HF Contacts 15m

Well done Craig. I had to look up Mayotte as just just couldn't picture the whereabouts.

Spare time that I could be by the radio has been very short lately, but yes I have noticed 15m been pretty great when I have had it on. Had one more new 15m one for me on after my last posting with my usual setup which was

UN9L - Kazakhstan

Well done with Kazakhstan Neal.
(A country I've been trying for.)

Upper HF has been good of late and I managed a few DX contacts of my own which I'm well chuffed with.

Mother Nature is kindly rewarding us but we still battle with Father Time!

I often find that sitting on FT8 is akin to watching waves lap the shore as signals fade in and out.

South America was rolling in on their dawn greyline so I gave it another bash but as soon as it had appeared it quickly disappeared too!

Then lo and behold Japan suddenly lit up with their fall of night and I got heard.

JA9FFS - Japan - FT8 10W


Chuffed with a second Japanese contact but alas they also don't do QRZ confirmations.

Little point after that because everyone and their dog suddenly jumped on board screaming for Japan!

Also (with QRZ stars) :-

EA9ACE - Cueta and Malilla (Nice one missing from my log)

R30SRR - Russia

IS0YHV - Sardinia


Not much, but a fun little half an hour or so watching 'waves' and skimming the odd radio stone across them.

Well done Victor.

Much appreciated Mike and I've said it before but will say it again, your FT4/8 reports keep me going enthusing me to try more. 
I do so enjoy this digital malarkey. 

Me to Victor love my digital.
So much so i just bought a Yaesu FTM-400xde.
I can now do my ft4/8 and talk through wiresX C4FM at the same time lol.
Going to have a tidy the shack to make room lol.

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J28MD - Djibouti    ( new dxcc ) 




SSB - 50w 








Craig 

Nice one to get in the log Craig.  


DXpeditions are great for such activity and I know I wouldn't have grabbed Benin if it wasn't for those kind of events, but I do get pangs of guilt that such contacts aren't from "home grown" Hams in their own country. (Chasing TY0RU recently gave me time to think about such.)

Yes, well done Craig! I had to look up how to pronounce that one

Victor, I don't know if you've ever come across Roly from New Zealand on youtube? He's actually doing some great work to get a local chap trained and on the air in a place that there aren't many. Full story on the funding page for him (funding reached / ended now)...
https://gogetfunding.com/ham-radio-for-papua-new-guinea/

Neal, I read about Roly ZL1BQD's efforts in the Pacific islands some time back now and his work with helping indigenous people gain their amateur radio licences is absolutely exemplary.

Just got my 167 country, mixed bands of course FT8/FT4.

12:29utc 9X5RU KI47

plus worked
13:17utc VK5MN PF95
and got called by
13:19utc R0DZ PN59

Some good dx even though it's tough out there.

Mega happy to work a new entity yesterday on SSB.

S77SARA - Seychelles

I looked up their website (www.sara.sc) after the contact and was very interested to learn that their licencing mirrors ours and that the RSGB conduct the three levels of exams online for them also.

The operator of the club station I had a QSO with was Kamil and he was only using the radio bearfoot into, Lyton may well be interested, a single element delta loop.

Managed today one that a few of you have recently worked on other bands, 5W1SA - Samoa. 10W FT4 and just confirmed on QRZ via LOTW import. Happy

Don't think I'll be catching Mike or some others of you on numbers for while, but mine are starting to build up.. that's my 145th "country" logged on QRZ and my 138th confirmed on there.

Well done Neal.  

I like your mention of how you 'only' have 145 countries/entities under your belt.....I only have 85 confirmed!
(Hence my need to look at further antenna solutions as I only scrape 90 odd or so 'heard' on PSKReporter.)

Sorry Victor i am stuck on 170.
I must try harder i must try harder.

Ha! Ha!

That's it Alan mate, rub my nose in it.

Someone once said to me I only need a 'resonant' 20m dipole to work the world....but where would the fun be in that? Did look at a Lazy-H or W8JK-beam as it could squeeze into the loft space but not sure my Teresa is up to any more attic excursions.

You do very well with your coastal QTH there Alan.

This lot went up yesterday and not helping but i can see a job for 1 or 2 of them when they come down.

Oooh! That's gonna hurt Alan.

I remember when the scaffolding went up for our roof I couldn't pick up a damn thing on the radio and then they went on to destroy the old fan dipole I had. (As well as hole in one of my ponds!)

Yeah, you might be able to snaffle a pole or two.

i wonder what would happen if you connected your coax to that lot you might end up with a fantastic ant 

Would give it a go but i can't reach lol.
Did think about the chain-link fence but it's plastic coated.
Got me thinking about the scaffolding now ????.

45k

Little opening on 15m today so gave it my best shot with the maddening crowd :-

PM63 - JH5MXB - Japan
PM74 - JA5JQH - Japan
PL09 - BG5GLV - China

(First China contact! )

Then it swung the other way for a while....

EL88 - KE7UTH - USA


All fought hard for on FT4/8 10W through my 135 foot of lawnmower lead (plus other scrounged bits of mains wire) wiggling around my 22 x 20 foot tiny loft and homebrew ATU. I may not be the 'best' station in the world but boy do I have fun with what little I have.


(Here Alan, I've only just broke 1K, piddly 87 countries but managing a 60% confirm rate. Still keeping me happy.)

Very little on any band here today.
Well saying that i did get USA Cuba and Iceland on 30m and Canada on 40m but that was early doors.
The Ikea box is getting bigger next door so hopefully the scaffolding won't be there for months.

Glad to hear you're still doing alright Alan despite the massive Faraday cage in your vicinity!  
(Hopefully it won't be up for much longer? Could you not orientate your antenna and use it as a big 'reflector'? )


Chuffed with what I managed today and I also had a mailing from our Jeff - 43CT016 (didn't spot it straight away, sorry Jeff) where he was giving me a call from Australia but unfortunately no Oceania contacts were heard this way. Can't believe how long Oceania has evaded me but still having great fun working with what I've got.

I won't let you know how many stations or times I had to call Alan (flipping loads!) but pleased with at least getting China finally in the old log.

China evaded me for some time but got Japan ok.
Oceania is just waiting for your call Victor anytime soon.