This Week in DX - 08/08/26

Hello and Welcome to the DX Corner for your weekly Dose of DX. I’m Bill, AJ8B.The following DX information comes from Bernie, W3UR, editor of the DailyDX, the WeeklyDX, and the How’s DX column in QST. If you would like a free 2-week trial of the DailyDX, your only source of real-time DX information, just drop me a note at [email protected] many of you, I am an avid CQ DX Marathon participant. To help identify those stations that may not be rare, but also not common, I will bring it to your attention by announcing MARATHON ALERT. This will let you know that based on my experience, this activation is one that you will want to make part of your Marathon Chase! Let’s get started.{Marathon Alert} OH0 – Aland Islands - OH0ERF is QRV until August 12, by a group of German hams operating holiday style. They are operating all bands from 160 m through 10 m, using CW, SSB, and FT8, with 6 m added as conditions allow. The equipment includes an IC-7610, two IC-7300 transceivers, and an ACOM 700S amplifier. {Marathon Alert} R1FJ – Franz Jozef Land - R7AL, Vasily, and his team should be QRV around August 15 for 15 days. Five hundred kilograms of gear is already in Murmansk, their departure point, with the ops bringing another 300 kg.{Marathon Alert} E5/S – South Cook Islands - ZL2KE, Steve, is QRV as E51KEE from the South Cook Islands until August 14th, mainly on CW with some SSB, likely focusing on 30 and 40 meters unless propagation improves. Another Steve, ZL4CZ, is QRV as E51CZZ until August 6th on SSB. Neither operator is using FT8 or other digital modes. {Marathon Alert} TU – Ivory Coast - F5HPE, Fredy, is underway to the Ivory Coast, where he has the TU5MM callsign. He will be joining TU5JZ, Mathruin. Fredy expects to be there until August 22nd , operating from the Motobé Radio Club on 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10M SSB and FT8.{Marathon Alert} OJ0 - Märket Reef - OH6BG says a DXpedition is coming up August 15-22, with OJ0JR, Henri; and OJ0YL, Anne. He points out that the reef is the most exposed location in the Baltic Sea, “more rock than island, more sea than shelter.” To be dealt with before the first QSO is made is the weather, landing conditions, antennas, power and constant wind and waves, he says. They plan 80-10 CW, SSB and FT8.{Marathon Alert} YS – El Salvador - WE9G, Rikk, is QRV as YS/WE9G from El Sunzal, El Salvador, until August 14th. He will primarily use FT8, with some CW and SSB, on 6–160 meters using an SO3R setup, two vertical antennas, and a G5RV dipole. QSOs will be uploaded in real time to Club Log, QRZ, and LoTW, with QSL available via WE9G or Club Log OQRS.Contest Updates  August starts the contest season for me with two contests kicking things off. First is the Ohio QSO Party. I work every minute of this and have had some good rates the past few years. However, I have also been kicked off the air by lightning 3 of the last 4 years so I am hoping for good weather. I finished 7th overall in Ohio last year and #1 in Warren County. I could use your help if you are around the weekend of August 22nd. The contest period runs from 1200 EDT noon in Ohio (1600Z) to Midnight on the 22nd (0400Z Sunday).Secondly is the CQWW RTTY contest. This is the weekend of September 26th and 27th. This contest typically draws over 15,000 participants with over 3,600 logs submitted. If you can operate FT8, you can operate RTTY. Why not give it a try?