Latest QSL arrivals

JG8NQJ/JD1 - Minami Tori-Shima (Marcus Island) - new band.

9J2T - Italian Dxpedition Team from Zambia

Africa Day ...on 30M

Lesotho DX-Pedition is now QRV on the bands and I had pleasure to work (after small battle) 7P8JR Joel (N5JR) on 30M CW. Few operators on this DX-Pedition are using own call-sign it must be reason for it. Anyway , Lesotho on 30M is new DXCC for me and I am glad to make it with my dipole fixed for Pacific. Shortly after QSO with Lesotho decided to do some CQ on 10Mhz. 80W from my side few EU station replied, nice QSOs. One longer than usual QSO 3Z150OSP op. Radek was running SES station and on the end different than others call-sign gave me a call.... When I am practising my CW skills on Morse Runner call-signs are most common ... DL, EA, N, K, W, SP, LA, VK, JA etc .... This Caller had unusual call! It was C5YK! Andre from Gambia was calling me! What a thrill! We had short QSO! Last missing band sorted! I have The Gambia on 160M to 10M worked. Confirmed by QSL - card . Only one slot on LoTW from C56XA done 2 years ago. Andre is using LoTW as well and by the end of this month there is a hope for new one on 30M to be confirmed. eQSL was rapid marked The Gambia my 190 DXCC confirmed on eQSL. Thanks Andre , QSO to remember! Vy 73!

American Samoa - once again ...

DX-World.net picture KH8 Team

I was chasing American Samoa last few days. Guenter DL2AWG, Hans DL6JGN and Ronald PA3EWP were active from KH8.

Had a hope for 10M. SWL`d them twice on 28Mhz but signal was too weak. It was in the evening our time. Solar Flux Index is high at the moment but for some reasons upper bands are not in good shape. Not always anyway. Managed QSO with them on 12M CW, not new on 24Mhz but always nice.

At last 17M sorted. Previously when W8A - N8A were active I had them in my log for 17M but ... they didn`t have me ... Anyway this time 100% sure CW and SSB.

Every morning I had a hope for 30M .... no luck .... for some reasons they were not there for us. They operated 30M but in the evening our time which is not good here in EI to manage QSO on 30M in the evening. This is by my experience only. I had a situations when Wallis and Futuna and South Cook Islands logged on 30M in the evening here but not this time. Had no signal from KH8 on 30M at all. Thanks for good thrill and especially good ears of DL6JGN and PA3EWP during CW operation. My QSO on 17M was on noise level! Well done!

Tonga A35X & A35V

Small DX-Pedition by two experienced DX-Mans A35V and A35X is QRT now. I was chasing them on the bands where Tonga was needed. Instant LoTW was a big advantage from them! 3 years ago had pleasure to work Chris A35V from Niue as ZK2V and that time 10M and 12M were sorted! This time for some reasons I didn`t see them in the evening (our time) on 10/12 .... Worked A35X on 12M for new band in the morning at 9:22 UTC and it was hard battle it was also my first QSO on Phone with Tonga. Thanks for good thrill!

300 DXCC confirmed ...

VK9MT Team

VK9MT Mellish Reef DX-Pedition 2014 log just uploaded to LoTW. 

This is my 300 DXCC confirmed on HF and 295 on CW!

Many thanks!

Practice on faster CW

This is my QSO with John WA6YEE from California in USA on 17M band using 75W. I am using now Begali Traveller Light iambic key and enjoying faster keying. Here on the video 28WMP from my side. Mistakes can happen but this is only way how to learn faster keying. By now almost 61% of my QSOs are in CW. 83% this year only ... Can read "easy" 35WPM and transmit 26-28WPM right now. Of course this is for short 2-ways QSO. If rag chewing is involved my CW is much slower ;)
Traveller Light from Begali is working very well. I need special rubber matt to hold key on the table otherwise is moving while keying. A big help while keying I`ve found from my interface. Device has WinKey controller and it is showing me letters while keying. I can see now how my letters sounds like. For example I was sending TU (thank you) in wrong way ... It was X not T U .... now thanks to small display I can see what went wrong ... Have fun with CW!

