Winter Target ..... 80m

CQ WW CW 2011 Contest gave me a lot of experience on 80m band. And now my target is to focus on that band. Winter long nights are perfect to search for some DX on 80m. My QSL statistics are low on that band. At the moment I have 29 DXCC confirmed by LoTW only. Here is some statistics. I still need some EU QSL ;) But no worries about it. My target is to work 100 DXCC on 80 during winter time. It means I need 10 more countries. QSL is different story.

All blue spots here on the map are my 80m contacts. Looking forward to catch 10 more ;)

P.S. Last minute info! Just worked DS4DBF from South Korea ... 3.5Mhz CW of course! Big NEW ONE on 80m!

CQ WW CW 2011

Another CQWW CW contest for EI9KC. This time I had a big pleasure to work on 80m high power assisted category. I wasn`t sure on the beginning which category to choose but finally I`ve decided to be on 80m band only. And it was worth it! I like to concentrate on one band. Last year I was on 40m only. This year 80m. My number of worked countries on 80m is still very low and few days before contest I was on 80m for most of my radio time and I had some recognition what to expect on 80m! In just two nights before contest I`ve worked 19 new DXCC on that band. When contest started my count on 80m was 67 DXCC worked. 

I was active just two night ... Saturday 0:00 UTC and Sunday 0:00 UTC for 4 hours each night. Around 10 hours in total of my activity. And I`m very happy with my results:

259 QSOs

76 DXCC

15 CQ ZONES

It means I`ve worked 9 more countries during contest than in 16 months hihi :) I`m glad to see in my log real DX on 80m like: Brasil , Oman , Mongolia , Cuba , Barbados , Antigua & Barbuda , Martinique , Montserat , Bermuda , Virgin Island , Jamaica , Aruba , St Lucia , Tajikistan , Colombia , Bahamas , The Gambia. My dipole did a good job! It is interesting band but need good antenna system and power as well. 

One of great fun for me was .... calling CQ during contest! I had some mistakes when QRM were big or my paddle wasn`t working like it should be. Ok I wasn`t fast .... 19 WPM was my speed and I appreciate stations who gave me their call-sign in similar speed. Sorry for some mistakes Folks! One of the big mistake was to reply station from OM who I`ve looged first like GM because of massive QRM. It was a time when my station was spotted on the cluster. Anyway ... I like it! CQWWCW on 80m this year gave me 12 new countries on this band. 

Another fine night on 80m!

• TA3/LZ2UW - Turkey
• 4Z4KX - Israel
• C6AAW - Bahamas
• UK8AR - Uzbekistan
• VP2MTA - Montserrat
• VP2V/N3DXX - British Virgin Islands
• PJ2/N0YY - Curacao

All , CW only.

Heard but not worked .... FJ / FM / 8Q / 4S / ZD8

Ghana for first time on HF and few more interesting ones ....

Windy condition outside didn`t let me put my antenna higher for some operation on the bands today. And with antenna just 3m above the ground I`ve logged some interesting stations:

• 8Q7DV - Maladives on 12/17 
• C91NW - Mozambique 12m
• VP2MWT - Montserat 15m
• 5Z4HW - Kenya 10m
• 5X1NH - Uganda 10m
• V31AO - Belize 10m
• 9G5XA - Ghana 10m (NEW ONE)
• D44AC - Cape Verde 10m

CW only .....

12 new countries in my log on 80m in two hours ....

My statistics for 80m band are low. Yesterday I had 46 countries worked on that band. Today I had good fun on this band working some "New1" :

1. C50C - The Gambia
2. VA2GU - Canada
3. TK/DJ4MZ - Corsica
4. OY1CT - Faroe Islands
5. CN8KD - Marocco
6. EA8OM - Canary Islands
7. D44AC - Cape Verde
8. OH0 - Aland Is.
9. SV0XCC/9 - Crete Isl.
10. KP2M - Virigin Isl.
11. PJ5/DL7VOG - Saba & St Eustatius
12. VP9/N3AD - Bermuda

CW only!

