425 DX News- IOTA Notices

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monthly update of data in IOTA Directory 2000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> IOTA REFERENCE ISSUED IN DECEMBER 2000 <<< AS-150 BY4 Shandong Province South group (China) NA-214 KL Nome County South group (Alaska) NA-215 KL Northwest Arctic County group (Alaska) OC-232 4W East Timor's Coastal Islands (East Timor) OC-237 YB0-3 Java's Coastal Islands (Indonesia) OC-239 YB9 Irian Jaya's Coastal Islands West (Indonesia) OC-242/Pr YB8 Bonerate and Taka' Bonerate Islands (Indonesia) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> PROVISIONAL IOTA REFERENCE NUMBERS AS AT 1 JANUARY 2001 <<< NA-218/Pr CO8 Las Tunas/Holguin/Santiago de Cuba Province group (Cuba) OC-238/Pr FO Pukarua and Reao Atolls, Tuamotu Islands (French Polynesia) OC-240/Pr P2 Papua New Guinea's Coastal Islands East (Papua New Guinea) OC-241/Pr YB9 Timor Barat's Coastal Islands (Indonesia) OC-242/Pr YB8 Bonerate and Taka' Bonerate Islands (Indonesia) SA-088/Pr PP5 Santa Catarina State South group (Brazil) Note: A full listing of new IOTA reference numbers issued since publication of IOTA Directory 2000 may be found on the IOTA Manager's web site at http://www.eo19.dial.pipex.com/index.shtml. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> OPERATIONS WHICH HAVE PROVIDED ACCEPTABLE VALIDATION MATERIAL <<< AF-073 TS7N Kerkenah Island (November 2000) AS-003 4S7WHG/A Sri Lanka Island (November 2000) AS-043 7L4PVR/1 Hachijo Island (November 2000) AS-043 JA0AB/1 Hachijo Island (November 2000) AS-043 JI1PLF/1 Hachijo Island (November 2000) AS-043 JQ1USM/1 Hachijo Island (November 2000) AS-117 JH5OXF/4 Ikuchi Island (November 2000) AS-150 BI4S Lingshan Island (July 2000) NA-045 XF1/F6BUM Mujeres Island (August/September 2000) NA-214 KL7/W6IXP Stuart Island (July 2000) NA-215 KL7/K6ST Chamisso Island (July 2000) OC-067 FO0FRA Mai Moana Motu, Bora Bora Island (October 2000) OC-232 4W6GH/P Atauro Island (July 2000) OC-237 YB3ZMI Madura Island (October 2000) OC-239 YC9WZJ/P Batanta Island (November 2000) Note: This list includes operations where validation material was volunteered, ie not specifically required for credit to be given. In all cases, cards now submitted will be accepted by Checkpoints if they meet normal standards. This means that the island name must be on the card. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> OPERATIONS FROM WHICH VALIDATION MATERIAL IS AWAITED <<< >>> AS AT 1 JANUARY 2001 <<< AS-062 RU0LM/0 Shikotan Island (November 2000) AS-140 S21BR Dakhin Shahbazpur (Bhola) Island (December 2000) AS-150 BA4DW/4 Tianheng Island (December 2000) EU-063 JW5RIA Hopen Island (July 2000) EU-179 UR3GA Orlov Island (various times 2000) EU-187 SV9/SV1CID/P Gavdos Island (July 2000) EU-187 SV9/SV1DPL/P Gavdos Island (July 2000) NA-155 TE6U Uvita Island (May 2000) NA-218/Pr CO8OTA Moa Grande Island (September 2000) OC-057 FO0DEH Maupihaa Island (October/November 2000) OC-140 VK6DIR Direction Island (November 2000) OC-202 DX4RIG Tinaga Island, Calagua Islands (April 2000) OC-238/Pr FO0DEH Reao Atoll (November 2000) OC-240/Pr P29VPY Loloata Island (November 2000) OC-241/Pr YC9BU/P Semau Island (November/December 2000) OC-241/Pr YC9MKF/P Semau Island (November/December 2000) OC-241/Pr YC9NBV/P Semau Island (November/December 2000) OC-241/Pr YC9WZJ/P Semau Island (December 2000) OC-242/Pr YB8HZ/P Bonerate Island (December 2000) SA-088/Pr PV5IOTA Santana De Fora Island (August 2000) SA-088/Pr PV5L Santana De Fora Island (August 2000) Note: Checkpoints are not authorised to credit QSL cards for an operation where validation is required. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> MID-MONTH IOTA NEWS UPDATES <<< Readers may find the very latest update information on the issue of IOTA reference numbers and validation of operations on the IOTA Manager's web site. Under IOTA NEWS BULLETINS click the latest bulletin under preparation. