SAIPAN from June 21-22

JA3IUY will be active as AH0CI from the Saipan Rental Shack in the Northern Mariana Islands between June 21st and 22nd. Operations will be on all bands and modes. QSL via his home callsign, either direct or via the bureau. (OPDX)

ICELAND DX – JUNE 27 TO JULY 4

In DX up-front, ON6KE has announced that he will be active stroke T F from Iceland between June 27th and July 4th. His operation will be low power holiday style, mostly in the early mornings and evenings on the High Frequency bands using CW, SSB and JT65. Equipment is a FT-817ND and magnetic loop antenna. QSL only electronically using Logbook of the World or eQSL.

International Marconi Day - April 26

 INTERNATIONAL MARCONI DAY – APRIL 26

Saturday April 26th is when stations around the world will be on the air to celebrate International Marconi Day. This is a once a year opportunity to make contact with historic Marconi locations around the world and to celebrate the birth of Guglielmo Marconi on the April 25th 1874.

At airtime, over 20 Marconi related sites have confirmed that they will be on board this year’s celebration. These include the historic GB4IMD at Poldhu in Cornwall, England along with VO1AA on Signal Hill in St. Johns, Newfoundland, and W2MRC at Monmouth Junction in New Jersey.

All stations planning to participate are urged to register in advance. Full details are at www.gb4imd.com.

THE ST. PATRICKS DAY AWARD

A group of Northern Ireland radio amateurs have introduced a new award for hams who want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on the air. While details are still a bit sketchy, the organizers hope this to be an annual event every March 17th. Those who want to participate as an award station or who want more information on the event should go to stpatrickaward.webs.com on the World Wide Web. 

source: (MI0RYL, Southgate)

ROTARIANS on the Air to Stop Polio

To celebrate the birthday of community service organization Rotary International and highlight its involvement in eradicating the disease polio, members of the organization will be on air on February the 22nd and 23rd with a number of special event stations.

All participating Rotarians on Amateur Radio throughout the world will call CQ Polio to commemorate the founding of Rotary International in 1905, and educate the public about Rotary's End Polio Now campaign.

Thanks to the vaccine developed by the late researcher Dr. Jonas Salk. Polio is no longer a problem in many nations. However it still remains a major threat to public health in a number of places around the globe. (WAI News)

Arecibo Observatory on air November 10,2013

If you are hearing this before Sunday, November 10th, then listen out on 20 meters for station KP4AO. This as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
The operation will be on the air from 1300 until 2000 UTC around 14.250 Mhz. A commemorative certificate will be available for those who make contacts with KP4AO. QSL to Arecibo Observatory Radio Club, HC03, PO Box 53995, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 00612. The special event is sponsored by the Caribbean Amateur Radio Group and the Arecibo Observatory Radio Club.

American Legion takes to Airwaves in Salute to Veterans

Indianapolis Legionnaires will honor their fellow veterans in a special on-the-air tribute on Veterans Day, November 11th. That when members of The American Legion Amateur Radio Club will operate using the special event call sign W9L on 20 meters, 2-meter simplex, a Central Indiana repeater and connect world wide via IRLP beginning at 9:00 a.m. through 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

Frequencies in use will include to 14.275 MHz upper sideband on 20 meters, 146.46 MHz on 2 meter simplex, the 145.17 MHz repeater in Hamilton County and IRLP Node 4816. Those who make contact with W9L will be eligible to receive an attractive full color commemorative certificate. More about this event including QSL routing is on the web at website www.legion.org/hamradio

Royal Air Force Permanent Special Event Stations

The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force station G3ELV and the Royal Air Force Signals Museum station GB4SMH, will be operational under a permanent Special Event permit effective November 1st. Normal operating times for both locations will be 10:00 to 16:00 local time on each Tuesday and on the first Saturday of each month. 
 If you make contact, please QSL only via the bureau.

Amateur Radio DX News

In DX, the ARRL DXCC desk has announced that the 2013 T6JR operation from Afghanistan has been approved for DXCC credit. Cards are now being accepted for that one.

RK4FF will be on the air as 6V7S from Senegal through November 27th. Activity is on 80 through 10 meters excluding the WARC bands using CW, SSB and RTTY. His log is available on ClubLog. QSL via RK4FF.
 
DF1YP is now active stroke FO from Moorea Island French Polynesia. He reportedly will be there until November 6th. His operation has been mainly on 20 meters using SSB. QSL via his home callsign.
 
