250 Items have been prepared for posting which include direct QSL cards and 3,500 Bureau QSL cards to World Bureaus.
This mailing will be sent out on 20/02/2010.
Please remember if you need a Bureau card. Request it! dont send it! Use my OQRS. Thank you!
Phew a busy day today here at the office!
Log received from XU7XRO. 2985 Qs now uploaded to LoTW and Online log search. QSL Requests now being processed.
A RSGB Bureau parcel arrived today. 2,300 QSL cards Via M0URX. Sorted into call sign order and now processed, waiting to be dispatched.
G4Dxx Call Series 1,400 QSL cards arrived. Sorted and dispatched 11/02/2010 1100z.
G4Rxx Call Series 600 QSL Cards arrived Sorted and dispatched 13/02/2010 0600z
Thank you to G1VDP Chris for your help this evvening.
Remember for DX’peditions IOTA or Holiday stations your QSL may not be required!!!
You could save time and money by requesting your QSL by EMAIL or OQRS. Please use these facilities and help me save on Bureau costs both here and at all World Bureaux. Thank you!
John 9M6XRO is operating from Cambodia as XU7XRO 3rd to 9th February. John will operate on 160-10 metres CW, RTTY and SSB, with a beam and Inverted V’s for the low bands.
QTH Weather Station Hill, Kompong Som (Sihanoukville) IARU Loc – OK10sp
CQ Zone 26 – ITU Zone 49
QSL via M0URX, Direct (or Bureau by email request ONLY) The log will be uploaded to LoTW and my online log search facility after the operation.
Full QSL Routing click here.
ONLY Request Bureau Via EMAIL. All Bureau QSL cards will be sent direct Via World Bureaus by-passing RSGB.
04/10/2010 0300z I have made 400+ QSO’s but the bands are not great. I’m using my IC-7000. There is a really high SWR on the 80/160m ant but I have not got my MFJ this time to see where it is resonant. I will root out the big ATU from the cupboard and see if that does any good. The way the linear is set up you have to press the footswitch on every mode even CW and RTTY which is a pain so am going to see if I can sort that out.
All bands are totally dead at the moment (1045am LT). Will adjourn to Wim’s XU7TZG shortly for a beer I think.
07/01/2010 1500z John reports about 2,500 QSO’s log up to now.
73 – John – XU7XRO
The new QSL designs for OY1OF Olavur and OY4TN Trygvi will soon be available. Photo’s by Olavur Frederiksen
Ólavur is a professional photographer and I think you will agree the QSL cards look very stunning.
QSL cards have been designed by Max ON5UR.
QSL cards sponsored by M0URX United Radio QSL Bureau. (Designs will be available from mid February)
It is with great relief that today i received an email from Jenci HA5FA of the Hungarian QSL Bureau.
Dear Tim, Today we receive a 10kg parcel from the RSGB.
Thae parcel contains 0,49 kilograms of your QSLs:
CY2ZT/2,OY4TN,9M6DXX/P,7P8OK,MW9W,M0URX,XU7XRO,C91XO,3DA0OK,
A25OOK,M3SDE V8FRO and 9M8Z. Thanks a lot, vy 73 de Jenci, HA5FA.
This is great news. Any more World Bureaus report receiving QSL’s from teh RSGB Bureau please keep us informed? Thank you.
United Radio are proud to be sponsors of the Flannan Isles EU-118 project 2010. The callsign will be MS0INT planned for June 2010.
In a Pan-European project, SMØMDG Bjørn, EA3NT Christian, EA2TA George, EA1DR Oscar and leader MMØNDX Col will – weather permitting – try to be active from the remote North Atlantic island group of the Flannans 20 miles north west of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Activated in 1989, 1995, 1999 and 2002, the mysterious Flannan Isles are certainly a much needed but extremely difficult to access IOTA.
QSL Sponsored by M0URX
Also sponsors of this IOTA activity are G3TXQ Broad Band Hex-Beam by MW0JZE.
