Volume 12, Number 3
March 2007
The Nugget
The Newsletter of the Mother Lode DX/Contest Club
it is alphabetical: .Leland "Mel" Farrer,
licensed for over 45 years as K6KBE, now
When: Saturday, 31, March 11:30AM-2:30PM
retired. de Ken, K6TA
Where:
Colina
del
Oro
restaurant
in
Plymouth, CA.
Directions; from the west,
2007 Dues are due now!
take highway 16 all the way to where it
So far this year we have NOT received dues
joins 49. Continue straight on 49-do NOT
from the following:
turn right. Road will turn from east to
K6BEW Brandt Woodward
north. The restaurant is on the right not to
AD6E Al Maenchen
far past the Shenandoah Inn. From the south,
AA6EG Pat Barthelow
49 all the way, bearing right at the 16/49
WB6GEF Dave Green
intersection. From the north, also 49.
KK6I Jeff Stai
Restaurant will be on the left past the
K6KM Bill Snider
Pokerville Market.
What: Thanks to Dick, N6TNX we have an
K6QG Lyle Bradt
K2RD Ira Stoler
outstanding program lined up for the March
N6RK Rick Karlquist
MLDXCC meeting. Leland "Mel" Farrer, K6KBE
N6RER Ginny Snider
has agreed to come and give us an insight
W6RKC Rick Casey
into the founding and early days of KLM
KF6T Jack Morgan
Antennas.
Below is a brief summary of the
N6XI Rick Tavan
start of KLM. Join Mel on March 31 and hear
AE6Y Andy Faber
the rest of the story. KLM.
Basic dues are $15. It is $10 more, if you
During the late 1960's a bunch of VHF/UHF
hams started an association of sorts that
want a paper copy of the ‘Nugget’.
Donations gladly accepted. Please, pay at
were concentrating on Moon bounce and
meeting…next best, mail to Treasurer,
experimental
SSB
and
antenna
design
Carolyn
Wilson,
K6TKD
at
Box
273,
projects.
Among those were Ken Holladay,
Somerset, CA., 95684-0273.
Mike Staal and myself. We met Oliver Swan
who had developed a log cell Yagi antenna
for TV head end applications. He also made
FROM THE PREZ
a few for 2 meters and 440.
Most of the
Congrats!! MLDX/CC does it again!! Top CA
group bought them and were very surprised at
club in CQP. We had 20 logs submitted
the performance.
compared
to
12
for
our
nearest
During the summers, Ken, Mike, and I would
competition. Thanks for getting on, making
go water-skiing and camping. As the summer
some Qs and sending in the logs. Special
of 1970 got hotter so did the lakes get
mention goes to Ira, K2RD, for setting a
crowded on the weekends and skiing was not
new record for El Dorado county by
as much fun. We kicked the idea around that
operating the heck out K6IDX and rolling
if we had our own company; we could ski in
up 315K+ points!!
the middle of the week and work on the
I hope there is not too much confusion
weekends. We approached Oliver to license
over the meeting facility. Originally
his design for ham use and build a line of
Round Table was supposed to move the end
antennas for the VHF and UHF bands.
He
of February and was going to be closed for
agreed and we started KLM in 1971 building
a week or so for move, etc.
Now it is
VHF/UHF antennas. Naturally, we found out
April.
So that’s why we are meeting at
that with your own company you worked 7 days
Colina del Oro restaurant.
a week during the early years and we never
Some calls heard in last weekend's ARRL DX
did
enjoy
skiing
during
the
week.
CW contest...K6TA, KF6T-single band 40 &
Incidentally, the name KLM came from: K for
W6RFF. I put in a few hours...see 3830 for
Ken, L for Leland and M for Mike and besides
scores & comments. For a 'hoot', look up
MEETING DATE, LOCATION & PROGRAM
The MLDXCC Newsletter
Page 1
K5GO's report. First look at the 40 meter
score, then scroll down to the station
description. Dues are due!! Thanks to those
that have already paid.
Dick, K6LRN
THE VP SEZ
Not much! ……Cuz we don’t have a VP for
2007 yet! Step-up someone………
CQ CQ FD 2007 de K6AO!!
It may only be March, but this is a great
time to start talking about this year's
MLDXCC Field Day Operating Event. That’s
because Field Day weekend is a mere 12 weeks
away and June 22-24 will soon be upon us.
I’m pleased to serve as your Field Day
Coordinator again this year. We sure did
great last year! We operated in Class 2A,
making 2,846 contacts and finishing with a
score of 9,432, which put us in 13th place in
class 2A nationwide. That was an improvement
over 2005, when we scored 8,902 points, also
finishing in 13th place in class 2A. The
Peddler Hill location was great (as usual)
and the club’s 4-element 20-meter beam and
40-meter wire beam performed well. Plus, all
of the operators had a fun weekend. Fun that's really what Field Day weekend is all
about, plus the fellowship that takes place
among club members when we work together as
a team to accomplish a goal. Over the past
four years, our goal has been to simply
achieve a higher overall score than the
previous year. So far – we have reached our
goal every year!! One of the additional
highlights last year was watching several
teenage boys make their first ever QSOs on
our GOTA station.
Every time that we go out as a club and
participate in this event, we learn from the
things that went well and also from the
things that didn't work so well. We have
improved on the things that haven’t worked
so well and continue to do the things that
have worked OK. That has been the secret to
increasing our score each year. For those of
you that are new to our club, let me say
that everyone has a role to fill for Field
Day
and
we
cannot
have
too
many
participants. Even if you can only come up
on Sunday morning to help a bunch of weary
operators take everything down and pack it
up, your participation is encouraged. Having
said that, I would like to hear from club
members that would like to participate in
our event this year. You can e-mail me at
wx6v@sbcglobal.net and let me know how much
time you can commit to Field Day. Feel free
The MLDXCC Newsletter
to ask any and all questions about Field
Day and what we will be doing over the
course of the weekend.
