JX2US Jan Mayen Island logged for my 200th country on 80 metres!

I just worked my 200th country on the 80 metre band. JX2US Erik is on Jan Mayen Island in the Arctic Circle, almost 2,000 kilometres north of Ireland. He is there until March 2021 and will be operating on the HF bands, primarily the low bands, during his spare time.

He was on 3.501 Mhz (CW/morse code) at 9.46pm local time and working a hefty (mostly EU) pile-up that was spread out between 1 and 4.5 Khz up from his transmit QRG.

Declan EI6FR and Don EI6IL had both logged him a short time before. Declan told me his operating pattern was to slowly move up in frequency from QSO to QSO, and then at a certain point he would sweep gradually back down. 

I got lucky.

I found the QRG of the previous QSO quickly, and turned the VFO to decrement or lower the frequency very slightly and called him with 400 watts through my homebrew inverted V dipole.

He came back quickly (through QRM on his TX QRG) with "EI2KC 5NN" and I replied with "RR DE EI2KC UR 5NN 5NN TU". He came back with the familiar "TU" (thank you) and that was the job done! I was in the log!

Jan Mayen Island is 1,919 kilometres (1,193 miles) north of Ireland.

I didn't know it until after I had logged him and used the 'recalculate statistics' feature of my logging software, Logger32, but he was my 200th country worked on 80 metres.

That is a very pleasurable number for me, because I have a small garden with extremely limited space for antennas. In fact, the 80m dipole is dog-legged and only 9m (about 30ft) at the apex. 

But it works, and is resonant. It might not radiate ideally, but it has done a sterling job here.

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.

VP8DOZ South Georgia in the log - another new DXCC, #312!!

A NASA image of South Georgia island.

When I heard that Denis VP8DOZ was going to be QRV from South Georgia for a couple of months, I was hopeful that I might get a QSO, despite the fact that he is an inexperienced operator. That part of the world (the South Sea, almost at Antarctica) is quite workable from here, as the path is mostly over salt water. Several Irish hams made it into the log over the past number of days, so I knew I was in with a chance. Denis seems to be QRV from around 20:00z for an hour or so each night, always on 17 metres, on 18.160 Mhz, and usually listening 5 Khz down.

Last night I got my chance. He was weak on my hexbeam, but just about hearable. I shouted. He came back with EI8HKC - it turned out that Pat EI8H was calling him too. So I stood by while Pat worked him and then he said "five to ten down" so I called on 18.153 and in no time at all I could hear what sounded distinctly like "echo india two kilo charlie, five and five".

However, despite the fact that the online log was updated today, I find that I am not in it. An email to log manager Paul ZL4PW confirms that my call was "busted" and he will fix it!

This is DXCC #312 for me, another all-time new one (ATNO). I'm delighted to get him into my log. I will look for the QSL card at the earliest opportunity.

A photo of my rig immediately after I worked VP8DOZ.

YV8AD Venezuela makes it #146 on 80 metres!

I woke up at 6.30am to see if Nigel ZD9XF was on the low bands. Unfortunately, he was QRT since about 01.30z. I could hear HC2AO weak on 80 CW and he would be a new country, but unfortunately he went QRT as soon as I started calling. So I had to do something now that I was awake and the grey line was approaching!

I could hear YV8AD on 3.750 on my Icom IC-756PRO

I saw YV8AD spotted on 3.750 SSB and decided to have a listen. The band was not too noisy, and I could hear him at a 5 and 5. I went down a few KCs and tuned my inverted V with the 756PRO's internal ATU. The V is resonant right down at the bottom of the band, so it was a barefoot effort only. I called, and straight away he came back "Echo India Two Kilo Charlie, good morning Tony, you are five and six, five and six roger". I was delighted that he could hear me at all. I gave him 5 and 5 and just like that, country number 146 on 80 metres was in the log. It's not too often that I am able to work DX on SSB on 80 metres. Thankfully, I was close to my greyline, and he wasn't busy. Plus, there's not much between here and Venezuela except salt water, which helps.

Thankfully, I also managed a QSO with TY1AA on 30m CW. I need TY on 30, 40 and 80 (and of course 160!) so I was glad to get at least one low band QSO seeing as how they are QRT tomorrow.

Banaba T33A in the log - on a skew path

I am absolutely delighted to reveal that I just worked T33A on Banaba Island a short time ago. I had no hope of even hearing them tonight because they seemed to have QSY'd off 20 cw and I would have little hope of hearing them on 30m or 40m CW on my dipoles. But then I could see spots for them on 14 Mhz on the Reverse Beacon Network. I tried listening on the short path (north). Nothing. I tried listening on the long path (south). Nothing. Disappointed, I figured I would have no luck tonight. But something told me to beam back to the north path again after they QSY'd from 14.030 to 14.035. I thought perhaps they had moved frequency for a reason - maybe the new QRG was clearer? Perhaps I would hear them on the new frequency?

This is the exact beam heading I worked Banaba on. I took
this shot immediately after the QSO.

I set the VFO to 14.035, and started turning the hexbeam from south towards north with the G-450C rotator. It was sloooow. But, just as I passed southwest, I heard some CW. I stopped the beam at 250 degrees (west-southwest) and could hear - quite weakly - what sounded like "T33A UP". I put on the split and heard him working a US station exactly one up. I pressed the operate button on the Acom 1000 linear and gave him my call. He worked a K1 station. I listened on the split. 14.036.1. When he finished that QSO, I called him.

