The new International Reply Coupon (expires 2021) has started appearing in circulation.  

To choose a new IRC, the UPU holds an international design competition open to all member countries. This is a great way of discovering hidden artistic talents among the general public.

The theme for the new IRC illustration for 2017–2021 is “the Post and sustainable development”.
IRC 2017–2021

Viet Nam emerged victorious from the ten countries participating in the latest competition, held on 7 October 2016 during the UPU Congress for the 2017–2021 period in Istanbul (hence the new IRC name “Istanbul model”). Graphic artist Nguyen Du’s design featured a pair of hands and a dove against an Arctic backdrop to represent sustainable development in the postal sector. The image of the yellow stamp on blue represents the future of the Post.

Anyone holding onto old IRC’s or ones due to expire in 2017 can contact me if they wish to dispose of them. I can use expired ones to fund my outgoing Bureau Postal Rates so if you feel you can help, please get in touch by clicking here. Thank you!

• Equipment: Icom IC-7300 
• Linear Amplifier: Expert 1.3 FA
• Antennas: EAxbeam (6-20 m) & wire dipole (30 & 40 & 80m) 

Bands: 6-40 and will also try 80 m.

Modes: SSB, CW, RTTY
Website: at QRZ.com. Also available the QSO Director tool for checking the online logs direct in real time (www.qsodirector.com), if internet works properly, of course
QSL via: EA3BT. We’ll use Clublog OQRS (preferred)
Any other details? We’ll be on the air as many as possible. Hope propagation helps us. Logs will be online through QSO Director tool and also Clublog

Hope you can include this information in your next bulletin.

73 & 88 Núria, EA3WL & Josep, EA3BT

Harald (DF2WO) will be winding up his operation in Burkina Faso (XT2AW) in the next few days (25th October) where he has given many of you XT2 in several modes as well as the new FT8 Mode.

He will return back to Germany and will have a few weeks to prepare before his next trip to 9X2 Rwanda.

He should be qrv from Kigali, Rwanda (9X2AW) around the 15th November 2017 and expects to be on air for approximately 2 weeks before he returns home to Germany for Christmas. Again he will be qrv on CW, SSB, RTTY and FT8 modes.

M0OXO OQRS or Direct Post Mail

Not long to go now before this first time activation by the same respected team that brought you S79C, A91HI & A70X.

Keep a check on their website https://af111new.com/news/ and my Facebook page for up to the date news as we approach this rare and anticipated IOTA activation scheduled from around the 31st October 2017.

The team are still looking for Donations towards the costs of the trip which would be welcomed via their website or through the QSL Process when you request your QSL Card.

M0OXO OQRS or Direct Post Mail

Gennady Treus (UX5UO) has been on the air since 1967, ex op. UK5UBB, ex UB5UKO, RT5UO and KE4EKT. Contest call US1U. His #1 hobby is DXing & QSL-cards printing is his #2 hobby as well as being a small personal business.

Almost any type of QSL cards and various HAM extras products are available from “UX5UO print”.

For ordering your new QSLs from UX5UO print, you can use an Online ORDER FORM and/or e-mail [email protected]. Please use this e-mail as well to send graphics files to be used in creating your QSL design.

We accept almost all graphics formats like .tif, .jpg, .cdr, .eps, .psd, .bmp, .gif, .png, .ppt. Preferable ones are .tif, .pdf or .jpg high quality files (300dpi resolution at 9x14cm size, or 1650×1050 pixels or better). If you are going to design the QSL by yourself, one warning: Please do not put any lettering or logos closer than 6mm (1/4″) to borders (edges) of QSL card.

If you do not have internet access, please send your paper samples (photos, rough design, text data etc) to Make the payment to your regional representative or UX5UO by post:

Gennady V. Treus
P.Box 83, Kiev, 03113
Ukraine

Make the payment to your regional representative.

As of October 2017 18702 unique callsigns from 318 DXCC countries have already been printed by “UX5UO print”.

Here is the QSL design from the recent DX Féile weekend on Inis Mór, EU-006.

Just shy of 2,500 QSOs were made remarkably as this was just a casual ‘open key, open mic’ set up. Definitely, the stations were a big hit with our overseas guests.

Inis Mor is the largest of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay in Ireland and has an area of 31 km² (12 sq mi). Inis Mór has a population of about 840, making it the largest of the Aran Islands in terms of population and largest island off the Irish coast with no bridge or causeway to the mainland. 

The island is famous for its strong Irish culture, loyalty to the Irish language, and a wealth of Pre-Christian and Christian ancient sites including Dún Aengus, described as “the most magnificent barbaric monument in Europe” by George Petrie.

M0OXO OQRS or Direct Post Mail

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
     
The Bouvet Island DXpedition – 3YØZ

Press Release #9
October 17, 2017

After over 10 years of dreaming and 2 years of rigorous planning, we have turned a page.  Our team is intact and ready.  We have 17,000 pounds of equipment.  It has been tested, sorted, inventoried and packed into our 40-foot sea container.  We have discussed all conceivable contingencies, including rough seas, clouds and fog, high winds and emergencies at sea and on shore.  We have studied propagation, maximized our location on the island, selected the best radio equipment, and have thought first and foremost of safety.  All of this culminated when we sealed our sea container on October 9th, entered it into customs bond, placed it on a truck and watched it begin its journey to Punta Arenas, Chile.  Our die has been cast.  Now, a new chapter begins: one of reflection, waiting anxiously and hoping (praying) that all will go well from this point on.

We have been blessed by the worldwide support of individual amateur radio operators, clubs and foundations.  They have backed us, overwhelmingly.  We are inspired by the support we have received, both financially and in spirit.  We want to live up to all that is expected of us on this “generational” DXpedition, which is likely the largest and most challenging DXpedition —- ever.  Indeed, there may never be another like it.  We now have time to appreciate the responsibility that this project thrusts upon us.  We feel it, and we will do our utmost to meet the DX world’s expectations from Bouvet – the number 2 “most wanted” entity.

You will start seeing band plans, more detailed propagation information, QSL information and more on our website.  Our Facebook and Twitter social media outlets will keep their conversational tone, but shift their focus to how you can best work us, plus current events and news of interest.  Our updated propagation forecasts continue to validate our predictions, as visualized on our website propagation page.

Our team now has a singular focal point, King George Island, where the next chapter begins.  We will meet our ship there on January 13th, and sail 2,200 miles to Bouvet.  By departing from King George Island rather than Punta Arenas, we save about 400 miles of sea travel.  This essentially gives us one or two more days on the air from Bouvet. We will savor those days, because they will give us QSOs that otherwise would not have been made.

We have asked more from our team members than for any previous DXpedition. This includes their time, effort and money. We thank all of you who are helping to defray some of their costs.  We continue to welcome new and additional support to help with these expenses.

We are counting the days…..

73,
Bob-K4UEE
Ralph-KØIR
Erling-LA6VM

Check this link out for the video of the recent RI0C Dxpedition to the very rare Iony Island.

http://www.iony2017.com/video

As a colleague quite rightly said….”These guys deserve our respect!”