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:

Reunion Island on 80m SSB with 100 watts!!!

Ham radio, and DXing in particular, never ceases to throw up surprises. I've just worked Cyril FR4NT in Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean on 80 metres SSB with my severely dog-legged inverted v with its apex at just 25 feet high!! I had been listening on his frequency (3.792) for some time, and he never had more than a few European stations calling him at any time. But then he went quiet and I thought he was gone.

Reunion Island, worked tonight on 80 metres SSB.

All of a sudden I heard him again and an LA2 station was rag chewing with him. I was able to get my 80m inverted v tuned on the top end of the band (not on his QRG of course!), which is quite surprising because it is only resonant at the very bottom of the band.

So, with who knows how much of my rig's 100 watts actually radiating from the antenna, I called him just as the LA2 said good night to him. Immediately he came back and said "who is the kilo charlie?" I couldn't believe it. It wasn't easy to get into his log, because I was in his noise, but he persisted with the attempt which I was very glad about. After a number of times trying, I could eventually here "I think it's echo india two kilo charlie, is that right", to which I gave "roger roger roger, you are five and five, five and five, QSL".

He said "you are five and seven in my noise level, roger" and soon the QSO was complete. Cyril gave me country #144 worked on 80 metres. I never would have made it through with any sort of a pile-up, but it goes to show what a combination of good conditions and a lack of QRM can do when you have low power and a seriously compromised antenna!

I look forward to trying to get a few more new countries into the log on 80 metres over the winter time.

Working Bob on the Falkland Islands on 12 metres SSB

This is a short video showing me making a QSO with VP8LP, Bob, on the Falkland Islands, on 12m SSB. Band conditions have been really excellent of late, as this video demonstrates. 12m and 10m are often open after dark to North America, the Caribbean and South America. Bob is one of the gentlemen of the hobby, always a pleasure to work.

The early bird does indeed catch the worm!

This is my QSO with TX5K, Clipperton Island, on 80 metres CW at shortly after 6am this morning! I started recording just as I started calling them, and as you can see from this very short video, I got through after just three calls!!

Although his signal doesn't seem to be very strong, bear in mind that I was using my old Butternut vertical antenna! I was giving him 400 watts from the Acom 1000. He was calling EU only. I am absolutely delighted to get this rare one into the log on the low bands. That brings my total number of slots up to eight.

I had heard them on 80 CW at 8.30am yesterday, but it was bright here and it was too late. However, Ark EI9KC had told me to try around 5-6am so that's what I did. Thanks Ark !

And here it is . . . the DXA online log system for TX5K confirms
that I have worked them on 80m CW, among others!