Worked ZD7 St Helena Island for the first time

Things have been busy lately and I just noticed a lack of updates here so I said I'd better put something up here in case you all thought I'd gone into hibernation.

I worked ZD7XF last night on 17m CW which was an absolute joy for me because ZD7 is a brand new DXCC for me. I was having trouble tuning the rejuvenated and repaired Butternut on 17m so I used my 30m inverted v dipole instead. It took a while as he had a hefty pile-up. He was listening 1-2 kc up. I eventually nabbed him using a slow call. I did a little jig around the shack, what myself and some of the local DXers call the "DX Dance".

Well, I was repeating it a short time later when I worked him on 30m also, again with the inverted v, and again with a speed of about 18-20 wpm. Great stuff.

G3TXF Nigel is operating as ZD7XF from the home of Barrie ZD7MY, the view from which is pictured above looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.

I had a very enjoyable evening on 40m SSB on Monday, working something of the order of 85 QSOs which was great fun. These included some great DX, including two contacts into Brazil, one into Agentina and also one with Norman VK7AC in Tasmania.

Last week I received 126 QSL cards via the IRTS bureau and have filled out all the replies to I will be sending them to the bureau within the week. I got some nice ones, including 4U1ITU for 20m CW, and ironically on the day that I received the bureau card I worked them again on two more bands!! I also got a card from Australia and a couple from EA6 which was nice.

This day fortnight, Thursday, July 7th, a number of candidates who have been attending Dundalk Amateur Radio Society's theory classes will sit the amateur station licence exam in the Comreg offices in Dublin. Myself and Doug EI2CN are hoping to travel up there to lend some support and encouragement to the candidates before they go in.