings by the usual cast of characters who always seem to know so much more about things than the rest of us mere mortals. After studying public announcements and considering the internal information that is made available to me in my role as the leadership individual for North American sales at Yaesu, I would like to offer the following FACTS about this exciting development.

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) will launch a tender offer to acquire a controlling interest in Vertex Standard Co., Ltd. (JASDAQ: 6821). Upon successful completion of the tender offer and subsequent restructuring process, Motorola will own 80% of Vertex Standard and Toko Giken, a privately held Japanese company, controlled by Jun Hasegawa, current president and CEO of Vertex Standard, will retain 20%, forming a joint venture. On 5 November 2007, the Board of Directors of Vertex Standard expressed their support of the tender offer. Yaesu, of course, as one of the Vertex Standard operations, will be included in this exciting development.

I want our Yaesu customers and concerned others to know the following about the proposed merger:

Vertex Standard (meaning Yaesu to us in the Amateur Radio hobby) will remain a separate, global organization with distinct resources governed by the Board of Directors comprised of four Motorola representatives and one Toko Giken representative. Toko Giken is a privately held Japanese company, controlled by the founder's family. It currently holds 29.2% shares of Vertex Standard.

Mr. Jun Hasegawa (my boss), son of Sato Hasegawa JA1MP, the founder of Yaesu will continue to take part in the management of Vertex Standard in his capacity as the Representative Director, President and CEO of Vertex Standard after the Tender Offer. The day-to-day management of the joint venture will be the responsibility of Mr. Hasegawa and his senior leadership team, who are also expected to continue. Count me as one of those who will continue with Yaesu.

Our business will continue to be operated as is, and we will continue to actively develop new products and operate the business as a leading manufacturer of amateur radio, marine, land mobile, and airband radios. The Vertex Standard brand of equipment (Standard brand in Japan) will continue to exist. The current Vertex Standard brand strategies are highly respected by Motorola and will be continued. Since Motorola appreciates our Yaesu brand strategy, there will be no change to it.

There will NOT be a Motorola brand of Amateur Radio equipment replacing or competing with Yaesu. Yaesu customers can expect to see positive benefit from the fact that: Vertex Standard has an experienced engineering team that, combined with Motorola's extensive engineering talent, will develop new innovative products. Personally, I cannot wait to see what this joint engineering effort will bring to Amateur Radio!

Cost synergies will be realized through the use of Motorola's buying power to reduce the joint venture's costs for raw materials. Hams are known to enjoy seeking out the best buy for their hard earned money expect to see Yaesu products remain highly competitive and providing excellent value for your investment.

Because Mr. Hasegawa will continue to manage the day-to-day operations of Vertex Standard, we do not expect to see changes in the existing Yaesu dealership, pricing and rebate philosophies as a result of the joint venture.

These are historic exciting times for Yaesu, our customers, and Amateur Radio. The future is bright and the potential for incredible technological advancements for Amateur Radio are immense. We are glad you will be there with us as the positive affects of the Vertex Standard / Motorola joint venture unfolds.

73,
Dennis Motschenbacher K7BV
k7bv@vxstdusa.com

W1AW 2007/2008 Winter Operating Schedule

ARRL Bulletin 25 ARLB025
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT November 6, 2007
ARLB025 W1AW 2007/2008 Winter Operating Schedule

Morning Schedule:

Time                  Mode     Days 
-------------------   ----     --------- 
1400 UTC (9 AM EST)   CWs      Wed, Fri 
1400 UTC (9 AM EST)   CWf      Tue, Thu 

Daily Visitor Operating Hours:

1500 UTC to 1700 UTC - (10 AM to 12 PM EST)
1800 UTC to 2045 UTC - (1 PM to 3:45 PM EST)

(Station closed 1700 to 1800 UTC (12 PM to 1 PM EST))

Afternoon/Evening Schedule:

2100 UTC (4 PM EST)    CWf      Mon, Wed, Fri 
2100  "      "         CWs      Tue, Thu
2200  "  (5 PM EST)    CWb      Daily
2300  "  (6 PM EST)    RTTY     Daily 
0000  "  (7 PM EST)    CWs      Mon, Wed, Fri 
0000  "      "         CWf      Tue, Thu
0100  "  (8 PM EST)    CWb      Daily
0200  "  (9 PM EST)    RTTY     Daily 
0245  "  (9:45 PM EST) VOICE    Daily 
0300  "  (10 PM EST)   CWf      Mon, Wed, Fri 
0300  "      "         CWs      Tue, Thu
0400  "  (11 PM EST)   CWb      Daily
 
 
                         Frequencies (MHz) 
                         ----------------- 
CW:    1.8175 3.5815 7.0475 14.0475 18.0975 21.0675  28.0675 147.555
RTTY:     -   3.5975 7.095  14.095  18.1025 21.095   28.095  147.555
VOICE:  1.855 3.990  7.290  14.290  18.160  21.390   28.590  147.555

Notes:

CWs = Morse Code practice (slow) = 5, 7.5, 10, 13 and 15 WPM
CWf = Morse Code practice (fast) = 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 13 and 10 WPM
CWb = Morse Code Bulletins = 18 WPM

CW frequencies include code practices, Qualifying Runs and CW bulletins.

