Amy Hester Zimmerman

Memorial Service

West Penn Municipal Park

Saturday, April 29, 2000

12:00 pm

You are invited to attend a memorial service for Amy on the afternoon of Saturday, April 29. The service will start promptly at 12 noon, followed by a buffet luncheon. This will be held outdoors in a covered pavilion, so please dress appropriately for the weather. The park [off routes 309 and 895 in Snyders, Pa. On Zions Stone Church Road - Ed.] features a children’s playground, tennis courts, and other outdoor activities. Please feel free to bring other outdoor games your family enjoys.

A buffet lunch will be served after the service at approximately 1:00pm. The park does not permit alcoholic beverages. Hot and cold drinks will be provided.

Please R.S.V.P. to Mrs. Marie Zimmerman, 168 Franklin Heights Rd., Lehighton, PA, 18235 by Wednesday, April 19. The nearest airport is Lehigh Valley International (Allentown ABE airport), the nearest motel is the Day’s Inn near the intersection of rt. 22 and rt. 309, or guests may stay closer to the airport at a motel of their choice.

From Lehigh Valley Int’l: From airport take rt. 22 W approx. 8 mi. to rt. 309 N. Go N about ½ mi., turn Right onto Ridgeway and immediately Right onto Bulldog to get to the Day’s Inn.

From the Day’s Inn to West Penn Park: take 309 N about 24 mi., cross the intersection of rt. 895, look for Zion Stone Church Rd. about ¾ mi. on the Left. The Park is about 200 yd. On the left. There should be signs posted from rt 309 for the Zimmerman Memorial to the entrance for the park.

If driving to Allentown: Follow the PA Turnpike East to the Carlisle exit, #16, follow the signs to rt. 81 North. Take 81 North to rt. 78 East to Exit 15E, rt. 22 East. Follow rt. 22 East about 2 mi. to rt. 309 North, follow directions above to the Day’s Inn and the Park.

Days Inn - Conference Center

Days Inn

1151 Bulldog Dr
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18104-1901
610-395-3731
800-329-7466
Fax 610-395-9899

[Editor's Note: After I received this note, it was realized that the Memorial Service coincides with the Walkathon event which will be covered by the club. Charlie Zimmerman notes that there will plenty of time after the Walkathon to those who wish to attend both; Amy would have wanted us to be at the Walkathon to do the public service duty that was so important to her. They will be at the park until dark; the only thing that will be missed is the actual service.

Thanks to Lisa Kelley for providing this information. ]

From The President's Desk

By Larry N3CR

Our newsletter starts off with the news of a silent key KD3TI Amy Hester Zimmerman on March 21, 2000. Amy was a past president of the Carbon ARC and had a lot to offer the amateur community. Always a volunteer, Amy was a member of the Penn Mahoning Ambulance corps and an avid hunter. She was also a member of the Delaware Lehigh ARC.

With the Carbon ARC, she will be remembered as our person for handicap parking at the Gnaden Huetten Hospital Festival. Always quick with her wit, Amy had a solution for most any problem brought to her. Not one to be raising an antenna on a windy day, she stood her ground and demanded respect. With her understanding of electronics and computers, she was always available to help program a new radio or HT. She once worked for a company Pming commercial radios and repeaters. I believe she once worked for Radio Shack in Lehighton. She made her mark in the Carbon ARC history book and will be remembered by all. I am hoping our members will be able to attend her memorial on April 29th.

April 29th is the WalkAmerica walk in Beltzville and Franklin Township. This year we will do this in Amy's memory. Amy was always there to assist us for this March of Dimes activity and help keep the walk a safe one. We will assemble at the Beltzville Lake pavillion at 8

am Saturday April 29th. The walk begins at 9am and we will need to see that the generators keep running. We hope to conclude from the pavillion about noon. We may be able to let some people go earlier to attend Amy's memorial.

Just as seeing who will answer your CQ is a surprise, you never know what surprises life may have for you. It is always a satisfaction though to see someone who has lived to the fullest and contributed in some small way to their community. Passing at a young age is difficult to accept under any circumstance. Being a worthy part of the community, it makes it that much harder when one has so much left to offer. May Amy rest in peace and forever be a part of the Carbon ARC. We thank you for your contributions.

Reflections

I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our friend Amy. Her death stunned us because of her youth and her potential contributions as she was to mature into old age.

