Hints & Kinks of the WVDXA

VP6T, Pitcairn Is., 20 Jan. - 4 Feb. 2012

2011-12-18T22:20:00.002-05:00

Five operators, three from the TX4T operation from French Polynesia last February, will operate for 2 weeks beginning January 20, 2012, from Pitcairn Island. In the 2010 Most Needed Countries List, Pitcairn ranked 54th. There is a bit of a discrepancy in the times they plan to be operational. In the "Plans" section of their web site they mention spending NINE full days on the island. They also give the dates of 1/20 to 2/4 which is 16 days. So, Work 'Em Early and Often!
You can view their web site HERE. They will be running FOUR Elecraft K-3's and four amplifiers including an Alpha 76A. Look for them to have decent signals here in WV, just 5400 miles away on a heading of 223° or so.
They plan to upload their logs regularly to LoTW DURING the operation if possible using a satellite phone. If that is not possible, they will upload the full log to LoTW at the end of the DX'pedition. They also plan to upload to Clublog several times a day.
Interesting is the fact that this DX'pedition to Pitcairn Island will be taking place at the exact same time as the one to Malpelo, which is ranked 12th on the most needed list. I predict the bands will be HOT with RF during this period!

Antenna/Tower Decommissioning for W8HC

2011-12-03T22:32:00.001-05:00

Well, the WVDXA undertook another antenna/tower project today but this time it was a "removal" rather than an "installation" project. Hal, W8HC, put out an email on the WVDXA Reflector on Thursday asking for help in taking down his telescoping tower and the HF and 6-M beams on top of it. He knew this was a last minute request but since the weather looked good for Saturday and since the house was being sold, he needed to get the hardware down quickly. The response, as usual, was great! NINE WVDXA Members showed up to assist Hal. This was outstanding due to the fact that a previous antenna job at the same site did not end well with the tower getting away from the crew. At that unfortunate event, Garry, W8OI, was nearly hammered into the back yard. We suspect that when Hal put out this email on Thursday, Garry packed up his motorhome and headed South! Actually that is not true but just a fortunate coincidence that Garry left town just hours before Hal posted his request.

So, with the promise of Gino's biscuits and hot coffee, the crew, consisting of Dave, W8IW, Dave, WA8WV, Charlie, N8RR, Eric, K8OHZ, Pete, K4OM, Lonnie, WA8ZDL, Clark, W8TN and Rich, K8VE, all arrived and began the process. Rick, W8ZT, arrived a bit later due to the fact that he brought everything but the kitchen sink!

With Hal, W8HC, and Dave, W8IW, on the roof, the rest of the crew man-handled the tower from vertical to horizontal without so much as scratching a single element. If you think it is easy for 7 guys to grab ahold of a vertical tower at the same time, think again! Several feet were stepped on but the process went smoothly. With the tower laid over it was relatively easy to remove the antennas, mast and rotor using an old hacksaw, and brute force. Notice I said "relatively." It could have been done much quicker with a good bolt-cutter! Nevertheless, the antennas were soon on the ground along with the tower.

Hal graciously handed over his VISA card to Pete, K4OM, and Pete took Eric, K8OHZ, Charlie, N8RR, and Clark, W8TN to partake of the utopian wonder of Waffle House. We were saddened to not be joined by Dave, WA8WV, and the rest of the crew but maybe next time.

Garry, W8OI, - you dodged a bullet! We hope you and Nancy enjoy the sunshine state. We'll keep the DX warm for you here. Oh, and Pete must have misplaced Hal's VISA card so Dave, you really didn't miss anything there!

K8WAT's New Tower & Antennas

2011-11-22T15:55:00.001-05:00

On Friday, November 18, I had agreed to help Tim, K8RRT, and Dana, K8WAT, put the final touches on the installation of Dana's new "tower" and HF yagi. First, Tim and I met at Tudor's to fuel up at about 9:30 a.m. and to wait for it to warm up a bit above the low 30's! When we got to Dana's QTH I found that Dana had done a really professional job of installing his Wilson ST-77 telescoping, tilt-over tubular tower. This involved a lot of work by Dana, Tim and Dwight, W8WDT, over several weeks. The concrete base was massive - as was the tower itself! What we needed to do today was to attach the antennas to the tower and crank it up.

First we checked all the measurements on the HF antenna which is a Hy-Gain TH-5MK2. This is a broadband yagi on a 19-foot boom designed for operation on 10, 15, and 20-M. It has two fully trapped driven elements which result in a good SWR across the entire band. No need to set up the antenna for CW, mid-band, or Phone operation. All the measurements checked perfectly except for one on the reflector which was exactly 1 inch longer on each side. We decided the previous owner must have had a reason to do that and since we could easily crank it down if it wasn't right, we left it alone.

Next we cranked over the tower and our "Safety Officer" (K8RRT) kept yelling at me to stay out from underneath this mass of steel. We had no problems at all (for which I am very glad.) Tim was adamant about keeping us all safe and that's a good thing! In the photo at the left you can see the relative size of this monster behind Dana and Tim (click on any photo to make it larger.)

Once we had the tower where we could reach the mast, we installed the UHF/VHF vertical, a Jetstream JTB-4, which will cover 6-M, 2-M and 440. Then we mounted the TH-5MK2. At this point, Tim, K8RRT, checked out the antenna with his MFJ-259B and declared that the SWR was dang near perfect on all bands. Once that was done, it was time to "Crank It Up!" Both Dana and Tim expressed how nice it would be to have a motor to do that job!

Once the tower was vertical and locked in place, Dana raised it to about 50-feet. The tower will extend to 70-feet but he decided to check it out at this level first. Finally, we installed a coax connector on the UHF/VHF feedline and re-did the wiring on the rotor control cable. Once that was done, it was time to calibrate the rotor and put some "fire in the wire." The SWR was indeed great and signals were coming in from all over the world.

For quite some time Dana had been using the 40-M vertical you see mounted on the small roof tower for all his DX'ing on several bands. He was stunned to find how well he could null out the QRM off the sides and back of this new antenna. It was even better than he remembered his quad's performance a few years ago. So, we now have another WVDXA member with a new or improved antenna system ready to pounce on the elusive DX. In fact, Dana has been doing that nearly non-stop since the antenna went up! He has even worked a couple of all-time New Ones already. So when you hear that big signal in the pileup signing K8WAT, you will know where it comes from. That is probably the "cleanest" looking HF installation I've ever seen.

NOTE: Before I could get the above Posted, Tim called to tell me that Dana worked 9N7MD on 20-M SSB tonight! WHEEE! Let the DX'ing begin!

WT8V's New 20-M BIG GUN Antenna

2011-10-23T12:33:00.008-04:00

On Friday, October 21, 2011, Charlie, N8RR, called for a WVDXA Antenna Raising Party in order to install a new BIG GUN 20-M beam for Bart, WT8V. Charlie and Bart had been working on this project for about 3 months. Bart wanted to drastically improve his 20-M signal from the Mosely PRO 57-B he currently has at 65-feet on a Rohn 25G tower beside his house. After running many iterations of Bart's QTH through the HFTA software, Charlie determined a good location for the new antenna to be about 700-feet from Bart's current tower.

The antenna chosen for this project was an M2 20M5LGS which is a 5-L 20-M Monobander on a 50-foot boom. It was to be mounted on a 40-foot stick of Rohn 55G (the height being computer determined by HFTA) and turned with an M2 OR2800 Orion rotor and fed through 1/2-inch Andrew Heliax®.

At 7:45 a.m. the "Crew" assembled at Hardings Restaurant for a substantial breakfast but the restaurant was not open until 8 a.m. As soon as we had fueled up, it was on to Bart's hilltop QTH to begin the antenna raising. The "Crew" consisted of: Bart, WT8V, Charlie, N8RR, Dave, WA8WV, Garry, W8OI, Clark, W8TN, Tim, K8RRT, Dave, W8IW, Mike, NU8LL, Bob, WA8VPN, Eric, K8OHZ, Benny, WD8CCC and Rick, K8LUP.

A LOT of work was done, problems were overcome and great comradarie was enjoyed by all. Lessons were shared, techniques were passed on, and DX was discussed at length. Bart's wife, Sue, prepared a delicious lunch for all to help re-fuel the effort. The only thing that was not great was the weather. It was cool and damp but at least the wind which normally howls along Bart's ridge-top, stayed away. We finally saw a glimmer of sunlight just at the antenna was secured to the top of the tower. The last folks left at 8:30 p.m. (well after dark) and Bart had to do another 4 hours of tower work and 3 hours of ground work to complete the process on Saturday.

Of course he HAD to get on the radio as soon as the antenna was up and the early reports were nothing short of phenomenal! Bart says the new antenna is at least THREE S-units better on receive. While in QSO with G3YPZ, Bart was told "your mono-bander is 5 S-units better than your tri-bander!” Charlie, N8RR, says that the new antenna should only be about 1/2 S-unit (2.6 to 3.74 db) better based upon the gain of the two antennas and that the extra improvement is due solely to the terrain enhancement caused by the new location he found by analyzing Bart's QTH with the HFTA software.

I have posted some 27 photos of the day's work taken by Garry, W8OI, on a Picasa web album. You can view all WT8V Antenna Party Photos by clicking HERE. Just above the first photo on that page is a link called "Slideshow" which will run through all the photos and you can control the time spent on each picture.

Listen for Bart in the pileups - but you'll have to listen fast as he won't be calling long before he makes the QSO!

August 2011 WVDXA Meeting

2011-08-07T15:17:00.013-04:00

WHAT a Meeting! WHAT a Group! WHAT a QTH!!! BOY, did the WVDXA pull off another Fantastic meeting! Bart, WT8V, and his wife, Sue, opened their hilltop home yesterday to the WVDXA for a long afternoon of fun, food and festivities. Some 20 members of the WVDXA descended on an unsuspecting Bart, took over his grill, and swapped stories, tall tales and commiserated over the ones that got away. Click on the above photo for a larger view then use your browser's BACK button to return to this page.

Eric, K8OHZ, gave a professional presentation of PSK31/62/125 to a rapt audience. Eric came prepared with printed handouts and CD's of software. By hooking up to Bart's antenna, he actually made some live PSK31 QSO's. Many nice comments about Eric's presentation have been posted on the WVDXA Reflector and several of the members are now working toward being able to use these modes.

This turned out to probably be one of the longest WVDXA meetings as no one wanted to leave. There was some talk about siting a WVDXA Clubhouse on the property and I think I heard someone wondering if Bart would adopt them!

Jim, K4JWA, and Mary, KD8IPW, displayed some samples of the personalized WVDXA apperal. These are ordered from Lands End and have a 100% return guarantee. If they do not fit or the name or call is wrong or whatever, Lands End will take them back. Jim and Mary are putting together an order for more Jackets and Shirts so contact them if you want to join in this order.

This was the first meeting for Dana, K8WAT, and Bennie, WD8CCC. Also, we inducted Mary, KD8IPW, officially into the WVDXA. Glad to see the new faces and welcome all of them into the group.

One sign that the meeting was well received was that before it was over, there was talk about the next one.

HKØNA, Malpelo, January 2012

2011-07-29T23:26:00.003-04:00

The upcoming DX'pedition to Malpelo will use the callsign, HKØNA. They plan to be operational beginning January 22, 2012. The plan is to operate 160-M through 6-M, CW, SSB and Digital. The team consists of 15 operators who will man at least 3 station simultaneously. Equipment will consist of Elecraft K-3's and Elecraft KPA-500 amplifiers and they plan a special emphasis on 6-M including 6-M EME. The main web page is located HERE and you can select the bands and modes where you need Malpelo on THIS web site. Malpelo stands at Number 12 on the 2010 Most Needed Countries List and is about 2,400 miles nearly due South of West Virginia so this should be a chip shot on most bands.

KC8WDT is now W8WDT

2011-07-13T18:23:00.011-04:00

Well, Tim, K8RRT, sure started something! Three days after Tim got his new call, Dwight, KC8WDT, received his new call, W8WDT. This means us old dudes are really going to be stressed trying to remember who everyone is now! At least Dwight kept the same suffix so he should be easier to remember than Tim.

On the right you can see a photo of Dwight's recently improved antenna farm (Click on any photo to see a larger image then use your Browser's BACK button to return to this page.) At the very top is a CushCraft UHF/VHF vertical. Under that is a Cushcraft 617-6B at 45-feet for 6-M and below that a Mosely TA-33 w/WARC element at 40-feet. Also shown is an 80-M Inverted-V. All this is on a Glen Martin Heavy Duty Hazer. The above mentioned antenna heights were chosen by Charlie, N8RR, after analyzing Dwight's location and running that information through the HFTA program. You then need to realize that Dwight's antenna base is at about 1,100 feet elevation. Is it any wonder he works all that 6-M DX when the normal 6-M Big Guns of the WVDXA hear nothing?

The Hazer and antenna upgrades were completed in March, 2011. DX'ers who helped on the Project were W8WDT, N8IKT, K8WAT, KC8WDK & K8RRT. Nice job guys!

KC8UHE is now K8RRT

2011-07-09T17:41:00.003-04:00

Tim, KC8UHE, recently petitioned the FCC for a change in his callsign. Today the FCC granted that change and awarded Tim the call of K8RRT. Tim had spent a bit of time a couple of weeks ago looking through the list of available calls and when he saw this one, he fell in love with it. After debating about it for awhile he ran it by Charlie, N8RR, who gave him an enthusiastic Thumbs Up! In fact, Charlie told him "I would have dropped that KC8UHE call a long time ago!"

So today, I helped Tim change his log book, canned CW, RTTY and PSK-31 messages, and helped him request a new LoTW Certificate for K8RRT. After we had all that done, Tim proceeded to get on the air just to hear how the called sounded coming back from the DX. First he worked LZ2HQ on 20-M CW in the IARU HF World Championship contest. The Bulgarian station was running 30+ wpm and Tim had to use the amp to crack the EU pileup but he had a solid QSO. The LZ station was booming in so it was a good test of hearing his call come back from the DX. Then Tim moved to 17-M and worked JX5O on CW for an All-Time New One! I guess "K8RRT" does have some magic in it!

Congratulations on the new call Tim. Now us old timers will spend about a year getting used to who K8RRT really is when we hear that call in the pile-ups.

Andaman Islands - March 15th to 31st

2011-02-26T00:45:00.003-05:00

For the last half of March, 2011, the Andaman Islands will be activated by a team of 17 operators. You can view the basic information HERE and on other links at the bottom of that page. Equipment will consist of an Elecraft K3, Two Kenwood TS-2000's, Two ICOM 756 Pro II/III, Yaesu FT 847, and a Kenwood TS-950. Antennas consist of Two Spider Beams (20-17-15-12-10m), SteppIR 3-element Yagi (20-6m), SteppIR Big IR vertical (40-10m), Wire and vertical antennas for low band operation (160-80-40-30m), 18m Spider poles for Low band antennas (160-80m), and a Force12 C3S Yagi (20-10m). And the Amplifier list includes a Yaesu Quadra VL1000 Amp, Kenwood TL-922 Amp, Yaesu FL2100 Amp, Ameritron ALS-500 Amp, and an Ameriton AL-811H Amp.

