I was watching a quite heated discussion on the cluster today. Yes I know the cluster is NOT for discussion, that was not the point of my post. The content of the discussion was about the fact that many hams cannot hear VP8ORK on the South Orkeny Islands, and one ham implied that “Without money you can’t play in the premier league of DX” saying that you need money to buy big antennas and big amps. Well no I completely disagree. Anyone can play in the premier league of Big Guns even the QRP guys get the chance at some point in the game.

There is also a lot of fortune involved too. My experience this month with friends around the UK who have identical shack equipment is that if you are fortunate to live near the coast the advantage you will have with enhancement from the salt water during these low sunspot days is the difference between hearing the DX and NOT hearing the DX. Living inland in the City the problem I have had, is hearing the DX! I always work on the assumption that if you can hear it, you can work it.

So, it is not down to big money and power. Take M0TNX Kev for example. Kev has made a homebrew top band antenna and is working the DX. Kev has been out Portable near the sea and put up a simple vertical dipole. As Kev found out, the advantage that being next to the sea is probably equivalent to the guy inland with a 2 or 3 element Yagi at 40 feet.

The MUF charts show a story, and if you are in the area located where the MUF chart says “MUF 14 MHz” you are not going to work VP8ORK on 21 MHz even if you have an Optibeam 13 element. There are so many factors that are involved in being able to work the DX or not. Being Portable and adaptable to the changes in conditions, MUF, topography are all in the challenge of the DX’er. 

Luckily I do have VP8ORK in the log on 20m SSB. It was the faintest of signals but just enough for me to work the guys. They are doing a terrific job down in South Orkney Island, if only the Sun would boost the Sunspot Numbers so we can all have another shot. One thing is certain, DX’ing gets very addictive when chasing an expedition such as VP8ORK.
Thank you to the team on VP8/O!

For the attention of Radio Amateurs in the United Kingdom (Only) 

As I have been asked a few times in recent weeks if i can provide this service, I am now pleased to announce that I am able to offer UK Amateurs an “Outward QSL Bureau Service”, posting to World Bureaus.

This service is mainly directed to heavy users of the Bureau where the QSL manager is not permitted to send the cards through the QSL Bureau. But is also open to ANY UK Radio Amateurs that want to send QSL cards to World Bureaus

For a charge of £15 per kilogram of QSL cards, I will forward Bureau cards to all World Bureaus every two months. These will be sent by Priority Air Mail.

Bulk users (for example DX’pedition QSL Managers) should contact me by email to apply for discount.

Conditions:

Firstly, email contact tim@m0urx.com to confirm your request to use the service and to confirm weight of Bureau posting.

Cheque payable to Tim Beaumont for £15 per kilo or by pre arranged amount agreed Via email.

All packing instructions are exactly the same as you would normally do when sending cards through the Bureau.

All QSL cards must be in Alpha – Numerical order and separated into Bureau piles using elastic bands.

Any cards destined for UK Radio Amateurs must be sent direct to the RSGB Bureau NOT me.

Any QSL routing “Via” MUST be correctly located in your packs!

Who can use my Bureau Forwarding Service?
Any UK Radio Amateur can use my service provided they follow my instructions above.

If any UK hams want to discuss using my service for outward QSL Bureaus you can phone me on 07976 292980.

For a guide to correctly bundling your Bureau cards you can view a list of IARU World Bureaus and prefixes here

It is always nice to read positive comments about my work, today I was really surprised to read the Blog of ON7RU Frank.

“At the hamfest in Friedrichshafen in a lecture sponsored by CQ-DL/DARC, the best QSL’er of the past year is chosen. The last few years Nigel, G3TXF took the golden medal to the UK.
Since a year, a new QSL star is born. The new star lives, just as Nigel in the UK and his callsign is M0URX. The owner of the callsign, Tim Beaumont built up a good reputation in a very short time. His unique OQRS (Online QSL request system) works very well, and he offers a fast turnaround time and premium quality QSL cards.
On his website/blog you can track updates of new DXpeditions, arrival of printed QSL cards, ….
Tim, you’re a 5-star ham, keep up the good work and hope to meet you some day.
Frank, ON7RU”

Thanks for your comments Frank, I have to say it is a team effort, ON5UR Max who is as patient as a saint with my continual QSL design requests. MW0JRX Oliver with his help and advice on IT, and of course the team of DX’ers that I am QSL manager for, they do a lot of work in all aspects of DX’peditioning, it is their excellent communication that enables me to do my job in getting the QSL cards sent to their destination without any dramas. I certainly will be keeping up the work, we have so much coming up this year, I am very much looking forward to keeping the United Radio QSL Bureau working for you. I do hope we can catch up for some beers sometime Frank.

I would like to welcome members of the “Association de Radio Amateur Sept-Iles Inc” to the United Radio QSL Bureau.  QRV under the call of VE2CSI the members will be active from the club station which is located in the south of CQ Zone 2 in Quebec Canada.

