"Today in my box"

9X0PY new DXCC confirmed .... Rwanda on 4 bands! Many thanks Carl for QSL card!

 

AA4VK/CY0 and WA4DAN/CY0 Sable Islands on 3 new bands! Many thanks Ron!

Getting to know new RTX

I was playing a bit with TS-590S on the bands and this the result:

XT - Burkina Faso - worked on several bands - but not only The Italian Team - in the same time XT is activated few operators from Japan. Nice to see in my log XT2CJA as new DXCC on 40/20m.

TZ6BB - Fernando - new band welcome here 10M!

J88DR - Dave from St. Vincent - 20SSB - new mode and 80mCW! New DXCC on 80m!

FK8DD - Sam from New Caledonia - worked him as /M mobile operation but logged as normal as well. New DXCC on 30m and rapid LoTW QSL!

Kenwood TS-590S

Welcome on board my new backup radio - Kenwood TS-590S! This is my 1`st experience with Kenwood  transceiver! I know this model .... I had pleasure to operate TS-590S last year on EU-103 as EJ0PL ... great rig for CW @ good affordable price. On the video here XT2TT from Burkina Faso on 28Mhz CW. Worked them yesterday on that band. First QSO today with new transceiver ... 9U4U on 12mCW. A lot to learn now how to operate this rig as I am ICOM fan. While my PRO3 is in service I will enjoy 590S for sure! First challenge was to home brew control relay cable .... done!

Working on backup radio in the shack

My main RTX needs to go to service in UK. Operating now on ICOM IC-706MKIIG my /P /M radio. To be honest I have no experience with it at all. Purchased recently CW filter ICOM FL-232 narrow filter. Without it CW operation will be almost impossible .... Now looks OK. CW filter is doing good job. But to work DX ... forget it ... receiver is no way near it to my PRO3. It will be fine maybe if you will be DX ... but this is not the radio for DX chasers. Anyway ... no choice at the moment. Will try my best ;) On the video here nice QSO made tonight with Artur SP1NQU on 30mCW.

HF Happenings

A lot to say ... I was not active on the radio last few days ... now back in action and this is the story:

1) Visited SP - land for a short time. Managed QSO with 5X8C as SP/EI9KC on 21MhzCW - above video how Michal EI3KG was strong in SP during last weekend ARLL DX CW Contest. Thanks to Robert SP6ICO to use his shack! First time ever EI9KC was QRV from different country!

2) 9U4U from Burundi is now QRV on the bands. Not new DXCC for me but nice to see Burundi on some bands where is needed. Managed few QSOs.

3) ZL9HR QSL card received! Beautiful job! Many thnanks!

4) XT2TT Italian Job from Burkina Faso - just started today! And EI9KC is happy to log them on 28Mhz as NEW DXCC on HF! 

5) H44KW Long time New ONE worked !!! Solomon Islands ... at last! 30mCW! 2`nd NEW DXCC worked today!!! This is real stuff when more than 280 countries worked every single new one is a THING! Here is their signal recorded just after my QSO. 

6) .... My ICOM IC-756PROIII is broken ... still working but I am loosing power from 100W to 10-20W. Looks like overheating problem is here ... radio needs to go to ICOM UK for service. Will use new radio soon as a backup! Watch this space!

EI13CLAN when pile-up is a plasure ...

EI3KG and EI9KC (Members of EI0PL DX and Contest Group) had a pleasure to run EI13CLAN on the bands today. Plan was CW and SSB but we couldn`t get our two computer interfaces running for CW portion so .... PHONE left only .... Started shortly after 10AM this morning and finished at 7PM in the evening.

Quick summary here and some statistics:

1098 QSOs

1047 Unique callsigns

66 DXCC

7 QSOs on 10m

567 on 15m

356 on 20m

168 on 40m

Countries chart - ALL BANDS.

It was great fun for us to feel like DX on the bands. Managed heavy pile-up almost all the time. Great antennas at home QTH of EI3KG and EI5JQ , one of the best DX station in EI now did great job! Looking forward to run EI13CLAN on CW some day! 

On the end .... quick note about .... Real DX worked this morning on 40mCW

3D2RX Bob (W7YAQ) logged!

2 elements Yagi for 40m is a monster!

San Andres & Providencia

Alain F6BFH well known globetrotter is currently active from HK0 - San Andres Island NA-033. San Andres & Providencia is a separate DXCC! And for first time in my log today! 14MhzCW late in the evening. Big surprise as band should be closed now, looks like spring is on the way and 20m will be open almost 24h soon! 3 years ago I had QSO with HK0GU/1 - I was thinking that day this is San Andres & Providencia but not it was not! It was Colombia .... Now for sure! Brand New DXCC! Thanks Alain.

A bit of DXing today

TZ6BB QSL Card - front

Weather is back to normal ... after yesterday sunny day today again cloudy, overcast, rain and wind. Good opportunity to catch some DX. And welcome in my log today:

• BV1EK - Taiwan as New One on 12m
• EU7SR and EW1EA - New Ones on 12m
• TZ6BB - New One on 17 and 12m

Taiwan and Mali QSL received on LoTW already! Thanks!

Late today did some CQ CQ on 30m .... Great FUN it was! Running here barefoot radio ... around 88W I`ve got good reply on Reverse Beacons located in USA ... Best was SNR 37dB @ K1TTT. My daily CW portion was life today , instead running some CW software I did several QSOs , mainly with USA. I have no problems to RX, sometimes TX is no great. But practice is a answer!

New DXCC in CW logged!

When my counter is showing up 273 countries worked in CW , every new one worked is a "special"! And today logged my 274 DXCC in CW. 3D2OU Bill (N7OU) now QRV from Fiji and soon from Rotuma as 3D2RO. Great QSO on 30m managed in heavy EU pile-up. Bill is fantastic CW operator and it is a pleasure  to work him. I remember well his last year activity from North and South Cook Islands (E51MAN & E51NOU). Looking forward to catch him on another bands. As I have just one QSO with Fiji from 2011 in SSB on 14Mhz.
And I must say about another New DXCC worked on 30m this evening! .... GI4DOH Richard from Northern Ireland! Yes! NI ... I still need Norther Ireland on 40/20/17/15/12 :)

Two new DXCC on Two bands ....

A bit DXing today on the radio as condition was to do so. Early in the morning when grey line was passing by EI land ... nabbed: 

ZF2BJ - Cayman Islands on 80m 

XE3ARV - Mexico on 80m

Both countries new ones on 3.5

Later today

Switzerland - logged on 17m as new DXCC!

So close so far I must say!

HB9LZC - Willi gave me another country worked on 18Mhz , followed yesterday`s QSO with .... Austria ...OE5CSP Chris - another New One! Chasing DX all over the world but sometimes that new DXCC is no so far. My Multibander 7-PL antenna is not "great" for 17/12m. This is main reason why I am not so active to do CQ CQ on those bands. Found a way now to play on 18Mhz. Will see how it will works.