On 18 April 2013, we will celebrate the World Amateur Radio Day on the 88th anniversary of the founding of the International Amateur Radio Union, IARU. The theme for this year World Amateur Radio Day is “Amateur Radio: Entering Its Second Century of Disaster Communications”.

Several Member Societies, and clubs related to them, will have special event stations on the air.

Portugal - The REP-Rede dos Emissores Portugueses with the group the operators, will activate the special call sign CR5IARU from 13 to 19 April on all bands. QSL via CT1REP (bureau or direct). Logs will be available in ClubLog.

Mexico – FMRE, with the help of Grupo DXXE, will activate a unique prefix for the first time: 4A8DMR (DMR = Día Mundial del Radioaficionado). This station will be active from 18 to 21 April 2013 on all bands from 6 meters to 160 in all modes including EME and amateur radio satellites from different Grid Locators throughout Mexico. QSL via N7RO and LoTW. Log will be available also on ClubLog.

Puerto Rico – To make echo of this year's theme "Amateur Radio: entering its Second Century of Disaster Communications", the Puerto Rico Field Day Group will be operating KP4FD to celebrate World Amateur Radio Day on the Municipal Emergency Management Agency Office (OMME) on the city of Cataño. There will be a presentation about Amateur Radio in the premises. Operation will be on the HF bands. Confirmations will be via LoTW and there will be an electronic certificate available, make your petition with info on QSO to wp3gw [at] arrl [dot] net. If you would like to receive a printed one, please send a large SASE or envelope with sufficient USA postage. More info via www.qrz.com/db/KP4FD.

South Africa – on 18 April, the SARL will be operating ZS9DCC (Disaster Communications Centenary) from the National Amateur Radio Centre in Johannesburg. QSL via the bureau. Local clubs have been asked to participate and to take your hand-held to work on 18 April and create an interest in Amateur Radio.

Remember that the Polish member society, PZK, issues a yearly WARD Award. Information on how to obtain this award can be found at http://qtc.suchacz.eu/articles.php?article_id=5.

T48K «Las Tunas Contest Crew» with invited guest F5FYO will be active on the 30th and 31th March during the CQWW WPX SSB contest from Playa La Herradura as a multi-single entry. The team will activate bands from 160 to 10m with yagis on 15 and 10, dipoles and half-squares on 80m, 40m and 20m and an inverted L on 160m. They will use the call CO9KAA before and after the contest.

The March, 2013 DXpedition to Clipperton Island has received the callsign TX5K to be used during the operation.

With the addition of Luis XE1L, Dave WJ20, and Giovanni I5JHW, the team has 23 members. One space remains available for another operator, scientist, or other supporter who wishes to join the DXpedition.

The QSL manager will be Bob N2OO. Off-site team member Dean N7XG is developing new software to help automate some of the operations at the QSL manager and his team. The expedition will use DXA, the system that enables real-time web display of the log data, first used on Kure Atoll K7C 2005, to provide confirmation of valid QSOs in about 1 minute after they are made. They will also make use of ClubLog and LotW.

The DXpedition will be active on all HF bands and modes for about 10 days. In addition to the radio operations, the team will carry out numerous scientific projects of environmental science, especially involving studying invasive and undiscovered species that have potential for catastrophic disruption of the Clipperton ecosystem. The team will study vortex winds produced by the island, and will document foraging by congenitally deformed birds. Advisor Robert Pitman reports that a significant portion of the masked boobies are deformed and apparently are fed by their parents their entire lives.

The DXpedition is very pleased to acknowledge a personal gift from a world-famous ham of $10,000. While preferring to remain anonymous, the donor hopes that his gift will stimulate others to support the project.

A particularly interesting activity will be the real-time Internet video connection with students. After the expedition the students will write essays for a compendium to be titled "Saving the World, by We the Students." The publication is designed to be the first of a series of "Saving the World, by…" The team also will collect and remove plastic debris from the island. You can help in these efforts by making a donation through the link on the website.

The F6KOP team members and some foreign operators e.g. Eric ON7RN and Francois ON4LO, will be signing 5X8C next February 2013, 6th to 18th. They will be active from 160m to 10m on SSB, CW, RTTY and PSK.

QSL via LoTW, direct or via bureau (through OQRS).