Amy wanted to save the world, but she was not granted the gift of time to fulfill her plans. A faithful servant to the public good, Amy was always eager to provide communications and medical service to those in unfortunate circumstances. Such services will forever suffer the void of no longer having Amy to help them out.

Those of us left to carry on her work must continue to do so with dedication and vigor, in a fitting honor to KD3TI. Every time we mobilize for RACE, ARES, or any form of service to the public, let us remember Amy. The Carbon ARC will never forget our fallen sister.

73 and RIP Amy DE Glenn K3PP

I asked Paula what she would remember most about Amy and she said that Amy was funny. Amy always had some joke to tell ( and I did get a lot of mileage out of a few of them myself!) or a funny story to share. I think the one thing I will always remember about Amy was her dedication. She was extremely dedicated to public service, be it providing communications for a bike race in Easton or the March of Dimes Walkathon, Amy was ready, willing and able. Mostly, I will always remember her friendship.

I really miss her...

-Lisa Kelley

Amy was my first contact with the Club, two years ago this month. I first heard her on the club repeater shortly after I got my HT. I had been inactive for some time after moving to Carbon County. Her enthusiasm was quite evident -- that day she was heading up a foxhunt, apparently she was the fox.

Later that day I found the club website and sent her an email to which she happily responded to and welcomed me to an upcoming club meeting. I was investigating several clubs in the area, looking for the right club that was a perfect fit to get me going in the hobby again. Amy's leadership, dedication, and enthusiasm helped convince me that CARC was the place for me.

Rest in peace, Amy, you will be missed.

73 de Goody K3NG <dit> <dit>

Propagation

By Larry N3CR

The Spring Equinox is here and so are the conditions it brings with it. I predicted new activity but I never expected 20 days of solar flux over 200. We had 12 days with sunspots over 200. That is some activity. It also calls for higher A Index numbers and geomagnetic activity. We are experiencing some geo activity as this is being written and last months coronal hole has divided into two parts and is coming into view below the solar equator where we can expect some effects from it again.

The first couple days of April may be stormy but the numbers will remain high. Conditions should be good April 3rd thru the 12th and again April 23 thru May first. New activity is expected and the numbers should soar again throughout April with the solar flux high at 260. We should see another 10 days of sunspots over 200 and a good amount of days over solar flux days over 200. Ten meters should be open well into darkness and 20m should be open regularly until midnight with good signals. Look for long path to open right before dusk and multi hop E skip between 1500z and 2300z daily. You can also look for openings on 6 meters as this is the season any time before noon and again after 6 pm local time. Now is the time to put up those DX number as a number of stations are out there. Congratulations to all who worked Eddie KP2/K3VA while in ST. Croix. He had some good signals and DX pileups from the WP2Z qth. As always, share your DX info with us and you will see that the propagation is working and the solar cycle peak is approaching. Until next time, keep your hand on the dial and the mike calling CQ.

73s de Larry N3CR

"The Illuminator"

by Tom Schiller N6BT, the president of Force 12

(Submitted by Glenn K3PP)

A 150 watt bulb was selected and a TS-850S transceiver was used, which had been adjusted to run a bit more power than normal. The bulb was mounted on a porcelain base atop a wooden fence post at a height of about 4'. The bulb is fed through a Force 12 B-1 current balun with 3" leads and the coax feedline is 9913 Flex, to minimize loss. The feedline runs straight down the fence post, then along the ground. There are no other antennas within two wavelengths on 10 meters, but to make sure, the closest Yagi was kept with the elements at 90 degrees (ends-on) to the target area.

The VSWR of the 150 watt bulb was about 4:1 and the built-in tuner matched it easily, but there was a little problem. As the filament heats up, the impedance changes, so I had to hit the tuner button at random moments in order to have a good match when sending. One operating technique developed, which was to use the XIT, transmit for a second off frequency to heat the filament, turn off the XIT and make the call. I eventually used an external tuner, which made operating much easier, as I could make real time adjustments as necessary. The first time "The Illuminator" was on the air was during the latest 10-10 contest. I operated a total of about an hour. All of the contacts were in the Midwest. Experimentation showed that if a station moved the S-meter to S-3, I was fairly sure we could make the path. Many of the QSO's were with one call, no repeats, no comment about how weak the signal was. Interesting. It was obvious that the station on the other end was providing the majority of the resources to make the path. Nevertheless, it "worked." I remembered the many times I have heard how well an antenna "works", because of the number of countries that have been worked. All right, then, maybe we can do even better.

