It is Sunday the 20th September 2009 and here is ANARTS with our weekly RTTY news bringing you - cast 1561.
Views expressed in this news bulletin are not necessarily those of the Broadcast Officer, the Relay Officers, or of the Society.
Items in this broadcast include
1. News item
2. IPS Report
3. ARRL DX News
4. OPDX Bulletin
5. Anarts Information
A.N.A.R.T.S. News Bulletin 1561 for 20th September 2009
South African Amateur Radio Payload Reaches Orbit: After several
delays, South Africa's SumbandilaSat satellite
<http://www.amsatsa.org.za/SZASAT.htm> finally blasted to orbit aboard a
Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 16
<http://www.russianspaceweb.com/baikonur.html>. The main payload is a
multi-spectral imager, but the satellite also carries an Amateur Radio
component consisting of a 2 meter/70 cm FM repeater. After SumbandilaSat
is fully commissioned, the repeater will be activated with an uplink at
145.880 MHz and a downlink at 435.350 MHz; there will also be a voice
beacon at 435.300 MHz. The transponder mode will be controlled by a
CTCSS tone on the uplink frequency. The CTCSS tone frequencies have yet
to be announced. SumbandilaSat was sponsored by the Department of
Science and Technology and was built at SunSpace
<http://www.sunspace.co.za/> in cooperation with the Stellenbosch
University <http://www.sun.ac.za/>. In addition to the SA-AMSAT amateur
module, the satellite carries Stellenbosch University's radiation
experiment and software defined radio (SDR) project, an experiment from
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and a VLF radio module from the
University of KwaZulu-Natal.
From the ARRL Letter 18th September 2009
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IPS Weekly Solar and Geophysical Report for 11th to 17th September, issued on 18th September by IPS Radio and Space Services.
SUMMARY
Date 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
10cm flux 69 69 69 69 69 69 69
AFr index 2 1 4 4 4 5 ( 7 estimated)
Aaus index 5 3 5 5 6 7 ( 5 estimated)
T index -4 -7 -4 -3 -1 -6 -2
Solar flare activity was very low all week.
Geomagnetic activity observed for the Australian region was quiet on 11th to 13th; quiet to unsettled with active periods at high latitudes on 14th; quiet to unsettled with isolated active periods at high latitudes on 15th and 16th; and quiet with unsettled periods at high latitudes on 17th.
Southern Australian ionospheric F2 critical frequencies were near predicted on 11th and 14th; near predicted to 30 per cent enhanced on 12th; near predicted to 35 per cent enhanced on 13th; near predicted to 60 per cent enhanced on 15th and 17th; and near predicted to 45 per cent enhanced on 16th. Night-time Spread F was recorded in Hobart on 16th and 17th; and blanketing Sporadic E was recorded 02-03 UT at Norfolk Island on 17th.
Forecast for 18th to 24th September
Solar activity should be low.
Geomagnetic activity should see mostly quiet conditions.
Maximum usable frequencies should be near predicted monthly values, however,
depressions are possible.
For an explanation of some of the terms in this report, go to
http://www.ips.gov.au/1/2/1.
Courtesy of IPS Radio and Space Services
Summary by Pat Leeper VK2JPA
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ARLD037 DX news dor 17th September 2009
VIET NAM, 3W. A group of operators will be QRV from three island
groups as XV6RRC from Ngu Island, IOTA AS-185, XV7RRC from Cham
Island, IOTA AS-162, and XV3RRC from Tam Island, IOTA AS-157, on
various days from September 24 to October 1. Activity will be 160
to 10 meters with two stations active simultaneously. QSL all calls
direct via RZ3EC.
MADAGASCAR, 5R. Daniel, DF8UO is QRV as 5R8UO until September 20.
Activity is on 40 to 10 meters using mainly CW and various digital
modes. QSL to home call.
OMAN, A4. San, VU2CEO and Manoj, VU2MCJ along with two SWL
operators will be QRV as A45WH/p from Masirah Island, IOTA AS-014,
from September 22 to 24. Activity will be on 160, 80, 40, 30 and 20
meters using CW, SSB and digital modes. QSL direct to A45WH.