In the next month or so, I will be sending
out a checklist to all of last year's
participants that brought rigs, support
gear,
antennas,
and
antenna
support
structures. I would like to know if you
plan on bringing these items up to our
Field Day site again this year. That way,
we can determine what items we still need
and put out an appeal for them via e-mail
or in “The Nugget.” I would also like to
know if someone will be able to bring a
travel trailer to be used as a possible
rig site, inside eating area, and restroom
(most important)! Concerning that last
item, the club rented a “Wee Chateau” last
year
and
the
members
in
attendance
reimbursed the cost. We may choose this
route again for this year if no trailer is
available.
That's about it. We can discuss these
things and more at our upcoming club
meetings over the next several months.
Hope to see you there.
Jim -WX6VXF2K
TAMAULIPAS STATE GROUP - NA-246
(Click on the hyperlinks within the text
to view the photos)
The Tamaulipas State Group of islands
consists of several barrier islands in the
Laguna Madre. One of the largest of the
inner islands is Larga. This island was
chosen because it is easy to land on and
has no population. On July 30, 2006,
Hector, XE2K, Jorge, XE2WWW and Mike,
AB5EB, made an initial trip to Larga for a
few hours and qualified it to count for
NA-246 using XE2K/XF2 and XE2WWW/XF2.
Planning started for a larger operation.
In
early
2007,
equipment
was
being
assembled at the Reynosa, Tamaulipas QTH
of Jorge. Several of the antennas and
masts
that
have
been
used
on
XF1K
operations were shipped across Mexico. The
required paperwork for the operation was
started to obtain the licenses for the
special island operation and for the
operators coming down from the United
States. On the 22nd of February, the team
assembled in Reynosa. Hector and Norm,
N6JV, flew in from California where they
Page 2
were met by Jorge for the trip into Mexico.
Marco, XE2S, was also picked up at the
airport in Reynosa where he had flown in
from Hermosillo, Sonora. Mike, AB5EB, drove
to Reynosa from San Antonio, Texas. The rest
of the day and evening were spent buying
additional provisions and parts, assembling
power cables and loading the trucks. On
Friday morning, the two pickup trucks headed
for the Gulf of Mexico and Laguna Madre
which is about 130 km to the east. Foggy
conditions resulted in a slower start to the
operation.
This border area is closely controlled by
the Mexican Navy. It is a prime area for
smuggling. A courtesy visit was made at the
Navy headquarters to explain who we were and
where we would be. An unusual operation like
this was sure to attract the attention of
the Navy patrol boats. After the Navy’s
approval, negotiations with Captain Jorge
Mantecas were started and an agreement was
made. He would provide two boats and several
helpers to load and unload the boats. The
gear was quickly loaded and the boats headed
off to Larga.
A landing area was found that was very close
to a good camping spot. The boats were
quickly unloaded. Norm slipped in the mud
and did a back flip and landed on his back,
but there was little damage. Hector and
Marco started assembling the antennas while
Mike and Norm put up the tents. Jorge would
join the team the next day. The main tent
was near the landing area and would have two
of the transmitters. A second small tent
would be located down the beach as far as
the power cables would reach. This tent
would have a single CW station. When the
TH3jr tribander was up, a station in the
small tent was ready and the initial
contacts on 20 meter SSB were made with an
ICOM 706 Mk II. K6QG and N6AWD, our QSL
manager, were the first QSOs. An IC-756 PRO
and AL811 amplifier were used on SSB and a
TS-2000 was the second CW rig. Other
antennas included an A3WS for the WARC
bands, a DX88 vertical, an F12 vertical
dipole and a 60 foot top loaded vertical for
the low bands. Power was supplied by a
single 5 KW generator.
Conditions were very good on all bands
except for 15 meters and above where
conditions
were
very
poor.
All
three
stations were active on 17 and 20, SSB and
CW until near dark when 30 CW, 40 CW and 75
The MLDXCC Newsletter
SSB were started and run all night. Very
large pileups of Europeans and Asian
stations kept everyone busy day and night.
By the end of the operation on Sunday
morning, 7203 QSOs had been logged with
4002 on CW and 3201 on SSB. QSOs with
Europe were 1726 and 952 were with Japan.
BAND SSB
CW
TOTAL
EUROS (CW +
SSB)
15
1
19
2
20
17
498
873
324
1371
701
2912
20
1672 1240
30
0
880
257
880
40
0
990
287
990
75
1030 0
155
1030
Captain Mantecas and his boats arrived
back on Larga exactly as requested at noon
on Sunday and they all assisted in taking
down the tents and loading the boats. The
sea was calm so the boats had a high speed
race back to the mainland. With the trucks
loaded, everyone returned to Reynosa for a
barbeque dinner at Jorge’s home. Hector,
Mike and Norm crossed the border and
stayed near the Harlingen Airport so it
would be easier to make flight schedules
the next morning.
The XF2K team would like to thank Ing.
Moises
Ramirez
and
his
associates
(COFETEL) for their assistance with the
licensing. We would also like to thank the
Island Radio Expedition Foundation (IREF)
for
their
support
and
to
individual
contributors JE1DXC and JM1PXG. Jorge and
his wife were excellent hosts to all the
operators at their home and provided
invaluable assistance while dealing with
many problems. All QSLs will be handled by
our manager Fred, N6AWD. We wish to thank
all who worked us and made this a very
successful operation from NA-246.
This ends the official report.
This is the rest of the story. (Norm N6JV)
The weather was very good if you like high
winds.
The
first
night,
both
tents
partially blew down in the early morning.
The small tent was very light and a sun
shade tarp had been wrapped around the
windward side. This worked well until the
second morning when a 50 mph wind came
Page 3
from the opposite direction and the tarp
acted as a sail. It tried to lift the tent
off the ground and put it in the sea with me
in it. With the wind howling, I couldn’t
yell for help and managed to get out and
hang
on
to
the
tent
supports
while
attempting to untie the tarp. After several
exhausting minutes, the tent collapsed and
wasn’t headed to sea. I went to the main
tent for help, and Jorge and I tried to
drive long posts into the sand to hold it
down. Not much luck, so we woke up Hector
and tried again. By this time, I was not
feeling well and laid down in the dirt and
was content to stay there. Jorge and Hector
stabilized the tent and Jorge went to get
Mike. As an ER doctor they decided they
needed him as Norm was still laying in the
dirt. Everyone knew of my medical problems
and was very concerned. I managed to crawl
into the tent and onto my bed where I was
comfortable. I got some sleep until dawn. In
the morning, I felt well enough to sit up,
so made many QSOs on 20 CW until shutting
down about 10 am. I was still not very
steady and worked slowly. Eventually they
made me sit down and not load anything else.