The beam heading for this DX'pedition is 6° and the distance is about 9,000 miles from West Virginia. With that beam heading, signals will need to propagate directly over the North Pole and the Aurora Zone. Therefore, our best chance is probably via Long Path. Andaman ranks as 29th on the 2010 Most Needed Countries List so this will be a big one.

From the list of operatiors I see that Bharathi Prasad, VU2RBI, will be on this DX'pedition like the 2007 VU7RG operation from Lakshadweep Islands. Maybe Papa November will pick up some more recipes for Curried Opossum from her on this trip.

T31A, Central Kiribati, April 17 - 28, 2011

2011-02-18T22:34:00.004-05:00

The Kanton 2011 DXpedition is comprised of an international team of 13 operators from five countries. They will be on the air April 17 thru April 28, 2011, running 6 stations on 160M through 6M (SSB/CW/RTTY). You can view their web site HERE. If they are able to access the Internet from Kanton Island, they will upload logs during the DX'pedition and you will find the log search on this page. T31 ranks 28th on the 2010 Most Needed Countries List so this will be a Biggee! T31 is 6,300 miles from WV on a heading of 267° which makes them just about the same distance to the West that TJ9PF is to the East of us. GL to all WVDXA Members who need this one.

Create an Azimuth Map for Your QTH

2011-02-17T11:27:00.003-05:00

Have you ever wanted a map that shows in a single glance the beam heading to any spot on the earth from your QTH? Well, here is a Web Site that will create just such a map for you. You simply need to enter your location (you can use a City name, a Maidenhead Grid, or your Latitude/Longitude) and then answer a few questions about how you want the map to look. If you choose to leave the "Distance" box empty then you will get the entire world shown on the map like the image to the right here. You can choose shorter distances for VHF work and get maps that show cities within whatever distance you choose. This service is provided as a courtesy by Tom, NS6T, and if you find it useful, there is a link on the bottom of the page where you can make a contribution. Once the map is created (it may take up to 30 seconds) you will get a PDF file that you can save and then print.
TNX to Steve, KØCS, for this tip.

UPDATE:
TNX to Dave, K8MN, for this Web Site which offers a similar way to produce a Great Circle beam heading chart. To utilize this method you download the software to your computer and set the parameters you want.

And, a similar beam heading method is the Beam Heading Chart provided by the North Jersey DX Association and available HERE. Enter your data on this page and it will produce a DXCC Country List with beam headings and distances personalized to your location. This tip was originally published on this WVDXA Blog August 1, 2008, as a tip from Bob, W8QHG, now a SK. You can view that original Post HERE and see a photo of what the beam heading chart looks like.

4A4A Revilla Gigedo (XF4) March 3-20, 2011

2011-02-07T14:03:00.005-05:00

A group of seven, mostly Spanish hams are heading to Benito Juarez Island (NA-030) - also known as Socorro Island, in the Revilla Gigedo group. They expect to be operational for about 17 days. Plans call for them to take 5 transceivers, 4 amplifiers and one 6-M radio. Antennas are unknown. They hope to have 3 stations operational at the same time and plan operation on all bands and modes from 160-M through 6-M. You can visit their web site HERE and vote for which bands and modes you need XF4. They say they will QSL via LoTW automatically. There is a link at the top of their web site for "LOG" and that is your link for their online log during the operation. Click on the link called "The Island" in the left-hand frame for a lot of good information about Socorro Island. Keep your fingers crossed for some 6-M propagation. TNX to Garie, K8KFJ, for tipping me off to this upcoming DX'pedition.

ZL8X, Kermadec - 19 Nov to 05 Dec

2010-11-09T08:24:00.003-05:00

In just 10 days a group of 13 mostly German operators will put ZL8, Kermadec Island, on the air. The 2009 Most needed Country List placed ZL8 at No. 28 so a lot of you guys probably need them on several bands. Since I only have them confirmed on 20-M Phone, you can bet I'll be in the hunt!

They have already shipped 2.5 TONS of equipment to New Zealand and will operate SEVEN stations in two camps about 1 km apart. Antennas will include 4-squares for 30, 40 and 80-M, verticals for 80 and 160-M, and multi-element dipole arrays and yagis for the HF bands. Each station will have a transceiver, amplifier, laptop, interface and Win-Test software. They will be operating in the CQ WW DX CW Contest.

More details are available on their web site HERE. To find what you want, hover your mouse over one of the items in the menu bar on their web site and a "Sub" menu will appear where you can choose a topic. For example, hover over the word "Organization" on the menu and then click on the word "Operating" on the sub-menu. This will take you to the page with the table of their operating frequencies and their Hints for Operating.

They WILL have an online log once the operation starts. GL to all WVDXA Members.

W8JA's Antenna Project

2010-11-05T13:21:00.009-04:00

Over the last couple of months many WVDXA Members have been working tirelessly to help Jimmy, W8JA, with a big antenna project. Jimmy lives on a city lot in St. Albans and had a 40-foot American Standard tower supporting his antennas. The goals of the project were to install a sturdier tower, gain 10' in height, and have 2 elements to enhance his 40-M performance. The extra 10' of tower height might also help the performance of Jimmy's 160/80-M trap dipole. A new 6-M antenna was purchased and installed to allow Jimmy to put up a lower yagi for 6-M in addition to the higher, new antenna.

Since I was not in on the project from the beginning, I may not have listed everyone who helped with the project. If so, I sincerely apologize for any omission in advance. However, I do know the following contributed many, many hours of their time, their expertise and their advice to see this project through to completion:

Charlie, N8RR
Mike, NU8LL
Dave, W8IW
Dave, WA8WV
Tim, KC8UHE
Eric, K8OHZ
Seth, W8FG
Rick, W8ZT
Clark, W8TN
Jimmy's brother, Mike

The old HF antenna was a Force 12 "C-3 S" and it was replaced with a Force 12 Delta 4-XL which has an 8-foot longer boom and 2-L on 40-M. His old 5-L CushCraft 6-M beam was replaced by a 6-L CushCraft about 8 feet above the F12 HF antenna. The new tower is Rohn Model 35 which is half way between Rohn 25 and Rohn 45. It is very sturdy and much easier to climb and work on than Rohn 25. The new tower is 50-feet tall. In addition to replacing the antenna feedlines and splicing on additional rotor control cable, the Phillystran guy cables were replaced with larger ones using pre-formed dead ends to attach the ends of the guys.

Jimmy had Custom Welding make a new house bracket to accommodate the larger tower. Tim, KC8UHE, drilled the concrete patio to facilitate the attachment of the new tower base plate. Rick, WZ8T, fabricated a new roof attachment bracket for the guy cables as well as the tower top plate. Jimmy's mom selected Sherwin Williams Beige as the color for the new tower which several of the guys painted. This turned out to be an excellent choice as it blends the tower in nicely so it does not stand out too much.

A lot of man-hours were spent assembling the antennas in Jimmy's back yard and testing them before they were installed. Still, the F12 40-M antenna needed to be "tweaked" after it was hoisted the first time so that meant pulling it back down, making the modifications, and raising it back up. At least three FULL days of tower work were required to remove the old antennas and tower and install the new ones. It seemed like Mike, NU8LL, was in the air for DAYS!

On the first day when the old tower was to be removed and the new tower installed, I was about an hour late to arrive. Therefore, I missed the Bar-B-Que! It seems Eric, K8OHZ, had arrived early and his car decided to self-destruct and go up in flames right in front of Jimmy's QTH. The fire department was called and managed to extinguish the flames but Eric lost his ride! This was bad news for him but good news for Jimmy's project as with that one incident, Murphy was banished and everything else proceeded without major incident. (Sorry this had to happen to you Eric!)

Jimmy's mom, Oleta, supplied enormous amounts of food to everyone who was there - on every day we were there! Jimmy himself supervised every step of the operation even at the expense of a pretty good sunburn! And, during the project when the New PJ Entities came into existence, it was quite evident that Jimmy was torn between supervising the project and getting in front of the radio to work the New Ones even with Mike, NU8LL, still on the tower!

Above you can see a photo of the completed installation. But, click HERE for the complete photo album of Jimmy's project. On that page, click on any photo to enlarge it. You can then use the Left/Right Arrows above the photo to navigate the album. Or, just click on the Slideshow button at the top left of the first page (the one with all the thumbnail images.)

This was a MAJOR effort on the part of many members of the WVDXA. A lot of personal time and effort was expended to help just one DX'er, but, it's what we do. And for that, I'm extremely proud to be a member of this group!

ZS8M - Marion Island - Penguin Photos

2010-09-14T23:15:00.009-04:00

Bob, WA8VPN, received an email from Pierre, ZS8M today which contained 10 photos of penguins on Marion Island. Bob asked that I post them to the Blog for WVDXA members to view and get some idea of what life is like at this rare DX Location called Marion Island. Marion Island ranked THIRD on the Most Needed Countries List which makes it VERY rare indeed!

Here is the text of Pierre, ZS8M's, email:

Hi All,

Some pics of penguin activity a few months ago.
These penguins are easy targets from seals, killer
whales and shua.

Regards
Pierre
Marion Island

The ZS8M log is online HERE. (Yes, WA8VPN made the log!) You can also read the ZS8M Newsletter HERE. The Newsletter contains a lot of good information about this operation and many more photos.

I have posted all 10 penguin photos to a Picasa web album. You can view them by clicking HERE. Underneath where it says "Marion Island" you can click on "Slideshow" and view all 10 images one right after the other. Click on any images on this Blog page to see them larger, then click on your BACK button to return to this page.

July 24th Meeting/Picnic

2010-07-24T19:59:00.009-04:00

Boy, is my belly full! Even though the temperature was flirting with 100° today, it was hardly noticed by the 16 WVDXA members who convened for a meeting at the QTH of Jim, K4JWA, in Barboursville, WV. This is surely one of those excellent WVDXA meetings that will be talked about for months to come. Jim, K4JWA, and his wife, Mary, KD8IPW, graciously opened their home to the marauding band of hungry DX'ers who descended upon them for several hours. As always with the WVDXA, the food and drink were plentiful and delicious.

To the left you can see K4JWA's new tower and antennas. Above you can see those who attended, with the exception of Phil, W8UV, who managed to escape before I pulled out my camera. Click on any photo to see a larger version and then use your BACK button to return to this page. Left to right we have: W8OI, K4OM, W8IW, N8RR, WA8WV, K8OHZ, W8JA, K4JWA (white shirt), KC8WDT (plaid shirt), KC8UHE, KC8FVE, W8TN, W8QY, WA8ZDL, and W8HC.

W8OI's wife, Nancy, WB8GSD, and W8TN's wife, Evelyn, were also there as well as K4JWA's wife and W8JA's mom. The menu included hot dogs, hamburgers, fresh fruit salad, broccoli salad, macaroni salad, deviled eggs, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, two kinds of baked beans, potato salad, pie and more that I can not remember. Plenty of drinks (leaded and unleaded) were also available. Jim, K4JWA, forgot to tell us to bring our trunks for a dip in the pool but with no shade to be found over the pool, I doubt if anyone would have jumped in.

The big news is that we decided on club shirts with WVDXA logos. Jim, K4JWA, had obtained three different color shirts from Land's End and we decided for the club to go with the "Tan" color and Dark Blue print for the Name/Callsign over the pocket. Orders were taken by Mary and if you want one of your own, contact Jim, K4JWA, with your information (size, shirt color, name, and call.) The price is $51 each which covers the shirts, tax and shipping to K4JWA. If there is any excess, it will go back into the treasury. We also voted to reimburse Jim, K4JWA, for the $175 "Logo Setup" fee he paid to get this project going. You can see the shirt (in white) on the right. Jim did not have on the "Tan" color shirt but the group decided that one looked the best with our logo.

Pete, K4OM, graciously passed on his "I Worked a JA on 6-M" badge to Charlie, N8RR. Charlie brought his JA QSL for Show and Tell and now has the honor of being the most recent club member to work Japan on the Magic Band.

So, we all laughed, ate, drank, told stories, and learned a few things as well. Another fabulous get-together of the WVDXA. If you missed this one, be sure you make it to the next.

WVDXA Shirt Logo

2010-05-17T11:55:00.002-04:00

It was discussed at the last WVDXA Club Meeting about having shirts made with the WVDXA logo on them. Jim, K4JWA, has had a sample made and all the guys who saw it at the Dayton Hamvention were extremely pleased with how it looks. You can see a photo of it on the right.

We need to decide what color shirt to place the logo on and what to put under (or over) the logo - such a Callsign Only or Callsign/First Name, etc. So, think about what might make a good shirt color and what you would like to see besides the logo and let's discuss it on the Reflector.

Thanks Jim for taking the lead on this.

May 2010 Meeting of the WVDXA

2010-05-04T15:19:00.004-04:00

Saturday, May 1st, 9 members of the WVDXA got together at the QTH of Bob, W8QHG, for a most enjoyable afternoon. As Bob is 93-1/2 years young, it is difficult for him to travel so we brought the meeting to him! Alan, W8OP, traveled the furthest in driving 3 hours each way from Fairmont, WV.

As usual, the food was sumptuous! Bob's daughter, Bonnie, fixed Penne pasta with meat sauce and home-made meatballs, Hal, W8HC, brought some home-made pizza (it was made at the home of Papa John's!), Dave, WA8WV, brought his famous lemon pound cake, Alan, W8OP, came with home-made Apple pie and sweet tea, Jim, K4JWA, brought garlic bread and a marvelous tossed salad with strawberries, Garry, W8OI, brought drinks and I brought chocolate chip cookies. We ate well - as always!

Bonnie graciously brought her laptop with an AirCard so we could access the Internet and Hal, W8HC, brought a projector and screen so everyone could see the presentations. First up we had a demonstration of the new WVDXA chat page and the DeskPins utility to keep any window "Always-on-Top" of other windows. Then, I showed the 2007 DX Forum presentation I gave at Jackson's Mill about "How to Work DX on a Dead Band (6-M.) That proved timely as the 6-M band opened up just 2 days later.

Above you can see a photo (taken by Bonnie) of those who attended. Click on the photo to make it larger and then hit your BACK button to return to this page. From left to right are: W8OI, WA8WV, WA8VPN, W8TN, W8HC, W8QHG (seated), N8RR, K4JWA, and W8OP.

Besides the presentations, several who attended were "schooled" by WA8VPN's single QSL DXCC submission. They then went home and began searching their QSL's for Deleted Entities! During "Show and Tell" I gave a brief demonstration of my new climbing belt on Bob's tower. Even with the new belt, climbing a tower with a cane can be difficult!

From all the good comments, we need to get together again before too much time has passed. It was certainly the best Saturday afternoon I've spent in quite some time.

Print Your DXCC Award Credit Matrix from LoTW

2010-04-16T15:10:00.005-04:00

Have you noticed that ARRL no longer supplies a printed "Credit Matrix" of your DXCC Entities when you made a recent DXCC Submission? That happens when your submission contains LoTW credits, because they know you can access the Credit Matrix online at any time. However, there are times when you might like to have a "hard copy" on hand (like when checking through a stack of QSL's to see if you need to submit any of them.)

