The monthly newsletter of the Carbon Amateur Radio Club

October 1999

by Larry N3CR

Greetings, as we head into yet another page of history with the Carbon Amateur Radio Club. I already have found the Board of Directors a big asset to the future of this club. Not only will things be more orderly, but problems will be shaved down before the full membership

must make a motion on which option the club should choose. This should leave more time for fun things at club meetings. The video on Fox Hunting in Japan indicates we may be approaching this the wrong way. They actually chase down the fox ON FOOT ! By the way, did you see the CARC members running with the mini beams? Not all participants used complicated systems. This is something that needs serious consideration over the winter. Their five fox hunt is something that could really confuse the hounds. This is something all members should try at least once. Although, the breakfast before may slow you down.

One of the things I have seen already, is the input of more ideas. If this first meeting with the Board of Directors is any indication, we are in for a lot of fun . We will be able to cover more things at a meeting that will interest our members. For the regular October meeting,

bring all your DX cards, certificates, and qsling info. If you have pictures of ham radio activities bring them along too. Let this be braggers nite. Maybe you got a qsl back from that rare one. Let the other members know what they need to get theirs. In November, we hope to learn

about LINUX and what is available for ham radio. Maybe someone would like to let us know what is doing on the WARC bands so others may try them.

Now it is your turn to help us. Send us your ideas how best to handle cancelled meetings in the future. This month of September threw a lot at us. When is it best to put it out over the repeater besides the Wednesday nite net? Channel TV13 ? Your suggestion may be the answer. Join in our club activities and try the different nets. You may find something you like or the answer that always escaped you. Support our officers and board members. Send them your ideas and watch them grow. The new CARC, hams having fun.

73s de LARRY N3CR

The 1999 running of the Pennsylvania QSO Party is now behind us and all of the participants are now feverishly tabulating their logs. The Carbon Amateur Radio Club has a special reason to be proud this year. The bonus station for the contest was none other than our very own W3HA, a huge operation held at the QTH of K3PP and staffed by a superb collection of operators. Congratulations to this incredible team of operators which included: N3CR, K3CT, WB3IHF, N3MAV, W3MF, KA3NGH, K3PH, K3PP, N3RXJ, K3TEJ, and K3VA. K3II was hosting the annual reunion of his WWII bomber crew "Ryan’s Rascals" but he did stop by to visit the troops at W3HA. W3OWP also visited. It was nice to have these two living legends of the club spending some time with the operation.

The team pulled off 2930 QSOs and an amazing score of 502,498 POINTS!! This shatters the old record of 404,151 points set last year by many of the same operators on the K3II team.

• Kenwood TS-570S and Ameritron AL-80B amplifier – 40m CW and 80m CW – 1000W
• Yaesu FT-1000D and Ameritron AL-1200 amplifier – 20m – 1500W
• Kenwood TS-850S and Alpha 91B amplifier – 10m and 160m – 1500W
• Icom IC-706MkII and military surplus amplifier – 2m – 400W
• Icom IC-38A and homebrew amplifier – 222 FM – 80W
• Icom IC-706MkIIG – 440 FM – 20W
• Icom IC-736 – 6m – 100W
• Icom IC-756 and Alpha 87A amplifier – 15m – 1500W
• Icom IC-775DSP and Acom 2000A amplifier – 40m SSB and 75m SSB – 1500W

This is a SERIOUS collection of hardware! K3II estimates we had about $50,000 in radio gear, not counting computers, of which we had 8 for logging. It is also requires a great deal of PP&L-supplied AC. K3PP ran a 100A 240V service panel with separate 20A 240V circuits for the four big amplifiers, a dedicated 20A 120V circuit for the AL-80B and one for the 2m station, and four other 20A 120V circuits to support transceivers, computers and accessories.

We worked the last PA county (ELK) at 5:23 PM EDT Saturday afternoon! In all, we worked every ARRL section except VI and we missed five RAC sections (NB, PEI, YT, NWT, LB) for 145 total multipliers.

We planned to award certificates to any station to work us 10 or more times. This must have been a pretty difficult task, since only nine stations were able to do it. They are:

N6MU’s effort is especially notable because he is in California! We may relax the criteria for a certificate so more stations can qualify, but no conclusions have been made as of this writing.

