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The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 497
BID: $OPDX.497
February 5, 2001
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF-80 BBS Cleveland, Ohio
Online at 440-237-8208 28.8k-1200 Baud 8/N/1

Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio Society, Northern Ohio DX Association, Ohio/Penn PacketCluster Network, AB5K & the AR TelNet Clusters, ARRL Letter & W1AW DX Bulletin, WA1YTW, W2LO, WB2YQH/WB2RAJ & The 599 DX Report, W3UR & The Daily DX, N4AA & QRZ DX, WB4PVT, WD4NGB, K5OVC, N5FPW, AJ6V, K6IPV, K6RO, K7BV, K8YSE, W9VA, WB9GYT, CE6TBN, CT1BNW, DL2VFR & IOTA-POST, DL4FP, F5NOD, F5SGI, G3XTT, G4XTA, GW4XXF, HK3JJH, I2UIY, I1JQJ/IK1ADH & 425 DX News, JA3MZB, PA5ET, S53R, V51EK, VE3NQK, VE7DP, VK4FW, VK0MM, YO3FWC, YS1RR and YT1AD for the following DX information.

EDITOR'S COMMENTS
There's so much DX activity and information there is not enough time and space to print it all..... Enjoy it all! de Tedd KB8NW

2000 CLINTON B. DESOTO CUP WINNER
The "ARRL Letter"reports that Bob Eshleman, W4DR, of Midlothian, Virginia, is the winner of the Clinton B. DeSoto Cup for 2000. The DeSoto Cup is a new ARRL award being presented for the first time which recognizes the station that's on top of the DXCC Challenge List as of September 30th each year. The Cup will be presented in May at Dayton's "DX Dinner" sponsored by the Southwest Ohio DX Association.

3D2, CONWAY REEF (UPDATE/DELAY)
Hrane/YT1AD and Raymundo/YS1RR report that the Conway Reef DXpedition with 8 operators, 5 Yugoslavians, 2 Macedonian and 1 Salvadorean (YT1AD, YU7AV, YU1NR, YZ7AA, YU1DX, Z32ZM, Z32AU and YS1RR), will be delayed for 3 days. The delay is because YS1RR's visa for Fiji is still in process in the Fiji Embassy in Washington DC. Their departure now will be on February 17th, arriving Fiji on February 19th, and they will leave for Conway Reef on February 20th. They will arrive on the island February 21st later in the afternoon and hope to start operation on February 22nd at 0800z. On Conway Reef there will be 3 stations with 1KW each, using two 3 elements beam antennas for 10, 15, 20 meters, and 12, 17 meters. Vertical antennas will be used for the low bands, all running simultanously. The modes will be SSB, CW, RTTY, PSK31, SSTV, and the operation will last until March 1st, when they will head back to Fiji on March 2nd. They will operate from March 2-8th from there with the callsigns 3D2AD, 3D2AU, 3D2NR, 3D2RR, 3D2ZM, 3D2AV,3D2AB and 3D2FW. For more details, check the following Web page:

3D2, CONWAY REEF (Second Operation Postponed)
It has been reported that the Scandinavian DXpedition to Conway Reef planned by Mats/SM7PKK and Nils/SM6CAS, which was scheduled to take place April 5-24th, has been postponed. This due to some personal commitments by two of the team members.

3Y, BOUVET
Finally, good news to report from here. Reports indicate that Chuck's, 3Y0C, diesel generator is "FIXED". Chuck said they found a problem with the compression release. He will continue to collect info about the propane conversion just in case of more trouble. They will be able to get back to normal now and will be putting up new wire antennas for the low bands and some RTTY with a fully charged laptop. The other thing that this affects is that Chuck will be able to operate for more hours a day now instead of 30 minutes to a hour at a time because of weak batteries. However, the Icom PW1 amp is still dead.

4W, EAST TIMOR
Dennis, K7BV, provided information to OPDX about the rather dramatic drop off in activity from 4W since Dick, N6FF, and Dennis had the pleasure of operating from a wonderful temporary QTH provided by Thor, 4W6MM. Dennis states, "A recent E-mail from Thor, informs us that he was transferred out of Baucau right after we departed. He is now stationed in Oe Cusse, the small enclave to the west of East Timor proper that is completely surrounded by West Timor. He has his rig with him but only a 15 meter dipole two meters high for an antenna; a radical step-down from the 220' tower in Baucau. He has managed only about 100 QSOs under the current situation."