Outgoing and incoming QSLs by Bureau

About 150 Bureau QSL card received yesterday on Mayo Radio Experimenters Network Annual Rally in Castelbar. Mostly from DL sations. But also a few "rare" ones like ZD7XF . 9YAW . VP2MXF . C37N. Nigel (G3TXF) is a great QSLer! Many thanks especially for ZD7 on 80mCW! I like all your paper QSL Folks! I`m a printer. Keep my profession alive. Send your paper QSL!

About 150 my QSL cards are ready to go by the Bureau! Around 100 to DL stations ;)) I have 14 different types of QSL and they all mixed here. A good few to JA stations as well!

5000 QSO logged today!

SQ9QU Seb from Poland , logged today on 28MhzCW is my 5000 QSO as EI9KC !!! 15 months on the bands.

T2T on ... 40mCW UFF UFF UFF!

T2T "First major DXpedition organised by Pacyfic DXer`s" gave me one of my BEST QSOs! I was trying for few days to work them on 40mCW / 30mCW. To be honest focus on T2T ONLY I was waiting for them on their frequencies, when they were operating. Signal was too low, or no operation ... or pile-up was massive. Today early in the morning same again. Big pile-up from EU and a lot of NA stations in the same time. But they were active long time on 40m today in the morning (UTC) and condition was good. Not great , their signal was weak but readable. Around 11:00 UTC (it was 23:00 local time in there) when 90% of EU stations "lost their hope" to work them on 40m ... T2T was still on 40mCW. I heard few EU stations still calling them (ON/PA/DL/F) but they didn`t copy them. I was trying few times and .... they`ve got my call on the top of the other EU stations calling them in the same time. My Wimdom dipole managed it very well! Tuvalu logged on 40mCW!!! 17 years on the radio, 17 years chasing Dxing and Tuvalu from Pacyfic Ocean worked with dipole on 40mCW is ONE OF MY BEST QSO! QSO to remember. This blog is about this moments.

North Cook Island on 12m.

E51MAN Bill started operation from Manhiki Island , North Cook Isl on Pacyfic Ocean. Activity on CW ONLY. And today for first time N.Cook Island logged in my log. Brand New DXCC. Never worked before! I was waiting for his sunrise on 10/12m. I was SWL his signal on 30m but pile-up was massive during the day.

Bhutan on eQSL

Last week QSO. A52DL Just from Norway in Bhutan and now nice eQSL confirmation. Many thanks! Appreciate it very much when QSL Managers / Operators are respecting people who collecting eQSL Awards!

250 DXCC by EI9KC

15 months on the bands as EI9KC and I`m glad to have 250 DXCC worked ... Latest is T2T ... Tuvalu. When I left 11m band I had 251 DXCC confirmed in 6 years active time on the radio.

T2T Tuvalu

T2T Dx Pedition by Pacyfic DXers. Not sure 100% if worked .... I was tryning on 20mCW but no luck and then on 15mCW. I think that T2T gave me RST but no sure 100%. It was hard to read them with low signal and QRM from other tunning stations on the same freq. Then when band was quiet and there was no pile-up I was trying again but no luck. No on-line log at the moment ... If I`m in the log it will be Brand New DXCC for me. If not ... I will try another time.

OK OM DX Contest

I had real fun last night working in OK - OM DX Contest. Late at night I was searching bands and on 80m I`ve spotted large activity from OK and OM stations. They all were in contest. I went to their website to know the rules in this competion and I was in! Almost 2h spent and 28 contacts made. 100W and dipole only on 80m and real good fun.Challenge for me was to copy serial number from OK OM stations. It was a 3 digit district abbreviation. Why challenge ? It was CW only competition.