CANARY ISLANDS, EA8. Heinze, DL7HKL is QRV as EA8/home call from La
Gomera Island. IOTA AF-004, until September 28. Activity is
holiday style on 20, 15 and 10 meters using SSB and especially
during his evening hours. QSL to home call.
ETHIOPIA, ET. Jim, WU0I is staying in Addis Ababa momentarily and
should soon be QRV as ET3JD in October. Activity will be on 40 to
15 meters using CW, SSB and PSK31. QSL direct to ET3JD.
TAJIKISTAN, EY. Ken, K4ZW has been QRV as EY8/home call on 20
meters around 1200z and 15 meters around 0900z. QSL to home call.
MAYOTTE, FH. Willi, DJ7RJ will be QRV as TO7RJ from September 22 to
October 25. The last three days of his activity he will be QRV as
FH/DJ7RJ. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters, and possibly 6
meters, using CW and SSB. QSL to home call.
GLORIOSO ISLANDS, FR/G. A group of operators are QRV as FT5GA until
October 10 from Grand Glorieuse Island, IOTA AF-011. Activity will
be on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK31 with four
stations active simultaneously. QSL via F5OGL.
OGASAWARA, JD1. Operators JO2JDJ and JI5RPT will be QRV as JD1BLP
and JD1BLY, respectively, from Chichijima, IOTA AS-031, from
September 19 to 22. Activity will be on 40 to 6 meters using CW,
SSB, digital modes and satellites. QSL to home calls.
ALAND ISLAND, OH0. Tomi, OH6EI will be QRV as OH0Z a
Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry in the Scandinavian Activity CW
Contest. QSL via W0MM.
GREECE, SV. Fred, PA1FJ is QRV as SV8/PA1FJ/p from Samos Island,
IOTA EU-049, until October 2. Activity is on 40 to 6 meters using
QRP power and SSB. QSL to home call.
TUVALU, T2. Gerben, PG5M is QRV as T2G until September 23.
Activity is on the HF bands at various times using CW. QSL to home
call.
SAN MARINO, T7. Operators DL1ZBO, DK9FEC, DJ5TT and DL1FX will be
QRV as T70A from September 24 to 27. Activity will be on 80 to 10
meters using CW, SSB and various digital modes. This includes an
entry in the upcoming CQ WW RTTY contest. QSL via operators'
instructions.
TURKEY, TA. Members of the ''TC Special Wireless Activity Team'' will
be QRV as TC3BLH from September 19 to 24 from Balyos Lighthouse in
the Marmara Sea. Activity will be mainly on 40 and 20 meters using
SSB. QSL via operators' instructions.
NIUE, ZK2. Koji, JM1CAX will be QRV as ZK2NX from September 19 to
25. He will be active on all HF bands, with a preference to the
newer bands, using mainly CW with some SSB. QSL to home call.
CHATHAM ISLAND, ZL7. Bill, N7OU is QRV as ZL7/home call until
September 30. Activity is on 80 to 10 meters using CW. QSL to home
call.
THIS WEEKEND ON THE RADIO. The ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest, North
American SSB Sprint, Scandinavian Activity CW Contest, NCCC Sprint,
AGB NEMIGA CW Contest, SARL VHF/UHF Contest, CIS DX QPSK63 Contest,
South Carolina QSO Party, QRP Afield, Washington State Salmon Run,
Feld Hell Sprint and QCWA Fall QSO Party will certainly keep
contesters busy this weekend. The Run for the Bacon QRP CW Contest
and 144 MHz Fall Sprint are scheduled for September 21. The SKCC CW
Sprint and RSGB 80-Meter Club CW Sprint are scheduled for September
23.
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The Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 925 - excerpts
5R, MADAGASCAR (AF-013)
Daniel, DF8UO, will once again be active as 5R8UO from here between now and
September 20th. Activity will be mainly CW and the Digital modes on 40-10
meters. QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the Bureau. He is expected to
upload his log to LoTW.
