Category - Blog

VP8PJ QSL Preview

23 April 2020

The VP8PJ QSL card designs have been approved and the production started at ON5UR QSL Print Service. Being done over the Internet made the process easy and seamless during the Covid-19 lock down.  There will be three full colour cards, each designed by Dave K3EL.

– VP8PJ folded card – various scenes of the island.
– VP8PJ Bureau and overflow card.
– ZL1NA/MM – RV Braveheart anchored – Borge Bay – Signy Island.

Mailing Schedule?
This week as the designs were sent to the print room, I printed off all the address and QSO labels from OQRS, and prepared all the envelopes ready for the mailing. You will see that the OQRS now puts the “Status” of these QSL as “Direct Sent”
The mailing will not be sent until ALL QSLs are ready and there will be a press release made when the competed mailing is sent.  As soon as the cards arrive from the printer I will stuff the envelops and take to the post office. As a reminder, all VP8PJ confirmation processing is handled by Tim M0URX, from the UK. OQRS Open – see links above.
Bureau cards will be placed in the bureau system in early 2021.

 

 

5Z4/G3AB Log uploaded

15 April 2020

5Z4/G3AB Log uploaded to 26 Apr 2020 11:24 UTC. OQRS Open

Log is not complete. Log updates will be sporadic. Please be patient and always check “Last QSO in Log” data before you raise a ticket.

Andy reports to me that: he is now using JTDX for FT8 and will now be signing off each QSO with “RR73”

VP8PJ QSL Update

12 April 2020

On Friday, April 10th the VP8PJ QSL card design was sent to Max (ON5UR QSL Print Service) for review and setup. After our final review is complete the cards will be printed and shipped to Tim M0URX for distribution. Thousands of QSO and mailing labels have already been processed and are ready for placement on QSL cards and direct mail envelops. Buro cards will be placed in the system in early 2021.

Of the 83,783 QSOs in the log, 30,548 have been claimed and processed for placement on QSL cards,  there are no busted call requests in the work queue – to date, all 731 have been investigated and answered by Tim M0URX. LoTW uploads for all donors and anyone that submitted an OQRS for a Direct Mail card have been processed. Requests that came in after the last upload (and this morning) will process in the next cycle. The upload process is run daily.

As stated on the website (sorkney.com) QSL page, the complete log will be uploaded to LoTW 6 months after the DX-pedition.

Let’s be realistic, the Covid-19 crisis has disrupted the world. Businesses are closed and every facet of our life has been upended. Please be patient, the cards will be mailed as soon as possible. OQRS and LoTW are processed daily. There is no need to send e-mails asking about the QSL cards. 73, GS K5GS

Another Year of Posting QSL’s

10 April 2020

It is always interesting to see how much mail the UK QSL managers network post in a year, with the bottom of the solar cycle it is inevitable that the figures are lower this year. However as you see in the table below 17,658 items were posted. This includes the larger parcels sent to the IARU Bureaus over the last year.
The year ahead could be quite challenging as International freight availability is at a premium as Covid-19 grounds large fleets of aircraft that would normally carry International mail from one country to another. This will inevitably push prices higher in the coming year.
United Radio are doing everything we can to ensure our QSL cards get through.

Bureau Service Needs S10 Barcode

2 April 2020
Brazil Customs Refuse Bureau cards and this is just the start to how things are going to change for shipment of Bureau cards around the world.
Since the start of the IARU Bureau service all we needed was an address in the member state to send Bureau cards. This is no longer the case.

From the 1st January 2019 The Universal Postal Union (UPU) requires you to provide electronic customs data when sending ‘goods’ across border.

Countries are adopting the submission of electronic data at variable speeds due to their existing IT infrastructure and ability to embrace change but from 2020 the expectation is that most countries will apply the changes more rigorously.
There are benefits to the legislation including smoother and more efficient transit times with fewer delays and subsequently fewer customer complaints.
What items are affected?
Untracked international items, with an intrinsic value. Including large letters, packets and e-commerce. * Printed matter is not affected.
What you need to remember:
• Goods to display an S10 barcode attached to the label as well as a customs declaration (CN22/23)
Advanced Electronic Data (AED) to be submitted, in the form of an electronic manifest advising the details declared on your CN22/23.
Harmonised System codes (otherwise known as HS or Tariff Codes) form part of the data requested on your customs declaration form (CN22/23).
The UPU requires these customs forms to be completed accurately and in full to facilitate a rapid clearance in the recipient country.

