Archive - December 2022

VK9WX Willis Island

23rd December 2022
 

May be an image of oceanI  am pleased to announce that I have been appointed QSL Manager for Sands VK9WX, currently working on Willis Island for the Bureau of Meteorology.

 
Willis island is an external territory of Australia, located 450 kilometres (280 mi) East of Cairns, Queensland, beyond the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea. The Island is aligned NW to SE and is about 500 metres (1,600 ft) long by 150 metres (490 ft) wide, 7.7 hectares (19 acres) in area, rising to about 9 metres (30 ft) above sea level.
 
Sands logs will be uploaded to M0OXO OQRS where you can search the log and request QSL Cards you may require.
 
QSL Cards are on order from UX5UO QSL Print and will be available early in the New Year. M0OXO OQRS will be open in the coming days, I will post here again once the log is uploaded.
 
 

RSGB Transatlantic Centenary Event

19th December 2022
The TC activity is going well. There are many award chasers looking for QSOs with the eleven call signs, plus plenty of interest from North America.
 
After 18 days, we have made over 90,000 QSO, roughly 45% of which have been digital, 30% CW and 25% SSB. A full breakdown by band and mode is published each day on the RSGB website – see below.
You can also find the leaderboard there, which is interesting, with both UK and non-UK stations competing for the two trophies with some dedication and enthusiasm.
 
Full details of how to take part are on the RSGB website, see www.rsgb.org/tct.
 

VK9CVG Cocos Keeling Islands

6th December 2022
Nobby, G0VJG has now been issued with his Callsign for his trip to Cocos Keeling.
 
He will be QRV as VK9CVG (IOTA OC-003), between the 17th & 24 February 2023.
He will operate on 80-10m, mainly SSB and little FT8.
 
Qsl via M0OXO
 

VK5KI Kangaroo Island, Australia

6th December 2022
Tony VK5AVB, is now the new owner of the VK5KI call sign following completion of the licence transfer from Grant VK5GR by the Australian regulator.
 
Grant originally acquired the call in 2020 to specifically activate Kangaroo Island (IOTA OC-139). Now that Tony is the new permanent voice from the island it is only fitting that they be heard as VK5KI as well.
 
Tony is an SSB op first and foremost and has built a formidable station down on Kangaroo Island in a relatively short time. He also loves his DX so if you hear him on the air, please say hello!
 
QSL Service will continue via M0OXO and new Cards will be printed in due course.
 

The RSGB Transatlantic Centenary Tests

1st December 2022
 
The RSGB are hosting, The Transatlantic Centenary Tests, on the HF bands to commemorate the centenary of the achievement of Amateur Transatlantic communication, during the Transatlantic Tests that were held between 1921 and 1923.
The Tests will run from 1 December 2022 to 31 December 2022.
 
Why The Transatlantic Centenary Tests?
24 December 1922 was when the very first amateur signal from Europe was heard in North America; this was from the RSGB station (G)5WS which was established at Wandsworth in South London, as part of the Third Transatlantic Tests.
Unlike the tests of the 1920s, which mostly consisted of one-way communication, the 2022 tests will encourage world-wide two-way communication with UK & CD based stations. We want to showcase amateur radio in 2022 to celebrate this milestone in the history of the hobby.
 
Special stations will be activated from the UK by RSGB members and Clubs, using original RSGB call signs from the 1920s but using state-of-the-art modern radio equipment. The Club Log team have kindly agreed to provide the supporting infrastructure for the Tests.
 
In anticipation of this centenary celebration, with the assistance of Ofcom (the UK licensing authority), the RSGB have renewed five call signs which they held in the 1920s:
G5WS, used for the 1922 tests – “the first to get across”
G5AT, used for the 1923 tests
G6XX, used for the 1923 tests
G6ZZ, used for the first amateur tests on a moving railway train in 1924
G3DR, Scottish Highlands Call – GM3DR.
 
These historic call signs are being activated by RSGB members and Clubs, using G5WS, G5AT, G6XX, G6ZZ and G3DR (England), GM5WS (Scotland), GW5WS (Wales), GU5WS (Guernsey), GD5WS (Isle of Man), GJ5WS (Jersey) and GI5WS (Northern Ireland).