The A.R.R.L. DX CW contest was coming. Our weather was not very nice, with heavy rain and high winds. The QTH is on a small hill and the wind is usually extremely strong, but at least I did not have to be concerned about the rotator on the light bulb! Trying to complete some outside work between storms, I got on the air. I have operated contests for more than 35 years, but I never felt so ill equipped to call someone. It was mid-morning on Saturday and the first station I decided to try was V47KP. Send my call at 36 wpm - he comes right back - one call, perfect. Just like using a "real antenna." Hey, that is not only a new country with a light bulb, but a new distance record. My sporadic operating produced 14 countries the first day. I brought the log to the Paso Robles Amateur radio Club pot luck dinner that evening and Larry, W7CB noticed I was missing Africa for worked all continents. Aha - another challenge! I figured the best bet would be if Jim Neiger, ZD8Z were on.

The sun had begun to illuminate the morning sky and I was tuning across the band with "The Illuminator." By the way, the band is really quiet on this antenna. I hear some one. Sure enough, there he is. He was having trouble maintaining his frequency and hearing through some European stations. His signal was less than S1 on the meter, so I knew I would have to wait for conditions to improve. About 90 minutes later, the sun was fully up, and so was ZD8Z, reaching S3/S4 on peaks. It took a few calls, but we made it: the first Worked All Continents on a light bulb. Now I was really motivated, but there was more work outside before the next rain. I decided that short "rest

periods" were necessary every hour. The country count at the end of the contest was 28, with 41 stations worked.

We now know that truly, everything works. The performance envelope is the important factor. Although I had fun using the light bulb, it certainly would not promote my interest in amateur radio if it were my only antenna. Radio would be boring and frustrating, to say the least. Adding a kilowatt amplifier would allow more QSO's to be made, but I would hot hear any better. I would not be aware of the sea of activity on our bands. The more efficient our antenna, the more enjoyment we can get from our wonderful hobby. Looking back to the basic chart, a dipole in the clear is a wonderful antenna and having a 2 element Yagi gets us a long way to a world class potential station.

While everything "works", some antennas certainly "work" much better than others.

Carbon Amateur Radio Club

Regular Meeting Minutes

March 16, 2000

By Bob K3PH

President Larry Lilly, N3CR, called a regular meeting of the Carbon Amateur Radio Club to order at 7:39 p.m. on Thursday, March 16, 2000. Fifteen people attended.

The minutes were read by Bob, K3PH, and approved by the members in attendance.

John, W3MF, gave the treasurer’s report. At the last meeting, we had a balance of $837.25. We received $260 in year 2000 membership fees, and had expenses of $8.91 for mailing out the newsletter, leaving a balance of $1088.34. The members in attendance approved the Treasurer’s report.

It was reported that we still need a new Wednesday night network control station, as well as a Carbon County Radio Officer and Emergency Coordinator.

Larry, N3CR, reminded those in attendance that membership fees are due on April 1.

Glenn, K3PP, reported on the National Contest Journal (NCJ) article about our Pennsylvania QSO Party operation as W3HA. Glenn has the results, which he will gladly provide to anyone interested. It was noted that we came in second.

Lamar, N3AT, distributed the Vectronics receiver kits that we ordered as a club project. Only four cases came in, but the rest are expected shortly. It was noted that the sticker price was $45, but we got them for $27.50. Lamar also noted that those interested in buying the matching transmitter can get it for the same price. If interested, contact Lamar for a copy of the invoice, which you willl need. Bert, W3OWP, noted that he has a spare receiver kit he is willing to donate to anyone who wants. Contact Bert if you are interested.

It was noted that an emergency weather preparedness exercise is scheduled for Thursday, March 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center. Participants should plan on being available from 8:30 until 3:00. We need 1 or 2 volunteers at the EOC plus a couple in the field. If interested, contact N3CR.

Larry, N3CR, mentioned that Walk America will be held on April 29. We have traditionally provided communications for this event. Participants should plan to be there by 8:00 a.m., with the actual walk starting at 9:00. The generator will be needed at 7:00. If interested, contact N3CR.

Larry, N3CR, noted that the official presentation for Jim Thorpe receiving the Athlete of the Century Award will occur in May, and asked if we might want to provide communications for a parade or, possibly, put a special event station on the air. Discussion was tabled.

