IOTA PROGRAMME: NEW ISLAND GROUPS
ELEVEN NEW IOTA GROUPS were announced at IOTA’s 50th Anniversary Convention, held in Windsor, England over the weekend 4 to 6 July 2014. Some result directly from the rule changes announced in the latest IOTA Directory, published in May 2014
All new groups have provisional numbers. This means that they will need to be confirmed by an operation taking place after 5 July 2014 that meets the 1000 QSO and other normal validation requirements. Only after confirmation of the number will credit for past operations be considered. Most of the new groups have not seen a previous amateur radio operation. Where however there has been an operation with contacts credited to an IOTA group, IOTA Management will at some point arrange transfers of credits to the new group if it has clear-cut information covering all operations in the old group. In two cases this may not be possible.
The addition of these new groups necessitates in some cases the renaming of the titles of existing groups and amendment of the ‘co-ordination boxes’ as currently appearing in the new Directory. ‘A’ and ‘W’ refer to the regional awards as shown in the Directory.
AF-118P CN Mediterranean Sea Coast group, Morocco (=Jaegerschmidt, Los Farallones) 34o59–35o56N 002o13– 006o15W
Comment: New ‘coastal islands’ group. These islands were not previously shown on a 1:1,000,000 scale map but now qualify from being shown and named on Google Earth. No known previous amateur radio activity.
AF-119P S7 Coetivy Island, Seychelles(=Coetivy) 06o58–07o18S056o08–056o25E
Comment: New ‘remote island’ group. This island (previously AF-024) lies a distance of some 170 km from Platte Island, the nearest island in the rest of the Seychelles. Permission to land and operate is required from the owners. No Known previous amateur radio activity.
Note: Coetivy will be deleted from AF-024 and the ‘co-ordinates box’ amended.
AS-200P JA5 Shikoku’s Coastal Islands, Japan (=[islands to be listed]) 32o40–34o35N 132o00–134o52E
Comment: Shikoku, one of the four main Japanese islands, has hitherto not had its own coastal islands IOTA group and these all previously counted for AS-076. This is being changed. The main valid islands will be listed on the scroll down list on the application page on the RSGB website shortly. There has been regular previous amateur radio activity. Contacts do not count until a new valid operation has taken place. It may not be possible to transfer past credits that now qualify for AS-200P.
Note: The island entry against AS-076 will be amended.
AS-201P Sea of Marmara Islands, Turkey (=Avsa [aka Turkeli], Imrali, Marmara, Pasalimani, Prince Isls [namely Burgazada, Buyukada, Heybeliada, Kasik, Kinaliada, Sedef, Sivriada, Tavsan, Yassiada]) 40o18–41o04N 026o10– 029o31E
Comment: The case for the Sea of Marmara islands counting as a separate group for IOTA has been reviewed and, given the special treatment afforded the Black Sea islands, is considered on balance worthy of acceptance. The main valid islands are on the Asiatic side of the Sea of Marmara. There has been occasional previous amateur radio activity but contacts do not count until a new valid operation has taken place.
AS-202P A9 Hawar Islands, Bahrain (=Hawar Isls [namely Hawar, Rabad al Gharbiyar, Rabad ash Sharqiyah, SuwadalJanubiyah,SuwadashShamliyah]) 25o32–25o47N050o41–050o51E
Comment: This is a self-contained group of islands (previously AS-002), which nestle close to Qatar and are physically separated off from Bahrain. No known previous amateur radio activity.
Note: The island entry against AS-002 and the ‘co-ordinates box’ will be amended.
AS-203P R0X Shelikhova Bay group, Asiatic Russia (=Dobrzhanskogo, Konus, Rovnyy, Skala, Tretiy, Zubchatyy) 59o00–62o41N 159o40–165o05E
Comment: The currently named Shelikhova Bay group (AS-091) is being split to allow islands north of Ptichiy Island to count separately. Dobrzhanskogo Island is situated some 600 km from Ptichiy and the others mentioned above some 500 km. This distance spread in a group is quite exceptional. All previous activity has been from Ptichiy Island (AS-091) – by UA0X/EK250RA (August 1991), RZ0ZWA/0 and UE0XYZ (both July 2001) – and this will remain AS-091. Note: The title of AS-091 will be renamed ‘Sea of Okhotsk Coast group’ and the ‘co-ordinates box’ amended.
A EU-190P RI1FJ Viktoriya Island, Franz Josef Land (=Viktoriya) 80o05–80o12N 036o30–037o10E
Comment: New ‘remote island’ group. This island (previously EU-019) lies a distance of 158 km from Zemlya Aleksandry, Franz Josef Land. Previous Amateur Radio Activity was by Nikolay Povalyaev (1985-1991 as UA1O/UA0BCA, then 1991 to 1994 as 4K2BCA and, lastly 1994 when the station was closed as R1FJV) but contacts do not count until a new valid operation has taken place.