When we returned to the mainland, I was very
tired and lay in the back seat of one of the
trucks. Mike decided that they needed to get
me across the border and get me checked out
at a medical facility. After empting out the
truck in Reynosa, Jorge and Mike drove to
the border. At the border there was about a
30 minute wait, so Mike ran up to the Border
Patrol people and explained that they had a
sick American in the back of the truck. With
a Border Patrol officer on the back of the
truck, Jorge drove to the front of the line
and into Texas. An ambulance was called and
five ambulances responded. I don’t know
which was chosen, but I was loaded in one of
them and an IV and oxygen were started. They
took me to the McAllen Heart Hospital while
Jorge and Mike returned to Reynosa. Once in
the emergency room they ran several tests on
me and eventually decided that I was so
dehydrated that my blood pressure would fall
too low when I stood up. They started giving
me fluids and poured 1500 ml of saline into
my IV. About 10 pm they officially released
me. Hector and Mike had loaded my gear and
picked me up at the ER. We found a nice
motel and we had some needed showers and a
good night’s sleep. I was especially careful
to clean the blister I had gotten on my heel
from walking around with wet feet and shoes
the first day.
The MLDXCC Newsletter
With flight delays, I didn’t make it home
until 11:30 that night. As I was taking
off my socks to go to bed, I noticed that
my ankle was twice its regular size and
the blister was very infected. My wife and
I went to the local emergency room and
they cleaned the blister and injected me
with some painful antibiotic. By 3:30 am
they
had
again
released
me
with
a
prescription.
Lessons
learned:
When
on
an
island
operation, drink as much as you would at
home and probably more. Try to have an ER
doctor on your team and if he is a good CW
operator, all the better. Remember what
your mother told you about accidents,
hospitals and clean underwear. de N6JV
Member news/feedback/Announcements.
Hi all, from sunny Hawaii. George KI6CG
and I operated the ARRL DX phone contest
as multi/one and ended up with 2.8 mil.
Station;
Icom-7800
and
FT-2000
with
Commander amp and Henry 2K4. 8-element M
squared LP at 75 feet and wire and
verticals for 80 & 160. Aloha,
Fred
W6YM.......NH6P
The MonstIR project had been on hold due
to lack of a suitable rotator. I recently
received a prop pitch rotor rebuilt by
K7NV and installed it in the tower.
He
sure does great work.
Now I am back to
finishing up the self tilting mounting
plate and then I can start building the
MonstIR.
I experimented with operating in the ARRL
DX
contest
by
remote
control
from
Cupertino, using the Galt station.
I
decided that the audio delay of 1/4 to 1/2
second
when
sending
audio
over
the
internet was a fairly big problem in
contesting.
I have since installed an
auto phone patch for audio over phone
lines. It has virtually no delay.
Recent DX of note: Spratly (DX0 and 9M4),
9U, ST, ZB2, 9K2. .Rick N6RK
I still have my FT-1000D for sale. Ver
6.0, 200W, all filters & BPF. Only problem
is the antennas tuner just grunts, does
not tune. Was not a problem for me cuz I
always use external tuners. Obtained it
from
a
well
known
Caribbean
contest
station and was in use daily until the end
of October when house stuff ended my
operating (except for SS). Price is $1250.
Rick, W6RKC
Page 4
Yaesu FT1000-MK5, perfect condition, ~30
hours of run time. Asking $1750. email
NZ6O@arrl.net, or call Ron, 530-409-7755
I have for sale a Clean Yaesu FT-1000MP Mark
V,
200watts. Loaded with all CW high and
Low IF filters and two SSB filters, Roofing
Filter, and CW mod.
$2000. Firm
Contact
Ted Martinez, WA6RIV at 209-601-5354 or at
wa6riv@aol.com
I've gotta downsize my RF/Tech accumulation
of stuff, and want to list a few items :
125 ft of 7/8" Andrew COAX, with eia
connectors. Cell company style connectors,
would
need
adapters
to
get
to
N
connectors... Corrugated Copper shield, and
hollow center conductor, Make offer. Tek
7904 400 MHz scope with 2 plug ins Make
offer Lots of other stuff... call Pat
AA6EG
(916) 315-9271
EDITOR’S NOTES
Good news and bad new this month. I guess I
will go with the bad first so that I end on
a positive note.
Karen and I attended a memorial service (in
Los Angeles the 17th) for Phil Goetz, N6ZZ.
Phil was a long-time friend and well known
contester, Phil died suddenly of a Brain
Aneurysm.
I knew Phil for over 35 years,
since our day as young DXers and contester’s
in the SCDXC.
Last October we operated a
multi-multi during the CQWW phone from
Curacao as PJ2T.
We were in touch via email, sharing photos, just a few of days
before he died.
Phil had many obstacles
placed in his path during his lifetime, but
he was always very positive about his life
and always looked at the bright side of
things.
At 64, Phil was trim, active and
seemed in good physical condition.
He had
just re-married in the fall of 2006, his
wife of many years died of cancer in 2003.
They had just moved into their newly
constructed home 8 weeks before he died. As
they say “life just ain’t fair”. So, don’t
put-off what you want to do too long, cause’
tomorrow is not promised to anyone.
Bob, N6TV posted some of his photos taken at
the memorial gathering honoring Phil’s life.
http://picasaweb.google.com/rawilson/N6ZZMem
orialGathering
-Orhttp://tinyurl.com/329qgx
The non-hams in the audience, including
Phil's son Paul (from YF #1) and stepdaughter Christine (from YF #2), seemed
absolutely delighted with N6AA's light and
amusing 40-zone talk, full of travelogue
The MLDXCC Newsletter
photos and funny Phil stories.
One "new
one" featured a photo of Phil leaning
forward in a stare-down contest with a
stone face statue on Easter Island. RIP
OM, 73, until we meet again, SK.
And now on to the good news, while we were
in LA we had a great visit with all of our
kids and Grandkids.
We stayed with our
daughter who just bought a new (old) home
in December and it was our first visit.