DX World.NET new website has gone live today! Ham Radio News for real DX’ers. Keep up to date with live DX News at DX World
DX-World.net is the brainchild of DL6KAC, MM0NDX & SQ8X. Stemming from the highly popular DX World of Ham Radio we decided to modernise, thus DX-World.net was born.
As you can appreciate, the site is in the early stages of launching. Through time, a whole host of DX related goodies will become apparent, so please check back in future. In the meantime, click around and get acquainted with DX World.net.
As previously stated for my clients I will continue to send QSL cards direct to the World Bureaus at my expense to ensure a good service for the people around the World that want the Bureau QSL.
If you have been reading my Blog in recent months, you will have read that I have been investigating reports that many QSL cards outgoing from the RSGB Bureau have not been sent. When I say outgoing I mean leaving Great Britain to World Bureaus. So where are we with my investigations?
It was in June 2009 that I started receiving complaints about non delivery of my outgoing Bureau QSL cards for stations that I manage, these QSL cards are dating back to late March 2008 from when they left here.
It was established in November 2009 from Richard Constantine of the RSGB Bureau that prices increased in carriage to the World Bureaus significantly and about a year before in 2008 Richard had “called a halt to some outgoing countries” It was at this point that I alerted Richard to the contract that I have been using since 1993 from Royal Mail called “Destination Sort” that would enable the RSGB Bureau to send 5kg+ parcels to World Bureaus at as little as £1.79 per kilo to Hungary if sending 5kg+ and the most expensive is £3.18 per kilo at 5kg+ to New Zealand. Of course there are some Bureaus that will attract far fewer QSL cards and those packages can be sent at still very reasonable cost through either Destination or Format Sort products. So I thought that this matter would be quickly resolved as I had given the RSGB Bureau the perfect product to send regular parcels to the World Bureaus.
However in December 2009 and through to January 2010 it became apparent that still World Bureaus were reporting to me that they still had not received any QSL cards from the RSGB Bureau since 2008 and that complaints to me about non delivery of Bureau QSL cards back to March 2008 were growing daily and now over 250 emails have been received here regarding this matter.
The Canadian Bureau started sending me QSL cards direct, asking me to do the same by-passing the RSGB Bureau, as Canada also reported that the RSGB Outgoing stopped in 2008.
Many ARRL Bureaus also have reported directly to us here that they also have not received any QSL cards from the RSGB Bureau since 2008, while other ARRL Bureaus reported that they do not keep records but staff could not remember the last time they received packages from the RSGB.
Ukraine where many of the complaints started coming in from reported the same lack of packages. Although one parcel to Ukraine was sent, it has had to be returned back to the RSGB Bureau because of no customs declaration documentation.
Other countries where I have had major issues with outgoing QSL cards are Russia, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Estonia, Belgium, Netherlands to name just a few.
As well as communications with Richard Constantine at Norcomm, I also made members of the RSGB Board aware of my concerns on numerous occasions in frequent emails. On 16th January there was a RSGB Board meeting where the lack of outgoing Bureau QSL cards was on the Agenda. Don Field G3XTT writes “There was an RSGB Board meeting today and I discussed the situation at some length with Peter Kirby. I believe Peter now properly understands the concerns and will take up the matter with Richard as a matter of some urgency.”
When the RSGB Bureau tendered the job out to Norcomm a Service Level Agreement was drawn up, I know because I also tendered this job. The SLA states that “The successful bidder will be expected to provide like or improved service. The delivery of this service and the method of operation can be changed to suit the requirements of the service provider. However all changes must be agreed with the RSGB before implementation. The relationship with the RSGB will be through a nominated member of staff overseen by the General Manager and answerable to the Board”
The service has not improved and neither has the service level been maintained. In an email to Peter Kirby General Manager and Don G3XTT “Portfolio Bureau” I suggested that “There is NO monitoring by the RSGB. There is NO Service Level Agreement that should have been put in place when the tender was signed.”
