No 1806
425 DX NEWS - DX INFORMATION
Edited by I1JQJ & IK1ADH
Direttore Responsabile I2VGW
4K - Jan, DL4XT, will be active holiday style as 4K/DL4XT from Azerbaijan between 26 December 2025 and 3 January 2026. He will operate SSB, CW and FT8 on 40 and 20-10 metres. QSL via LoTW, Club Log's OQRS and QRZ.
A7 - A71QND is the special callsign for the Qatar Amateur Radio Society to celebrate Qatar National Day (18 December 2025). Also taking part in the celebrations will be the Bahrain Amateur Radio Society as A91QTR on 12-18 December 2025, and the Emirates Amateur Radio Society as A60QATAR on 18-22 December 2025 (individual operators may append a serial number to the special callsign), and possibly the Kuwait Amateur Radio Society (9K9QATAR), the Royal Omani Amateur Radio Society as A43QAT, and the Saudi Amateur Radio Society (HZ1QATAR).
CN - Members of the Association Royale des Radioamateurs du Maroc will be active as CN35CAN during the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international competition for African football (soccer) teams. Morocco will host the tournament from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026. QSL direct, see qrz.com.
CT - CS25FB is a special callsign to be used on 13-14 December 2025 for the 25th anniversary of Faia Brava, the first privately owned natural reserve in Portugal. QSL via the bureau, or "direct after a donation to Faia Brava" - see qrz.com for information.
FY - Pierre-Jean, F4GPK, will be active again as TO2FY from Korou, French Guiana between 22 December and 15 January. He will operate SSB only. QSL via LoTW and eQSL; he does not use Club Log and will "not answer to paper QSL even with green stamps".
UA - Special callsigns R2026A, R2026C, R2026L, R2026N, R2026NY, R2026S, R2026X, UE26HNY and UE26NY will be active from 29 December 2025 to 11 January 2026 for the annual "Russian New Year" radio marathon organized by the Miller DX Club (https://mdxc.ru/) and the Rostov Oblast branch of the Russian Amateur Radio Union (SSR). QSLs via RQ7L. See https://hamlog.online/club/mdxc for the certificates.
VU7 - AU7RS is the callsign for the 10-22 January 2026 DXpedition to Agatti (AS-011), Lakshadweep Islands [425DXN 1798]. The multi-national team includes VU24DX, VU29AR, VU2RS, VU3DXA, VU3GDS, DJ5IW, DL6KVA, EY8MM, R7KW, VE7KW and YT1AD. Plans are to operate CW, SSB and FT8 (F/H) on 160-6 metres with four stations, while a fifth station will be dedicated to QO-100. QSL via M0OXO's OQRS. Donations to help offset the significant costs are still gratefully accepted, see https://www.vu2rs.com/vu7r/ for more information.
Z8 - Diya, YI1DZ, will return to Juba, South Sudan on 15 December 2025. His "contract with UN-WFP runs until 30 March 2026, with a possible 11 month extension pending approval. Due to frequent travel and a rotating work schedule that includes leave every six weeks", he is QRV on the amateur bands as Z81D in his limited spare time, typically during the weekends. He operates SSB and FT8 mainly on 40-6 metres. QSL via OM3JW, Club Log, LoTW or eQSL. [TNX The Daily DX]
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Edited by I1JQJ & IK1ADH
Direttore Responsabile I2VGW
Access to the main functions of www.425dxn.org is provided by the 425DXN App for Android. It is available on Google Play - free of charge, no ads. Enjoy!
C8K: POSTPONED ---> The original plan was for the C8K DXpedition to Mozambique, organised by the Czech DXpedition Group (https://www.cdxp.cz), to take place in January-February 2025. However, it was postponed for the first time to January-February 2026 due to safety concerns [425DXN 1757]. Now, due to overlapping work and personal schedules within the team, it has been rescheduled again, this time to September-October 2026. "This adjustment allows the full intended team lineup to participate and helps ensure safe, well-coordinated logistics and the best possible on-air performance", they say. Further information is expected in due course.
CONTEST UNIVERSITY 2026 ---> Registration is now open for the 2026 Contest
University (CTU), to be held on 14 May at the Hope Hotel in Dayton, Ohio.
This is the day before the Dayton Hamvention officially opens. See
https://www.contestuniversity.com/ for the details.
FT4YM: QRT ---> On 8 December David, F4FKT (FT4YM) announced that "following
a bout of flu and the onset of a rather rare symptom", he had to be repatriated to France. He was expected to be in Antarctica until early February 2026.
QSL NOT VIA DL2VFR ---> Effective immediately, Ric, DL2VFR is no longer responsible for the following special or club callsigns:
DA0IARU DF20DCL DK75DARC DM24EHF
DA21WARD DF70DARC DL110RG DM30RSV
DA22WARD DJ18FWC DL2024E DM60IOTA
DA23WARD DJ60DXMB DL2024O DM70DXMB
DA24WARD DJ70WAE DL2024R DP70DARC
DA25WARD DJ90IARU DL2024U DP75AFUG
DB23SOWG DK0DX DL21EURO DP90JMT
DB50AFZ DK0WAE DL65DARC DQ60WAE
DC75DARC DK65DARC DL75BRD DR60ANT
DD75DARC DK70DARC DM23BUGA DR75DARC
Ric has no backlog. Future QSL requests should be sent via the DARC QSL bureau (preferred), or direct to DK5ON.
S21DX: POSTPONED ---> The DXpedition to Kutubdia Island scheduled for 21-27 December has been postponed to a later date in 2026. This decision was made after careful consideration of several factors, including logistical and operational challenges in the region, as well as concerns about adequate resource availability. The new activation dates will be announced once all necessary arrangements and resources have been confirmed.
VP0SG ---> Amateur Radio DXpeditions (ARD) has reached a key milestone in preparing for the March 2027 VP0SG South Georgia DXpedition [425DXN 1777] by signing the vessel contract for the MV "Meredian". This ice-strengthened vessel is ideal for the sub-Antarctic environment and is operated by 60 South Expeditions, who have significant experience in the region. Progress with the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands is positive, as they are open to collaborating on plans while the formal permit process will begin in 2026. The operator team is forming, with twelve confirmed operators already and the possibility of two more. Fundraising is now fully underway, inviting support from foundations, clubs and individuals for this unique expedition: https://www.ardxpeditions.com/dxpeditions/vp0sg.
USA: 60 METRES---> The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has allocated
5351.5-5366.5 kHz to the amateur service on a secondary basis, with a permitted power of 9.15 watts ERP. The FCC also has authorized US amateurs to continue using four existing channels (centered on 5332, 5348, 5373 and 5405 kHz) on a secondary basis, with a permitted power of 100 watts ERP. The 60-meter allocation is available to amateurs holding a General Class or above license. The maximum permissible signal bandwidth is 2.8 kHz. The new rules will go into effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. [Source: ARRL]
+ SILENT KEY + Bob Whelan, G3PJT passed away on 4 December. First licensed in 1961, his main interest was in HF/LF CW operation. He was a strong supporter of the Commonwealth (formerly as BERU) Contest. His book "Reflections in a Rosebowl" (1966), which covers the history of the contest, is still available on https://berucontest.wordpress.com/.
Dr. Whelan also played very significant roles in the RSGB (firstly as a member of the HF and Management Committees, and then as President for two periods), the IARU, the FOC, and the UK based Radio Communications Foundation.
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Edited by I1JQJ & IK1ADH
Direttore Responsabile I2VGW
