Tim Beaumont, Author at M0URX

MS0OXE Fair Isle QSL Preview

14 September 2015

MS0OXE Fair Isle DXpedition ended today with 5,340 QSOs in less than 1 week of operation in which the team experienced some of the most disturbed band conditions that we have seen in a long time. Every day say solar flares slamming into Earth’s Ionosphere causing the K index to reach 5, and the A index to stay at 59 for almost 18 hours. This caused the bands for the team to be very unstable or closed for long periods with 10m and 12m barely workable the whole week. On Friday the 9th September the team stopped to view the beautiful Aurora which caused the bands to close.

Thank you to all who worked MS0OXE on this DXpedition to Fair Isle. Log has been uploaded to Club Log & LoTW. QSL cards will be in the print room very soon and will be posted in early October.

QSL Via M0URX OQRS – http://www.m0urx.com/oqrs/
Please note – Do not send your QSL to us Via Bureau – Bureau = ONLY Via OQRS link above. Thank you

MS0OXE FAIR ISLE EU-012 September 2015

8 September 2015

The Black Country DX & Contest group will be QRV from Fair Isle, IOTA EU-012, from the 9^TH to the 15^th September 2015.

We expect to be QRV from 18:00 UTC on the 9^th to 16:00 UTC on the 15^th September 2015.

We will be on 10m – 40m in CW, RTTY, SSB and some PSK.

Due to no mains power throughout the night we will QRT each night around 2330 local and QRV each morning from 0730 local. Hence, no 160 or 80 meters.

We will have 3 stations on the air at all times from 0730 till 2330 each day from the 10^th to 14^th September.

We are staying at the south lighthouse (SKADDAN) GRID: IO99EM, WAB: HZ16 and for lighthouse chasers ILLW: UK0127 – ARLHS: SCO 079 FAIR ISLE SOUTH SKADDAN – WLOTA: LH 1319.

QSL- All QSL is via Tim M0URX online OQRS system. http://www.m0urx.com/oqrs/

WE DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR QSL CARD FOR CONFORMATIONS. Request QSL’s via M0URX OQRS.

LOTW upload, once we have returned home. CLUBLOG uploads every day.

MS0OXE will be operated by M0VKY, M0YOM, G0JKY & M0CKE.

More information on our website- http://www.ms0oxe.net/

We look forward to working you from Fair Isle. 73, MS0OXE.

Image copywright www.ScottishViewpoint.com

Given the remoteness of Fair Isle the team are pleased to report that they have been able to upload the log to Club Log and LoTW directly from the Island.

On the evening of the 10th, Simon reported that they are viewing the Aurora Borealis. On the downside this means that band conditons are very poor at this time.

Bureau Posting News Outgoing! August 2015

15 August 2015

QSL cards have been posted to 89 World Bureaus today, Saturday 15th August 2015

This mailing is a joint mailing between M0OXO Charles and M0URX Tim
I would very much appreciate feedback from you when the QSL cards start arriving at World Bureaus or received by hams around the world.? This feedback will be added to our data below.
This mailing also contains E30FB cards.

Total amount of QSL cards 16,521
Via M0URX 11,141
Via M0OXO 5,380
Total Weight 67.438 kg

Total Cost £317.76 / per kg £4.71
Average postage cost 1.9 p per QSL card.

PJ5A QSL Preview

6 August 2015

QSL Preview of the recent PJ5A DXpedition to St Eustatius Island, IOTA NA-145, part of the DXCC entity Saba & St Eustatius.

Dick K5AND & Terry K4RX were QRV from 27th June to 5th July 2015, predominantly a 6m DXpedition which provided the worst conditions that they had experienced in their last 23 DXpeditions, in fact they only recorded one good to day Europe on 6m.

105 direct QSL cards were posted out on 3rd September 2015.

FAO UK Hams – How to send a QSL card

27 June 2015

I have noticed that many new hams in the United Kingdom are not aware of how to send QSL cards to ensure they get a 100% reply. So here are a few tips to help you along the way.

1) Use a Self-Addressed Envelope SAE for the QSL to be returned to you.

2) Enclose US$2 – this pays for postage, ink, labels and other items that are needed in QSL management. Never send a QSL without covering the return costs.
NO stamps or IRC’s Sorry!

3) All QSOs should be neatly listed either on one QSL card or on a piece of paper attached to the QSL card.

Now let’s look at what should be on your QSL card. Many QSL cards are used to claim awards, this means that your QSL card should contain at least the very basic details.

