In the log this week
* Contest Spotlight: ARRL International DX Contest on SSB
* Bouvet Island 3Y0K DXpedition Update
* Yaesu Radio Prices to Increase
* Amateur Radio News and Notes Podcast Celebrates Its First Year
* MVARC Breakfast and Meeting Recap
* MVARC Nets on the Air
* What’s happening with DX?
* Solar Activity Update
* Upcoming Contests
* Interesting Online Radio Content
As always, links to all referenced content can be found in the show notes, or at our Substack at mvarc.substack.com
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Contest Spotlight: ARRL International DX Contest on SSB
This weekend brings one of the biggest DX contests on the air, the ARRL International DX Contest this time on SSB. There is so much DX that it may even be possible to get DXCC (100 countries) in a weekend. If you like working DX, this is a great time to get on the air. The contest starts 0000 UTC on Saturday, March 7 (that’s 7 PM ET Friday night) and continues through 2359 UTC Sunday, March 8 (6:59PM ET Sunday). To participate, the DX stations can only work US and Canadian stations, this means this is a contest where the DX is chasing you!
The exchange for the contest on the US/Canada side of things to send a signal report and state/province. DX stations send signal report and power as a number or abbreviation. So for me in Virginia, my exchange would be “59 VA”. Bands are 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters and power classifications are QRP (5 Watts and below), LP (Above 5 W to 100W), and HP (up to 1500 Watts). You can work stations once per band and each QSO is worth 3 points. For US/Canada multipliers are each DXCC entity once per band and for DX it is each State or Province (including DC) once per band. Total score = QSO Points x Multipliers. Logs need to be submitted within 7 days of the end of the contest. Full rules and details can be found at https://www.arrl.org/arrl-dx. Good Luck!
Bouvet Island 3Y0K DXpedition Update
Image Courtesy https://3y0k.com
The highly anticipated 3Y0K DXpedition to Bouvet Island was able to land on Bouvet and logged its first QSO on March 1, 2026. The latest log upload at press time was from March 5th where they reported a total of 24,180 QSOs with 5,721 on CW, 13,558 on FT8, and 4,901 on SSB. North America received 17.6% of the QSOs while Europe got 42.5%, Asia got 31.1%, Africa got 1.3%, Oceania got 1.9%, and South America got 5.6% with the rest being “not determined”. In all the team had made contact with 131 DXCC entities and the percentage of duplicate contacts was 3.28%. You can see if you’re in the log and see the latest posted statistics at https://www.m0oxo.com/oqrs/logsearch.php.
In an update from DXpedition Pilot James KB2FMH on the 3rd he said that both camps had been established with 8 tents in total. One of the camps is situated to maximize conditions toward North America. At that time they had 10 ICOM 7610 radios and 10 assorted ACOM amplifiers with antennas on all bands but 10 meters. He expected the 10 meter antennas to go up on the 4th. Looking at their logs, it appears they were successful. The operation is expected to continue until March 18-20th.
Your author has not yet been successful getting in the logs and the pile-ups have been intense. Sadly, there has been significant deliberate interference (DQRM) so far with stations keying up over the Bouvet station and trying to make it difficult to contact them. A reminder, for CW and SSB the DXpedition (like most DXpeditions) will be working split. This means that the team is transmitting on one frequency and will be looking above their frequency for replies. Do not transmit on the same frequency you hear them on as they won’t be listening on that frequency and you will be making it very difficult for others to be able to hear the station in Bouvet. It is important to operate in a courteous manner so that as many operators as possible can participate in the fun together. More details on the band plan and operating details of the DXpedition can be found on their official site. Good luck.
Links with more information can be found at:
The Official Site: https://3y0k.com/
DX News Coverage: https://dxnews.com/3y0k/
Yaesu Radio Prices to Increase
In a post to their web site dated March 3rd, Yaesu distributor GigaParts announced they had received new wholesale pricing increases from Yaesu for their North American products effective March 1st. As part of those changes, GigaParts expects prices to rise for consumers with the next shipments they receive from 4% to 58% for some products. GigaParts says that existing stock will remain at the current prices until stocks are depleted at which time new shipments will be priced according to the new rates. They cite rising material and manufacturing costs, updated tariffs, and volatility in logistics and operations as bringing on these costs. They also report that previous increases had been absorbed by them in the past, but the new increases no longer make that possible. At press time we didn’t see other retailers referencing these changes, but prices between the retailers is usually the same. GigaParts full statement can be found at https://connect.gigaparts.com/t/important-update-upcoming-pricing-adjustments-for-yaesu-products/2361.
Amateur Radio News and Notes Podcast Celebrates Its First Year
With today’s episode, Amateur Radio News and Notes celebrates a year of keeping you up to date with amateur radio in podcast form. We sent out our first podcast version on March 7, 2025 and a year later, this is our 50th episode. It has been a lot of fun seeing things grow each week and we’re honored that you have taken the time to make us a part of your weekly routine. In addition to distributing the podcast online, we’re delighted to be broadcast each week by 88.3 FM KRHJ in Lamar, Colorado at 6 PM Mountain time on Fridays.