If you would like a printed copy of your DXCC Credit Matrix, you can get one from ARRL for $3.00 or you can print it yourself. Simply follow these steps and you can print your own right at home:

Sign into your LoTW Account and click on the yellow "Awards" tab.
Click "Select DXCC Award Account" and you will see your "Totals" chart.
Underneath that chart, click on "View Award Credit Matrix"
Now pull down "File" from your browser menu bar and choose Print. That's it.

Prior to selecting "Print" you can choose "Page Setup" and select either Landscape or Protrait mode if you want. You can also choose "Print Preview" to see what the report will look like before you print it. I found that Portrait mode took 13 pages to print and Landscape took 14 pages. It's your own personal preference as to which you choose.

Also, a neat thing you can do with this report is once you click on "View Award Credit Matrix", you can click on the blue "Sort By" link at the top of the Entity column and the list will now be arranged alphabetically by "Entity Name" instead of Prefix. I find this to be extremely helpful when I'm looking for an entity but can't remember the Prefix. BIG HELP! (See Graphic Below.)

Having the Credit Matrix in this form can also be very helpful in searching out those entities you have missed on rather easy bands. For example, you may find you have no QSL for the USA on 12-M. That's pretty easy to correct. In the Graphic below you can quickly see I need Crozet on CW and Cuba on RTTY (and pretty much everyone on the WARC bands!) This can help focus your "hunt" for that elusive DX.

Palestine, E4X, May 28 to June 6

2010-04-12T10:44:00.005-04:00

A major DX'pedition to Palestine, E4X, is scheduled for May 28 to June 6. 10 operators, mostly from Spain and France, will put this needed country on the air for about 10 days. According to their web site HERE, they plan to operate 160 thru 6-M, SSB, CW & RTTY. The 6-M antenna is a 28-foot boom yagi and they will have two Acom 1010 amps so it is conceivable we might be able to work them on the Magic Band.

In addition to the two Acom amps, they plan to have two more SPE Expert 1K-FA amps. Also, 4 HF transceivers will allow them to have at least three stations operating at the same time on different bands and modes. Antennas for HF are not that extensive but include a Spider beam, a Hex beam, verticals for 30 & 40-M, Inverted-L for 80-M and a sloping dipole for 160-M.

Palestine ranks 51st on the 100 Most Needed Countries List so I'm sure a lot of WVDXA members will be looking to either pick this one up as an All-Time New One or to at least fill in some needed band slots. QSL info lists only Direct via EA5RM.

JD1/o Ogasawara Island - 28 March to 12 April

2010-03-23T09:41:00.004-04:00

A group of 5 operators (4 from the USA) will be putting Ogasawara Island on the DX bands for two weeks. They have plans to operate 160 to 6-M with CW, SSB & RTTY. Ogasawara stands at No. 94 on the Most Needed Country List however I'll bet a lot of WVDXA members have many bands they would still like to fill in with this one. This operation will basically be a low-power one from what I read on their Web Page. They will have two Kenwood TS-480's and a Yaesu FT-1021 which is a 200-watt radio. 80 and 160-M they will use verticals, 40 & 30-M will be "half-squaes" and 10-20-M will be a Sigma V five-band vertical dipole and an HB9CV five-band yagi. Working them on the low-bands will present a bit of a challenge due to the lack of high power. But with five operators and three rigs, they should be on the air a good deal. The 7,100 mile, near polar path from WV will also make your QSO's a little difficult but I have high hopes that I can add some more Band/Entities for JD1 beginning next week. There will apparently be an on-line log search as well. GL to all WVDXA members who need JD1.

If you miss out on some JD1 contacts with the above group, JG7PSJ will be operating as JD1BMH from 02 May to 14 May. He WILL have a Yaesu VL-1000 amplifier but has not indicated any plans to operate on 160 or 80-M. He has operated several times from JD1 in recent years and his Web Site indicates he will have an online log search as well.

Pacific Odyssey - May/June 2010

2010-03-17T08:14:00.006-04:00

The Ukrainian DXpeditioners Team (UDXT) has plans to operate from three Pacific DX Entities in June, 2010. They are taking two Elecraft K-3's and two Acom 1010 amps. They plan to be on 160-10-M with CW, SSB & Digital. See their web site HERE. T31 Central Kiribati, Kanton Island, Phoenix Islands Group, is 29th on the Most Needed Country List.

Here are the planned stops on this Odyssey along with Zone and IOTA numbers and proposed dates:

5WØOX, Samoa (CQ – 32; ITU – 62; IOTA OC – 097) 18 May – 19 May 2010
T31X, Central Kiribati (CQ – 31; ITU – 62; IOTA OC – 043) 22 May – 1 June 2010
ZK3X, Tokelau (CQ – 31; ITU – 62; IOTA OC – 048) 2 June – 6 June 2010

Obviously the 5WØ and ZK3 stops will be short so stay on your toes.

Equatorial Guinea, 3CØC, Delayed

2010-03-17T07:49:00.004-04:00

The DX'pedition to Annobon Island, 3CØC, which had originally been scheduled for 15 days in April has been delayed for possibly several months. See their web site HERE. BTW there is a great photo of the island with their proposed location on that web page. Here is the statement describing the delay:

Today we received a statement from Equatorial Guinea where we are told that the coming days, they will start some repairs on the runway on Annobón and therefore can not enter or leave on any flights from the island.
It seems that there is hope that the work will last two to three months. Although we are prepared to leave for Africa at any time, we are forced to delay our stay at Annobón until work on the runway is completed.

They had plans to operate three transceivers with two amplifiers and to be active on 160-10-M. If they delay 2-3 months, it may be very difficult to work them on 160-M.

TNX to Alan, W8OP for this update.

YI9PSE - Iraq, April 2 - 12

2010-03-10T11:25:00.004-05:00

I just voted for what bands/modes I need Iraq on (RTTY plus all bands except 20-M) and I noticed many WVDXA members had also voted. To vote, click on the "Survey" link on their website - YI9PSE. This should be a great DX'pedition to pick up many needed band/mode counters. They are planning to use FIVE complete stations complete with IC-7600 transceivers and Acom amps. Antennas include a 3-L SteppIR, 2-L SteppIR, Force 12 C3S, SteppIR Vertical, 1/4 wave verticals for 30, 40, 80 and 160-M, and a 300-foot Beverage. That's some very workable stations. With Iraq being some 6400 miles from us, it's a little difficult to work but the class of operators and the quality of equipment on this DX'pedition makes it look very good. The website will have an online log and QSL's will be uploaded to LoTW in late 2010. With FIVE complete stations operating all bands from 160 to 10-M (CW, SSB, & RTTY) this should satisfy the demand for Iraq for many folks. GL to all WVDXA members in the pileups.

Watch the Band Edges!

2010-01-22T09:01:00.007-05:00

The following is a portion of a post in the January 01, 2010, column "It Seems to Us" by David Sumner, K1ZZ, the ARRL CEO, which appeared in the January 2010 issue of QST. It bears repeating here as many of us get involved in the heat of the chase for the DX and forget that just clicking on a spot may place us outside our band or sub-band privileges. Also, the comments about how close an SSB signal can get and still be within the band is something we all need to keep aware of, lest we stray out of the band.

It's a good idea to post your allowed operating frequencies in a conspicuous place near your operating position so you will be constantly reminded and be able to check whenever you think you "may" be out-of-band.

========== Excerpt of "It Seems to Us" ==========

Watch the Band Edges!

Following the relocation of most broadcasting stations from the 7100-7200 kHz band there has been a significant increase in DX activity by US amateurs on 40 meter phone. Judging from what we're hearing and what others are reporting from around the country, a reminder about band edges is in order.

When in SSB mode, most transceivers display the frequency of the suppressed carrier. This can be a bit confusing, because ideally your station isn't emitting any energy at all on that frequency. All of your transmitter power is going into the voice passband that extends roughly from 300 to 3000 Hz on one side or the other of that frequency.

The bottom edge of the US phone band for Amateur Extra and Advanced licensees is 7125 kHz. Without getting into hair-splitting debates about how wide your SSB signal might be compared to others, if you're operating on lower sideband (LSB) with a carrier frequency below 7128 kHz you're out of the band because some of your transmitter power is below 7125 kHz. For General licensees the band edge is 7175 kHz, so the lowest carrier frequency a General can use on LSB is 7178 kHz. At the top edge, as long as you're on LSB the situation is different; if you're confident that your opposite sideband and carrier suppression are up to snuff you can snuggle up to the band edge of 7300 kHz.

Two other bands where "falling off the edge" is too common an occurrence are 20 and 17 meters, and here -- because upper sideband (USB) is the norm on these bands -- the problem occurs at the top end. Carrier frequencies above 14,347 kHz and 18,165 kHz respectively are verboten. On these bands the lower band edge is not generally a problem because on USB, the carrier and lower sideband are suppressed.

As station licensees and control operators we are responsible for the proper operation of our stations. If a DX Cluster spot lures us out of the US phone band that's our fault, not the spotter's. If a DX station is on 18,160 kHz and is listening "5 to 10 up" it's our fault, not his, if we go up more than 5. And as long as we're talking about 17 meters -- a great band, by the way -- US amateurs must remember that RTTY and data modes are not allowed above 18,110 kHz, even if a RTTY DX pileup extends above that frequency. And remember, too, that if you're generating a RTTY or data signal by injecting audio into an SSB transmitter your actual operating frequency is different from what's shown on your display. How much different? Only you and your software know for sure!

========== "Reprinted with the permission of the ARRL. Copyright ARRL." ==========

You can view the entire "It Seems to Us" column by clicking HERE.

New QSL for W8GG

2009-11-26T11:20:00.007-05:00

Greg, W8GG, has been working so much DX, he ran out of QSL's and had to get some new ones. Below you can see what he chose this time. Quite an impressive front to the card and even a nice photo of Greg on the back. (Click on any photo to view it larger.)

You should also note that he put the WVDXA logo on the back of his card. Way to go, Greg. The WVDXA logo brings a lot of status to your QSL and should insure a quick return of the QSL's you need. Nice job, Greg!

KC8UHE Shoots and SCORES!

2009-10-21T16:09:00.008-04:00

Back in April a DX'pedition to Western Sahara, SØ4R, hit the airwaves. Standing at No. 86 on the Most Needed Countries List, there was a good deal of interest in working this one. Tim, KC8UHE, displayed a LOT of interest as this would be another all-time New One for him. However, as it sometimes happens, Tim's work schedule got in the way of his working this DX'pedition. On April 14th he posted to the WVDXA Reflector:

Congrats to everyone who has had success with SØ4R...I have yet to be in
front of the radio. Only 3 days left. I do not have them logged on any band.

As Post after Post to the reflector showed various WVDXA members knocking off SØ4R on many bands and modes, the frustration began to build in Tim. As you may recall, at that time Tim was using a Kenwood TS-480S as his radio. This is essentially just a mobile radio. His did not even have a CW filter in it! Then early on the 15th of April Tim posted this:

     Workable copy here tonight from SØ4R but no contact. I tried for over
1.5 hrs but could not make the Q. Greg I heard the DX come back to your call.
It should be in his log...
  I have stayed up way too late. It is now 12:07 am eastern. My work
alarm will be going off @ 3:30 eastern for a 12hr day-shift Wednesday.
  Call me crazy. Congrats to all that worked the SØ4R today. I have 3 days
left to make a contact with SØ4R. Work may get in the way on making the contact.
  Everyone have a good night sleep.

But, he did NOT go to bed. At 12:42 a.m. he Posted a message with the following subject:

I couldn't go to bed yet - I was able to work the SØ4R on 80 SSB 3780 up 3802.

So, he finally made a QSO with a New One! Outstanding! But, still not wanting to let it go with just one QSO, Tim kept chasing the DX when the 12-hour work days allowed him to be at the radio. He desperately wanted a 160-M QSO and now put all his effort into that. Just before midnight on the 15th Tim Posted:

Did anyone Copy my qso with SØ4R?

He had managed a WA8VPN "possum" contact with SØ4R on 160-M. But, because of the massive QRM to his "mobile" radio, he was not certain the DX copied his full call. He felt the call might not have been correct and he sent his call again with his report only to get a "TU" from the DX. Then, when the online log was updated, his 80-M QSO was there but NOT the 160-M one.

Still not willing to give up Tim asked me for some help. I lent him 500 feet of No. 14 for a Beverage On Ground (BOG) and I lent him my brand-new Elecraft K-3. Tim was ecstatic! He just knew he would get that 160-M QSO now. So, under cover of darkness he ran the BOG out through a neighbor's pasture. I went home and at 12:38 a.m. on the 16th, I copied both sides of Tim's QSO with SØ4R. WONDERFUL! We both were on Cloud 9.

However, the next log update STILL did not have a QSO for KC8UHE on Top Band. RATS! Now the DX'pedition was over. So after a couple of weeks I emailed the QSL manager and told him that I had copied Tim's QSO (both sides) and I had discovered that there was a 160-M QSO in the online log for K8UHE which was not a valid FCC call! I politely suggested that the SØ4R operator may have failed to properly record Tim's call. The manager promptly replied that at the time I reported the QSO, they were NOT on 160-M and the QSO time for K8UHE also did not agree with the same time. He suggested that Tim had worked a Pirate!

Tim was obviously deflated as we both had been certain he had a good QSO. But, following my philosophy of "Never Give Up, Never Surrender" I recently helped Tim send a QSL with all three times he felt he had worked SØ4R on 160-M (along with his 80-M QSO) and we included a brief letter in English and Spanish explaining that K8UHE was not a valid call with the FCC.

Today I received a telephone call from someone who was screaming incoherently into the phone. I first thought it was a prank call but eventually I made out the fact that it was Tim. He had just come in from his mailbox and he had received the QSL you see here. (Click on the photo to see a larger image.)

It took a few minutes for me to fully understand what he was screaming into the phone and when I did I asked him to run the QSL by my house on his way to another 12-hour night shift. I am pretty certain that tonight Tim will be wearing a silly grin throughout his entire shift.

BTW, he refers to this as a "Trophy" QSL because of all the effort he went through to get the contact including getting nipped in the rear by a mother horse as he rolled up the BOG at 2 a.m.! So even when it looks the darkest, you need to persevere as sometimes, dreams DO come true!

WA8VPN Shoots Another Possum!

2009-10-08T15:41:00.003-04:00

The following is copied from an email by N8RR on the WVDXA Email Reflector. It details WA8VPN's 40-M QSO with FT5GA on the last night of the DX'pedition. This is how the Big Boys do it, so take notes!

Papa November asked me to summarize the event sequence for his Glorioso CW QSO.

It was known that 7 October was the last day for the FT5GA Dxpedition. WA8VPN was still seeking a CW QSO. Earlier in the day, FT5GA was on 15 and 30 meters CW with a good signal. Papa November and others in WVDXA were trying for a QSO on 15, but Bob was unsuccessful. The band folded and Bob was still without a CW QSO with FT5GA. They were nowhere to be found.