He also mentions, "Little has been heard from Ross 4W6UN; probably indicating he is as busy as ever carrying out his responsibilities to the UN mission in Timor Lorasae." ADDED NOTE (From Dennis): "Thousands of full color QSLs for our 4W/K7BV and 4W/N6FF operation will be in the mail within the next week. The story/photos of our trip will appear in an upcoming issue of DX Magazine." ADDED NOTE: Thor, 4W6MM, was reported this past weekend on 15 meters CW around 0500z and 0900z.

5U, NIGER
Look for operators Silvano/I2YSB, Paolo/I2UIY and Marcello/ IK2DIA to operate from here, February 27th through March 12th. Their callsigns will be issued after their arrival on the site. They will use separate callsigns for SSB and CW/RTTY/PSK31. Also, they will put on the air up to 3 stations when possible, operating from 160-10 meters on CW/SSB/ RTTY/PSK31 and on 6 meters on CW/SSB. QSLs for both callsigns will be OK via the Bureau or direct to I2YSB: Silvano Borsa, P.O.Box 45, 27036 Mortara (PV), Italy. A web page has been activated at:

9H, MALTA
Karl, DL4FP, reports that there will be activity from February 15-18th using the callsign 9H3DLH (instead of 9H1DLH). QSL via DL4FP.

9M6, EAST MALAYSIA
Don, K6IPV, reports that plans are now finalized for their trip to Hillview Gardens Resort (9M6). Don, K6IPV/9M6IPT, will arrive at Hillview on the morning, local time, of February 11th. Since there is a complete station awaiting his arrival, he should be on the air that day, probably during the night to working stateside and Europe. Dave, W6AQ/ 9M6AQT, will arrive on the morning of February 14th. He will be bringing his Yaesu FT1000MP - MARK V, which they will use in the contest. Don mentions that he will make a stopover in Perth, Western Australia, for five days before going on to Hillview (around February 6th). He should be on the air from VK6XA's QTH, using VK6IPV. Don and Dave expect to operate more SSB than CW before the contest since neither of them claims to be a "hot shot" operator. They do anticipate using PSK-31 as well. They will do their best to correctly log every callsign that they can get and hope that the contesters will be patient with them as they will work toward accuracy rather than rate. They will operate the contest as a Multi-Single/Low Power entry. QSL via W6ORD, good in all callbooks and data bases for the last four years. Please do include SAE and sufficient postage for direct cards. Others will go by Bureau.

A5, BHUTAN
The Johnson family has left here (a day earlier than expected), but before leaving, Glenn, W0GJ (A52GJ), informed the DX Community that there are 7 new hams (nationals) with 10 meter privileges. Be on the lookout for them.

AP, PAKISTAN
Robert, S53R, informs OPDX that thanks to extensive help from "Pakistani Amateur Radio Society" and Tariq, AP2TJ, he will be active from the AP2ARS (ARS club station) from Islamabad. Activity will be almost 100% CW. He plans to be active from 40 meters up including WARC bands, mostly during the weekends due to work commitments. QSL should go to S53R. Robert adds, "In a very short period I'll be travelling to EZ, EY, EX and UK and will certinly try to do some radio from there too."

BQ9, PRATAS ISLAND
It was reported in the "425 DX News" that Paul, BV4FH, reports an operation as BQ9P is scheduled to take place from here March 6-15th.

C6, BAHAMAS
Gary, KI6T, is expected to be active February 13-18th as C6A/KI6T. He will also be active as C6AGS in the ARRL DX CW Contest. QSL both callsign via KI6T.

CE0Z, SAN AMBROSIO ISLAND (Update)
Marco, CE6TBN, Team Leader for the 2001 San Ambrosio Island CE0ZT DXpedition, reports that a new team member has been added, Joe, KO4RR, (E30GA, K5K and T32R operations). He also mentioned that the CE0ZT San Ambrosio DXpedition will take part in the ARRL CW Contest February 17-18th, as a Multi-Operator/Single TX entry. The QSL Manager for CE0ZT (San Ambrosio San Felix group) is CE6TBN for outside USA and N6MZ for the USA.
CE6TBN - Marco A. Quijada, P.O.Box 1234, Temuco Chile
N6MZ - Michael Mraz, 15526 SE 50th St, Bellevue WA 98006-3611 USA

CQ, PORTUGAL
Cupido, CT1BNW, informs OPDX that he will operate during the next CQ WPX RTTY Contest, February 10-11th, using the special event callsign " CQ2CE ". The event is " Porto 2001 ", the Capital European of culture. QSL only direct to: P.O.Box 4143, 4461-901 Senhora da Hora, Portugal.

