A new high quality QSL card for 9M6DXX Steve is now available.
QSL Via M0URX

9M6XRO John continues to be very active and a further 5,000 QSL card order has now been completed.

ZC4VJ Andy returns to Sovereign Base Cyprus next week and will once again be QRV. Andy will be sending me his log and some photographs for the new QSL card. Please be patient! I have received a few hundred QSL requests already and these will be replied to as soon as the QSL card is printed. 
LATEST – Log received, QSL requests processed into the log, and log uploaded to online log search.

Reminder: Steve, 9M6DXX, and John, 9M6XRO, will operate from Pulau Labuan (IOTA OC-133) from 6 to 8 November (and possibly for one or two hours from 0000UTC on 9 November) as follows: 9M6DXX/P 10m – 80m on SSB only; 9M6XRO/P 10m – 160m on CW and RTTY. Stations will be using linear amplifiers to a multi-band vertical and a 160m inverted-L, both mounted very close to the ocean. We hope it will be possible to operate on 160m CW at the same time as SSB on the other bands. QSL both 9M6DXX/P and 9M6XRO/P via M0URX, either direct, via the bureau or LoTW.

Logs uploaded to online log search and LoTW 10/11/09
For full QSL information click here

Cards not Valid for WLOTA

Once again today 10m has been open from dawn to dusk with some excellent DX to be worked on the band. Australian stations were being worked as early as 07:00z just too weak for me to work them today, before long South East Asia was being heard as I logged a few new band slots for 10m, 9M8Z Steve was preparing for his CQWW Contest entry from the shack in Sarawak East Malaysia. HS0ZIN Paul was strong 59 from Thailand. JY4CI Rafik also showed on 10m for another new band slot for me.

FY5KE in French Guiana kicked off the afternoon as the propagation moved to South America

G0KYA Steve writes in his Blog today how this phenomenon can probably be explained. You have to consider that although we are in the best month in the year for DX, what I have experienced on 10m in the past 36 hours is not that common at the bottom of the sunspot cycle. But what would I know? Amateur Radio has so much to teach me that I feel I am just at the beginning of the road of a very long journey. I hope the journey doesn’t end just yet!

Just a reminder that 9M8Z Steve will be active throughout the weekend during the CQWW Contest. QSL Via M0URX.
LoTW will be uploaded next week along with the online log search.
5,000 QSOs for 9M8Z and 2,000 QSOs from 9M6XRO have now been uploaded to LoTW

What a morning! I walked into the shack early this morning with my first cup of tea of the day when I noticed an email from Gary G0FWX saying “10m is open to VK!” What? At sunspot minimum surely not? I quickly put the cup of tea down almost spilling it all over the lap top! Turned my Hexbeam towards VK and tuned the radio to VK6, time to warm up the amplifier. Sure enough there was Kim VK6TQ in Western Australia 5/4 in my shack on 28490 KHz. A quick call to VK and I was in the log, we had a short conversation about antennas and band conditions before I let other UK operators fire their calls across to VK6.

A short while after that I also worked VK6KRC Bob near Perth, Western Australia. Thanks lads for my first 10m QSO to VK! Crikey what a morning!

Image Left – VK6KRC Antenna

15m once again today was also very busy in the run up to CQWW SSB 2009 Contest.

A Sad End RIP
I must also comment on the terrible sad news of the loss of 4 Radio Amateurs from the USA that sadly perished as their aeroplane crashed shortly after take off 250 yards off the end of the runway in Jedburg, South Carolina, about 20 miles northwest of Charleston. The plane, piloted and owned by Peter Radding, W2GJ,  carried Ed Steeble, K3IXD, Dallas Carter, W3PP, and Randy Hargenrader, K4QO. The four men were on their way to the Bahamas to operate in this weekend’s CQ World Wide Phone Contest as C6APR.

They died following the hobby that they were so pasionate about. May they rest in peace.

Great to see the lads from Team Thunderbox at the RSGB Convention last week. I have receieved an email from Jon 2E0DBD informing us of the next /Portable activities of Team Thunderbox.

Team Thunderbox will be setting up a portable station again between 23rd October 2009, and 31st October 2009. 

We will be using the following equipment for our “Gathering” 

As always, we will be operating from Wind and Solar power. 

80m Station~Yaesu FT1000MP MKV, 200 foot Doublet, 400 Watts.

40m Station~Yaesu FT1000MP MKV, 2 Element Monoband Cubical Quad, 400 Watts.

20m Station~Yaesu FT1000MP MKV Field, 3 Element Monoband Cubical Quad, 400 Watts.

 2m Station~Kenwood TR711E, Diamond X700H, 100 Watts.

We would love to speak with as many of you as possible, if the conditions allow.

Kind Regards. Jon 2E0DBD 

Team Thunderbox

(Editors note Please note that QSL is Via the operators!!!!!!!! Not me!)

You can find more information at Team Thunderbox 

Team Thunderbox is a group of people who enjoy the lighter side of Amateur Radio. This is a video showing our most recent gathering to celebrate our 4th birthday as a group. We participate in other hobbies as well as Amateur Radio, and more information Team Thunderbox on You Tube

I would like to welcome Andy Chadwick ZC4VJ to United Radio QSL Bureeau. The new QSL route for Andy is Via M0URX.
In a couple of weeks Andy will return to Sovereign Base Area of Cyprus where he will forward me the full log and some new photograhs for a new high quality QSL card to be designed and printed in a few weeks time all being well.