We started off with a bang. After the first hour, we had 284 QSOs in the log! We started out with the 5 HF stations on 40m CW, 40m SSB, 20m CW, 15m SSB, and 10m SSB. Inter-station interference plagued us the whole weekend, so we had to reduce power on some stations. Rarely did we have all five running full power at the same time. Despite the interference, we maintained a good rate for most of the weekend.

Conditions were excellent on Saturday. K3TEJ’s prediction of 2000 QSOs by shutdown Saturday night came true. When the contest broke for the night, we had valid 2007 QSOs logged! Sunday’s conditions were less favorable. The expected morning opening to Europe never really materialized, so our prospects for a half million points seemed dim.

We broke the old record at 11:23 AM Sunday EDT when we worked NY3A on 15m CW. As the end drew near, we knew we were close to the 500,000 point mark, but the logging computers were not networked and we didn’t know for sure. After the final QSO, we tallied up the numbers to learn the good news. Even after cleaning the log, the final total was 2930 good QSOs and 502,497½ points!

We are elated with the results, although K3ANS posted a preliminary score of 509,665 points, apparently beating us by a measly one percent. The true winner will not be known until the logs are checked by the contest sponsors. This one is way too close to call!

We thank everyone for the QSOs and we thank our fellow Carbon ARC members for the support in this historic event. The Carbon Amateur Radio Club may be small, but we pack quite a punch!

By Larry N3CR

Greeting fellow hams, the first week of September the solar flux was down 80 points. The Flux numbers gained 10 points the second week to 137. The third week gained another 12 points to 150 average. However, the sunspot numbers dipped 23 points to an average of 118. Sunspots have been running from a low of ssn 78 on Sept. 8th to a high of ssn 158 on Sept. 18th. What we have seen is three weeks of unsettled conditions.

This should give us better conditions with a mild peak around October 2nd solar flux 160, not the 200 plus that was previously predicted.. For the Pa Qso Party weekend, here we go again. This would be the week of expected unsettled conditions. My previous numbers still hold, solar flux 150-155, A10, and K index 2 to 5. Best times will still be 10 am to 1 pm and again at dusk. DX should still be available on 10 thru 20 meters well into the hours of darkness with less noise present. DX should appear earlier on 40 and 75 meters as darkness begins earlier and hold well to midnight. Don't forget to check 20m late at night as over the pole DX, long path, brings another method of working DX with good signals.

Solar conditions will be active October 4th and Oct. 9-10. Solar Flux should be in the 150 level to October 11th. Best days should be October 20 - 22. I don't see the flux breaking the 200 mark this month as we recuperate from the season change and a period of active geomagnetic activity. November will show a more smoothed sine wave type graph in both solar flux and sunspot numbers. Look for VHF activity during high ( over 20) A index and K index (4 to 7 and above). Aurora activity picks up in our area as winter approaches. Good luck, good hunting and good DX.

73s de Larry N3CR

By Goody KA3NGH

Recently the FCC has been switching various radio services over to the Universal Licensing System or ULS. The system promises to simplify application filing and tracking, eliminating numerous forms. The system would provide an online "one stop shop" for all services.

While the idea of integrating all services into one common system is noble, the implementation of this system is flawed. First off, if you’re going to actually file applications, you need to install Netscape Navigator. The FCC informs you of this on their site, and I’ve verified this myself. Internet Explorer will not properly display the pages although you can use IE for doing license searches.

The next major blow is that you cannot file applications without dialing up a 1-800 modem number. You must configure a dial-up connection on your computer. Although the system is connected to the Internet, you can only do queries on licenses and applications. You must dial up to get to the portion of the system that allows you to file applications. The FCC has stated that they have done this for security reasons. But if the FCC is uncomfortable with placing such functionality on the Internet, are they really qualified to even run such a system on a dial-up server ? The only additional security that the dial-up provides is Caller ID and crackers have been known to hijack phone lines with devices. The system requires no username and password to initiate the dial-up connection. With Secure Socket Layer technology and the proper authentication mechanisms, Internet access for filing applications should not be an issue.

Downloadable databases have ceased to exist for some services. The ham radio database posting has resumed, but it’s now in a different format. Many web sites that previously offered callsign search engines have gotten caught with their pants down and are temporarily unable to process the new format. Of course, the FCC could have made their jobs much easier by publishing the new format along with test files weeks or even months before the cutover.

