VK9NT Norfolk Island in the log on 15m CW (short path)

Norfolk Island is a very small island off eastern Australia.

A short time ago, I managed to work the VK9NT Norfolk Island dxpedition on 15 metres CW. He is very light here on the short path, and inaudible on the long path. He is working everything from EU to Africa to Japan, so I really didn't think I had a chance. But I heard a couple of stations working him just one KC up, so I knew that he didn't have a huge pile-up. I had the hexbeam pointed at around 10 degrees and gave him a shot. Within a short time, I heard (with flutter and fast QSB) what I thought was 2KC 5NN so I gave "EI2KC EI2KC ?" and he came back and gave me "EI2KC EI2KC 5NN 5NN" and then I confirmed with "RRR EI2KC 5NN 5NN 73 TU".

Fabulous. That's only my second ever QSO with this DX entity. I worked VK9NT in May 2013 on 12m CW, my only other QSO with Norfolk. I'm glad now that I recently repaired the 15m wire of my hexbeam, which had been broken for some time!

Here's a short video I made shortly after my QSO showing just how weak VK9NT was. As you can see, he is not moving the needle at all:

Doug EI2CN catches some great action in the ARRL DX contest

Here are a couple of videos showing my friend Doug EI2CN in action during the ARRL DX SSB contest this weekend. The first video shows him working the QSOs on 15 metres, and the second one is on 10 metres. Sounds like he was having great fun.

Hexbeam repair completed - back up and running

I fixed the SP7IDX hexbeam today - all by myself. I probably should have asked for help putting it back in the air, but most of the work could be done solo. It took about two and a half hours in total. I had to reconnect some of the ropes that hold the spreaders apart. Also I had to remove the snapped 12 metre and 15 metre wires and replace them. The hexbeam has taken a heck of a battering from storm after storm over the winter. The whole thing needed to be tightened up and the wires replaced. It now looks good as new again and is working great, as demonstrated in this video showing the signal strength of a YL special event station:

Below is a short video I made this afternoon of the newly-fixed hexbeam. It looks much tidier now than before. It had begun to look very forlorn, and was practically unusable. The weather this morning was very pleasant - bright and dry - although it has clouded over somewhat this afternoon.

Here is a photo which was taken during the repair work while I was on the shack roof:

The hexbeam leans over nicely onto the shack roof for easy access for repair./

Guantanamo worked on RTTY and on 10m!

I am delighted to have logged KG4, Guantanamo Bay, not once, but twice on the amateur bands in the past 24 hours. Yesterday, I was able to work KG4HF on 15 metres RTTY as a brand new country on digital modes at around tea time. I was using the hexbeam, pointing west. I wasn't calling too long, maybe 15 minutes, and was chuffed to make the contact.

This evening, I am hearing KG4WV nice and strong on 10 metres SSB, and with a small split of just 2 KC up, I was able to nab him in a short time running 400 watts from the Acom 1000 into the hexbeam. The above video shows the signal strength of the KG4 station immediately after I worked him.

Edit: I have since worked KG4HF on 17 metres RTTY as well.

Lord Howe Island in the log on 21 Mhz CW

As many of you will know, I have been relatively inactive on HF lately, only sitting in the PT0S pile-ups occasionally. I haev been busy launching my Newgrange book, plus I have started writing my next book!!

St. Peter & Paul Rocks, where the PT0S dxpedition is based.

Anyhow, I managed just now to log Lord Howe Island on 15 metres CW. VK9/OH3JR is in the log after about 15 minutes of trying here. He is working a small split, up 1-2 KCs, and is barely lifting the needle on my Icom IC-756 PRO at the best of times. However, as many of you keen DXers will know, that's all that's needed most of the time!!

I only worked VK9-L once before, on 30 metres, with 100 watts. It's a great pleasure to work this rare one again!

Since my last update, I have managed to work PT0S, St. Peter & Paul Archipalego, on six band slots in total, so I am very pleased with that. The latest slot was 17m SSB.

Papua New Guinea - new country on 15m!!

This is P29FR booming in at 5/7 on my MA5B minibeam. I recorded this short clip about two minutes after I had worked him as a brand new country on 15 metres (21 Mhz). In fact, I have only worked Papua New Guinea on 20m and 12m previous to today, so it was a great contact.

Hearing Antarctica on a coathanger!

You've probably heard amateur radio operators describing how when some stations are very strong, or propagation is very good, you could "probably work them on a coathanger". (Another version of this says you could load up a string of wet spaghetti and you would work them!) Well this video shows the signal of RI1ANF, Oleg, who is based in South Shetland Islands in Antarctica. I was listening at the time on my Icom IC-706 Mark II in the car, which is attached to - wait for it - a quarter wave whip antenna for the 4 metre (70 Mhz) band.

That's right!! He could be heard without any problem on this small antenna!

I had earlier worked EW8A in Belarus on 17m CW using just this antenna, which is probably smaller than a wire coathanger stretched out !!!!!!!