Goody, K3NG, gave a very entertaining demonstration of PSK31, guaranteed to create converts among those in attendance.

The meeting adjourned at 8:46 p.m.

DX News

Provided by Bob K3PH

The Ohio/Penn Dx PacketCluster

DX Bulletin No. 454

March 27, 2000

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, WB2YQH/WB2RAJ & The 59(9) DXReport, W3UR & The Daily DX, N4GN, WP4U, N6RT, AC7DX, K7NO, K8NA, K8YSE, W9ZR, DJ5AV & DX News Letter, EA5KW, F6AJA & Les Nouvelles DX, FM5GU, G3SWH, G3SXW, GM4DZX, GU0SUP, IK2XDE, LA2PA, OH2BVE, OM3LZ, PY5BF, SM3CVM, SM0BFJ, TG9AJR, ZS5BBO and ZS5NK for the following DX information.

4W, EAST TIMOR (New one to work!)

More activity is beginning to show up on the bands from this new entity. Your editor's thoughts and fingers were not in sync last week when we stated that the DXCC entities total was 332. It is actually 333. Thor, TF1MM, continues to be active as 4W6MM. QSNs show that he likes 20 meters CW on 14001 kHz between 1130 and 1330z. He was also active this week on 15 meters CW on 21007 kHz after 1845z. QSL 4W6MM via TF1MM. Ross, VK8UN active as 4W6UN, was heard this week on the 14245 DX Net between 1530 and 1700z. QSL 4W6UN via VK3OT. Antonio, CT1EGH, is the newcomer on the air this past week as 4W6GH. His activity has been mainly on 15 and 20 meters SSB. QSNs show activity on 14265 and 14254 kHz anywhere between 1330 and 2000z. Also watch 21223, 21245 and 21286 kHz after 0600z and after (or a hour before) 2000z. This past weekend during the contest he was heard on 21306 kHz between 1430 and 1700z. QSL 4W6GH via CT1EGH.

Remember to look for Neville, VK2QF, to be active as 4W6/VK2QF beginning Wednesday, March 29th and active until April 5th. His suggested frequencies are:

CW - 7010, 14010, 21010 and 28010 kHz

SSB - 7095, 14195, 21295 and 28495 kHz

6 meters - 50090 on CW and 50135 kHz on SSB.

QSL direct only to VK2QF, Nev Mattick, Hargraves, NSW 2850, Australia. His Web site was published in OPDX.453.

4W DX NEWS FLASH!

Just before going to print a press release from Doug, N6RT, reports that Bernie, W3UR, editor of "The Daily DX", has arrived safely in Dili, East Timor with all equipment intact. Due to a misunder- standing at the licensing authority, Bernie will be signing 4W/W3UR, not 4W6DX as previously announced. Bernie and Thor, TF1MM/4W6MM, will be re- locating to Baucau (3 to 4 hours east of Dili) shortly and Jose, CT1EEB/ 4W6EB will join them on Monday, March 27th. Because of this relocation, online logs may not be posted daily as previously hoped. Bernie hopes to come on the air late Sunday or early Monday UTC.

It was mentioned earlier in the week that Olli, OH0XX, unfortunately had to cancel out as one of the operators at the last moment due to a work conflict. This was a set back as the other two operators (Jose, CT1EEB, and Bernie, W3UR) had to cram more gear in with their luggage. (A more detailed press release on this will be available to OPDX InterNet Subscribers as an additional bulletin) The planned (updated) operating frequencies are:

CW - 1826.5 (maybe), 3502, 7002, 10107, 14007, 18070, 21007, 24907, 28007

SSB - 3799, 7062.5, 14150, 18115, 21200, 24935, 28400

RTTY - 14087 (possibly near the end of the operation)

QSLs for this operation are still via OH2BN, Jarmo J. Jaakola, Kiilletie 5-C-30, 00710 Helsinki, FINLAND. A web page has been set up at:

http://www.dailydx.com/4W6DX.html

7P, LESOTHO

Two South Africian hams Deon/ZS5DCF and Leon/ZS5LS will be active on SSB only from April 23-27th. Their callsign will be 7P8/ZS5DCF and 7P8/ZS5LS, and they will operate from the Maluti hospital in Lesotho. They will be taking a tower, a tri-band beam and an amplifier. Gary, ZS5NK, reports that photocopies of their licences will be sent to the DXCC desk. QSL to the address: PO Box 401219, Redhill 4071, Republic of South Africa. For direct QSLs please send a S.A.S.E. with one IRC or 1 green stamp. Otherwise QSL through the SARL QSL Bureau.