Note: Viktoriya will be deleted from EU-019 and the ‘co-ordinates box’ amended.
EU-191P YO FericiriiIsland, Romania/Ukraine (=Fericirii) 45o09–45o13N029o45–029o47E
Comment: New ‘split sovereignty island’ group. This is a newly established split sovereignty island in the Black Sea just outside the Danube Delta. It is 2km from the mainland and approximate 4.78Km long. A recent International Court of Justice decision split sovereignty over the island between Romania and Ukraine. It cannot be joined with Saculinu Mare because the latter is not split sovereignty. No known previous amateur radio activity.
W NA-247P PJ7 Sint Maarten’s Coastal Islands (=Guana Key of Pelikan, Molly Beday [aka Mal Aborder]) 18o00– 18o04N 062o57–063o10W
Comment: New ‘coastal islands’ group of a split sovereignty island. These islands were not previously shown on a 1:1,000,000 scale map but now qualify from being shown and named on Google Earth in the same way that the coastal islands of St Martin FS count (NA-199). No known previous amateur radio activity.
A NA-248P VE8, VY0 NWT (Melville Island) group, Canada (=Borden, Brock, Eglinton, Emerald, Mackenzie King, Melville,PrincePatrick) 74o20–78o50N105o00–123o30W
This leaves NA-009 as follows:
NA-009 VY0 Nunavut (Devon Island) group, Canada (=Baillie-Hamilton, Bathurst, Byam Martin, Cameron, Coburg, Cornwall,Cornwallis,Devon,Graham,Grosvenor,Lougheed) 74o24–77o51N079o00–106o10W
Comment: The very large territorial/sea area covered by NA-009, Nunavut (Parry Islands) is divided administratively between NWT and Nunavut by straight line co-ordinates (in some cases across an island). Following practice elsewhere, these islands are now split into two IOTA groups. Devon and Melville Islands, the largest islands in each, are among the next largest “large islands” in size after others that have been given separate numbers because of size. There has been regular previous amateur radio activity from NA-248P. Contacts do not count for this group until a new valid operation has taken place. It may not be possible to transfer past credits from NA-009 that now qualify for NA-248P.
OC-296P T8 Tobi and Helen Islands, Palau (=Helen,Tobi) 02o40–03o10N131o00–132o00E
Comment: New ‘remote island’ group. These two islands (previously OC-248) lie a distance of about 152 km from Merir Island, the nearest of the remaining South Palau group. No known previous amateur radio activity.
Note: The title of OC-248 will be renamed ‘Sonsorol Islands group’ and the ‘co-ordinates box’ amended.
In summary:
AF-118P CN Mediterranean Sea Coast group, Morocco (=Jaegerschmidt, Los Farallones) 34o59–35o56N 002o13– 006o15W
AF-119P S7 Coetivy Island,Seychelles(=Coetivy) 06o58–07o18S056o08–056o25E
AS-200P JA5 Shikoku’s Coastal Islands, Japan (=[islands to be listed]) 32o40–34o35N 132o00–134o52E
AS-201P Sea of Marmara Islands, Turkey (=Avsa [aka Turkeli], Imrali, Marmara, Pasalimani, Prince Isls [namely Burgazada, Buyukada, Heybeliada, Kasik, Kinaliada, Sedef, Sivriada, Tavsan, Yassiada]) 40o18–41o04N 026o10– 029o31E
AS-202P A9 Hawar Islands, Bahrain (=Hawar Isls [namely Hawar, Rabad al Gharbiyar, Rabad ash Sharqiyah, SuwadalJanubiyah,SuwadashShamliyah]) 25o32–25o47N050o41–050o51E
AS-203P R0X Shelikhova Bay group, Asiatic Russia (=Dobrzhanskogo, Konus, Rovnyy, Skala, Tretiy, Zubchatyy) 59o00–62o41N 159o40–165o05E
EU-190P RI1FJ Viktoriya Island, Franz Josef Land (=Viktoriya) 80o05–80o12N 036o30–037o10E
EU-191P YO Fericirii Island, Romania/Ukraine(=Fericirii) 45o09–45o13N029o45–029o47E
NA-247P PJ7 Sint Maarten’s Coastal Islands (=Guana Key of Pelikan, Molly Beday [aka Mal Aborder]) 18o00–
18o04N 062o57–063o10W
NA-248P VE8, VY0 NWT (Melville Island) group, Canada (=Borden, Brock, Eglinton, Emerald, Mackenzie King, Melville,Prince Patrick)
74o20–78o50N105o00–123o30W
OC-296P T8 Tobi and Helen Islands,Palau(=Helen,Tobi) 02o40–03o10N131o00–132o00E
Roger Balister, G3KMA RSGB IOTA Manager 11 July 2014