It’s located in Rolling Hills Estates, and
at the price they paid for a “Needs some
help house” you could buy 3 new homes up
here in Pville.
I knew there was a good
reason we moved outa’ of LA, HI HI
We also had our taxes prepared and I am
proud to say that for the third year in a
row, we are paying no Federal or State
tax.
Hooray!!!
So, being poor retired
folks sometimes has its advantages.
Radio conditions were better last month
and there was some interesting DX on the
air. I snagged 9U0X on 30 and 17M as well
as adding Spratly, 9M4SDX on 160, and
J28JA on 17M.
I also operated a bit in
the ARRL phone contest but conditions were
pretty crappy that weekend and I cut it
short.
I built (out of a bunch of old scrap Hygain stuff) a loaded 2 element 30M beam.
It’s on an 11 foot boom, and the longest
element is only 34’ long.
March 22nd,
Norm, N6JV and I installed it on my short
tower (W-51) in less than 2 hours.
That
included the time it took to remove a 2M
long boom yagi, and move-up my F-12 C-3.
I designed it for gain on the computer
using EZ-Nec, and used those dimensions
for fabrication. So far it seems to play
pretty good, although I need to extend the
reflector, since my design compromised the
F/B ratio for gain.
And what I need is
more F/B, so I guess I’ll eat ¾ of a dB.
If ur interested in what it looks like
come-on-by and see it for yourself, or email me and I will send U a digital photo.
C U in the 30M pileups, with a stronger
signal, I hope.
Oh, I did want to comment on one more
thing, our last meeting was informal, we
didn’t have a speaker or a formal program.
But it was a blast!
Just a good-time BS
and idea exchange session, I for one would
encourage us to have them more often.
Just my 2 cents worth.
C U all the 31st
de Rick W6SR
Page 5
March 10, 2006: It's official: Solar minimum
has arrived. Sunspots have all but vanished.
Solar flares are nonexistent. The sun is
utterly quiet.
Like the quiet before a
storm. This week researchers announced that
a storm is coming--the most intense solar
maximum in fifty years. The prediction comes
from a team led by Mausumi Dikpati of the
National Center for Atmospheric Research
(NCAR). "The next sunspot cycle will be 30%
to 50% stronger than the previous one," she
says. If correct, the years ahead could
produce a burst of solar activity second
only to the historic Solar Max of 1958.
Follow the hyperlink below for the complete
story.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/10ma
r_stormwarning.htm
opening date.
Current projection by the
restaurant
management
is
May
at
the
earliest. In the mean time, other venues
will be researched and announced.
The
March meeting will now be held on 31 March
at Colina de Oro Mexican Restaurant in
Plymouth, CA.
Contribution Requests.
The Scarborough
Reef Dxpedition, PS7H, has contacted the
Club for monetary support. It was decided
that members can support individually, as
our Club donation goes directly to the
Northern California DX Foundation.
Ken,
K6TA, suggested putting an extra $5 or $10
in your envelope when QSLing.
MLDXCC – FINANCIAL REPORT FEBRUARY 2007
Achievements.
It was announced that Jim
Venneman, WX6V, had attained 5-band lowpower DXCC.
Balance February 1, 2007: $682.02
Income: Dues
60.00
Refund (Round Table)
50.00
Upcoming Contests. The ARRL DX contest is
3-6 March, NAQP RTTY is this weekend and
the CQ WW WPX Contest is 24-26 March.
Expenses:
00.00
Balance February 28,2007: $792.02
Adjournment.
Meeting was adjourned
12:46 PM.
Kay Anderson, K6KO, Secretary
at
Carolyn Wilson, K6TKD, Treasurer
MLDXCC General Meeting, 27 January 2007.
General Meeting Minutes, 24 February 2007.
Dick Wilson, K6LRN, President ProTem, called
to order at 12:30 PM at the round Table
Pizza in Martell, CA, with nine members
present.
Roll Call of Officers.
President Pro Tem
Dick, Director Ken Anderson, K6TA, Treasurer
Carolyn Wilson, K6TKD and Secretary Kay
Anderson, K6KO, answered the Officers’ Roll
Call.
Secretary’s Minutes and Treasurer’s Report.
The Minutes and Treasurer’s Report of 27
January 2007 were approved as printed in
last the February Nugget.
Visalia 2007. Jeff Stai is coordinating the
Friday night Contest Dinner.
Program will
be presented by K3OR. To date, the Club has
not been approached to provide additional
help at the Convention.
Change of Meeting Venue.
Our current
meeting
place,
the
Round
Table
Pizza
restaurant in Martell, will be closing out
its present location on 18 March and will
open again at the new location in the Amador
Ridge Shopping Center in three or four
months. The Secretary will check on the reThe MLDXCC Newsletter
UPCOMING EVENTS
2007 VISALIA INTERNATIONAL DX CONVENTION.
The 2007 International DX Convention will
take place April 27th, 28th and 29th,
2007,
at
the
Holiday
Inn
Hotel
&
Conference Center in Visalia, California.
This is an ARRL sanctioned convention that
is sponsored this year by the Northern
California DX Club. It is expected to draw
visitors from around the World and will
feature programs from recent DXpeditions
and contest operations. The Convention
theme this year is, "Elmering New DXers is
Job Number One!" Accordingly, a portion of
the programming will be devoted to helping
new DXers learn how to be noticed in a
pile-up, snag a "new one" and get that
elusive
QSL
card.
Other
Convention
offerings will include: DX, Top Band and
Contest Forums, technical talks, many door
prizes, both Friday and Saturday evening
"attitude adjustments", Saturday Barbecue
Lunch, Saturday night banquet, Sunday
morning
"power"
breakfast,
Vendors
Exhibits and QSL card checking. Current
information and registration forms are
available on the Convention web page which
can
be
found
at:
http://www.dxconvention.org
Additional
registration information can be obtained
by
contacting
Convention
Registration
Chairman, Dick Letrich, W6KM via Email at:
Page 6
dlw6km@aol.com
If
you're
interested
in
DXing, the Visalia DX Convention is the
place to be. We hope to see you there.
Old Foothill Flea Market
1st Sunday of each month at DeAnza College,
intersection of I280 and State Highway 85.