8Q, MALDIVES (Update)
Andrew, G7COD, will once again be active as 8Q7AK from Embudu Village, Embudu
Island (AS-013, WLOTA L-3911), between October 12-25th. Activity will be on
80-12 meters including 30/17/12m using CW and SSB. Operating schedule (everyday)
is as follows: 0730-0830z, 0900- 1030z, 1300-1500z and 1730-1800z. Suggested
frequencies are:
CW - 3503, 7003, 10103, 14003, 18073, 21003 and 24893 kHz
SSB - 3795, 7063, 14147, 18133, 21253 and 24953 kHz
ACTIVATING A RARE IOTA (Interesting Story)
Cezar, VE3LYC, last week(end) activated the Ottawa Islands (NA-230) as VY0O
which turned out to be a big adventure for him (bad weather, polar bear, boat
problems (engine, back engine and sinking). However, he made a total of 3000
QSOs with stations on all continents. About 53% of the contacts were on CW, 47%
on SSB. Read his interesting story at:
http://www.qrz.com/db/vy0o
BX5, TAIWAN
Jimmy, BX5AA, will be active during the CQ World Wide DX SSB Contest (October
24-25th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. Jimmy states that BX5 is a
rare prefix for Taiwan (CQ 24). QSL via BX5AA. Visit his Web page at:
http://blog.yam.com/bx5aa
FT/G, GLORIOSO ISLAND (Update)
By the time you read this, the FR5GA team is expected to depart from Reunion
Island on September 14th, and after some final checks with the TAAF authorities,
the team will head to Glorioso Island via Mayotte Island. First signals from
FR5GA are expected to be Tuesday or Wednesday (September 14th or 15th). Pictures
of the teams departure are available already on the Web at:
http://picasaweb.google.fr/MauriceF5NQL/DepartGlorieuses2009#
The team is expected to be there for about three weeks. QSL via F5OGL, direct or
by the Bureau. For more information, updates and suggested frequencies, visit
their Web page at:
http://glorieuses2008.free.fr
IOTA NEWS
EU-049. Fred, PA1FJ, will be active as SV8/PA1FJ/p from Samos Island (GIOTA
SAS-006, MIA MG-099, WLOTA L4163) between September 14th and October 2nd.
Activity will be on 40-6 meters using SSB and running QRP (5 watts - Yaesu FT817
and Buddistick antenna). QSL via his home callsign, direct or by the Bureau.
NA-110. Operators Jeep/KA1DF, Dave/KI4ROL, Paul/K3LLH, David/N2EIO, Gary/AI4JA
and Bill/W3HEA will be activating the special event callsign K4L from a
lighthouse (ARLHS USA-392, TWLHD WLH K-082, WLOTA L 2265, WW Loc. EM92SJ) on
Hunting Island (USI SC003S, Beaufort County, South Carolina) between October
17-18th. The activity is to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse.
The light was the first light on Hunting Island, built in 1859 but destroyed
during the Civil War. It was rebuilt in 1875 of curved iron panels (each
weighing 1200 pounds) with an interior brick wall. In 1889 it was disassembled
and moved 1/4 mile inland due to rapid erosion of the northern end of the
island. It served as a navigation light until decommissioned in 1933. The park
itself was created just prior to WWII; during the war, the Air Force had a
transmitter site there. QSL via K3LLH. An online log will be available after
the event. Further information can be found at:
http://pws.prserv.net/K4L
OH0, ALAND ISLAND
Tomi, OH6EI, will be active as OH0Z during two different weekends this month for
the SAC Contests. Look for him during the Scandinavian Activity CW Contest
(September 19-20th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/ High-Power entry, and the
Scandinavian Activity SSB Contest (September 26-27th) as a
Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry. QSL via W0MM.