G4IRN will be active as D44TWQ from Cape Verde between November 5th to the 12th. His operation will be holiday style on the 30, 17 and 12 meters and on CW only. QSL via his home callsign either direct or via the bureau.
 
N7OU will be operational from the South Cook Islands until 9th of November. He has reactivated his E51NOU callsign on all bands from 10 to 160 meters operating CW only. QSLs go via his home call.
 
DL7AFS and J7ZG will be active as D44TXT from Ilha de Sao Tiago, until November 7th. They will be on the 80 through 10 meters using SSB, RTTY, PSK31 and PSK63. QSL via DL7AFS, either direct or via the bureau.
 
N0HJZ is active as C6ARW from Grand Bahama, through October 29th using on 30, 17 and 12 meters as well on CW and RTTY on other bands. QSL via N0HJZ, either direct or via bureau.  

DH3WO announces that he will be operational from Lesotho as 7P8WO from December 22nd to the 24th. He plans to be active on all of the High Frequency bands though no operating times or frequencies have yet been announced. QSL’s go via home call.

T33A Banaba Island Hopes to be Active NOVEMBER 5-18

The T33A DXpedition to Banaba Island is fast approaching and is expected to be active from November 5th to the 18th.

It was reported on the T33A Blog Page on October 17th by co team leader Jay Kobelin, W2IJ, that the container carrying the gear for the operation has departed Suva, Fiji and was now on its way by sea to Tarawa. Also that the operations advance team will arrive in Tarawa on October 31st to attend to picking up provisions as well as to get the container unsealed and cleared through customs. They will then make certain that it is loaded onto their vessel in preparation for a November 3rd departure to Banaba Island.

It was also mentioned that the T33A operations main sponsor is Elecraft, which is supplying six K 3 Transceivers and five KPA-500 Amplifiers. Also that the T33A team will be using the DXA interface for their operation. DXA is an innovative Web site that allows DX’ers to view the status and activities of a DXpedition in near-real-time.

For more details about this DXpedition please visit www.t33a.com.

DX Events

In DX, word that CT2HPM is once again on the air from Angola operating as D2CT. He plans to be there through November 15th operating PSK31 and RTTY on 20 through 10 meters including the WARC bands. QSL via CT2HPM.
W1CDC will be operational from Guyana as 8R1A between October 13th and November 1st. Activity will be holiday style on 80 through 10 meters using CW and SSB. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the bureau.
YB9WZJ and YD9RQX will be active using their home calls stroke P from Waigeo Island between October 16th and the 22nd. Operations will be on 40, 20 and 15 meters using SSB only. QSL only via their home callsigns.
Members of the Andorran Amateur Radio Union will again be active as C37NL from Andorra during the CQWW DX SSB Contest. The dates are October 26th and the 27th. QSL via C37URA.
N0HJZ, will be active as C6ARW from Grand Bahama Island between October 22nd to the 29th. Operations will be on 30, 17 and 12 meters using CW and RTTY. QSL via his home callsign, direct (with sufficient postage) or by the Bureau.
AA1AC will be on the air stroke 6W from La Somone, Senagal between December 8th and the 14th. No information on times or frequencies was given. QSL direct or by the Bureau to his home callsign.

National Wildlife Refuge Special Event

The week of October 12 - 19, will see the National Wildlife Refuge Week annual Special Event on the air activity taking place across the US. This event started in Michigan 6 years ago and is now nationally coordinated. See the national coordination site for abundant tips and checklists for having a successful event: http://www.nwrweek-radio.info/ Some refuges have public activities going on, and this is also a chance to meet refuge visitors and chat up amateur radio, too. 

October Sky - The Rocket Boys Festival

OCTOBER SKY - THE ROCKET BOYS FESTIVAL
The "October Sky : Rocket Boys Festival" takes place October 4th to the 6th in Beckley, West Virginia. And as a part of the celebration the Black Diamond Amateur Radio Club will be operating a special event station on October 5th with the call W8R. Frequencies to be listening on are 7.280 and 14.280 MHz. +/- 3.Khz.
More is on the web at http://rocketboysfestival.com/

SARL NATIONAL CONVENTION APRIL 26 - 28

The 2013 South African Radio League's National Convention
and Annual General meeting will be held April 26th to the
28th at the Sulla Via Venue not far from Johannesburg.  This
years gathering will be hosted by the West Rand Amateur
Radio Club with Kenny Neville from West Rand Astronomy Club
as the featured guest speaker.  If conditions are clear
Neville's talk may be followed by a sky gazing party.  More
information, further program details and reservation forms
should be on-line right now at will be available on
www.sarl.org.za.  The planners hope to see many ham radio
operators there.

