This is Radio Bulgaria’s weekly DX Program for radio amateurs and short wave listeners and DXers which is included in our one-hour broadcasts starting as follows: Friday at 22.00 UTC on 6200 and 7400 kHz beamed to West Europe, Saturday at 00.00 and at 03.00 UTC on 5900 and 7400 kHz to North America, as well as in the half-hour broadcast on Sunday at 07.30 UTC also on 5900 and 7400 kHz to West Europe.
In this issue by DX Editor Dimiter Petrov, LZ1AF, with Broadcast Tips by Rumen Pankov:
Say Goodbye to the Solar Minimum!
After a lull in solar activity that on many days left a lank sun” with no sunspots at all, a big one popped up this past weekend, marking a change in the sun’s weather. The big sunspot designated 1045 showed up Saturday, and since has shot several flares off the surface.
“The strongest blast…may have hurled a coronal mass ejection toward Earth,” reports the astronomy news service Spaceweather.com. “High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras in the nights ahead as a result of this activity. Also, ham radio operators are picking up strong solar radio bursts using shortwave receivers.”
According to a 2009 report on National Public Radio, astronomers track an 11-year sunspot cycle that has been steady since the 1770s. The last peak in solar activity was in 2001, when 150-175 sunspots were recorded. During the solar minimum in 2008, the sun was blank for 266 days. This solar cycle will be No. 24. (Credited to Tim Chitwood, Ledger-Enquirer)
Herbert ‘Pete’ Hoover III, W6ZH (SK)
Herbert “Pete” Hoover, W6ZH (ex-W6APW), the grandson of Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, and son of former IARU and ARRL President Herbert Hoover Jr., W6ZH (SK), passed away February 4, 2010. He was 82. Hoover, along with EIMAC’s Bill Eitel, W6UF (SK), established a matching fund to encourage contributions to the amateur satellite program.In 1978, he was elected to the National Red Cross (later the American Red Cross) Board of Governors. He was active on the ham bands and could be heard and worked on CW.
CWops Mini-CWT Test
The CWops Club was founded a couple of months ago with the intention to be a truly international CW club and has attracted a worldwide attention already having more than 600 members from all continents. Radio Bulgaria’s DX Editor LZ1AF is a Charter member No. 52!
The club has started its activities with a Monthly Mini-CW Test. These events will be 60 minutes in duration and held on the second Wednesday of each month. Only 3 bands are to be used – 20, 40 and 80 meters. Suggested frequencies are from 018 to 028 kHz up from band edges, plus or minus as activity dictates. There will be three events at times that favor different geographic areas on this same day. A member can participate in any or all of these. Each of these is also open to non-members. It will be a good opportunity to meet other CW fans who may be interested in CWops membership.
Purpose: Meet and greet and show activity on the bands. Times: on the second Wednesday of each month at 11.00-12.00 UTC (favoring Asia/Pacific); 19.00-20.00 UTC (favoring Europe/Africa); and 03.00-04.00 UTC – Thursday (Wednesday evening in US and Canada.
Exchange: Call CQ CWT. Send: QSO serial number, name, and CWops member number. Non-members will send QSO serial number, name and Transmitter power with a “w” following the number, (e.g. 100w). Categories: Power QRP: 5 watts or less, Low: 100 watts or less; High: over 100 watts.
Scoring: The final score can be calculated by counting 1 point per QSO (work a station once per band only) and multiply total points by the number of unique call signs worked.
Reporting: Members report scores within 48 hours on the CWops reflector. Non-members can e-mail score to kz5d@aol.com . No logs please; we will use the honor system No awards presented, simply a listing by score on the CWops website and reflector. We hope you’ll jump in one of gthe 3 time slots, or even all 3 for some QSOs.
And here is what CWops member Felipe, NP4Z says about CW#:
“I’ve been at thisnow since February 2006 running primarily CW mode. My Morse Code proficiency has improved slowly and the desire to improve at CW is always there. But many times I stop and ask myself “why would a grown man be attracted so to CW?”
Within Ham Radio there is a fraternity whose membership adheres to a mutual goal to preserve through the use of a time honored technological skill of communications and that anyone willing to endure the necessary efforts to learn will be welcomed by encouragement from its members in ways not equaled in any other hobby.
While that statement could be taken as pure ambiguity, for those who have enjoyed the thrills of learning and using CW and have received the endless flow of good will and true brotherhood from experienced CW ops know exactly what is meant by these heart felt words.”
Broadcast Tips
Kazakhstan. Radio Voice of Othodox was heard in Sofia with a strong signal between 15.30 and 15.57 hours on 7430 kHz. The address for reception reports is: B.P.415-08, 75366 Paris, CEDEX 08, France.
Georgia. Abkhazian Radio can be heard daily except weekends on 9495 kHz at 04.30 hours with news in Russian and at 05 hours in Abkhazian. The address is: Abkhaz Radio, Aydghylar Street 34, Sokhumi, Abkhaz Republic.
Guam. The local station KTWR, belonging to Trans World Radio was reported with a program in English on 15170 kHz.
Serbia. International Radio Serbia broadcasts on 6100 kHz from 19.30 to 20 hours and from 22 to 22.30 hours. Reportedly it can be heard seldom on 6190 kHz between 01.30 and 2 hours Tuesday through Saturday, respectively Monday through Friday local times in North America.
D.P.R. of Korea / North Korea. Emissions in English of Radio Voice of Korea can be heard in the 40 meters AMATEUR band on 7140 kHz from 01 to 02 hours and on 7250 kHz from till 04 hours.
This has brought us to the end of our weekly DX Program. Your opinions and suggestions, as well as contributions will be appreciated and all reception reports confirmed with the QSL card of Radio Bulgaria. Please address your letters to English Section, Radio Bulgaria, Sofia, Bulgaria or by e-mail to english@bnr.bg . An online reception report form is available at www.bnr.bg – in the DX Program category. Please click on English and navigate!
Any information of interest to our audience should be sent to our DX Editor at dimiterp@yahoo.com .
So, 73 and DX!