The flea market is going under the name
"ASVARA"
Livermore Swap Meet
(see website for new location), 7:00 AM to
noon, all year.
Talk in 147.045 from the
west 145.35 from the east. Check at:
larkswap.com
SELECTED - UP-COMING CONTESTS
ARS Spartan Sprint 0100Z-0300Z, Apr 3
YLRL DX-YL to NA-YL Contest, CW 1400Z, Apr 3
to 0200Z, Apr 5
SP DX Contest 1500Z, Apr 7 to 1500Z, Apr 8
EA RTTY Contest 1600Z, Apr 7 to 1600Z, Apr 8
Missouri QSO Party 1800Z, Apr 7 to 0500Z,
Apr 8 and 1800Z-2400Z, Apr 8
FeldHell Spring Sprint 1800Z, Apr 7 to
0359Z, Apr 8 and 1400Z-2359Z, Apr 8
UBA Spring Contest, SSB 0600Z-1000Z, Apr 8
SARL Hamnet 40m Simulated Emerg Contest
1200Z-1400Z, Apr 8
Low Power Spring Sprint 1400Z-2000Z, Apr 9
144 MHz Spring Sprint 1900 local - 2300
local, Apr 9
YLRL DX-YL to NA-YL Contest, SSB 1400Z, Apr
10 to 0200Z, Apr 12
JIDX CW Contest 0700Z, Apr 14 to 1300Z, Apr
15
Georgia QSO Party 1800Z, Apr 14 to 0359Z,
Apr 15 and 1400Z-2359Z, Apr 15
Run for the Bacon QRP Contest 0100Z-0300Z,
Apr 16
222 MHz Spring Sprint 1900 local - 2300
local, Apr 17
Holyland DX Contest 0000Z-2359Z, Apr 21 ES
Open HF Championship 0500Z-0559Z, Apr 21 and
0600Z-0659Z, Apr 21 and 0700Z-0759Z, Apr 21
and 0800Z-0859Z, Apr 21
Michigan QSO Party 1600Z, Apr 21 to 0400Z,
Apr 22
Ontario QSO Party 1800Z, Apr 21 to 1800Z,
Apr 22 YU DX Contest 2100Z, Apr 21 to
0500Z, Apr 22 and 0900Z-1700Z, Apr 22
432 MHz Spring Sprint 1900 local - 2300
local, Apr 25
SP DX RTTY Contest 1200Z, Apr 28 to 1200Z,
Apr 29
Helvetia Contest 1300Z, Apr 28 to 1259Z, Apr
29
Florida QSO Party 1600Z, Apr 28 to 0159Z,
Apr 29 and 1200Z-2159Z, Apr 29
Nebraska QSO Party 1700Z, Apr 28 to 1700Z,
Apr 29
The MLDXCC Newsletter
The Ohio/Penn DX PacketCluster
DX Bulletin No. 803
March 26, 2007
Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Thanks to the Northern Ohio Amateur Radio
Society,
Northern
Ohio
DXAssociation,
Ohio/Penn PacketCluster
3B6, AGALEGA. Team leader Witek, SP9MRO,
announced on March 22nd that the Polish
DXpedition to Agalega Island has been
rescheduled to take place between June 618th, provided that the team can obtain
permission for staying, a licence and the
right ship to take them there. For updates
please
visit
the
3B6
Web
page
at:
http://3b6.godx.eu/
3B8, MAURITIUS (AF-049). Starting April
5th, look for Mart, DL6UAA, to once again
be active as 3B8MM for a few weeks. His
activity will be mostly CW, but he will
also try SSTV (on 14230 kHz). QSL via his
home callsign, direct or by the bureau.
Visit
his
Web
site
at:
http://www.dl6uaa.de/indexa.html
4O3/YT6,
MONTENEGRO
(Late
WPX
Announcement). There was another contest
effort from Montenegro by Ranko/YT6A (on
20m) and Martti/4O3B/OH2BH (80m) during
this past weekend's CQ WPX Phone Contest.
The OH2BN press release stated:
"They
will be using many newly established
stations and antenna
concepts at Ranko's
'Premium Contest Resort' 600 meters above
sea level near the city of Herceg Novi."
ADDED NOTE: Visit Ranko's new
Web site
(still
under
construction)
at:
http://www.skycc.info/yt6a
7P,
LESOTHO.
Operators
Tony/ZS1APB,
Barry/ZS1FJ, Shaun/ZS1RA, Roy/ZS1ROY and
Deon/ZS1ZL will be operating from the
highest point in Lesotho (3000m ASL) on
the
north
border
escarpment
of
the
Drakensburg Range between April 5-12th.
The team has requested the callsign 7P8DX.
Activity is planned for 80-15 meters with
an emphasis on the lower bands. They plan
to
have
three
stations
active
simultaneously using Yagis and V-beams.
A2, BOTSWANA (UPdate/Ops Stilled Needed!).
Frosty, K5LBU, reports that so far they
now have 3 operators beside him. He would
like to find at least 2 more to join their
group. The dates are still the same, July
5-21st. Frosty states, "It looks like we
Page 7
might be able to do some EME and LEO work
also while there." If interested, contact
him via E-mail at: frosty1@pdq.net ADDED
NOTE: Frosty is already thinking about next
year, possibly 3DA0 or 7P8.
A5, BHUTAN. Beginning in April, operator
Kunio, JA8VE, is expected to be here on a
two year work assignment through March 2009
as a JICA senior volunteer for Japan's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coach the
Bhutanese telecommunications ministry. He
will be active as A52VE and will be
operating from the capital city of Thimphu.
Activity will be on all bands including 6
meters, SSB, Digital modes and some CW.
Kunio states that he will use a Yaesu and
Icom radio with ONLY 100 watts(amps are
prohibited) possibly using a Spider beam and
Inverted VEE or DP. QSL via JF1OCQ, using
the QRZ.com address.
CU2, AZORES. Pedro, EA1FCH, will be active
from Sao Miguel (EU-003) in the Eastern
Island Group as
CU2/EA1FCH, June 27th
through August 5th. Activity will be on the
lower bands and WARC bands, mainly CW and
the Digital modes. QSL via EA1FCH, by the
Bureau or direct.
DXCC NEWS.......................
