425 DX News- IOTA Notices

>>> IOTA REFERENCE NUMBERS ISSUED IN NOVEMBER 1998 <<< AS-140 S2 KHULNA REGION group (Bangladeshi islands, letter "b"), following S21K being active from Bhola Island. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> OPERATIONS WHICH HAVE PROVIDED ACCEPTABLE VALIDATION MATERIAL (*) <<< EU-169 ZA0IS Sazan Island (September 1998) AS-045 6M5DX Tokdo Island (July/August 1998) AS-045 D98TOK Tokdo Island (July/August 1998) AS-140 S21K Dakhin Shahbazpur (Bhola) Island (resident since Feb 1998) NA-184 N6VV/P St George Reef (October 1998) NA-211 W5BOS/7 Tillamook Rock (September 1998) OC-084 T32NCC Tabuaeran (Fanning) Island (long term resident) OC-106 YC5XIP Sedanau Island (resident since July 1997) OC-152 FO0SUC Tubuai Island (October 1998) OC-196 VK3AJJ/P Gabo Island (August/September 1998) (*) 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> OPERATIONS FROM WHICH VALIDATION MATERIAL IS AWAITED <<< EU-110 9A1CZZ/P Brioni Is (November 1998) EU-169 ZA0B Sazan Island (September 1998) AF-070 V5/DK6AO Seal Island (August 1998) AS-044 UA0IAS/0 Shantarskiye Is (October 1998) AS-059 UA0IAS/0 Spafar'yeva Island (August 1998) AS-069 UA0IAS/0 Iony Island (September 1998) AS-137 BI5X Xiaoyangshan Island (October 1998) OC-051 FO5QF Rapa Island (October 1998) OC-084 V85QQ Muara Besar Island (November 1998) OC-109 YC5XIP Serasan Island (1998 operations) Checkpoints are not authorised to credit QSL cards for operations from which validation material is still awaited. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> PROVISIONAL IOTA REFERENCE NUMBERS (YET TO BE CONFIRMED) <<< AS-139/Prov BY7 GUANGXI PROVINCE group (operation by BI7W from Weizhou Island, August 1998) Checkpoints are not authorised to accept for IOTA credit QSL cards confirming contacts made with islands/groups whose Reference Numbers have been issued on a provisional basis. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- <<< CANCUN AND PALMARIA >>> The following comes from the RSGB IOTA Manager (Roger Balister, G3KMA): In 1994 we made it known that, as the islands of Cancun (Mexico) and Palmaria (Italy) had been found not to meet the IOTA qualification requirements, credits for contacts with them would be removed from members' records for NA-045 and EU-083 at a convenient time in the medium term future. That action has now been taken should not therefore come as a surprise to older members. Recent members will have been prevented from securing credit by the note in IOTA Directories since 1994 clearly showing both islands as not qualifying. Deletion has been made now to give members affected the opportunity to submit replacement - qualifying - cards at the annual update time in January. In the case of NA-045 we are aware of the following valid calls: XE1IUQ/XF3 (Mujeres Island, July 1988), XF3/XE3XE (Mujeres, at times between October 1994 and February 1995), XF3/EA3BT and XF3/EA3AOK (Mujeres, October 1997). All other calls credited for this island group have been deleted and members' scores adjusted downwards. In the case of EU-083 also, members are asked to check the cards they currently have credited. The following callsigns have been deleted on grounds that the operations took place from Palmaria Island: IK2BHX/IP1, IA1/IK2GPQ, IP1BCM, IP1BQW, IP1CBE, IP1CRH, IP1GJK, IP1VXA, I4ALU/IP1, IP1/IK1LBW, IP1/I2MWZ, IP1/IK4CIE, IP1/IK2FEO, IP1/IK2MMF, IP1ARI, IP1/I4VJC, IP1/IK4IDW. The following additional callsigns have been deleted but on grounds that, as they have been used from several islands including possibly Palmaria, the record is ambiguous and the cards need to be rechecked: I2ZCE/IP1, IA1EDC, I4ALU/IA1, IP1/IK1GPG, I2MWZ/IP1, IP1/I2MWZ, IP1/I1FX, I1SAF/IA1, IK1DLK/IA1, IP1/IK1NEG, IP1AIG, IP1LGR. Members should resubmit any cards to their Checkpoints which they believe have been wrongly removed. Our apologies in advance. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- <<< DATABASE CLEANSING >>> The following comes form the RSGB IOTA Manager (Roger Balister, G3KMA): Members will be aware that we keep the master database of island credits under periodic review. Inevitably, with an undertaking as large as this, we have to make regular callsign corrections and tidyings up, and occasionally we find it necessary to delete calls identified as having been credited in error or where we have serious doubt as to the location of the station concerned. When a callsign is 'unique' or appears only two or three times, we tend to take a closer look, particularly if it is for a rare group. If as a result we delete it and we do so wrongly, we do ask for your cooperation and understanding. Please check the card and if you are satisfied we have made a mistake, resubmit it to your Checkpoint (not HQ or the IOTA Manager!) with a note that it is the old card being submitted. Or, preferably, if you have a more "common" call for that group (well-known operator, standard prefix/callsign, etc), submit that card instead. In the last two weeks we have reviewed almost a third of the database, covering all Africa (AF-001 to -079), half of Oceania (OC-124 to -226) and a quarter of North America (NA-152 to -212). Several thousand different callsigns have been checked and, unfortunately, quite a few credits have had to be deleted. Your Checkpoint will shortly have details if you want to check your own position with a view to resubmitting or replacing cards in the January update. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mauro Pregliasco, I1JQJ RSGB IOTA Committee Member (Europe) 425 DX News Editor i1jqj@425dxn.org