IK5ROS Ham Site

4W6AL UPDATE. The Algarve STAR DX Team reports that a new video of 4W6AL recorded on September 11th, in the south of Portugal, is available, as well as the 4W6AL log is updated online at: http://algarvedx.com  PLEASE NOTE: QSL Manager/Pilot Station Toze, CT1GFK, reports that some 100 stations worked a PIRATED 4W6AL station on September 12th! Only
four stations worked the actual 4W6AL station. Check the log before QSLing.

3V, TUNISIA. Alex, GM0DHZ/AA8YH, informs OPDX that he is returning here
November 16th for 5 weeks. He plans to be active on CW on the weekends
from 3V8SS. He also adds that he is willing to accept skeds from "QRP"
operators/stations, either CW or SSB. They can contact him via his E-mail
address listed on QRZ.com. However, Alex has reminded us that it's a
holiday trip by his XYL.

5B, CYPRUS. Zoli, HA5PP, will once again be active as 5B/HA5PP during
both the CQWW DX SSB Contest (October 24-25th) and CQWW DX CW Contest
(November 28-29th) as a Single-Op/Single-Band (TBD) entry. QSL via HA5PP.

5R, MADAGASCAR (AF-013). Daniel, DF8UO, will once again be active as
5R8UO from here between now and September 20th. Activity will be mainly
CW and the Digital modes on 40-10 meters. QSL via his home callsign,
direct or by the Bureau. He is expected to upload his log to LoTW.

8Q, MALDIVES (Update). Andrew, G7COD, will once again be active as 8Q7AK from
Embudu Village, Embudu Island (AS-013, WLOTA L-3911), between October
12-25th. Activity will be on 80-12 meters including 30/17/12m using CW
and SSB. Operating schedule (everyday) is as follows: 0730-0830z, 0900-
1030z, 1300-1500z and 1730-1800z. Suggested frequencies are:
   CW  - 3503, 7003, 10103, 14003, 18073, 21003 and 24893 kHz
   SSB - 3795, 7063, 14147, 18133, 21253 and 24953 kHz
Andrew's operating conditions will be very simple consisting of 100 watts
PEP from an Icom IC 7000 transceiver, MFJ 929 Auto ATU, switch mode power
supply and Vibroplex mini straight morse key. The antenna is a Radio Works
CWS 160 Carolina Windom sloping from 20-12 meters suspended from the tops
of the coconut palms approximately 10 meters from the sea. QSL via his
home callsign, direct or by the bureau. Andrew now has a dedicated Web
page at:                http://8q7ak.freewebspace.com

8Y, GUYANA. Members of the "Amateur Brazilian Team" will be active as
8R1PY from Lethem, Guyana, between October 31st and November 4th. Activity
will be on 160-6 meters, including 30/17/12 meters, using CW, SSB, RTTY
and PSK31. Operators mentioned are Edi/PU8TEP, Abilio/PV8AZ, Paulo/PV8DX,
Ivan/PV8IG, Ivan/PY1YB, Anderson/PY2TNT and Alex/PY2WAS. QSL via PY2WAS.

A3, TONGA (News). Paul Kidd, A35RK, provides the following special
announcements by the Tonga Ministry of Communications and Information
dated September 8th):

 #1] "Today, the Radio Licensing Officer for the Kingdom of Tonga, Fe'ao
     Vakata, has authorized amateur radio operation on the 60 Meter Band
     (5.330 - 5.405 Mhz), on a secondary, restricted basis.

     The 60M bandplan will be the same as is authorized by the FCC, i.e.
     'channelized' on the following frequencies only, USB only, 2.8 kHz
     maximum bandwidth, with a 50 watt pep ERP limit:

            Channel Center        Amateur Tuning Frequency
            --------------        ------------------------
               5332 kHz                  5330.5 kHz
               5348 kHz                  5346.5 kHz
               5368 kHz                  5366.5 kHz
               5373 kHz                  5371.5 kHz
               5405 kHz (common US/UK)   5403.5 kHz
         This 60M authorization is effective immediately."

 #2] "Effective immediately, the 40 meter band allocation has been
     expanded. A3 licensees are now permitted to operate from 7.0 to
     7.2 MHz."

     Paul states, "The previous upper band edge was 7.1 MHz, so our
     40M band just doubled in size! This additional allocation will
     allow us to work U.S. stations without having to work 'split'.

     The 7.2 -7.3 MHz segment may be opened later, on a secondary
     use basis. The IARU Region 3 Bandplan permits this, but for the
     time-being, we will gladly content ourselves with the additional
     100 kHz.

     Many thanks to Fe'ao Vakata, the Radio Licensing Officer, for his
     efforts in revising and updating the amateur radio regulations here
     in Tonga."

ACTIVATING A RARE IOTA (Interesting Story). Cezar, VE3LYC, last week(end)
activated the Ottawa Islands (NA-230) as VY0O which turned out to be a
big adventure for him (bad weather, polar bear, boat problems (engine,
back engine and sinking). However, he made a total of 3000 QSOs with
stations on all continents. About 53% of the contacts were on CW, 47% on
SSB. Read his interesting story at:   http://www.qrz.com/db/vy0o

AFRICAN TOUR (6W, J5 and IOTAs). Laci, HA0NAR, will be heading to western
Africa in early 2010, and plans to be there at the end of January through
the end of February. He plans to visit and activate Senegal (6W) and
Guinea-Bissau (J5). Tentative dates and callsigns are as follows:
  Senegal (6W) - Callsign 6W/HA0NAR; January 27th through February 10th
  Guinea-Bissau (J5) - Callsign J5NAR; February 11-21st
Laci is also planning to activate the following IOTA groups:
     AF-078 - Senegal South Group
     AF-093 - Guinea-Bissau Coastal Region Group
Look for more details to be forthcoming.

ANTARCTICA (IOTA) ACTIVITY. Mehdi, F5PFP, who did an Antarctica cruise/
expedition in the beginning of the year, reported that his good friend
Pupi, LU8XP, advised him that a group of hams with Pedro, HK3JJH, are
preparing an expedition to the Chilean sub-antarctic territories of
the Wollaston Islands (SA-031) and Diego Ramirez Islands (SA-094) in
2010 or perhaps 2011. Pupi might be in charge of the logistic support
at Ushuaia like he already made for several other expeditions. Stay
tuned for updates.

BX5, TAIWAN. Jimmy, BX5AA, will be active during the CQ World Wide DX
SSB Contest (October 24-25th) as a Single-Op/All-Band/High-Power entry.
Jimmy states that BX5 is a rare prefix for Taiwan (CQ 24). QSL via
BX5AA. Visit his Web page at:     http://blog.yam.com/bx5aa

FT/G, GLORIOSO ISLAND (Update). By the time you read this, the FR5GA
team is expected to depart from Reunion Island on September 14th, and
after some final checks with the TAAF authorities, the team will head
to Glorioso Island via Mayotte Island. First signals from FR5GA are
expected to be Tuesday or Wednesday (September 14th or 15th). Pictures
of the teams departure are available already on the Web at:
   http://picasaweb.google.fr/MauriceF5NQL/DepartGlorieuses2009#
The team is expected to be there for about three weeks. QSL via F5OGL,
direct or by the Bureau. For more information, updates and suggested
frequencies, visit their Web page at:  http://glorieuses2008.free.fr
ADDED NOTE: In a press release, it was reported (edited): "Someone said
that there is no pilot station for the west coast of Americas; that's
not completely true. In fact some hams offerred to help us, but they
cannot be QRV for the entire length of the DXpedition, so we have
only one pilot for the Americas which is Floyd, N5FG."