9G, GHANA

QSL Manager Miro, OM3LZ, informs OPDX that Zdeno, OK2ZW, will be finishing his activity in Ghana as 9G5ZW very soon. He planned to stay in Accra (Czech Embassy) for 3 years, but situations have rapidly changed around him during the last few days (details may come later). Zdeno has decided to return to OK-land in the beginning of April 2000. So this may be the last week to work him. Zdeno has worked 30,000 QSOs as of the end of February. More details on his activity will be forthcoming. QSL via OM3LZ, he prefers direct; delivery time for return on QSLs are now 30 - 50 days. Cards via bureau later.

BQ9P, PRATAS ISLAND

Randy, W9ZR, informs OPDX that he will be joining the team of 13 experienced DXers from Taiwan, Japan and the USA to the return to Tung-Sha Dao (Pratas Island) during the April 5-12th BQ9P operation. He mentions that he hopes to concentrate on the low bands, propagation permitting. Also, he will bring with him amps, a 2 element beam for 40 meters and Titanex verticals for 80 and 160 meters. QSL cards for this operation can be obtained from KU9C: Steve Wheatley, PO Box 5953, Parsippany NJ 07054-6953 U.S.A.

BY, CHINA

Jari, OH2BVE, has informed OPDX that he has started a two year contract in Beijing. He will use the club callsign BY1DX (and he may activate other club stations, too). He plans to activate the WARC bands after he has found a good solution to repair the R7 antenna at the station or find a new antenna. Jari will also activate the low bands 160-80 meters during the next season. He will operate 160-10 meters on CW/SSB. The noise level is high on low bands, so please be patient. Most often Jari will start on Sundays at 0800z on 21325 kHz to work OH stations and Europeans but will work other parts of world, too. Jari suggests to send QSLs through the bureau system to OH2BVE or direct cards to Jukka Klemola, Aarontie 5, 31400 SOMERO, FINLAND. Jukka will act as a maildrop and deliver the cards to Jari through other routes. Jari will reply to direct QSL and send them them back direct. He states that he will auto- matically QSL each QSO via the bureau system, so there is really no need to send a QSL to him unless you need it directly or you are not a member of bureau system or some other reason.

DXCC ENTITIES LIST AVAILABLE

Dean, K7NO, has an Excel file showing all current DXCC entites (including East Timor) and which, when you enter your long/lat in the proper cell, will provide heading/reciprocal and distance for each entity. Anyone wanting this Excel spreadsheet can send an E-mail to Dean at: [email protected] He will then send a zipped attachment file unless otherwise specified. This file is an Excel 97 and 2000 series .xls file.

FO0, AUSTRAL ISLANDS

Denise, F6WHU, is now active as FO0HWU from Tubuai Island (IOTA OC-152) in the Australes. She will be there until April 12th, and she is mostly active on CW (5 kHz from the bottom of the band) and also RTTY. QSNs show to watch 14005 kHz after 0400z as late as 0730z. Also, watch 7005 kHz after 1230z.

FT5W, CROZET ISLAND

The "LNDX" reports that Alain, FT5WI, has been here since last November and will be here for one year. He is not familiar with DX and pile-ups, so please be patient! OPDX has tried to find some current QSN reports, but had no luck - just older ones. QSL via F6KDF. Please be patient also for your QSL card because the logs will go back with Alain when he returns home.

FW, WALLIS ISLAND

Guy (ex-FR7ZL/T/G/J) has been signing FW5ZL since January 7th. He is mostly active on 15 to 20 meters (watch 14195, 14015, and 21240) after 0700z and again at 1100z. QSL route: Guy Petit de la Rhodiere, B.P. 2, Mata-Utu, Wallis Island 98600 via France.