RTTY = Teleprinter Bulletins = BAUDOT (45.45 baud) and AMTOR-FEC (100 Baud). ASCII (110 Baud) is sent only as time allows.

Code practice texts are from QST, and the source of each practice is given at the beginning of each practice and at the beginning of alternate speeds.

On Tuesdays and Fridays at 2330 UTC (6:30 PM EST), Keplerian Elements for active amateur satellites are sent on the regular teleprinter frequencies.

A DX bulletin replaces or is added to the regular bulletins between 0100 UTC (8 PM EST) Thursdays and 0100 UTC (8 PM EST) Fridays.

In a communications emergency, monitor W1AW for special bulletins as follows: Voice on the hour, Teleprinter at 15 minutes past the hour, and CW on the half hour.

All licensed amateurs may operate the station from 1500 UTC to 1700 UTC (10 AM to 12 PM EST), and then from 1800 UTC to 2045 UTC (1 PM to 3:45 PM EST) Monday through Friday. Be sure to bring your current FCC amateur radio license or a photocopy.

Motorola buys Yaesu

ZCZC AX07
QST de W1AW
Special Bulletin 7 ARLX007
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT November 5, 2007
To all radio amateurs

SB SPCL ARL ARLX007
ARLX007 Motorola buys Yaesu

Motorola USA has announced its intention to launch a tender offer to acquire a controlling interest in Vertex Standard Co,Ltd. Vertex Standard is the parent company of Yaesu. Motorola will own 80 percent of Vertex Standard; Tokogiken, a privately held Japanese company, controlled by current president and CEO of Vertex Standard Jun Hasegawa, will retain 20 percent, forming a joint venture. The total purchase price for 80 percent of the outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis will be approximately US $108 million.

N&O Number 122 Now Available

Are you interested in things that go bump in the night? Ever wonder what those HF stations transmitting nothing but numbers is really all about. Well answers to these questions and much more await you in the latest Numbers and Oddities newsletter. My good friend Ary Boender has posted the latest N&O newsletter (#122) on his N&O website at http://www.ary.luna.nl

IARU Region 1 Intruder List

You will find some interesting utility station listing in the latest IARU Region 1 ham band intruder list (pdf) located at http://www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/latest.pdf.

You can view the latest newsletter (Sep 2007) at
http://www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/news2007/news0709.pdf

WFAW 940 kHz Fort Atkinson, WI DX Test

Courtesy of Jim Pogue – KH2AR@comcast.net, IRCA/NRC Joint BTC Coordinator www.dxtests.info

Date: Monday morning (late Sunday night), Nov. 12, 2007. Time: Midnight – 3 a.m. Central Time, 0600 – 0900 UTC. 500 watts using non-directional antenna pattern on the station’s all-tube Collins auxiliary transmitter. Special programming to be announced, but minimally will consist of special voice announcements, Morse code and sweep and other tones. Reception reports may be sent to Mr. Ernie Swanson K9LO, Chief Engineer, WFAW Radio, P.O. Box 94, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-0094. No eQSL service is being offered for this test. Recordings on disk in .mp3 or .wav format will be accepted as proof of reception. Address for e-mail reports is ernie@nrgmedia.com. NOTE: All requests for verifications must be accompanied by return postage in order to receive a reply. Ernie adds that he is interested in possibly conducting a second test in the spring from WFAW. Our sincere thanks to him for agreeing to conduct this test.

KLAA 830 kHz Anaheim, CA DX Test

Courtesy of Jim Pogue – KH2AR@comcast.net, IRCA/NRC Joint BTC Coordinator, www.dxtests.info

Date: Saturday morning (late Friday night), Dec. 15, 2007. Time: 1 – 2 a.m. Pacific Time, 0900 – 1000 UTC. 20,000 watts using nighttime directional antenna pattern. Morse code IDs inserted into regular programming. Reception reports may be sent to Mr. Brian Clark, Director of Engineering, KLAA Radio, 2000 Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806. No eQSL service is being offered for this test. Recordings on disk or via e-mail in .mp3 or .wav format will be accepted as proof of reception. Address for e-mails is bclark@am830klaa.com. NOTE: All requests for postal verifications must be accompanied by return postage in order to receive a reply. Brian says he would love to run the test using KLAAs daytime antenna pattern which would better favor the east but cannot because he must protect other stations on 830 kHz. Our sincere thanks to him for agreeing to conduct this test. It should be a good one for the folks to the west, and who knows how far east they may get if conditions are good?

