VK0EK Heard Island logged - ATNO and DXCC #319!!

A short time ago I finally made it into the log of VK0EK, the Heard Island dxpedition. I have had poor receive on them since the dxpedition began the other day, and was beginning to wonder if I'd get a QSO at all. They were very weak on 30 metres CW on my home-made inverted v dipole, but I called them 2 Khz down and got into the log at around 23:35 local time (22:35 UTC). This is DXCC number 319 for me, and is of course an All-Time New One (ATNO).

Obviously getting the ATNO in the log is of paramount importance. I will try to chase more QSOs, but now that I have them logged (and confirmed in the log via their wonderful "live" online log service) I can relax a bit.

Video: Using the Reverse Beacon Network to compare your antennas, and to discern band propagation

This is a short video I made today demonstrating how to use the Reverse Beacon Network to compare your signal on different antennas. The RBN is a very handy tool for the CW enthusiast and for hams interested in testing their antennas and also finding out about propagation on various bands. In this video, I use both an inverted v dipole and a Butternut vertical to transmit a CQ call on 10 Mhz (30 metre band). I then compare the signal reports spotted automatically by skimmer stations. However, on the second CQ call with the vertical antenna, I get an unexpected DX call . . . I will let you watch the video!