CU8, AZORES ISLAND
Well-known DXer, Baldur, DJ6SI, was active this past weekend from Flores Island as CU8/DJ6SI. Activity was on 80/40/30/ 20/18/15/12/10 meters. Most of the activity was on CW and the WARC bands. QSL via his CBA.

D68, COMOROS
OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive an additional bulletin containing the the latest and last update (very large) by Don Field, G3XTT, on the upcoming "Five Star DXers DXpedition" to D68. This contains info on the "D68C Awards Programme - SWLs", "Operating Patterns and Power Outages", "Contests Activity", "Pilot Stations" and their "QSL and QSLing Policy".

D68BT & D68WL ARE NOW QRT
Both Josep/EA3BT and Nuria/EA3WL are back in Barcelona as of Monday, the 29th. The final log count is more than 31,000 QSOs, and without dupes, they finally were 24,500 QSOs. The logs can be viewed at:

DU, PHILIPPINES (IOTA Activity)
Frank, VE7DP, informs OPDX that he will be here all during the month of February. He has been organizing with the "locals amateurs" in the Philippines to join him for several IOTA oper- ations. The first one will be Polillo Island (OC-091) probably during the first part of this week. Roland/DU1KGJ (DX4RIG) and others wil be joining him. Other "targeted" islands are Lubang Island (OC-126), Batan Island (OC-092) and possibly a new unnumbered IOTA in the Luzon Coastal Island Group. Frank has meet with his partners last week, and they have decided on the following operating schedule:
OC-091 - Polillo Island. They will be active now through February 6th. Operators will be VE7DP, DU1KGJ(DX4RIG) and maybe 1-2 others.
OC-NEW - Activity from a new IOTA in the Luzon Coastal Islands Group is scheduled for February 8-11th. Operators will be VE7DP, DU1KGJ and memebers of DX1CW. They will applied for 4I1 prefix.
OC- 093. Batan Island. Activity will be scheduled for the last weekend in February. Operators will be VE7DP, 4F3XX, 4F1FZ and possibly others.
Frank, VE7DP, states more details will be forthcoming.......

HK0, MALPELO ISLAND
Last week (in OPDX.496) we mentioned that Pedro, HK3JJH, sent a message to your editor in Spanish which I tried my best to translate. This week I would like to thank both Rick Kissell, WB9GYT, and Mike Mattes, W2LO, who took the time to translate the message for me. Basically, I had the details right. Pedro is planning his next expedition to Malpelo, for which he already has the license. However, he did ask OPDX who he could contact about getting financial aid. Pedro states, "For example, the cheapest postage from here (Colombia) costs more than one American dollar." He receives only 80 American cents for an IRC, etc.... He will be on the island for a month and won't be able to return sooner due to the lack of transportation. As mentioned last week, he will activate 6-10-12-15-17- 20-40-80m SSB, I will try RTTY. Pedro states, " Of course contributors will be duly credited on the QSL card, it's also possible that I'll obtain a U.S. mailing address, to avoid a repeat of past problems with the mails. (I especially need a 6m rig with antenna, a lap-top, modem for RTTY.)" If you are interested in helping, let OPDX know and I will forward the message to Pedro.

HK0, MALPELO ISLAND
"The Daily DX" is reporting that a second operation is planned and scheduled to take place in April. Operators mentioned are: Jorge/HK5YBL, Jairo/HK5MQZ and Hiro/HK5QGX/JA8BWI. More details are forthcoming.

IOTA NEWS
AS-056. Masa, JA6GXK, will be active from Danjo Archipelago (Meshima Island), during the following schedule as follows: February 6-16th, February 27th-March 9th and March 21-30th. This is not a DXpedition. He will be active in his spare time. Suggested frequencies are: 14260 or 21260 kHz (both +/- 10kHz). QSL via only the Bureau.