And then the magic came wafting through the air! I heard a weak and fluttery signal that sounded like "2KC 5NN". Unsure it was me, I waited. Then I heard it again "2KC 5NN". So I went back with "EI2KC EI2KC ? 5NN BK" and heard a more distinct "EI2KC 5NN TU".

A photo of the Icom with the exact split I worked T33A on.

I'm surprised, elated, and relieved. This is a tough one for a station with small antennas. Have no doubt about it. The three and four element SteppIR stations are hearing them 559 and even 599 on the evening paths, but the lowly hexbeamers are not so lucky!!

I shouted a huge "YESSS" and punched the air several times. DXCC #298 is in the log, and another of those rare ones. It's #25 on the Clublog most wanted list. And it puts me within a whisker of 300 DXCC worked.

Now I can do what I like to do on a Friday night. I'm hoping to order a Chinese takeaway and sit down and watch a movie with my XYL and maybe I'll crack open a bottle of chardonnay too!

Sometimes the clock is against you in ham radio

There are times when the clock is against you in ham radio. Imagine the following scenario. There is a dxpedition on a Pacific Island that you need as a new DXCC. They are there for just over a week in total. Propagation is poor and they might be using small antennas and low power. Despite seeing other Europeans spotting them on the cluster, you are unable to hear them on any band or mode. You are fast approaching the weekend, when they will be winding the station down, and all of Europe will be on, calling them, and you won't be in the shack. And, with just minutes to go before you leave the shack to go to work on Friday morning, you finally hear them for the first time . . .

That, my dear friends, is the scenario that faced me this morning. I could finally hear VK9NT on Norfolk Island, on 12 metres CW  - the first time I had heard a decent signal from them all week. Many mornings they were either QRX or unhearable. Conditions were not great all week.

Norfolk Island, from which I could finally hear VK9NT this morning.

I saw them spotted on several slots, including 20m CW, 17m SSB and 12m CW. As it happened, I could only hear them on 12m CW. They were too weak on 20m CW to make out. It was 9.05am. I would have to leave the shack for work at 9.15am. I had TEN MINUTES in which to try to work them!!

The op was relatively slow, and was working a mixture of JA stations and EU. I knew I had a challenge on my hands! I had the beam pointing the right direction, the linear was on, and the split was set at up 2. However, on listening to the op's pattern, it became clear that he or she was moving up about 500 hz at a time and then, upon getting to about 4kc up, coming back down again. I heard "5NN TU" on the split, and moved down about 500 hz. I also slowed my keying speed to match the DX speed. Within a minute or so I could hear "2KC ?" I gave the call twice. Again I could hear "2KC?" - obviously I was being QRMed. Another couple of calls with "EI2KC" and I could heard "EI2KC 5NN" and I gave something like "QSL EI2KC 5NN 5NN TU" and I was in the log . . .

I didn't have time to celebrate. I had to switch off all the equipment, get my coat, and run to the car. It was 9.15am and I needed to be at the desk in Dublin at 10am!! However, I felt I could relax a bit. DXCC #290 was in the log, and I had all but despaired of working them. VK9NT on Norfolk Island - thank you. I am off to another island tomorrow, Inis Mór (EU-006) with the EJ7NET dxpedition. I hope conditions are good for that . . . both weather conditions, and band conditions!

Turkmenistan a rare new DXCC on 20 metres CW

I just worked EZ8BP on 20m CW, a brand new DXCC for me, and quite a rare one. It's number 30 on the Clublog Most Wanted DXCC list, and there are, apparently, only about six licenced hams in that country. EZ8BP was CQing on 14.040, listening up 1, and to be honest I didn't think I had much of a chance because he had people calling him from Europe, the States, Japan and Australia. One VK3 station had a huge signal here. However, Vladimir was listening up slightly higher than 1kc, so I decided to call slightly above the pile-up on 14.041.5, and that's where he got me after a while.

He is a slow operator, but a good one, and before long I could hear "EI2KC 599" coming through the noise!! That's DXCC #289 worked here, and an unexpected one. I'm not sure whether EZ counts as DXCC, but I will send a QSL card to Vladimir and hope that he responds.

Now, if only I can nab VK9NT for another new one, I'd be a very happy man!!

Clipperton Island in the log - twice! DXCC #285

I am delighted to report that I have worked TX5K, Clipperton Island. I managed to nab them after about 20 minutes of trying on Sunday on 17 metres CW. They had a big signal, but of course the European pile-up was huge. I had tried for ten minutes before dinner but didn't get through. Immediately after dinner I was back at the rig again and figured out his listening pattern. After about ten minutes I heard the magic "EI2KC 5NN" coming through, and confirmed the QSO with "RR EI2KC 5NN TU".

This morning, Monday, I was trying on 40m CW. This operator had a different pattern. He kept going up, by about half a KC each time, until he was about 10kc up, and then he would come back down again, in increments. I had just about figured out his pattern when it was time to go to work. I switched everything off and went to wait for my lift. However, I got a text message saying he was running 15 minutes late, so I went straight back into the shack and switched on the radio and the linear and went back to calling him again. After about five minutes the magic was happening again . . . "EI2KC 5NN". I was delighted to get through, particularly because of the width of the pile-up and the number of EU ops calling him.

TX5K is an international dxpedition to Clipperton Island (official DXCC designator FO-C). It's my 285th DXCC worked. I am particularly delighted because tomorrow, Tuesday, will be the third anniversary of receiving my EI2KC callsign.

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.