Latest QSL cards

VK9X/K7CO Christmas Island 2014 and my only CW with this DXCC

XZ1J - Myanmar - 5 bands

W8A - American Samoa - 3 bands 

... and more QSL ....

 

SV2ASP/A - Mount Athos - QSL from Monk Apollo and my only CW contact with this entity. New 15M band as well. So far Monk Apollo is The Only HAM radio operator active from Mount Athos.

YJ0OU - Bill N7OU - QSL card from Vanuatu. New bands for me 40/30!

Missed high bands opening ...

QSL QSL QSL

Bureau QSL cards

Bunch of QSL card "By the Bureau" received recently .... mainly DL/OK/LA/SP/JA .... but some good DX as well. For DX I prefer request my QSL Direct , sometimes it is no possible for some reasons .... Bureau is option too but takes longer, sometimes few years ... to get your QSL back.

VP8NO QSL Card

Direct is much faster if card is wanted ... Here is my only CW contact with Falkland Islands , confirmed by direct card posted from VP8NO Mike. Thanks Mike! QSO/QSL to remember.

Falkland Island post stamp.

Wallis and Futuna

..... sorted on 5 bands 10 to 20 .... Thanks FW5JJ for being there for us!

SPDX Contest 2014

I was member of EI0PL in SPDX Contest 2014 last weekend. Operated 24h shift on Multi. With some breaks of course. Great fun as usual and FB conditions. We missed just 2 multipliers on 10M.
But 10M wasn`t open to SP. All QSOs managed via backscatter with antennas pointed to Caribbean or to the South. 

Call: EI0PL

Operator(s): EI3KG EI5JQ EI7KD EI9KC

Station: EI0PL

VK9MT - Mellish Reef - QRT

VK9MT - Mellish Reef DX-Pedition 2014 - QRT earlier than expected .... Weather ....

Mellish Reef is located in the middle between New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea. This is rough part of the World. Whether is not predictable. And this is what VK9MT are facing on the reef. Strong wind and heavy rain, waves, tents damage , etc. 

They did great job in just 6 days on Mellish. Hats off !!! I am very happy with 6 bands and 2 emissions in the log. Very lucky 30M and 10M QSOs ... Great surprise was to work them on 2 bands at night. It was 17M and 15M. And SWL them on 12M on 20:00 local via S/P. Extraordinary propagation on the air , but Mother Weather had different plans. I wish whole Team safe return to Australia.

"Today in my box"

Two wonderful designed and printed cards received today. 

XR0ZR QSL Card , nice 4 pages master piece QSL! Design, printing, finishing!

JW2US - Erik - Bear Island IOTA EU027 - QSL Direct from Bjornoya!

Begali paddle ... for first time

My first experience with Beagli paddle done with Magnetic Traveler Light .... I know Begali keys and paddles from pictures. Never had opportunity to play with them. I know they are good. Top shelf. Decided to order my first one.
From time to time I am operating from shack at Papa Lima DX Group , own paddle is own paddle , and also in my shack I have limited space. Traveler Light can bo folded after use. To stay safe. has a special carry box for transport. This is what I needed.
So far great paddle. Well built , precision like swiss watch. Is not heavy , likes to move a bit on the table. Looking forward to use it on DX-Pedition from Great Blasket Island in July. This paddle can be attached to a leg by special straps.

VU4K - Andaman and Nicobar Islands

VU4K - Andaman and Nicobar Islands by Krish W4VKU is QRT now. 

Had a chance to work him on two bands. Not new one. Confirmed long time ago on two bands but this time

logged on 10/12Mhz as new one. 

VU4K operation style was mainly SSB. Still need VU4 on CW.

I will not comment VU4K operation style and things SWL`ed while I was trying to work him.

Happy with new bands. Many thanks.