JUST A REMINDER (DXCC Honor Roll listings
due)! The deadline for the next ARRL DXCC
Honor Roll listing is approaching very fast.
Just under a week to go! All submissions
must be "postmarked by March 31st". The
Honor Roll list will appear in the 2007
August QST. There are 337 current entities
on the DXCC list, so you must be at 337 for
Top of the Honor Roll or within the
numerical top 10 to qualify for the Honor
Roll (minimum of 328 entities; deleted
entities do not count toward Honor Roll).
Reports
indicate
that
the
following
operations are not yet approved for DXCC
credit:
E51PDX - North Cook Islands
E51PEN - North Cook Islands. Reason given:
No documentation received for either of
these 2006 operations.
Bill Moore, NC1L, ARRL DXCC Branch Manager
reports that the following
operations are
approved for DXCC credit:
1A4A
- Sovereign Military Order Of Malta
2007 Operation
9M4SDX - Spratly Islands 2007 Operation
9U9Z
- Burundi 2007 Operation
DXØJP - Spratly Islands 2007 Operation
YWØDX - Aves Island 2007 Operation
ER, MOLDOVA. Andy, RW3AH, is now active as
ER/RW3AH until April 12th. This is his third
The MLDXCC Newsletter
DXpedition to the Republic of Moldova. He
plans to pay special attention to the
160/80m bands and as usual on 20 meter
CW/SSB (for USA General Class above 14260
kHz and for Russian amateurs around 1415014180 kHz). Also mentioned is that Valery,
RW3GW, may possibly join him as well as a
second operator using the callsign ER0/R7C
or ER0/NA1SA between April 8-12th. QSL
direct using the address
on QRZ.com.
GP8, GUERNSEY (EU-114). Chris, M0DOL, will
be here for 7 days and is expected to
arrive during the morning of May 26th. He
plans to activate castles and forts on the
island. He will stay in Richmond near
Vazon Bay, in sight of both Fort Richmond
and Fort Hammet. Chris states that he will
also be at Vale Castle on Sunday, May
27th.
Look
for
Chris,
along
with
Tom/2E0TSW and members of the Norhampton
Radio Club, to activate the callsign
GP8LED/p for the first time ever from all
locations. Activity will be on all bands.
A full colored double-sided QSL card will
be
available
only
direct
from
M0DOL
(information
via
QRZ.com).
ATTENTION
CASTLE
HUNTERS:
A
list
of
CASHOTA
reference numbers will be available soon
on the following Web page soon at:
http://www.cashota.org
HL, SOUTH KOREA (IOTA & LH Activity).
Jean-Pierre, F5AHO, will be active as
HL1/F5AHO from May 12-20th. His plans are
to activate some IOTAs and Lighthouses.
The
following
were
mentioned:
AS-081
(LH0304), AS-060, AS-026 (LH0686) and AS085. Activity will be SSB on 20/1715
meters using his FT857 and a wire GP. QSL
via his home callsign, by the bureau or
direct.
INDIAN OCEAN TOUR. Gildas, TU5KG, will
once again be portable maritime-mobile
(/MM) around Kerguelen Island (FT5XP) and
Crozet Island (FT5WL).
This time Gildas
will not go to Port aux Francais. He will,
however, be on Reunion Island (FR/TU5KG)
around May 15th. QSL via F4EFI, direct or
by the bureau. No e-QSLs accepted.
KH8S, SWAINS ISLAND DXPEDITION (Update).
It is a little over a week to go before
members
of
the
N8S
Swains
Island
DXpedition will hit the air between April
4-15th. Then the team will move their
operations to the Independent State of
Samoa (5W - formerly known as Western
Samoa
from
1914-1997)
as
5W5AA
(and
Page 8
possibly other callsigns) between April 1724th. Acim, YZ1EW, announced this past week
that both the N8S and 5W5AA teams will be
active on 60 meters (on 5403.5 kHz), 2m EME
and 6 EME with WSJT65 A,B,C (on frequencies
50.375 MHz and 144.375 MHz). He also
announced that the following pilot stations
for the operation are:
Toma/YU1AB for
Western Europe, Lee/KH6BZF for the Americas
and the Pacific, and Antic/YU1AA for the YU
and Eastern Europe areas. Lastly, he stated
that the DXpedition team is ready to go. All
donations are welcome according to the data
on
their
Web
site
at:
http://www.yt1ad.info/n8s/
Acim also adds (edited): "The most wanted
DXCC
country
needs
HAMSPIRIT
on
the
frequency, and please listen carefully to
the operator on the current frequency."
LIGHTHOUSE ACTIVITY...............
Operators Jim/KA3UNQ, Dan/KD3CQ and Al/W3REG
will operate as N3L from the Point Lookout
Lighthouse (ARLHS USA-628), Maryland, on
April 14th, from 1400-2000z. Activity will
be on 80/40/20/17 meters SSB, PSK31 and
possibly CW. Certificate is available on
request. QSL with SASE to KA3UNQ. Visit the
Point Lookout Lighthouse's Web page at:
http://www.ptlookoutlighthouse.com/
Operator Jim, KA3UNQ, will be active as a
portable from some island in the IOTA NA-031
group (Aquidneck, Goat and
Conanicut
Islands), April 7-9th. He will also activate
numerous Rhode Island lighthouses and U.S.
Islands. Activity will be on 40/20/17 meters
SSB. QSL with SASE to CBA.
ON50, BELGIUM. Look for special event
station ON50EU to be active now through
December
31st,
to
celebrate
the
50th
anniversary of the Treaty of Rome (EU 50
years). QSL via ON7YX, by the Bureau or
direct.
OX60, GREENLAND (NA-018). Look for special
event station OX60AD to be active April 130th. Activity is to commemorate the 60th
anniversary of the U.S. Air Force and the
56th anniversary of the Defense Treaty
between the U.S. and Denmark for the
Protection of Greenland. The "AD" suffix in
OX60AD
stands
for
"America-Denmark".
Activity will be on 40/20/17/15/10 meters
using CW, SSB, and RTTY. QSL via OX3UR.
PA50, NETHERLANDS. Members of the VERONLeiden are now active as PA50EU until April
9th to celebrate the uniting of Europe from
Rome. Activity will be on 80 meters through
The MLDXCC Newsletter
70cm. QSL cards can be sent via the Dutch
QSL Bureau (DQB).