13 Colonies Special Event 2012

 A message from Ken Villone (KU2US) 

For the 4th straight year the "Original 13 Colony States" will be on the air! The 13 Colonies Special Event will start June 30th, Saturday, as a bonus day and end July 5th, 2012. Thats six days this year.

The event will start June 30th at 9am eastern Saturday (13:00 UTC)and end Thursday night July 5th at midnight (24:00 eastern-04:00 UTC). All modes will be represented which includes SSB, CW, Digital and Satellite.

A great certificate, which is different every year will be offered (Go to KU2US on qrz.com for photo and link to our website).

This years theme will be the Colonial era Navy and Tall ships. The USS Constitution is featured on the certificate. Also dont forget to collect all 13 Colony states QSL cards. Most are different this year, also featuring colonial tall ships.

We accomplished over 40,000 QSO's in 2011 and expect much more for this year. Join us on June 30th for this special event honoring our Constitution, the 13 original colony states and our men and women past and present in the military..Hope to put you all in the log. 73 KU2US/Event Manager.

7O6T Yemen DXpedition

The Daily DX is reporting that the 7O6T Yemen DXpedition will start 2100 UTC Monday, April 30 and will continue through 2100 UTC May 15. Yemen currently sits at #5 on DX Magazine’s most wanted list, behind North Korea, Navassa, Bouvet and Heard Island. The ARRL DXCC Desk will review the 7O6T DXpedition’s documentation before granting approval for the operation to count for DXCC credit.

The DXpedition will be on Socotra Island -- the largest island in the four-island Socotra archipelago located in the Indian Ocean -- about 353 kilometers south of the Yemen mainland. Socotra Island (AF-028) is also ranked #1 on the RSGB’s Islands on the Air (IOTA) list, with only .3 percent of IOTA participants claiming it. Due to Socotra’s location, Yemen is one of the few DXCC entities that cross continental borders (Asia and Africa). Socotra also counts for one of the three Diamond DXCC Entities that make up today’s Yemen (including Aden City and Yemen itself) from the 1937 DXCC List.

The DXpedition is led by Dmitri Zhikharev, RA9USU, and assisted by Harry Booklan RA3AUU, and Dave Collingham, K3LP. Currently, there are 11 operators on Socotra, with a rotation planned later in the operation. Operators plan to be on 160-10 meters on six stations using CW, SSB and RTTY. Five of the stations are equipped with an Elecraft K3 and ACOM 1010 amplifier; the sixth station has a Kenwood TS-590 and THP-400 amplifier. There will be various beams, verticals and vertical arrays, as well as Beverages and other receiving antennas.

 Look for 7O6T on the following frequencies:

160     CW 1.824 MHz    SSB 1.845 MHz             RTTY 0000
80       CW 3.504 MHz    SSB 3.780 MHz             RTTY 0000
40       CW 7.004 MHz    SSB 7.065/7.180 MHz    RTTY 7.035 MHz
30       CW 10.104 MHz                                      RTTY 10.140 MHz
20       CW 14.024 MHz  SSB 14.145 MHz           RTTY 14.080 MHz
17       CW 18.074 MHz  SSB 18.145 MHz          RTTY 18.100 MHz
15       CW 21.024 MHz  SSB 21.295 MHz          RTTY 21.080 MHz
12       CW 24.894 MHz  SSB 24.945 MHz          RTTY 24.920 MHz
10       CW 28.024 MHz  SSB 28.495 MHz          RTTY 28.080 MHz

Logs, photos and propagation forecasts will be posted to the 7O6T website as the DXpedition continues. QSL via Nick Averyanov, UA3DX. Updates regarding OQRS, direct, bureau and LoTW QSLing will also be posted to the website.

Only one Amateur Radio operation has taken place from Socotra Island: VS9SJF (VS9 Socotra Joint Forces), operated by John Farrar, G3UCQ (ex 5B4JF) during a Royal Air Force/Army expedition. At that time, Socotra was under British rule. “The Expedition was on the island for two months (December 1964-February 1965) and I contacted over 100 countries with my little 75 W rig, including, many from USA,” Farrar recounted. “The Heathkit DX-40U transmitter gave 74 W input on CQ and 60 W input controlled carrier modulation (AM). The receiver was an RCA AR88D. No electronic keyers in those days, so a good wrist was needed! The antennas comprised a W3DZZ trap dipole (80-10 meters) and a V-beam was later erected, aimed at USA, with the legs about 200 feet long and 30 feet high.”

