Transmission times:

In an email on 29. January, Gary Walters, the RSH Station Manager, commented on the amount
of mail regarding RSD 2008 and , indirectly, about the success of the “new” postal route.

“RSH Station Manager, Gary Walters, is pleased to announce that, between 14. and 19. January 2009,
Radio St. Helena received < 266 > letters from Dxers around the world containing reports of the
recent Radio St Helena Day shortwave transmission , which was held on the 15th of November 2008.

Staff at Radio St Helena will immediately set to work, when we have received the new QSL cards.

Gary and his staff send their best greetings to all DXers around the world and many thanks for their letters
of appreciation.”

The new RSD 2008 QSL cards have been printed and have arrived in Germany. The cards will be sent
to St. Helena very soon, but it will take up to three months for the cards to arrive at RSH.
Therefore, DXers should not expect to find their QSLs in the mail before about July 2009.

Gary Walters, Radio St. Helena
RadioSt. Helena Day 2008 : a short review ( 05. Dec. 2008 )
—————————————————————–

During Radio St. Helena Day 2008, RSH received 295 emails.
There were two successful telephone calls:
— Mr. Shamim in Southern India
— Mr. Chris Wood in Tennessee, USA

The “new postal route” works.
Note that it is better to < omit > the words “South Atlantic Ocean” in
in this “new postal route”, so as not to confuse your local post office.
Make certain that your letter reaches the United Kingdom.
The P.O. in the UK then knows very well what to do with the letters.
Be certain to include sufficient return postage inside your letter :
( 3+ IRC’s or 3+ USDollars, or 5 Euro or 5 GBPounds (smallest banknote)).
Be sure to put sufficient postage < on > your letter. You need airmail postage to
the most remote country in the world ( even if you are in the UK) .
From Germany, Euro 1.70 ; from USA, 94 cents ; from UK , 81 Pence.
This is for a standard, airmail, “world”-letter of (max.) 20 grams (USA: 1 ounce) weight.

The first two reception reports have reached Ascension Island.
— Christian Ghibaudo, France, sent his report on 18. November
— Richard Mitchell , Raleigh, NC, USA, also sent a report
Both of these letters arrived on Ascension on 26. November.
In the mean time, several other reports have arrived.
The Royal Mail Ship RMS St. Helena will pick these letters up
at Ascension on 07. December and deliver the letters to St. Helena
on 09. December 2008.

Do < NOT > expect any RSD 2008 QSL cards to be posted before about July of 2009.

The RSD 2008 QSL is, as of December, 2008, still being designed.
The cards will, probably, be printed in January of 2009.
It will then take about two months to ship the cards to St. Helena.
From about April or May of 2009, RSH will be able to actually fill in the
details and sign the QSL cards. That may take a month or two.
Therefore, the RSD 2008 QSL cards will, probably, not be sent to SWL’s
before about July of 2009. This is the usual procedure and has been the
approximate time table of events in the past years.

Unfortunately, the SUN did not help at all with the propagation of radio waves
via the ionosphere this year, and we are still at the bottom of the old sun-spot cycle.
Reception around the world was , generally, not good. Japan, however, had some
phases of wonderful reception, but many areas of Europe and USA heard almost nothing.
Lucky were those DXers who have big antenna systems in the right direction.
Among others, Anker Petersen (DSWCI) , Glenn Hauser, and Jerry Berg have published
excellent and detailed summaries of the reception conditions in many parts of the world.
Simply put, that is the way things are on the shortwaves. The shortwaves are like a box
of candy, you never know what you are going to get.

The RSD 2008 Team at Radio St. Helena sends their thanks to all SWL’s everywhere and
sincere best wishes to everyone for current Holiday Season and for the New Year 2009.

Gary Walters, Station Manager , Radio St. Helena
Robert Kipp