Last is the design of the site. I’ve seen more ergonomic sites designed by teenagers with login names with ph’s and alternating capital and lowercase letters. While the system has powerful search capabilities, the navigation through the system can be a nightmare. To simply find out what class a ham is, one must navigate through four screens. Also, hams with vanity callsigns are considered a separate service. Hams with regular callsigns are considered in the "HA" service while hams with vanity callsigns are in "HV". While this is an issue of semantics, they are not separate services as far as legislation and enforcement is concerned, and the designation of two services will likely confuse some users of the ULS. In an attempt to normalize all radio services into one system, the search forms are littered with information that does not apply to amateur radio, something that will obviously confuse many first-time users of the system.

Callsigns that are available under the vanity callsign program are still not available in the system. Several other search engines provide this capability, but callsigns that are subject to the two-year waiting period will also be displayed since the FCC doesn’t provide this data. The FCC used to provide this information over the phone for specific calls. Recently I called to inquire about a vanity call I was interested in. The support person informed me that vanity call information was no longer being given out over the phone due to the implementation of the ULS. When I asked if the information could be retrieved from the ULS, she said "No".

At the time of this writing, the ULS has approximately 700 applications in the queue, some dating back to early August. Processing of the applications appears to be occurring in batches of about 90 to 100 on Wednesdays, typical of the old internally used automated system. About 30 new applications arrive each week that aren’t automatically processed, so how long will it take to get caught up ? Do the math !

While there will be "rough edges" with the implementation of any system, I am concerned that it will take a long time to resolve many of these issues considering the glacial speed at which the FCC operates. Many hams who are less computer literate will have difficulty configuring their machine to access the system, much less using the ULS to file applications. Online systems are doomed to fail if they do not take into account the needs of their customers. Let’s hope the FCC listens.

Carbon Amateur Radio Club

Board of Directors Minutes

September 30, 1999

A meeting of the Carbon Amateur Radio Club Board of Directors was called to order at 7:07 p.m. on Thursday, September 30, 1999 by President Larry Lilly, N3CR. The following Board members attended:

Larry Lilly, N3CR

Glenn O'Donnell, K3PP

Bob Schreibmaier, K3PH

John Schreibmaier, W3MF

Bruce Appleton, N3RXJ

Bert Rex, W3OWP

A discussion ensued as to whether we should keep our post office box. The consensus was that we should keep P. O. Box 622 in Lehighton. It was noted that the American Radio Relay League now has our correct address and N3CR is listed as the contact.

Larry noted that, as a result of the September 10 exercise, we need to inventory our equipment. He also noted that Carbon County needs a new Radio Officer.

It was mentioned that Al Waller, K3TKJ, who runs the qsl.net and qth.net domains, is looking for donations for his operation. CARC uses his computer for online publication of our newsletter. N3CR suggested a donation of $20. It was agreed to bring this matter to the general CARC meeting.

In another financial matter, it was mentioned that we need to find out who the contact is for our insurance. Glenn, K3PP, volunteered to find this information.

N3CR asked if there was any interest in having a CARC banquet, as we've had in previous years. It was agreed to bring this matter to the general CARC meeting.

It was mentioned that Goody, KA3NGH, the CARC newsletter editor, would like to change the way the newsletter is distributed to cut costs. He proposed that we create the newsletter right before the monthly meeting and distribute the newsletter at the meeting. Those members who did not pick up their newsletter at the meeting could have it mailed to them, either electronically or via the Postal Service. It was agreed to bring this matter to the general CARC meeting.

Lastly, it was noted that the Pennsylvania QSO Party is coming up on the weekend of October 9 and 10, and W3HA is this year's bonus station. A major effort is being planned from Glenn's house on all bands from 160 meters through 450 MHz.

The meeting adjourned at 7:29 p.m.

Carbon Amateur Radio Club

Regular Meeting Minutes

September 30, 1999

A regular meeting of the Carbon Amateur Radio Club was called to order at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 30, 1999 by President Larry Lilly, N3CR. Seventeen people attended.

After introductions, Carl Merluzzi introduced the new Carbon County EMA Coordinator, Scott Forster, who was welcomed by the club. Carl went on to give a report on the September 10 emergency operation and thanked the RACES group for their participation. He also noted that a Y2K test will be run on December 31 at the EOC, hospital, and nursing homes, and that he will need at least 7 volunteers. At least 5 at the meeting immediately showed their willingness to participate. It was noted that we should put a notice about this operation in the club newsletter, in hopes that we will get even more participation.