IOTA NEWS

AF-NEW. Operators Barry/ZS1FJ, Bud/ZS1B, Ron/ZS1RON, Gerald/ZS1GRM and Edwin/ZS5BBO will activate Elephant Rock Island as ZS31ER from March 31st through April 9th. Elephant Rock is situated on the west coast of South Africa about 25Km west of Vredendal and 4 miles North of the Olifants River mouth. It is about 100 to 150 metres long and about 50 to 75 metres wide with the highest point about 50ft above sea level. It lies 200 to 250 metres off shore. It used to be called Morrel's Rock many years ago and is locally known as Robeiland (Seal Island) and is located near De Punt Mine. They suck up alluvial diamonds with large boats operating out of the river mouth. The co-ordinates are 31 degrees 38 minutes South and and 18 degrees 03 minutes East. This island is also a Nature Reserve, having plenty of seals and birds. They will use the IOTA frequencies. Frequencies are as follows:

SSB - 28460, 24950, 21260, 18128, 14260 (main), 7055, 3755

CW - 28040, 24920 21040, 18098, 14040, 10115, 7025, 3530

They anticipate to have a station running 24 hours a day. QSL to Barry Fletcher (ZS1FJ), P.O. Box 53319, Kenilworth, 7745, South Africa or via the bureau. News on the Elephant Rock Island Dxpedition will be updated on the following Web site:

http://www.qsl.net/zs5ham

This Web is provided courtesy of ZS5BP the webmaster of the Highway Amateur Radio Club in Durban South Africa.

AF-067. WRAP-UP. Phil, G3SWH, reports that the team of 5Z4WI made a total of 18,435 QSOs from Wasini Island with a roughly even split between CW (9,493) and SSB (8,942). The log can be searched and is on-line at: http://dx.qsl.net/logs QSL via G3SWH (QTHR). Donations towards the cost of the expedition are invited and will be gratefully received.

EU-004. Operators EA5KW, EA5AKM, EA5FKT, EA5SS, EA5GOR, EB5BQC and EA5GMA will be going to Ibiza Island between April 14-17th. The group plans to be active on all modes and the operators will sign EA6/homecall. EA5KW and EA5AKM will mainly be on PSK31, RTTY and CW, and try to work as many Americans and Asiatics stations as possible. The other operators will work on SSB mainly. QSL is via EA5KW but they prefer to receive them via the bureau. Direct QSLs are not a problem, send to: Jose Maria Martinez Juan, Poeta Zorrilla, 52-1-IZQ, 03600 Elda, Spain.

EU-009. Operators GM3POI, GM4DZX, GM0HTH and GM0HTT will activate the Orkney Island of "Copinsay" on Saturday, April 1st and Sunday, April 2nd. The callsign will be GB5RO. Other reference numbers for Copinsay are OR19 for the Islands of Scotland Award and and HY60 for WAB. QSL via GM4DZX QTHR. Please note: This operation is weather-dependant! If bad weather makes the sea trip impossible on the 1st, they will automatically re-schedule for each successive weekend until they get lucky to operate.

OC-058. Dany/FK8VHY (CW) and Patrice/FK8HA (SSB) "MAY" be active from Entrecateaux Island for 48 hours. They plan to land on the island April 2nd around 0000z. They will use a IC-751 and FT-757 with verticals. They will use FK8KAB/P callsign. Suggested frequencies are:

CW - 7007, 10105, 14040, 18098, 21040, 24920, 28040

SSB - 7065, 14260, 18128, 21260, 24950, 28460/560

The QSL route is to FK8KAB: ARANC, PO BOX 3956, 98846 Noumea Cedex, Nouvelle Caledonie.

JT, MONGOLIA

"The 59(9) DXReport" reports to look for Flo, GM4DMA, to possibly be active as JT1FCR on the HF bands from April 18-30th. QSL via GM4DMA.

JW, SVALBARD

Leif/LA2PA and Oystein/LA7QI will be signing JW2PA and JW7QI respectively from May 1st to May 8th. If propagation permits, they will concentrate on 12 and 10 meters SSB and CW.

PIRATE STATION

Phil, GU0SUP, RSGB QSL Sub-Manager for the GU/MU series callsign, informs OPDX that he has been getting quite a number of cards for three callsign that have been pirated.

First is GU4GMW, and he has got over 100 cards for this callsign, and all operations seem to have been in the CQWW CW Contests of 1998 and 1999. This callsign belongs to a Mr. Weaver, G4GMW, who states that he has NEVER operated from Guernsey, and is not likely to go there in the foreseeable future.

Second is GU2ENK. This call has never been issued, so the user is definitely a pirate. This callsign has turned up in the ARI CW Contests in April over the last two years.