QSL
QSL
QSL
QSL
QSL
QSL
QSL
QSL
QSL
QSL
QSL
QSL
QSL
INFO AND NEWS.........................
3DA0EI via EI7CC
EF8A
via EA8AUW
3XM6JR via UA6JR
EY3M
via QRZ.com
4E1P via Bureau
LX7I
via LX2A
D44AC via QRZ.com
LX8M
via LX1ER
D69XC via UA9XC
TA2K
via TA2RC
ED8D via EA8BHD by Bureau
TO5A
via F5VHJ
The logs for the recent 9M4SDX Spratly
Island DXpedition are now available online
at:http://9m4sdx.dxers.net/log_search/sear
ch.html
PZ5A was operational this past weekend in
the CQWW SSB WPX Contest. QSL DIRECT via
PZ5RA (Ramon) as indicated on QRZ.COM.
IMPORTANT NOTE: PZ5A was first activated
in the 2003 CQWW SSB WPX Contest, and QSLs
for that operation still go via W5UE
(Randy).
The second activation
of PZ5A
as a special callsign (2007 SSB WPX) goes
via PZ5RA only DIRECT as indicated on
QRZ.COM.
U.S. POSTAL RATES GOING UP! The cost of
mailing a letter will go from 39 cents to
41 cents (first ounce) for letters on May
14th. Howvever, you will be able to lock
in that price - no matter how rates rise
in the future by buying the new "forever"
stamp. More details are available at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_
go_ot/postal_rates
XT2C
QSL
STATUS.
Bernard,
F9IE,
reportedly put the first batch of
cards in the mail for direct requests.
has
QSL
YX0A, YX0LIX and YX0A/MM QSL STATUS.
Steve,
KU9C,
reports:
"Folks,
After
returning from a long business trip, I've
now sized the YX0A/YX0LIX/YX0A-MM QSLs and
can
provide
the
following
status:
I
believe all QSLs received at my QTH by
mid-February will be in the mail back to
you by April 9, 2007. The only exception
I see are folks that have sent cards for
several calls I manage in one envelope;
these will be delayed and I cannot easly
predict when I'll be done with those. By
the fact that you included several in one
envelope, I've made the assumption that
Page 9
you're not in a big hurry for these. If
you've not received your card by mid-April,
feel free to email me; at that time I'll be
able to provide status. 73 Steve KU9C"
Sorol Atoll (OC-277) and Woleai Atoll (OC132). Activity will be on CW and SSB. QSL
via their home callsigns. Visit their Web
page at: http://www.mdxc.org/v63
RMD SPECIAL EVENT. Look for special event
stations to be active from 1200z April 14th
to 1200z April 15th to commemorate Radio
Maritime Day. This is a CW event which will
be operated from former marine coastal radio
stations
and
possibly
ships
at
sea.
Suggested frequencies are: 1854, 3520, 7020,
14052, 21052 and 28052 kHz. Look for the
following mentioned stations (or individual
operators with a special/designator):
Rügen Radio
/DHS (MRD callsign DL2DHS)
Norddeich Radio /DAN (MRD callsign DL7DAN)
Boulogne Radio
/FFB (MRD callsign TM1FFB)
ST Lys Radio
/FFL (MRD callsign TM2FFL)
ST Nazaire Radio /FFO (MRD callsign TM3FFO)
Napoli Radio
/IQH (MRD callsign IIOIQH)
La Spezia Radio /ICS (MRD callsign II1ICS)
Roma Radio
/IAR (MRD callsign IIOIAR)
Genova Radio
/ICB (MRD callsign II1ICB)
Trieste Radio
/IQX (MRD callsign II3IQX)
San Benedetto Radio /IQP (MRD callsign
IQ6SB)
Portisheadradio GKA
(MRD callsign MOROA)
South Chatham Mass. Radio /WCC (MRD callsign
WA1WCC)
KPH / KSM Radio
(MRD callsign K6KPH)
Tuckerton Wireless /WSC (MRD callsign W2WSC)
Gothenburg Radio /SAG (MRD callsign SK6SAG)
Praha Radio
/OLP (MRD callsign OL32OLP)
See the RMD Web page for further info and
updated
stations
at:
http://www.radiomaritimeday.org
PROPAGATION FORECAST
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 13
ARLP013 From Tad Cook, K7RA
TC0DX-YM0DX WRAP-UP. Pavel, OK1MU, informs
that the TC0DX-YM0DX DXpedition team reports
(edited): "In 106 hours of operating time,
some 21,793 QSOs were made by the TC0DX
expedition team working from the rare IOTA
Gokceada Island (EU-186). Also, 6,199 QSOs
were made by the YM0DX team working from the
Bozcaada Island (AS-099). Please visit the
following Web page for more info, details,
photos, on-line logs, QSL info etc. at:
http://www.okdxf.eu/ankety/tc0dx/en/tc0dx.ph
p QSL Manager is OK2GZ. QSL by the Bureau,
direct or by E-mail (for Bureau QSLs). We
would like to thank you once again for ALL
the QSOs and excellent pile-ups. 73 and GL
from Ankara!"
V6,
MICRONESIA
(IOTA
Op).
Operators
Nando/IT9YRE, Claudio/I1SNW and Mike/K9AJ
will be on from their Micronesia tour April
2-19th and be active as V63RE, V63WN and
V63J respectively. They plan to activate
three different IOTAs: Ngulu Atoll (OC-180),
The MLDXCC Newsletter
For the past ten days we've observed no
sunspots at all. Periods like this, or
longer, are expected at the bottom of the
sunspot cycle. As mentioned in a recent
bulletin,
the
latest
projection
for
smoothed sunspot numbers from NOAA Space
Environment Center has the solar minimum
at February through April 2007, with a
smoothed sunspot number of 11. You can see
the table on page 10 of the Preliminary
Report
and
Forecast
at,
http://tinyurl.com/yvw2ke. Another way to
look at it is that the minimum is
projected between December 2006 and July
2007, with a smoothed sunspot number of 12
or lower.
Randy Crews, W7TJ notes that the graph at
http://www.dxlc.com/solar tells the story
on recent trends.