EU-057. Andreas, DL5CW, will sign as DL5CW/p from Ummanz Island (GIA O-06), February 10-16th. Activity will be on CW/SSB on all HF bands. QSL via DL5CW.

EU-064. Jean-Marc, F5SGI, will be active as F5SGI/P from Yeu Island from April 14-21st. Activity will be mostly on CW, 80-10 meters. QSLs are sured via the bureau or CBA.

EU-129. Detlev/DL1RTW and Klaus/DL7UXG will sign homecall/p from Usedom Island (GIA O-013), April 2-4th. Activity will be on CW/SSB on 40-15 meters. QSLs via home callsigns.

OC-160. Bill, VK3FW, will arrive on Cumberland Island on February 6th for a possible 4 day stay. He states that this trip is work related, doing research for the "Enviroment Australia", so he will try to be active daily as time permits (mainly during his dark time hours). QSL direct via his home callsign with green stamps or IRC.

PJ2, CURACAO
Look for Larry/K6RO and Charlie/W6KK to be here from February 27th through March 5th. They will be active on CW and SSB and possibly RTTY. They will concentrate on the WARC bands before and after the contest. Larry, K6RO, will participate in ARRL SSB Contest as a SO/AB/HP effort using PJ2R. QSL PJ2R via K6RO. PJ2/K6RO and PJ2/W6KK via home calls.

PW0, ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL ROCKS
Team members of the St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks DXpedition (PW0S) have departed Recife, Brazil, on schedule on February 2nd, and expect to arrive on the Rocks about February 7th. It has been reported that a well-known Brazilian DXer Ely, PT7BZ, has joined the team. Operations are expected to be on 160 through 6 meters, CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via KU9C.

QSL INFO AND NEWS
FR/F6KDF/T QSL UPDATE. "The QSLs are on the way", states Gil, F5NOD. Some are still being processed at their radio club F6KDF (around 2000 plus, but QSLs are received everyday). Gil states that he still receives many messages like: "QSL not received yet. -or- Have the QSLs been mailed???? -or- Did you receive my QSL ?". Gil will no longer answer these messages anymore. Next QSL sending will be at the end of this month or early in March.

NEW ADDRESS. Paul, G4XTA, the QSL Manager for 9G1BJ, 9G1YR, 9G1TM, VU3NSF and several rare UK callsigns, has informed OPDX that after living 18 years in the same place, he has a change of address. His new address is: Paul D.Godolphin, Pleasant View, Blencarn, Penrith CA10 1TX England.

Alan, K4AVQ, reports that the P40AV cards are going out now. He received cards back from his 1997 and 1998 operation just two weeks ago from the P4 bureau. These were sent to Aruba instead of the correct address. He is also in the process of sending these out the same way received. Alan mentions that JA cards have been sent for the stations asking for direct. Also, there were many U.S. cards sent without SASE, so these will be sent through the bureau.

QSL Update "Caribbean Tour 2000": Rob, PA5ET, reports, "We had many delays because of the holidays and many other reasons but the "Caribbean Tour 2000" QSLs (V26EA, V26ET, V26FM, V26WP, VP2MPA, 8P9JR, 8P9RS, 8P9JT and 8P9JU) finally arrived. As of the coming weekend and days after all direct QSLs will be mailed. As soon as all direct cards have been processed, the bureau cards will follow soon after. Direct QSLs can be sent to: Rob Snieder, Van Leeuwenstraat 137, 2273 VS Voorburg, The Netherlands."

V51ZSV, a special event station from Walvis Bay, Nambia, was on last week because the 500 kHz Wireless Telegraphy service from Walvis Bay Radio/V5W was officially closed down on the 1st February at 0900z. According to Hein Bertram, V51EK, the operation was to take place between January 26th and February 1st, CW only, operating around 14030, 21030 and 7030 kHz, depending on conditions. The station is situated on the premises of Walvis Bay Radio whose callsign had been ZSV until 1994 when they became V5W (hence the callsign).