Before it was in podcast form, Amateur Radio News and Notes started as a weekly newsletter on February 23, 2024 sent out to the members of the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club. Shortly thereafter we started posting it on our Substack and things started growing from there. It has been a fun two years with lots of fun events and developments in amateur radio along the way. We really are glad you’re here.
If you find anything of interest you think would be good to share here or have any feedback about what you like or what could be improved, feel free to reach out. I’m good on QRZ.
MVARC Breakfast and Meeting Recap
Image Courtesy Corey KN4YZY
Last Saturday the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club got together for our weekly breakfast at the IHOP in Hybla Valley. After breakfast we made it over for our in-person meeting where we had an introduction to the club’s new Discord server. It was great seeing everyone, and we look forward to seeing you again this month.
MVARC Nets on the Air
* 2 Meter FM Net: Tuesdays at 7 PM [146.655/- MHz (141.3 Hz PL Tone) ]
* 2 Meter Digital Net: Immediately Follows 2 Meter FM Net [146.655/- MHz C4FM]
* MVARC Slow Speed CW Roundtable: Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 AM [3.565 MHz CW]
* MVARC Cherry Tree Net: Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 AM [3.920 MHz LSB]
What’s Happening with DX
As you would expect on a big DX contest weekend, there will be a lot of DX on the air this week. Stations on the air include Bouvet Island (3Y0K), Bonaire (PJ4G), Guam (AH2R), Dominica (J75A), Guinea Bissau (J51A), Austral Islands (TX5EU), Gambia (C5SP), Palau (T8OK), Mayotte (FH/UR9IDX), Anguilla (VP2EAD, VP2ELX, VP2EWE), Ghana (9G5RR, 9G5CC, 9G5ZP), Sint Maarten (PJ7AA), Bangladesh (S21WD), Minami Torishima (JG8NQJ/JD1), Colombia (HK3JCL), and Solomon Islands (H44MS).
A calendar of DXpeditions can be found at https://dxnews.com/calendar/
Solar Activity Update
As we go to press the Solar Flux Index (SFI) was 146 and the estimated sunspot number was 73 with 5 numbered sunspot regions visible from Earth. Over the last week the SFI has increased. Solar activity has been at low levels in the last 24 hours. The geomagnetic field has been at quiet levels and the Kp index reached 2 yesterday. The solar wind peaked at 456 km/s. Solar activity is predicted to be at low levels with a chance of M-class flares today through Sunday. The geomagnetic field is forecast to be at quiet to minor storm levels today and quiet to active levels on Saturday and Sunday. The chance of solar radiation storms at the S1 or greater level is at 1% today through Sunday. R1 to R2 radio blackouts are possible in the near term with a predicted probability of 20% today through Sunday. R3 or greater blackouts are unlikely with a 1% chance predicted today through Sunday. It remains a fantastic time for amateurs to get on the air and work the world.
Good sources of real-time solar information include https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/ and https://solarham.com/. A good overview of conditions can be found at https://dx.qsl.net/propagation/. To see D-layer absorption data and associated radio blackouts, visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/d-region-absorption-predictions-d-rap. To see real-time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) and Critical Frequency (foF2) information from radiosonde data, visit https://prop.kc2g.com/.
Upcoming Contests
This weekend brings the ARRL International DX Contest on SSB we mentioned earlier as well as the Novice Rig Roundup, the Wake-Up! QRP Sprint, the Russian YL/OM Contest, the UBA Spring Contest on CW, the FIRAC HF Contest, the Classic Exchange on CW, and the 4 States QRP Second Sunday Sprint. As always the K1USN SSTs, MSTs, and CWTs will also be on the air.
The full contest calendar with events and exchanges can be found at https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php
Interesting Online Radio Content
The ICQ Podcast Interviews Former ARRL Atlantic Division Director Bob Famiglio K3RF about By Law 46 - https://www.icqpodcast.com/download-the-show/2026/2/22/icqpodcast-episode-477-arrl-bylaw-46-changes
Hadrian YO2BTW shares video recorded by Chun at Bouvet during the DXpedition -
Lewis M3HHY talks about strange FSK signals plaguing the 40 meter band and other shortwave disturbances -
Adam K6ARK does SOTA by motorcycle -
Stuart VE9CF gives a quick intro to N1MM for contest logging -
Josh KI6NAZ shows us his Orlando Hamcatation haul -
Jason KM4ACK upgrades the battery in an EMCOMM trailer -
Ara N6ARA shows us how he manufactures the TinyGawant antenna kits -
Michael KB9VBR talks about air travel with lithium batteries -
Lewis M3HHY talks about Iran using bubble jammers to block shortwave signals -
Mike K8MRD shows the K5ACP Molle BNC Antenna Clip -
Colin MM0OPX talks about how to tune a ground-mounted vertical properly -
Alan W2AEW shows how to update the firmware for the SV4401A handheld VNA -
Linas LY2H takes a look at HF whip antennas to see how good they are -
Sean W9FFF shows his POTA Pounder antenna mount -
George VK2AOE shows part 3 of his homebrew QRP 40 meter transceiver build -
Mike K8MRD trades his Yaesu FTX-1F for an Icom 7300MK2 and explains why -
That’s it for this week.
Best 73,
Ed
N2EC