The submission of S10 barcodes and AED is a global customs requirement with the EU introducing it from January 2020. 

What this means is that Bureaus MUST provide the following information: 
Recipient Full Name 
Recipient email address (of the bureau department)
Recipients Telephone Number
Then the sender can acquire a S10 barcode from the shipping company. This is quite an urgent matter. Already here we have had to suspend all Bureau shipments to Brazil, Argentina and Belarus as the customs refuse entry of our parcels because of no Pre-Advice Electronic Data. Ironically from our fact finding * “Printed matter is not affected” BUT and this is the big but…. if you do not use S10 barcode some customs / duane are returning the items regardless that they are * “Printed Matter” whilst others are slapping a handling fee because we have no S10 barcode. The United Radio QSL Bureau have notified the IARU on a number of occasions of these changes but have yet to put facilities in place to provide the data needed. 

VP8PJ QSL Update

29 March 2020

– We are approaching 6,000 requests for QSL cards, Direct and Bureau.

– 731  Not in Log requests have been investigated and answered. For a DX-pedition with 83,500 QSOs and 20,500 unique call signs in the log this is a very small number, it indicates the DX-pedition team’s attention to logging accuracy.

– LoTW processing is up to date. All donor LoTW records were uploaded. Current OQRS LoTW uploads are processed daily.

– The VP8PJ QSL cards are being designed by the team. VP8PJ OQRS OPEN

Due to the Covid-19 situation I have been asked to report to work 7 days per week, for a 10 hour shift. I will continue to process QSL confirmations and research issues as time allows, please be patient.

For those who have not yet reported a Not in Log problem, please use the form on OQRS QSO entry page. Responding to individual e-mails is time consuming and non productive. Please do not send screenshots unless requested, and never send your log files, spreadsheets or screenshots of your log, they are of no use to researching a problem.
Tim M0URX

Posting your QSL’s

21 March 2020

I have had several inquiries about how Covid-19 affects the delivery of your QSL cards. It is a fluid situation and after taking advice from Royal Mail i can inform you that posting from the UK is continuing as normal.
Nearly all mail is sorted by machine so is not touched by human hands. Large mailings are bagged from here and sent directly to London Heathrow Distribution Centre and the bags put on onward flights to the destination country. Remember many flights are cancelled and this can also add to delays.

Royal Mail has a page on the website updated for “International Incident Bulletins” this link will take you to the page so that you can see what restrictions are in your country and where delays may apply.

Updated 24/03/2014 – As air flights around the world reduce very significantly to avoid the spread of Covid-19. This has a knock on effect on a restriction of air freight available to send post around the world. International Post WILL be more expensive and will also experience delays as most flights are not available to carry mail. 

Thee below images (courtesy of Flightradar24) show the decreased capacity from February 26th to March 25:

K5GS on the latest VP8PJ News

17 March 2020

Thanks for the pileups!
We have all left Punta Arenas and are either home or another location of choice.
Several of us left Punta Arenas sooner than planned because of the Coronavirus situation and possible airline chaos. Fortunately, of those I’ve heard from, we had no problem buying a new ticket and getting to our final destination. 
On Sunday when Rob and  arrived at LAX the Immigration and Customs area was empty, so no delays.  All our flights were uneventful and on time.
After being away for 5 weeks we need to get our personal affairs in order and will work on DX-pedition related tasks as time is available. So please be patient, we have all have other life responsibilities.
If you have a Not in Log or suspected busted call,  Do not send e-mails, and please don’t send screenshots or log files unless requested.
Follow the Not in Log procedure:  https://sorkney.com/qsl/

Sending unsolicited e-mails slows the process, Tim works the Not in Log queue in the order received, unsolicited e-mails waste our time and will not be processed.

I’ll be posting some photographs on the website. We’re disappointed that the major conventions have been cancelled, and hope that the worst of Coronavisus comes to an end soon. We’re still planning Friedrichshafen in late June, maybe that one will happen.
Last I talked with Tim he’s making good progress with Not in Log issues, and is regularly uploading LoTW, although I did see he had a computer failure and acquired a new machine.
We appreciate the kind words from the Group and in personal e-mails from the community.
Many of you have “suggested” the next DX-pedition location, we’ve already had those discussions before and during VP8PJ.
73, GS K5GS