VK0MM QSL INFORMATION. Alan, VK0MM, informs OPDX that the QSL Manager for VK0MM is Alan Roocroft, VK4AAR. QSL "DIRECT ONLY" to: Alan Roocroft, PO Box 421, Gatton, QLD 4343 Australia. Alan states "NO BURO CARDS". Alan is a well known and respected QSL manager, and he assures a turnaround of 24/48 hours once the cards are printed. The VK0MM card is in full color featuring the rare rockhopper penguin found at Macquarie Island. All excess proceeds from the QSLing process will be donated to "Camp Quality", a charity providing care for children with cancer and other terminal illnesses. Alan states, "The Australian postal system is efficient and secure, so please dig deep when mailing your cards." He also mentions that green stamps are preferred over IRCs. The log has been carefully checked, however if you receive "Not In Log" and are CERTAIN that you had a QSO with VK0MM, then you should contact Alan direct at: vk0mm@yahoo.com He will double check the original log in case of a typo. The QSL info page on the VK0MM website will be updated shortly with the above information.

T48, CUBA
"The No-Name DX-Group" will once again be operating from Santiago de Cuba this year. They will operating on 160 meters during the contest February 23-25th and the ARRL DX Contest in March 3-4th. They will also be operating on 20 and 40 meters as Multi-Op. It is hoped they will be active between the contests for prefix hunters. The logs will be posted on the "Kitchener Waterloo ARC" Web page at:

VP5, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
Ed, AJ6V, will be operating in this month's ARRL DX CW Contest as VP5U from North Caicos Island in the single operator all band category. Look for him before and after the contest as VP5/AJ6V. QSL both callsigns to WA4WTG.

YK, SYRIA
The YK9A DXpedition is up and operating as this bulletin was being prepared. Reports from "The Daily DX" (again, as this bulletin was being prepared) indicated that the team has had some problems. The YK9A team arrived in Damascus, Syria, on February 3rd safely on schedule with about 90% of their equipment. Three of K9LA's bags didn't make it, but they hoped to pick them up on Sunday (the 3rd). Also, the report on Sunday, is that the team has lost contact with Bob, G4VGO. He was not present in Paris for the flight, and so far the team has not heard from him at all. They don't know why that is, but that means they have no FT-1000MP, or 1200W amp, 12V PS, or laptop. They now have to use the laptop which was used for the InterNet, for station logging. This will make the Internet access difficult. They will work out something. The team was a little out of sync with their schedule because they had to wait for the monitoring people which were not ready for them. The team will be active until February 12th. Activity will be on 160-6 meters CW, SSB and RTTY. Operators include Dick/N7RO, Bob/W4DR, Rosalie/N4CFL (YL), Carl/K9LA, Vicky/AE9YL (YL), Jim/W4PRO, Al/K3VN, Ali/JY4NE, Lee/VE7CC, Bob/G4VGO and the team leader Al/K7AR. There will be three stations active on the HF bands, with the fourth station monitoring 6 meter beacons and activity. Suggested frequencies are:
CW - 1815, 3515, 7015, 10110, 14002, 18085, 21002, 24905, 28002
SSB - 1840, 3790, 7047.5, 14145, 18115, 21195, 24935, 28295
RTTY - 14082, 21082, 28082 kHz
Check out the YK9A web site at: http://www.qsl.net/k7ar/yk9a_'01.htm QSL cards will be handled by K9LA and may be sent via the bureau (outside of the US) or direct to Carl Luetzelschwab, 1227 Pion Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46845, USA. Cards will be available at the Dayton Hamvention.

YO DX HF CONTEST 2000 (Results)
Ciprian, YO3FWC, reports that the final scores in the "YO DX HF Contest 2000" are now available on the "Romanian Amateur Radio Federation" Web site at:

Z3, MACEDONIA
Zoki, Z31GB, informed OPDX that he has been signing Z33F since January 1st. He has been active on all modes and bands including the WARC bands. QSL via NN6C. Zoki states schedules can be made with him via his E-mail address at: z33f@freemail.org.mk

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From: "Don Field" {g3xtt@lineone.net}
To: "OPDX Bulletin" {kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org}
Subject: D68C - bulletin 5
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 23:32:00 -0000
MIME-Version: 1.0

Five Star DXers go to D68 - Bulletin No.5=20

("reaching the parts that other Comoros expeditions have not reached")

This is the fifth bulletin, with news of our forthcoming D68C DXpedition to the Comoros (active from about 8th to 28th February), and will be the last bulletin before our departure. Many of the team members met at G3NUG's QTH last Sunday (28th January) and we are all very much looking forward to the DXpedition. Our container of equipment is already waiting for us in D68, and the first group of operators fly out next Sunday (4th February), via Mauritius, arriving D68 on 6th February. We expect to take about two days setting up equipment and antennas, so that when we start we will have all bands up and running.