Good DXing

Good DXing today. Bands are wide open and it is a pleasure to work on it. Just few stations from my today`s log:

• A52VM Bhutan - 28MhzCW (1`st CW & 10m )
• JT1KAA Mongolia - 28MhzCW
• ZL1BYZ New Zealand - 24MhzCW (1`st on 12m)
• HI3TEJ Dominican Rep - 24MhzCW (1`st on 12m)
• OX3XR Greenland - 24MhzCW (1`st on 12m)
• E51NOU - S.Cook Isl - 21MhzCW (1`st 15m) 
• K9FD/KH6 - Hawaii - 21MhzCW

I spent few hours with Papa Lima DX & Contest Group EI0PL during JIDX Phone Contest 2011. We had aprox 100 JAs stations on 20mSSB.

1`st Bhutan in the log

A52DL Just (LA9DL) is operating now from Bhutan in Asia. And I`m happy to log Bhutan for first time. First entry in my log on 21MhzSSB. Nice one! Brand New DXCC for me never worked before.

Easter Island on 12m

CE0Y/LA5UF Joe logged again on 12mCW this time. When he started calling CQ early afternoon today on 24.904 he had real 559 in my location. Very good signal and pile-up was quite heavy as well. I was trying for few times but no luck. Then a lot of  "lids" on his frequency startred making QRM (calling without split, tunnig , etc) Big mess! Joe stopped calling CQ. I had a feeling that will will appear on antoher freq on 12m or another band. Lucky it was same band just 3up 24.907. When I`ve spotted his call , I gave him one-call and .... he picked-up my call without any problems. Easter Island for 2`nd time ever! TU JOE!

4 new DXCC on my favorite band

On my QRZ.com profile there is information about my favorite band .... 10Mhz is the only band where CW and digi modes are allowed. And this band is my Number1. I am using 79 meters long dipole for 30m and my dream list is to have beam for this band. But so far I`ve worked 101 DXCC on 10Mhz without any preasure just fun. During winter times my plan is to get some more new countries on low bands like 160/80/40/30. Will see how it will works. Anyway last 24h gave me 4 new countries on 10Mhz :

• 7Q7GM - Malawi (102)
• 4S7NE - Sri Lanka (103)
• JA1VND - Japan (104)
• KP2/K1ZE - Us Virgin Island (105)

 Top 10 so far on 30m are:

• VP8ORK
• ZL3AB
• T32C
• TX7M
• E51NOU
• 9M2TO
• S21YZ
• ZD7XF
• PY0FO
• 4W6A

Good Morning Niue

Once again about Niue and ZK2V. It will be always great QSO. This time logged on 12mSSB. Above print screen from real-time logging on Chris`s website. New DXCC in SSB.

Rapa Nui - Easter Island for first time ever !!!

Easter Island was my Number One Most Wanted DXCC from the list. And today for first time ever logged in my logbook! 10mCW QSO CE0Y/LA5UF Joe from Norway is operating now from this beautiful location. I had no luck to contact him from Nauru as C21U but no worries. Easter Island was more important for me. He was active today in the morning UTC time on 20m but his signal was too little. And in the evening our time I spotted his call on the cluster on 10mCW he was very weak but looged and he pick-up my call. After QSO strong QSB .... Thanks Joe! Big big New One for many years Most Wanted!

Several QSOs on 80m and 1`st ASIA on this band!

Not many DXCC worked on 80m but I`m not worry about this. My dipole is great for EU and if I can make QSO outside of Europe on 80m I`m very happy. To practice CW I like to jump on some frequency and just call CQCQ. Best way for me to learn CW every day. Winter months are good for low bands. My local QRM are in bed and best time for me is evening time. 20/15/12/10m are closed but 160/80/40/30m are open! Today I looged several stations on 20m and 80m practice my CW skills. On 80m I`ve logged about 5 /QRP stations with good signals in my location. And last QSO I had with UN7CW Nick from Kazahstan! He reply to my call and we had QSO. It was my 1`st ASIA station on 80m! TU NICK! looking forward to make a lot interesting QSOs on 160/80/40/30m during winter months.

7Q7GM Malawi

7Q7GM CW only DX Pedition is on air now from Malawi in Africa. I had just one QSO with 7Q and it was RTTY on 20m. Now for 2`nd time Malawi logged but this time on 12mCW. New country in CW for me.