Sierra Leone, 9L. Peter, VK3HEX is in Sierra Leone until 7 March. He is active as 9L/VK3HEX on 10 metres SSB during the local evenings and the weekends. QSL direct to VK3HEX, or via eQSL.
Madagascar, 5R. Richard, HB9FHV is active holiday style as 5R8RH from Nosy Be (AF-057), Madagascar until 7 March. He can operate SSB on 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres. As for QSL, “I will send PDF by e-mail”, he says.
Comoro Islands, D6. Elvira, IV3FSG will be active as D68Z from the Comoro Islands (AF-007) from 3 March until at least 18 March. Her actual arrival date will be 28 February, but she will be busy with other tasks prior to the start of the expedition. She will operate SSB, CW and RTTY on 160 to 6 metres. Club Log’s Livestream will be enabled and IK0XBX will be her pilot. See www.qrz.com/db/D68Z for suggested frequencies, more information and updates. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS, LoTW, or via IK2WAD (new QSL route for direct and bureau cards).
During her trip, Elvira will also be mentoring three local youths (thanks to Don, 7Q6M/D60AB for making this possible) who will learn how to raise antennas and work the pile-up before attending this year’s YOTA Summer Camp in August. There are also plans in the works for the station to be operated remotely, by experienced operators as well as YOTA Italia members.
Falkland Islands, VP8. Ian, G3WVG as VP8CIW and Nigel, G3TXF as VP8TXF will be active from the Falkland Islands during a short CW-only trip which will be focused on participation in the Commonwealth Contest (8 and 9 March). QSLs via Club Log’s OQRS and LoTW.
Guyana, 8R. Aldir, PY1SAD will be active again as 8R1TM from Georgetown, Guyana between 11 March and 26 April. He will operate CW, SSB and digital modes on the HF bands and via satellite. QSL via LoTW, eQSL, QRZ Logbook, or direct to home call.
British Virgin Islands, VP2V. Bavarian Contest Club members DA1DX, DK9IP, DM6EE and DL8LAS will be active as VP2VI from the British Virgin Islands (NA-023) between 10 and 27 April. They will operate SSB, CW and digital on 160 to 6 metres with five stations. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS (preferred), or via DJ4MX. The call sign VP2VI was initially assigned to Bob Denniston (W0DX), whose efforts as IARU President (1966 – 74) were instrumental in preparing the allocation of the WARC bands for amateur use. This operation marks the 100th anniversary of IARU and honours Bob’s contributions. See www.qrz.com/db/vp2vi for more information and updates.
Barbados, 8P. Chris, WA7RAR will be active as 8P9CB from Barbados (NA-021) between 5 and 16 March. He will operate SSB and CW on 20-10 metres, often from POTA sites. QSL via LoTW, QRZ Logbook, or direct to home call.
Marshall Islands, V7. Tim, KZ4V will be touring the Marshall Islands between 15 March and 20 April, as part of a scientific mission to various atolls including Enewetak (OC-087), Bikini (OC-028), Rongelap (OC-028), Majetto (at the northwest end of Kwajalein Atoll, OC-028), Wotje (OC-029) and Majuro (OC-029). “Most operations will be /mm on SSB”, he says, “although I will also run digital portable on several of the atolls” using the call sign V73MT. In particular, he will camp out on Enewetak for five days and hopefully will have some time to be active on 40, 20 and 17 metres. QSOs will be uploaded to Club Log, LoTW and QRZ Logbook.
Korea, HL. Celebrating the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union, members of the Korean Amateur Radio League (KARL) will be active as HL100IARU from March to April. QSOs will be uploaded to LoTW, eQSL and Club Log; direct cards to HL1IWD.
Albania, ZA. Mark, W4CK, will be active as ZA/W4CK from Tirana, Albania, between 2 and 8 March. He will operate CW on 80 to 10 metres. QSL via LoTW.
The Netherlands, PA. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Dutch Marine Radio Amateur Club (https://www.marac-radio.nl), special call sign PA40MARAC will be active between 1 March and 31 December. A QSO with this station earns 10 points for the MARAC awards (see PI4MRC on qrz.com). QSL via PA3CNI.
Denmark, OZ. OZ100IARU is the special call sign for members of EDR, Denmark’s IARU society, to celebrate the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union between 19 and 27 April. QSL via Club Log’s OQRS (preferred), or via the bureau to OZ1ACB. An award will be available, see https://www.qrz.com/db/OZ100IARU for the details.
Great Britain, G. GB0IARU is the special call sign for the Radio Society of Great Britain to take part in the celebrations of the centenary of the International Amateur Radio Union. Look for activity between 1 and 30 April and be aware that GB0IARU may be activated from all the seven different DXCC Entities in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Guersey, Jersey and the Isle of Man). QSL via M0OXO’s OQRS and LoTW.
Commonwealth Contest. The 88th edition of the Commonwealth (BERU) Contest (https://berucontest.wordpress.com) will be held on 8 and 9 March, from 10.00 UTC to 10.00 UTC, on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 metres CW. Only stations operating from the Commonwealth Call Areas may participate in this contest.
YOTA Contest 2025. The first session of this year’s YOTA Contest, organized by the IARU Region 1 Youth Working Group in collaboration with the Hungarian Amateur Radio Society (MRASZ), will be held on 9 March from 10:00 to 22:00 UTC. Participants can operate on the five classic bands using CW and SSB modes. All participants are encouraged to make contacts with each other. For complete rules, please visit https://yotacontest.mrasz.org.