RESCHEDULED - WCXH 780 kHz Monticello, ME DX Test - RESCHEDULED

As most of you know, due to a mix-up with times the WCXH test ran an hour later than advertised. Allan Weiner has graciously agreed to conduct another test and promises we will all be on the same clock this time! Here are the details of the rescheduled test from this most desirable station in a most desirable state.

Jim Pogue – KH2AR@comcast.net
IRCA/NRC Joint BTC Coordinator
www.dxtests.info

Date: Saturday morning (late Friday night), Nov. 24, 2007. Time: 4 – 5 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, 0900 – 1000 UTC. 5,000 watts using non-directional antenna pattern. Programming will consist of special voice announcements, march and other special music, Morse code and sweep tones. Reception reports may be sent to Mr. Allan H. Weiner. WCXH Radio, 274 Britton Rd., Monticello, ME 04760-3110. No eQSL service is being offered for this test. Recordings on disk in .mp3 or .wav format will be accepted as proof of reception. NOTE: All requests for verifications must be accompanied by return postage in order to receive a reply. Again, our sincere thanks to Allan Weiner for giving us a second chance to hear his station.

WIGG-1420 Wiggins, MS DX Test

From Jim Pogue - IRCA/NRC Joint Broadcast Test Committee Coordinator

Date: Sunday morning (late Saturday night), Nov. 4, 2007.
Time: 3:00 AM to 4:00 AM Central STANDARD Time [Please note, this will be the morning we change from DST to standard time in most of North America, but Paul is aware of this and will run the test on STANDARD time]
Modes of Operation: 5,000 watts using non-directional antenna pattern.
Programming: Programming will consist of special voice announcements, morse code, tones and classic country music.

Paul says to especially listen for Floyd Kramer music, one of his favorite artists. He also says DXers are welcome to call him as he will be running the test live from the station.

His number (no collect calls please) is 601-964-0005.

This Weekend is the Big One!

Every year I look forward to the last weekend in October. That is because in the world of ham radio there is not another activity that can compare to it what happens this weekend. Thousands of hams from around the world will show up to participate.



So what is this monumental event - the CQ Worldwide SSB DX Contest.

Yes, starting at 0000 UTC 27 Ocober 2007 (that is 2000 EDT this evening for you folks in Rio Linda California) and running for the next 48 hours the 160-80-40-20-15-10 meter HF bands will be full of amateur radio stations trying to work each other.

And even though there will be a lot of stations participating in this event, we are at the bottom of cycle 23, and will not start cycle 24 for a couple of more months. And while the DX won't be quite as plentiful as in years past (high end of the sunspot cycle), there are still some juicy targets to pursue by hams and SWLs alike.

Here are a few of the highlights to watch for this weekend courtesy of my friend Bill Feidt over at one of the best ham DX sites on the Internet http://www.ng3k.com/index.html.

How many of the countries below do you shortwave broadcast DXers have in your logbook or QSLed? Oh yea, most of the 50 countries on the list below do not have SWBC stations transmitting in the HF spectrum as of presstime.

Afghanistan - T6EE
African Italy - IG9R
Aland Islands - OH0/SP7VC OH0B OH0R OH0Z
American Samoa - KH8/ON5AX
Antigua - V26B
Aruba - P40A P40PA P40W
Azores - CU2A
Bahamas - C6APR C6AQW
Balearic Islands - ED5ON/6
Barbadoes - 8P5A
Belize - V31FB
Bermuda - VP9/OH1VR
Bosnia & Herzegovina - T93M
Brunei - V8AQM
Cambodia - XU7MDY
Canary Island - AO8A
Dodecanese - SV5/G0RIF
Easter Island - CC0Y
Finland - OF4R OF5Z OF8X
Gambia - C50C
Grenada - J3A
Ireland - EI7M
ITU Geneva - 4U1WRC (Special event station for the World Radio Conference, a double collectible - country/special event)
Jamaica - 6Y1V
Kenya - 5Z4/YT1CS
Liechtenstein - HB0/HB9AON
Luxembourg - LX7I
Macedonia - Z37M
Madeira - CQ9K
Martinique - FM/K9NW
Mongolia - JT1DA
Montserrat - VP2MDG
Nepal - 9N7JO
Paraguay - ZP0R
Sardinia - IS0/K7QB IS0T
Scotland - GM0B
Senegal - 6V7G 6W1RY
Sicily - IF9A IQ9BF IR9K IR9P IT9BLB
Sov. Military Order of Malta - 1A3A
St. Helena - ZD7X (Beat the December rush)
St. Kitts & Nevis - V4/NE1RD
St. Martin - FS/K1XM
Svalbard - JW5E
Swaziland - 3DA0WWW
Tonga - A35RK
Tunisia - 3V8SS
Turks & Caicos - VP5T
Uruguay - CX6VM
US Virgini Islands - NP2B WP2/AH8DX
Wales - MW5W

If you are a true die-in-the-wool DXer and your blood isn't boiling after looking at that list - your probably taking the eternal dirt nap.