This bulletin brings news of an SWL addition to the Awards programme we announced last time, some details of our expected operating patterns (including the major contests scheduled for the time we are on the island), some guidance on keeping in touch with us through our pilot stations, and some principles to help the QSLing process proceed smoothly.

Rationale
Before going further, it might be appropriate to explain the rationale for what we are doing with this DXpedition. These days, with small radios and cheap air fares, there are many one- or two-man expeditions, and long may they continue. But such operations cannot expect to make more than maybe 10 or 20k QSOs. This is great news for the well-equipped DXer. However, after our 9M0C Spratly DXpedition, we were surprised to find as we visited local radio clubs (as against the big DX clubs) that, despite 65k QSOs, many of these folk hadn't worked us, not even on one band. Indeed, for many of them, DXing wasn't a serious option. Maybe 90% of these people had HF radios, but many lived in apartments, or were otherwise restricted in putting out a big signal. They wanted to be involved in DX, but felt disenfranchised. They heard the DXpeditions going out and working the same DXers time and again.

What we resolved to do was put on a DXpedition which would bring some excitement back to HF operation for those who were at a disadvantage, for whatever reason. We want to work our way far enough through the pile-ups to give everyone an opportunity to work us at least once. Indeed, we would encourage those of you who have an HF rig that is gathering dust to put up, say, a single-band sloping dipole, aimed at D6, put the rig back into service, and give us a call. Maybe not in the first week or so of the operation, but once the pile-ups have started to diminish.

At the same time, of course, we want to offer the better-equipped DXers the chance to work some new modes or band countries, hence the fact that we will also be operating 160, PSK31, 6m, satellite, etc. And with 26 operators, a huge array of hardware, and almost a month on the island, we believe we really can offer everyone the opportunity of some fun.

To give added impetus, as you will have seen in our last bulletin, we are offering a range of trophies (sponsored by Nevada Communications of the UK) for working D68C, and we are delighted to announce, after a number of requests, that we will also extend these to SWLs hearing us on different bands and modes (details appear below).

D68C Awards Programme - SWLs
As an incentive for SWLs to listen for signals from D68C - and catch the Comoros on a few new bands, in addition to the trophies announced last time, Nevada Communications have announced sponsorship of 3 Nevada Comoros Trophies for the 3 SWLs who hear D68C on the most bands/modes. The bands are 1.8 to 50MHz and the modes are CW, FM, PSK31, RTTY and SSB. There is no minimum number of band/mode slots to submit a claim.

Bob Treacher, BRS32525, the D68C SWL QSL Manager (see "QSLing", below, for address), will administer the SWL trophies on behalf of FSDXA.

Entries must be received no later than 30th April 2001. To submit a claim, listeners must provide the following log details - Date, Time (UTC), Frequency (e.g. 21.295kHz), Mode, RS(T), callsign of the station(s) worked. Log details MUST compare EXACTLY with the D68C log.

In the event of a tie, the awards will go to the SWL who logged the QSOs in the quickest time.

Operating Patterns and Power Outages
Our D68C operators will all be briefed to identify regularly, and to make their tuning intentions clear. Initially all operations will be split, and we will be as careful as we can not to cause interference to the other expeditions which will be active at the same time. We will not work by numbers and will not be joining lists or nets. As the operation progresses and the pile-ups diminish it may be possible to work co-channel to accommodate those whose transceivers do not allow split operation. Our major focus will be on those areas of the world where D68 is in greatest demand, and we will take care to check the tough paths, such as that to VK/ZL. We will try to give SSB and CW roughly equal treatment.

For 6m enthusiasts, we will attempt to have the 6m beacon running on 50.090 as soon as possible after our arrival (probably sometime on 7th February).

One matter which we need to cover at this stage. There is a possibility of short power outages at the hotel. These will necessitate bringing the local generators on line, which could take up to two or three minutes. Should this happen, when power is restored we will come back on the same frequencies, both transmit and receive, and start by trying to complete the QSO with the station we were working when the power failed.

