From October until the end of this year, our HAM calendar is full of DXpeditions to rare and exotic places, and this was definitely reflected on how busy the bands had been. Both old and newcomers to amateur radio in Thailand are especially excited to work all the rare DXCCs.

In October, some of the more prominent DXpeditions include T22T Tuvalu Island, VK9LAA Lord Howe Island, 5X3K Uganda, TX6D French Polynesia, 5W0LM Samoa, W8S Swains Island, ZD9W Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, T2C Tuvalu Island, TO8FH Mayotte, E6AM Niue, E51JAN North Cook Island. The author of this article was honored to serve as the Pilot for Asia for W8S who have made nearly 90,000 QSOs, including over 100 stations with JA on 6m band!

Figure 1. W8S DXpedition to Swains Island in October 2023 (L-R) Adrian KO8SCA, Max NG7M, Johannes PA5X, Gerben PG5M, Ronald PA3EWP, Martin PA4WM, Evert PA2KW, Rainer DL2AMD, Hans DL6JGN, and Heye DJ9RR

In November, many more DXpeditions are scheduled including TJ9MD Cameroon, TX7L Marquesas Island, 4W8X Timor Leste, XW4DX Laos, VK9XGM Christmas Island, and TO9W St Martin.

US FCC Examination in Bangkok

Figure 2. The atmosphere from the 2nd US FCC Amateur Radio Examination 2023 in Thailand, led by Champ E21EIC

The second US FCC Amateur Radio Examination in Thailand in 2023 was held on Saturday 7th October 2023 at King Mongkut Institute of Technology in Lad Krabang district, Bangkok. The session began at 1300 local time with 21 participants in total. The results of the examinations were as follow:-

Regarding the US FCC Amateur Radio Examination in Thailand, those who have passed the exams, particularly the General and Extra Class, can upgrade their Thai License with the NBTC regulator in order to gain access to the HF bands. This process is somewhat similar to Japan.

For this round of examination, the author would like to thank all 13 Volunteer Examiners (VEs) who have dedicated their time and effort. The session was a success with 76% pass rate.

Getting Ready for CQ World Wide DX Contest 2023

CQ World Wide DX Contest is one of the largest and most popular amateur radio contests in the world. It is held in the last weekend of October in SSB mode, and in the last weekend of November in CW mode. For Thailand, many teams take this opportunity to improve their station setups and join in the competitions.

Figure 3. Dietmar DL3DXX (pictured in the middle) arrived in Thailand on 19th October 2023 prior to the start of CQ World Wide DX Contest to prepare the station in Ban Ta Bong for the competition. Picture taken at E20AX Club Station with Bun E25KAE (left) and Champ E21EIC (right)

The author himself will operate under E2A in the CQWW SSB under Multi-Single High-Power category. The operators include Stig LA7JO, Dietmar DL3DXX (who will arrive in Thailand one week before hand to join the Worked All Germany Contest), Dusko ZL3WW, Sam HSØZDY, Ray HS4RAY, JC E2ØNKB, and Champ E21EIC.

For CQWW CW, the E2A will also compete under Multi-Single High-Power category. The operators include Stig LA7JO, Martin N6VI, Dusko ZL3WW, Sam HSØZDY, Ray HS4RAY, JC E2ØNKB, and Champ E21EIC.

These CQ World Wide DX Contests 2023 in SSB and CW are also the first two out of fifteen qualifying events for WRTC 2026. For more information about WRTC 2026 which will be held in the UK : https://www.wrtc2026.org/

The results and pictures from E2A participation in CQ WW SSB contest 2023 will follow in the next issue.

IARU R3 YOTA Camp

The Radio Amateur Society of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King (RAST) in conjunction with the IARU Region 3, will hold the first Youngsters On The Air (YOTA) Region 3 Camp on 27th – 29th October 2023 in Pattaya, Thailand. Over 30 kids are expected to join the event including those from Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

This YOTA Region 3 Camp provides a venue for youths who are interested in amateur radio to meet like-minded friends from other nationalities, take part in radio-communication related activities, and provide them with skills that they can take back to stimulate similar projects in their home country in order to promote further growth in the hobby. Some of the activities this year include:
　-　Radio set-up and how to become HAM operators
　-　Electronic workshops
　-　HF, VHF, and Satellite communication
　-　Building antennas
　-　Fox Hunting
　-　Star gazing and tour of Pattaya

For more information about IARU Region 3 YOTA Camp : https://www.iarur3yota2023.com/
Details and pictures from the 1st IARU Region 3 YOTA Camp will follow in the next issue.