Now nothing could be easier folks. This is a voice contest. Just tune through the following bands in the mode indicated for contest activity:

Phone Segment (mode) Meter Band
1800-2000 (LSB) 160 Meters
3600-4000 (LSB) 80 Meters
7125-7300 (LSB) 40 Meters (look for possible DX 7030-7100 kHz LSB operating split)
14150-14350 (USB) 20 Meters (look for possible DX 14100-14150 kHz USB operating split)
21200-21450 (USB) 15 Meters (look for possible DX 21150-14200 kHz USB operating split)
28300-29300 (USB) 10 Meters

You can get an excellent full color Acrobat pdf frequency chart showing all the ham bands on the ARRL website at http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/Hambands_color.pdf.

You can find complete rules for this contest at
http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/CQWWDXContestRules8407.pdf.

Additional station information, qsl routes and other info on this contest can be found at http://www.ng3k.com/Misc/cqs2007.html.

A good reference aid for this contest is the CQ World Zone map at
http://www.k3lp.com/wazmap1.gif.

If you are a collector of QSL cards, DX contest and contesters are excellent verifiers. And if you need to learn more about verifying amateur station don't forget to order our excellent publication -- the World QSL Book by Gayle Van Horn, W4GVH.

And if your a ham, give the contest a whirl. You might have a chance to put one of these on the radio shack wall.

CQ WW DX Contest Participants & Prop Bulletin

Courtesy of 425 DX English bulletin #860.

CQ WW DX SSB CONTEST ---> The following stations have announced their participation in this year's event (27-28 October):