It was brought up that Al Waller, K3TKJ, is looking for donations to continue his work with the qsl.net and qth.net domains. CARC uses his facilities for online distribution of our newsletter. Glenn, K3PP, moved that we donate $20 to this cause. Goody, KA3NGH, seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

Larry, N3CR, asked whether we want to do a club banquet, as we have done in previous years. Little interest was shown.

A discussion of the upcoming Pennsylvania QSO Party ensued, including a description of the plans for our W3HA bonus station operation. Everyone was urged to get on, even to only pass out a few contacts, as all scores submitted will add to our club aggregate total. N3CR noted that, for the October 9 and 10 contest weekend, he expects a solar flux of about 150 with an active geomagnetic field.

John, W3MF, reported our treasury currently stands at $840.78. The treasurer's report was accepted unanimously.

It was mentioned that Carbon County needs a permanent RACES Radio Officer and that any interested parties should contact either the EMA Coordinator, Scott Forster, or Larry, N3CR. Our ARRL Section Manager, Al, W3TI, noted that we also need an Emergency Coordinator (EC), too.

Goody, KA3NGH, the CARC newsletter editor, mentioned that he would like to change the way the newsletter is distributed to cut costs. He proposed that we create the newsletter right before the monthly meeting and distribute the newsletter at the meeting. Those members who did not pick up their newsletter at the meeting could have it mailed to them, either electronically or via the Postal Service. The consensus was that we should try this.

A discussion ensued as to whether we should retain our post office box in Lehighton. Glenn, K3PP, moved that we retain our mailbox. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Larry, N3CR, indicated he would renew P. O. Box 622 in Lehighton for another 6 months at a cost of

$22.

Larry, N3CR, reminded the club about the suggestion made at the last meeting by Lamar, N3AT, about building a number of Ten-Tec regenerative receivers as a club project. The suggestion was tabled.

Our new EMA coordinator, Scott, noted that he is planning an emergency exercise at the beginning of November and will need 2 or 3 people. This will be brought up again at the regular October meeting to secure the necessary volunteers.

Our Section Manager, Al, W3TI, indicated that we are currently not listed as an ARRL Special Service Club. He also noted that he has not received our club newsletter in a long time. Bob, K3PH, indicated that he will be put on our mailing list immediately. Lastly, Al noted that the Tamaqua club is running classes starting mid-October and that they are running exams on the first Saturday of November.

A videotape on BY1PK and the All China Radio Direction Finding Competition was shown, courtesy of the Northern California DX Foundation.

The meeting adjourned at 9:04 p.m.

Provided by Bob K3PH

The Ohio/Penn DX PacketCluster

DX Bulletin No. 430

October 11, 1999

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, K1XN & The GoList, N2VW, NT2X, WB2RAJ/WB2YQH & The 59(9) DXReport, AJ3M, K3TEJ, WB3JFS, K4AVQ, W5FKX, NI6T, K8YSE, K9RZ, 9A3ZG, CE6TBN & Bolrtin de DX, CX3AL, DJ5AV & DX News Letter, F6AJA & Les Nouvelles DX, G3NOM, HA0HW, HP1AC, ON4VT, PS7AB, PS7KM, RA3AUU, UT7ND, UX0FF, VE2EH, YO3JGC and ZL4OI for the following DX information.

3F, PANAMA. Cam, HP1AC, reports that he and others in Panama will be using the special 3F prefix between Decmeber 1st and January 5, 2000, to commemorate the turnover of the Panama Canal over to the Repubic of Panama. Cam states to look for him as 3F1AC on 40-10 meters CW only and to QSL his operation via HP1AC.

4U1, ITU HQ. Masa, AJ3M, informs OPDX that after his business trip in Moscow he will be in Geneva from October 19-21st. He will be on the air from 4U1ITU during his visit. QSL via Bureau or CBA to 4U1ITU.

4X, ISRAEL. Enia, YO3JGC, informs OPDX that she is currently active as 4X/YO3JGC. QSNs reports show that she was active this past week on 10 meters (28436 kHz around 1515z). However, Enia wants everyone to know that her QSL info is not always correct in a few callbooks. QSL 4X/YO3JGC via Eugenia Radu, P.O.Box 18-56, Bucharest 71500, Romania.

