A wonderful week of DX in fantastic conditions

It's been a really great week for DX. There aren't many dxpeditions on, but the conditions are such that the world is at your fingertips every time you touch the CW paddle or the microphone button, or indeed the keyboard for the RTTY macros. Here is a summary of the DX worked in the past seven days:

The 9J2T dxpedition to Zambia - worked 6 times so far.

JG8NQJ/JD1 Minami Torishima 17m CW; VP8CMH/MM Falklands 17m CW and 20m CW; KH6/VE7AHA Hawaii 12m CW at 9.10pm local time!; WL7E Alaska 12m CW - new on 12m, at 21:23; VK3TZ Australia 12m CW at 21:32 at night!; FK8DD/M New Caledonia 12m CW; FK8IK New Caledonia 12m SSB - my first ever phone contact with this DXCC; 9J2T Zambia dxpedition - total of six band slots; WL7E 12m SSB at 21:19 at night, a new slot; D44CF Cape Verde 10m CW - new slot; CX3TQ Uruguay 10m SSB - worked on the Antron 99 with 100 watts; 4S7DFG Sri Lanka 20m CW; HK0/UA4WHX Providencia Island - a total of six slots so far!!; ZL4IR New Zealand 20m SSB; CB3N Chile 20m SSB; FK8IK 40m CW - new country on 40 metres!!; ZM90DX New Zealand 20m CW; 4S7LXG Sri Lanka 15m CW - new one on 15; 4S7DFG Sri Lanka 10m CW - new country on 10m!!; ZL1/G0EHQ New Zealand 20 SSB - nice chat on SSB (YouTube video); RI1ANR Antarctica 17m CW; D44CF Cape Verde 12m CW - new slot;  A92AA 20m RTTY - new DXCC on digital modes; 9J2T Zambia 17m RTTY - new DXCC on digi modes; V21ZG 17m RTTY - new one on digital modes; ZL7/OE2SNL 40m CW - brand new country (number #304 worked!); RI1ANC Antarctica 17m SSB; OX3KQ Greenland 12m SSB - new slot, worked with Antron-99 and 100w; 5H2DK Tanzania 17m SSB; JT5DX Mongolia 80m CW - new country on 80m!; 4S7FRG Sri Lanka 12m CW - new on 12; YB4IR/P Indonesia IOTA OC-204 20m SSB; KH6CW Hawaii 12m SSB - new slot; ZD8RY Ascension Island 40m SSB; KH2L Guam 17m CW at 21:45 local time; JW7QIA Svalbard 80m CW.

What a night for D4 Cape Verde

My log showing a number of new slots with D4 Cape Verde

It's been an interesting night here for D4 Cape Verde. I heard D44AC on 80m SSB and tried giving him a call. Despite a sustained EU simplex pile-up, I managed to eventually get through using my Butternut vertical. Chuffed with the new band slot, I thought that was a great achievement using very limited equipment. But the night was only beginning! Shortly, I saw D44AC spotted on 160m. I could hear him on 1.822 but he was looking for Japan only. After a minute he went silent. I heard nothing for two minutes. Then I decided to call blind. I sent 'D44AC de EI2KC' and immediately he came back with 'EI2KC 5NN'. I had logged Cape Verde on top band using a severely compromised antenna - my nested 80/40/30m inverted vees which are only 9 metres at the apex. This was DXCC #68 for me on top band. I had worked CN2R as #67 on Saturday night.

A short time later I saw D44AC spotted on 20m SSB and gave a shout there and was soon in the log for yet another new band slot. I was on a roll !

Also on 20 metres, but this time on RTTY, was D44TXT. I decided to join the pile-up and at 10:21pm local time I had bagged a new country on digital modes, #131 on digi. I was convinced that would be my lot. But no - D44AC was on 40m SSB. I joined the pile-up there and soon enough I was in the log again, and had bagged yet another band slot. This time I found the Butternut vertical slightly better for hearing him than the inverted v.

I am delighted that I have also worked a number of new slots with TN2MS Congo and C82DX Mozambique. A good day on the bands.