The DX Mentor

This Week in DX - 08/08/26

The DX Mentor

Show Notes

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I’m Bill, AJ8B.

The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How’s DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at [email protected] Like many of you, I am an avid CQ DX Marathon participant. To help identify those stations that may not be rare, but also not common, I will bring it to your attention by announcing MARATHON ALERT. This will let you know that based on my experience, this activation is one that you will want to make part of your Marathon Chase! Let’s get started.

{Marathon Alert} OH0 – Aland Islands - OH0ERF is QRV until August 12, by a group of German hams operating holiday style. They are operating all bands from 160 m through 10 m, using CW, SSB, and FT8, with 6 m added as conditions allow. The equipment includes an IC-7610, two IC-7300 transceivers, and an ACOM 700S amplifier.

{Marathon Alert} R1FJ – Franz Jozef Land - R7AL, Vasily, and his team should be QRV around August 15 for 15 days. Five hundred kilograms of gear is already in Murmansk, their departure point, with the ops bringing another 300 kg.

{Marathon Alert} E5/S – South Cook Islands - ZL2KE, Steve, is QRV as E51KEE from the South Cook Islands until August 14th, mainly on CW with some SSB, likely focusing on 30 and 40 meters unless propagation improves. Another Steve, ZL4CZ, is QRV as E51CZZ until August 6th on SSB. Neither operator is using FT8 or other digital modes.

{Marathon Alert} TU – Ivory Coast - F5HPE, Fredy, is underway to the Ivory Coast, where he has the TU5MM callsign. He will be joining TU5JZ, Mathruin. Fredy expects to be there until August 22nd , operating from the Motobé Radio Club on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10M SSB and FT8.

{Marathon Alert} OJ0 - Märket Reef - OH6BG says a DXpedition is coming up August 15-22, with OJ0JR, Henri; and OJ0YL, Anne. He points out that the reef is the most exposed location in the Baltic Sea, “more rock than island, more sea than shelter.” To be dealt with before the first QSO is made is the weather, landing conditions, antennas, power and constant wind and waves, he says. They plan 80-10 CW, SSB and FT8.

{Marathon Alert} YS – El Salvador - WE9G, Rikk, is QRV as YS/WE9G from El Sunzal, El Salvador, until August 14th. He will primarily use FT8, with some CW and SSB, on 6–160 meters using an SO3R setup, two vertical antennas, and a G5RV dipole. QSOs will be uploaded in real time to Club Log, QRZ, and LoTW, with QSL available via WE9G or Club Log OQRS.

Contest Updates  August starts the contest season for me with two contests kicking things off. First is the Ohio QSO Party. I work every minute of this and have had some good rates the past few years. However, I have also been kicked off the air by lightning 3 of the last 4 years so I am hoping for good weather. I finished 7th overall in Ohio last year and #1 in Warren County. I could use your help if you are around the weekend of August 22nd. The contest period runs from 1200 EDT noon in Ohio (1600Z) to Midnight on the 22nd (0400Z Sunday). Secondly is the CQWW RTTY contest. This is the weekend of September 26th and 27th. This contest typically draws over 15,000 participants with over 3,600 logs submitted. If you can operate FT8, you can operate RTTY. Why not give it a try?

More from The DX Mentor

Oct 17, 2026

Hello and Welcome to this Week in DX. I’m Bill, AJ8B. I am looking for volunteers. I am looking for hams that aresomewhat new to chasing DX. If you have between 0 and 200 entities confirmed, you are the person I am looking for. OR, if you are a technician class operator and would like details on how you can work DX, you are the person I am looking for. The DX Mentor podcast needs an audience for a ZOOM based episode that addresses these types of operators to share information and techniques about moving up the DX ladder . If you are interested, just drop me a note at [email protected]. The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How’s DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at [email protected] FW – Wallis and Futuna - Janusz, SP9FIH, currently operatingfrom Wallis Island as FW1P and has logged over 36,000 QSOs. Wallis was number 97 on the most wanted list and I suspect it will drop 20 or 30 spots by the time Janusz is QRT. JD1/O – Ogasawara - JP1IHD, Ko is QRV as JD1BQP on Chichijima, until November 2. Ko is joined there by JR6HYO, Takashi, who will also do CW, SSB and FT8, 160-6M and the CQWW DX SSB Contest. GM – Scotland - From the Shetland Islands, G4AFF, Stewart,will be QRV as GM5E October 22-26. Outside the CQWW SSB weekend event he will use the GM4AFF/p callsign, on the WARC bands. This is IOTA EU-012. This is particularly important because it counts as Scotland for DXCC, but as its’ own entity for CQWW and CQ Marathon. 3D2 – Fiji - DK2HM, Hans-Martin Kurka, is QRV holiday styleas 3D2HM from Nadi, Fiji until October 22nd . Activity will be on SSB and FT8 on the HF bands. There “Maybe some other activities as well, but Not yet confirmed”, says Hans-Martin. C5 – The Gambia – A DXpedition team is QRV as C5R from Tanji near Banjul, The Gambia, until November 4. ZA – Albania - AE5X, John, plans holiday-style CW operationfrom Albania as ZA/AE5X in October. He is QRV until October 30 from various locations. Operations will be casual and fit around travel plans. 6O – Somalia - OG2M (aka OH2RF), Pertti Terunen, has beenplanning to operate at 6O2M through October 25. His bags were delayed and arrived piecemeal; his amplifier first, his radio and antennas second. Apparently, the second bag was opened, presumably for inspection, and poorly repacked. As a result, his Yaesu FTdx10 display was broken. Pertti went aheadand set up a vertical antenna on the roof of his hotel, at a height of 25 meters. He began operating on 21.240 MHz on October 9 shortly after 1330 UTC. After OH3XR helped address the display issue, Pertti made contacts despitesignificant LED noise. H44 – Solomon Islands – From Dolphin View Beach the H49Ateam is “working hard,” and made over 10,000 QSOs in the first 48 hours. Minor antenna adjustments were made. They bought a generator on Saturday so they now have two. They have had fantastic pileups from Europe on CW and SSB and were active on 60 this morning. On their Club Log livestream some QSOs may not show up immediately, but all logs are uploaded again every 24 hours, so “Please be patient!” The weather is hot and humid as expected; the team is in greatspirits and doing well. S2 – Bangladesh - The “13th Hussars Open Rover Scout Group,” with the callsign S21HRG, plans an operation from Tetulia, northern Bangladesh, until October 20, a JOTA, Jamboree on the Air, station, on SSB, FT8 and CW on80-10 plus the QO-100 satellite. They will upload the logs to LoTW and ClubLog.

Oct 10, 2026

Hello and welcome to episode 107 of The DX Mentor – a discussion with Felipe XQ7IR, about his upcoming activation of Alexander Selkirk Island.

Oct 10, 2026

Hello and Welcome to this Week in DX. I’m Bill,AJ8B. The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How’s DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at [email protected]

Oct 3, 2026

Hello and welcome to episode 106 of The DX Mentor – a discussion with Rolando 9A3MR, Zrinko (Zik) DK8ZZ, and Joe, W8GEX and their upcoming DXpedition to the Solomon Islands. H49A Website: https://solomon2026.com/ Website: www.aj8b.com Real Time DX Info (DailyDX https://www.dailydx.com/ Southwest Ohio DX Assoc. https://www.swodxa.org Daily DX https://www.dailydx.com/

Oct 3, 2026

Hello and Welcome to this Week in DX. I’m Bill,AJ8B. The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How’s DXcolumn in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at [email protected]

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