Contests
As well as the ARRL International DX CW Contest (see Bulletin 3) we note that the WPX RTTY Contest will take place over the weekend of 10/11 February. As this will be our first weekend on the air, this is a great opportunity to get our RTTY operations well and truly under way. So expect us to be QRV, not necessarily as a serious entry, but seriously enough that the RTTY enthusiasts can expect to work us on at least one band during the course of the weekend.

Please note that there will be a delay in uploading the ARRL contest logs to our Web servers, as the contest will be logged separately from the main DXpedition server, and logs will only be merged once the contest is over.

Pilot Stations
The objective of the D68C pilot team is to be a permanent and established communication link both to and from the DX community. The DXpedition team needs to hear from the DX community what is going well, what can be improved, what the DXers propose, etc. so that the expedition can adjust its operation according to this feedback. On the other hand, the DX community needs feedback from the island: going from 'why were they not on 160 yesterday', to 'when will they be on RTTY?', 'why was there a big split on SSB?' to 'what is the weather like?', 'is the 4th station back on?' and so on.

We have attempted to strike a balance between the number of pilots and the need to provide an information channel to as many amateurs as possible. The pilots are as follows:

a.. Chief Pilot and contact for Europe and African DXers is Martin G3ZAY who can be reached as g3zay@btinternet.com
b.. The pilot for North and South America is Don N1DG at n1dg@aurumtel.com
c.. The pilot for Asia and Oceania is Ray G3NOM at g3nom@rast.or.th
d.. And for 6 metre issues worldwide the pilot is Dale AA5XE at aa5xe@smirk.org

The feedback from the expedition team will principally be via the Chief Pilot's web page at http://www.dxbands.com/comoros/zaypilot.shtml

Please let the pilots have your favourable comments when the DXpedition gets things right as well as your questions when things go wrong.

QSLing
The DXpedition QSL Manager is Phil, G3SWH. Bob Treacher, BRS32525 is the SWL QSL Manager. Direct cards will be available shortly after the DXpedition members return home. The D68C QSL card will be an attractive four-sided full colour card.

QSL Policy
All incoming cards will be checked carefully to ensure that the QSO appears in the DXpedition log. We will only QSL those QSOs that are listed on your application. Direct requests will be dealt with first, with e-mail and bureau requests second.

QSL requests received direct by the managers will result in a direct response, subject to certain provisions. In order to receive a direct card:=20

a.. Ensure that the QSO information on your card is clear and correct.
b.. Enclose a good quality self-addressed envelope of sufficient size and strength for the number of return cards expected. No labels please! Up to three QSOs can be confirmed on a single card.
c.. Enclose US dollars or sufficient International Reply Coupons (IRCs) to meet postage costs by airmail or surface mail as appropriate. Loose UK stamps are also welcome. We cannot use stamps or currency from other countries!

One IRC or one US dollar will pay for return postage in Europe for up to two cards. This amount will also cover surface mail outside Europe. Two IRCs or one US dollar are needed to pay for airmail outside Europe for up to two cards. Additional cards pro-rata. Note that US dollars are much better value than IRCs! IRCs must be properly stamped.

Additional dollars or IRCs are very welcome and will be used to help meet the significant costs of the DXpedition.

Please do not send other currencies or cheques drawn on other than a UK bank.

Applications received direct but without a self-addressed envelope, or without sufficient return postage, will receive confirmations via the bureau.

QSL requests received via the bureau will receive a return card via the bureau.

Ensure that the QSO information on your card is clear and correct.

The DXpedition will QSL all correct SWL reports. These can be sent directly or via the bureau as shown below.

Requests for cards can also be submitted via email. Cards will be sent via the bureau. Please ensure you e-mail the correct QSO information.

Addresses:
a.. Phil Whitchurch G3SWH, 21 Dickensons Grove, Congresbury, Bristol, BS19 5HQ, England, e-mail: phil@g3swh.demon.co.uk

b.. Bob Treacher BRS 32525, 93 Elibank Rd, Eltham, London SE9 1QJ, England. E-mail: brs32525@compuserve.com

Web Page
The D68C Web Page continues to be updated with the latest news. To remind everyone, the URL is www.dxbands.com/comoros There have already been well over 4000 "hits" on the site. One item you might like to look out for is the article which appeared in February's RadCom (RSGB magazine) entitled "Working D68C - a 'How to' Guide". Although primarily aimed at UK amateurs, the article may well be of interest to a wider audience, and should be on the Web page within the next few days.