ZONE CALL CATEGORY DXCC QSL VIA
--------------------------------------------------------------
02 VE2IM SOAB HP Canada VE3DZ
02 VE2Z M/? Canada VE3ZF
05 VC2Z M/? Canada VE2BR
05 VP9I M/S Bermuda N1HRA
07 HR2DMR SOAB HP Honduras HR2DMR
07 V31FB SO Belize W5JON
08 6Y1V M/2 Jamaica OH3RB
08 8P5A SOAB Barbados NN1N
08 C6APR M/S Bahamas K3IXD
08 C6AQW SOSB 40m LP Bahamas WQ5W
08 FG5JK SO Guadeloupe FG5JK
08 FM/K9NW SOAB Martinique K9NW
08 FS/K1XM SOAB Saint Martin KQ1F
08 FS/KN5H M/2 Saint Martin KN5H
08 J3A M/M Grenada WA1S
08 KP2/AH8DX SO US Virgin Islands AH8DX
08 NP2B M/? US Virgin Islands NP2B
08 T48K M/S Cuba DK1WI
08 TI5N M/S Costa Rica W3HNK
08 V26B M/? Antigua & Barbuda KA2AEV
08 V4/NE1RD SOAB LP St. Kitts & Nevis NE1RD
08 VP2MDG M/2 Montserrat K2DM
08 VP5T Turks & Caicos N2VW
08 WP2Z M/? US Virgin Islands KU9C
09 5K4C SO Colombia EA5KB
09 FY5KE M/S French Guiana FY5KE
09 HK3W SOSB 80m LP Colombia qrz.com
09 P40A SOAB Aruba WD9DZV
09 P40PA SOAB Aruba W4PA
09 P40W SOAB Aruba N2MM
09 PJ4E M/2 Netherlands Antilles WA4PGM
10 HC1HC SOSB 80m Ecuador NE8Z
11 ZP0R SOAB Paraguay ZP5AZL
12 CC0Y SOSB 15m Easter Island 9A2AA
12 CE1W M/M Chile HA1AG
14 4U1WRC M/? ITU Geneva 4U1ITU
14 AO3K SOSB 20m Spain EA3GHZ
14 CU2A SOAB HP Azores OH2BH
14 EE1E SO Spain EA1CBX
14 EI2VNO SO Ireland NN5O
14 LX7I SOAB Luxembourg LX2A
14 MW5W M/M Wales M3SDE
14 ON9CMV SO Belgium N0HJZ
14 PA60LIM The Netherlands PE1NCP
14 PI4COM M/M The Netherlands PA3CAL
15 1A3A M/? SMOM IZ4DPV
15 IF9A M/? Italy (Sicily) IT9ATF
15 IQ8OM Italy IZ8EDJ
15 IQ9BF M/S Italy (Sicily) bureau
15 IR5A M/S Italy IK5AFJ
15 IR9P M/? Italy (Sicily) IW9HMQ
15 IT9BLB SOSB 160m HP Italy (Sicily) IT9BLB
15 OH0/SP7VC SOAB Aland Islands SP7VC
15 OH0B SOSB 80m Aland Islands OH2BH
15 OH0R SOSB 20m Aland Islands OH2PM
15 OH0Z SOSB 15m Aland Islands W0MM
15 SO6V SOSB 40m LP Poland SP6DVP
17 EY8MM SOSB 80 or 160m Tajikistan K1BV
20 4X0C M/S Israel W8HC
20 4X0V M/2 Israel AA4V
20 C4I Cyprus LZ2HM
20 J48RT M/S Greece HA6NL
20 P33W M/S Cyprus RA3AUU
20 P3F M/2 Cyprus G3NKC
20 SV5/G0RIF SO LP Dodecanese G0RIF
20 YM0T SOSB 160m LP Turkey TA2RC
21 4L4WW SOSB 80m HP Georgia EA7FTR
21 9K2HN M/S Kuwait 9K2HN
21 EK0B M/2 Armenia SP9ERV
21 T6EE SO Afghanist KE6GFF
22 9N7JO SO Nepal qrz.com
22 VU2PTT SOAB LP India VU2PTT
23 JT1DA SOAB HP Mongolia JT1DA
24 B1Z M/M China EA7FTR
24 B7P M/M China qrz.com
24 BX5AA SOAB HP Taiwan BX5AA
25 D9K M/2 South Korea DS4NYE
26 HS0ZDG SOAB Thailand K4YT
26 XW1A SO Laos E21EIC
27 AH0BT M/2 (?) Mariana Islands 7L1FPU
27 AH2R M/S Guam JH7QXJ
27 KG6DX SOAB HP Guam KG6DX
27 NH0DX/NH2 SOAB HP Guam JL3RDC
28 9M2CNC SOSB West Malaysia G4ZFE
28 9M6LSC SOAB East Malaysia JF1SQC
28 V8AQM SOSB 20m LP Brunei W3HNK
28 YB0ZZ M/? Indonesia YB0ZZ
29 VK8AA SOSB 40m Australia VK6NE
30 VK4EJ SOSB 15m LP Australia VK4EJ
31 AH6XX M/? Hawaii
32 A35RK SOSB LP Tonga W7TSQ
32 E51NOU SO South Cook Islands N7OU
32 ZM2M SO2R New Zealand ZL2AL
32 ZM4A M/S New Zealand ZL4AA
33 3V8SS SO Tunisia bureau
33 AO8A M/2 Canary Islands EA8AH
33 CN2FB SOSB 80m Morocco DK4VW
33 CN2FF SOSB 160m Morocco DK4VW
33 CN2KT SOSB 10m Morocco DK4VW
33 CN2R SOSB 160m Morocco W7EJ
33 CN3A M/2 Morocco I2WIJ
33 CN4P SO Morocco EA5XX
33 CQ9K M/? Madeira CQ9K
33 CT9L M/? Madeira DJ6QT
33 IG9R SOSB 20m (African) Italy IK8HCG
33 IT9RBW/IG9 SOSB 10m (African) Italy ???
33 TS6A M/2 Tunisia YT1AD
34 SU8BHI SO Egypt HA3JB
35 6V7G SO Senegal EA1FDI
35 6W1RY SOAB HP Senegal F5VHJ
35 6W1RY SOAB HP Senegal F5VHJ
35 C50C The Gambia OM2FY
36 ZD7X SO LP St. Helena W0MM
37 5Z4/YT1CS SO Kenya YT1CS
38 3DA0WW M/2 Swaziland LZ3HI
40 JW5E M/S Svalbard

Thanks to the 425 DX gang.

And K7RA has issued his pre-contest prop bulletin. You can read about it on the ARRL website at http://www.remote.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/10/26/100/?nc=1

Another Government Loser - 700 MHz PS Band

If you don't like editorial comments then pass this puppy by. But I just can't sit back and let this one go any further. The opinions below are my own. Blame me and the first amendment if you don't like the message.

When the United States Government has a problem they have three things they can do to solve it.

1. Conduct more training of their employees.

2. Reorganize the organizational chart or create an entirely new organization from several others.

3. Throw lots of taxpayer money at the problem and hope that the problem goes away.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Congress decided to do all three to fix some of the perceived problems resulting from that terrorist attack. But what was the Congressional "big fix" as a result of the 9/11 attack? Why nothing short of the biggest boondoggle in the history of this country (next to Congress)...the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Yes, you know who the Department of Homeland Security is. This is the government agency that wants every American home to put up plastic sheeting with duck tape to protect our population from a chemical, nuclear or biological attack.

These are the same folks who invented the elegant and most useful color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System.

And these are the same folks who disbursed $36,300 in taxpayer money in the form of a grant to the state of Kentucky to keep terrorists from playing bingo or running a charitable game to raise large amounts of cash.

Nope I am not kidding. I honestly couldn't make stuff like this up but they can. And their love for spending the taxpayer dollar does not stop with this insanity.

Where else on the planet would you find a government agency that has spent taxpayer money to design, print and distribute a 20 page coloring book for children on...can I have a drum roll please.....public safety communications interoperability?

