Harald (DF2WO) has landed in Kigali, Rwanda and is currently setting antennas up ready to be qrv later today or early tomorrow (16th November).
He 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.
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Interesting read courtesy of the ARRL;
The wave of software-based digital modes over the past several years has altered the atmosphere of the HF bands. Some suggest the popularity of modes that make it possible to contact stations neither operator can even hear has resulted in fewer CW and SSB signals on bands like 6 meters and 160 meters. Traditional modes require far more interaction and effort on the part of the operator; the newer digital modes not so much. The recent advent of the still-beta “quick” FT8 mode, developed by Steve Franke, K9AN, and Joe Taylor, K1JT — the “F” and the “T” in the mode’s moniker — has brought this to a head. Some now wonder if FT8 marks the end of an era and the start of a new, more minimalist age.
“We’ve been as surprised as anyone about the rapid uptake of FT8 for making QSOs on the HF bands,” Taylor told ARRL this week. Rather than viewing FT8 as a total game-changer, he sees a dividing line between such digital modes and more traditional modes.
“SSB and CW are general-purpose modes,” Taylor asserted. “They are good for ragchewing, DXing, contesting, emergency communications, or whatever. FT8 and the other modes in WSJT-X are special-purpose modes. They are designed for making reliable, error-free contacts using very weak signals — in particular, signals that may be too weak for the more traditional modes to be usable, or even too weak to hear.”
Taylor notes that the information exchanged in most FT8, JT65, and other digital-mode contacts “is little more than the bare minimum for what’s considered to be a valid contact.” In addition to call signs and signal reports, stations may exchange grid squares and acknowledgments.
Radio amateurs recently commented in response to a Top Band Reflector post, in which Steve Ireland, VK6VZ, averred that because of FT8, “160-meter DXing has changed, perhaps forever” in recent weeks. Ireland said he downloaded FT8 but just couldn’t bring himself to use it on the air. “My heart isn’t in it,” he wrote. “My computer will be talking to someone else’s computer, and there will be no sense of either a particular person’s way of sending CW or the tone of their voice. The human in radio has somehow been lost.”
In his blog, Steve McDonald, VE7SL, compiled not only Ireland’s posts, but some responses to it, although not identified by name or call sign. One commenter suggested that the game-changing aspect of FT8 is that those who typically operate CW or SSB will gravitate to FT8. “The amount of activity on the FT8 frequency of any band is phenomenal,” the commenter observed. A few complained that no skill is involved in making contacts using computer-based digital modes.
Another suggested that FT8 is already falling victim to its own success, with too many stations crowding around the designated FT8 frequencies. Others were more philosophical, with remarks along the lines of this one: “It is allowing people who have smaller stations the opportunity to get on and use their radios and a computer to make contacts they never would have been able to make. This is great for ham radio!”
Taylor would agree. As he sees it, FT8 won’t replace modes such as CW or SSB. “Nevertheless, it’s clear that — at least in the short term — many hams enjoy making rapid-fire minimal QSOs with other hams, all over the world, using modest ham equipment,” he said. “For this purpose, FT8 shines.”
In a related “lightning talk” at the 2017 ARRL-TAPR Digital Communications Conference (DCC) earlier this year, ARRL Contributing Editor Ward Silver, N0AX, challenged his savvy audience to develop a keyboard-to-keyboard mode “between FT8 and PSK31” that would support casual and competitive operating, be more interference and noise tolerant, and be usable by those with “compromised” stations and antennas. He also challenged his listeners to develop a “smart” spectrum display that would identify signals by mode, so Amateur Radio could move away from the practice of setting aside specific frequencies for digital modes.
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.
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.
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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.
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