1) Your call sign, name and mailing address. Call sign should also be on the back.
2) The country name “England” should be clear. Not everyone will know that Hinckley Bottom is in England.
3) IOTA (Islands On The Air) MUST have the Island name printed on the QSL so “Mainland Great Britain” should be shown. You can also add the IOTA reference: EU-005.
4) CQ Zone: 14 ITU Zone: 27 should also be on your QSL for CQ & ITU Zones awards.
5) It is also helpful to add your Maidenhead locator: mine is IO92fj it is common that the last two letter suffix be in lower case.
6) WAB: Worked All Britain is another award where it is helpful to show your WAB area mine is SP27. You can also add your book numbers too.

7) This is most important! If you are using a photograph on the QSL, use HIGH RESOLUTION digital images. Low resolution or scanned images will not work in QSL reproduction, they will be pixelated or grainy or both. The same for logos, use high resolution logos.

Do not assume that the QSL printer will add such detail. To be honest QSL designers / printers that do not add the data or advise you about such information should not even be designing or printing QSL cards. So think about your design AND what text must be written on it.

Incoming Bureau Box

25 June 2015

A box of 2,300 incoming bureau cards arrived today from the RSGB bureau. Only the 2nd time that i received a quarterly box on time in many years. Cards sorted and processed ready for the next dispatch.

I expect the next outgoing dispatch to be posted in August.

PJ5A St. Eustatius

25 June 2015

June 25^th – July 5^th – K4RX, Terry; W3CMP, Chris; and K5AND, Dick; are expected to arrive on St. Eustatius, will be QRV as PJ5A the following morning (local time) on 1.8 through 28 MHz and two stations on 6 meters, “one favouring EU/AF and the other favouring US”.

They will have three K-Lines and large antennas, with an emphasis on 6 meters until July 5th.

Maidenhead Locator: FK87mm
IOTA Reference: NA-145

Plans are to be on the ON4KST Chat page http://www.on4kst.org/. They will be posting their logs online.

Logsearch will be here: https://secure.clublog.org/logsearch/PJ5A

QSL via M0URX OQRS & direct letter OR Bureau by OQRS

Please note that QSL cards need to be designed and printed. OQRS may show as QSL processed and will be posted when i have the cards from the printer.

Back to work!

24 June 2015

After returning from a successful mission to Ramsey Island EU-124, I am now home and returning to QSL work.

OQRS is up to date. 93 letters were posted this morning and 250 bureau cards processed this morning also.

Post has just arrived from the PO Box and an incoming box from the RSGB is due tomorrow.

Another 54 letters posted on Thursday 25th.

Taking a break!

16 June 2015

United Radio QSL Bureau will be closed from Wednesday 17th to 24th June 2014.
I will be able to answer some emails, QSL requests will be completed on my return. Thank you!

MC0SHL Ramsey Island EU-124 2015

15 June 2015

We would like to announce that we are currently in the final planning stages of our regular trip to Ramsey Island – IOTA EU-124. This year we are going to try to have 3 stations on air full time as we are only there for 3 nights.

Arrive on island Friday 19th June.
Depart island Monday 22nd June.

Please note that operation in the days before and after with MC0SHL will be from the club house on mainland Wales EU-005.

We will be using 3 of the new “Hexpedition” hexbeams built by Ant, one will be directed to the West to allow us to work as many stations in the USA as possible as we seem to be lacking contacts from there each year. There may be some digi mode operating and again we will be looking on 6m to work as many as possible on there too.

Team members this year include a new addition of Vinny, M0TAV, who we welcome into the fold as a guest operator. Vinny is the antenna erector here in the midlands and has experience of operating from around the world when he was working on cruise ships and from his time in Thailand.

The full team this year are;

Rob MW0RLJ
Ant MW0JZE
Tim M0URX
Charles M0OXO
Tony G4LDL
Chris G1VDP
Vinny M0TAV
Jane – Rob’s wife and the chief chef and the one who keeps us in check
Laura MW6INK – Ant’s wife and Janes right hand

Glenys G8KWD – Tony’s wife and Janes left hand. The girls are in charge as usual and I am sure will keep us all in our place.

Usual DX Code of conduct rules will be adhered to (FULL CALL ONLY) and the regular QSL route via M0URX. Please do not send your card to us via the bureau as we do not need your card, but use Tim’s on line request service.
Or request direct and donate a couple of dollars to assit with our costs.

There may be some operating the days before and after from the farm as we all assemble and get ready to travel.

We look forward to meeting you on the air and again we ask to listen to who we call and just act in a true Ham Spirit and allow us to complete the QSO’s.

Author - Tim Beaumont