The ZC4VJ log has now been uploaded to the online logsearch on 09/11/09.

Col, MM0NDX  a keen IOTA enthusiast, has revealed his plans to be QRV from The Flannan Isles EU-118, along with his team members Oscar Luis EA1DR, George EC2ADN, Christian EA3NT and Bjorn SM0MDG.

Only ever activated in 1989, 1995 and 2002, The Flannan Isles EU-118 are certainly a much needed IOTA. Extremely difficult to access due to North Atlantic weather systems constantly eroding the available landing site, a determined international group of IOTA & DX enthusiasts intend to activate Flannans in early / mid-June, 2010. 

The biggest threat / danger to any DX’pedition to the Flannan Isles is the Atlantic weather that can produce violent winds that can sweep through this North West Outer Hebrides area located approximately 32km west of the Island of Lewis. The sea swells that can surge across the 3,000 miles of North Atlantic Ocean hitting land at the Flanan Isles can make this a hazardous exercise.  A study of Ocean charts and weather maps determine if and when this difficult IOTA can take place. 

More information coming soon.

There is a great story about The Flannan Isles “Click Here” called The Mystery of Flannan Isles, from an incident where 3 men dissapered in December 1900.

The United Radio QSL Bureau are proud to announce that we are sponsoring this event for QSL Management. A high quality full colour QSL card will be available Via M0URX.

Busy few days here at the office, the 7P8OK Direct QSL cards are arriving at the destinations around the world, while Bureau cards have been sent direct to 14 European Bureaus and to JARL for a speedy journey through the Bureau. The remaining 100 cards will be sent Via RSGB Bureau next week.

I received a box of 4,000 QSL cards from the Bureau which all had to be sorted for the G4Dxx and G4Rxx call series they were all dispatched on Friday. Which left me with 1,100 QSL cards for the callsigns that I manage, many hours of work processing the cards and I am well on my way to completing the job and I will have them sent back through the Bureau next week.

Then of course it has been a great time on HF with some excellent DX’peditions hitting the air. FT5GA Glorioso Island was a all time new one with 4 band slots at Château Beaumont on 12m, 15m, 17m, and 20m. I have listened to these guys for hours while I have been working in the shack, and all 5 of them have done such a great job from Glorioso. They have military work to do as well as the radio expedition so brilliant job lads!

Then my attention was turned to the waters of the Pacific Ocean, Conway Reef near Fiji to be precise, the team of 3D20CR were doing an incredible job, I first heard them on Friday afternoon when I got home from work for several hours their signal was 5/2 at a time when I had not expected to hear them on 20m. Saturday was a busy work day for me so it had to be Sunday when my chance was to come, I decided to get up early and watch the Formula 1 race from Japan, as the race progressed 3D20CR were getting stronger to 5/5 when I heard M0BZH work them, at this point they called for United Kingdom only on 14.220 MHz, but the pile up still kept calling again they asked only for UK I was beginning to shake and sweat, this was my best chance, with one clear call I shouted again “Mike Zero Uniform Romeo X-Ray” I un-keyed waiting to see if they had heard me, it seemed like eternity but It was no more than a fraction of a second, “M0URX 5/9” wow the feeling of a new one! It’s awesome.

This afternoon conditions to West Coast of North America were very good and Africa too on 20m with a new IOTA group on air for me AF-061 C91VM/5 on 20m. 

In the UK it is very difficult to find a way to put up a full size HF antenna that is going to get you heard in the pile ups, the “G3TXQ Broadband Hexbeam” is where UK operators are finding an antenna that really works and I would like to wish my DX buddy MW0JZE Ant the best of luck as he goes into production soon with this antenna. I bought his prototype off him and I can’t sing his praises enough for a thoroughly professionally build quality, good luck Ant!  To find out more about MW0JZE and the Hexbeam project Click Here

Next weekend is the RSGB Convention, I will be there! So will many of my friends, its time to enjoy the presentations, and relax over many beers, yes probably too many beers and talk RADIO! If you see me, mines a Lager ok?

Thanks to Colin in Sweden for sending me the photo on the right, yes that is me on the left looking towards the camera 20 years ago in about 1989 I think. With the blue T shirt is Steve G0UIH, Ian M0KCM with the hat and Dave. We have all put on several kilos since then!

Steve 9M6DXX has updated me on forthcoming activity from East Malaysia over the next two months.

1) Steve, 9M6DXX, will operate (SSB only) as 9M8Z from Sarawak, East Malaysia (IOTA OC-088), from 22 to 26 October, including a single-operator all-band high-power unassisted entry in the CQWW DX phone contest. QSL via M0URX direct, via the bureau, LoTW, or request direct or bureau cards on-line.

2) Steve, 9M6DXX, and John, 9M6XRO, will operate from Pulau Labuan (IOTA OC-133) from 6 to 8 November (and possibly for one or two hours from 0000UTC on 9 November) as follows: 9M6DXX/P 10m – 80m on SSB only; 9M6XRO/P 10m – 160m on CW and RTTY. Stations will be using linear amplifiers to a multi-band vertical and a 160m inverted-L, both mounted very close to the ocean. We hope it will be possible to operate on 160m CW at the same time as SSB on the other bands. QSL both 9M6DXX/P and 9M6XRO/P via M0URX, either direct, via the bureau or LoTW.

For full QSL information click here

The QSL from Nicolas arrived in the post today from TN5SN DXCC Number 274 confirmed for M0URX.

More information on the activity from Nicolas in the Republic of the Congo can be found at: TN5SN