Third is MU0AWR. K2WR was actually licenced as MJ0AWR and was active in the 1999 CQWW CW Contest. The MU0AWR callsign was spotted on various clusters before, during and after the contest, and Phil knows that he has not operated this callsign from Guernsey.

Phil states that he now has such a large number of cards for these callsigns that it is not practical for him to return them to the sender, as its postage costs would be outrageous.

QSL INFO AND NEWS

A group of Indonesian operators were active as 7A0A as a Multi-Single entry in the CQ WPX SSB Contest. Send QSLs direct to YB0FMT.

9U5D Reminder! QSL Manager Leif, SM0BFJ, reports that in spite of the fact that Gus, 9U5D, announces during his QSOs to QSL "only direct via SM0BFJ", Leif still receives QSL cards via the bureau. Leif states, "QSLs via the bureau will not be answered!"

QSL JI3DST/3, active in this past weekend's contest from Honshu's Coastal Island (Awajishima Hyogo), to JI3DST: Takeshi Funaki, 2-18-26 Hannan-cho Abeno-ku Osaka-city, OSAKA 545-0021 JAPAN

NOT THE QSL MANAGER! Ron, AC7DX, reports that he is NOT the QSL Manager for XF4LWY. He has been receiving a lot of cards for this station and he is not sure where people got this info...

Denis, FM5GU, reports that his QSL Manager is now KU9C. Also, KU9C is his QSL Manager for all his QSOs from Italy, signing as FM5GU/I. All details, station description, schedule of operation, contest programs, etc... can be found on his web site at: http://www.qsl.net/fm5gu

OPDX was told to mention to subscribers to "Please" QSL OK8ANM via OK1MD.

Roger, G3SXW, informs OPDX that all QSL requests have been answered for the January/February CW operation by FH/G3SXW, FH/G3TXF, S79SXW and S79TXF. About 3,000 cards have been sent, including several hundred via the bureau in reply to E-mail requests. Roger adds that a recent experience with C21SX E-mail requests for the bureau cards suggests that one year delivery is not unusual, eventhough this is only one-way.

Now available online is the "Italy Callbook" at: http://go.to/hamlinks Other source are available on the Web site are:

Italian OM/SWL E-mail Server, Italian OM/SWL Home Page, Managers On Line, DX Bulletin, Contest Log Server, Ham Programs, A.R.I. Radio Club, DX Expedition Home Page, Internet WEB Cluster, Awards and DX Expedition Log Server......etc

QSL PQ1S, operated by PY1KS and PY1NX in the CQ WPX Contest last weekend, to PY1KS via the Bureau or direct to: P.O.BOX 18123, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, 20722-970 Brazil

SZ3PTR was active as a Multi-Single entry in the CQ WPX SSB Contest this past weelend. QSL via SV3BSF.

QSL information for TG0AA which was operated by IK2NCJ during the last ARRL International DX SSB Contest (March 4-5th) is direct to: CRAG/TG0AA, P.O. Box 115, Guatemala 01001, Guatemala, Central America By the way, TG9AJR is NOT the QSL Manager for TG0AA.

ZW5UF was operated by Fox, PY5BF, from the official station of the "Federal Universit of Parana". QSL Manager is PY5ZT. There is no problem to QSL by the Bureau. There is a 100% response. If you want to send direct, you can use P.O.Box 373 Curitiba, PR, Brasil, zipcode 80.011-970.

CORRECTION AND UPDATE.

CT4NH/p via CT4NH, Luis Teixeira, Rua Visconde Moreira Rey 1, 2795-545 Carnaxide, Portugal

CT1EEN/p via CT1EEN, Samuel Pimenta Rua da Milharada, Edificio Iberopa, 8A Bloco A, Massama, 2745-822 Queluz, Portugal.

SPECIAL ACTIVITY

The "King Chulalongkorn Memorial Amateur Radio Society", SI9AM, will be active from Utanede, Sweden, next weekend starting March 31st, in the afternoon local time ending at Sunday noon. Activity will be on all bands CW/SSB. The station is located near the Thai Pavillion. QSL via SM3CVM bureau or direct CBA.