Are you hearing me folks? I said a kids coloring book on interop. Bravo, just bravo DHS. You have given the children of the world such a great gift. Why I think there should be one of these waiting under the christmas tree this year for every choild in America.



So how well received has this DHS publication been in the public safety community? Here is Steve Jones' take on this DHS publication posted on the First Response Coalition blog:

"Now, I know what you must be thinking: 'first our tax dollars get spent on a ridiculous color-coded Threat Advisory System, and now a coloring book?'

"But hold on. SAFECOM (part of DHS-LVH) has actually produced what I think is a very useful document, especially for those not up to speed on the communications challenges first responders face."

Hey Steve. When was the last time you where drug tested my man. Just damn! Where are my crayons? I want to get started on this puppy right away.

So what morons thought this project up. Probably the same DHS employees who have wasted $2.1 billion dollars of taxpayer money on Public Safety interoperability spending, uh, oh yea, they call it investments these days.

Well, I officially award the DHS and the entire bunch at Safecom a golden fleece award. You have proven without a doubt that you can waste the tapayers money on absolutely nothing worthwhile.

But wait. Yes you guessed it. There is even more from the wonderful folks at DHS and Safecom.

They along with Congress are promoting the one thing that will help prevent the next attack and save the lives of our first responders. So what is this great savior of all of mankind that the buffoons in Congress and DHS/Safecom constantly push in the media. What is truly the Holy Grail of interoperability?

It is the 700 MHz public safety interoperability band.

But can DHS, the politically corrupt commissioners at the FCC, and the bunch in Safecom get this one right? Yep, you guessed it - no!

The Washington Post reports the 700 MHz public service radio network, designed to deliver interoperability for the nation’s law enforcement agencies, is at “high risk of failure,” according to the Justice Department’s Inspector General (pdf report). DHS has distributed $2.15 billion since 9/11, encouraging state and local agencies to use the federal funding to purchase Project 25 radios for interoperability, the GAO said. But the effectiveness of those standards in making systems more interoperable has not been proven, according to the GAO.

“Ambiguities in the standards have led to incompatibilities among products made by different vendors, and no compliance testing (by our government agencies-lvh) has been conducted to determine if those products are interoperable,” the GAO said.

The reason why the government hasn't conducted any compliance testing is that they are to busy designing and creating kids coloring books to help them describe their jobs.

If you would like to read an interesting speech that shows the depth of how much DHS just doesn't get the interop problem then look no further than a speech made by then DHS department head Tom Ridge in New Orleans a little less than one year before Katrina hit the city. You can read it at http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/speeches/speech_0216.shtm.

So I think it is time for the taxpayers in this country to demand more from these idiots in Washington DC. DHS is a total waste of the taxpayer dollar, a huge waste of skin, and an agency that should have never been established in the first place by the losers in Congress. I say scrap the whole mess and let's start all over. Let's get it right this time. It is time to fire the deadwood in Washington and put some common sense in its place. So now can I take down my duck taped plastic sheeting?

Oh, one more thing dear reader. Did I mention that the pictures in the interop coloring book are already colored? Guess they had nothing better to do at Safecom.

Our founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves.

Latest Israeli Mossad Number Station Frequencies

E10 on the Enigma 2000 newsgroup has posted the frequency list below for the Israeli Mossad E10 numbers atations. More on these fascinating transmissions soon. Thanks to E10-agent and the Enigma 2000 newsgroup for this update. (Frequencies in kHz and mode is AM).

ART 2456.0 3415.0 4165.0 5435.0 6986.0
EZI 6840.0 7690.0 9130.0 11565.0 13533.0 15980.0 17410.0 19715.0
FTJ 2626.0 3360.0 4461.0 5339.0 6930.0 7358.0
JSR 2270.0 3230.0 4015.0 4648.0 5091.0 6912.0 7540.0
PCD 2515.0 3150.0 4270.0 5170.0 6498.0 8805.0
ULX 2743.0 3270.0 4880.0 5230.0 6270.0 7760.0
YHF 2844.0 3840.0 4560.0 5820.0 6370.0 7918.0 9202.0 10648.0

New freqs:
ART 2456.0 4165.0
EZI 7690.0
FTJ 3360.0 5339.0 6930.0
JSR 3230.0 4015.0 4648.0 6912.0
PCD 2515.0 5170.0
ULX 3270.0 5230.0
YHF 6370.0

EZI has dropped use of 23740.0 so far.
YHF has dropped use of 14530.0 so far, since early 2004.

GRE-500/600 and the VA STARS System

Field report on the GRE-500 regarding the VA STARS:

"Loaded VA STARS, it works (even better than the 96 or 396)."

I think we can close the files on this issue regarding the GRE scanner and the VA STARS radio network.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Original Report:

I had a piece of correspondence this morning regarding the issue of monitoring the VA STARS VHF System on the new GRE digital scanners, the PSR-500/600.