9A, CROATIAN ISLANDS (IOTA AND IOCA Activity). Frane/9A5V, Matko/9A3VM and Fredi/9A5KV, who were active this past weekend from the island of Lokrum (CI-056, JN92BP), will try to activate the island of Mrkan. This will only be a one day DXpedition. According to Frane, this Dxpedition to Mrkan Island (CI-072, JN92CN) will be the most adventurous one. Operations will take place October 16th or 17th. Later this year, the group could activate the island of Jakljan (CI-033, JN82VR) which is also located in the same region. All islands mentioned here are also valid for IOTA EU-016. QSLs go to home callsigns. For those interested in the basic IOCA award, island chasers must contact 10 different Croatian islands. The fee for "The Islands of Croatia Directory" is 10 USD which covers the cost for the basic IOCA award. For more details and a list of all Croatian islands, go to the Web page at: htttp://www.qsl.net/9a6aa

9H, MALTA. Deryck, G3VLX, will be active as 9H3AM once again from October 21st until the early part of November. He will use a FT-757 with a vertical and dipole antennas.

CO9, CUBA (Correction). Activity by the CO9BCC group from Boca Ciega beach during the CQWW SSB Contest (October 30-31st) should be QSLed to VE2EH not VE3EH. Please refer to OPDX.429 for more details.

EA8, CANARY ISLANDS. Steve, G0UIH will be active as EA8/G0UIH/P from October 21-28th. His operations will be SSB only on 20-10 meters. QSL via his home callsign.

ER0, MOLDOVA. Gene, UT7ND, will be active in the CQWW CONTESTS from the village of Otaci, Moldova, as ER0N. All QSLs via the Ukrainian QSL Bureau or direct to UT7ND, Gene Chumakov, P.O. Box 5235, Vinnitsa, 286018, Ukraine.

FK, NEW CALEDONIA. Danny, FK/F5CW, has received his FK callsign and is now signing FK8VHY. He was spotted this past weekend on 17 and 15 meters CW after 0300z.

FO, FRENCH POLYNESIA. "The 59(9) DXReport" reports that Yann, F1NGP, will be here October 29th through November 13th. His modes/bands of operations were not mentioned. Also, Yann will receive his callsign upon his arrival.

FY, FRENCH GUYANA. You have a few more days to work Baldur, DJ6SI, as FY/DJ6SI. He will leave October 15th. Over the past weekend he was heard on 12 and 160 meters CW. QSL via DJ6SI. Also, look for Joel, F5PAC, to

be active as FY/F5PAC from November 1-14th.

HB0, LIECHTENSTEIN. A Hungarian group will be here this year again from October 30th through November 7th, to participate in two upcoming contests. The HA-QRP Contest, sponsored by "Radiotechnika" (the journal of "electronika"), will take place 0000z, November 1st through 2400z November 7th. The team members of Laci/HA0HW, Tomi/HA4DX, and Geza/HA4XG will be active on 3511 kHz (-/+ QRM) 24 hours a day with the callsign of HB0/HA5RT/p as QRP station. Their QTH will be at Triesenberg at 1400 meters ASL. However, the operators will use HB0/homecall/p on other bands, mainly

on CW and RTTY with two different stations with 100 watts, GPs and dipoles. They will participate in the CQWW SSB Contest to give out new multipliers for those stations who need it. Suggested frequencies are: CW - 1831, 7011, 10104, 14011, 14026, 18071, 21011, 21026, 24891,

28011, 28026 kHz RTTY - 7040, 14086, 21086, 28086, QSL cards for confirmation with HB0/HA5RT/p QSOs should go to HA0HW, and the others should go via their home calls.

IARV IN TAIWAN. International Amateur Radio Volunteer (IARV) team leader Yoshi, JA1UT, has just returned from Taiwan, where IARV donated 35 VHF handheld transceivers to the CTARL President BV5AG for use in the

Earthquake Disaster relief. He also assisted with rescue communications.

IOTA NEWS......

