Archive - December 2008

As many of you know I am a Sub Manager for the RSGB QSL Bureau, for the G4Dxx and G4Rxx.

One problem that all Sub managers have is being able to communicate with all the Radio Amateurs under their wing so I have decided to write a general blog that is not just for the Amateurs that I manage, but for all licenced Radio Amateurs wherever you are.

It is very important to know WHO your Sub Manager is if you are a UK Ham you can go to the RSGB Website http://www.rsgb.org

Members can enter the “Members Area” to view the up to date list of Sub managers. If you are not a member of the RSGB.. (why not?) but you are a UK Ham then you can email me and I can find out who is your sub manager.

Make sure that your Sub manager has correctly stamped and addressed envelopes so that they can keep posting you your cards as they come through. Remember even NON members can receive cards.

“I’m not interested in QSL’ing” is one comment I hear all too often, well tell your sub manager that you do not wish to receive QSL cards so that the RSGB can deal with them appropriately. Remember YOU might not want the QSL cards but SOMEONE wants yours that is why the cards are waiting for you. QSL’ing is part of the hobby and many people enjoy chasing awards so if you don’t want QSL cards may I suggest you write on your QRZ.com profile a line saying “I do not collect QSL cards but if you require a QSL card please email me and I will send one Via the Bureau”

This leads onto QRZ.com, I can’t stress how important it is to KEEP your profile updated, I often need to email Amateurs only to find out that they have not updated their email address or their postal address and quite often I see in the RSGB yearbook “details withheld” so when I do need to get hold of a radio amateur to let them know about cards waiting I am not able to do so.

I have 1,000 cards held for G4Dxx and G4Rxx, and I am just one of 80 UK Sub managers that could mean 80,000 QSL cards that Sub managers can’t get to the owners. So please if you are reading this and you are a UK Radio Amateur, please keep your RSGB Sub Manager updated with envelopes, stamps and instructions to your QSL routing. It may not be important to you but it will help all the Sub Managers keep the workload down and to keep the Amateurs for their section happy.

Over Christmas I have received some photographs from John 9M6XRO from his trip to Cambodia as XU7XRO here are two of the images. I will be printing the new QSL card in January and using the old stock for Bureau cards.
John reports that band conditions were great but he had also to do some work on the station in XU7 but did manage to work on 80m and 160m. 

Do you remember when you were just 12 years of age? And your mum & dad gave you your first crystal set for Christmas? No? Well I don’t either but it sets the scene for my Blog entry today.

Earlier this year I replaced my second (reserve) radio with a new one. (I won a Yaesu FT-897, thanks to Yaesu and Chiltern DX Club) The FT-100 had been a great radio for me and was given to me by a radio amateur in Japan as a gift on a visit in 2003 so I was not going to sell the radio but instead I decided it would be a great idea to give this HF / VHF / UHF Transceiver to a young radio operator coming into the hobby that showed great potential and passion for the hobby.

We all know how expensive this hobby can be, and when you first get licensed there is so much equipment you need and want to get your hands on. But when you are just 12 years old money can be a bit of a problem. United Radio QSL Management Bureau have decided to “elmer” a young radio ham called Aidan from Birmingham England to encourage, help and advise this young chap through his introductory time into Amateur Radio. He loves contesting and DX’ing and has just passed the UK’s Foundation Exam.

Aidan has been a Scout at the Dorridge Scout Group and when Scout Leader Callum M0MCX introduced the scouts to Amateur Radio Aidan was always there to help out with the contests and showed huge enthusiasm for this wonderful hobby of Amateur Radio. Over the coming months I will Blog Aidan’s progress in the hobby.

On passing the Foundation Exam I presented Aidan with a Christmas present for him to open…. Wow what a great surprise that was to Aidan:
Yaesu FT-100 Transceiver
Yaesu FC-20 Auto ATU
Comet H-422 Dipole Antenna

So my message to you for Christmas is think about the future of our hobby, try to “Elmer” / mentor a new ham and  help and guide them into the hobby. The future is in your hands.
Merry Christmas to you all and thanks for all your emails and comments received this year. 73 de Tim M0URX

I was delighted to receive the QSL card today from JD1BMM. Number 266 Confirmed!
JA6GXK will be active again as JD1BMM from Minami-Torishima (OC-073) from 23 December to 6 January. He will operate in his spare time on all bands and modes with 500 watts and a focus on the low bands. QSL via JD1BMM, direct (Masafumi Ishihara, 2-305 Loran, 2-5-35 Miyazaki, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-0806 Japan) or through the JARL Bureau. Info from 425 DX News. 

I received an interesting letter along with my QSL card from Monk Apollo SV2ASP/A Mount Athos.
Dear friends,

I would like to ask for your help in a problem that I confront. Recently, in the new regulations made by the Greek Ministry of Communications gave the SY prefix to Special call to anyone who wants it. Sadly the men at the Ministry do not understand the importance of the DXCC – Entity Mount Athos to the World of Amateur Radio.

Monk Apollo invites you to send an email to the Ministry [email protected]  and ask them to reserve the prefix SY solely for the use of Mount Athos to eliminate any confusion of the DXCC Entity Mount Athos.

Thanks in advance for your assistance, from Mount Athos, the “Garden of Virgin Mary” I send you my best wishes. God Bless you – Monk Apollo.

(Ed – But will Monk Apollo ALLOW a DXpedition from an outside team?)

John 9M6XRO is now active until the 18th December 2008 as XU7XRO all QSL requests will be sent when John returns home and sends me the log update. Email Bureau requests will also receive a reply email when i got the log. As soon as i have more information i will let you all know on this blog.
I will be designing a new XU7XRO QSL card on John’s return home from his latest Cambodian expedition.
May i take this opportunity to wish you all a verry Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2009. 73 de Tim M0URX

Last week saw the Special Event Station CY2ZT/2 by Steve VE2TKH draw to a close, Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of British Columbia. In an email from Steve he says “I had plenty of fun with that call despite some heavy QSB and often poor RX conditions on my multibands dipole, but 5974 Qs is very good” Well done Steve! You operated professionally and it was a great pleasure to work with you on this operation.
All QSL cards have been replied to, some are here waiting for my next posting before Christmas. All Bureau cards will shortly be heading off to the Bureau too! Thank you to everyone for your participation.

DUDLEY AND DISTRICT ARS have organised a presentation on the DXpedition 
3B7C, St Brandon, by Don Beattie G3BJ, who was a crew member on the DXpedition.
Don says, the presentation should last about 1hr 45mins, power point presentation with video clips.
WEDNESDAY 29th APRIL 2009, doors open 19:00 for a 19:45 start.
The venue is: Trysull Village Hall,
FEISHALL LANE, TRYSULL,
WOLVERHAMPTON,
WEST MIDLANDS. 
More information on the Dudley & District Amateur Radio Society can be found at: http://www.kadars.org.uk/
[email protected]  is the email address for anyone wishing to contact me about the presentation. Visitors welcome 73 de Simon M0VKY
 

John 9M6XRO has only been back home from the SEANET convention for one week and is already packing his travel bags and setting off on another DX adventure…

I plan to be QRV from Kompong Som, Cambodia from December 10th-18th as
XU7XRO on 10-160m using CW/SSB/RTTY.

QSL info for XU7XRO is only via Tim, M0URX. Bureau, direct or email
requests to M0URX for bureau cards are accepted.

I will be in Scotland over Christmas and New Year so I will hopefully
give GM3OOK an airing from Irvine.
73 – John – 9M6XRO – ISWL 9M6-6982