From the GRE staff I received this reply to my query, "Our STARS beta tester reported "flawless" performance on STARS."

I also understand that Uniden has fixed the problems they had with the BCD396T/996T scanners.

Since this system is still under test, no one can be 100% sure that the bugs are worked out (including the engineers working on the system). but I feel confident as a reviewer that both GRE and Uniden have the VA STARS TRS issues well in hand.

Israeli Mossad Numbers Station Schedule Online

Our friends over at Black Cat Systems on their website have posted an updated schedule for the Israeli Mossad E10 Numbers Stations (http://www.spynumbers.com/numbersDB/E10time.html). This schedule is part of their Spy Numbers Stations on Shortwave Radio website. This is some real good stuff and many thanks to Chris for the service. Oh check out his Mac software also. You might find something you can use.

Exercise TOPOFF 4 to run from Oct 15-19

Thanks to J Doe and the Fedcom newsgroup for this interesting tidbit. Here is an upcoming DHS exercise that may provide some an interesting listening opportunity, but then again we might not hear a peep. Let us know what your hear.

The United States will test this month its preparedness for a large scale terrorist attack with a dirty bomb, a Homeland Security Department official said Wednesday.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will conduct the largest and most comprehensive counterterrorism exercise to date from Oct. 15-19 in Arizona and Oregon, and the U.S. territory of Guam. Top Officials 4 (TOPOFF 4) is the fourth in a series of congressionally-mandated exercises and involves various federal agencies as well as the governments of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

"The National Intelligence Estimate and recent activity overseas reinforce that we are in a period of increased risk," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "Exercises like TOPOFF help test response capabilities at all levels, strengthen national preparedness and deepen international coordination. By responding realistically to these simulated attacks, we're able to identify our strengths and weaknesses, build better partnerships, and gain valuable knowledge for securing the nation against terrorist attacks and other natural disasters."

TOPOFF 4 will involve more than 15,000 participants from all levels of government, international partners and the private sector in a full-scale, simulated response to radiological dispersal device attacks.

"TOPOFF stresses our preparedness and response systems with situations that no single agency or jurisdiction could handle on its own," said David Paulison, Administrator of DHS' Federal Emergency Management Agency. "The right response actually takes thousands of individuals working together. This exercise is about strengthening working relationships within our partners in federal, state and local agencies, emergency management communities and private industry groups. It's about increasing preparedness by sharing information and processes."

And from the DHS website at http://www.dhs.gov/xprepresp/training/gc_1179350946764.shtm

TOPOFF 4: Exercising National Preparedness

Top Officials 4 (TOPOFF 4) is the Nation’s premier terrorism preparedness exercise, involving top officials at every level of government, as well as representatives from the international community and private sector. Taking place October 15-19, 2007, the TOPOFF 4 Full-Scale Exercise (T4 FSE) will feature thousands of federal, state, territorial, and local officials. These officials will engage in various activities as part of a robust, full-scale simulated response to a multi-faceted threat.

The exercise will address policy and strategic issues that mobilize prevention and response systems, require participants to make difficult decisions, carry out essential functions, and challenge their ability to maintain a common operating picture during an incident of national significance.

New Challenges in TOPOFF 4
The TOPOFF 4 Full-Scale Exercise builds on knowledge derived from earlier TOPOFF exercises and recent real world events, and contains several new elements:

-- Increased coordination with U.S. Department of Defense exercises to combat global terrorism

-- Expanded emphasis on prevention – the opportunity to piece together an intelligence “puzzle” and stop an attack before it occurs

-- Focus on mass decontamination and large-scale recovery and remediation issues

-- Focus on coordinating procedures and communications with a U.S. territory

Challenging the Entire Homeland Security System
Exercises such as TOPOFF are an important component of national preparedness, helping to build an integrated Federal, State, territorial, local, and private sector capability to prevent terrorist attacks, and rapidly and effectively respond to, and recover from, any terrorist attack or major disaster that does occur. The full-scale exercise offers agencies and jurisdictions a way to test their plans and skills in a real-time, realistic environment and to gain the in-depth knowledge that only experience can provide. Participants will also exercise prevention and intelligence gathering functions, which are critical to preventing terrorist attacks. Lessons learned from the exercise will provide valuable insights to guide future planning for securing the Nation against terrorist attacks, disasters, and other emergencies.

Is the New York VOLMET Still Down?

My old friend Jack NeSmith passed along a NOTAM notice that the New York Volmet broadcast on 3485.0, 6604.0, 10051.0, and 13270.0 kHz is off the air until further notice. This was as of 20 Sep 2007.

I haven't heard them recently. Anyone else?

Ariane 5 Launch Set for October 5

Arianespace will launch two geostationary satellites using their Ariane 5 rocket on October 5, 2007. The launch Window is from 2128 to 2213 UTC.