AS-NEW. An excerpt from a press release by Ray, HS0/G3NOM, states that the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand (RAST) announces a special DXpedition to a new Thailand IOTA Island Group and participation in the RSGB IOTA Millenium Competition to celebrate the Year 2000. The "first-time" operation is planned for the Malay Peninsula South East Group (including Kra Maeo, Nu etc) for March 2000. Contacts qualify for "premium" (bonus) points in the RSGB IOTA Millenium Competition. The islands are uninhabited and located off the coast of the Southern Thai Provinces of Sonkhla and Nakhon Si Thammarat, in the South China Sea. They are about 1000 km South of Bangkok, and close to the Northern Malaysia border. More details will be annouced at a later date. SPECIAL NOTE: OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive the complete press release as an additional bulletin.

OC-033. Philippe, FK8VHT, will be FK8VHT/P from Lifou Island from October 14-21st.

OC-114. Marcel, ON4QM, active as FO0DEH from Raivavae Island at the moment, will stay there until October 18th or 19th. From here he will go on to Tuamotu (OC-066).

SA-020. Joel, F5PAC (as FY/F5PAC), will go with FY5FU and activate Salut Island, while in French Guyana, from November 5-7th.

KH5, PALMYRA AND/OR JARVIS ISLAND. By the time you read this, Norbert, DF6FK, and his XYL Judith, DL2ZAD, should be active from here now through October 21st as KH5/homecall. Activity will be on 80-10 meters SSB only. QSL via DF6FK direct or via the bureau.

LIGHTHOUSE ALERT. A new one will be activated for the "Brazilian Lighthouses Award" (DFB). Look for St. Alberto Lighthouse (DFB RN-03) to be activated by PX7ZZ on October 23-24th. Activity will be SSB/CW on 80-10 meters. QSL via PS7ZZ, F.E P. Freitas - Av. Sao Miguel dos Caribes 31, 59086-500, Natal/RN, Brasil or via the PS7 bureau.

NOIDXC GOES QRT. From a press release by Don, W5FKX: "After several weeks of review and soul-searching, the Board of Directors of the New Orleans

International DX Convention voted to dissolve the convention. Faced with a financial deficit and a flat attendance for the last several years, a majority of the Board were no longer willing or able to justify the extensive amount of work and effort that was required to maintain a quality program. It was with great sadness that this final step was taken. The Board extends its sincere thanks to all of our friends and supporters, as well as to all those who have attended over the last 8 years."

OD, LEBANON. The LNDX reports that Genevieve, F5SQM, has received a licence and is active as OD/F5SQM. She is active mostly on CW and will participate in all major contest. QSL via her husband F6FYA.

P4, ARUBA. Alan, K4AVQ (ex-W0RIC, V2-W0RIC), will be active as P40AV from December 18th through January 1st (2000) at P49V's QTH. Activity will be on all bands 160-10 meters. QSL to his home callsign K4AVQ. More information later.

PY0S, ST. PETER & ST. PAUL ARCHIPELAGO. The Natal DX Group announced this past week that the Brazilian Navy has scheduled a new departure date for St. Peter & St. Paul Archipelago. The group states that they will depart from Natal November 3rd. After a three day trip, the group will be there and the start of the operation will happen as soon as they set up the stations. The distance between Natal and the rocks is around 1100 KM. They plan to be on the air 24 hours a day, on 80-6 meters. On SSB, CW, RTTY and SSTV. They will try to set up a longwire for 160 meters band. Their callsign will be:

ZX0SK - For SSB/RTTY/SSTV. QSL via PS7KM, via callbook.

ZW0SP - For CW. QSL via PT7AA, via callbook.

Please note, cards with insufficient postage will be returned via bureau. The group states that the "Brazilian bureau is working very bad and slowly".

QSL INFO AND NEWS..........

3B9R QSL STATUS. Garry, NI6T (3B9R member), reported that Frank, AH0W/W7, has informed him that about 2/3 of the many thousands of 3B9R QSL requests have been answered, and the rest are being worked on. Frank notes that a great many second requests are coming in from Dxers who seem to think their cards may have been lost. These additional cards slow the process, and, of course cause, additional expense to the senders. Again, patience is called for here. Your cards are coming.