Messages were posted saying some of the antennas were dismounted, but that some stations remained operational. However, late afternoon passed into evening, then late evening, and no FT5GA was heard or seen spotted on DX Cluster. I thought we had seen the end of the FT5GA operation.

Somewhere around 9PM local WA8VPN called me on the phone, and asked if I thought there were any chance FT5GA might make a last minute appearance on 40M CW. I had no idea, but thought the chance was slim. I have been hearing FT5GA on 40M CW previous nights somewhere around the 03z hour, if they have been on. On the previous night October 6 I thought they had a workable signal here. Bob asked if he could come over to my QTH, in case the FT5 showed up for one last hurrah on 40. He wanted to use my station because I have been hearing FT5GA. I invited Bob over.

Around 0200z Bob arrived. I had been listening on all bands and monitoring the cluster, and not a peep was heard from FT5GA. I showed Bob the station, demonstrated the beverages. WA8VPN operated on 80 and 40M working some DX, including TO7RJ and 3B8CF on 40 CW; he knew we had good propagation to the Indian Ocean, and were putting out a good signal into that area.

After about an hour of monitoring the bands, with nothing heard on the radio or Cluster from FT5GA, Bob was just about to pack it in as a lost cause. We both figured the equipment was dismantled and operations ceased with FT5GA. At the last minute, as he was walking out the door, a Cluster spot came up for FT5GA on 7002, sent by some DX outside of North America. Quickly the FT-2000 receiver was tuned to 7002 and zilch was heard. No FT5GA and no pileup.

Some very careful tuning over a 2 minute period revealed a whisp of a signal down deep in the noise on 7002. Yes, it was calling CQ. The call FT5GA was deciphered one time, and then the signal stood by. Bob was in the operating chair, and I thought he might have the big one.

I reached over and set the XIT control for +2 khz and said to Bob: "Call him. You may never hear him again, and this could be the last shot" Bob didn't even wait and listen to see if anyone else heard FT5GA and was calling. He just blind called up 2 khz and sent WA8VPN twice.

The ghost signal on 7002 came back to someone. Bob deciphered a W and an A but that was it. I said: " I think he has come back to you, call him again" Once again, Bob sent WA8VPN twice on 7004. This time, FT5GA came back to a call and sent a report. The signal was so weak and the noise was so high he just could not be 100% sure if the report was for WA8VPN. However, the timing sequence was right throughout, and the response from FT5GA was as expected. Once again, I suggested to Bob that this was probably as good a shot as he would have. I said "send him a report". Bob sent him a 599 three times, then repeated WA8VPN twice.

The ghost signal came back sending something that could not be deciphered because the signal was so weak, but both of us could hear UP. I looked at Bob and he looked at me. I said: "You probably just worked FT5GA, if it was really him"
We listened to the QSX frequency, and there were a couple of callers, but we believe they were attracted by the Cluster spot and zeroed in on WA8VPN's signal. We did not hear FT5GA work anyone else. I don't think he worked anyone prior to Bob's calling him.

Both of us felt pretty good about the sequence of events but we were both skeptical. It was Bob's last shot for this Dxpedition, and he took it. The online log would tell if it were zero or 3 points!

At 0630 local I got up and checked the FT5GA log. WA8VPN was in there on 40M. Yes!!!!!! This had to be nearly the last, if not the last, USA QSO by FT5GA on 40 or perhaps any band. Condition were horrible, worse than I had heard FT5GA's signal on 40M any night they were on.

I would trade all of my FT5GA QSO's, with the possible exception of 80M, so that Bob could make this one. Fortunately, that was not necessary. This entire sequence and the unlikely unfolding of it is unique in my 47 years of experience. WA8VPN sure must be living right!

That's the story, and we are sticking to it.

73 Charlie N8RR

FT5GA, Glorioso Island

2009-08-23T18:08:00.004-04:00

The Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin reports that the 2009 DX'pedition to Glorioso Island now have their airline tickets to Reunion Island in hand. They are scheduled to leave Paris on September 11 and return on October 8. They will fly from Reunion to Glorioso via French Armed Forces aircraft. The exact dates for the operation are not known yet but they expect to stay on Glorioso for about 3 weeks. 8 French operators will man 4 complete stations each with KW amps. Glorioso is ranked as the FOURTH most needed country in the World! Click HERE to visit the FT5GA web site. Good luck to all WVDXA members who need this rare country.

Conway Reef, 3D2ØCR, October 1st to 10th

2009-08-12T12:11:00.003-04:00

Tim, KC8UHE, sent a link to the web page for the upcoming 3D2ØCR DX'pedition to Conway Reef. Click HERE for the DX'pedition web page. From October 1 to 10 a team of 8 operators will activate this rare entity. Most recently it was ranked as the 19th most needed entity. Conway Reef is just 800 feet long by 500 feet wide and located some 280 miles southwest of the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific.

The team expects to operate three stations simultaneously 24/7. They will have three Elecraft K-3's and two K-2's plus a large selection of various antennas. In the first days of the operation one station will be dedicated to RTTY. They plan operations on all bands from 160-M through 6-M.

Donations are being requested on the web site. Click on the "How you can help" link on the web site. The first 200 individual contributors will receive a hand written QSL mailed from 3D2 or FK immediately after the DX'pedition.

CQ Zone, ITU Zone, Grid Square Maps, etc.

2009-06-24T23:17:00.009-04:00

Have you even wondered what ITU Zone you were in? Or, what countries were in CQ Zone 34? Maybe you need to know what Continent for W.A.C. purposes a particular country is in? Or, do you need to know where a particular grid is in the world? Well, CLICK HERE for a great resource to fulfill those needs. All these maps and more are on this one page (be sure you scroll down the page to see all the maps.) And, the maps are interactive so you can click on a Zone and the map will expand and add more data. Click on the CQ Zone map and then click on a Zone and the map will expand to show that Zone and the countries found in that Zone will be listed underneath the map along with the Continent and ITU Zone for that country.

In addition to the above map resource (which also has a world-wide Maidenhead Grid Map), CLICK HERE for an interactive Google Map to show Maidenhead Grids around the world. If you know the 4 or 6 digit Grid Square you want, just enter it at the bottom of the map. If you don't know the Grid Square, just navigate the map by clicking and dragging the map around and using the "Railroad Track" Zoom bar in the upper left. The "Scroll Wheel" on your mouse will also activate the Zoom function. You can then find any location on the surface of the Earth and click on it to see what the Grid Square is.

Finally, if you need to compute the beam heading and distance between two locations on the Earth, go to THIS SITE and download "wingrid.exe" by clicking on the heading "New Improved" WinGrid4.1 (wingrid.exe) This will download a small program to your computer which you need to run by clicking on the "wingrid.exe" file. Then, enter the latitude and longitude of your home QTH and press the "Calc.Grid" button to determine your Home Grid. Once you do, pull down "Main" from the Menu Bar and chose "Save Home." Then, everytime you open the program, it will start with your own QTH as the "Home" location. Just enter the other station's grid in the "Destination Grid" box and press Calc. Lat/Lon or "Calc. Dist./Heading" and you will be presented with the beam heading (both direct and reverse) and the distance between you and the other station. Also, double-clicking anywhere inside the borders of WinGrid will change the input fields from "Degrees-Minutes-Seconds" to "Degrees" and decimal portions of a degree.

WinGrid does not install itself as a "Program" on your computer. It is just an "excutable file" that you have to start by clicking (or double-clicking) on the WinGrid.exe file wherever you downloaded it. I place a "Shortcut" on my desktop to WinGrid so that I can find it easily to start the program as I use it often.

W8HIC Radio/Antenna Project Complete!

2009-06-16T20:31:00.010-04:00

Today the Rig/Antenna donation project which was begun by Bob, W8QHG, was brought to fruition. Braving the heat and humidity, 6 WVDXA members converged on Jerry, W8HIC's, QTH and in short order installed a Hy-Gain DX-88 vertical with 15 radials. On the right you can see the Antenna Crew - left to right, Tim, KC8UHE, Pete, K4OM, Bob, W8QHG, Charlie, N8RR, Jerry, W8HIC, Garry, W8OI, and Clark, W8TN. You can click on the photo to see a larger image.

The operation was nearly scratched due to an anto accident which took out power to Jerry's QTH. But, in the usual WVDXA manner, we pressed on and by the time the antenna was installed, the power had been restored. After the antenna (donated by Phil, W8UV) was erected, Charlie, N8RR, pronounced it to be nearly perfect according to the MFJ-259B.

At that point we moved to the front of Jerry's QTH and The Elder Statesman of the WVDXA, Bob, W8QHG, presented Jerry with the Yaesu FT-450-AT which was acquired through the generous donations of many members of the WVDXA. The radio was purchased from Al, K9XR, who, upon hearing what we planned to do with the radio, graciously donated the shipping costs and included 100-feet of RG-8X with connectors (which was used to connect the vertical to the Yaesu.) That is a true indication of "Ham Spirit." And Rick, W8ZT, donated the Kenwood PS-40 power supply to the project and others added various and sundry items needed for the installation.

At this point we moved inside and thankfully the power had been restored and Jerry's air conditioning was functioning. The heat and humidity outside had taken a toll on some of the more robust members of the WVDXA (W8TN) even though ice water and Gatorade was available! Once in Jerry's shack it was a simple matter to connect the coax and the power supply. On the right you can see Charlie, N8RR, peering through the glare to adjust the radio. We quickly made a couple of contacts to confirm the system was fully functional and upon leaving, found the raindrops just starting! As they say, timing is everything.

This project was suggested to the WVDXA by Bob, W8QHG, back in February. It took some time to gather the donations both of cash and materials, locate a suitable rig, and schedule this antenna party. However, through it all, the members of the WVDXA have stood firm and pulled together to complete something that is seldom seen today. This out-pouring of generosity is a hallmark of those who belong to the WVDXA and something which all of us can be proud. I sincerely thank all who helped in whatever way, no matter how small or large your contribution. You can be proud that you helped us set up a new DX'er with a great first station.

Jerry will surely need more help in learning the ropes as time goes on. I have encouraged him to join the WVDXA Reflector and present any questions he may have to the group or to any indivitual member. I am certain he will be welcomed into the WVDXA with gusto! Jerry's photo has been added to the WVDXA Members Photo Gallery on this blog and it should show up soon. Congratulations Jerry and we all hope you work lots of DX with your new station.

FT5GA

2009-06-14T15:19:00.000-04:00

FT/G, GLORIOSO ISLAND (Update). Didier, F5OGL, Glorioso 2009 team leader,
announced this past week that the Glorioso 2009 team gathered at Frank's,
F4AJQ, QTH last weekend (June 6-7th), with some F6KOP team members. During
these two days the whole time was spent tuning the antennas, teaching
DXpeditioners about their settings, and to coordinating all of the packages.
The final setup was 4 complete stations (each with at least a 800 watts PA)
that will be shipped to Glorioso's main island. They plan to be active
as much as possible during the 24 hour day. Their antenna system will
consist of 2 Spiderbeams for 20/15/10m and another for 30/17/12m. They
will also have an Inverted L for 160m, one V10, one V80 and one HF2V
for 80-40m. Some other vertical elements were packed as well as a K9AY
array receiving system. A 6 meters station will monitor the Magic band
but only into a G5RV antenna. The complete crew (and they hope it will
not change) consists of: Freddy/F5IRO, Yves/F5PRU, Jean-Marc/F5RQQ,
Sylvain/F5TLN, Philippe/F4EGS and three SIRPA agents: Florence (YL)
journalist, Yann (director and cameraman) and Didier (cameraman and
sound engineer). They would like to thank Jeff/F6AOJ, Floyd/N5FG, Toshi/
JA1ELY, Mike/UA0ME and Lee/ZL2AL for being their pilot stations. It was
mentioned that they would also like to thank Floyd/N5FG and Jeff/F6AOJ
for their big efforts in the back office. For the first time the callsign
to be used for the Glorioso operation will be under the new French
Antarctic and Austral Territories (TAAF) regulation and is expected to
be FT5GA."
ADDED NOTE: As of 2005, the "Iles Eparses", Gloriosos, Tromelin, Juan da
Nova and Europa Islands are now put under the new TAAF authority. All
future callsigns, for these areas, will be issued with the following
prefixes:
FR/G becomes FT#G Gloriosos FR/T becomes FT#T, Tromelin
FR/E becomes Ft#E, Europa FR/J becomes FT#J, Juan da Nova

KC8UHE's New QSL

2009-05-26T21:24:00.005-04:00

Now that Tim, KC8UHE, has received his DXCC Award, he decided that a new QSL was in order. So, he emailed a photo to Gennady, UX5UO, and a few weeks later, Tim had a nice photo QSL card to send to all those DX contacts he plans to make in the future. Here is the finished product:

So, if you want one of these exquisite QSL's for your own collection, you need to work Tim on the air. I'm sure he will be on 6-M a lot this summer and 160-M this fall so he'll be easy to find.

Glorioso

2009-05-15T13:54:00.000-04:00

"FR/G - The long-awaited DXpedition to Glorioso (AF-011) is now expected
to take place in July. Three or four military radio amateurs,
along with two film-makers from the Defence Press Service, will be
on the island on 9-28 July. The team (including F5PRU, F5IRO,
F5TLN, and maybe F4EGS or F5RQQ) will be active with three
stations on 160-6 metres on as many modes as possible. Callsign to
be announced, QSL via F5OGL. A log search will be available and
updated on a daily basis at http://glorieuses2008.free.fr [TNX
F6AJA]"

W8QHG's Radio Acquisition for W8HIC

2009-05-03T12:27:00.005-04:00

The Elder Statesman of the WVDXA, Bob, W8QHG, recently asked the club if we could help out a new ham who by virtue of a disability had no funds to acquire a transceiver. Bob had met this fellow shortly after he acquired his General Class license and encouraged him to continue on and get his Extra. That he did! But, due his financial circumstances, he was not able to acquire an HF transceiver. So, Bob asked if the WVDXA could help - and help they did! We raised $490 toward the purchase of a transceiver.

In looking on QTH.com last weekend, I found a radio that met our criteria (a built-in antenna tuner, was a relatively recent radio, and was simple enough for a "newbie" to operate.) Even though it was being offered for several dollars more than what we had, I contacted the seller and after hearing about our project, he agreed to absorb the shipping cost and, in fact, he shipped the radio before I even sent him the money!

Here is a photo of the radio operating at my QTH:
The seller also was kind enough to include 100-feet of RG-8X coax with PL-259's already installed. And, he enclosed three extra Amphenol PL-259's for other antennas.

So, now we need to plan an antenna party to install a couple of dipoles for Jerry, W8HIC, so that we can get him operational as soon as possible. Bob, W8QHG, has told him about the radio and says Jerry is "beside himself" that we would do such a thing for him. Good job, WVDXA!