This launch will place the Intelsat 11 and Optus D2 satellites into orbit.

Intelsat 11 going to 43 degrees West, where INTELSAT 6B (25585 ) and INTELSAT 3R (23764 ) are currently parked.

Optus D2 is going to the 152 degrees East slot, where OPTUS B3 (23227 ) is parked.

There will be a webcast of the launch at http://www.videocorner.tv/index.php?langue=en

Thanks to Kevin Fetter and the Seesat-L gang for the heads up on this launch and video link.

ALE On The Air Week: 05-15 October

AOTAW (ALE On The Air Week) is an annual International Amateur Radio event sponsored by HFLINK, a resource for ALE, HF Interoperative Communications, and HF Emcomm. Ham radio operators worldwide are invited to participate in a 10 day readiness event of ALE HF activity on the air. AOTAW-2007 is an excellent chance to explore ALE communications.

Start: 0001 UTC Friday 05 October
End: 2359 UTC Monday 15 October

Thousands of amateur radio operators worldwide have ALE capability now, using HF ham transceivers and computers running PCALE software, Multipsk software, or commercial ALE HF transceivers adapted to ham radio ALE use. The experience gained by operator participation is also useful for HF Emergency / Disaster Relief Communications.

What Is ALE? Automatic Link Establishment. In the hands of a skilled HF ham operator, ALE is a force multiplier. With the capability to call up a specific HF station, a group of stations, a net, or a networked station, ALE is a versatile digital calling system for initiating and maintaining QSOs with SSB voice, data, text, instant messaging, internet messaging, or image communications.

Each ALE station uses the operator's callsign as the digital address in the ALE controller. When not actively in communication with another station, the transceiver constantly scans through a list of frequencies in multiple HF or VHF bands, listening for its callsign. To reach a specific station, the operator simply enters the callsign just like dialing a phone number, and transmits a short digital signal burst. When the distant scanning station detects the first few characters of its callsign, it stops scanning and stays on that frequency. The receiving station, which was muted up until now, typically emits an audible alarm and visual alert for the receiving operator of the incoming call. It also indicates the callsign of the linked station. The two stations' ALE controllers automatically handshake to confirm that a link is established and they are ready to communicate in any mode, such as SSB voice, text or image. All of this happens quite fast, usually within a few minutes.

A unique ALE Operator Certificate is available to operators who participate in AOTAW. To qualify for the certificate, the operator simply completes at least 5 QSOs through Automatic Link Establishment communications on HF or VHF. The initial ALE linking QSO can use SSB Voice or "AMD" Text Message (the standard text messaging format in all ALE systems). See AOTAW Guidelines and Details. http://hflink.com/aotaw

Additional certificate endorsements are issued to operators who link with 25 stations or more, or send 2 ALE-SMS text messages through High Frequency Network Pilot Stations.

ALE High Frequency Network (HFN)
The HFN Pilot Stations are equipped with scanning ALE transceivers, multiband antenna systems, and special software control systems for internet connectivity. Ham radio ALE users in the field on HF connect with the HFN Pilot Stations to exchange digital ALE-SMS text messaging to and from internet devices such as cell mobile phones, black berry type devices, PDAs, PCs and laptops. The free service includes:

HF-to-Cellphone message
HF-to-email message
HF-to-HF message

All HFN stations automatically exchange signal reports with each other every hour on every HF band, and all this ALE HF activity with signal reports and messages is displayed in real time on the web at ALE CHANNEL ZERO: http://hflink.net/qso

Organized ALE ham activity began about 6 years ago, when a group of operators started working together to experiment with various methods of HF selective calling on HF. The need to call up emergency nets or inter-operability and liaison with government HF systems led many hams to adopt the government ALE standard, called FED-STD-1045 or MIL-STD 188-141. This standard caught on slowly in the ham community, initiated by a few operators with limited government surplus gear and some with expensive commercial equipment having embedded ALE or hardware controllers. They adapted the system into what has come to be known as Ham Friendly ALE, which includes ham-specific programming and use of frequencies in the automatic subbands. Now, with a ham HF transceiver, a computer as the controller, and an appropriate antenna system, hams can harness the power of ALE using one of the available software ALE controllers.

How to Get Started in ALE
The number of hams with ALE has grown steadily each year. In mid-2007, when the ALE HF Network expanded to 24/7 operation, a big increase in daily ALE activity was noticed. Some operators are following the traditional ham curiosity to explore interesting aspects of communications; others are developing dependable HF nets for Emcomm; many are using it as a propagation tool; others are just using ALE for fun, or to keep in touch with a circle of ham friends. Whatever the reason, there's room for everyone.

The AOTAW "ALE QSO Party" in 2006 saw many new ALE calls on the air around the world. Some surprisingly good DX ALE contacts were made, despite the being at the bottom of the solar cycle. We look forward to another good ALE On The Air Week this October 2007.
NNN

more information: http://hflink.com