Thursday, June 23, 2011

Worked ZD7 St Helena Island for the first time

Things have been busy lately and I just noticed a lack of updates here so I said I'd better put something up here in case you all thought I'd gone into hibernation.

I worked ZD7XF last night on 17m CW which was an absolute joy for me because ZD7 is a brand new DXCC for me. I was having trouble tuning the rejuvenated and repaired Butternut on 17m so I used my 30m inverted v dipole instead. It took a while as he had a hefty pile-up. He was listening 1-2 kc up. I eventually nabbed him using a slow call. I did a little jig around the shack, what myself and some of the local DXers call the "DX Dance".

Well, I was repeating it a short time later when I worked him on 30m also, again with the inverted v, and again with a speed of about 18-20 wpm. Great stuff.

G3TXF Nigel is operating as ZD7XF from the home of Barrie ZD7MY, the view from which is pictured above looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.

I had a very enjoyable evening on 40m SSB on Monday, working something of the order of 85 QSOs which was great fun. These included some great DX, including two contacts into Brazil, one into Agentina and also one with Norman VK7AC in Tasmania.

Last week I received 126 QSL cards via the IRTS bureau and have filled out all the replies to I will be sending them to the bureau within the week. I got some nice ones, including 4U1ITU for 20m CW, and ironically on the day that I received the bureau card I worked them again on two more bands!! I also got a card from Australia and a couple from EA6 which was nice.

This day fortnight, Thursday, July 7th, a number of candidates who have been attending Dundalk Amateur Radio Society's theory classes will sit the amateur station licence exam in the Comreg offices in Dublin. Myself and Doug EI2CN are hoping to travel up there to lend some support and encouragement to the candidates before they go in.

4 comments:

  1. Well done Tony. You did great job to break pile-up with your dipole. I am happy to have him in my log on 17m as well. Not new one but first ZD7 in CW for me.
    Vy 73.
    Ark EI9KC

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congrats again Ark. 15m QSO is doubtful. Just listening now on 20m - huge pile-up developing!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Tony. 20m was hard as well. With 100W this challenge!
    Here is my story how I`ve worked Nigel on 20m:

    Rainer DL2AAZ is operating now from Jamaica as 6Y2X. For me it will be new DXCC on HF as I don`t have 2-way QSO with this country. Few weeks ago I was trying to make a QSO with 6Y5WJ but no luck , he got my call and report but I didn`t get my raport back. When I was trying ZD7XF for new DXCC on 20m I`ve decided to try Jamaica in SSB and I`ve turn my antenna to Caribbean ... I had turn my antenna via north. Just two calls and 6Y2X logged! Went back to Nigel`s frequency and gave him a call when my antenna was turning back from Caribbean direction into St Helena ... when antenna was pointed around North Pole he pick-up my call !!! Repeated few times as antenna was turning into his position on Atlantic Ocean ..... and finally got me RR EI9KC 599 , UFF Thank you for patience Nigel. Great CW operator!

    GL Tony. He will be for a while on ZD7. Plent of time to log him on another bands as he is almost all day on air :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ark, yes thanks indeed for this nice report on your success. The antenna is working well for you. I am still trying him on 12m and 20m but the piles are huge. But that won't stop me from keeping on trying!!!

    ReplyDelete

All comments are moderated - so spam will not get through.