Rockall Island - MMØRAI/p - A True DX Adventure

2009-03-30T08:55:00.003-04:00

Have you heard of Rockall Island? It's a foreboding chunk of rock protruding out of the North Atlantic Ocean some 187 miles West of Scotland. It counts for Scotland (GM) for DXCC purposes but is possibly the "Most Wanted" location for IOTA hunters (it is EU189.) The island is about 83 feet by 100 feet at the base and some 70 feet high. There is a small "ledge" some 13 feet below the summit which is 11 by 14 feet. Those who have seen the Scarborough Reef photos would say it's a pretty good sized location. However, with near vertical cliffs on all sides and a being battered by huge waves, I'd much rather take my chances on Scarborough.
For the past 7 months a group of Five Belgian Amateur Radio Operators have been planning and training for a 2-day operation on this desolate rock. This is a VERY difficult location to put on an amateur radio operation. It is a 2-day sail from Scotland and then they have to scale the rock out of the sea! There is NO place to land and they will need to scale the rock using mountain climbing techniques which the team has been practising.
They plan to have two stations with verticals and a rotatable dipole. Because you only need to contact an Island in the IOTA program once regardless of band, they ask that you not make duplicate QSO's and leave an opportunity for others to make the QSO. The operation is expected to begin around April 30th.
You can check out their web site HERE and read about their extensive preparations. Also, you can view a video of Tom McClean landing on Rockall. He set up a shelter and stayed on the rock for 40 days! Tom was the first person to row across the North Atlantic in 1969 - solo!

QSL'ing "Hints"

2009-03-29T21:43:00.005-04:00

I've been doing some "QSL Catchup" tonight and thought I'd post a few "Hints" for those who may not be aware of these resources. If you have any "Hints" that I have overlooked, send them to me or the WVDXA Reflector and I'll modify this Post.
Pathfinder Web Client allows you to enter the call you need a QSL route for just once and check a dozen sources of information. Very handy to check and see if several sources have the same info before you spend the bucks to mail the QSL.
IRC/GS Chart will give you information about the number of IRC's or "Green Stamps" needed to get that precious QSL back to you. This page also has some neat "Conversion" lists to help you identify that old QSL or that Russian QSL to tell what country it is for. You can download the IRC/GS chart in a Spreadsheet format so you don't need to be online to use it.
N6DHC's IRC Chart is another page similar to the one above. And, K4HB's List is even more extensive with a note that some of his information comes from Bill Plum.
HB9BZA's LoTW User List is a great place to check and see if the station you need a QSL from is a known user of LoTW. Save those stamps and Green Backs!
Addressing International Mail is a page on the U.S. Postal Service web site that gives information on how to address an envelope for international mailing. I'm sure we all know not to put callsigns on the envelope and to make it look like it is mail that does not contain anything valuable to prevent it being pilfered.
N6HB's IRC Primer gives some basic information about the IRC. HERE is a link to a photo of what the current IRC's look like. Note, unlike the old IRC's that never expired, the current IRC can only be redeemed through December 31, 2009. I plan to use up my stock of IRC's before June to give the receiving station time to exchange them.
QSL'ing Tips is a compilation of tips that were posted on the DX Reflector.
Finally, for the trusty old Buro route, here is the ARRL Outgoing Buro information. This is the most economical way of exchanging QSL cards (except for LoTW) and you also need to keep envelops on file at the 8th Region Buro. Doing that alone may result in some QSL's arriving at your door that you never even sent for!

I'm sure some of you have even better ideas than those I've listed here. If so, please share them with the other WVDXA members by posting to the Reflector or emailing me directly. DX IS - but you need to QSL!

VK9LA - Lord Howe Island

2009-03-28T00:38:00.005-04:00

The VK9LA DX'pedition is now well underway. Some of the WVDXA have worked them on at least one band and WVDXA callsigns are already showing up in the online log HERE. They have had some equipment problems already but are continuing to brave the QRN to hand out QSO's from Lord Howe Island. Don, N1DG, the VK9LA Pilot has written about the equipment: "The ACOM [amp] was DOA and one AL811H blew a tube. One IC7000 has failed after 2 days. So while their equipment means less coverage of the bands, they will always be on LF bands QRO."

You can listen to some of what they are dealing with as Stan, SQ8X, one of the VK9LA Operators has posted some MP3 files on his Blog HERE. He also has posted several photos of their operation. The main VK9LA web page is located HERE. GL to all who need this one.

VK9GMW - Mellish Reef - March 22 to April 6

2009-03-18T15:09:00.003-04:00

AA7JV and HA7RY are on their way to activate Mellish Reef as VK9GMW. They are currently at Marion Reef (about 1/2 way from Australia to Mellish Reef) and waiting on the weather to improve before heading to Mellish. Check out their web site HERE. They will be operating on all HF bands but will have a strong low-band focus. For equipment they will have an Elecraft K3 and an Icom IC-746 PRO along with two 500-watt amplifiers. Interestingly they have designed an antenna for mounting not on the beach, not close to the sea but actually "IN THE SEA." Mellish Reef is about 8,700 miles from West Virginia so it's not a "chip shot." Look over their web site, especially the photo gallery, and imagine yourself on that 56-foot boat traveling through rough seas in Cyclone Season for some 560 miles across open ocean. Yep, that's a DX'pedition!

K4M, Midway Island, October 2009

2009-03-14T01:56:00.004-04:00

Woo, Hoo! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has authorized another DX'pedition to a rare DX location, Midway Island. This will be the first radio activity from this location in 10 years! A team of 19 operators will have 10 days to work the world.

This will be a VERY expensive operation. Travel to Midway is only allowed by chartered aircraft and the size of the aircraft will only allow transportation of the team. Equipment will need to be sent by ship some months ahead. This leads to high expenses for transportation, daily fees and other USFWS charges. If you can afford to do so, please consider a donation for this operation. I would like to see the WVDXA come together like we did for Desecheo and make a substantial donation on behalf of the WVDXA. So, start putting your spare change in a piggy bank now.

Midway is 5,300 miles from West Virginia. That means it will be a little more difficult to work than Desecheo but not much more difficult than Hawaii. Since the operation is scheduled for October, propagation should be good on all bands. But, with only 10 days to work the group, you need to be prepared.

Team members are AA4NN, EA1IR, DJ9ZB, KH7U, KI6TVS, KL2A, N1DG, N4PN, N4XP, N6GQ, N7CQQ, WB4JTT, W6KK, W6OSP, WA7NB, W8CAA, W8GEX, WA8NJR, and OK1KT. Off site support is being provided by AA1V, W5DNT and W6XA. A web site has been established HERE.

Latest WVDXA Meeting

2009-02-28T18:34:00.003-05:00

I'm not much of a writer, but I wanted to get it started. Please add your comments and make this better.

There was a great turnout today at N8RR's qth. What a great place and antennas in all directions. We had a good meal and a lot of good fellowship. I really enjoyed seeing everyone and exchanging stories.

Aves Island, YWØA, Coming in March

2009-02-23T10:12:00.003-05:00

OK, now that everyone has pretty much finished the warm-up exercise of Desecheo, the next "Big One" is fast approaching. YWØA will start up soon (probably in March) for a week by a large (more than 15 operators) and well-equipped team. The opening page of their web site has a FANTASTIC photo of the island. CLICK HERE to see that. To just go straight to the main web page without loading the big photo each time, CLICK HERE.

I think this is the first major DX'pedition to use the FT-2000 transceivers. They will have three of the FT-2000's and three FT-950's. Four amps will also be there.

They have requested to be allowed to be active for a full week. But, as always, WFWL (Work First, Worry Later.) In other words, you need to jump on this one quickly. Since transportation to and from Aves Island is provided by the Venezuelan Navy, the DX'pedition's exact operating dates are under military control.

Click on the "About Aves Island" link to see photos of the island and the "military base" which stands up on "piles." This facility houses the visiting scientists and radio operators.

The log will also be uploaded to LoTW within a reasonable time after the operation.

Add DAY and DATE to Your Taskbar Clock

2009-01-09T13:16:00.003-05:00

Normally when you hover your mouse over the clock in your Taskbar, it will display the date. I get frustrated often when I try that and my computer fails to display it. Just another Windows ANNOYANCE! So today I found a small utility program that will change the display of the clock so that it prints out whatever I want! I decided to have it display the DAY, DATE, and TIME - All The Time! That way, I never have to "mouse over" the time to see the date. As an "extra added attraction" this program will display a Calendar on your screen when you simply left-click once on that part of the Taskbar. This calendar can then be moved anywhere on your screen and it stays on top of all your other programs. (NOTE: You must open TClockEX Properties, click on the "Calendar" tab, and un-select the "Close when not active" button in order to have the Calendar stay visible all the time.)

Here is a screen shot of my taskbar with the program installed and running:

You can right-click on this part of the Taskbar and choose TClockEx Properties and adjust it to display pretty much whatever you want. You can also choose the colors of the background and the text as well as the font and text size. I changed the Default display so that the Day would display as one digit if less than 10, I removed the seconds display, and I added the AM/PM indicator. I also changed the text and background colors and under the Calendar tab, chose the "Remember Last Position" option. Here is the Clock Format that you see in the above screen shot:

ddd, d MMM yyyy h:mm tt

The program can be downloaded HERE just click on the "Download" link on the left and then click on the "tclockex.exe" link under the "EXE File" column. It comes as a self-extracting EXE (executable) file. Just run it and it will install on your computer and can be uninstalled later if you wish. The author says it will work on Windows 95, 98, NT and XP. I am running XP Pro and it seems to function perfectly. This is FREEware so it fits anyone's budget!

After it is installed, just right-click on this part of the Taskbar and select TClockEX Help. This will give you all the directions for using this neat little utility.

WVDXA Straight Key/Glowbug Night

2008-12-28T16:21:00.003-05:00

December 31st is the 3rd Annual running of the WVDXA Straight Key/Glowbug Night operating event. The event only lasts 1-1/2 hours so it does not interfere with much of your New Year's Eve activities. The "rules" are posted below.

Some folks have mentioned that they no longer use a Straight Key to send CW. Most have bugs, external keyers or keyers built into their rigs. Some just have their computers generate their CW. If you are in that category and no longer have a Straight Key handy for this event, don't let that keep you from operating. I have recorded a short video that will show you a suitable alternative - to view it, CLICK HERE. WARNING! Always check the voltages on your key-line before using this method as some older tube-type rigs may have HIGH Voltage present on the key-line. This could be LETHAL!

The rules are quite simple:

Begin on 80-M then move to 40-M for DX!

0030 GMT (Jan. 1st) = 7:30 p.m. EST (Dec. 31)
  3.565 MHz + / - QRM

0100 GMT (Jan. 1st) = 8:00 p.m. EST (Dec. 31)
  7.030 MHz + / - QRM

Call "CQ AH" (for W8AH - the club call)

Use your Glowbug rigs (hollow state) if you have
  them and can get on the above frequencies.

Use your Straight Key (or bare wires) -
  thus the speed will be SLOW CW.

Minimum exchange is a signal report.
More "exchange" if you want.

Use the WVDXA Chat Page
<http://www.wvdxa.org/chat/>
for coordination.

BOTH 80-M and 40-M can be used if the number
of WVDXA members warrants that.

Event positively ENDS at 0200 GMT (9:00 p.m. EST)

So, dust off that "hollow-state" rig, clean up that straight key, and join the WVDXA on New Year's Eve. We'll have fun!

WVDXA is major sponsor of KP5 DXpedition

2008-11-29T16:43:00.004-05:00

The WVDXA logo now appears on the "club sponsor's" page of the KP5 DXpedition web site http://kp5.us/ and will appear on the QSL card for the coming operation on Desecheo Island. Thanks to at least twenty members of WVDXA well more than $1,000 was raised and was forwarded to the DXpedition by WA8WV. $500 was the sponsorship level required to be shown in logo form on the QSL and our club contributed more than double that.

As a member of the DXpedition team, and a loyal member of WVDXA, I especially appreciate the club's support. Lots of larger DX clubs around the country made much smaller donations than we did and that makes me really proud. It is an expensive proposition and the members of the team will put up more than half of the money required (far more than half if we include airline travel to the staging areas in Puerto Rico and hotel bills on the way there and back). So donations are critically needed, and big ones like WVDXA's are a wonderful help.

I am personally indebted to the following WVDXA members who chipped in to make this sponsorship a reality:

K3XO, K4OM, KZ8E, N8NN, N8RR, W8GG, W8HC, W8IW, W8JA, W8OI, W8OP, W8QHG, W8QY, W8RAH, W8TN, W8UV, W8WEJ, W8XF, WA8VPN, WA8WV.

It is my hope that I work every one of you guys from KP5. I'll be listening for you!

KP5, Desecheo Is. Update

2008-11-24T21:27:00.000-05:00

KP5, DESECHEO ISLAND (Press Release #2, November 23rd - DXpedition Dates Announced)"The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has notified the team that February 12-26, 2009, will be the dates allocated for the radio operation. These dates are coordinated with other USFWS research activities scheduled on other parts of Desecheo Island as well as scheduling USFWS security personnel for the camp.
Fifteen operators will be allowed on the island at any given time. A total of 6-8 stations will be operational, including 160-6 meters.
A reconnaissance trip to Desecheo is scheduled for Friday, December 19th. Three team members, USFWS personnel and an UXO (unexploded ordnance) expert will sweep and clear the assigned area of UXO and other hazards. There will be no radio operations.
The 15-man team will assemble in Puerto Rico on February 8, 2009, for mandatory UXO training. The next three days will include team operations training, and last minute preparation and staging of the several tons of equipment for transport. On February 12th, landing will commence and two stations will be immediately activated. Likewise, stations will continue to operate until the final moments before departure on February 26th.
Halfway through the operation, on February 19th, approximately half of the operating team will be replaced with fresh operators for the final week.
The team has been diligently planning antennas and propagation paths to take advantage of every possible band opening to Asia, where Desecheo is #2 on the Most Wanted List and to Europe, where it is #3 on the Most Wanted List.
Contributions are being solicited. To assist us and for the latest news, please go to the team's website:
http://www.kp5.us
73,Glenn Johnson, W0GJBob Allphin, K4UEEDesecheo 2009 co-leaders"

DX Bulletin Reader 1.0 Software

2008-09-03T21:59:00.002-04:00

WOW, here is ANOTHER neat program from Alex, VE3NEA. Alex has produced CW Skimmer, DX Atlas, MorseRunner, and loads of other ham software. DX Bulletin Reader is a tool for viewing, archiving and searching the DX news bulletins. It works on Windows 95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP. What this program does is that it "reads" the DX Bulletins and HIGHLIGHTS information on countries you designate as your NEEDED ones. Also, it highlights prefixes, callsigns, IOTA references and grid squares in different colors! Thus, you don't get bogged down in reading through the bulletins looking for particular information - it just jumps out at you!

Every highlighted item has a pop-up tooltip with more information like the IOTA Group Name and Prefix, the name of the country, latitude and longitude of grid squares, etc. AND, it has a text search that will search through all archived bulletins for that particular piece of information you remember reading but just can't find! Amazing!

You can see a screen shot of DX Bulletin Reader HERE and download it from the same page. Oh, and it's FREE!