QSL cards will be designed soon and will be QSL Direct Via M0URX, or if you require a card through the Bureau please ONLY use my Online QSL Request Service.

As QSL requests are coming in already can i make it clear that i will reply to ALL QSL requests when the cards are printed. Please be patient, thanks.

Happy New Year & Best Wishes for 2011 to all my readers.
Looking back through my log for 2010 I can see quite clearly that the Solar Cycle 24 started to show signs of life, despite some very poor conditions at times during the year. Some new DXCC’s worked during the year include Kermadec Islands, Norfolk Island, the four new PJ’s of course, Marion Island, Wallis & Futuna Island, St Vincent, & Eastern Kiribati.

Statistics for M0URX DXCC Band Slot SSB activity during 2010

 Above table from Club Log SSB League Table.

While the table below shows the total figure for the 2009 SSB League at 31/12/2009

 
I have submitted my entry to the 2010 CQ DX Marathon. 246 DXCC + 40 Zones = 286 points.

Incoming Bureau cards arrived 22nd December 2010 for the following call series.
2,800 QSL cards Via M0URX.       Completed. 
4,400 QSL cards posted 07/01/2011.

QSL cards ready to send Via Bureau
2E0COV            3    9M8Z        135  M0XXT        60   ZC4VJ         336
3DA0OK          55    A25OOK     22  MC0SHL   160   ZK1SDE         3
5B/G4MKP      10    C91XO        41  MS0INT     160   ZS6/GM3OOK 10
7P8OK           100   CY2ZT/2      56  OY1OF       57
9M4SEB            6   G4MKP       14  OY4TN       40
9M6DXX & /P  113   HB0/OU4U  18  V8FRO       41
9M6/G3OOK      9   HH2/VE2TKH 8  XU7DXX       9 
9M6XRO & /P 368   M0URX       106 XU7XRO    179

Out of 2,800 QSL cards received 650 should NOT have been sent to me. Here is a guidline to help you in your QSL’ing.
Some things to remember when sending QSL cards.

1) It is very important to mark your log in the QSL SENT field. Mark your log B = Bureau or D = Direct.

2) If you send your QSL DIRECT. Never send the same QSL Via Bureau.

3) If requesting a QSL on a Online QSL Request Service, mark your log QSL Sent. Never send your QSL Via Bureau from an OQRS unless you are asked to.

4) NEVER send more than ONE QSL for the same QSO. If one is damaged or lost email the QSL Manager for another.

5) If my QSL says “THANKS QSL” That means I already have yours. DO NOT send me any more for that QSO!

6) Write ALL QSO’s on the ONE QSL card if you can. Do not send 10 QSL cards for 10 QSO’s.

7) All QSL cards Via M0URX. MUST be clearly written “QSL Via M0URX” Do not expect the Bureau to do it!

The above may sound like common sense but many of you are sending me up to 6 QSL cards for the same QSO by all routes. This wastes my time and wastes huge amounts of money for world Bureaus.

The United Radio QSL Management Bureau support and ask everyone to support the DX Code of Conduct.

Also click Operating Practice This is the most important page any Radio Amateur will EVER read! Written by ON4WW.

DX CODE OF CONDUCT

1. I WILL LISTEN, AND LISTEN, AND THEN LISTEN SOME MORE

2. I WILL ONLY CALL IF I CAN COPY THE DX STATION PROPERLY

3. I WILL NOT TRUST THE CLUSTER AND WILL BE SURE OF THE DX STATION’S CALL SIGN BEFORE CALLING

4. I WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE DX STATION NOR ANYONE CALLING HIM AND WILL NEVER TUNE UP ON THE DX FREQUENCY OR IN THE QSX SLOT

5. I WILL WAIT FOR THE DX STATION TO END A CONTACT BEFORE CALLING HIM

6. I WILL ALWAYS SEND MY FULL CALL SIGN

7. I WILL CALL AND THEN LISTEN FOR A REASONABLE INTERVAL. I WILL NOT CALL CONTINUOUSLY.

8. I WILL NOT TRANSMIT WHEN THE DX OPERATOR CALLS ANOTHER CALL SIGN, NOT MINE

9. I WILL NOT TRANSMIT WHEN THE DX OPERATOR QUERIES A CALL SIGN NOT LIKE MINE

10.  I WILL NOT TRANSMIT  WHEN THE DX STATION CALLS OTHER GEOGRAPHIC AREAS THAN MINE

11. WHEN THE DX OPERATOR CALLS ME, I WILL NOT REPEAT MY CALL SIGN UNLESS I THINK HE HAS COPIED IT INCORRECTLY

12. I WILL BE THANKFUL IF AND WHEN I DO MAKE A CONTACT

13. I WILL RESPECT MY FELLOW HAMS AND CONDUCT MYSELF SO AS TO EARN THEIR RESPECT.