TX0DX, CHESTERFIELD ISLANDS (Possible New Entity, IOTA OC-176)

Press releases by Tim Totten, N4GN, has kept the DX community well informed on the progress of this operation. TX0DX hit the airwaves from the Chesterfield Islands at exactly 0000z, March 23rd, signaling the start of what is expected to be the newest DXCC entity. From one of the press releases by Tim, the following was reported: "The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) has officially announced that Association des Radio-Amateurs de Nouvelle-Caledonie (ARANC) has been confirmed as the newest IARU member society, effective 22 March 2000. Due to the timing of the voting process, the first full UTC date for ARANC's membership was 23 March, making this the effective "event date" for DXCC purposes. The result is that QSOs with the Chesterfield Islands on or after 0000 UTC, 23 March 2000, are expected to count toward the new DXCC entity. This corresponds to the date and time when the TX0DX operation began." The full text of the IARU news release can be found at:

http://www.iaru.org/rel000323.html

An excerpt from the latest press release indicates that the operators at TX0DX continue to rack up impressive QSO totals, despite frequent rain showers. As they approach the end of the third day of operations, nearly 35,000 QSOs are in the log--an average rate of approximately 500 per hour! For low band enthusiasts, operations on 80 and 160 will also begin in earnest on Monday, March 27th. The TX0DX operation is expected to continue operating "at full force" until 0500z, March 29th, when the team will begin disassembling some antennas. At least two stations will continue operating until approximately 2200z, March 29th. OPDX InterNet Subscribers will receive the complete and latest bulletin as an additional bulletin. Regular bulletins will be posted throughout the operation on the TX0DX web site at:

http://www.n4gn.com/tx0dx/

Lastly, the DXAC is in the process of studying the Chesterfield Island maps and other data. The vote hasn't been scheduled yet, but probably very soon.

WP4, ISLAND OF MONA

Carlos, WP4U, has planned a DXpedition here (IOTA NA-99) now through March 31st. He will sign WP4U/M. Mona Island is one of the five islands needed to get the certificate "Work Puerto Rico Island Award". A special QSL card will be issued. QSL direct or via bureau to WP4U.

Heard Through the Grapevine…

Randy Hinkle passed the 5 WPM test and is now a long awaited Tech Plus. Additionally, Randy passed the General theory so this month he will be a General just by paperwork on the 15th.

The club needs an EC/RO for the ARES and RACES activities. A net control operator is also needed for the Wednesday night net. Contact Larry N3CR for details.

CARC Calendar

** Denotes CARC supported or sponsored events

Bold indicates items of local interest

April 8: QRP ARCI Spring QSO Party

April 15: Michigan QSO Party

April 20: *** CARC Meeting – 19:30 Local – Carbon County EMA Center, Route 93 ***

April 22: Six Club Sprint

April 29: Florida, Nebraska, Ontario QSO Parties, *** March Of Dimes Walk America - Beltsville Lake***,

Amy Hester Zimmerman KD3TI Memorial Service

May 6: 10-10 International Spring Contest CW, 902/1296/3904 Mhz Spring Sprint, Indiana, Massachusetts QSO Party

May 13: 50 Mhz Spring Sprint, CQ-M International DX Contest

May 18: *** CARC Meeting – 19:30 Local – Carbon County EMA Center, Route 93 ***

May 19: CQ VHF Specialty Mode Activity Weekend, EU Sprint Sprint CW

May 27: CQ WW WPX Contest CW, QRP ARCI Hootowl Sprint

May 29: MI QRP Club Memorial Day CW Sprint

DXCC Totals by Band - Mixed mode

3/29/2000

Band	*K3II*	*W3MF*	*K3PH*	*K3CT*	*K3PP*	*K3VA*	*WB2VBR*	*K3PP/m*	*K3NG*
160m	140	39		59	52				2
80m	207	126		133	110				2
40m	280	147		198	160				28
30m	205	22		97	61				17
20m	312	274		268	256		173		80
17m	200	43		31	46				8
15m	298	234		230	252				71
12m	152	28		20	30				1
10m	273	210		226	222				9
6m					6
All Bands	333	329	330	306	298	244	185	46	123
IOTA				156			183

The above table is sorted by mixed-band/mixed-mode DXCC. Local DX’ers should submit mixed-mode DXCC by band, total DXCC, or IOTA totals to K3CT prior to the newsletter deadline each month. Stations need not be confirmed just worked. There are currently 333 possible DX entities.

Carbon Amateur Radio Club

2000 Membership Application Form

Please complete this form and send to K3PH, or drop it off at the monthly CARC Meeting, at the Carbon County EMA Center, Route 93. The meeting is on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 PM.

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