A Month Without Sunspots

2008-09-01T11:08:00.000-04:00

The sun has reached a milestone not seen for nearly 100 years: an entire month has passed without a single visible sunspot being noted.

The event is significant as many climatologists now believe solar magnetic activity – which determines the number of sunspots -- is an influencing factor for climate on earth.

Sunspot Numbers

2008-08-30T17:36:00.000-04:00

Sunspot numbers for August 14-20 were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 and 0 with a mean of 0.

P29 - Papua New Guinea in October

2008-08-27T13:41:00.002-04:00

Five operators: AD6E, G3KHZ, K6HFA, CT1AGF, and W5GAI will operate from three islands in Papua New Guinea during October. They have room for one more operator if you want to make the trip. See their web site HERE for more information. They may do 160-M on the trip but since it will cost $1,500 to transport the 160-M amplifier and antennas to that location and back, they are asking for donations via a PayPal link on the above web site to help fund that band. If you don't use PayPal you can send your donation to W5GAI. They plan to operate from these IOTA locations: OC-008, OC-181 (P29VLR), OC-041 (P29NI), and OC-025.

DXCC with 1/2-watt at the Bottom of the Sunspot Cycle

2008-08-27T11:09:00.002-04:00

Have you given up trying to work any DX at the bottom of the Sunspot Cycle (except on the low bands?) Do you ever turn the rig to 15-M or 10-M at all? Well, JQ2UOZ set a challenge for himself. The challenge was to try to work DXCC at the bottom of the sunspot cycle running just 500 milliwatts to a dipole antenna on the 17-M band or higher frequencies. He began this quest on November 25, 2006, and as of August 4, 2008, he has reached 100 countries! Nothing short of WOW! Check out his web page HERE and his Challenge stats HERE. Read through some of the stations he worked - it even includes BS7H!

W8QHG's Hint for Pointing Your Antenna

2008-08-01T10:37:00.005-04:00

Bob Hall, W8QHG, mentioned to me today that for many years he has used a printed list of "Beam Headings" in order to point his antenna toward the DX. The list he has used for a long time was made in 1980 and called "Beam Buddy." However, it is now drastically outdated in that many country names and prefixes have changed in the last 28 years.

But, Bob recently found a web page that would allow him to print out a current "Beam Heading List" which was customized for his particular location. That web page is one of the "DX Tools" of the North Jersey DX Association. Here is a screen shot of what Bob's list looks like:

All you need to do is to visit THIS Web Site and enter your information (Name, Callsign, ZIP Code or Latitude/Longitude) and click on the "Generate" button. Shortly the list will be created on your screen and you can use File | Print to print a hard copy for your station.

Thanks to Bob, W8QHG, for sharing this Hint with the WVDXA. If you have a Hint or Kink that you would like to share, contact one of the "Blog Authors" listed on the bottom right-column of this Blog.

KH3, Johnston Island - News

2008-07-25T21:44:00.004-04:00

Susan Meckley, Skipper of the USSV Dharma, and amateur radio operator, W7KFI, has been authorized to operate from Johnston Island, KH3, (see photo at Left.) This may very well be the LAST operation from there. Susan has been told that the Air Force and the Fish and Wildlife Service are declaring Johnston Island a "closed" island. It took her 7 months to acquire permission to make a stop there. Note, Susan is a 73-year old Grandmother!

Susan has had many troubles in her effort to reach Johnston Island - the engine on her boat quit, she had to return to Hawaii for emergency oral surgery, and, always at the mercy of the weather, had to lay over in Hawaii for the Hurricane season. But, just last week, Alan, W8OP, received an email from Susan stating that she hopes to head out before the end of the summer. Here is Susan's email:

Ahoy:

I rec'd your nice letter, thank you. Yes, according to the powers that be, I am the last "officially approved" landing on KH3. The island is a nature preserve and is now "closed", much like Howland, Baker, Kure, Swan, etc. The only priviso from the Govt was that I take everything with me, leave nothing, and stay out of the water, the army galley used to dump their garbage in the water, thus th shark population is horrendous. I have a rule, I don't east raw fish, they (Hopefully) dont eat raw me.

I now have $5,000 saved for the engine change out....another thousand and the work begins, so I hope to be out of Honolulu before the summer is over. When I do leave, I will notify everyone...the trip there should take me a week, and then a day or so to set up. I have purchased an additional 27.5 gal water tank, so I should be able to remain at least a week, that is , if there is no rain. With rain, I stay longer.

Again, thank you very much.

Susan, W7KFI-mm
USSV Dharma

If you don't change direction you will arrive exactly where you're headed!!
Susan Meckley, Skipper - USSV Dharma

Let's hope she is able to make a safe voyage and work all WVDXA Members who need KH3.

HERE is a link where you can see a photo of Susan and listen to a conversation she had with radio host, Art Bell, while she was 200 miles off the coast of Hawaii.

Christmas in July

2008-07-01T23:41:00.006-04:00

With temperatures in the 90's some days the phrase "Christmas in July" sure sounds good to me. In this case, I'm referring to the upcoming DX'pedition to Christmas Island.
According to their WEB SITE, the operation will now take place from July 14 to 21 because of a change in air transportation. Equipment consists of a Kenwood TS-480SAT, Yaesu FT-857, Alinco DX-70T, and an Acom 1010 amplifier. Antennas are a Spiderbeam and a Force 12 XK40 vertical. Modes planned are CW, SSB, RTTY, SSTV, PSK31 and FM on all bands from 80 thru 6 meters (possibly they will operate on 160-M but that is not considered too likely.) But, they plan to run THREE stations (1 high power and 2 at 100-watts.) Their goal is to give as many folks as possible a chance for a QSO for a New One. Christmas Island ranks No. 66 on the Worldwide Needed List.
Check out their web site. It is very extensive. GL to all.

4W6R, East Timor, June 10 to 24

2008-06-08T15:38:00.005-04:00

Several members of the Union de Radioaficionados Españoles, URE, (The Spanish Amateur Radio League) will operate from Timor-Leste as 4W6R from June 10th through 24th. Activity will be on 160-6 meters, using CW, SSB and RTTYwith two stations on the air. Suggested frequencies are: CW - 1824/1832, 3508, 7008, 10118, 14018, 18078, 21018, 24898 and 28018. SSB - 1824/1845, 3785, 7065, 14185, 18135, 21295, 24945 and 28485. RTTY - 3615, 7038, 10145, 18105, 21085, 24925 and 28085. 6m - CW/50098, RTTY/50300 and SSB/50155 kHz

QSLs will be via EA4URE, by the Bureau or direct to: P.O. Box 220, 28080, Madrid, SPAIN. See their web site HERE for more info. (TNX Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin for this info.)

WVDXA Invades the Dayton Hamvention

2008-06-04T10:27:00.003-04:00

The 2008 Dayton Hamvention saw a HUGE number of WVDXA Members attend. It seemed like you could hardly turn a corner on the flea market or pass a vendor's booth that you didn't run into a club member. Many were congregated around Rick, W8ZT's, flea market space as it appeared to be the "home base" for those in the flea market. The DX Dinner had no less than TWELVE WVDXA members in attendance! Here are a couple of shots of the two tables it took to hold all of us. BTW, Hal, W8HC, was not in his seat for this photo and, of course, I was behind the camera.

Hal previously posted a list of all WVDXA members he spotted at this year's Hamvention and it included: W8TN, WA8WV, WA8VPN , WA8ZDL, K4OM, W8FG, K8OQL, WB8JPJ, KØCS, KC8UHE, W8OP, K8TW, W8GG, W8OI, W8HC, AB8RL, W8ZT, W8HYX, K4KL, KC8FVE, W8UI, K8MN, and N8NN, for a Grand Total of TWENTY-THREE WVDXA Members. Obviously, the group made its mark this year in force!

DX Summit has a New URL

2008-05-29T10:27:00.002-04:00

For those of you who use DX Summit to either look for current DX spots or to look back in their archives for past DX spotting information, they have moved to a NEW location on the Internet and a NEW look to the page. If you have gone to their site recently you will find you have been "re-directed" to the new location. In any event, you should CHANGE your Bookmark or your Favorite to reflect the new URL as the old one will no longer work shortly. HERE is the new URL for the homepage and HERE is the URL for the DX Spots page.

DX Summit was first launched in 1998 and has provided the DX world with a huge tool for finding that elusive DX. Now with the help of YASME they have upgraded their hardware to the latest technology and with the servers located in California, provide much faster service so your DX spots will appear on your computer much quicker. More info is available at their web site.

Don't forget to also change any other Bookmarks or Favorites you may have for "Spot Database Search" or for specific band searches.

We're losing our best 6 meter beacon

2008-05-09T18:42:00.004-04:00

Do you 6 meter buffs realize that come February 17, 2009 we will no longer be able to tune our TV sets to an unused low channel (say channels 2, 4, 5 or 6 here in Charleston-Huntionton, WV) and wait to see a picture from far away to tell us that a sporadic E opening has made 6 meters come alive? Alas it is true.

For so many years a TV picture on an unused local channel was often our first indication of a sporadic E opening into places far, far away. But in Feburary 2009, when analog television has to shut down in favor of digital TV on new frequencies, those pictures from hundreds of miles away will fade into memories from the past like white bucks, leisure suits, Johnson Rangers and Monica Lewinsky.

Enjoy this tool again in 2008. Next year it will be gone.

We don't know what services will replace brodacast TV on those low channels, but they probably won't be anything comparable to 100,000 watt television stations. And I still need 46 entities for DXCC on 6 meters. Help?

Announced DX Operations Web Page Addition

2008-04-28T00:33:00.002-04:00

The Announced DX Operations (ADXO) web page of Bill, NG3K, has added a new feature. On any "current" DX'pedition, there is now a link (underneath the DX'pedition Callsign) that will show PacketCluster spots for that operation. This gives you a quick and easy way to see if the operation has come on the air along with who is hearing it and on what bands. So as to not lose your place on the ADXO web page, right-click on the spot and choose "Open Link in New Tab" if you are using Mozilla Firefox or choose "Open in New Window" if you are using Internet Explorer. TNX to the Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin for this info.

A few good CW ops needed May 3

2008-04-25T19:51:00.004-04:00

A highlight of this season in the Huntington area is the annual Spring Festival at Heritage Farm Museum. If you've been there before, you know what I mean. If you haven't, why haven't you? This is one of the premier farm museums in the nation and it comes more alive during Spring Festival than at any other time of the year as scores of volunteers show up to demonstrate how the old relics were used. And there are thousands of those historic inventions on display at this great museum. Most people don't realize that West Virginia has such a huge, unique working display.

It's a one day event, the first Saturday in May. May 3 this year.

And if you are a CW operator, the Heritage Farm Museum needs YOU! All day long, from 10 to 4, there will be a demonstration of telegraphy. If you're willing to help in that demonstration, you get into the festival for free. Contact Judy Taylor, WD8EOP, at least a couple days in advance so she can put your name on the list for free admission as a volunteer. Email her at bdsjudy@wvdsl.net or call her at 304-523-0486. Contact her or me if you need more details.

I plan to be there from 10 until about 1. Judy especially needs CW ops in the afternoon from 1 to 4. I can tell you that this will be a bunch of fun.

How a DXer spent $350 for nothing

2008-04-24T08:50:00.003-04:00

My old SB-220 wasn’t putting out as much power as it once did. It had to mean that the original Eimac 3-500Z tubes in it were getting weak, right? I was sure of it.

I told Dave Ellis, WA8WV, that I was going to have to buy a matched pair of new tubes for a total of more than $350 including shipping. Dave advised me to try a good set of borrowed tubes first; just to be sure I needed new tubes. He told me that an old Drake linear, which he had recently donated to the Museum of Radio and Technology in Huntington WV, contained two perfectly good 3-500Z tubes. He said “why don’t you borrow those tubes and see if they fix the problem before spending a lot of money.” Great idea, I thought.

So I got Dave’s old tubes and installed them into my linear expecting a big improvement in power output. I was surprised to discover that the output was about the same. Both sets of tubes resulted in only about 500 watts output on 10 and 15 meters and only about 700 on 20. I was flabbergasted as I returned Dave’s old 3-500Z’s to the Drake in the radio museum, figuring that those relics weren’t really as good as Dave had remembered.

I told this story to lots of people including one of the smartest RF engineers I know, Earl Walton, W8LBN. Earl said, “What’s the difference, that’s all the power you need to run anyway?” Earl is obviously not a DXer.

Yeah, most of the time that is enough power, but not when you’re in a pile up trying to work a BS7 or a P5 competing with WA8WV, WA8VPN, W8GG, W8QHG, W8HC, W8UV and W8WEJ (the WVDXA Top of Honor Rollers) and thousands of other DXers around the globe. At that point I want every legal watt I can stuff into my antenna.

Earl agreed that there wasn’t much else in the circuit that could affect power output so I decided to act. I spent the money and got those new 3-500Z’s. I even paid for two day shipping from California. Actually they are 3-500ZG’s, with the “G” meaning graphite for added durability in these new Thompson tubes (made in China). I was going to be a powerhouse again on the air.

I installed the new tubes. I followed the instructions completely, applying filament power only at first, letting the tubes “cook” as they glowed for twelve solid hours before turning on the drive. Then I slowly sneaked the exciter’s power up gradually and read the SB-220’s output as it climbed to 200 watts, then 300, 400, 500, 510. I cranked up the exciter more. There was no further increase in output. The maximum I could get was 510 watts on 15 meters. I tried 10 meters and got 500 watts. I switched to 20 meters and got 700 watts. Yes, I had the same results that my old tubes had produced, and the same as the tubes I had borrowed from the museum. Nothing more.

Several more days passed before I finally figured it out. I was driving the linear with my Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark-V, and I found the answer in the Yaesu’s operating manual. I learned that most very old linears were designed with a different kind of ALC feedback than is required by most modern transceivers. So I unhooked the ALC line, and voila! Eureka! The big power was back! I had pretty close to legal limit power on all bands again.

Earl and Dave assumed that I knew not to use an ALC line between two pieces of equipment designed half a century apart in time. It’s their fault. They thought I was smarter than I am.

My problem dated back to last fall when I changed my connecting ALC line because I found a loose plug on the old line that I had been using ever since I got the Yaesu rig. Looking back now I believe the old line’s faulty plug wasn’t making proper connection, so it was not carrying any ALC feedback and thus was not cutting back my exciter’s power. When I installed the new ALC line, which worked, it caused the exciter to cut back because of the incompatibility of the SB-220’s ALC to my modern transceiver. Some time passed after installing the new ALC line before I tried to crank up the power so I didn’t see the relationship.

Oh well. I now have a perfectly good set of backup 3-500Z’s in case one of these should ever fail when I finally hear that VK0 that I still need.

Addendum by W8TN: Bob, W8QHG, after hearing about Garry's troubles told me, "Well, if Garry had just told ME about his problem, I would have told him to check the ALC!" You see, back when Bob built his SB-220, he ran into the same problem of low output. A call to Heathkit quickly set him on the right path and disconnecting the ALC yielded full power output. So, in retrospect, Garry probably should have posted his trouble to the WVDXA Reflector to utilize ALL (not just some) of the accumulated brain power in the club. Sorry for your trouble Garry but this Post should help others in the future. Thanks for telling your story!

