HF diario: April 2015

Thursday, 30 April 2015

VP8DOZ - South Georgia Islands

VP8DOZ - by Denis ZL4DB

Great surprise this activation was , great surprise LoTW upload was , great surprise to get QSL card so fast! This is VP8DOZ - South Georgia Island by Denis ZL4DB.

Great job also by his QSL Manager: ZL4PW Paul!

To be honest I had no hope for LoTW upload. Denis on his QRZ.com profile wrote:

"No online-log, eQSL or LOTW"

So thanks again to his QSL Manager Paul ZL4PW.

Brand new DXCC. One of the top 10 Most Wanted on Ham radio CFM as 308 here!

Sunday, 12 April 2015

ZL7E - Chatham once again ...

ZL7E on 30M this morning

Chatham Island worked on 40M and 30M! Great DX! Last Friday condition on 40M was spotless and signal on 7Mhz was amazing. It was their first 40M activity so pile-up was massive. Managed QSO after long battle .... Some spots from EU told us that signal was going from LP but I didn`t care on my dipole which way I`ve worked them. My wimdom dipole for low bands has good take off for Pacific area and I wasn`t worry about QSO on 40 .... Last year I had QSO with ZL7AAA as only EI logged on 7Mhz ... and it was SSB ...
OK 40M sorted what next ? 30M and 15M ... 30M was active when I was at work ... and 15M is always in the morning here when no much time to be stuck at the radio ...
Set my alarm clock at 5:45 AM ... Sunday morning ... checked DX cluster ... yes ZL7E is active on 30M! Off the bed ... radio on , set the frequency 10.116 ... NIL ... ? RBN in DL , SE , HA showing signal 26dB strong ... while in EI ... nothing ... not a whisper .., checked antenna , all ok.
Decided to wait , enjoyed cup of coffee .... then signal started to appear ZL7E up .... happy days. I know what my Inv V for 30M can do with Pacific and it was only question to figure out split frequency to log Chatham Island on 30M. And I did it! EI9KC 5NN ... R5NNTU ...

Why present ZL7A activity is so important to me ? I have Chatham Island CFM by QSL Card on 6 bands with ZL7AAA including 10M. Answer is ... LoTW. There is no hope for LoTW upload by ZL7AAA. ZL7E marked it clearly ... "Internet access permitting logs will be up loaded to Clublog daily, and LOTW after initial log checking on our return to Auckland."

I have Chatham on LoTW on 2 bands 17 by ZL7/F8FUA and 10M by ZL7/OE2SNL so this time ZL7E will give me new on 12 (as new DXCC on 12M also!) / 20 / 30 / 40 .,,, Most likely I will miss 15M .... it will be for next time. Happy with all my QSOs with them anyway. Great Operators and pleasure to work them.

UPDATE: 15M in the log! RTTY .... considering Chatham sorted.

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

Chatham on 12M at 22:00 local !!!

ZL7E - Chatham Islands DXpedition 2015

About week ago I heard ZL7E Chatham Island on 12M CW with great signal. But they just started so NA wall was quite big , then I was busy chasing V6Z and PQ0T on others bands. It was in the evening our time , about 2h after sunset here in EI. I knew it will be workable around that time because ZL7AAA gave me QSO on 10M about one year ago.

Chatham Island is a challenge to put it in the log because it is geography antipodes for Europe.

Short pass or long pass is "almost" the same.

Still needed ZL7 on ... 12M (and 80 and TB but this is different story)

Last night didn`t copy them on 12M CW but worked V6Z instead on 15M CW via L/P (nice surprise!)

Tonight ZL7E again on 12M but SSB ... much more difficult to work than CW ...

SP very weak , LP NIL

signal on SP was up and down all the time barely readable ...

"ZL7E listen up" SWL from time to time and 5/9 too

Many spots on DX-Cluster from USA stations which worked them up 8. Decided to give a try , I was trying for 1h! up 5 up 8 ... pile up was quite good and it was almost impossible to break NA wall ... but when up 5 was quite busy ... up 8 was clear ... and I was there for good few moments ...

finally EA9KC 59 ... EI EI EI9KC ... EI9KC 59 ... 59 Thank you 73!

DXCC nr 280 logged on 12M - Chatham Islands!

SP7IDX Hexbeam did fantastic job!

Tromelin FT4TA QSL received .... stamped!

FT4TA Tromelin QSL Card

Long awaited FT4TA QSL card arrived today! Nice surprise to get QSL card and envelope with special TAAF post stamps stamped on Tromelin Island! It is a real collector QSL!

Saturday, 4 April 2015

WOW! Trindade and Martim Vaz Island on 40M in my log!

PQ0T

Trindade and Martim Vaz Island

2015

When I woke up this morning I had feeling to give a try on 40M CW to work PQ0T.

Yesterday they were active on CW ....

Today ... SSB ... narrow split and 1000 stations calling him. I was trying for 3h on 28mHz

two days ago without luck.

I was listening his split for few minutes ... no hope. CW maybe but no SSB.

I know my dipole, and I know when it will be workable ....

Not today , not in that condition ....

But then they went QRT for a while , when they came back ... signal was very tiny ... barely readable with "G" stations on his QRG.

EU SR passed , no callers , CQ CQ PQ0T 5 UP

Decided to call him. Why not ... ?

One call!

EI9KC 59

Allelujah - Happy Easter!

Wallis and Futuna again on 30M!

This is Jean-Jacques FW5JJ on 30M this morning. And I had pleasure to work him! My 2`nd QSO with this DXCC entity on 10Mhz. I didn`t use 30M very much last days but yesterday my "Inv. V" hanging on the tree did extraordinary with Jeff from Hong Kong VR2UU! For so many night I was trying listen him on 30M - no luck - last night finally managed QSO! This morning wake-up early to give try PQ0T on LF but they were "only" on 40M SSB .....

Around 7:00 FW5JJ was spotted on 30M CW. I was trying to work him few days ago on 30M without luck. I still remember my FB QSO with Laci FW0NAR 3 years ago. But that was in the evening our time. BTW FW5JJ was much stronger later on 30M

FW5JJ - EI9KC QSO on 30M already in the log! TNX JJ!

Friday, 3 April 2015

300 ....

Condition are great on the bands and DX are flying. For example this morning I didn`t know where to go to give a try .... frequencies are busy with DX!

C21EU / V6Z / ZL7E / PQ0T

And many more.

Time flies and I forgot to keep eye on my statistic ....

Just passed 300 DXCC worked on 20 and 15 !

17M is on 298

and for first time 12M is better than 10!

SSB is close to 300 as well - at the moment on 297

2167 band slots CFM on Clublog and 2054 on LoTW!

P.S. Just worked PQ0T on 17M for new band slot .... 299!

HF Happenings

King Edward Point

(Picture by Kevin O`Donnell - Flickr)

VP8DOZ - Denis - in my log on 17M as New DXCC! South Georgia Islands

Number 9 Most Wanted by Clublog

I was waiting for him few evening on his QRG (18.160) he appered there around 20:30 but didn`t copy him at all. Maybe condition were not good , maybe Wicklow Mountains at his direction blocked his signal somehow ... He is using just 100W and 17/20 GP

Decided to go EI0PL location to give a try. And it was good idea. AK61824 antenna by SP3GEM is a good choice ... I was able to hear VP8DOZ on 18Mhz and exchange signal report as well. He was 5/7 at best peak! Thanks for new one Denis.