In reply Peter Kirby states “Firstly, the bureau is monitored by the RSGB and we have close contact with Richard Constantine at Norcomm. Under the terms of the contract Richard has to produce a three monthly report which is seen by the Board.”
Knowing that the Bureau is monitored and that Richard compiles a three monthly report I find it very hard to understand why the RSGB were not aware that a serious problem was developing on the Outgoing Bureau and that many Bureaus had not had a dispatch since March 2008. In Richards defence he has quoted that 170 kg in weight of QSL cards are leaving the outgoing Bureau every month. Chris G1VDP has asked to see the weigh bills as some sort of proof that there are QSL cards outgoing. However his requests have not been met on the grounds that they “don’t feel it is appropriate to answer queries from individual members like yourself with shipping details of specific parcels – if that happened nothing would ever actually get done.” Fair comment, but we need some sort of Audit Trail. As fully subscribed members of the RSGB we feel that we are entitled to view documentation that relates to this matter to ensure that the future of the RSGB QSL Bureau is secure. I have also offered my help to package up and send the outgoing parcels but my offer of help has not been accepted.
So this is now where we are with the Bureau situation.
As previously stated for my clients I will continue to send QSL cards direct to the World Bureaus at my expense to ensure a good service for the people around the World that want the Bureau QSL.
05/02/2010 – It has been reported that the DARC German Bureau has received two boxes in the last two months while the W9 Bureau received about 600 cards this week from the RSGB.
However the detailed report that we expected from the RSGB Board has not yet arrived, despite being told that we would be kept informed of the progress after the Board Meeting.
Today I received the QSL from 3D20CR Conway Reef DXCC 280 confirmed for M0URX.
Left Team Photo from 3D20CR Conway Reef.
Below 4 sided QSL card.
Many thanks to the team for an excellent DX’pedition last September / October 2009. Delighted to receive the QSL card today!
Fore more information go to: Conway Reef
Steve VE2TKH reports of the moment he realised his girlfriend in Haiti was safe!
I received an important phone call minutes ago with details on the condition of all my 28 or so friends. They are ok, it is a miracle!!
Here is my article i published on an amateur radio dedicated website. Thanks God, you realized my prayers of last december and this week! Steve Toupin
Monday January 18th 2009, 03:21UTC
I was so surprised to receive a phone call from my lovely Andromaque directly from her cell phone minutes ago. She told me that she is ok, and everybody is ok!! Wow, a miracle!
Their home is still standing, they sleep outside and only go during day time for a quick shower in the bathroom. I told her to remain like this and keep avoiding long visits inside the building. They are tired and it is difficult to sleep for them she told me.
I asked why she can now call me with the cell phone? She answered me that her campany Digicel gave 200 gouds credits to all its customers to allow them free calls (NDLR other companies are Voila and Haitel).
She told me they are in STRONG need of water and food!! But, sometimes the people from the Belgium consulate that are very close to them, are coming with few food and water.
I gave her infos about the international help gathering at PAP Intl airport and that they have big problems with the security concerns and to use the roads from the airport to the city. I also told her about the bad shape of their port for ships that are waiting anchored before delivering their help.
I also told her to spread the word to others about these facts I informed her, but she told me that they all already know that because the radio station, at least one, is still broadcasting.
I suggested that some good hearted haitians can do something to help international aid to reach them, but she told me that the situation is really bad and getting worst every hour that is passing by and even if they want to do so, the vilains will block them. She had the same bad news for me as Jean-Robert HH2JR had 5.5 hours ago when I reached him on his cell too. I mean about the criminality rising all around.
I was telling her the story of the HI hams that are now in Jimani and suddently we lost the communication. We lost it not because of bad conditions of equipment there due to the earthquake (in fact it was far better than when we used to talk last fall before I visited her, it was crystal clear communication), but because of her money credits from Digicel gift were empty. I won’t complain here as it was the best news I ever received from a phone call in all my life. Unfortunately, I tried to call back and it was not working.