But reports still
arrive weekly of operators working long
distance, even at the bottom of the cycle.
Mike Carter, K8CN of Durham, New Hampshire
says he runs 50 watts CW into a wire 60
feet long and 20 feet at its highest. He's
worked a lot of South Pacific DX on 40
meters from 1100-1200z, and Europe, Africa
and the Caribbean on 30 meters around
2100-2300z.
The lower part of the HF spectrum is a
good place to operate at the bottom of the
sunspot cycle. Unlike 10 or 15 meters, 160
and 80 meters won't be bothered by a low
MUF
(Maximum
Usable
Frequency),
a
consequence of the lack of sunspots. With
less solar activity comes less problems
with geomagnetic disturbances, which can
be frequent toward the top of the cycle.
Wednesday night about an hour after local
sunset I operated 60 meters from my car,
using one of those inexpensive popular
single-band mobile whips mounted on the
trunk.
This
antenna
can't
be
very
efficient, as the length is only about
.045 wavelength. 60 meters is an unusual
channelized band, with just 5 channels,
the top at just above 5.4 MHz. Uppersideband SSB is the only permitted mode,
with transmit power limited to 50 watts
ERP. The atmospheric noise was high, and
the static crashes probably from far-away
thunderstorms.
Page 10
I made contact with Frank Miller, K9HMB of
Harvard, Illinois, nearly 1700 miles to the
east of me, and was surprised to receive an
S9 signal report. Later, a glance at his
antennas at http://www.k9ns.com/ told me
what kind of station was receiving K7RA so
strongly. See if you can find the photo of a
large commercial crane "adding a third beam
to the stack." You can see more info on
operating in the 60 meter band on the ARRL
web
site
at,
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations
/faq-60.html.
Dramatic solar images from the Japanese
Hinode spacecraft prompted numerous emails
this week. The messages referred to a NASA
article at http://tinyurl.com/2p5ksk and a
New
Scientist
article
at,
http://tinyurl.com/ypzhof. Spaceweather.com
has
a
movie
from
the
spacecraft
at
http://tinyurl.com/ysjrl4 or for today you
can see it at, http://www.spaceweather.com/.
Clicking on the movie URL should launch a
media player on your personal computer. I
found the movie better on the second
viewing, because all of the content had been
buffered and the motion was smooth. This
weekend is the CQ World Wide WPX SSB
Contest.
There
probably
won't
be
any
sunspots, although a few are on the way. The
sunspot number will probably be 0 or 11. The
higher frequencies won't be fantastic, but
geomagnetic conditions are expected to be
stable and quiet. The U.S. Air Force
predicts a planetary A index for March 23-29
at 5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 10 and 5. Geophysical
Institute Prague says that March 23 should
be
quiet
to
unsettled,
March
24-25
unsettled, March 26-27 unsettled to active,
March 28 unsettled, and March 29 quiet.
If you would like to make a comment or have
a tip for our readers, email the author at,
k7ra@arrl.net.
For
more
information
concerning
radio
propagation,
see
the
ARRLTechnical
Information
Service
at,
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.htm
l. For a detailed explanation of the numbers
used
in
this
bulletin
see,
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/k9la-prop.html.
An archive of past propagation bulletins is
at,
http://www.arrl.org/w1aw/prop/.Monthly
propagation charts between four USA regions
and twelve overseas locations are at,
http://www.arrl.org/qst/propcharts/. Sunspot
numbers for March 15 through 21 were 0, 0,
0, 0, 0, 0 and 0with a mean of 0. 10.7 cm
flux was 69.2, 68.7, 69.3, 70.5, 70.1, 72.6,
and 72.8, with a mean of 70.5. Estimated
planetary A indices were 8, 10, 8, 3, 2, 2
and 2 with a mean of 5. Estimated
The MLDXCC Newsletter
mid-latitude A indices were 5, 11, 8, 1,
1, 1 and 1, with a mean of
4.
MLDXCC 2007 Meetings 3rd Saturday (pending
contest or other conflicts). Tentative
Schedule below:
March 31 in Plymouth.
April-no
meeting
(Easter
on
8th
and
Visalia on 27-28-29)
May 19- venue TBD
June 9 (Field Day is on 23 & 24)
July 7 (IARU on 14, NAQP RTTY on 21, IOTA
on 28 & 29)
Aug 11 ( NAQP on 4 & 18)
Sept 15 (SSB Sprint at 5 PM local)
Oct 13 ( Pacificon is 20-2, RTTY Sprint
starts at 5 PM local on 13)
Nov 10 (In between SS weekends + last
weekend is CQWW CW)
No meeting in December (only 8 at meeting
last year in Dec.)
January 2008 ( the least congested weekend
I see is 26-CQWW 160 CW is
on, but no activity at noon)
Membership Criteria
Membership criteria may be obtained
writing the Secretary/Treasurer at:
MLDXCC
PO Box 1073
Pine Grove, CA 95665-1073
The club website is: mldxcc.com
by
The MLDXCC NEWSLETTER
Information may be reproduced
credit is given MLDXCC.
provided
2006 Officers of the MLDXCC
President, Dick Wilson, K6LRN
k6lrn@arrl.net
Vice President, ??
Director, Richard Hill, NU6T
REHill@ix.net.com
Director, Ken Anderson, K6TA
k6ta@arrl.net
Treasurer, Carolyn Wilson, K6TKD
k6tkd@arrl.net
Secretary, Kay Anderson, K6KO
k6ko@arrl.net
Nugget Editor, Rick Samoian,W6SR
samoian@directcon.net
QSL Manager, Norm Regan, WA6SJQ
Page 11
Qsl73@linkunet.net
Publicity
Chairperson,
K6BEW. k6bew@yahoo.com
Brandt
Woodard,
ARRL Awards Checkers
DXCC, Gary Stillwell, KI6T & Ken Anderson,
K6TA
The MLDXCC Newsletter
ARRL Sixth District QSL Bureau
P.O. Box 970 Fairfax, CA., 94978-0970
Comments or questions on this bureau's
operation
may
be
directed
to
kc6awx@arrl.net See the W6 Bureau home
page
(http://www.kqlz.com/qslbureau6/)
Page 12