The QSL room here at the United Radio QSL Management Bureau remains busy. VK100AF – VI100AF continues to air the call signs to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force. There are 47 operators taking part right across the Australian States, each operator has the call sign for two or three days each and at the end of the operating schedule will send me the log update for uploading onto The Bespoke OQRS, Online QSL Request System, and LoTW. Each log is checked carefully before uploading to ensure format is the same on all logs. Each log update records the call signs of the Special Even Stations operator so that when you check the log search for your call sign, you can also see who the operator was that you worked and therefore which State in Australia that you worked too. Every day the log updates are uploaded to LoTW using a separate “Station Location” for each participating activator so that you will get confirmation of the Grid Locator, CQ / ITU Zones and State for each QSO. There are now over 29,000 Q’s in the VK100 event station logs.
The VK100AF event also features on this months WIA (Wireless Institute of Australia) front cover with an article on page 9 written by Stuart Birkin VK8NSB. Also in this months WIA magazine on page 38 is a superb article written by Charles Wilmott M0OXO on “The world of QSL Management” where Charles explains his history in QSL management. Both Charles and I work closely on our QSL management services to promote and preserve QSL’ing for DXCC and IOTA operations around the world.
There are also lots of other call signs very active in May, 5Z4VJ Andy continues to add abut 1,000 Qs every week from his station in Nairobi, Kenya, in a Tweet from Andy this evening he says:
“@AndyG3AB 5Z4VJ: 150k QSOs now in the log from Kenya (since November 2019) as 5Z4/G3AB & 5Z4VJ. QSO number 150,000 was with Mat san JS1KKY @JA3MIO on 12m FT8 on 15th May. Special thanks to Tim, @M0URX for his hard work answering QSL requests. #5Z4VJ”
While the resident operators in Bonaire, PJ4BZL, PJ4DX, PJ4EL, PJ4EVA, PJ4KY & PJ4NX continue to be very active most days on FT8 and SSB. VE2CSI also has been very busy on air from CQ Zone 2 in recent months with Steve VE2TKH as the operator. HK3C John in Bogata, Columbia, and TI5/N3KS Kam in Costa Rica.
In an email tonight 18th May, from PJ4DX, Steve says: “Well, that was a lot of fun! 6m opened here at 1905z with CT, EA8, EA and then at 1914 a solitary SV2. Nothing else heard from the Balkans or Eastern Europe. Then F, CT3, CU etc plus a solitary IK7. The first G was G0OIL at 1937 and for the next hour the waterfall display was simply full of British Isles stations – I was pleased to work GW, GM, GI, GD and EI. Also in there were a few PA, ON, DL and OZ stations, though nothing from SM or LA, plus an IS0 and ZB2TT.
Eva PJ4EVA was chomping at the bit so I handed over to her at 2048. I saw that she also worked many familiar UK calls. I was back on at 2156 and by 2236 the DX opening was over, although Caribbean and a few US stations were still coming in with strong signals.
Good to work G0KOM as I know PJ4 was a new one for Adrian. Sorry to have missed G4IIY, though I’m sure this won’t be the last opening to UK. Bert PJ4KY was also on and seemed to have an ever bigger pile-up than me (Bert uses a SteppIR MonstIR at 60ft with 6-eles on 6m, I’m using an HB9CV at 6.5m above ground, so I’m surprised he was only 4 – 6dB louder than me). Also QRV were PJ4s NX, GR, EL, and MM.
Finally, I did listen from time to time at the SSB / CW end of the band but only heard two KP4s chatting away, not DXing. No CW signals heard other than the V4 beacon. 73 Steve, PJ4DX”
Just an update now on QSL mailings, we are still seeing the effects of Covid-19 restrictions in many countries worldwide with some delay to a number of destinations. There is a huge reduction in available capacity in freight to all countries which is causing delays to some of our QSL mailings destinations. I have also seen some mail be returned to sender where postal deliveries locally have not been possible.
Are you planning to be QRV from a DX location? Need a QSL Manager? Please contact me for more details.