Except for two brief periods, Socotra Island belonged to the sultans of Mahra. During the early 16th century, it was occupied by the Portuguese. In 1886, it became part of Britain’s Aden Protectorate until 1967, when it was joined with the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen), which became the Republic of Yemen in 1990.

Thanks to The Daily DX and the K8CX Ham Gallery for some information

CW Celebration

New York’s QSY Society Amateur Radio Club will be hosting a special event station at the Samuel F. B. Morse Estate at Locust Grove in the city of Poughkeepsie. This in celebration of his creation of the Morse Code in 1832. The operation will run from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday April 14th using the special event callsign K2QS. Transmissions will be centered on 7.034 on 40 meters and 14.034 MHz on 20. Hams making contact with K2QS will be eligible for a special commutative QSL card. QSL requests go to David Ruth at 48 Hoof Print Road, Millbrook, New York, 12545.

DX News

In DX, PA7JWC and PD7DB operating stroke PJ2 will be on the air from Curacao through the 9th April. They will operate SSB, CW, RTTY and PSK on 80 through 10 meters. QSLs via Logbook of The World is preferred otherwise send paper QSL’s to their home callsigns, either direct and via the bureau.

JA1XGI will be active as A35XG from Tonga through the 9th of April on 30, 17 and 12 metes using CW, SSB and digital modes. QSL him also via his home callsign, direct or via the bureau.

ON4AEO and several other operators will be active as 3DA0FC from Swaziland from April 6th to the 10th. They plan to operate SSB, RTTY and PSK on 80 through 10 meters. QSL via ON4CJK, direct or via the bureau.

Lastly, GM6TW will be operating from the Inner Hebrides from April 7th to 13th. His main operating location will be the Isle of Jura, but he also- hopes to activate from Islay and Colonsay as well. No frequencies or modes were given. QSL via M0UTD.

DX UNIVERSITY APRIL 20 – LAST CALL TO REGISTER

The annual 'DX University' will take place in Visalia, California, on Friday, April 20th. On the program are several of the world's most renowned DXers who will share their knowledge. You will also hear some vital tips on making DXCC and on achieving Honor Roll status.

So far over 120 hams have already reserved their place at this session. There are still a few seats left. Go to www.dxuniversity.com to register.

International Museums Weekend Registration now Open

The International Museums Weekend special event operations will take place on the weekends of June 16th through the 17th and again on June 23rd and 24th. Radio amateurs are encouraged to participate in this event by setting up stations in their local museums.

The International Museums Weekend organizer Harry Bloomfield, M1BYT in Leeds in the U-K. He asks that all those intending to take part in the event to register their museum operation at www.ukradioamateur.co.uk/imw.

This is not only a fun event but one that permits you to showcase amateur radio to non-hams world wide.

DX info for the Up-Coming Week

In DX, JI5RPT will sign JD1BLY from Chichijima Island through January 2nd. Listen out for him using CW, SSB and digital modes on 80 through 6 meters. Possibly some satellite operation as well. QSL to JI5RPT.

SM6CPY, will be on the air from Rwanda in a holiday style operation signing 9X0PY through January 7th . QSL via SM6CPY.

DL1ZU is on a trip in Namibia through Jan 13th using an Icom IC-706. His primary operating modes will be CW plus PSK, RTTY and SSB. QSL via his home call.

EA1CYK/P will be operational from Deception Island in the South Shetland group during his spare time until March of 2012. He has been spotted with a good signal on 10 meters QSL via EA7LS.

G3SWH and G3OLU will be active from the Hawane Resort in western Swaziland between February 21st to the 29th. Propagation permitting, they plan to have two stations on the air for as many hours every day as is possible. Operation will be on CW only on 80 through 10 meters. QSL via G3SWH

Lastly, An international group of operators plan to visit Pitcarin Island and operate as VP6T between January 20th and February 4th. According to a web posing the operation hope to make at least 30,000 contacts while on the island. Operations will be on 160 through 10 meters including the 30, 17 and 12 meter bands. Modes to be used include CW, SSB and RTTY. The VP6T log will be uploaded to Logbook of the World during the operation if possible. QSL Manager is G3TXF. In addition to the usual routes they will also be using the new Online QSL Request Service provided by ClubLog. For more details and the suggested frequencies please visit www (dot) vp6t (dot) org.