VP8STI South Sandwich Island in the log - ATNO - DXCC #318!

I didn't want to blog about it until I saw my call sign in the log, but I am definitely in the log of VP8STI, South Sandwich Island. As of this moment, I actually have three QSOs, but only one of them is in their online log so far. I'm delighted to have worked them on 17 metres CW, on 20 metres CW and on 30 metres CW.

South Sandwich was an All-Time New One (ATNO) for me. This is DXCC #318 worked. I should also point out that it's possibly DXCC #319. I think I worked FT4XU on Kerguelen Island on January 4th, but due to QSB and QRM I'm not 100% certain of the QSO. And his QSL manager does not yet have the log, so I cannot check. I might not know until February whether the QSO was a good one. So right now I stand on either 318 worked or 319 worked.

Now before anyone goes getting excited, thinking about the honour roll (I have 310 DXCC confirmed), there are two entities which I have little hope of confirming - EZ Turkmenistan and 5A Libya. I've worked both, but Turkmenistan doesn't allow ham radio and therefore QSOs are invalid for DXCC. And I worked 5A1AL in 2013, at a time when Libya was in disarray, and due to the uncertainty of the situation there, the QSOs I made with him - on four different bands - are null and void for awards purposes.

So at this moment in time, with 318 worked, the most I can hope for is that I can confirm 316. That still leaves me 14 entities off the Honour Roll - and that could take years to achieve!

In the meantime, K5P Palmyra has proved very elusive here, and in a lot of Europe, so I am very very glad for that one QSO. Imagine, it could be years before Palmyra is on the air again.

UPDATE: At 23:23UT, local time 11.23pm, I just worked VP8STI on 20 metres SSB! He is working both NA and EU. Fabulous conditions. And right now they have a good signal on 40m CW too.