PACIFIC TOUR
Once again, Hrane/YT1AD and Miki/YU1DW will travel to the Pacific, and will be
active from the following locations per this timetable:
KH8 - American Samoa; September 30th-October 1st; callsign KH8/N9YU
5W - Samoa; October 2-3rd; callsigns 5W7A (YT1AD) and 5W0DW (YU1DW)
3D2 - Fiji; October 4-6th; callsigns 3D2AD (YT1AD) and 3D2DW (YU1DW)
T30 - Western Kiribati; October 6-8th; callsigns T30M (YT1AD) and T30W (YU1DW)
The main purpose of this trip is to prepare all necessary documents for their
next DXpeditions to Central Kiribati (T31), Tokelau Island (ZK3) and Wallis
Island (FW8) in September and October of 2010. More details will be forthcoming
at:
http://www.yt1ad.info/t31
TC2, TURKEY
If you missed Tevfik, TA1HZ, during the WAE SSB Contest this past weekend using
the special callsign TC2X, you will have a second chance to work him during the
51st Scandinavian Activity Contest on September 26-27th. Tevfik's QTH is
Bayramoglu, Kocaeli, and he uses a Diamond BB7V vertical antenna and a long
wire. He states, "Main purpose of activity is to give out multipliers to runners
and have the flag up!!"
TC3, TURKEY (Lighthouse Activity)
After the successful ILOTA Istanbul Lighthouses On The Air activity, the members
of the Turkish group called TCSWAT (Special Wireless Activity Team) will now
activated for the first time Balyos Lighthouse on the south coast of the Marmara
Sea between September 19-23rd. The callsign will be TC3BLH. Activity will be as
usual on the HF bands, mainly on 20 and 40m SSB. SSTV activity is planned, but
not guaranteed. There will be other new lighthouse activations from the Marmara
Sea coastline with a special award available after the operations. If you are
interested in lighthouse activities, please check the following Web site for
further announcements at:
http://www.tcswat.org
TJ, CAMEROON
Reports indicate that Lionel, F5PSA, is active as TJ3SL. His length of stay is
unknown at this time. Activity has been on 20-10 meters using SSB, but only
during his spare time. QSL via his home callsign.
TK, CORSICA
Members of the Volta DX Team and Project DX Team will be active as TK/homecall
from Corsica (EU-014) between September 19-24th. Operators mentioned are:
Ern/I2FUG, Oscar/IK2AQZ and John/IK2JYT. This is their annual
holiday/DXpedition. Activity will be on all bands (160-2 meters) using CW, SSB
and the Digital modes. They plan to have two stations using small amplifiers,
verticals and loop antennas. They will also try to go and operate from a more
islands, such as Ile St.Cipriano (EU-164), Ile Cerbicales (EU-100) and Ile
Sanguinaire (EU-104). QSL via their home callsigns, direct or by the Bureau.
XV, VIETNAM (Rare IOTAs)
Members of the Russian Robinson Club and R-Quad Antenna Company have put
together a DXpedition project to activate the rarest IOTA references in Vietnam
during the last part of September and early October. They will be in Vietnam
between September 24th and October 2nd. Operators mentioned are: Sergey/RA3NAN,
Oleg/RK3FA, Andy/RZ3EM and Andrey/UA6BGB. The tentative schedule is as follows:
AS-185. Activity from Hon Ngu Island as XV6RRC; September 24-26th.
AS-162. Activity from Cu Lao Cham Island as XV7RRC; September 27-28th.
AS-157. Activity from Hon Tam Island as XV3RRC; Sept. 29th-October 1st
The team plans to run 2 stations with the following setup:
TXs: Elecraft K3 2 pcs
Amplifiers: Acom 1000, Ameritron ALS600o Antennas: 160/80/40m Vertical on 18m
mast, 20m VDA on 12m mast, VDAs on 15-17m on 12m mast, BiggIR Vertical (40-10m),
LowBands RX antennas (if the conditions permit)
Software: WinTest, AATest
The team will try to do their best to log as many IOTA enthusiasts all over the
world as the propagation and other local conditions permit. If they can manage
to arrange an Internet connection, they will try to update their log daily. For
more details and updates, please visit their Web page at:
http://xv6rrc.com/
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The Society can be contacted in the following ways: To Pat VK2JPA via patleeper at optusnet.com.au, or you can drop a line to PO Box 93 Toongabbie NSW 2146.
73’s from Pat VK2JPA broadcast Officer.