Excerpts from a press release by Ed Kritsky, NT2X, he states that he will collect QSLs for Mike, RW1AI, operating at R1AND and forward them to him sometime before May 2000, when he returns home from Antarctica. No cards will be issued prior to his return. Technically speaking, Ed is not a manager, but a "mail collection point". Mike has a serious mail pilfering problem in Russia. Ed will not have logs or cards, and will not issue confirmations. This will be done by Mike himself, when he returns. All replies will be mailed out of Russia. Mike has always done his own QSLing, and his wishes must be respected. Ed STRONGLY recommend sending cards DIRECT to this address: Mike Fokin, R1AND, c/o Edward Kritsky, P.O.Box 715, Brooklyn, NY 11230, USA. Please enclose SAE with either an IRC or USD (please, no SASEs with US postage). Airmail letters out of Russia cost approximately 0.75-0.80 USD. Ed also request not to QSL him and Mike via the bureau. OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive the complete press release as an additional bulletin.

Leo, CX3AL, informs OPDX that the mailing cost of one letter from Uruguay is around 1.50 USD. A lot of stations have been sending SASE to him with only 1.00 USD. Leo states that over the last two years he has been paying the difference out of his pocket for return direct QSLs. However, Leo has received many QSL cards, mainly because of his activity on the WARC bands, and he cannot support it any more. He requests OPDX to "Please inform the DX community that in the future direct requests that not cover full postage charges will be answered through the buro."

S21, BANGLADESH. It has been reported that Yoshi/JA1UT, Shigeharu/JA1AFF and Tada/JS1QHO will visit Bangladesh and plan to operate as S21ZE (this callsign was reissued, used back in 1994). They will be assisted by Rashid, S21AR. They plan to be active from October 14-18th. Activity will be mainly CW on the WARC bands, 29Mhz FM, and 6 meters. QSL via JA1UT.

SPECIAL EVENT (Another EO55 station). Nikolay, UX0FF, reports that he is the team leader of EO55FI special event station to commemorate the 55^th anniversary of the "Liberation of Ukraine" in WW2. They will be active on all bands/modes October 25-29th. QSL via UX3FW, Yuri Kucherenko, P.O. Box 60, Izmail, 68600, Ukraine. PLEASE NOTE: Nikolay reports that they are having some problems with the S.A.S.E. from USA with stations sending Ukrainian Post stamps. Stamps being sent have a price of only 1.20 Ukr. Grivna. Ukrainian postage now is about 3.00 grivna....

SPECIAL EVENT. Members of the Otago Branch of the "New Zealand Association of Transmitters" (NZART) have been granted the special event callsign of ZM75AA for the month of October. The special callsign will be used in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the first trans-world 2-way radio contact. The contact took place on October 18, 1924, between Frank Bell, Z4AA, of Shag Valley Station at Waihemo, near Dunedin, and Cecil Goyder, G2SZ, at the Mill Hill School in London. The Otago Branch members will be active mostly on the WARC bands now through October 31st. QSL either via the Bureau or direct with SASE to ZM75AA at: PO Box 5485, Dunedin, New Zealand (overseas stations enclose 2 IRC and self-addressed envelope for return card.)

SPECIAL EVENT. Look for VC7A to be activated by the Cowichan Head Contest Club in both the CW and SSB "CQWW Contests" to commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of the founding of NATO.

TM5, FRANCE. The "LNDX" reports Dominique, F5SJB, will use the special callsign TM5CW from November 22nd through December 6th. He will also participate ino the CQWW CW Contest.

V26, ANTIQUA. Look for Bud, AA3B, to be active as V26K from here November 22-29th. Also, look for John, K3TEJ, to join Bud (after his Montserrat operation, see VP2 below) from November 25-30th as V26KW. Both will be active on 160-10 meters including the WARC bands. They will be in the CQWW CW Contest using the V26K callsign as a Multi/Multi entry. QSL V26KW via K3TEJ and QSL V26K via AA3B.

V31, BELIZE. Hugh/K0GHK and Roger/WA0ETE will be active from Ambergis Caye (NA-073) October 10-16th using the callsign V31KQ. Operations will probably be in the mornings and evenings, as they are planning on playing (other than hamming) during the day. Look for them on both SSB and CW, especially 10 and 15 meters. QSL via WA0ETE.

VP2, MONTSERRAT. John, K3TEJ, will be active as VP2MHJ from November 22-25th. This operation will be CW only on 160-10 meters. QSL via K3TEJ.

