Great excitement on the bands - lots of new ones to be worked

I haven't had much time for radio over the past week but I have managed to find a spare half hour or an hour here and there. Things have definitely improved, with late openings into the Caribbean and the USA on 20 metres - I have heard signals on both CW and SSB as late as 10pm and onwards this week.

CX5BW Pedro gave me a new band slot on 20m.

Reviewing the log I see lots of interesting QSOs, including two contacts with 4A4A, Revilla Gegido, which I managed to make before that DXpedition finished. I nabbed them on 15 metres RTTY and CW. They were extremely weak most of the time and EIs found it difficult to get them into the log. Except, that is, for my near neighbour, Doug EI2CN, who worked them on no fewer than 13 band slots. Hats off!!

Some highlights from the past week for me include: ST2AR Sudan on 10 metres CW (a new country on that band), MD0CCE on 15m CW (a new one on that band), V4 St Kitts & St Nevis, a new one on 17m, VP2M on 17m CW, V25OP Antigua & Barbuda, a new country on 30m, VP2V British Virgin Islands, worked on 20m CW, a brand new DXCC for me, FM on 80m CW, a new one on that band, followed by V2, also a new one on 80, and I worked that entity again on 15m CW, another new country on that band.

CX5BW was a new band slot on 20m CW, C6ANM was a new one on 30m, while VU2PTT gave me a new band slot on 30m CW. FG Guadeloupe was a new country on 30m on St. Patrick's Day, followed quickly by J79M Dominica which was a new one on 20m. The same night brought HK4CZE on 30m - Colombia was a new DXCC on that band. I nabbed 9N7AN, the new Nepal DXpedition on Friday on 15m CW.

On Saturday I put 5X1NH in Uganda into the log on 17m CW - a new DXCC on that band. EI1NC/P, the North Cork Radio Group, were active from Cork Gaol over the weekend and were 59 on 40m SSB when I contacted them. Well done and congrats on the special event station.

I worked into Australia for the second weekend running when I nabbed VK6AA on 20m CW in the RU contest. I also spoke to Roin RW3LG Maritime Mobile on 12m SSB, having previously chatted with him on 20m a week or so before. ZS1OIN gave me a new country (South Africa) on Saturday on 15m. YB1ALL in Indonesia made it into the log in the contest also on Saturday. PY Brazil was heard - and worked - on 10m on Saturday evening - in fact I made two contacts into Brazil on that band.

Just a short while ago I made a contact with OA1F (Peru) on 15m CW, giving me a new one on that band.

So as you can see, even in limited time one can make quite a dent in the list of DXCCs worked. I will be keeping an ear out for two further DXpeditions which have started this week - VU4PB Andaman Islands and S21YZ in Bangladesh.