Look out for .
Once we arrive in D68, the Web page will be kept updated and, of course, we will start regular uploads of the log to the various log severs. We are also hoping to send out further bulletins, via our main pilot, Martin, G3ZAY.

Don Field G3XTT, NK1G (g3xtt@lineone.net) 23 January 2001

(D68C Publicity Officer)
"DXpeditioning Behind the Scenes", edited by Neville Cheadle G3NUG and = Steve Telenius-Lowe G4JVG offers, in the words of Wayne Mills N7NG, "A = comprehensive view of virtually all aspects of a major expedition for = the traveler and DXer alike. From early planning through QSLing, this = book offers a variety of thoughts and suggestions on every facet of the = DXpedition. It is by far the most complete 'how to' reference = available". The book is available in the USA for $28 plus $3 shipping = from IREF Inc, 118 Oak Ridge Drive, New Braunfels, Tx 78132. E-mail: = ad5a@sat.net Elsewhere the book can be obtained for =A316.95 plus = postage from Nevada (www.nevada.co.uk/book-DX.html), Unit 1, Fitzherbert = Spur, Farlington, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 1TT, England (Tel: +44 23 = 9231 3090). Ordering can be by credit card. All surpluses from the sale = of the book will be used to sponsor future DXpeditions.

Path: barf80!news
From: "Josep Gibert EA3BT" {ea3bt@infomail.lacaixa.es}
Subject: D68BT & D68WL final logs on-line
Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2001 00:12:53 +0100

Hi to everybody,

After a long journey of nearly more than 24 hours, having to take 3 different planes, we finally arrived at Barcelona last Monday, 29th, safely and with our logs, which finally logged more than 31.000 QSO, and without dupes they finally were 24.500 QSO: We think that this is a great achievement for a two persons operation.

You can already check them at:

During this weekend we'll actualise the page with more pictures of our stay at the island, and also with statistics and more interesting information.

We want to thank all of you for helping us to make this DX-pedition being a great success, with your participation in the huge pile-ups, and hope you enjoyed them as much as we did. We tried to do it as best as possible, and also tried to make happy as many as possible. We beg your pardon if we have failed with it.

We also want to thank so many wonderful words about us during and after the DX-pedition. Thank you very much for all your comments in our guestbook and your encouraging messages.

And we also want to thanks to all the associations who have beleived in us. And of course, to our pilots: Pere, EA3AJI, Bill K6GNX and Yuki JI6KVR for all the great job they have done. And to Xavier EA3BHK, for keeping the web page and logs updated.

We are really happy that so many people got their new one.

Referring to the QSL card, we have started to work in it. All those who send their QSL card with enough returning postage will receive a wonderful full colour card. Those who chose the bureau will receive another one.

We have already received many QSL cards with no funds or postage stamps to cover the return. These will be answer via bureau.

As you'll already know, both D68BT & D68WL are via EA3BT.

Nothing more till now. We'll keep you informed as soon as we have more news.

Best 73

Josep, D68BT
Nuria, D68WL

From: "Neville Cheadle" {g3nug@btinternet.com}
To: "OPDX Bulletin" {kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org}
Subject: RSGB IOTA Millennium Programme - IOTA 2000
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 19:31:46 -0000
MIME-Version: 1.0

Would everyone interested in applying for the RSGB IOTA Millennium Programme Awards - IOTA 2000 - please note the following.

1) The closing date for applications is 31 December 2001.

2) Please do not send e-mail applications in February as G3NUG will be away on the D68C DXpedition.

3) Applications by post can be sent at any time to:
CDXC
C/o Neville Cheadle
Further Felden
Longcroft Lane
Felden
Hemel Hempstead
Herts HP3 0BN
England

4) When applying make sure that the application form shows the calls of the two stations who have checked your log.

5) The SM6DEC system is being used by about 70% of the applicants. It is highly recommended.

6) Certificates will be issued in late March and onwards.

For further information see the CDXC web page at:
www.cdxc.org.uk

73
Neville G3NUG

Neville Cheadle
Chairman - CDXC (Chiltern DX Club), The UK DX Foundation

(CDXC are managing the IOTA 2000 Programme on behalf of the RSGB IOTA Committee)

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