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> MEMBERS' ANNUAL SCORE UPDATES <<< IOTA MEMBERS are reminded that the last date for mailing applications or updates to checkpoints for the 2001 Honour Roll and Annual Listings (HR/AL) is 1 February. Updates postmarked after that date will be processed in the normal way but the scores will be held over to the 2002 HR/AL. Applicants may find the latest information on the confirmation of provisional IOTA reference numbers and on the validation of operations on the IOTA Manager's website. Under IOTA NEWS BULLETINS click the 01/02/2001 bulletin currently under preparation. This will be updated for the last time before the 1 February deadline on 29 January. Please do NOT submit cards for operations that are still shown in the website bulletin on 29 January 2001 as ones from which validation material is awaited. To do so is wasting your checkpoint's time and may delay processing of your application. Any subsequent changes will not affect scores for the 2000 HR/AL. Also, remember that you may not have cards credited for the new 'split' groups that were announced in IOTA Directory 2000 unless you have already submitted a completed Conversion Sheet or are doing so with your update (see the website for full information). Where such cards are submitted, checkpoints are under instructions to delete all existing credits, possibly as many as 16, for those 'related' groups that have not been checked in a Conversion Exercise. Finally on QSL cards, read the next paragraph! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ISLAND STATIONS: QSL CARDS REJECTED <<< It is a sad business to report that quite a number of QSLs are now being rejected for failure to meet IOTA requirements. The list of operations is getting longer and longer as every few days we have to advise checkpoints to turn down a card. This distresses us and it distresses them. The usual reason is that there is no indication on the card of the island from which the operation took place, a longstanding requirement. There may be an IOTA reference number but, without an indication of the island, this is INSUFFICIENT for the card to be accepted. There is no flexibility on this. Most coastal IOTA groups contain both valid and invalid islands and an operation counts for IOTA now only if the island name on the card is one shown as valid in Directory 2000 or on the website list of Additional Qualifying Islands. Yes, please put the IOTA number on the card, but don't forget the island name! We have tightened our QSL requirements because, with the ever-increasing volume of checking work, we have to operate on the basis that the QSL card must convince us within a few seconds of being picked up that it justifies being accepted. From 1 January this year we can no longer afford time to check atlases or maps or any reference material except the Directory, augmented by the additional island listings on the website. We appreciate that this might initially have a small cost impact, both on the island station and on his contact, but please understand that we have no option but to go down this path. We hope that the requirement will quickly become so well-known that the incidence of non-compliance which causes such disappointment among island chasers will reduce to negligible levels. If you are an island station, please do pay attention to this. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> IOTA 2000 ACTIVITY PROGRAMME <<< IOTA 2000, the activity programme which ran throughout the past year, is now over. There's no doubt it created a lot of enthusiasm world-wide as indicated by the number of 'hits' on the CDXC website and by general correspondence. We would like to thank all who participated in the programme, particularly those who organised DXpeditions to the rarer IOTAs to give the participants maximum points. From early returns, we can see that some very high scores were made. The IOTA Committee would like to thank the CDXC (Chiltern DX Club), The UK DX Foundation, which managed the IOTA 2000 Programme on its behalf. I guess it could have been easier for them if we had not made changes to the IOTA list in the middle of the year! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year to all our readers ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roger Balister, G3KMA Mauro Pregliasco, I1JQJ RSGB IOTA Manager RSGB IOTA Committee Member (Europe) 6 January 2001 9 January 2001 Past IOTA Notices are available at http://www.425dxn.org/iota Mauro Pregliasco, I1JQJ/KB2TJM 425 DX News Editor http://www.425dxn.org i1jqj@425dxn.org