Another Great WVDXA Meeting!

2008-04-22T11:01:00.012-04:00

Last night's WVDXA Meeting at the Museum of Radio and Technology was another stellar affair! Garry, W8OI, gave a presentation about the last radio transmission from the Titanic which included an actual recording of the spark signal as received at a Marconi shore-based station in New Jersey in 1912! That gave a lot of us cold chills! Also, Hal, W8HC, had a pair of special guests, Joe, 4X6KJ, and his wife, Ruth, 4X4CM, who are visiting West Virginia for the first time. Here are a pair of shots showing W8OI sending "SOS" with a spark transmitter and 4X6KJ answering many questions about Amateur Radio in Israel.
Hal, W8HC, had earlier in the day picked up a Proclamation from West Virginia Governor, Joe Manchin, making 4X6KJ an Honorary Mountaineer!
Attendance was a whopping 22 including a couple of new faces - Bob, W8GU, from Charleston and Matt, AA8P, from Ashland, KY. Also, Jerry, K8OQL, drove all the way from Romney in the Eastern Panhandle to attend! With the sheet cake Hal brought and Evelyn's famous mint Brownies, no one left hungry!

I've posted the actual SOS (CQD) of the Titanic at the following location as an MP3 file.

Titanic SOS

Here is what is being transmitted:

"ITSA CQD OM DE MGY POSITION 41/46N 40/14W SINKING CANNOT HEAR FOR NOISE OF STEAM DE MGY CQD SOS CQD"

This is just awesome! CW from 96 years ago! BTW, "MGY" is the radio callsign for Titanic.

FR/G, Glorioso Is., DX'pedition Delayed

2008-04-20T16:38:00.004-04:00

Team Leader, Didier, F5OGL, announced that the DX'pedition to Glorioso Islands, FR/G, which had been scheduled for May has now been delayed until sometime this fall - possibly the end of September or beginning of October. Currently some anti-cyclonic shelters are being built on the island and it has been decided to not attempt the DX'pedition until that construction is finished. You can view the 2008 FR/G web site HERE and watch for future updates.

Solar Cycle 24 Spot Recorded

2008-04-19T16:39:00.000-04:00

"We saw a string of zero-sunspot days over the past couple of weeks, but this week saw a brief but significant sunspot that lasted only a couple of days. Sunspot 990 emerged as a tiny speck over April 14-15, but it was definitely a Solar Cycle 24 spot. Not only was the polarity of this region correct for the new Cycle, but it was far north above the Sun's equator, which is what we expect for a sunspot from an emerging solar cycle. The only previous Cycle 24 activity was close to the solar equator."

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/04/18/10056/?nc=1

VU4 and/or VU7 Possible October 24 - November 3

2008-04-10T00:24:00.002-04:00

Jeff, KZ8E, reports that the National Institute of Amateur Radio in India has announced on their WEB PAGE the Silver Jubilee Celebration of NIAR for October 24 through November 3, 2008. They mention on that page that they will assist guests in regard to reciprocal licenses or operation permits for VU4 or VU7. So, mark you calendars as many need these countries and we could even have some propagation by then. Thanks, Jeff.

CW DX-pedition to SYRIA : 9-15 April 2008

2008-03-28T17:24:00.003-04:00

Bernie, W3UR, reported in The Daily DX that next month will see a serious CW-only DX'pedition to Syria by a team of 5 British operators. They will have two stations plus amps and antennas for 9 bands. They will operate under the call YK9G and will transmit on frequencies ending in "3" and listen split, up 1-2 plus kHz. They have a minimal web site HERE.

Although they will be equipped for all bands, they expect that 40-M through 17-M will provide the bulk of their operation. QSL via G3TXF.

It Must be Spring!

2008-03-15T11:01:00.002-04:00

People are always watching for the first robin to herald the return of Spring. However, you can also mark that event by the return of the Snow Birds!

Bob, W8QHG, who always has his ear out for rare DX, reports that the WVDXA Vice-President and his mate have returned to their roost in Barboursville after their winter sojourn to various rookeries in the Sunshine State.

It is not common knowledge but I have been given to understand that this southerly migration is actually a training exercise. In order for this DX bird to sharpen his RF feeding skills, he makes this annual voyage in order to work the elusive DX using minimum tools - QRP power levels, single-receiver radios, and Hamstick vertical antennas. Thus, fighting his way through the pile-ups as a "Little Pistol" sharpens his DX skills to the point where he can peck through the pile-ups in record speed and store up stacks of band/slots in the DX feeding frenzies to come.

So, be warned! The "easy pickin's" we have enjoyed the past few months are now over. I just hope no one helps him put up a "Monster-L" for Top Band or my only refuge from his RF will disappear! LISTEN! Can you hear him? "Oscar Italy" is BAAAACK!

Spratly Is., March 22-30

2008-03-12T01:25:00.003-04:00

N1UR is planning a DX'pedition to Spratly Island for 8 days later this month. He will focus on the needed bands in NA and EU. This will be a small crew with light equipment (verticals on the beach) so hope for some good propagation. However, this is one very difficult country to work. Visit his web site HERE to vote for the bands and modes where you need Spratly Island. This DX tip is courtesy of The Daily DX by permission.

Glorioso Islands, FR/G, Coming in May

2008-03-09T20:21:00.001-04:00

FR/G, GLORIOSO ISLANDS. Jean-Michel, F6AJA, editor of Les Nouvelles DX,informed OPDX on Monday last week that after many years of effort, the permission has finally been received and an operation to Glorioso (Glorieuses) Islands will take place, probably early May (possibly between May 5-9th) for some weeks. At the moment, operators mentioned are Pascal/F5PTM, Freddy/F5IRO, Stephane/F6KIN, David/F8CRS, Yves-Michel/F5PRU and possibly 3 others. The team plans to have 3 or 4 stations on the air. They are currently looking for sponsors, and if you would like to help, please contact Didier, F5OGL. Presently, Glorioso is ranked 4th in "DX Magazine's 2007 Most Wanted Countries World-Wide" in the mixed modes (EU 7th, Asia 9th and NA 4th). There is no Web page currently available for this operation, but details from the 2005/2006 planned operation Web page (which did not take place) states: "The Glorioso Archipelago consists of two coral islands: Grande Glorieuse (3 km in its larger diameter) where the human installations are, and Ile du Lys (circular island, 600 metres in diameter) which is desert. The archipelago also includes two rock islets - Roches Vertes and l'Ile aux Crabes - as well as a sand bank more or less above water at high tide. At the east and northeast of Grande Glorieuse are a series of dunes reaching a maximum elevation of 12 m. The islands and rocks are surrounded by a reef and a lagoon which is drained dry at low tide. The Glorioso islands are situated 220km northwest of Diego Suarez (Madagascar). The island became French territory in 1930. Around 1912, a French came from the Comoros and planted a fine coconut palm plantation there. Exploited until 1958 by people from the Seychelles, it is currently abandoned. There are also filaos. Fauna consists exclusively of a rather large colony of terns. The meteorological service of the French colony in Madagascar installed on the island a rather primitive weather station in 1955 which was opened only during the hurricane season from October to April. Since 1960 the the station is open all year round. The importance of this station is clear. It predicts cyclones for the North Madagascar and Comoros area. It ensures safe navigation on the Madagascar-Djibouti- Madagascar and Kenya-Mauritius-Kenya air and maritime routes. (From minister for the French overseas Web site)" ADDED NOTE: Jean-Michel, F6AJA, provides DXers with an interesting Webpage that (probably) has the most complete QSL collection (28 different QSLs) from Glorioso. Take a look at: THIS PAGE. He still needs some cards for his collection: FR5ES/G, FR5HG/G and FR5KH/G.

4W6 expedition scheduled

2008-03-09T17:32:00.000-04:00

Announcing DXpedition to East Timor

The Union de Radioaficionados Españoles, URE, the Spanish Amateur Radio League, is proud to announce a project in East Timor to take place in June 2008.

URE's Radiosolidarity Department will organize an Amateur Radio DXpedition, combined with activities to promote Amateur Radio including the donation and setting up of a complete amateur radio station at the University of Dili. It is hoped that by operating alongside students and teachers of the Electrical Engineering and other departments it will be possible to sow the seeds of future amateur radio activity of a permanent nature in East Timor.

During the last few years URE's Radiosolidarity has been involved in projects in the following countries:

1998-TJ2RSF-Cameroun [ in collaboration with RSF] 1998/1999-Cuba [campaign of donation of material] 1999-HU4U-El Salvador 2000-HQ0R-Honduras 2001-TG0R-Guatemala 2003-ZA1A-Albania [an IARU project] 2004-7W0AD-Algeria 2004-T42R-Cuba 2005-TZ6DEL-Mali 2007-T42R-Cuba 2007-HQ2R-Honduras

This new project will take place in cooperation with the University of Dili, located in the capital of East Timor. We don't yet know the callsign that will be used; whether it will be a special one for the occasion, hopefully 4W6R, the callsign of the University (4W6UTL) or the callsign of one of the operators (4W6ERC).

The group that will take part in the activity is made up of the following experienced operators:

EA1QF Angel (team leader)
EA3CUU Pere
EA4DB (ex-EA4BPJ) Jose
EA4KA Eugene
EA5BWR Txema
CT1ERC Jose

QSLs will be via EA4URE.

A complete station (Kenwood TS690 + Mosley TA63M + G5RV + rotor) will be donated to and installed at the University of Dili for use of the students and teachers of the Electrical Engineering Department or anyone else who might be interested in Amateur Radio. Another station will be set up, temporarily, at the team´s lodgings in order to have two stations (CW and SSB) operating permanently during the 15 days of operation. Time will be spent on other modes (RTTY, etc) and special attention will be paid to operation on six meters.

The majority of this project's funding is provided by the Alicante Provincial Government and by URE. The rest of the budget, at this time, will be down to the operators although we have already received news of some small but useful donations. We would be very grateful if individuals and organisations could consider making contributions to this project at any time, including after the operation. Please bear in mind the following two considerations.

The objective of this project is to contribute to the development of a very young country and to promote amateur radio activity by East Timor nationals.

The DXpedition is part of the activity is intended to achieve 30,000 plus QSOs in spite of the limitations imposed on us. We feel able to achieve this due to the very considerable experience of our six-man team of proven DXpedition operators

Sea Level To Fall, New Entities On Horizon

2008-03-09T13:15:00.002-04:00

Reuters News Service

By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent

OSLO (Reuters) - Sea levels are set to fall over millions of years, making the current rise blamed on climate change a brief interruption of an ancient geological trend, scientists said on Thursday.

They said oceans were getting deeper and sea levels had fallen by about 170 meters (560 ft) since the Cretaceous period 80 million years ago when dinosaurs lived. Previously, the little-understood fall had been estimated at 40 to 250 meters.

"The ocean floor has got on average older and gone down and so the sea level has also fallen," said Bernhard Steinberger at the Geological Survey of Norway, one of five authors of a report in the journal Science.

"The trend will continue," he told Reuters.

A computer model based on improved understanding of shifts of continent-sized tectonic plates in the earth's crust projects more deepening of the ocean floor and a further sea level decline of 120 meters in 80 million years' time.

TX5C, Clipperton Is., Just Days Away!

2008-03-01T23:24:00.002-05:00

Make sure those antennas are tuned, the amps aligned and the computer clock set to WWV as the next big DX'pedition is about to fire up. 20 operators will activate TX5C for 10-12 days on all bands to fill in any holes you may still have from previous operations. One of the operators is Jay, K4ZLE, manager of the 8th Region QSL Buro and another is Arnie, N6HC, a good friend of mine who has operated my station in a multi-single effort in the 10-M contest back in 2002.

The operators are all on board the Shogun, headed toward Clipperton and operating as FO5A/MM while traveling toward the island. They have already made over 1,000 QSO's. HERE are some photos as the ship leaves San Diego. Arnie is the guy in the blue shirt with the stuffed reindeer (?) in his pocket.

You can check the "Hot News" section of the TX5C web site and follow links from there to the "Photos" section and the "Operators" section where some of the operators are posting a diary during their trip.

And, be the first to identify the WVDXA member shown HERE on Clipperton in 1985. Boy, the years have NOT been kind to this guy!

Excitement as Kosovo independence confirmed for Sunday

2008-02-17T07:32:00.001-05:00

Kosovo will declare independence on Sunday amid growing excitement among its ethnic Albanians, anger from its Serbs, and the launch of an EU mission to ease the birth of the world's newest state.

"Tomorrow will be a day of calm, of understanding and of state engagements for the implementation of the will of the citizens of Kosovo," Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said Saturday in reference to the breakaway ethnic Albanian majority.

Expectations of a Sunday declaration of independence have been running high for several days -- but Thaci's comments marked the first top-level confirmation that the long-awaited break with Serbia would come this weekend.

By nightfall Saturday, tens of thousands of cheering Kosovars poured into downtown Pristina, filled with anticipation, as convoys of vehicles zipped through the streets, cheerfully honking their horns and waving Albanian, British, German, NATO and US flags.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with religious leaders, Thaci appealed for celebrations to unfold with "dignity ... on the day of the declaration of independence, on the big day, on the historic day ... a day of thanksgiving for a sovereign and independent Kosovo."

Serbia, which sees Kosovo as the cradle of Serb culture and religion, and Russia, Belgrade's main ally on the world stage, has vowed never to recognize an independent Kosovo.

In a television interview later Saturday, Thaci said details of the declaration of independence -- "in coordination with our international partners" -- would be finalized first thing Sunday morning.

"The constitution is ready and national symbols are ready," he said, indicating as well that the newborn state would move quickly to apply to join the United Nations and other international institutions.

Independence is expected to be declared at around 3:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Sunday to the strains of "Ode to Joy," the anthem of the European Union, according to local news media. Street parties and fireworks would follow.

The European Union launched earlier Saturday a 2,000-member police and judicial mission to help facilitate Kosovo's transition to independence -- even as the bloc's 27 members remain split on how to recognize the new state.

In the divided northern city of Kosovoska Mitrovica, a potential flashpoint for violence on Sunday, Kosovo Serb leader Milan Ivanovic rejected the EU mission, vowing it would be boycotted by his people.

"The EU mission is not welcome. We will boycott it and use all methods of civic resistance," Ivanovic said. Serbs make up 120,000 of Kosovo's 1.8 million people and they want to stay part of Serbia.

In the wintery streets of Pristina, many shopkeepers Saturday festooned their windows with the Albanian flag -- a black eagle on a red background -- sometimes alongside banners boasting 50-percent-off sales.

Colourful posters expressed thanks to the United States, Britain and the European Union for supporting independence. Street stalls added "Proud to be Kosovar" T-shirts to their usual inventory of cigarettes and mobile phones.

Thaci's government has reportedly ordered 80 tonnes of fireworks from Bulgaria for the occasion, while a trendy bakery called Fellini's is baking a jumbo Kosovo-shaped independence cake.

EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday to try to draw up a "common platform" in response to Kosovo's expected independence, one which does not include the notion of the bloc as a whole recognising the new state.

EU leaders committed in December to help with a settlement on Kosovo's final status, including economic and political assistance and by offering Kosovo the prospect of EU membership some time in the distant future.

"We are working with our international partners in the European Union and the United Nations to bring the Kosovo status process rapidly to completion," a British foreign ministry spokesman in London said.

But some countries will refuse, at least in the short term, to recognise the new state, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

Opponents of independence fear it could serve as a precedent for other separatist groups in Europe, as well as undermine Balkan security which remains fragile after the violent breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

In Belgrade on Saturday, more than 1,000 Serb nationalists -- chanting "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia" and waving the Serbian tricolour flag -- protested against Western support for Kosovo's independence.

Staying On Top of the DX Ladder

2008-02-12T13:54:00.002-05:00

Gregg, W8GG, and Clark, W8TN, have been posting to the WVDXA Reflector about their successes in working the VP6DX - Ducie Island DX'pedition. However, without any fanfare, the elder statesman of the WVDXA, Bob, W8QHG, is keeping pace and probably staying ahead of a lot of the club. Bob got up at 5 a.m. this morning and snagged VP6DX on 20-M, 40-M and 75-M SSB! Then, just for good measure, he made a contact with TI9KK - Cocos Island on 20-M SSB on his FIRST CALL!Always dapper, here is Bob at his station in 1937. For those without access to a calculator, that's SEVENTY YEARS AGO! And, he's STILL workin' the DX with as much enjoyment as he had then. When I talked to him this afternoon, he was pursuing VP6DX on 17-M CW. GO, Bob, GO!

TI9KK, Cocos Is., Now On-the-Air

2008-02-09T23:25:00.000-05:00

The TI9KK DX'pedition to Cocos Island is now On-the-Air. Scheduled departure date is February 14th so you better jump on this one fast if you need it. Planned operation is 160-M through 6-M. With 7 rigs and 4 amps, they should be on multiple bands. This country ranks 72nd on the Top 100 Needed List and it is really close to us so you should fill up your bands list with this one.

Papa November will surely be exchanging Opossum recipes with Yamini, VU2YAM, who is one of the operators. HERE is the DX'pedition's web site.

Saturday's WVDXA Meeting

2008-02-09T20:11:00.000-05:00

The first meeting of the year was held at W8TN qth. There was a good turn out. It was great to see all the DXERS and share some trade secrets with each other. The DVD of BS7H was shown and it was interesting to see what they went through to give us a contact and also seeing W8TN in the Log on the video.
Clark, showed some new software that was very exciting to see and the thoughts of how it could be used gave me chills.
We missed everyone who couldn't make it. Hope to catch you all at the next WVDXA Club meeting.

WA8VPN
Papa November

VP6DX - Ducie Island - On the Way!

2008-02-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

The operators for the upcoming Ducie Island operation are in Papeete, French Polynesia, and will leave today for Mangreva Atoll where they will board their ship, the M/V Braveheart and depart for Ducie Island later today. The trip is expected to take 72 hours with a stop at Pitcairn Island during the night to offload some supplies for the people there. The Braveheart will begin offloading the operators and equipment on Ducie at first light on Saturday, February 9. They will then begin to set up all SEVEN stations before beginning operations simultaneously at approximately 0400 GMT on February 12th.

On the low bands (especially 160-M) they will try to work Europe during the early night hours asking NA stations to "check back later." About 0730 they expect to begin working NA in full force so you can plan on some late nights to work this operation. They WILL operate in the 160-M SSB contest on February 23/24.

The NEW transmit frequency for 75-M SSB is 3781 kHz and the NEW 160-M CW transmit frequency is 1826.3 kHz. Please read News Item #9 HERE for tips on the techniques they plan to use.

Be sure to check out their web page HERE for the latest news and the online log which should be updated twice a day.

100 Most Needed Countries - Worldwide

2008-01-18T16:01:00.001-05:00

The latest edition of DX Magazine's Most Needed Countries list is now available HERE (scroll down a bit to see the list.) The current DX'pedition to J5, Guinea Bissau, is listed as No. 100 so it will definitely not make the list next year. And, my nemesis, P5, North Korea, has climbed to No. 1 at the Top of the List. It is also interesting to note that BS7, Scarborough Reef, fell from No. 1 to only No. 8. There must still be a lot of DX'ers that need it. Check over the list and see where those countries you need stack up with all the DX'ers around the world.

SWODXA Dayton DX Dinner Announcement

2008-01-17T02:52:00.000-05:00

The South West Ohio DX Association has announced the 2008 DX Dinner to be held on Friday evening, May 16th, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Dayton. Tickets are $37 each. You can read the Press Release HERE. The SWODXA web site HERE has reviews of last year's dinner and the extensive prizes given away each year. Amazing! If you would like to attend as part of the WVDXA contingent, please contact W8TN.

Rwanda, 9XØR, March 2008

2008-01-12T02:20:00.000-05:00

A team of 10 operators from Spain, Italy and the Ukraine plan to be active from 10 to 160 meters (include WARC bands) on CW, SSB and RTTY with 3 stations at the same time. They now have the license in hand. Further details can be found HERE and an online log will be available during the operation.

Marquesas Is. - FO/m - Jan. 9 to 22

2008-01-08T00:31:00.000-05:00

OH1RX, OH2PM, OH6KN and OH8NC will open up from the Marquesas on January 9th for a 2-week DX'pedition. They plan to focus on the low-bands and the East Coast of the U.S. Equipment is 3 stations, each with 500-watt amps, from 2 separate operating locations. Antennas are phased verticals on 80-M and 40-M, a 23-M top-loaded vert. with elevated radials for 160-M plus Beverages and K9YC receive antennas and yagi's for the higher bands. Looks like a good chance to pick up some FO/m band-countries. Also, an online log search should be available HERE. Also, don't forget the J5C operation from Guinea-Bissau Jan. 11 to 21. These two major operations should keep the bands hopping.

Official! New Sunspot Cycle Starts.

2008-01-04T17:39:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON (AP) - A new solar cycle is under way.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that the first sunspot of a new 11-year cycle has appeared in the sun's northern hemisphere.

The frequency of sunspots rises and falls during these cycles, and the start of a new cycle indicates they are likely to begin increasing.

Sunspots, areas of intense magnetic activity on the sun, can affect Earth by disrupting electrical grids, airline and military communications, GPS signals and even cell phones, the agency said. During periods of intense sunspot activity, known as solar storms, highly charged radiation from the sun may head toward Earth.

"Our growing dependence on highly sophisticated, space-based technologies means we are far more vulnerable to space weather today than in the past," said NOAA Administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr.

Last April an international panel of solar experts forecast that Solar Cycle 24 would start in March 2008, plus or minus six months. The panel was split between those predicting a strong or weak cycle.

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New Prefix for Bosnia-Herzegovina Officially Announced

2007-12-26T06:58:00.000-05:00

In response to a request from the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina in August, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) withdrew the call sign prefix allocation T9A-T9Z for Bosnia and Herzegovina and made a new allocation, E7A-E7Z. The change was made initially on a provisional basis under authority of the ITU Secretary-General and was confirmed by the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference to be effective November 17, 2007.

GJ, Jersey Island, 28-Dec. thru 6-Jan.

2007-12-23T23:34:00.000-05:00

A DX'pedition this coming week from Jersey Island is planned by 3 French and 1 Scottish amateurs. They plan to concentrate on the low bands, 12, 17 & 30-M as well as RTTY. There will be three HF stations so you have a good chance of working this one to fill in some of those band-blanks in your Challenge effort. Please do not mix your QSO's on the same card but QSL each operator independently as per the instructions on the web site.

New Look For DXCC/VUCC

2007-12-22T12:16:00.000-05:00

The ARRL has completed the finishing touches on certificates issued through the 5-Band DXCC (DX Century Club) and VUCC (VHF/UHF Century Club) programs. The awards program staff worked with the ARRL in-house graphic designers to create a fresh new look for these traditional awards.

The new 5-Band DXCC certificate recognizes the achievement of this award with a distinctive graphic display that incorporates the ARRL diamond and globe design that is familiar throughout the DXCC program, as well as stunning raised gold leaf enhancement; when framed and hung in your shack, it will definitely mark your accomplishment. The new VUCC award is a full color diploma that features red, white and blue shading over a grid square map with a stylish VUCC logo.

Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, Will Attend Jackson's Mill 2008

2007-12-19T18:22:00.000-05:00

Dan Ringer, K8WV, reports that Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, the FCC's chief of amateur enforcement will attend the 50th Roanoke Division ARRL Convention at Jackson's Mill next August. That should really boost attendance at this the FIFTIETH WV State ARRL Convention at Jackson's Mill.

FJ is official

2007-12-19T15:35:00.000-05:00

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

A NEW DXCC Entity - Saint Barthelemy, FJ

2007-12-18T03:10:00.000-05:00

Bernie, W8UR, is reporting in The Daily DX that we have a NEW entity on the DXCC list as of today. Basically France changed the status of FJ, Saint Barthelemy, which previously counted as FJ, FS - Saint Martin. Now it appears that FJ and FS will be separate countries and we have a NEW one!

As you probably guessed, Martii, OH2BH, and Olli, OHØXX, have traveled to Saint Barthelemy and should begin operation today around 1600 GMT as FJ/OH2AM. Initial operations will be on 20-M SSB and 17-M CW to give as many as possible a NEW counter for Christmas! (And you thought Santa was only putting a piece of coal in your stocking this year!) DX IS!

New 6-M Beacon in Portugal

2007-12-17T14:23:00.000-05:00

Dave, W8UI, reports that there is a new 6-M Beacon operational in Portugal. The beacon sends: V V V DE CS1RLA/B QTH IM57px followed by 15 seconds of carrier and 5 seconds of silence. The frequency is 50.076 MHz and it is located 57 miles due South of Lisbon. This might be a good indicator of European 6-M openings. Come on Sunspots!

Has the Next Solar Cycle Begun?

2007-12-16T14:02:00.000-05:00

Woo, Hoo! The folks in the Solar Physics community are all buzzing this week (and so are the hams!) about the activity on the Sun this week. On December 11th a region appeared on the sun that is high in latitude and has "reversed" magnetic polarity. These two conditions (of a sunspot) are what signals the beginning of a new Solar Cycle. The only thing that is keeping the scientists from announcing that this is the beginning of Cycle 24 is that this is just a "region" that "may" turn into a sunspot. If it does, then we can all start to hope for better propagation sooner rather than later.

ARRL 10-M Contest This Weekend

2007-12-07T01:08:00.000-05:00

Don't forget that this weekend is the ARRL 10-M Contest. 48-hours from 0000 Saturday to 2350 Sunday (operate no more than 36 hours.) Rules can be found HERE and remember this contest allows BOTH CW and SSB. Solar flux is up to a whopping 78 so there might actually be some 10-M propagation. GL to all.

Spratley Islands - March 22-30

2007-12-05T00:06:00.000-05:00

Bernie, W3UR, reports in The Daily DX that N1UR is planning a DX'pedition with his wife, KB1PQN, to the Spratley Islands in March (22-30.) They will have two 100-watt rigs, no amps and verticals. This is a very hard one to work so mark this on your calendar.

If you don't already subscribe to The Daily DX, you might think about doing so. I find it chock full of useful DX information. You can get a 2 weeks of The Daily DX for free HERE.

J5C - Guinea-Bissau in January 2008

2007-11-30T01:46:00.000-05:00

The guys that brought you XT2C will be going to J5, Guinea-Bissau between January 11 and 21, 2008. They will concentrate on the low-bands (40-160-M) but will have 16 operators manning 5 full-time stations. HERE is their web site with many more details.

2007 BS7H (Scarborough Reef) DX'pedition Video

2007-11-27T12:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Ted, W8KVK, HERE is a link to a YouTube video of the BS7H DX'pedition. It is just still photos with a music background but they have added motion to the still photos and it is a very nice presentation. The video runs 4 minutes and 48 seconds.

WVDXA Exclusive Telephone Call-Out List for E4

2007-11-25T17:37:00.000-05:00

Alan, W8OP, has graciously agreed to set up a Telephone Call-Out list for WVDXA members for the upcoming E4, Palestine, DX'pedition. This is the procedure which worked so well for us on the VU7 and BS7H operations (well, except for the poor lady in Lincoln County who kept getting the 5 a.m. wake up calls instead of W8WEJ!)

If you want to be included in the Call-Out List, send your telephone numbers, and all pertinent info to Alan, W8OP, at W8op-at-AOL.com (change -at- to the @ symbol of course.)

The Call-Out list works like this: K4OM hears the E4 on 20-M. Pete looks at the Call-Out list and sees he is to call W8OI and he does. This alerts Garry to the E4 operation. Garry in turn calls the next on the list, W8WEJ, to alert John. If Garry does not get an answer, he then calls the person John should call (for example, W8TN) and alerts Clark. Clark then calls the next person on the list and so on.

Once you get on the air, also get on the WVDXA Chat Page and be ready to pass real-time info back and forth to other WVDXA Members. Good luck to all with the E4 Operation and THANKS to Alan for setting up the Call-Out List which will be published on the WVDXA Email Reflector.

E4, Palestine, December 14-22

2007-11-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

According to the Ohio/Pennsylvania DX Bulletin, after 8 years of not being on the air, signals will soon be heard from E4, Palestine. E4/OM2DX should be operational from December 14-22 on 160-M to 10-M CW,SSB and RTTY with two stations. HERE is the web page for OM2DX describing the operation.

NASA Solar Cycle Prediction

2007-11-21T22:59:00.000-05:00

HERE is the latest prediction from NASA (updated November 14th) regarding the next solar cycle. It is obviously difficult to predict (and be correct) in advance the behavior of a solar cycle. This prediction uses three different methods and comes to a very nice conclusion (for us 6-M types) for the upcoming solar cycle. Bring it on!

What Are Some of Your Most Prized QSL's?

2007-11-18T22:07:00.000-05:00

A recent email from K8KFJ got me thinking - [DANGER, Will Robinson!] What are some of the QSL's you have received that are your "Most Prized" ones. Garie, K8KFJ, remarked, "One of my most prized DX QSLs would be ZA2RPS worked in June of 1971 on 20m SSB. We're told that shortly after this operation began, it was shut down by the Albanian authorities. Further, that there was no other operation from ZA until some 30 years later (ZA1A in 1991)."

So, leave a comment to this Post about your "Most Prized" QSL. If this subject sparks enough interest, send W8TN a JPG of the QSL and I'll post it on the Internet for all to see and enjoy.

What IS that Noise You Hear?

2007-11-18T12:17:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder about those strange noises you hear in your receiver? Is QRN causing you to lose QSO's? Well, Ken, VE3HLS, has created a WEB PAGE to help you track down that offending noise. He has files on this site which he has identified that will help you track down what is causing the noise. The files are MP3 audio files and you can look at the waveform of the noise to see what it looks like on an oscilloscope.