VP5, TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS (Update). Jack, N2VW, reports that the team of Frank/WA2VYA, Ken/K2WB and himself are on track with plans to operate from the Providenciales Island (NA-002) from October 26th through November 2nd. The team will participate during the 1999 CQ WW DX SSB Contest (October 30-31st) as VP5T and as a Multi/Multi entry. They are members of the Frankford Radio Club. Emphasis will be on CW and the WARC bands before and after contest. QSL to N2VW with SASE/SAE+return postage, or bureau via N2VW. QSL VP5/ portable calls to home call CBA.

VP8, SOUTH SHETLAND ISLAND. Oleg, R1ANF/A, has been active this past week on 20 meters CW after 0100z from the Korean Antarctic Research base King Sejong HL-001. Two weeks ago he was operating from the Chinese Antarctic Research base, Great Wall. QSL via RK1PWA.

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http://www.en.com/users/k8yse/opdx.html

ALSO VISIT THE NORTERN OHIO DX ASSOCIATION'S WEB HOME PAGE:

http://www.en.com/users/k8yse/nodxa.html

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Excerpts and distribution of The OPDX Bulletin are granted as long as KB8NW/OPDX/BARF80 receive credit. To contribute DX info, call BARF-80 BBS online at 440-237-8208 28.8k/14400/9600/2400/1200 and leave a message with the Sysop or send via InterNet Mail to: [email protected]

- OR - Send a message via packet to KB8NW @ WA8BXN.OH.USA.NA

- OR - Use the VOICE or FAX answering machine at 440-237-8208 which shares the same phone line as BARF-80 BBS using a data/fax/phone switch. To access: 1) Dial Number. 2) Wait for first ring (the second ring should be a false ring from the fax/data switch box) and then dial four quick ones ("1111"). (NOTE: Some FAX machines that send single "BEEPS" every second will not have to do this step.) 3) The phone will pick up and after the "BEEP" leave your voice message or FAX.

John K3CT notes : QRZ announces on-line practice exams: QRZ has announced that free, online practice amateur exams for all license classes now are available at

http://www.qrz.com. The exams include instant scoring and all images and diagrams from current VEC question pools.--Fred Lloyd, AA7BQ

For the October meeting the theme is "Bring us your 1999 Wallpaper." Not the kitchen stuff, but your DX cards and certificates received or worked during 1999. I have a couple good ones if I can find them!! Filing is not my better trait. Larry N3CR

Goody KA3NGH will be providing a discussion and demonstration of Linux at the November meeting. See what all the fuss is about with this free and phenomenal operating system.

At the December meeting there will be a Logging Program Demonstration. Bring your favorite (or not-so-favorite) logging programs so that others can see the advantages and disadvantages of various packages and make the right choice for their station.

Thanks to Glenn K3PP and Bonita (XYL) for hosting the W3HA Pennsylvania QSO Party Bonus station !!!

** denotes CARC supported or sponsored events

bold indicates items of local interest

October 16: Worked All Germany Contest

October 17: Illinois QSO Party

October 21: *** CARC Meeting 19:30 Local – Carbon EMA Center Rte 93 ***

October 23: Rhode Island QSO Party, QRP ARCI CW QSO Party, YLRL Anniversary Party SSB

October 30L CQ Worldwide DX Contest SSB, 10-10 International Contest CW

November 6: ARRL Sweepstakes Contest CW, High Speed CW Club Contest, Tamaqua Wireless Association VE Exams

November 13: WAE DX Contest RTTY

November 19: Six Club Winter DX Contest

November 20: ARRL Sweepstakes Contest SSB

Vice President: Glenn O’Donnell K3PP [email protected]

Secretary: Bob Schreibmaier K3PH

Treasurer: John Schreibmaier W3MF

W3HA Callsign Trustee: Bill Dale WY3K

W3HA Repeater Trustee: John Bednar K3CT

Public Information Officer: Bill Kelley KA3UKL

Skywarn Coordinator: Mike N3XYU

John Bednar K3CT, Bruce Appleton N3RXJ, Bert Rex W3OWP

Editor: Goody KA3NGH [email protected]

Contesting: Glenn K3PP [email protected]

DX : Bob K3PH

Foxhunting: open

Propagation and Commentary: Larry N3CR [email protected]

QRP: Lamar N3AT [email protected]

Technical : John K3CT

CARC Website: http://www.cpals.com/~elitehom/carc/

Webmaster : Robert KB3BYT [email protected]

Regular Membership is $15.00, Regular with Autopatch is $20.00.