EI8GHB Anthony works DL7SP Holger in Germany on 20 metres

This is me having a QSO with a German station, contact number 13 on HF since I got my licence.

My first session on 20 metres

Worked an hour on 20 metres this morning putting out a CQ call and got about 20 contacts into Europe. Here's the callsigns logged:

IS0SWW
DH9NBU
DH8WW
UA4PF
IK2XRJ
DK2RMP
DL4MAU
DL6MRS
F4DDZ
IZ1GCN
SM5BNK
DL7SP
IZ2ACM
IZ0DIB
EA8CDI
DL1ALN
IK4EWN
SP6BXP
RA3ANL
DJ8RP

Worked my very first HF contact just now on 40 metres

Having worked six stations on 2 metres already since I got the callsign this evening, I've now worked my first HF contact.

At 23:17 I worked EA5BRE on 7.121 LSB with only 20 watts into a half-size G5RV. He was patient with me despite the fact he was looking for DX. Thanks Luis. I recorded the latter part of the QSO for posterity, it being my first contact on HF with my callsign.

On 2 metres I have worked:

EI4DIB (No surprises there - thanks Tony!)
GI4SZW Seamus
EI4IP Sean
EI4HX Peter (hello again Peter!)
EI8IZ Darragh (mobile heading to Dundalk)
EI3GHB Alan in Maynooth, who was blasting in and gave me an excellent report. He also noted that we are both Golf Hotel Bravos!! Thanks for the welcome.

Just got confirmation of my new callsign - EI8GHB !!

Well the call finally arrived. At 4.45pm Derek from Comreg rang to confirm my new Amateur Station callsign - EI8GHB - Echo India 8 Golf Hotel Bravo!!

I like it!

It rolls off the tongue. I knew it would be EI8G something B. Hotel is alright by me.

I had my first QSO on the way home. I worked Tony EI4DIB mobile on the M1 (I was mobile) through the Dundalk Repeater on 145.675 and then Seamus GI4SZW joined in. After all the dreaming and study and apprehension, I'm finally on the air.

Looking forward to doing a bit of HF over the weekend.

Update: callsign on its way soon

I phoned Comreg today and a very nice gentleman informed me that there had been some system problem and that this had put a slight delay on the processing of my Amateur Station Licence application. However, he said he would do his best to have it processed today and hopefully I will know my new callsign very soon, possibly this afternoon, if not on Monday or Tuesday.

I told him if he could do anything to have it processed today I'd be very grateful. I'd love to be on the air over the weekend !!

My first (somewhat modest!) amateur station begins to take shape at home

OK, I'm giving you a world exclusive now. This is a real first for all you web surfers, amateur radio operators, short wave listeners and the general public! I'm going to give you a sneak peek at some radio equipment I've acquired for the operation of my new amateur station, for which I am just awaiting my licence in the post.

The main rig is the HF radio. It's a TS-570D from Kenwood. A nice transceiver which is a sort-of mid market product, better than an entry-level HF rig but obviously not as good as some of the bigger and more expensive models.

Above that is the Alinco DR-510 dual bander which I hope to use as my home-base 2 metre radio. Above that is the Icom IC-207 which I have a loan of from Peter EI4HX. Thanks Peter. And beside those two is my "handy", a slightly battered but very capable 5watt 2 metres handheld - the ADI AT-201.

Wonder what callsign I will be given?

Well now that I am waiting on my new licence, my thoughts have finally come around to what callsign I will be given. After the June exam, a lot of the new callsigns were EI7 (Echo India Seven) Golf something Bravo. So I assume that Comreg fill out the EI7G's and then move onto EI8G on the basis that EI8GAB has been assigned but nothing after it. Also, everything up to EI7GZB has been assigned but no EI7Hs.

So it seems likely I will be EI8G?B and given that my application was in last Wednesday, the same day I got the results, it might seem logical to suggest I will get an early letter. So here are some of the possibilities:

EI8GBB - Echo India 8 Golf Bravo Bravo
EI8GCB - Echo India 8 Golf Charlie Bravo
EI8GDB - Echo India 8 Golf Delta Bravo
EI8GEB - Echo India 8 Golf Echo Bravo
EI8GFB - Echo India 8 Golf Foxtrot Bravo
EI8GGB - Echo India 8 Golf Golf Bravo

Do I have a preference? Not really. I'm glad just to be getting a callsign to be honest. Golf Bravo Bravo is perhaps a tad tongue-tying, while Golf Golf Bravo is nice, but really I'm just looking forward to receiving my licence and putting out some calls!!

The sunspot activity has been deplorable recently, and I kept jokingly telling my radio friends that it was waiting for me to get my licence to start lifting.

Well what do you know, there are 29 sunspots today, up from 0 two days ago, according to the Dundalk Amateur Radio Society website. Hopefully HF will get a good lift now over the winter months!